The Secret Code of Monsters.

Chapter 21: Guarding
It was the latest cheap trend: Cold Charlotte.

It is said that a girl refused her mother's blanket in order to let everyone see her beautiful clothes, and ended up freezing to death on a cold winter night.

The next day, when people found her, the girl's body was still lifelike.

Although Roland didn't think it was a good idea to name the doll after this story.

"Unlucky."
-
Ah, yes, I think I was contaminated by Miss Nina.

Here, only good things can be said about the dead.

Only foreigners like to do this.

"We're not talking about the gringos now," Rick Richey said, beaming as he rode back and forth on his stool. "Guess what? I was pretending to be asleep, and I saw the little thing push open its coffin (box) and crawl out to get some fresh air - and other little things."

"Should I learn magic soon too?"

Children of this age are lawless, but Roland knows the true face of the world.

He rested his chin on his cane and asked casually, "Have you told your family?"

Rick Rich rolled his eyes at him.

"How could I not tell them? They were so frightened! But I don't know why Dad didn't throw those things away - he just said they couldn't be left next to my bed."

"Let us see it for ourselves?"

"It's not something illegal, is it?"

"I think it would be better to tell the church."

The children chattered and chattered, but in the end they couldn't decide what to do - mainly because they were skeptical, because they remembered that when they first met Rick Ridge, he had boasted a lot.

Including but not limited to his father being a knight, his mother being a noble lady, and his family living in the West End...

The moving little man is not as fantastical as the Jazz.

No one took this matter seriously, but a few days later, Rick Rich brought it up again mysteriously one night.

He invited the children to his home and took out the "evidence" from a jewelry box:
A light cream-colored fragment the length of an index finger.

"I haven't told anyone about this except you guys."

The big-headed shoe polisher looked left and right, and confirmed again and again that the door was closed - of course, it was impossible for his parents to be at home at this time.

“My dad reported the incident to the sheriff that day.”

"Oh--"

"Those adults wearing badges?!"

"Are you bragging again?"

Rick Richie waved his hand and passed the porcelain piece around among the children, and finally, it came into Roland's hands.

"Be careful. It's not my fault if you get scratched."

He said.

"That detective must be nine or ten feet tall—"

Alice blinked. "Isn't that almost touching the roof?"

Rick was stunned, "I remembered it wrong, it was about six feet."

The children laughed.

"Anyway, his chest," Rick gestured, "is embroidered with gold thread. It's so impressive!"

"Tell me, what happened next?"

"Yes."

Seeing that he had attracted everyone's attention, Rick straightened his chest and said, "That gentleman asked me for help! It wasn't my father, it was me!"

"And then?"

"He asked Mom and Dad to leave and left me alone in the house—" Rick grinned, "pretending to pass out."

Pretend to faint?
Roland's eyes flashed.

As he spoke, the words in my sight became clearer and clearer.

"I was lying on the ground, and I heard a crackling sound above my head - guess what? These idiots opened the box and jumped down from the cupboard! Hahahaha, everything broke into pieces..."

The children exclaimed.

"But..." Just then, Alice asked, "But why do they do this?"

Rick said the detectives warned the family:
These are rare household monsters. They will take root around children, wait for them to let down their guard, and then at night, use the shards to slit their throats and drink their blood - these little ceramic monsters are terrifying.

and so…

Come back.

"Why would they do that?"

Alice still didn't understand.

"I guess the detective cast some kind of spell." "Bullshit!"

Some children pointed out the loopholes.

"Rick Rich loves to brag the most!"

"That's right, magic? Your father isn't planning to become a knight by using some kind of 'magic', is he?"

The boys chattered, while Alice looked at Roland with concern.

He turned the pointed porcelain piece over and over in his hands, staring at the empty table, wondering what he was thinking.

"Brother Roland?"

Alice gently tugged at his sleeve.

"I like this little thing, Rick." Roland touched Alice's little head and turned his face to Rick. "I have heard these stories since I was a child..."

"Roland, you really shouldn't have believed him!"

"That's right. His father will become a count tomorrow."

"I wonder where you picked it up from?"

The disgusted voices of the surrounding children made Rick Rich look at Roland strangely. He shouted, "Look! Roland believes it! He is the wisest among us!"

"He never said that before."

Roland chuckled.

"So, Rick," he shook the fragment in his hand, "give it to me, how about that?"

what.

...For free?

This made Rick hesitate.

Seeing that he was unwilling, Roland thought for a moment, then took out a few copper coins from his pocket and shook them in his hand in a serious manner, "I'll give you three, okay?"

Rick Rich swallowed.

The shoe polish factory only paid out five or six copper coins a week, or seven on a good week, not to mention that half of it was always taken away by my father.

"You are not allowed to regret it—"

Rick Richie didn't give Roland a chance to regret and grabbed the three irregular small coins.

The children all advised Roland not to waste his hard-earned money.

Roland was more concerned about the words in his sight.

……

"Alien: Guardian (Corpse)"

"Criteria: Mist"

"Children regard their home as a castle, their room or bed as a castle."

"The town was born from the imagination of children."

"Ghosts have difficulty approaching a home where there is a guardian."

"They are very rare and once they are transplanted, they lose their effectiveness."

"They have no body, and they manifest their form by parasitizing others. When the person they protect is in danger, they will sacrifice their own life to save them. For the guardians, no matter what form they take, their only mission is to protect these creatures with their heads full of fantasy."

"Guardians are extremely difficult to capture. They are very sensitive to the malice of living things. Once they discover something, they will break away from the object they are attached to and disappear without a trace."

"Usually, the ritualist needs the cooperation of the guardian family to successfully obtain their remains (fragments)."

"Through research, it has been discovered that the remains of the guardian have the power to expel ghosts or zombies. Bullets made from them and soaked in pure silver can effectively injure negative creatures."

“They don’t feed on blood.”

"They feed on **."

……

He had also seen some ceramic dolls in the workhouse.

At the time, Roland thought it was a decoration purchased by Director Abner.

He never heard of anything 'odd' happening, nor did he see any police.

Of course, he knew now.

I also know why the police officer asked Rick Rich to pretend to faint.

This kid is so lucky.

Hopefully... he won't be so lucky again.

(End of this chapter)