Chapter 90 The older generation, the younger generation, the children of the fireplace family…
Peruvian was even angrier than she had imagined.
Thankfully, I had the medication injected beforehand, otherwise I would have been terrified.
Easily dodging the flying clothesline pole, Mainkuen seemed to realize something and turned to ask Arecino:
"If I don't dodge and let you hit me a couple of times, will you calm down faster?"
Snap!
Okay, no.
"I haven't explained the full plan yet."
The cat jumped onto the cabinet, offering gentle comfort:
"Why don't you just hold back for a bit, and wait until I've finished speaking before we get angry together? That way we can save some time."
"Main Kuhn, listen to what you're saying!"
Arecino was a little unsure whether giving Maine the opportunity to research the potion was a good thing or a bad thing. The cat was relaxed, but what about the person? She had never experienced so many mood swings before!
"Plan? Ha, with your cat-like brain, the only plans you can come up with are absurd and laughable."
Suppressing her intense emotions, Arecino pulled up a chair and sat down, adjusting her expression to be cold and composed, like a spider mending her web after a storm.
"Don't worry, Pepe, I've thought about this for a long time, and it's a reasonable plan that can be implemented," the cat wanted to say.
"Shut up."
But Peruvieri didn't want to hear a word. She took a few bottles of the fetal water provided by the cat, put on her coat, packed her bags, and prepared to leave.
“I will investigate everything myself. As for you, Mainkuhn.”
As the door closed, the servant gave the cat a cold, sidelong glance.
"Keep your henchmen in check until I return, and don't make any rash moves."
“.
Pepe won't let you move, but you won't move.
Sorry, it's fine on ordinary days, but the half-demon is currently in tiger mode.
"She's gone, she can't possibly come back to beat me up."
Mainkuhn immediately ripped off the tablecloth and poked two holes in it from head to toe. He straightened his arms, draped the white cloth over himself, and kicked open the children's bedroom door with a thud.
"Aww. Aww. Kids, guess if I'm human?"
"Who... Aaaaaaah! A zombie monster!"
The children, who were half asleep, were all startled awake. They scattered and jumped out of bed, yelling.
"Father—Sister Clementine—"
"I ate them all."
The innocent fear was also good; the white-winged monster leaped in the air and picked up the smallest doll's hood, tucking it into its arms.
"Wow wow wow—hey, it's you, Cat Ear Brother! Are you playing a game?" He was startled, but quickly laughed.
'Shhh. '
The monster casually comforted the little victim, then frightened his brothers and sisters, saying:
“Your guardians are gone, your protective umbrella is gone.”
“I will start by eating your weakest, leaving only the strongest alive.”
It's quite harsh to say this in the New Fireplace House, but Mainkuhn isn't very creative and subconsciously uses his own experiences as a script when collecting emotions.
Fortunately, his experiences were all terrible.
"Little Lannister!"
Someone called out in alarm to the child who had been captured by Mainkun, but the child had already obediently covered his mouth and remained motionless, waiting for the next step of the game.
"It's over!"
With a scream, some of the orphans at the Hearth House began to believe Mainkuhn's words:
"He may really be dead! Father! Father!"
No one answered. Under pressure, they frantically thought:
"What should we do? If we only keep the strongest, then we're basically..."
Fear and suspicion filled the air, which was exactly what he needed. He casually bounced the little guy in his arms, and Lannette playfully let out a short "woof," which sounded like he was laughing.
Hmm, we need to move on to the next step quickly, or things will get bad if they really start fighting over who's the strongest.
"I'm about to eat someone."
Mainkuhn estimated how many more children the tablecloth could "eat" and continued to ask:
"Who is the second youngest? Who is the second shortest? I'm going to eat him up and bite his bones off like a cookie."
The medication relaxed him, but it also dulled his sensitive and sentimental heart.
"..."
A hush fell over the room, with everyone's gaze irresistibly drawn to a particular little head.
"I...I...I definitely ate properly and trained properly..."
The little girl was on the verge of tears, but she didn't move.
"Is that you, little lady?"
On the rough white tablecloth, a poorly made ghost statue, its head with sharp horns, leans crookedly, reaching out to grab her hand:
"Come on, nothing will happen."
"Waaah!"
The little girl burst into tears as she saw his outstretched sharp claws.
"You're lying! It must hurt a lot!"
"Let her go! Aren't you looking to eat the weak?"
A tiny hand rushed over and slapped away the half-demon's claw:
"Although I am taller and stronger than Mia, I am actually no match for her. I am the weak one!"
The lie became more and more convincing when a six or seven-year-old boy, missing half an ear, jumped up and glared at him:
"If you want to eat, then eat me! I'm the weakest one!"
"..."
After uttering the most cowardly yet ruthless words, the boy saw the ghost pause for a moment, then slowly exclaimed in surprise:
"Oh dear, it's a little different from what I expected... but I'm fine with either one."
The ghost was cold and ruthless; he reached out his hand:
"Come here."
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Another child swatted away Mainkun's claws; this time it was a chubby girl.
"I...I'm the weakest! I'm the slowest runner!"
"..."
Mainkuhn sensed that something was wrong.
