Chapter 387: Magic Sensing
Qiong Xing tried to protest at the unfair answer, but Joa immediately told him that if he did not agree, they would not build it at all, so he had no choice but to accept it.
If he backed out now, the excited twins might start crying instead.
A treehouse secret base was something that would make any child happy.
As he grumbling quietly, he still complained that it was the kind of thing that would make any man cry with joy.
"First we build the base, then we lay the boards so it does not tilt."
Once decided, Joa moved quickly, calling Raon and the others to help and getting straight to work.
Qiong Xing tried to help at one point since it was his idea, but—
"What if you get hurt? Just go play with Rui and Yue."
He was immediately chased away.
However, Rui and Yue were also excited about the construction, so they refused to leave Joa’s side.
In the end, Qiong Xing stood watching with them, but then was told to go inside because it was too hot outside.
"But... Joa and the others are working so hard, so I also want to do something."
Since she was pregnant, she could not help with physical labor, but when she insisted that she wanted to contribute in some way, she was told to go pick out things to put in the room instead.
So she returned home with the twins.
"This! This one too!"
"This one is good."
While discussing what to put in the room once it was finished, the twins began selecting their favorite towels, stuffed animals, and sketchbooks one after another.
"Mama, what about this?"
Yue was holding up her favorite picture book, but Qiong Xing shook his head.
"Let’s not bring the picture books. It’s better if Mama read the picture book together with Yue."
He understood their desire to bring their favorite things, but if they took away the one activity he could enjoy with them, it would make him sad.
Qiong Xing seemed to hope that he might be allowed to climb up as well when Yue want to read the picture book, but when he saw her placed the book down without hesitation, that hope was immediately crushed.
Even though he was an adult, it felt strange to be so worried about by children as if he were the dangerous one.
"Rui also likes reading with Mama."
"...Thank you, Rui."
Feeling a little down, he hugged Rui tightly as he smiled at him.
"You two should be careful when climbing. Mama has been told not to, but I do not want you getting hurt either. If you get injured, Mama will cry."
"Okay!"
He did not worry too much about them, since their physical abilities far exceeded his own, but he still warned them just in case.
"And make sure to come when we call you. I understand you are having fun, but if Mama or the others call you, you must answer and show your face."
Although it was their special room, it was still meant for playing, and he did not want them to end up shutting themselves away inside.
The twins cheerfully agreed to that as well, and then went back to discussing what else to bring.
...
"Albe, Albe"
"...What are you doing?"
After lunch was over and there was nothing in particular planned, he had been thinking of going to check on Lian and the others when, for some reason, Qiong Xing appeared peeking out from the corner of the hallway and gesturing him over.
And he was whispering.
At first, he thought they might be playing hide-and-seek with the children, but in that case there would be no need to call for him.
He was told to be quiet, and for some reason he even found himself sneaking along as well, but when he asked for the reason, it turned out to be something completely trivial.
"You want to see what the children do when you are not around? ... Why?"
"I was just curious about how the children would react if I was not there."
When he heard that, he felt foolish for whispering along with him.
There had been no need to hide in the first place.
"...Qiong Xing, you are kind of weird sometimes."
"Eh... am I foolish?"
"No. Not foolish... more like... absent-minded?"
It was not exactly correct to call him stupid in a general sense, but there were times when Qiong Xing was strangely careless or missed obvious things.
Unlike Iseul, it was not irritating, but it still made him think "what is this guy doing?"
"To be honest, there is no point in you hiding. Everyone can find you easily."
"Eh?"
Yes. There was no meaning in hiding at all in the first place.
Because—
"Mama, read me a picture book?"
"Oh? Lian? You already found me?"
Before he realized it, Lian was standing at their feet and looking up at them while holding a picture book.
"It is not really that you were found. Lian can tell where Qiong Xing is within a certain range."
"Eh?"
Qiong Xing seemed genuinely confused, likely because he did not usually use magic in daily life and could not imagine it.
And in a way, that was partly his responsibility as well.
"I taught Lian a little about magic sensing. If she tries, she can find you on her own. Well, it only works within a limited range, and only for magic she is familiar with."
"......I was not told about that."
Indeed, he had not said anything.
It could also be said that he had simply forgotten to mention it.
Albe had been teaching her in hopes it would help with self-defense, but as long as it was the magic of family members, Lian could detect them within a certain distance.
However, when it came to outsiders, she showed little interest, and her reaction was rather dull.
"You can definitely find Qiong Xing. Right?"
"Mama feels warm!"
"I know!"
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