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A sorrowful wailing filled the mountains.

The source of that sound was none other than the immature Princess Ariel.

With a scraped knee and the pain that came with it, she was busy crying as if the world was ending.

“What’s all this fuss over a single wild berry?”

“C’mon, Edgar could’ve helped!”

Thanks to her absurd remarks, Edgars felt he might explode from frustration.

Just a moment ago, the two had found the wild berry after a search, but unfortunately, its location was less than ideal.

Even an adult would shake their head and turn away at that spot.

Edgar, who had already endured quite enough, wanted to bring the berry back, but conditions weren’t favorable, so he decided to let it go.

However, this stubborn princess had her adventurous spirit rise, and while trying to fetch it herself, she ended up falling and getting hurt.

It was fortunate things didn’t turn out worse; if she’d slipped more seriously, her life could have been at risk, given how dangerous the place was.

“I take back what I said earlier. I won’t make Edgar a mage.”

“……”

As if he could even do it!

Edgar shook his head, unsure where to start. Yet, he didn’t outright deny making him his ‘friend mage,’ so maybe he didn’t find him too annoying.

It was just that he didn’t want to admit his own mistake. He wasn’t a child who didn’t recognize wrongdoings.

Perhaps mentioning ‘friend mage’ was the last remnant of Ariel’s conscience.

“Alright, just sit still. We need to treat this first.”

“How are you gonna do that?”

“I brought something just in case.”

While rummaging through his bag, Edgar pulled out a thin cloth and what looked like a water flask.

First, they needed to clean off the dirt that had gotten on her wound from rolling on the dusty ground.

“Try to endure the pain.”

“I don’t want to be in pain…”

“That’s your own fault, you dummy.”

“I told you not to call me dumb!”

“When did you ever?”

He may have told her not to call him stupid, but he never said anything about not calling her dumb.

With their mental ages similar, Edgar stuck his tongue out at her, provoking Ariel, who retaliated with flailing arms.

Thud. Thud.

“Ouch! Hey, you dummy! I’m trying to treat you!”

“You called me dumb again! Hit me! Hit me!”

Who cared about treatment?

Even if this knee wound never healed, she just had to take her frustrations out on her annoying childhood friend right in front of her.

Eventually, after a long while, Ariel, exhausted from all her antics, started panting heavily.

Edgar sighed while rubbing his head, which had taken a hit in the process.

With a head that was already nothing special, he was worried that it might get worse.

“First, let’s shake off the dirt, so just stay still.”

“Um, okay.”

He should have done this first aid much earlier, but time had passed significantly as they went back and forth.

‘It’s my fault for meddling in.’

As he took the blame, Edgar bent down and began rinsing the surface of her wound with clean water from the flask he had brought.

As cold water touched the wound, Ariel grimaced in pain, but feeling guilty about Edgar’s hard work, she put all her effort into bearing it.

“Where did you learn to do this, Edgar?”

“Just… from here and there.”

“Hmm…”

Edgar, in Ariel’s eyes, was truly a fascinating boy.

He didn’t seem like someone who read that many books, yet he had an undeniable wealth of knowledge and handled every situation quite adeptly.

Even though they were the same age, how could there be such a difference?

It was more of admiration and reverence than envy or jealousy.

“Edgar, you’re so mature, aren’t you?”

“…Are you asking me that?”

Edgar looked at her with incredulity at her sudden remark, which felt more like a random observation than a question.

“Yeah.”

“I doubt anyone would admit that about themselves.”

“But Mom says that a lot. She says Edgar is mature.”

Ariel often received praise from Helene, but while she heard compliments like smart or kind, she never heard anyone call her mature.

Maybe that’s why she found it strange that Edgar received compliments she never did from their mom so often.

“Do you think so too?”

“Umm… Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t even understand what mom means by mature…”

Maybe it’s only after passing through adolescence and nearing adulthood that she would grasp the true meaning of maturity.

Ariel was still too innocent and young to understand all the implications held in that word.

“Do you want to become an adult quickly, Edgar?”

“Not really. What’s so good about being an adult anyway?”

“You can do anything! You don’t have to ask Mom for permission to go out, and you won’t get scolded!”

A small smile formed on Edgar’s face at her childlike thought.

Well, he had thought similarly when he was younger too.

