“Meow, howl~”


  Ugly Duckling, which was afraid of Ah Zi initially, cried out at Ah Zi, shook its head, and bared its teeth smugly.

  “Puff.” Ah Zi puffed out with annoyance, but it shrugged when it looked at Amy, trying not to make her angry.

  “However, I can consider sharing a little with you when it gets bigger,” Amy murmured. “But only a little.”


  “Meow?” Ugly Duckling’s eyes widened as it realized things weren’t as simple as it thought.

  “Howl!” Ah Zi seemed to have understood Amy. It raised its head and released a happy howl as it looked at Ugly Duckling expectantly.

  “Alright, let’s go to Issen Castle first. Although it looks quite near, we still have to find the best blacksmith when we get there.” Mag waved goodbye to Ah Zi. He held Amy’s hand and walked toward Issen Castle.

  Ah Zi flapped its wings and left the canyon where people often passed by.

  Issen Castle looked close when they were in the air, but to prevent others from discovering them, Ah Zi landed tens of miles away. It would take them some time to travel there.

  Amy got tired only after walking for a short while. Mag carried her up, dumped Ugly Duckling into his backpack, and continued walking toward the steel castle in the midst of the mountains.

  Just as Mag was considering renting a bicycle from the System, sounds of horses’ hooves and horse-drawn carriages appeared behind them. Mag stood at the side to let them pass, but the caravan stopped next to them.

  On the first horse-drawn carriage, a middle-aged man in merchant clothing asked Mag, “Hey, are you going to the Issen Castle? Do you want us to give you a ride since you have brought a child along with you?” His gaze landed on Amy, who was sleeping in Mag’s arms, momentarily.

  He didn’t know what this fellow was thinking, bringing a child out in such cold weather. The child would have been frozen by the time they walked to Issen Castle.

  Mag surveyed the caravan. There were 10-odd horse-drawn carriages full of goods, and the coachmen were all humans. They looked like merchants from Rodu, and this chubby middle-aged man who greeted them should be the owner of the caravan. He was tanned and looked friendly, so Mag smiled, and replied, “If it’s possible, can we bother you, please?”


  “Alright, hop in. There is a charcoal stove in the carriage. It’s warm. Don’t let the kid freeze,”


  Godala said with a generous laugh as he lifted the heavy drapes of the carriage to let Mag and Amy in.

  Mag carried Amy onto the carriage, and the warm air engulfed them. The coldness was totally shut out.

  The interior of the carriage was rather spacious, and there was a rollaway bed at the back, so it should be where this merchant usually slept. There was an iron basin which had charcoal burning in it in the center of the carriage. There was a little iron grill on it which had a chicken roasting upon it. The carriage was already filled with the aroma of roast chicken.

  “Roast chicken?” Amy had woken up the moment Mag sat down. She popped her head out of Mag’s arms, and stared at the roast chicken on the grill.

  “This is not our roast chicken,” Mag said with a resigned smile. This little one could even notice a roast chicken in her sleep.

  “Not ours?” Amy looked around her. How did she end up in this place? She had only dozed off for a short while. She perplexedly asked Mag, “Are we there already, Father?”


  “Not yet. This kind uncle is giving us a ride, so we are in his horse-drawn carriage,” Mag said, shaking his head.

  “Oh.” Amy nodded with a thoughtful expression. Then, she made a sweet smile, and asked Godala, “Uncle, is that roast chicken yours? Can I just take a small bite, please?”


  Godala looked at Amy with wide eyes. He took the roast chicken and passed it to Amy with a smile. “You can even have two bites.”


  “Amy, don’t eat others’ food. Uncle may not have had his meal yet.” Mag shook his head at Amy, who was about to accept the roast chicken.

  “It’s fine, it’s fine. How much can a kid eat with two bites? Let her have some first, I can just eat the leftovers,” Godala said as he waved his hand. The little girl looked utterly precious and lovable. It was totally fine to let her have two bites first.

  Amy retrieved her hands while staring at the roast chicken as she said to Mag, “Father, Uncle says it’s fine.”


  “This……” Mag murmured. He finally nodded when he saw that Godala indeed didn’t mind. He again reminded her, “Just one bite.”


  “Mm-hm.” Amy nodded happily as she pulled a thigh off the chicken and stuffed the whole thigh into her mouth. She chewed for a while, and then spat out a perfectly clean thigh bone before swallowing the rest. She nodded satedly. “Even though it isn’t as nice as the ones Father roasted, it is good enough.”


  “This……” Godala stared at Amy, who ate a whole chicken thigh in a bite, in a shock. He only regained his wits after a while. How did this tiny little girl eat a whole chicken thigh in a single bite? Even he couldn’t have done that!

  Moreover…… he indeed had not had his lunch yet. This chicken which he had roasted for the past one hour was the lunch that he had prepared for himself. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel his heart ache when he lost a whole thigh to a single bite.

  “Uncle, can I have another bite, please?” Amy gave Godala a charming smile again.

  Looking at that smile that was as cute as a kitten, who could believe that she had just eaten a whole chicken thigh in a single bite!

  Even though he had said the words himself earlier, looking at the way she ate, he would only be left with bones when she were to take another bite.

  “Erm, I think you father is right. Little children shouldn’t eat too much when they sit in a carriage, or else they would feel uncomfortable.” Godala took the roast chicken over from Amy and nodded seriously.

  Mag touched his nose as he tried to hold back his laughter.

  “It’s only a small bite.” Amy retrieved her gaze unwillingly from the roast chicken. She took Ugly Duckling out from the backpack and hugged it. She leaned against Mag and immediately closed her eyes to resume her sleep.

  Stunned, Godala stared at Amy who fell asleep instantly. Then, he gave Mag a thumbs up. “This daughter of yours is a genius.”


  “You’re far too kind.” Mag turned to his side slightly to let Amy lean at a more comfortable angle.

  “Oh yes, I am Godala. A merchant from Rodu. Where did you come from? What are you going to do at Issen Castle?” Godala asked Mag curiously.

  This pair of father and daughter didn’t look like merchants or vagrants. Instead, they looked like the rich who came out for a leisure trip. They even brought along a kitten of a strange coloring.