When the first child stood up, his/her emotions were mainly fear.
But after the second child...
"Wait, Leia, I'm the weakest! I... I wet the bed yesterday!" the little boy shouted, his face flushed.
"Nonsense! I... I can't even do addition within ten!" Another child stamped his feet in frustration.
"I! I stole Leia's candy! I'm a bad child! I should be eaten!"
"It was me! I deliberately tripped Jacques during training!"
Chaos ensued, but not in the kind of infighting Mainkuhn had envisioned.
The children, like a flock of enraged yet united fledglings, chattered and vied for the title of weakest. They fought to 'die,' and in the end, none of them could argue with the others, so they all shut up and gave Mainkuhn the desperate look of young wolves.
Why should we harm our own brothers and sisters?
They asked each other:
"Even if I'm the one who survives in the end, what's the point? Come on, grab the knife under your pillow, let's fight him! That way we can avenge Father and Sister Clementine!"
The panic subsided.
Even anger is rare; it has been replaced by a heavier, purer will.
"You want us to choose who to die? We won't choose!"
Many knives were skillfully pointed at him, blades facing outwards. This was a fireplace house; there were no normal children here. They all spoke in unison.
"If we die, we die together! If we live, we live together!"
The white ghost remained silent for a moment before them, as if savoring the sudden turn of events.
"...This is a completely different solution from what we had back then."
"Mainkuhn, what are you doing?"
Just as the tense silence was about to reach its peak, the sound of Clementine opening the door came from the entrance. She looked exhausted, clearly having just finished a mission with the Fools.
"!!!"
The children turned in astonishment, their resolve instantly replaced by ecstatic joy. "Sister Clementine isn't dead! Where's Father? Where is Father?"
"!"
Amid the children's exclamations and the instant relaxation, Mainkuen quickly pulled off the rough white tablecloth from his head and gently placed Lannette, who was already yawning and nodding his little head, back onto the bed.
Good morning, Clay.
He patted Lannette's back nonchalantly, like a mother would, as if the terrifying ghost had never existed.
"What?! It's you, Cat Ear Brother!"
Mainkuhn ignored him, simply nodding to Clementine:
“Peipei has to go out for a few days, so I’m helping her take care of the children.”
"……Yeah?"
Clementine looked at the children, who were still clutching their knives tightly, but their eyes were blank and lost as they stared at the half-demon.
Then look at Mainkuhn, his face is completely innocent, full of a blandness forced by the drugs:
"Nothing really happened."
Child: "He's lying! Bad brother!"
Clementine: I don't believe you!
Clementine quickly figured everything out, grabbed the cat off the bed, and shook it violently.
"What are you doing??? Does reliving your nightmares feel good???"
"How could that be? But I'm not sad."
Like a dead cat that isn't afraid of boiling water, it runs rampant thanks to the medicinal effects:
"However, I am indeed somewhat happy."
"Huh? The drug has such severe side effects that it's making you talk nonsense?"
"What makes me happy is Clementine."
Shaking his severed tail under his clothes, Mainkuen stood up and smiled at Clementine, his smile hidden behind his scarf.
“I can finally believe that the tragedy we suffered back then will not be repeated at the Hearth House.”
"..." Clementine was silent for a moment, then said stiffly:
"It wouldn't have happened again anyway, since Peipei and I are here."
"Heh heh...you really have taken good care of them."
He chuckled softly, patted the sleeping Lannette beside him, and reminisced about many long-lost companions:
"It turns out that inferior offspring really do have the right to grow up."
The children seemed to understand only part of what they were hearing.
Seeing Clementine standing guard nearby and Mainkuen looking quite pleased, one or two of them grew bolder and approached to complain:
"Big brother, your prank is really boring, it's not funny at all!"
"oh."
Unexpectedly, as soon as the cat saw them approaching, it immediately picked them up and put them on the bed, sincerely apologizing while combing their hair.
"I'm so sorry, my strongest brother Jacques."
"The strongest?"
Because the terrifying stories that only the strongest can survive are all false, Jacques quickly became happy about the praise:
"It's alright~ Actually, I used to only secretly listen to information, and I always misunderstood it."
"What about me? What about me? I protected others too!"
Mainkuhn also combed her messy hair, called her name, and treated her like a kitten that needed care.
"You are the strongest, Sister Leia."
What about me? What about me?
"You are the strongest Mia."
"But I didn't do anything? I just stood there?"
"You didn't move, not because you were afraid, but because you were determined to sacrifice yourself."
Mainkuhn combed through her hair, his vertical pupils calm and gentle.
"For your bravery, you are the strongest Mia."
"Wow--"
The children exclaimed in surprise, "Okay, big brother, although your prank really made us angry, we'll forgive you if you praise us all!"
"Oh, so the price is that simple."
Mainkuhn readily agreed, and the cat licked the kittens' rumpled fur one by one.
"I wish I could be forgiven so easily if I made a mistake in the future."
Judging from Peipei's attitude, she probably won't help me.
Clementine wouldn't agree either.
But it's okay.
My heart is free of fear, and I will forge ahead without hesitation.
"Crévi, is Rouget still alive?"
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