《Parenting in Full Bloom! The Former Villainous Noble Son Who Found His Love Nest》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°Mother, I found you!¡± It happened on a certain early afternoon. A totally unfamiliar child started to cling to my waist. ¡°Oof.¡± Although it was a child¡¯s body, it wasn¡¯t something that could be sneezed at. What would happen if it collided at full speed? Obviously, I would be blown off my feet with enormous force. ¡°Oi! This damned brat, what are you doing all of a sudden!¡± Eh, you¡¯re not Mother.¡± ¡°Haa? Just which part of me are you looking at, that you are saying is like your parent?!¡± Lf qgbyjyis cbalmfv atja tf wlrabbx wf obg rbwfbcf firf. Mbg rbwf gfjrbc, bcmf tf rtbbx bea bo tlr vjhf, atf mtliv, ktb tjv rlinfg-rcbk tjlg atja P tjnf cfnfg rffc bc jcsbcf firf, uijgfv ja wf tjafoeiis. The one that suffered damage was me, and the one that wilfully misunderstood and tackled me was the boy. No matter how you think about it, wasn¡¯t I the victim here. However, the child before my eyes jumped away and from above me, shouted with bared teeth at me, who had fallen on my bottom and couldn¡¯t get up. ¡°Did you trick me!¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Oi oi, what kind of education did this kid get to become a kid like this?¡± It was as if I was seeing the old me. I felt that the lid I pressed on my memories unsteadily wavered. ¡°Listen, brat. I suppose you¡¯re some aristocrat¡¯s child from wherever, but if you behave haughtily, anybody would dislike you, you know?¡± ¡°Shut up! A commoner like you, don¡¯t talk to me so insolently! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Heeh, scary, scary. When you keep saying that kind of thing, someday it¡¯ll return to you. Don¡¯t forget, the crimes committed by yourself will definitely come back to yourself. If you want to find your mother, be a bit more of a good child.¡± The boy standing in front of me laughed scornfully at my words. Good, laugh scornfully. When you destroy yourself with that arrogance, it would be too late to regret. Because the one saying this was the me who had everything and lost everything. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Translator: sleepingjay Parting with the child, I sighed as I saw my torn clothes. ¡°Really, what a good nuisance.¡± When I returned home, I would have to do some sewing again. Throw it away because it got torn. Throw it away because it got dirty. Throw it away because I didn¡¯t like it. Now I could never again do such things. Over and over, the worn out clothes were repaired with needle precision and stinging fingers, and worn again. Many times, I would get injured when the needle pricked my fingers. I would lose my patience, but the feeling when I managed to sew on the buttons perfectly was also good. Life was difficult now, but at the same time I still liked it. The house I returned home to, even from just a look, was shabby. The bath had no extra furnishings and the door fitted poorly, making an awful noise like a magic beast. It was like a house that would fly away if the wind blew, but even so, it was this place that was my home. It was a splendid house rented with money I earned by labouring with my own hands. Every time I looked at this house, I would have mixed feelings. Once, I lived in a house so splendid it could be mistaken for a castle. In a certain country, I had been the second son of a prestigious noble family that possessed some of the strongest magic powers. Now, what about those things? The me that had been deprived of noble rank and exiled from the household was now living a splendid commoner life. Luckily, I had such a large, almost inexhaustible magic power. Thanks to that, I didn¡¯t lose my means of living, and one way or another I was able to live out each day. However, this world wasn¡¯t so easygoing that I, who had always lived as a haughty, self-important noble, could go without encountering any difficulties. There were times where I had been deceived, and there were also times where I had almost been killed. There were also times where, through inhuman magic, I¡¯d almost withered away while being kept as an animal waiting to die. In that way, I underwent hardships all the way up to this point. The things I had lost were many, but at the same time I had also grasped valuable things. Things necessary for a person to be a person. What the previous me did not have. It was at this age that I first understood the meaning of human kindness. The country I lived in now was located far away from my birthplace. An affluent, beastmen country that governed the southern continent ¡ª the Thoel Empire that certainly everybody knew about. A land that nurtured abundant crops using their rich resources. The Order of Magic Knights that protected the empire was the foremost elite throughout this world, and thus, no country could make a move on the empire even if they wanted to. The surrounding countries understood that choosing to ally with the empire could give them a great deal of benefits and they could also have a pleasant coexistence. Thanks to that, each day of my commoner life was a daily war, but I thought, in terms of the country itself, I truly had a blessed life. Even in such a remote village, there was no case of anyone starving to death. My house was in a location considerably far from the town. The village was much closer. Even I myself had times where I wondered why I live in such an inconvenient place. Currently, as a healer that was part of the healer squad, I couldn¡¯t abandon the village. Certainly, if a villager went to the town, there would also be pharmacists and healers there to heal them. However, as mentioned earlier, because this village was considerably deep inside the forest, it was rather inconvenient to go to the town. It was the most rural area of the Thoel Empire. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t worried when I was choosing a place like this to work in. But who was it that had reached out a hand to me when I was at my most hopeless? As long as I remembered that, there was no need to be troubled. Due to things like that, the present me lived a poverty-stricken rural life despite being a healer that could have been rather well-paid. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Translator: sleepingjay At any rate, I wonder just why that kid was in a rural area like this. After all, the clothes worn on his figure were unmistakably custom-made and all the gorgeous ornaments were of the highest grade. Glossy hair, dewy skin, and beautiful looks you wouldn¡¯t chance upon in a village like this; there was a limit to how unsuitable to the countryside one could be. He was probably injured when he knocked me down. That tiny palm, which endured pain to protect my back, was healed by me when we parted ways. If it was my past self, I wouldn¡¯t heal people no matter how high they raised their price. This was even more so for children, which I hated. How annoying. Children that I disliked, nobility resembling the past me that I disliked. While grumbling sna?pishly, prepared medicine. Although I was a healer, it was still not good to solve everything with magic. What should heal naturally should be treated using medicinal herbs. I kneaded the medicinal herbs that gave off an odour so bad it would make one want to pinch their nose. Just when I thought it was time I took a break, the house¡¯s door was forcefully and rudely banged on. Was it those idiots again! ¡°I told you not to beat the door, didn¡¯t I!¡± ¡°Kyaa¡ª!¡± When I opened the door, there they were, the children I hated. Who knew what they found so interesting, but every time around this hour, they would come to my house and make boring chit-chat until they left. Today, all sorts of things happened so I was tired. When I turned my back to them to force them to return home immediately, who knew how they misunderstood but my back was jumped on. ¡°Agh! H-hey, you might get hurt you know!¡± ¡°Because~~ When we ask for piggybacks, you get mad, no?¡± ¡°Of course I would!¡± Day after day, I couldn¡¯t even receive wages as small as a sparrow¡¯s tears, yet I was still working hard for the sake of the village. Hence, I hadn¡¯t had any physical strength to make children¡¯s protective charms after my work. I shook my body to throw the kid off. As I did that, this monster piggybacking on me and clinging to my back screeched delightedly. ¡°D-damn it! I don¡¯t want to entertain you, you know?!¡± ¡°Whaaaat? Can you shake shake again?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you to get off!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you~¡± What a bunch of rascals. These kids inconsiderately put themselves first. If I scolded them even a little, their eyes would tear up and their lips would suddenly become pursed. As if, like they said, I was the one at fault. When they became like that, I couldn¡¯t be fierce against these children. And if they cried their eyes out again to the point of wailing waah waah, and told me, ¡°Don¡¯t hate us,¡± then I also couldn¡¯t get angry at them, could I? Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°You guys, since you already came, you might as well go study.¡± ¡°Eeeeh©`!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want! I want to play!¡± At my words, booing was flung around. A headache formed due to my irritation. When I kneaded my brows, a young boy with rabbit ears on his head said: ¡°I¡¯m going to study. Study, and then become an amazing adult for the village.¡± Those words spread out like ripples on water. The sulking children turned remarkably quiet, and even obediently sat at the worn-out wooden desk. It was as if all that boisterousness had been a lie. ¡°You should be obedient from the start.¡± ¡°Jeez, Lily sure is fussy.¡± The one who said that was a young boy with dog ears. ¡°I¡¯m not that fussy.¡± ¡°A person like Lily is called a nag!¡± ¡°Yup, yup, a nag!¡± The one who precociously called me a nag was the boy with fox ears who had jumped on my back just now. The children here, all of them, had beast traits on their bodies. For generations, this country had been ruled by beastmen emperors so a lot of beastmen lived here. In this place, there were also those that were purely human race like me, but it was rare. Between beastmen and humans, there was no discrimination. But nevertheless, in times past there were indeed history of disputes between us. The homeland I grew up in was extremely prideful, though it was nothing but some ego or another. Therefore, they were prejudiced against the beastmen who possessed characteristics they didn¡¯t have. But why should I be concerned about that? Whether it was towards beastmen, humans, or anything else, I knew what a ridiculous thing discrimination was. ¡°Hey, Lily. When I become an adult, can I become like Lily?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why would you want to become someone like me. There are plenty of better adults around, aren¡¯t there.¡± Softly, my sleeves were repeatedly tugged on by the rabbit beastchild from just now¡ªLatho. When the child heard my words, his completely round pupils became even rounder from shock. Latho¡¯s ears twitched and shifted restlessly, as if to eloquently narrate his bewilderment. The children made eye contact with one another and tilted their heads in confusion. ¡°Was Lily a bad child?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was a bad child.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Even though you¡¯re this kind?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t kindness. It¡¯s because you guys are noisy and insufferable, so I¡¯m shutting you up by making you study.¡± ¡°You give us sweets though?¡± ¡°You also give medicine!¡± ¡°My grandma said, Lily is kind like the honorable spirits!¡± After that, as if somehow stimulated, things about me started pouring out from the children¡¯s mouths. Their words flew about too intensely, I couldn¡¯t intervene to stop them. Just when it was about to become truly sizzling, Latho laughed. ¡°Lily is shy!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re right. Lily¡¯s face is bright red!¡± ¡°He¡¯s like a Rinku fruit, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°You guys, cut it out, I¡¯m not shy, it¡¯s just hot here!¡± Although I said that, I really was embarrassed. I¡¯d never been praised like this by anyone. I had always been surrounded by enemies, hence I had constantly lived while gauging the other party¡¯s hidden face. No matter how many years had passed, I couldn¡¯t get used to receiving pure sentiments. ¡°Anyway, today we¡¯ll stop here. Since we¡¯re finished, I¡¯ll give you candies, so go home.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going together with us?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°But~, the road at night is dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­..Haa, I wish you¡¯d cut it out already.¡± Certainly, despite countermeasures being set in the village, the road at night was dangerous. With the children¡¯s legs, it took as long as 40 minutes to go from the village to this house. With my transportation magic, the way home should be shorter. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll send you home, so stop making a nuisance of yourselves already, okay?¡± Hearing their lively responses, I once more continued kneading the medicinal herbs. Different from before, I chose herbs that gave off a nice fragrance. But, it was only because the children¡¯s complaints of it being ¡°stinky, too stinky¡± were too unbearably annoying. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Translator: sleepingjay After sending the children home, I was already flooded with exhaustion. Although I had said they could go home there and then by using my transportation magic, the children had the gall to noisily say, ¡°Let¡¯s walk home!