Letting Go of New Little Wings

I sat on the terrace beside Rima, watching Daisy play in the backyard with Bamby, Arimby, and the little blue bird she had named Biru.

"Haah... does she hate me?" I sighed, letting my head fall onto the table.

"Don't be so dramatic," Rima replied lazily, a sly smile tugging at her lips as she flipped through the morning newspaper. "There's no way Daisy hates you."

Two Weeks Earlier

The moment Rima and I stepped into the backyard, we heard Daisy's faint groan from inside the house.

My chest tightened instantly. My heart began to pound.

Without thinking, we rushed inside.

When we pushed open the door—

BANG!

The sight before me made my entire body loosen in relief.

"Ahahaha... that tickles, Biru!" Daisy laughed happily, playing with a small blue bird.

So that was it.

She was perfectly fine.

The moment Daisy noticed us standing there, she ran toward us and threw her arms around me.

"Mom! You're back!"

I returned her embrace.

"I missed you, too."

For a moment, silence wrapped around us like a warm blanket, and time itself seemed to pause as we held each other.

Soon, Daisy released me and ran to hug Rima as well.

After that, our days returned to normal...

—or at least, they should have.

Sometimes Daisy used to ask to sleep beside me. Now she refused whenever I invited her.

She had begun bathing and eating by herself, refusing my help whenever I offered.

Even when I suggested bathing together, she shook her head and said she wanted to become independent.

Whenever we went shopping for household supplies, she insisted on going only with Lusserina.

A week after Rima and I left, the Arctic Garuda egg hatched.

And the first person it saw... was Daisy.

Its feathers were as blue as the sky, so Daisy named it Biru.

Many monsters regard the first person they see as their parent.

And it seemed the same had happened here.

Biru rarely left Daisy's side.

Even when they traveled to the capital, the bird never once strayed far from her.

Back to the Present

"Then why is she acting like that toward me?" I asked.

"She doesn't hate you," Rima replied while continuing to read the newspaper.

"It's the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"I think Daisy is trying to become independent so she can earn her mother's praise and appreciation."

"Praise?"

"Yes," Rima said calmly. "She wants you to be proud of her."

"Lady Rima is correct," Lusserina added as she approached with a tray of snacks.

"You too, Lu?"

"And besides," Rima added, folding the newspaper, "how long are you planning to treat her like a little child?"

"One day she will leave the nest."

"And it's a parent's duty to prepare their child for the world beyond it."

What Rima and Lu said... made sense.

Had I been spoiling her too much?

Was I treating her like a baby?

But she is still a child...

Ugh... I don't understand.

While I sank into my thoughts, Rima continued reading her newspaper, and Lusserina returned inside.

Daisy suddenly walked toward me.

"Mom... are you okay? Are you sick?"

Her eyes were filled with worry.

Her voice pulled me back to reality.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," I said gently. "Thank you for worrying about me."

"I see... okay! Then I'll go play again."

She ran back outside.

Daisy was worried about me.

Ah... what a relief.

Maybe Rima was right.

Maybe I had simply been overthinking everything.

From that day on, our days grew brighter.

I began letting Daisy try more things on her own.

She helped with household chores—sweeping, cooking, and even washing clothes.

Days passed.

Day turned into night.

Before I realized it, a whole month had gone by.

Daisy, who once followed me everywhere, sometimes refused when I asked her to come along.

At first, it made me feel lonely.

But eventually...

I learned to let go.

• • •

Today, I had arranged to meet Ares and Deva in the capital.

I came alone.

We met at a restaurant Rania recommended.

I was sitting at an empty table on the second floor.

"Lun!"

I turned toward the voice.

It was Ares.

He had come alone and walked straight toward me.

"Ares! How have you been?"

"Hahaha... family matters, as usual," I replied with a bitter smile.

"Oh? What am I supposed to be then? A god?" I shot him a sharp look.

"Hahaha. Well... you kind of were," Ares shrugged.