He believed that becoming an adult meant only freedom, that he could achieve anything, and that strength he never had would suddenly be within his grasp.

‘What should I say?’

From the perspective of his childhood friend, now an adult, what should he tell her?

Should he make her face the reality that adulthood isn’t just about good things?

Or should he support her innocence and agree with her, saying she was right?

As he mulled over it, soon first aid was done, and a thin cloth wrapped around her knee.

Without saying anything, Edgar moved closer, knelt on one knee, and sat down with his back turned.

Realizing what his actions meant, Ariel approached and leaned on his back, thinking, ‘That’s right.’

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“I’m fine.”

Still, it wasn’t too heavy since he seemed to have trained quite a bit in his regular life.

He hadn’t specifically measured, but it seemed his strength and physical abilities were considerably better than his peers.

As they trudged down the familiar mountainous path, they noticed the sunset was already setting in the opposite direction.

It appeared quite a bit of time had passed.

‘Once we return to the mansion, I’ll get an earful.’

It couldn’t be helped, he was, after all, an accomplice too.

“Ariel.”

“Yeah?”

As they carefully descended the steep slope, Edgar suddenly called her name.

After ponder, she realized it would be tough for her to leave her friend with some remarkable words.

Still, as a friend, she thought maybe she could leave her with this much advice.

“Becoming an adult means losing something precious in exchange for something even more precious.”

“Something precious? What is that?”

“I wouldn’t know. What’s precious to you?”

Something precious?

At Edgar’s question, Ariel fell into thought for a moment.

Her parents, her friend Edgar, the Billhark family, and the nanny who took care of her.

Even cherished toys and picture books—there was so much she valued.

“Do I have to lose it for sure?”

“Not necessarily. More accurately, it’s about seeing it change rather than losing it.”

Edgar recited a list of items Ariel would probably find precious.

Her beloved picture book, toys, trinkets, and so on. There were quite a few.

“But when you grow up, those things might no longer feel valuable.”

“Why? They’re my most cherished items!”

“Probably because you’ll find more precious things. Something that’s even more valuable than picture books and toys.”

Ariel struggled to understand Edgar’s words.

Yet on some level, she began to see his perspective.

If she were to choose between her picture book and Edgar now, she would give up the picture book.

If she had to choose between her mom and her toy, she’d choose to part with the toy.

Perhaps what Edgar meant by adulthood was that as one accumulates priceless things, the old cherished items gradually fade away.

“Do you have something precious, Edgar?”

“I do. My parents are precious, and the people in the mansion are precious…”

After listing quite a few, for some reason, Edgar didn’t mention Ariel’s name among them.

She had been secretly hoping for it and opened her mouth, gnawing on his shoulder tightly.

“Ouch! Why are you biting me!?”

“Why am I not there? Edgar’s an idiot!”

“That’s…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he was too shy to admit it.

In the end, stammering and taking a moment, he got bitten again.

A loud scream echoed through the mountains again, and miraculously, the incident finally came to an end.

Upon reaching about halfway down the mountain, the intensely red sunset enveloped the two.

It felt even more vivid than before.

Ariel peeked over to check Edgar’s profile.

His face had already turned a rosy red, reminiscent of autumn leaves, and it appeared as if the sunset was infusing a sense of loneliness along with beauty.

Thump. Thump.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

As she became aware of it, her heart began to race little by little.

This strange sensation she was experiencing for the first time made Ariel tilt her head and cautiously placed her hand over her heart.

Why was this happening? Was her body hurt somehow?

She thought about asking Edgar but for some reason, her mouth wouldn’t open.

It felt as if someone in her heart was saying, ‘Don’t do it!’

“Hey, Edgar.”

“What?”

“Even when I become an adult, I’ll treasure you. I promise.”

“…Really? That’s good news.”

She still didn’t understand. What being an adult meant.

But looking at his side profile, this unfamiliar pounding in her chest told her otherwise.

Even if she became an adult and her treasures changed, this boy would be the exception.

Ariel quietly answered someone in her heart, ‘Yes.’

It will definitely be so. After all, Edgar and I are friends.

Thump. Thump.

Then her heart thumped vigorously again as if to refute her own words.

‘What’s going on?’

My body isn’t obeying my commands; it felt strange.

However, for some reason, she didn’t mind.

 

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