¡± Helpless, I¡¯d given in and made a one-hour, one-way trip to drop them off. By the time I¡¯d finished, the sky was almost completely immersed in darkness. In my house, at the entranceway illuminated by the moonlit night, there was a large silhouette creeping about. When I approached, wondering if it was a monster, it turned out to be a creature even more troublesome than a monster. ¡°Why are you here¡­.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± In front of the entranceway, unmoving as though he was an ornament, was the impertinent child I¡¯d met at noon. His gorgeous clothes were dirty, even though it seemed unlikely that he¡¯d sit down on the ground. ¡°This is my house.¡± ¡°This place? I¡¯d thought it was a house for livestock.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s a fine house.¡± At my words, he seemed sincerely shocked. The boy¡¯s darker than gold, honey-colored eyes widened and he mumbled something to himself in blank amazement. ¡°Besides that, why did you come here? Did you find your mother?¡± ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t you so frivolously ask about Mother! ¡± I guess he noticed that he¡¯d been made fun of. The young boy stood up and stamped his feet, glaring at me. If he was that lively, then he should be fine. I didn¡¯t want to deal with this aristocratic child that easily got into a tizzy by himself. Should I transport him to the town and let the Watch Committee be responsible for him? The very moment I was about to invoke the magic spell, the young boy opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t want to go home, so you¡¯ll take care of me. If you want money, I have it. Not only is my money enough for this kind of shabby house, but it¡¯s even enough to buy a much more splendid mansion! How about it? You¡¯re happy, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± In contrast to the overblown attitude of the young boy, whose arms were crossed as he said that, in truth, I could tell he was frightened. Sorry, but the person you¡¯re talking to has been living as a villain manyfold times longer. I was sensitive to the inner workings of the human heart. On top of that, when it came to treating people cruelly, I was also excellent at it. With a surge, my vicious heart boiled at this haughty attitude. I gave a sigh and seized the young boy by the scruff of his neck, bringing him into my home. ¡°First, do not come close to the cupboard with medicinal herbs and chemicals. Second, if someone comes to bring you home, don¡¯t bother arguing about it, I¡¯ll kick you out. Third, I don¡¯t need money. Don¡¯t mention money ever again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Understood.¡± With a glare towards me, the boy held in the objections which almost slipped past his mouth. I guess he understood that even a few words of resistance would get him kicked out. What a perceptive guy. If he¡¯d been rebellious against me, I¡¯d surely be spared from trouble. Honestly, with his attitude, even the Watch Committee would probably end up tossing out this boy, even if this kind of thing was their domain. ¡°Furthermore, I only have shabby clothes, and I also don¡¯t have baths.¡± ¡°What did you say? Then what do I do?!¡± ¡°Since there¡¯s no baths, make do with the lake that¡¯s nearby. And although the clothes are shabby, it¡¯s better than none.¡± ¡°Tch, this, damn it!¡± Unable to vent his frustrations, the boy¡¯s beautiful looks distorted and he stamped his feet. With a sidelong glance to his direction, I asked the young boy: ¡°My name is Lilius. You?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to say it, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll just name you as I please. Let¡¯s see¡­ Selfish Billy? Or else, Idiot Pochi?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­! I¡¯m called Andrea. Just try to call me those messy names, I¡¯ll seriously kill you!¡± Again, this guy¡­¡­ Couldn¡¯t he talk without saying those vicious things? Judging from appearances, he should be six or seven years old. Ignoring the enraged Andrea, I carried a change of clothes from the dresser and headed towards the entranceway. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re going to the lake.¡± ¡°¡­..Humph, can we really do such an uncivilised thing?¡± ¡°In that case, you can stay dirt-stained like that forever.¡± ¡°¡ªTch!¡± At my words, which were mixed with laughter, Andrea hurried outside with heavy, flustered footsteps. What was he doing, going ahead of me? It wasn¡¯t like he knew where the lake was located. I tried to call out to him, but unexpectedly he seemed to know where he was going. Even though I didn¡¯t tell him, he still seemed to know where the location of the lake was? I curiously pondered it over, but there was only one thing that came to mind. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Translator: sleepingjay Arriving at the lake, I put away my curiosities about Andrea, took off my clothes and entered the lake. I was glad it was summer now. Though I might be vexed by the kid¡¯s cheekiness, but all the same, a lake in midwinter would have been harmful for a child. While splashing about, I swam in the lake. When I casually glanced at Andrea, who stood still by the shore, he was staring frozenly at me. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and get in.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t be noisy!¡± ¡°Are you embarrassed? There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about a kid¡¯s body like yours.¡± ¡°You¡¯re noisy! Shut up, shut up!¡± What, did I break him? Like a toy, Andrea kept uttering nothing but one-word syllables. It was quite funny, and I laughed a little. In the end, Andrea entered the lake and washed his body. When we both got out of the lake, Andrea stayed obedient even when he was touched by me, so I suppose he might have gotten used to me. I spelled the clothes we had been dressed in with the life-skills charm, Clean, and then I also dried our wet bodies with wind magic. With that finished, we went home. When we were finally about to reach my home, the little hooligan was already dozing off, swaying like a ship. ¡°Before you go to sleep, eat a little bit. For sleeping, since there¡¯s only one bed, it can¡¯t be helped so you just sleep there. Llnderstood?¡¯ . Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°What are you disagreeing for? Dont talk selfishly.¡± ¡°If I sleep, you¡¯ll be gone, wouldn¡¯t you¡­? You¡¯ll run away, right? You are planning to go somewhere and leave me behind again.¡± Was this about his mother? Or, was it about this afternoon? ¡°This is my house. Instead of leaving, I¡¯d rather kick Andrea out. Understood?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Shake shake. Andrea shook his head. What the heck, what was he complaining about?! ¡°Just what should I do to get you to understand? I can only do this much for food, and I only have one bed. This place is different from your house, so no matter what wilful things you say, those things you¡¯re used to won¡¯t turn up, you know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Sleep together with me.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± This time, our positions were reversed. Sleeping on one bed with a kid? Give me a break, please. I was no good at kids. Moreover, in their sleep, kids would do things like hit me in the chin, kick my stomach, and push me off the bed, so sleeping with kids was something I wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Because ¡ª I won¡¯t do things that I hate to do.¡± ¡°Oh. Is, is it because you hate me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In truth, I didn¡¯t really hate Andrea. I just didn¡¯t like children because they were all annoying. But, maybe because I didn¡¯t deny it, Andrea took my silence as affirmation. The honey-colored eyes began to waver in an instant. At the sight of the boy clutching his fists and his lips jutting out as he bit on them to stop himself from crying, I again yielded. ¡°¡­¡­You guys really are unfair. Do you think you¡¯ll always be forgiven as long as you cry?¡± ¡°Ug, gh, waa¡ª¡± ¡°Aah, don¡¯t cry. I don¡¯t hate Andrea, I just hate children.¡± While he cried his heart out, I hugged him to my chest and rubbed his back. Even though I revised my words, murmuring to his ears, Andrea still cried profusely. ¡­¡­..Was there something wrong with my words? ¡°Have you stopped crying?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Nod. The small head swayed. I reheated the corn soup I¡¯d taken out for dinner, scooped up a spoonful, and held it up to Andrea¡¯s mouth. ¡°Just for today, ok? From tomorrow onwards, you¡¯ll have to eat by yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Un.¡± With his eyes and nose-tip dyed a bright red, Andrea ate the meal from my hand. I placed Andrea on my left leg, and lifted what he wanted to eat to his mouth. At times, I was envious of children. By crying, they would be given protection by adults. It was also an unconditional protection. Did I also have this sort of childhood, I wonder? I think it was likely something which I wouldn¡¯t be able to find, no matter how much I fumbled for it in my memory. For me, unconditional love was something that might as well be an illusion. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Translator: sleepingjay The next morning, due to sleeping with Andrea in a cramped bed, my body hurt everywhere. Andrea¡¯s figure that clung to my chest in his sleep inspired a feeling that was quite hard to describe. I woke up Andrea, who grumbled while half-asleep, and led him to eat breakfast. Even though Andrea was here, my daily rhythm hadn¡¯t changed. Since I had to deliver remedies, I had to go to the village. I also had to go over to the town to deliver medicine. After that, just like yesterday, I would probably make medicine while teaching the village children. If I were to be honest, Andrea was actually a bother. ¡°Let me go with you.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be anything fun to do, you know? Even if you say you are tired, you won¡¯t get any breaks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still going.¡± As expected, this situation occurred. Sure enough, I couldn¡¯t get Andrea to separate from my side. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to go. I just want you to answer one thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Are you a half-beastman?¡± ¡°What, is that bad?!¡± ¡°No, I just thought of it, that¡¯s all.¡± Those called ¡°half-beastmen¡± were children born from a beastman and a human. They were born without possessing physical beast traits, but had the abilities of the beast. Last night, he knew the location of the lake before I told him, hence I came up with this guess. I suppose he followed the smell of the water to find his way to the lake. ¡°¡­¡­For me, my nose is the best. That¡¯s why I¡¯d tracked you down, since you give out the same scent as Mother¡¯s. But even so, you turned out to be a man and not Mother.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that like you¡¯re blaming me, but how is it my fault? don¡¯t know anything about your mother, so it¡¯s not my fault she¡¯s gone, isn¡¯t it. ¡± Ahh, again? Even if I acted immature towards children, every single time I couldn¡¯t bear to see them in low spirits like this. ¡°Anyway, if you want to follow along, you have to keep two promises.¡± ¡°What, tell me already!¡± ¡°You sure are full of yourself¡­¡­. Oh well. First off, those accompanying me is as much a commoner as I am. Even if you are an aristocrat, as a healer you must not discriminate. So Andrea, you also have to be careful of your words.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, your answer?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll try my best.¡± For the most part, I suppose most nobles believed that there was no reason for them to care about common people. If it was the old me, I probably would have point-blank refused. With that in mind, Andrea could still be considered quite upright. ¡°The next promise is, if you sense any danger, you must run away. Understood?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°When you are with me, if you sense anything dangerous, or even if you feel just a hint of danger, you will run. I can defend myself, but you can¡¯t, can you?¡± ¡°Are you taking me as an idiot?!¡± ¡°Well, all children are pretty foolish, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Tch, adults are also just as dumb!¡± What was this child saying when he hadn¡¯t even grown up? Ignoring Andrea who was making a fool of himself while stamping his feet, I quickly took off my nightwear and changed into plain shirt and pants. After putting on a white cloak¡ªproof of a healer¡¯s identity¡ªI snatched up Andrea¡¯s hand. I drew a magic circle and teleported us to the village entrance. Both the children running towards us and the villagers showed curiosity towards Andrea. In this rural area, it was pretty rare to chance upon such a beautiful young boy. Andrea¡¯s parents were certainly as beautiful as him, and probably just as conceited too. ¡°Lilius-san, thank you for your continued support.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. This is my job after all.¡± ¡°Is that so, is that so. Yesterday, my idiot grandchild caused you trouble again, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I can¡¯t deny that. It¡¯d be good if he could be a bit more steady.¡± The grandmother of the fox boy, hearing my reply, laughed happily for some reason. Today too, I looked around the village to make a note of any shortage of herbs and medicine, and also to see if there were any abnormalities. When I listened to the villagers¡¯ questions, although there were some silly ones mixed in, I heard them out one by one. By the time I finished, the sun had already risen high up. ¡°Andrea, we¡¯re going to the town soon.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I wonder if he¡¯d been too tossed about by the village children? I took the hand of Andrea, who seemed rather tired, and teleported us. Then, at the town we arrived at, we were immediately enveloped by a huge commotion. