Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! - Chapter 24

Henry, the child wizard, shouted loudly at Meldenique who was ahead of him.

“Nona!” (He’s trying to say Nuna.)

Meldenique’s eyes grew bigger as she was humming and walking happily without thinking.

“Hello.”

Henry put his hands above his belly button and bowed.

“C-cute.”

Meldenique collapsed on her knees as she saw a tiny child running to her.

‘You’ve fallen for me. So easy!’

Henry laughed evilly inside and grabbed Meldenique by the shoulder.

“Excuse me, I have something to say.”

The usual Meldenique would have found him suspicious as she had a lot of suspicions. But her iron wall was melting in front of the child.

Until then, Henry thought Meldenique had fallen for him. So he thought he would be able to objectively identify what kind of person she was.

Of course, it was the same with Isaac. He thought that she just thought that kids were cute so far.

“Baby, where are your parents?”

“Ung! They’re just far away for little bit, they’ll come back.”

Meldenique stretched out her neck to look around.

Unfortunately, however, her gaze did not reach the entrance of the alley where Isaac was standing.

“There’s no one here though, they didn’t abandon him did they…”

“No! Please pway with me!” (T/N: He’s speaking with aegyo, like a baby would.)

The clever little Henry squeezed Meldenique’s arm.

It was a scheme full of black hearts to measure Meldenique’s mana.

“Yes, I’ll play with you! What’s your name?”

“Henry!”

Meldenique squeezed Henry’s hand naturally.

She seemed very good at handling children.

Henry grabbed Meldenique’s arm and tried to concentrate on measuring her mana.

“Cute Henry with glasses, do you like studying?”

At that moment, Henry’s hand fell.

“…h-how did you knwow!”

Henry’s eyes became clear with vigilance.

Meldenique spoke, squeezing Henry’s middle finger, “Because your little hands have calluses. So if I want to play with Henry…let’s see.”

Henry tilted his head.

Meldenique took out a pouch that she always carried.

“What’s in there?”

She looked through the pouch thoroughly.

In case she ever met children, she carried things to promote the store. And her preparedness was now shining in front of Henry.

“H-hub. What do you hwave?”

Henry was starting to get dragged into Meldenique’s pace.

Isaac, who was watching the situation, tried hard to hold back his laughter.

A little…

‘The both of them are cute.’

For now, Henry, who had completely forgotten that Isaac was watching him from behind, pushed his face into the pouch.

“P-pencil cathe!”

Henry’s voice was shaking.

“That’s right! It’s a pencil case!”

Meldenique shook her pouch, taking out a pencil case.

“It’s a pencil case with ancient writing, what do you think?”

Henry opened his eyes wide and read the sentence written on the pencil case.

“The twuth will set you fwee.”

《The truth will set you free.》

It’s the favorite phrase of the wizards in the tower, including Henry, who would explore the truth.

Children these days who were tamed by instant culture may not know, but Henry knew very well.

Henry’s hot heart, that of a little wizard and a scholar who loved learning, swelled.

‘I-is she a good person?’

Henry looked carefully behind his back.

The tower master must be observing the situation.

But if there was no interference, it meant that this woman was not dangerous yet.

‘Ah, yes, of course.’

Henry’s excited eyes glistened.

The sweat on his nose dripped.

In the meantime, Meldenique spoke as Henry’s sweat and glasses slipped down.

“Do you also want a pencil with the pencil case?”

“P-pencil…?”

Henry knew very well what a pencil was.

It’s quite an old thing. He didn’t use them these days because they broke easily.

Henry was a smart kid, so he tried to shake his head to refuse the pencil gift.

“It’s old stuff, I bought it from the antique street. Some of the ancient saints used pencils and not quills, probably?”

However, Meldenique knew everything about Henry just by looking at him.

Henry, who was full of academic curiosity, opened his mouth wide.

Henry had now completely lost his will to look into Meldenique.

“They’we all my favorites…”

The little boy opened his surprised eyes, covering his mouth with both hands.

“D-don’t tell me. Do you know about me?”

“Huh? No?”

“Thwen, thwen how did you kwnow what I like?”

At the end of his sentence, Henry put his plump hands on both of his cheeks.

When he’d come to his senses, he’d been completely taken aback by Meldenique’s skills!

Crouching in the middle, Meldenique whispered to Henry.

“It’s a secret, but I have a power.”

Now you’re revealing yourself!

Henry stared at Meldenique with a throbbing heart.

What kind of ability is it? Are you really the tower thief like Rasmus said?

Meldenique spoke to Henry with a serious voice.

“That, it’s the ability to know what every child wants.”

Henry’s eyes opened wide at Meldenique’s words.

It’s different from what Rasmus said. But if it’s true, all children were in danger.

‘Mr. Isaac!’

It was then that Henry called the tower master.

A husky mid-to-low voice was heard in the distance.

“Henry.”

“Yes!”

Meldenique jumped up and looked around.

Isaac slowly walked out of the wall.

The two met eyes.

There was no regret in the shining green eyes.

Meldenique raised her squatting body. She then stretched out and tapped the knee that was cramped.

Dirt could be seen on the ends of her dress. But she waved her hands coolly as if she didn’t care much about it.

“Hello.”

“Yes.”

Meldenique looked alternately at the boy and him. Then she clapped her hands.

“Henry, is this man your father?”

The person who stopped this time was Isaac.

He was expecting all sorts of suspicions, but…

He didn’t know she would connect the two like this.

He had black hair and black eyes, and Henry had brown hair. Is it that she’s not prejudiced? There was one more person who was confused by Meldenique’s words.

“…dad?”

Henry rolled his eyes around in confusion.

Henry didn’t know who his parents were because he was an orphan abandoned in an old hospital when he was young.

However, when the very young child called the tower master his father…

Isaac spoke with a low voice seeing Henry’s confused face.

“…I’m his guardian.”

“Ahh.”

Meldenique nodded and accepted it without any doubt. She handed over the pencil case and pencil over to Isaac.

“Please take this. It’s for Henry.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, this is also our new product. It’s beer candy. Please try it.”

He held out his hand looking down.

At that moment, Isaac and Meldenique’s fingertips briefly touched.

“Uh…”

Meldenique stopped.

There was a slightly strange feeling.

It felt like static electricity was rising. It felt like a white light was passing by.