Squish, squish, squish.
Elia sat Momo on her lap and kneaded her chubby cheeks without pause.
"Our little plump one's cheeks are getting rounder by the day, aren't they?"
"I ate a lot at the market today!"
"You have to eat a lot when you're young to grow tall, you know?"
"Can Momo grow even taller?"
"Hmm."
Elia wrinkled her nose.
For some reason.
She had a feeling this one wouldn't get any taller.
"Uh, maybe?"
"I can totally tell you're lying, Grandma!"
"Got caught, huh? But hey, plump one."
"What do you want!"
"Who in the world chews on octopus legs while telling someone their friend got kidnapped? It kills the tension."
"Squid legs!"
"Right."
Elia smiled and shifted her gaze.
Unlike the carefree atmosphere here, the master's face was full of worry.
'What a kind-hearted master.'
She nodded with a pleased expression.
Jinhyuk had been restless ever since hearing the news of the kidnapping.
Wanting to ease his mind even a little, she spoke up.
"Master, worried about the little Satan?"
"Yeah. I don't think I've ever been this worried in my life."
Jinhyuk, who had been pacing back and forth, let out a deep sigh.
"What if the Metia Kingdom disappears?"
"So that's what it was."
"Of course it is."
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
Yodelranger Vice-Captain Kancho.
Kancho was different from Nimambo, who could sleep through a bomb going off right next to him.
He was the type who was hard to kidnap in the first place, and even if he were, if he judged it dangerous, he would have immediately de-summoned himself.
So the fact that he hung there quietly and was dragged away meant...
Something must have perked up the Yodelranger's ears.
'Kanchoooo! Don't blow up the palace...!'
The ones who took Kancho probably didn't know.
That this fluffy, cute friend was actually a walking bomb factory, a serial bomber who, while smiling innocently, could fire a missile from a slingshot.
"But Master, can't you just order him to de-summon? Even if you can't give specific instructions, you can still convey your will."
"He might be having a lot of fun right now. He'd be sad if I poured cold water on him."
She nodded and then snapped her fingers.
They say a crisis is an opportunity.
Let's turn the crisis of the Metia Kingdom into an opportunity.
"Momo!"
"What do you want!!"
Momo jumped up and ran over.
Elia made a sad face as the mochi ball slipped from her hands.
"Remember what we did at the Tower of Babel last time? When you slipped my phone into Seyeon-nim's pocket. Operation Agent Mo!"
"Mm! I totally remember!"
Sure.
She definitely didn't remember at all.
"Our little plump one doesn't even know what 'agent' means, does she?"
"An agent has to be good at roasting sweet potatoes!"
"So you're a roasted sweet potato agent."
Pat, pat.
"I'm going to give Momo a special mission. A mission to infiltrate the palace and deliver a map to my soul duo, Kancho."
Momo's eyes sparkled fiercely.
"That sounds sooooo fun! Momo likes fun things!"
She gave a thumbs up.
With the variety of mages they had, the security at the Medea Palace was bound to be tight.
But if the opponent was Momo, whose presence was practically air, that was a different story.
Depending on the situation, she could infiltrate more easily than anyone else.
And even if she got caught, she could just de-summon.
Thud!
Momo, who had sent Elia flying far away, opened the Infinite Storage.
Then she started pulling out items needed for the infiltration mission.
From a tea set for tea parties, to squid legs and octopus legs dried in Baekya Island, squid beaks, and roasted sweet potatoes... What exactly was she packing!?
Momo packed everything neatly into a picnic basket and raised her hand.
"I'm leaving now!"
Grab!
"What kind of master grabs Momo's head and stops her from leaving!"
"Wait a little. I'm going to the tavern to get some advice on the blueprints. I also need to convert them into something Kancho can understand easily."
"Okay! Then Momo will stay here and roast sweet potatoes with Grandma!"
"So I have to roast them too, huh."
"Grandma, fan the flames! Make sure the fire doesn't go out!"
"Got it."
After one last vigorous squish of the mochi ball, he got up.
Yodelranger Vice-Captain Kancho had already gone ahead on a scouting mission.
Since he was already there, let's have him do some additional investigation.
Maybe we'll hit the jackpot.
---
Early evening, a spot a little away from the tavern, Dance with the Black Whale.
Baudan, who had just gotten out of bed, stretched.
It was time to go greet the drinkers.
Knock, knock.
An unexpected knock.
Baudan frowned.
Why was there a knock coming from outside his room door?
"Hello. Baudan-nim. It's me, Yoo Jinhyuk."
Startled, Baudan opened the door.
Jinhyuk was sitting a fair distance away, as if anticipating the surprise.
"Sorry for letting myself in. I was going to wait, but someone was coming."
Baudan, who was about to ask more, narrowed his eyes.
"Are you being chased by someone?"
He was a true drinker who had even shared liquor made by his grandfather's grandfather's grandfather.
If he was in trouble, it was only right to help.
"No, it's not that. I have something to show you."
He pulled out a large scroll from his chest.
He hadn't unrolled it yet.
"Before I show you, seeing this might put you in danger. If you don't want to, I'll leave quietly."