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± In this empire, there was a person so famous to the point it was said that not a single person didn¡¯t know his name. This person was the commander who led the Order of Magic Knights ¡ª Jill Reid Moorwright. Not only did he join the Order of Magic Knights at a young age, he was also now at the height of prosperity as the brilliant Knight Commander. His family held the court rank of Duke, his appearance was beautiful, and his character was frank and honorable. He was the rumored Hero of the Empire. That Moorwright-sama¡¯s son seemed to have gone missing yesterday. His name was Andrea, and the age was six years old. A boy who had white-silver hair, and honey-colored eyes darker than gold. ¡°Seriously, you really are a pest.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I didn¡¯t want to go home. It can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡± The moment I teleported into the town, let alone the Watch Committee, I was even surrounded by the Empire¡¯s Knight Order ¡ª as Andrea¡¯s kidnapper. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°You there, don¡¯t move! There¡¯s no mistake ¡ª the personage next to you is Andrea-sama! Why is the young master with you? Depending on your answer, you may not retain your life!¡± With piercing sunlight glinting off its edge, a sharp blade was pointed towards our direction. I was fine with it, but Andrea was right next to me. This guy should use his brain a little. ¡°I¡¯ll answer your question. But before that, did you forget that Andrea is beside me? Even if it¡¯s unlikely, there¡¯s a risk you might hurt this child. I¡¯ll raise my arms and sit on the ground, so put away those dangerous things.¡± ¡°¡­¡­All right. Don¡¯t do any suspicious movements, got it?¡± I slightly distanced myself from the frightened Andrea and sat down on the spot. As soon as I did that, Andrea, who had been dazedly watching as the Watch Committee restrained me, flared up. ¡°Let him go! This guy is my manservant, not a bad guy!¡± ¡°B, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine so let him go! Why are you not listening to my words? Arent you guys all my father¡¯s subordinates? You want to be fired, huh?! ¡± The stuff he was saying was bad as usual. But when I saw such an Andrea, without knowing why, a wry smile slipped onto my lips. It had only been one day, but it looked like he¡¯d become attached just from sharing bed and food with me. Even now, I couldn¡¯t bear to watch on when that face was on the verge of crying. If I talked to him and got him to calm down, the clever Andrea would probably understand that this situation wasn¡¯t as bad as it looked. The moment I called out to pacify Andrea, who was still in an emotionally-driven state, my words were drowned out by a low, attractive voice. ¡°Andrea, what are you trying to do by making such a fuss? When you disappeared, do you know how much these people worried over you?¡± ¡°F-father¡­¡­! Please help, Lilius, he, it¡¯s my fault!¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s fine, so calm down.¡± A good-looking man with a tall stature and powerful, muscular body appeared from the other side of the crowd. Although this was the first time I saw the Knight Commander with my own eyes, he certainly was beautiful. Just like the term ¡°white lion descendant¡± indicated, atop his head were a pair of silver-white ears with lovely coats of fur. From between his thighs, one could see his swaying tail appearing and disappearing. Even though he had a serious face on, his princely looks were still enchantingly vibrant. It was just that, I was what one would call an animal lover¡­. ¡°I apologise for the restraints. Can you release him?¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Andrea¡¯s case might not have been a kidnapping. According to the butler, it was Andrea who suddenly rushed out when the butler was busy settling an important matter. ¡­¡­Perhaps, we could hold you under observation instead. Would you be alright with this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just one day. You¡¯ll probably find little that you can press charges for though.¡± I answered Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s words. That was probably the first time he took a proper look at me. When he caught sight of me, for a moment he stared in astonishment, then furrowed his brows as if he¡¯d chewed a bitter-tasting bug or something. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°You are¡ª¡± Knight Commander Moorwright opened his mouth to say something. However, I couldn¡¯t make out the words over the immense noise from our surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, could you repeat that again? The surroundings are a bit noisy, so I wasn¡¯t able to catch that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Never mind. More importantly, I¡¯d like to once again apologise for our rudeness. I¡¯d be pleased to have you over at my residence, if that¡¯d be alright with you? I am called Jill Reid Moorwright. Unworthy as I am, I¡¯m the person responsible for the Magic Knights.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, I¡¯ve heard of your deeds often from rumours on the streets. I¡¯m Lilius. Thank you for the invite, but I¡ªEh?!¡± Knight Commander Moorwright offered his hand in greeting. I reached out to grasp that hand while trying to excuse myself from his invitation, but right when I did that, Andrea once again hugged me from behind. ¡°Lilius! Lilius, are you injured?!¡± ¡°Oof, n¡ªno. I¡¯m fine, so let me go, it¡¯s painful.¡± It was more likely I¡¯d be strangled to death by Andrea instead. I peeled off Andrea¡¯s arms, which were twined around my waist, and turned around. ¡°I¡¯m fine. However, Andrea, you¡¯ve caused this much trouble. Dont you have something to say for it?¡± ¡°Nngh¡­¡­ Fine. ¡± Leaving my side, Andrea first apologised to everyone that had previously surrounded us. Then with his head hanging low, he apologised to his father, the Knight Commander Moorwright. ¡°¡­¡­ Father, I¡¯m sorry for causing such an uproar.¡± ¡°Originally, I would have punished you. But now, I¡¯m surprised to see that you¡¯re able to apologize for your mistakes¡­¡­. Considering this, I¡¯ll let you off this time. However, there will be no second time, alright? When you want to go somewhere, you must always take the guards with you. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This seemed to be the case. The Andrea I met yesterday, who acted like a selfish aristocrat, must be what Andrea was normally like. That kind of child apologised to those around him. Not only surprise, they also probably felt doubt about just what he had encountered in the span of just one day. In truth, I was also surprised. ¡°Now then, the reply to my invitation from before¡­¡­ Would you be willing to come over?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No.¡± ¡°Lilius isn¡¯t coming? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll accompany me all day? Even though you¡¯re an adult, you¡¯re going to break your promise?!¡± ¡­¡­ How unfair. ¡°I got it¡­¡­ I¡¯ll go with you. But before that, I¡¯ve promised to deliver medicine to the store. Wouldn¡¯t it be too late if I headed to your place after that?¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re a healer. In that case, you can use my carriage. Andrea would also be able to come along too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Well then, if you insist.¡± This was disgraceful. Why did I give in for the second time? Not only would teleportation be much faster, but also riding a carriage just for this was too wasteful. Although my grumblings and dissatisfactions were inexhaustible, I couldn¡¯t stay that way indefinitely. If I refused here, it would turn into a troublesome matter again. Let¡¯s quickly finish this matter, then I could choose to go back home alone. Boarding the carriage, I found that the inside was even more extravagant. While observing the scenery, I frequently hmmed and ahhed to show I was paying attention to Andrea, who for some reason was cheerfully talking about this and that to me. The seats in this horse-drawn carriage were extravagant ones that weren¡¯t easy to find. How many years had it been since I sat on such seats? When I was 17, I was framed by Brother and stripped of my noble rank. Then, with Brother in the lead, that household had expelled me. Since then, 7 years worth of months and days had passed. Although I¡¯d turned 24 now, my discontent towards my family was still incessant. ¡ªNo, I¡¯d gotten it wrong, they weren¡¯t my family anymore. For someone like me, who had been expelled from the household, there was no such things as family anymore, was there? ¡°¡­¡­Andrea. Cherish your family, ok? And your friends too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I just suddenly wanted to say that. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°Eeh? Lilius is weird.¡± After that, again, I continued my whimsical conversation with Andrea. I, who was freely chit-chatting with Andrea, received a subtle, profound look from Knight Commander Moorwright. However, I failed to notice this. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Translator: sleepingjay The popularity of Knight Commander Moorwright exceeded my expectations. Just walking through the town a little, winks would be sent our way from here and there. There were also envious glances from children. Amongst these people were even adult men. It looked like him being the Empire¡¯s hero wasn¡¯t just in name. It was just that, even though we were only going to the shop to sell medicine, it might end up taking two times¡­¡­ no, three times the usual amount of time. I ended up not eating anything well into midday, hence I became hungry. But if I didn¡¯t go back home within another hour, those boisterous kids would probably beat up my house¡¯s doors again. I¡¯d like to teach those kids as much knowledge as I could, so that they wouldn¡¯t be easily tricked and so that when they become adults, they could have more occupations to choose from. As expected, I should refuse this invitation. It was regretful I couldn¡¯t follow along¡­ or rather, it wasn¡¯t. In the first place, I had planned to refuse. Even selling the medicine took three times longer than usual! Rather than them, I was the one that had been inconvenienced. ¡°Knight Commander Moorwright, thank you for accompanying me up to here.¡± ¡°No problem. Compared to what you¡¯ve done for us, this is a mere trifle.¡± ¡± ¡­Thank you. However, more time has passed than I¡¯d expected, so I don¡¯t have much time left. About that invitation from a while ago, for today ¡°No!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Andrea.¡± The lively smile from just now had already run away from its home. Shaking his head, Andrea tried to latch onto my arm. ¡°No, no! I don¡¯t want to separate!¡± ¡°Even if you say that, my house is over there. Plus, I also have a job to do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Just now, you said you¡¯d come. All adults break their promises. All of you are shitty bastards. Even Lilius too¡­ is also like that.¡± What the heck, this kid¡¯s heart, just how sensitive and baffling could it be? Although he¡¯d been so angry, suddenly, his expressions were wiped clean as if something inside had collapsed. Those pretty honey-colored eyes ¡ª I don¡¯t want to see them lose their shine. ¡°¡­¡­I got it. It¡¯s my bad. I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡± It was a mystery why I was so bothered over this. Perhaps I was projecting myself onto this child. At this rate, if his heart ended up walled in, Andrea might end up like me, living a worthless existence. Something like that was somehow¡­¡­ somehow, it was too sad. With our conversation resolved, we headed to Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s residence as planned. And then, there, I laid my eyes on something that made my regret well up again after all. Sorry Andrea, but at that moment, I thought I should¡¯ve rejected this invitation after all. I completely, utterly regretted that I hadn¡¯t managed to detect how this beautiful knight commander, who was standing in front of me with a nonchalant air, was such a terrible schemer. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Translator: sleepingjay When we were ushered in by a straight-backed, wolf beastman ¡ª who seemed to be the butler that managed this household ¡ª I¡¯d already felt discomfited. I wasn¡¯t proud of it, but I had a big attitude. Even if I was being careful, things like ¡°civilities¡± would come peeling off from my manners in a crumble. Even if it was fine at first, by the end I¡¯d accidentally act haughtily. The tone of my voice would also automatically turn disrespectful, as if I was treating the people I talked to as fools. Other than the villagers with their generous hearts, anyone else would despise such a thing from the bottom of their hearts. Since my birth, I¡¯d always been raised this way, with malice as companions. Hence, there was no way someone like me wouldn¡¯t notice the gazes stabbing at me from all around. Although they had covered it up well, I still saw through them. With just one step treading into the residence, I¡¯d been enveloped by contemptuous gazes akin to flames licking my whole body. It was truly, wholly unpleasant. Without any other ideas why, I thought the most likely reason for such a behavior was probably Andrea after all? Although I was neither a kidnapper nor a criminal, the people serving this residence might not yet know the truth. If that was the case, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. But, however, seeing the portrait displayed in front of my eyes, I was at a loss for words. It was so shocking, probably exposed a face that was foolish even for me. ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ngh.¡± A groan that could be described as a sigh ¡ª or perhaps a sense of remorse ¡ª leaked out of my mouth. Soon after leading me to the drawing room, Knight Commander Moorwright had presented that thing to me. In there, gazing and smiling towards us, was a woman with a face undoubtedly similar to me, like two peas in a pod. Seeing that same black hair and eyes as mine, there was no way I could mistake that evil woman for somebody else. ¡°¡­¡­That is ¡ª my older sister.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± No mistake, the figure drawn on that portrait was my sister. Smiling like that, her figure surely seemed as sweet and beautiful as a flower. However, to me, seeing that smile was really just like seeing an ugly magic beast. ¡°Knight Commander Moorwright, for what reason did you invite me here?¡± ¡°From your magic, I¡¯d wondered if you might be her relative. However, even before I¡¯d sensed your magic, I¡¯d thought ¡ª your face is exactly alike. To my former wife, that is.¡± Former wife¡­¡­ Since the moment I was shown this portrait, there were countless conjectures flying about inside my head. But even within those conjectures, there was one that was most undesirable to me, namely, the truth that now made my head hurt. ¡°Former wife, you said. Then, is she now back in her country?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She went back three years ago. Because we beasts are not humans, that was what she¡¯d said. Since that was the case, I¡¯d sent her off back to her home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s not all there is to it, isn¡¯t there? There¡¯s no way you could divorce just with that.¡± Although my birth family was a collection of bastards, they had pedigree and history that didn¡¯t lose to those of the Moorwright Duke Household. Moreover, that father who looked down on beastmen had agreed to such a betrothal. I was certain there was some ulterior motive to it. And, since he had even purposely extended his reach to my home like this, there was definitely some reason for it. ¡°It might get a bit long, but would you like to hear the story out?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thus, I listened on as Knight Commander Moorwright recounted the many outrageous acts my sister had committed ¡ª which, upon hearing, made me almost immediately want to bite off my tongue. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Translator: sleepingjay That place was a far distance away from this empire. Across the oceans, the country I was born in ¡ª the Schuld Kingdom. The Schuld Kingdom was originally the land of gods. There, many people had vast magical reserves. Due to this and some special factors, this kingdom was surmised as the land of gods. Those special factors were strongly related to my birth family. My birth family was the Vist Marquis Household. For generations, this household had produced magicians with magical reserves so enormous in volume that it was unrivalled by others. Furthermore, there was also the flower emblem said to be the ¡®flower of gods¡¯. Only those blood-related to the Vist Marquis Household were born with this emblem. What exactly the god flower was, I didn¡¯t know either. However, those born with this emblem on their bodies would possess some kind of miraculous powers. However, in the recent century, nobody in the Vist Marquis Household had been born blessed with this emblem. Personally, I considered this a matter of course. People like them, who considered those other than themselves as worms, shouldn¡¯t be allowed to hold such enormous powers. Undoubtedly, they would only stray towards the wrong direction. Anyone could see that they only used their powers for their own selfish desires. ¡°Even within our lion clan, those with silver-white hair have a large volume of magical reserves, and because of this, we have difficulties producing children.¡± ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you married my sister.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s someone without strong magic, she wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand my enormous powers and would fall ill. Even if it was fine at first, eventually the lives of both mother and child would be snatched away.¡± I didn¡¯t know that a beastman¡¯s life had such circumstances. Here in Thoel Empire, there were also people with strong magical powers, but it didn¡¯t seem like there was anyone who were equal to the white lion clan. As for the reason why the Vist Marquis Household agreed to a marriage contract with Knight Commander Moorwright? Without even having to think about it, I knew the most likely reason ¡ª money. It was one of the catalysts to my expulsion. They were always indulging in extravagance without even earning much, so of course, they would end up draining their money dry. Even if we had massive wealth, unexpected accidents or losses might befall us in the next hundred years or so. Although I kept saying this, not even one person in that family listened to my words. Probably due to this, that stupid brother of mine ostracised me, who had outspokenly found faults with his spending habits. Besides that, I was also born with black hair, something considered a treasured gem even in the Schuld Kingdom. My sister, who I was a spitting image of, was unable to stomach this and resented me. She was someone who couldn¡¯t tolerate having extravagant praises directed towards people other than her. To make matters worse, our faces were exactly alike. Hence, to my sister, I wasn¡¯t a human but rather a devil or something, born solely to torment her. Thinking back about it, it was so foolish I was getting a headache. If they continue as they were, eventually they would be ruined. Perhaps, as I¡¯d warned, the family assets had already run dry. Looking at me, who candidly vocalised my question, the Knight Commander nodded once in response. The story from there was awful. When my sister had married into his family, her family had received a colossal bride price. But to make matters worse, very soon into the marriage, my sister had started squandering Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s wealth as she pleased. Not only did she not stop her outrageous behaviour, she also had the youthful, good-looking men to serve her and treated the people working in the household cruelly as entertainment. Although she didn¡¯t do something as foolish as committing adultery since they needed to have children, it was indeed that sister of mine. However, after giving birth to Andrea and the pair of twins, she seemed to consider her responsibilities fulfilled and, turning her face, committed adultery. In addition, unlike Andrea, those youngest twins who were born later were beastmen. When she saw the children born with ears and tails, my sister did the worst thing she could have done. Right after giving birth, that sister of mine ordered the killing of those children ¡ª those babies, who had no means whatsoever to fight against her. ¡°It¡¯s really inexcusable. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I couldn¡¯t help feeling extremely ashamed. I didn¡¯t doubt the contents of the story I was told because there was no sense of incongruity at all. The sister I knew from before, exactly as she was back then, had become an adult ¡ª that was all. Not a single thing about them had changed. Those bastards had never realised how repulsive they were. Andrea¡¯s crying face, frantically pleading for his mother, completely engulfed my mind. He yearned for her, his mother, to that extent! Why, why, did she let go of his hand?! My anger, having no outlet, burned and whirled within me. ¡°Knight Commander Moorwright, I can probably guess why you brought me here. However, I had been stripped of my aristocratic rank and expelled from the household by that family when I was in the royal academy. None of those things you are worrying about will happen. Although I¡¯d still like to stay connected with your son, I don¡¯t plan to request for money either.¡± ¡ªI want you to believe me. Those words, I couldn¡¯t say them. Those words were too convenient. Even if the person in front of me were a good person, they wouldn¡¯t harbour any good feelings towards me, would they? Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Translator: sleepingjay At the end of a long silence, Knight Commander Moorwright opened his mouth. ¡°I would like to believe your words. However, to both myself and the Moorwright family, children are treasures. If anything happened, it would be too late to regret in hindsight. You also have your own circumstances, which I don¡¯t want to doubt. I do want to believe you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I understand. It¡¯s as you¡¯ve said, if anything happened to those precious children, it¡¯d be too late afterwards. Besides, I know well enough that I shouldn¡¯t involve myself with the affairs of nobility now that this fluke of an event has finished. I don¡¯t mind if you investigate and monitor me until you are satisfied. If you¡¯d like, I could also make a vow to not approach all of you. I¡¯m fine with even making a magical vow to not touch even a single hair of your children.¡± At the thought of not seeing Andrea anymore, I felt just a little bit of loneliness. But now that I knew the circumstances, I couldn¡¯t say that. In the first place, I was the younger brother of the person who had cast the shadow in Andrea¡¯s heart. The same blood flowing in that idiotic woman also flowed in me. If I stayed beside him, nothing good would happen, wouldn¡¯t it? For a vow that was sworn with magic, if a person were to break it, a curse would be placed on them. When I suggested such an extreme vow, Knight Commander Moorwright was stunned. But, just as Knight Commander Moorwright was about to say something, the doors of the solemn parlor were thrown open. ¡°If I can¡¯t meet Lilius anymore, I¡¯ll definitely leave this house!¡± ¡­¡­Andrea. You really do appear anywhere, don¡¯t you? Really just like a storm. A kid that was like a storm with zero calmness. ¡°Andrea, this isn¡¯t a room children should enter. Go return to your own room.¡± ¡°No way! I¡¯ve heard everything with my magic! I was the one who found Lilius. Lilius didn¡¯t know anything at all about me. Lilius isn¡¯t lying, hes not a bad guy! ¡­¡­He¡¯s different from Mother. ¡± Without flinching at his father¡¯s sharp rebuke, Andrea was almost screaming as he argued for me. ¡°At first, I thought he was Mother. ¡­¡­But he¡¯s completely different. Whether it¡¯s the form or smell, his magic is completely different. Lilius¡¯s is so kind. His magic and his smell, all of them are nice and gentle. Even though father also knows these, even though you¡¯ve also noticed¡­¡­ why are you causing him so much grief. You¡¯re bullying Lilius, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Eh, h-hey, Andrea¡ª¡± With a tear-stained face, Andrea barked out a roar akin to a war cry. Then, puffing himself up with all his might, his small body leaped out to stand in front of me. His figure was like a tiny, little knight, protecting me from evil. Thinking like that, I accidentally laughed. Speaking of which, in this situation, would the villain be Knight Commander Moorwright? The villain was the upright, virtuous hero rather than me. This situation was a bit funny. ¡°W-why is Lilius laughing!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I just thought you¡¯re very lovely. Sorry for laughing, ok? Anyway, I still haven¡¯t said my thanks, have I? That time when I was captured by the knight order, and now too, thank you for protecting me, Andrea.¡± ¡°~N-no big deal.¡± ¡°Just like your name, you sure are a strong man.¡± ¡°My name?¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right. In my country, Andrea has the meaning of ¡®a strong person¡¯, or ¡®a strong man¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Right! So that¡¯s it! Then, I¡¯ll make sure to protect Lilius!¡± Children were truly innocent. Even though my heart was so laden with heaviness, the pain raging fiercely inside ebbed due to Andrea¡¯s smile. ¡°Hmm. This is a bit difficult. It looks like Andrea has taken a liking to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ That¡¯s, how do I say this¡­ I apologise for the trouble.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. After the divorce, both Andrea and the younger twins have been somewhat distant. Recently, Andrea¡¯s become something of an unmanageable brat that¡¯d jump at anyone¡¯s throats, and he¡¯s been troubling the servants. I also kept focusing on my work and didn¡¯t think of my children. So, to spend time with my family, this time I¡¯ve used up all my accumulated vacation time to travel from the imperial capital to this place.¡± I see, so there was a reason like that. Even though this town was prosperous, since it was at a distance from the capital, it was also pretty tranquil. This town was probably the perfect place to set aside a property for vacationing. ¡°Now then, I do have my own suggestion.¡± When I was caught up in my own deliberations, Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s voice sounded. As if to draw my attention, he inclined his head towards me. ¡°I know it¡¯s not very welcoming to you, but¡­¡­. Andrea seems to hold this idea as well, that is, would you be willing to stay under our care temporarily? On paper, it¡¯d be written as staying under lock and key. For the short period you¡¯ll be under our care, I hope you could spend it here.¡± ¡°Well, I understand that you¡¯d prefer to keep a suspicious person like me within your sight until you could verify my innocence. If you made it an order, then a commoner like me can¡¯t disobey that. But, I do have my work as a healer. If this would get in the way of that, please get official papers that properly records this to restrain me for the second time.