"Even back in the game, a Limit Breaker was basically cheating. It took a max-level party to defeat one."

Before I could respond, another voice called out.

"Ares! Luna!"

"Finally," Ares muttered.

Deva hurried over and joined us.

"Sorry, I'm late. Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all," I replied.

"I just arrived, too," Ares added.

After Deva arrived, we spent some time catching up and ordering food.

When the meal was over, Deva leaned forward.

"So... what did you want to talk about?"

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly turned serious.

Ares and Deva both looked at me expectantly.

"Do you know about Parahyangan City?"

They both fell silent.

Then Deva spoke.

"Of course. That's the place where players used to use the Branches of Death, right?"

"Oh... the boss farming spot?" Ares added.

"You're both right," I said.

"Before this world became real, several players used the Branches of Death there and unleashed countless boss monsters."

"When the game turned into reality... the city was wiped out overnight."

"What?!" Deva shouted.

Ares swallowed hard.

"What about the people who lived there?"

"You can probably guess," I replied quietly.

"The city was reduced to ruins."

Silence fell over the table.

"To prevent the monsters from escaping, Ringgamana summoned several NPCs and sealed the entire area."

"For more than two hundred years."

"Ringgamana?! Two hundred years?!" Deva trembled.

Ares raised his hand slightly.

"Uh... who's Ringgamana?"

"You don't know him?" Deva stared.

Ares shook his head.

"He's the most annoying man ever to exist," Deva muttered, folding his arms.

"And the hardest person to get rid of," I added.

Ares looked even more confused.

"Haha. Sounds like you were one of his victims."

"Yes... and it was one of the worst experiences of my life."

"Guys, guys," Ares interrupted. "What about the city?"

"Oh—right," I said.

"The seal has been intact for two centuries. But recently there was a report..."

"A battalion of knights was nearly wiped out... by six goblins."

"Six?!" Ares blinked.

"I heard that report too," Deva nodded.

"As you know, goblins are weak monsters. Even ordinary people here can defeat them."

"But if my guess is correct..."

"They were Level 200 Elite Goblins."

"...Ah," Deva exhaled slowly.

"That explains everything."

"I thought the knights were exaggerating. But if they were Elite Goblins... then it makes sense."

"Don't tell me..." Ares said slowly.

"They came from the sealed Parahyangan City?"

"That's my guess."

I then told them about the Orc Hero and the Orc General.

The two of them fell silent again.

"She is," Deva replied.

"You might not know this, but she's actually a boss in one of the quests to obtain the Draconian race's special skill."

"Dragon Transformation?"

"Exactly."

Then he looked at me suddenly.

"...Wait."

"Were you one of them?"

I simply smiled.

"Not just me."

"Ringgamana was there too."

Deva froze.

"So... what's the plan for Parahyangan City?"

"Rima and I have discussed it," I said.

"We're planning to gather powerful individuals and reclaim the city."

"That's why I wanted to invite both of you."

Ares and Deva exchanged glances.

"Are you sure?" Ares asked.

"We're not high-level players yet."

"That's fine," I said with a sly smile.

"With enough people, the battle will be easier."

"And when we succeed..."

"I'll reward each of you with a special skill."

"Two!" Deva suddenly slammed the table.

"Give us two skills!"

Everyone in the restaurant turned to stare.

Deva quickly sat down again, his face slightly red.

"Good."

"I'll contact you again soon."

"For now... prepare yourselves."

"When will the seal break?" Deva asked.

"In less than a year."

"And that estimate was from two months ago."

"So we have less than ten months left."

"But we can't wait for the seal to collapse."

"We'll enter before that and clear the monsters inside."

"So in about four to six months, we'll gather and begin the operation."

Ares and Deva nodded.

Anticipation shone in their eyes.

"Well then," I said, standing up.

"I still have others to invite."

"Oh, and I already paid for the meal."

"See you soon."

And with that, I left the restaurant.