"Wahahahaha!"
Baudan, who had been stunned, burst into laughter.
"I guess I looked too weak at the tavern. Making a young friend like you worry like that. I am Baudan of the Black Whale. A man who has never known fear! Ah, except for this morning. I was a bit scared when you downed twenty whole barrels."
Having said that, Baudan sat down with a thud.
"From the way you're laying the groundwork, it looks like you got your hands on the blueprints."
"Yes, that's right."
"Kuhahaha! As expected! I had a feeling you'd pull it off. Show me. What I learned at my father's side won't have gone anywhere."
Smiling, he unrolled the scroll.
It was a clean copy of the photos he'd taken, made by Dark.
Baudan put on his glasses and focused on the blueprints.
He looked quite different from the man at the tavern.
"Hmm. Peculiar."
Muttering, Baudan opened a drawer behind him.
Out came the previous generation's palace blueprints.
"My father secretly smuggled these out of the palace. Is it illegal? Of course it is. But he said it was something to be proud of for generations, or something like that. Anyway."
Baudan spread the blueprints side by side and pointed to the northern part of the palace and its surroundings.
"Can you tell what's different?"
"The space itself has disappeared. When does this kind of difference occur in blueprints?"
"It doesn't."
Baudan shook his head firmly.
"It's possible for a space to be filled with something else, but it's impossible for it to completely disappear. Unless a natural disaster like an earthquake wiped out only that specific area. And what's even stranger is the area around the vanished space."
"It's surrounded by something."
"A wall that wasn't there before has appeared. If that place was empty, a void, would there be any need to build something like this to enclose it?"
"If there's something there, this must be it."
"Right. And... here, there, and right below it, there are too many strange things. Too many things that weren't in the previous palace. To name one..."
His thick finger pointed to the far corners of the palace in turn.
"The sewers leading out of the palace. They've been expanded several times over. There's no need for them to be this big."
Baudan tapped his finger and let out a hollow laugh.
"This, this... What the hell did they do to the palace?"
"I heard the Metian crown changed hands before the expansion. What was the reason for that?"
Crowns don't change easily.
Unless there's a major national blunder or a revolution.
"It was because of the responsibility for the loss of the World Tree. A Grand Duke who could never have become king took the throne and reaped the benefits."
"I see."
With a smile, he gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you. That was a huge help. Let me copy down the parts you pointed out. I need to share them."
He borrowed a piece of paper and began drawing a very simple blueprint on it.
Baudan stared at him from the side before reluctantly speaking.
"So not all foreign alchemists are good at everything."
Flinch!
As expected, his cursed artistic skills couldn't be hidden.
"If you don't mind, I'll draw it for you."
"Thank you. A young friend needs to see it, so please keep it simple."
"Will do."
Baudan skillfully drew the blueprint.
It looked like he was just scribbling, but it was a thousand times better than Jinhyuk's.
"Here you go."
"Amazing. Same hands, but how can it be so different?"
Jinhyuk muttered to himself and shook his head as if there was no answer.
Baudan was about to chuckle and reply, but then he drew a question mark.
"Huh...?"
It was gone.
The simple blueprint that had been in Jinhyuk's hand just a moment ago.
"Ah, the blueprint. I sent it to the friend who needs to see it."
Jinhyuk smiled and looked back.
Good luck, Agent Mo.
---
The majestic main gate of the palace.
A carriage bearing a golden lion crest arrived at the gate.
"Open the gate! The Golden Lion Knight Commander has returned!"
The knight leading the carriage raised his voice.
Swoosh.
Magic circles formed in various places.
The barriers protecting the palace were withdrawn one by one.
As the path opened, the knight drove the carriage toward the palace.
The mage guarding the gate saluted the carriage.
And when he raised his head again.
"...?"
He made eye contact with a mysterious figure riding in the carriage.
A round head with chubby cheeks.
Why was there a little kid like that in the carriage carrying the Golden Lion Knight Commander...?
"Could you please stop for a moment?"
"What is this?! The Knight Commander is riding in this carriage!"
"I saw a child in the carriage just now. It will only take a moment, so let me check."
The Knight Commander Rodan, who was in the carriage, poked his head out.
A child? Impossible.
He had been alone in this carriage the whole time.
The mage approached and looked inside the carriage.
He was flustered for a moment, then even ran a thorough detection spell.
Rodan, who was watching, spoke up.
"Is it there? This child you speak of."
"Uh, no. But I definitely..."
"You must be very tired. It's fine. But if you waste any more of my time, it won't be fine."
"I'm sorry!"
The mage's face turned pale as he stepped aside.
Even though he had checked himself, he couldn't believe it.
How could it not be there?
The carriage, which had started moving again, passed the mage and entered the palace.
---
And at that moment.
Momo, who had entered the palace ahead of the carriage, rummaged through her picnic basket.
She took out the Yodel Compass and Explosive Clay that Master Jinhyuk had given her and examined them.
Chew, chew, chew.
Munching on an octopus leg, she followed the compass.
Let's hurry.
To the kidnapped Kancho.
----------
T/N:
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