¡± I wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to think I would be allowed to go home in this situation. To appease their concerns that I might end up fleeing, they¡¯d probably be doing a background check on me. Completing that would probably take about one week? If it would only take that much time, then I wouldn¡¯t mind. Just, if there was one thing I¡¯d be worried about, it would be the village people. In that place, there were the rare demons and magic beasts that occasionally come down to the village. Since I could use magic, I could still attack them and protect myself, but that¡¯d be impossible for the villagers. That¡¯s why I¡¯d set up my residence in that area, a spot just within the distance for my protection array to reach the village ¡ª that totally rural area. Perhaps perceiving my resolute emotions, Knight Commander Moorwright gave me permission to leave as long as I took escorts with me. Though to be more accurate, they weren¡¯t escorts, but rather watchers. ¡°In addition, would you mind wearing this? It¡¯s proof that you¡¯re considered someone under us, the Moorwright family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it. I¡¯ll accept it.¡± The bracelet dropped into my palm was enchanted with something terrible. If by any chance I were to harbour aggressive thoughts against a member of Moorwright family or someone close to them, then on the spot, a spell would inflict terrible pain throughout my whole body. I had an endlessly deep magical reserves. Since he¡¯d previously taken my sister as his wife, he should¡¯ve known of it as soon as he¡¯d seen my black hair and eyes. Even so, he never said a single word, and handed me this bracelet very naturally. This Knight Commander Moorwright was just a little bit terrifying. If I ever laid my hands on his treasured ones, he could always easily reap my life. His sharp fangs were hidden within that gentle-looking smile. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Translator: sleepingjay Arc 2 And then, in the name of observation, I started living together with Knight Commander Moorwright for several days in this town while he was on vacation. That time, after our conversation, the butler Belus came around and showed me to my room. But again, from the room it was easy to see their ill-intentions. ¡°My sincerest apologies, but because of the abruptness of this matter, we have yet to finish preparations for a guest room.¡± The room was in extreme conditions. With barely any sun entering, a gloomy atmosphere enveloped the room. It was a room no one would possibly offer to a human. The bed was not only battered from overuse, but also didn¡¯t have any bedding. The window was clouded up with dust, and on the rims and the bare support frames there were spider webs spread all over. Dust lay in a thick pile on the floor. To be honest, did they actually track down the dirtiest unused room for me to use? ¡°Sorry for the trouble. However it¡¯s only for a few days, so it¡¯s fine to not go to extra lengths for me.¡± Then, I casted Clean on the insides of the room. Hah, to bully me, this level is too inadequate. I wasn¡¯t so soft I¡¯d cry like a needy child at this kind of thing. Well, what a surprise. Your sister also had terribly superior magical reserves, but unfortunately, the likes of us beasts were not deserving of the honor of witnessing such magic.¡± ¡°I see. That was awful of her, wasn¡¯t it? Let me apologise on her behalf.¡± This mansion was a vacation home, so originally this household had a residence in the capital where they lived. This Belus was also from the residence in the capital, and seemed to have come here with the Moorwrights. Among the rest of the people who came together with them, there were also other servants. Other than those, the servants were people who were originally in charge of managing this residence, so it seemed they hadn¡¯t met my sister. However, the people who¡¯d lived together with my sister in the capital were different. Their merciless gazes full of loathing kept stabbing through my whole body. Those gazes sure were nostalgic. In the past, I had received those gazes often. ¡°How would you like to have your lunch?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any meals.¡± ¡°¡­.. Indeed. I suppose the same thing beasts eat can¡¯t enter your mouth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯ve conveyed this to your lord as well, but I have a job to do. I must manage the medicinal herbs field, and I also want to show my face at the village at least once a day. If I go there, there¡¯s a bunch of nagging old people who¡¯ll always nag after me about this and that, taking care of me. Taking their fun away would be a bit pitiful.¡± ¡°Certainly, sir. If you have any needs, please call for me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Even though I¡¯d put my words as simply as possible, the butler¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t let up on me even a little bit, though it was still elegant. They wouldn¡¯t change their manner towards anything related to my sister, I guess. I could easily understand Belus¡¯s scorn, because I could effortlessly imagine the way my sister would snap at others with her ice-cold voice. After looking around the cramped room, I arranged a place that I felt could store medicinal herbs, even if it was just for the time being. When I was done with arranging everything, my own body was coated with dust. Casting Clean on myself, I left the room. I¡¯d like to go back to my home now, but I wondered where Knight Commander Moorwright was. ¡­¡­No wait, in the first place, that butler. He¡¯d told me to call for him, but never told me how to call for him. ¡°What to do¡­¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Behind me, a dog beastman with somewhat frivolous, excessively sparkling eyes suddenly appeared. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°Wow! You sure look exactly like that woman.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m Lilius. For the time being, I¡¯ll be staying here. Also, that woman you¡¯re talking about is my sister.¡± ¡°Oh~. So it was you. But just why are you in this kind of location, hmm?¡± ¡°Well, I was led to this room.¡± Then, I pointed at the door behind me. ¡°Eeeh?! Here? That butler is seriously ill-natured~¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Here, it ain¡¯t a guest room. Probably, a storage room? But even if it¡¯d been used as a storage room before, with how mouldy it is now, probably nobody uses this place anymore.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The young man¡¯s words seemed to be about right, so I nodded to it. Seeing me react calmly without any waves, he looked at me with doubt. ¡°Did you already notice that you were being fooled?¡± ¡°Yeah. But even if they were to give me a neater room, I may not always live here, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Oh~. I see, I see.¡± Putting that aside, wasn¡¯t this guy also¡­ how to say it? Although I was also a suspicious person, but wasn¡¯t this man quite suspicious too? He had black hair, with gray bits mixed in here and there. His blue-grey eyes gave off a mysterious atmosphere, seemingly both cold and gentle. But he had a face that looked flamboyant, like a skirt-chaser. Although with the sword he was carrying, he was unmistakably a knight, somehow he still gave off that kind of air. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. My name is Seth. I¡¯m the one assigned to babysit you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ls there no one else?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that! Do you have a problem with me?!¡± Rather than me having a problem with you, it was more that you look like you¡¯d be a problem though¡­¡­ Oh well, anything was fine. As long as he didn¡¯t get in my way. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I just don¡¯t like it if my job gets hindered. I don¡¯t want to be affected by you, so if you play around, I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± ¡°Eeeh, that¡¯s just mean~¡± I was already uneasy. Was this guy really okay? Although I thought like that, I wasn¡¯t in any position to say so. When I asked Seth if I could go back to my home right now, he told me that I could move about as I¡¯d like. It looked like I had no restrictions on my movements, as long as I came back to this house somehow or another. Certainly, as long as I was limited by this magic tool bound around my wrist, there¡¯s no way I could do anything bad. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Oka~y. Well then, please come with me~.¡± I followed the lazy-like Seth to the entrance. Gradually, our path became brighter, and while walking through these corridors now brimming with gentle colors, a sigh leaked out of me. Aah, it was so troublesome, I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t upset. Then, while we were walking, I noticed that someone was following us. When I stopped walking suddenly, those small, te-te-te footsteps, were exposed. ¡­¡­ What the heck? Was it Andrea? ¡°Oi.¡± I turned around, and then headed towards the person who¡¯d hid himself in the shadows. ¡°What were you doing just now? If you have something to say, say it. Don¡¯t sneakily follow us.¡± ¡°Hya¡ª!¡± In an alcove near the stairs, there was a small child with almost-white, silver-snow hair and ears. At my words, the child¡¯s body quivered in surprise, and he curled into himself even more than he already was. Looking at those grey, panicked eyes, somehow my hands itched. The expression of this child in front me perfectly poked at my bully¡¯s heart. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t mess around with a frightened child. But, this child, how to say it¡­¡­ ¡°Oi.¡± ¡°Hiiiiee!¡± ¡­¡­ As I¡¯d thought, one by one tears oozed out from the corner of his eyes. The child trembled in fright, and flusteredly, his tail curled up. He held it to his chest, then gnawed on the fluffy tip. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn?¡± With chuu, chuu sounds, the child sucked on his tail. Still in a crouch, he looked up at me uneasily. That appearance caused my sense of reason to shut down with a staggering halt. ¡°?!¡± When my reason came back, I¡¯d already acted on my urge and brought the child into my arms. This fluffy, fine hair; this pink mouth that wouldn¡¯t boisterously nag; these round, teary eyes ¡ª no matter where you looked at, they were all super cute! All the children around me, each and every one of them was mischievous and noisy. They were always annoyingly treating me like an entertainment, but this kid was completely different~ ¡°You sure are a cute one. Come on, what are you afraid of me for?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª, n-nyo!¡± ¡°Hmm, what are you saying? Your ears are drooping a bit, isn¡¯t it¡­¡­ Are you that Andrea¡¯s little brother? Your face is similar, but your personality isn¡¯t similar at all!¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t, twouch, thewwe!¡± So refreshing. So fluffy. Actually, I¡¯d had this urge for a while. Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s ears look so fluffy, I wanted to pinch them and bury my face in them. And that shaking, swaying tail! I¡¯d wanted to pat it too. The child in my arms had large, triangular ears which were drooping a little at the tips. Hugging him with one arm, I lost myself in the fluffiness of his ears and tail. Seth, whose existence I¡¯d forgotten, called STOP at me. ¡°Lilius, you¡¯re really a fiend. With Lilius¡¯s technique, Young Master Cyril¡¯s soul is gonna fly away.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± When I looked at him, there, Cyril was clinging to me with his eyes swirling in circles. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Translator: sleepingjay We put Cyril, who¡¯d lost his soul, into the servants¡¯ care, and ended up being lectured sharply. It was true that what I¡¯d done was overkill. While reflecting on my actions, I teleported to the village with Seth. We could have used the horse carriage, but there was little time left so I took Seth¡¯s hand and teleported us both. Without considerably expert skill and vast magic reserves, it was impossible to use teleportation magic. So, Seth was excited at experiencing teleportation magic for the first time. Since he wasn¡¯t listening to what I was saying, I left him behind like that and headed to the village head¡¯s location. ¡°That¡¯s how it is, so for the time being I won¡¯t be able to come regularly. But even so, if there¡¯s any emergency tasks, I¡¯ll immediately rush here. Don¡¯t lose the bell I¡¯d handed over to you before!¡± ¡°Got it. We¡¯ve been giving you trouble, haven¡¯t we?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t dislike you guys after all.¡± ¡°Fuhahaha! Is that so, you like me huh!¡± ¡°¡­¡­No? I meant everyone in the village. I didn¡¯t say anything about liking you.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. I was just teasing Lily a little.¡± Saying that, the village head laughed a manly, hearty laugh. Just like his strong appearance suggested, he had a frank and refreshing character. He was still actively working in his 40s. However, the event that had occured when I¡¯d just arrived at this village had caused the village head¡¯s leg to become injured. Now he was in the middle of a gradual rehabilitation, so when I came by here every day, I would massage his leg to relieve the pain. ¡°Putting that aside, you¡¯re also having it quite hard, eh? Even though you¡¯d finally been liberated from your burdens a bit, and was starting to live like yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Certainly, it¡¯s a troublesome matter. It¡¯s not something I can refuse to do though. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not angry that I¡¯m being forced to do this, but, Andrea is cute. Maybe because he¡¯s similar to me, so rather than abandoning him, I¡¯d like to teach him a bit. ¡­¡­M-my own weakness, I don¡¯t want to lose to it, so I thought I¡¯d be happy if I could find anything I could help him with.¡± ¡°Is that so? ¡­¡­You, take care of yourself a little too.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know that.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± When I self-consciously conveyed my feelings, the village head patted my head with a warm smile. When I first came to this village, I was probably just a coward that only wanted to die. Because I¡¯d lost everything and I only had my high ego left. Even though I couldn¡¯t stomach that I didn¡¯t have a single thing anymore, I had no other choice. Wealth, reputation, anything and everything, had been snatched away from me. They had been snatched away by my foolish brother. The person who had done it, was that brother I¡¯d looked down on. This situation shredded my dignity to pieces. To distract myself from the pain, and thinking of myself as a victim, I¡¯d found fault with everyone around me. ¡°¡­¡­ That time, I¡¯d really given you trouble.¡± ¡°For sure. Not only was the guy we picked up a human who was completely clueless about the world, but he also had the nerve to look down on us. Pretending to be an adult by brandishing an empty, prideful attitude¡­¡­ But still, that brat has now grown this much, hmm? That¡¯s why, when it comes to these children, we adults also started looking forward to their future. We¡¯d thought, ¡°What kind of person would these guys become in the future?¡± and so we started wanting to help. ¡°Certainly, that¡¯s how it is. Somehow, I can understand.¡± Commoners put more importance on work than studies. That was why there was such a difference in knowledge levels between nobles and commoners. However, there were a lot of commoner kids who, if they were to study seriously, would be even more diligent and excellent than the nobility. Hence, when I see kids who were clever or had some special skills, I wanted to see them through to their futures. As much as I could, I wanted to support these kids to where they were aiming or dreaming for. ¡°I¡¯m sure that, just as you wish, your heart will be transmitted to the children of that knight commander guy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± At the very least, I was able to explain the general outline of what was happening to the village head. For the time being, I wouldn¡¯t be able to carry things out as usual, but even so I hoped to do as much as I possibly could. To finish up, I gave my greetings to the village head¡¯s wife, then I went to Seth, who had been standing by outside. Leaving the village, we headed to my house. There, I planned to tend to the medicinal herbs, and also pick up some necessities. When that was done, we¡¯d go back and the day would be done. My shoulder sagged since it had been a long day. But in the middle of the road, I saw the rabbit beastchild Latho waiting for me. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why does Lily have to be taken away?¡± ¡°Aah, you must have eavesdropped, hadn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because ¨C we¡¯d heard it, you weren¡¯t going to tell this to us, weren¡¯t you? That¡¯s why, we had to listen secretly.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right but¡­¡­¡± Unusually, Latho was sullenly pursing his lips and sulking. Within that group of brats, Latho was the one that was most clever and obedient, so that was why it was very rare to see this kind of face on him. ¡°If you¡¯d listened to us talk, you should understand, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ But, Lily hasn¡¯t done anything bad at all? If he doesn¡¯t believe Lily, that commander must be a guy with a narrow, bad heart.¡± Latho¡¯s words surprised me. Next to me, even Seth¡¯s shoulders were shaking as he stifled his laughter. ¡°I see. So, that¡¯s how Latho thinks of this.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a little stroll?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Energetically nodding, Latho held out both of his arms to me. ¡°What¡¯s with those hands.¡± ¡°Ehehe, piggyback!¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡­ Why are you guys always taking advantage of people who are being kind to you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knooow~! Faster, let¡¯s piggyback, Lily~!¡± ¡°I got it.¡± In accordance to his request, I gave him a piggyback. Placing Latho on my back, I strolled to the village. ¡°So then, how much do you understand?¡± ¡°Lily¡¯s big sister is a bad person, so because of that even Lily is thought of as an evil guy! Then, then ¨C they also think Lily is going to threaten the commander¡¯s children, or kidnap them, and then use them to get the commander to give Lily money!¡± ¡°I see. So you¡¯ve understood that much. Latho is very clever.¡± ¡°Ehehe. But, but, I don¡¯t get it? Why does Lily have to apologise? Lily and Lily¡¯s sister are different people, right? That commander doesn¡¯t even know all the kind things Lily¡¯s done for us, that¡¯s why he said those mean things. I don¡¯t like that commander!¡± ¡°Ahaha! You don¡¯t like the commander, even though he¡¯s someone everyone admires so much?¡± ¡°Yep. Because ¨C he¡¯s bullying our precious Lily. Someone like that isn¡¯t a hero!¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s right, huh.¡± Certainly, I¡¯d thought of it as unreasonable too. However, family was a connection you couldn¡¯t sever completely no matter how you tried to sever it. This was an understanding I¡¯d obtained through my own situation. When it no longer had any relation to me, I could push it away from myself. I could tell myself I was better off without such a family. But, such blood relationships were like a curse. Even now, some part of my heart, perhaps, still wished for that connection. Perhaps, if there¡¯d been even one chance when I¡¯d still lived in that house. Perhaps, if I hadn¡¯t given up, would something have changed¡­¡­ Even though it had been my own choice that had led to my fall. ¡°But you know, Latho. People will sacrifice anything in order to protect somebody. Even if it¡¯s an amazingly strong guy, or even a hero ¨C this is unchangeable for all of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps when Latho protects me, there will be some other person being sacrificed. There¡¯s nothing we can do about this kind of thing, because it¡¯s something that will happen in many, many situations. For the empire¡¯s hero, his children are his treasured ones. They are the ones he would put down his life for. And a guy who could hurt those treasures appeared. Even if it¡¯s just a one-in-a-million chance, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s natural that he would doubt that guy?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ But, but still!¡± ¡°En, thank you, Latho. That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll prove my innocence, and then I¡¯ll put that annoying commander in his place! And to compensate for taking me away from Latho and others, I¡¯ll get him to give us sweets!¡± ¡°Really?! Lily is super awesome! Even if you¡¯re beaten down now, you can get up and win something from it!¡± ¡°En, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that stubborn and sly part of Lily that I really respect!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Sure, thanks.¡± Although Latho¡¯s words made me completely speechless, it was true I had no room to counter them. ¡­¡­I should probably keep my self-important behaviour to a minimum in front of the children. We parted ways with Latho, who had recovered his spirits, and then Seth and I arrived at my house. ¡°Anyways, that kid sure is interesting~¡± ¡°Don¡¯t keep laughing, help a little.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. You¡¯re really a slave driver~¡± After collecting necessities and other things I wanted to take away, I placed a protection spell on the things I was leaving behind. When all the work was more or less settled, Seth asked me: ¡°By the way. That, just now. You said that in order to protect, people would have to sacrifice others, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah. What about it?¡± ¡°Do you really think that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, that¡¯s what I think. That was how I had protected the people of my fief. It¡¯s by no means something I¡¯m proud of, because due to this method, there are people who had died. But, this is what I¡¯d chosen. I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t watch the people of the fief I protect die. And countless times, I¡¯d taken revenge on the bastards who wanted to take advantage of us and push us into ruin. You also know this, don¡¯t you? Nobles are creatures who bath in blood. Upright, virtuous people don¡¯t exist within the nobility. Without exception, they must have sacrificed someone or something.¡­¡­In this, even you knights are the same, no?¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re right, the truth is like that. ¡­¡­Even the people I¡¯ve killed, since I know they may be someone¡¯s beloved, at times I¡¯ve also become bitter about it. I¡¯ve thought: ¡®This is such an unpleasant job¡¯.¡± Spilling those words, Seth¡¯s eyes turned stony as his gaze became lost in somewhere far away. However, hadn¡¯t Seth forgotten one important thing? At Seth¡¯s words, I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s true, but did you forget that because you guys are the swords of the empire, the citizens don¡¯t have to do things like killing people? You guys kill people, yes. However, at the same time, you put your lives on the line too, don¡¯t you? If you don¡¯t defeat your opponent, they would kill you. Isn¡¯t that enough reason?¡± One wouldn¡¯t be able to protect one¡¯s country by being clean. Even if you were a broadminded, generous person, at times there would be no other choice besides making inhumane decisions. Hence, people who were kind in nature, whose hearts would collapse from such pressure, should leave the borders of the country. ¡°You knights are also gambling with your lives while fighting. That¡¯s a fact, no?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But even so, there are still people whose hearts never fall, no matter what vicious environment they live in. With whatever reason, people live by their own choices. Consequently, these choices are what makes one¡¯s present self. So people whose hands are dyed in evil, even if they were to be judged by others, are merely reaping what they have sowed. I don¡¯t think Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s way of doing things is wrong, though there are still things I¡¯m not convinced about, and things I¡¯m dissatisfied about. However, being a commoner with no means to oppose his methods was a consequence of my own actions. That¡¯s why, if you have time to be depressed about this, you¡¯d better hurry up and prove my innocence, idiot Seth.¡± Don¡¯t put on expressions that don¡¯t suit you. I gave Seth, who was laughing despondently, a kick to his ass. With his emotions shifted, we left the house. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Translator: sleepingjay Once we returned to the residence, I closed myself in the room assigned to me. My mind would drift to unsatisfactory thoughts when I was alone. Rather than spending time uselessly like that, I would rather mix some herbs. Recently, the hot weather had weakened the condition of a lot of elderlies. Although it¡¯d be fine if they just took a bit of salt and water frequently, they didn¡¯t have much attachment to their health, so they never did as they were told. They¡¯d barely follow my instructions. Then, before they noticed it, they¡¯d have collapsed from heatstroke. It was this kind of cycle. Hence I thought of making something. A pastille that could replenish a person¡¯s daily necessary salt content. If they had this, then even those weaklings wouldn¡¯t lose to heatstroke! After trial and error, at last I managed to produce pastilles with the efficacy that I wanted. While I was fascinated by the beautiful liquid and self-satisfiedly chuckling to myself, I felt the presence of a person at the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve got some business with me, just come in.¡± When I called out, the person on the other side of the door became excessively restless and flustered. Hmm? This feeling, it was this afternoon¡¯s¡ª ¡°So it¡¯s Cyril!¡± ¡°Hyaaa!¡± With the satisfaction of completing the medicine, I, who was still excited, had a higher mood than usual. I caught Cyril, who was in front of the door, into my embrace. He was so surprised his tail vigorously jumped up and down. I really wanted to fall asleep hugging him like a pillow, just like this. But thinking of this noon¡¯s events, I had to reluctantly put him down on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s my bad. You are just too cute, so I couldn¡¯t help being over-excited.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°Can you forgive me?¡± Though hesitant, Cyril lightly nodded. Was he afraid of strangers? He looked at me as if he had something to say, but no words were coming out. He kept silently staring up at me. When he blinked, his long eyelashes fluttered. I¡¯d prefer if he were to chatter endlessly instead. Giving Cyril a sidelong glance, I placed the dangerous medicinal materials back on the shelves. ¡°¡­¡­ah.¡± ¡°What is it? If you have something you want to talk about, it¡¯s fine to say it slowly. So say it if you want to talk.¡± Cyril slowly nodded. With a plop, his large ears moved. Recalling the sensation from this afternoon, I became tempted again. ¡°How old is Cyril?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Fwouw.¡± ¡°I see, so you¡¯re four years old.¡± Holding out his tiny hand, he held up four fingers. When I patted his head, Cyril¡¯s slender tail gently, gently drifted about, and came to twine around my feet. ¡°In a way, beastmen are quite easy to understand, huh?¡± Considering how expressive their ears and tails were, it seemed like it¡¯d be troublesome in daily life. ¡°Liliush.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°¡­.. Thwere, feels nice.¡± ¡°Ooh, is that so?¡± His big eyes becoming half-closed, Cyril snuggled up to my palm. What was with this feeling? My chest felt as if it was being tightened to a squeeze, it was intolerable. It had to be an illusion. Someone like me who didn¡¯t like children, because of a child, had his heart fluttering¡­¡­ While I was stumped, my hand stopped, and Cyril looked up at me pitifully. ¡°Liliush¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I, actually.¡± I¡¯d never imagined that a day would come when I would think a kid was cute. During my daze, who knew what he¡¯d misunderstood, but Cyril turned around and pushed out his little rear to me. Then, with his tail swaying around, he looked at me over his shoulder. ¡°Liliush is feeling down, right? Liliush¡¯s nice, sho it¡¯s ok to pat this.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°Wwike, tail? Me too, wwike?¡± ¡°¡ª!!!¡± While saying that embarassedly, flutterly, flitterly, his tail swayed as he shook his body. I, I couldn¡¯t resist it anymore. Inside, things like reason had already been blown off somewhere far away. ¡°Hya¡ª!¡± ¡°Ah, how soft! It¡¯s so fluffy like this, what a bad child. Tempting me like this, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Funyuu.¡± ¡°Even your cheeks are so chubby¡­¡­! Your hair is really fluffy too, isn¡¯t it~¡± ¡°Li, Liliuch, chm, muu~!¡± When I breathed into his ear without warning, his ear twitched up and down. It tickled my chin, and¡­ I probably lost my reason again, because I chomped on it. ¡°Kyuu¡ª¡± While I softly gnawed on the elastic ear, Cyril quivered twitchingly in my arms. My appearance had completely turned indecent as I satisfiedly manipulated Cyril¡¯s whole body. ¡°Ah, s-sorry!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Liliush, is mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my bad¡­¡­ Aah.¡± ¡°Nyo, more!¡± While completely exhausted and laid flat out on the floor, Cyril pouted. When I was coaxing him, suddenly a child¡¯s voice that was very similar to Cyril¡¯s resounded in the room. ¡°Ah~ I ended up seeing a pervert doing erotic stuff to Cyril!¡± ¡°?!¡± Surprised, I turned around to find a kid noisily sliding out from under the bed. ¡°I got to watch a good thing. Adults make babies like this, don¡¯t they? I want to make them too.¡± Saying those uninhibited and audacious words was a child with an unexpectedly serious face, considering his imperious tone. With a face that was exactly like Cyril¡¯s, he looked at me as if watching something of great interest. On his body, which was of Cyril¡¯s height, were the silver-snow hair and ears possessed by Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s children. If there was one thing different, it was probably this child¡¯s eyes. Inside the black eyes that were like mine, a sparkling golden-colored light was twinkling. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Translator: sleepingjay When the heck did he hide under the bed? I shivered a little bit. ¡°My name is Guy. My hobby is peeking at panties, my specialty is peeping. You sure were shameless just now. So that was dirty talk. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°Wait a bit. You¡¯re definitely Cyril¡¯s twin, right?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°Like him, you¡¯re four years old, right? So where did you go wrong to become like this?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s that ¡®panties¡¯ and ¡®peeping¡¯ talk!¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Plenty of men like these perverted stuff.¡± Sighing, somehow I could tell he said that while looking down on me, even though his face was still without any expression. With such a comparison, it sank deeply in my mind how normal Andrea actually was. Though he had a bad mouth and wasn¡¯t obedient, it was already laudable that he was appropriate for his age. With Guys introduction into the scene, I felt a minute amount of dizziness. ¡°I¡¯m reporting to Father.¡± ¡°What do you want to do?!¡± ¡°Lilius did perverted things. I¡¯m telling him.¡± ¡°Stoooooop!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do perverted things to me too!¡± As soon as Guy said that, he leaped over my head and disappeared into the corridor. I looked back and forth between the dizzy-drunk, flattened Cyril and the corridor several times ¡ª I made an extreme dash for the corridor. I¡¯d never run this hard before in my life. Without care for my appearance, I started to chase after Guy. But, the agility innate in children of white lion beastmen far and away surpassed my expectations. With my physical strength, I couldn¡¯t catch up with Guy. ¡°Father, Lilius did perverted stuff!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± The door was thrown open with a bang, and Guy tumbled into the room while shouting. After that, I, who only just caught up, also slid into the room tumbling. Catching Guy into a hug, I denied his words. ¡°Mmmph, mmmphh, fffmmmpff.¡± ¡°He¡¯s wrong! I didn¡¯t do anything perverted at all.¡± ¡°A, ah. Lilius-dono, please calm down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯d wanted to pet the ears for some time, so I, just, touched and bit it¡­¡± ¡°Touched? Bit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s why, I wasn¡¯t holding any questionable thoughts at all!¡± After catching Guy, I blocked his mouth and answered the surprised Knight Commander Moorwright. Although, I somehow got the feeling that Knight Commander Moorwright¡¯s eyes were getting sharper and sharper the more I defended myself¡­¡­. When the temperature of the room was going down degree by degree, a new bomb dropped. ¡°Th-that¡¯s why I was just, uh, to Cyril¡ª¡± ¡°Liwiush, likes me¡­¡­ Hwuugged and patted me, loooots! My bottom!¡± Cyril¨C¨C?! Probably, no, definitely, the words you just said wouldn¡¯t mean anything good for me. Who knew since when he¡¯d arrived. Cyril stood next to me, shyly twisting his body back and forth. He would look at me with upturned eyes, then with a ¡°Kyaaa¡± squeal he¡¯d immediately cover his eyes with both hands. I wanted to scream ¡°Kyaaa¡± too¡­ though with a different meaning. ¡°¡­¡­Lilius-dono, it seems we need to have a little talk, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°H,hiii¡­¡­ it, it¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ll decide. Do take a seat on that chair over there. You two, for a short while, don¡¯t approach this room. Understood?¡± At their father¡¯s words, both children raised their hands and answered, ¡°Yes~!¡±. Then, clearly getting along well, they clasped their hands together and left the room. All I could do was motionlessly send a bitter stare at their backs, silently begging them to not abandon me. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¡°Now then. Perhaps you could explain in exact detail, what exactly had happened.¡± ¡°Uuuh.¡± Shit¡­¡­ This was the first time I¡¯d felt such mortification. I was an idiot to have thought, for even a little bit, that children were cute. Those bastards were all scourges, no doubt about it! . . . ¡°That¡¯s how it is. So, I never, ever had any thoughts of laying my hands on your son.¡± ¡°Ku, kuku¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Are you listening, Knight Commander Moorwright?¡± ¡°A, ah. I heard you.¡± Well, there was no doubt he¡¯d heard it. But why had he been looking at the ground for some time now? Why hadn¡¯t he looked at me in the eye? The clattering sounds his chair had been making while swaying, wasn¡¯t it because he was laughing at me?! ¡°Kuhaha, sorry! I, ah, I don¡¯t mean to laugh. Please don¡¯t get mad.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, I accidentally laughed. I didn¡¯t actually think you did anything. Even if you did, I¡¯d have known of it from the bracelet on your wrist.¡± ¡°Th-then, what was that just now!?¡± ¡°Because your face became extremely red when you tried to explain yourself. So, wanted to tease just a little.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ugh.¡± This schemer bastard. Firmly holding in the foul-mouth words I wanted to fling at him, I started to correct my frazzled appearance. Because I had ran around, my ponytail became loose. I spilled a sigh and untied the cord binding my hair. The loose, wavy hair flowed down my back in a gentle spread. ¡°You are really¡­ unlike the rumors, you unexpectedly have a bad character.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The black hair stretched down to my waist. I combed my fingers through the strands to neaten them. Maybe it was because I was relieved that the suspicion was cleared, so amongst my sighing, complaints also spilled towards Knight Commander Moorwright. However, the person himself hadn¡¯t given any response. While putting the hair tie in my lips and arranging my hair properly, I gave a glance to Knight Commander Moorwright. ¡°¡­¡­¡± For some reason, he was looking at me with a glowering gaze that seemed to eat into me. Giving people such a piercing look, wasn¡¯t he being rude? It somehow gave me a very bad mood. Unable to endure under such a strong stare, while nimbly tying my hair back, I returned the glare to Knight Commander Moorwright. ¡°What are you frowning at me for?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Nothing.¡± ¡°If you have something to say, then why not just tell me? I already know that you guys hate me and stuff. It¡¯s too late for me to get hurt by anything you have to say to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s not that. I just thought that your hair is beautiful.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Haah?¡± Those words reached my ears drop by drop, as if they were spilled out unintentionally. Knight Commander Moorwright, looking surprised at his own words, flusteredly turned his gaze away. ¡°¡­¡­Hmph. There¡¯s no need for flattery. From my own view, that hair of yours is far more beautiful.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. In my hometown, snow falls all year round. Seeing the silver-snow color of your hair brings up memories. The white mist of my breaths, the silver scenery when the snow blankets everything. Although it¡¯s a cold and lonely place, sometimes I think of it nostalgically.¡± ¡°I see. So you like your hometown?¡± ¡°I wonder. You¡¯ve investigated, haven¡¯t you? Then, I think you¡¯ll understand. Because there are places assailed by cruel hunger, my hometown isn¡¯t exactly a place overflowing with happiness.¡± There, different from Thoel Empire, the disparity in wealth was severe. Particularly, many people would starve to death every year in rural villages. That¡¯s why I thought: Here was truly a place of happiness. Even little joys could overflow so much, hence I couldn¡¯t help but think of this peaceful normalcy as the biggest joy I¡¯d ever experienced. Author¡¯s Note: Lilius¡¯s hair is fluffy and fine, and he has it up on a high ponytail, falling down in gen~tle waves. Commander Jill¡¯s hair is not too long and not too short, and his bangs is long-ish, giving a refreshing feeling. It¡¯s a ladykiller style. Andrea¡¯s bangs goes to above his eyes, and his whole hair is straight, just a bit long-ish. Cyril¡¯s has fluffy, curly hair, with the front part hanging low. Guy¡¯s hair is straight and short. The bangs are long and parted to one side. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Translator: sleepingjay ¡°Is that why your skin is so white it seems transparent?¡± ¡°What the heck, are you trying to call me soft? Even if you don¡¯t say it, I already know that I¡¯m lacking in masculinity.¡± Turning away, I stood up from my seat and headed towards the door. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going back to my room. Sorry for causing such a clamor. Knight Commander Moorwright too, you shouldn¡¯t stay up late doing work, it¡¯s better to go to sleep.¡± ¡°Aaa. I¡¯ll do that, Lilius-dono. Besides that, I apologise for my butler and servants¡¯ somewhat rude behaviour this afternoon. I¡¯ve instructed them to treat you as a guest, so tomorrow they¡¯ll make sure to transfer you to a proper room.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s fine. That room is sufficient for me. The house I¡¯d been living in for years is far more shabby than the room I¡¯m borrowing now, you know? This isn¡¯t that bad. Well then, excuse me. Good night.¡± After leaving, as soon as I reached my own room I flopped down onto the bed, and just like that, I fell asleep. The following morning, after their arrangements were complete, the butler Belus came to me to enquire. ¡°Lilius-sama, have you awakened?¡± ¡°Aaa.¡± ¡°Although you¡¯ve said it¡¯s not necessary yesterday, just to be sure, we have prepared breakfast. If necessary, we could also send it to your room.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that right.¡± At my slurred words, Belus raised his thin eyebrows. Since they¡¯d already gone the lengths to make it for me, I didn¡¯t want to waste it. But, it was really true that I couldn¡¯t eat it. ¡°Sorry, I should¡¯ve explained this clearly yesterday¡­¡­. I can¡¯t eat food from all animals like meat and fish. Normally only eat vegetable dishes, and the rest I make up with high-nutrient candies I¡¯d created myself. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m rejecting your efforts, I refused yesterday because my own constitution is the problem.¡± After explaining my circumstances, my head hung low. I was sure that after this, their impression of me would become even worse. I couldn¡¯t help but anxiously wonder if the chef, Belus and other servants might be punished because of my wilfulness, but this wasn¡¯t my birthplace. It was that knight commander¡¯s house, so no way it would happen. If this were my birthplace, even if food were wasted due to our selfishness, it was the servants who would receive punishment. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you should have informed us ahead of time. Is salad alright for you to eat?¡± ¡°Aaa.¡± ¡°Then, please wait a while. Or, should we prepare the dining hall for your use?¡± ¡°No need, bringing it to this room is already a great help.¡± ¡°Understood. Then excuse me, please wait here while we get the meal ready.¡± I was surprised. Yesterday, Belus¡¯s attitude was only superficially polite, but today was different. Belus truly loved his master from the bottom of his heart, didn¡¯t he? In the short time that I waited for my meal to arrive, I absently gazed outside the window. £ª¡¡£ª¡¡£ª ¡°Well then, shall we go.¡± ¡°Eeh~ I still haven¡¯t finished eating, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Seth, who came back with Belus, ate the morning meal with me as there was a large excess. Although Belus sharply scolded him, Seth just feigned ignorance. I only heard about it later, but it turned out that Belus was Seth¡¯s father. That fact deeply surprised me. Most likely, Seth¡¯s lazy character was the result of leaving things like pressure and tension behind in his mother¡¯s womb. When I said that, Seth sulked like a child. ¡°Village head, I made these pastilles yesterday. You have to make sure to distribute it to everyone in the village!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Medicine?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not medicine. But, it¡¯s something that can help with heatstroke.¡± For now, I entrusted three days worth of pastilles to him. With this, I could take a look at how much the pastilles could improve the villagers¡¯ situation, and I also planned to improve the taste. ¡°As usual, you¡¯re using us as guinea pigs?¡± ¡°Yep. You should be honoured.¡± ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re really¡­¡± A soft smile floated on the village head¡¯s face, and he poked my head. Then, as always, as if soothing me, he patted my head which he had just poked. Since long ago, I¡¯d always thought that since he was going to pat it anyways, why not just stop poking my head? But, I didn¡¯t hate being treated like this either so I wasn¡¯t going to say unnecessary things. After a day¡¯s work, I once again returned to the residence. In the afternoon, the residence was full of people going back and forth. However, similar to Belus, almost everyone began to hide their malice towards me. Well, even though that was the case, there was still a small fraction that couldn¡¯t keep it hidden. It was after I parted with Seth and headed back to my room to take a look at the medicine. When I was standing at the landing of the staircase, someone pushed my back from behind. I, who was sent into the air, disorientedly veered off the staircase and tumbled down headlong to the floor. Fortunately I protected my head, so nothing important was hurt, but a sharp pain shot through my left ankle. A wound like this wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. With this situation, I could use healing magic. But before that, I looked around to confirm if there was anybody around me. More than being pushed down, it grated more on my nerves that somebody had sneaked up on me without me knowing. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Author: aji (¤¢¤¸) Translator: sleepingjay Three days had passed since I came to this mansion. Everyday, I would wake up early in the morning and then eat salad while Belus, taking no ifs or buts, supervised me. After that I would go to the village, though within these three days I¡¯d gone to the town once to sell medicine. At noon, I would take a quick look at the medicinal herbs field, then I would make protective charms for Andrea and others ¡ª like this, one day would be over. More than my previous life, I was almost never alone. Maybe he wasn¡¯t too concerned about it, but sometimes Seth would unexpectedly disappear off to somewhere else. Was it really no problem to not stand guard over me? Personally, being constantly watched did cause me some stress, so being able to be alone was a welcome thing. But. I did worry whether Seth¡¯s actions might anger others. But now, I was a little regretful about separating from Seth. Even if he was such a noisy guy, I¡¯d rather have him here than not. I, who had been alone, was now locked inside a warehouse, soaked in excessive sweat. A little while ago, one of the servants called out to me. ¡°Andrea-sama asked us to convey to Lilius-sama, he is waiting in front of the warehouse.¡± Told such a message, and thinking the boy was trying to play hide and seek or something, I headed there without a doubt. When I arrived in front of the warehouse, because there was only a very slight opening, I couldn¡¯t be sure whether Andrea was there. So, I entered the warehouse. At that moment, already, the door was closed and locked automatically. In this midsummer, what would I become when locked inside such a secret room? If nobody noticed, wouldn¡¯t die? Just when I was about to unlock it with magic, I noticed a physical discomfort. A magic formation engraved in the corner of the warehouse was invoked when I tried to use magic. The effect was to suck out the magical power of the magic user. The point was, if I used magic, this magic formation would be invoked. Then, it would suck out my magic reserves until it was completely consumed. Whether it was humans or beastmen, everyone had a baseline magic reserves in their bodies. If this was completely gone, the body¡¯s functions would be suspended, and they would die. Would my magic be consumed first, would somebody come and help me first, or would I be able to break the magic formation first? Including that time at the staircase, it seemed that there were people with dark sentiments towards me in this residence. Although I had raised my vigilance since that incident, they still took such a large-scale action against me like this. Was the other person so crazy about killing me, that they were willing to even risk their own life? I didn¡¯t know if that person was the servant that had called me out, or unlikely as it might be, if there was another third party. But wasn¡¯t this funny. Since they had such hostile intentions against me, why not I take them up on the challenge? Thankfully, this magic formation that was sucking my magic reserves up was counteracting the restraints placed on the bracelet. With a snicker, I decided to let the magic power discharge and gather at my wrist. Then all at once, I threw the gathered power at the magic formation. I repeated that for the second time, then a third time. Crackle¡­ Crack¡­ A clear, sharp sound like glass breaking. Little by little, the shine of the magic formation weakened. Before everything disappeared, I tried to once again gather my magic. ¡°Those magic that has come to my side, point me to the other side.¡± When the magic formation was broken, some misfortune would likely fall on the bastard who set me up. Perhaps like me, they would fall from the stairs, or perhaps their toes would be caught in a door. Thank you very much for the ¡°present¡± you gave me ¡ª so without fail, please receive this in return, hmm? After it lost the last of its shine, the magic from the formation, like a snake, crawled on the ground with a slither and disappeared off to the outside. ¡°With this, the other guy will be marked.¡± The snake just now would parasitise on the person who tried to kill me. Based on the remnants of the magic formation, it would search out the person who had the same lingering magic. Then, that magic-user would be shrouded by a black aura, which would be visible only to me, and I could confirm who they were by sight. Once I knew who the culprit was, then and there, I would definitely teach them a lesson. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Author: aji (¤¢¤¸) Translator: sleepingjay Right after I returned to my room, Seth was immediately back by my side. It seemed that they had taken into account the timing. ¡°Ah! Lilius, what¡¯s with that appearance?!¡± ¡°So noisy, you frivolous, clamouring guy.¡± ¡°Eh, what? Are you in a bad mood?¡± If there¡¯s someone who¡¯d been almost killed and was still in a good mood, that guy must have a strange brain, probably an extreme M. ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m sweating and it¡¯s uncomfortable so I¡¯m taking off my clothes.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s poison to the eyes y¡¯know~¡± ¡°Hmph! Like I care!¡± Being soiled and soaked with perspiration like this was uncomfortable. This guy sure was fussy, making such a fuss over something as trivial as seeing me naked. In the first place, it was my own room. So whether to be nude or to wear clothes was my own convenience, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°If you¡¯re that uncomfortable with my nakedness then just close your eyes or get out!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it though¡ª ¡­¡­Eh? Lilius, aren¡¯t you a bit smelly?¡± ¡°Tch, that¡¯s why I¡¯m naked now! I¡¯m going to cast Clean now so leave!¡± At the moment when I tried to expel Seth by shooing him out, a serious expression appeared on his face and he caught my wrist, pressing me against the wall. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bad smell on you. It¡¯s a terrible stench that could crook one¡¯s nose. The scent of hatred¡­¡­ Moreover, you¡¯ve used a large amount of magic, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Tch. It has nothing to do with you, does it?¡± Seth¡¯s piercing gaze stabbed through me. That attitude strongly clawed against something inside me. My reason, which was already wobbling unsteadily, completely lost its balance and collapsed. What the heck? Was I the only bad one here? Even if I was counter-attacking, I was still guilty. But since they wanted me to be silent when I was about to be killed, I have an idea that was convenient for me, too. If you bastards are going to cheat me like that, if you plan to harm me like that, then I won¡¯t bother going easy on you. ¡°¡ªLet my hand go!¡± ¡°Hey¡ª Lilius! You shouldn¡¯t use your magic!¡± The firm voice resounded in the room. The furniture shook slowly once, then a pale purple light ran wildly through the room. Just a little bit, my emotions had become unstable. If I had been in a composed state, I would remember what would happen if I used magic. Moreover, doing this after I had just used a heavy amount of magic. But, as I had lost my cool, when I invoked wind magic to blow away the insistent Seth ¡ª the bracelet¡¯s taboo was violated, and I was assailed by agony before finally losing consciousness. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Author: aji (¤¢¤¸) Translator: sleepingjay Pain was running unbearably throughout my body. My whole body was in torment, as if wounds I¡¯d received when I was very young had recurred. A dungeon that was dark, cold and clammy. I hadn¡¯t known why I was punished. Both my parents and siblings were going to forsake the people who were suffering right in front of them, as if it were only natural. That situation was frightening, I wanted to save those people ¡ª that was why, I pleaded. We shouldn¡¯t indulge in our overflowing wealth, we should save the people who needed saving. My values and my family¡¯s were different. Everything they taught me made me full of discomfort. Each time I said something brazen, I would be chastised severely. It was a cold winter day. It was scary, the loneliness of being shackled by heavy chains. The day chains were put on me, I was sure that a pain close to death awaited me. The bare concrete constantly inflamed my skin. Then, my elder brother swung his whip down on my back many, many times. You are abominable, he had spat out like a curse throughout it all. I hadn¡¯t even said anything wrong. However, I was the odd one out, and my family could not forgive my ideology. One day, with a snap, that justice within me broke apart. Unable to bear the loneliness, I fell. I stopped fighting against it. Even a little, that family¡¯s love, even just a moment was fine ¡ª I sought that love. Aaah¡­¡­ I had fallen in all aspects. The people¡¯s screams receded. Even the crying voice of children, even the wishes of everybody seeking for help. After I fell, I didn¡¯t hear them. I knew what a grave sin that was. I knew, but even still, I let go. I ran from the reality that I shouldn¡¯t turn away from. If I said righteous things, my family would punish me for being wrong. If I did evil things, my family would hug me as if to praise me, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± This is it. This was fine. Choosing to do as was told, thinking that this must be the right thing to do, indulged in that superficial love. I wanted to be loved. A little bit was fine. I was fine with even a little, so please look at me. Anybody, please think of me as someone precious. But it was just like that. Even though I seized that hand when it reached out for help, who was it that then shook off and slapped my hand away? I was tricked. She who cheated me, and I who fell for it. Hateful. Hateful. No one was going to help me. That was fine. Then, I too, wouldn¡¯t do such things as trusting or loving anyone. The foolish events of my youth wailed inside my head. Past memories of pain and suffering sluggishly pushed up my reason. As if resisting the shadow of these memories, a groan leaked out. I couldn¡¯t lose my head in that hatred. I didn¡¯t want to, anymore. Not again, I didn¡¯t want to fall down into my own weakness. I didn¡¯t want to go back to sinking in that corrosive darkness. ¡°Even so, the sin you committed in the past won¡¯t disappear.¡± From behind me who was fleeing, I heard the chilly voice of a young boy¡ª ¡°U¡­.gh¡± Someone¡¯s palm was touching my forehead. Even though it was merely that, an undulating agony rushed through my body. I wanted to be saved from this pain. But, who would save me? Who should I seek help from? No matter when, hadn¡¯t I born it alone? Until now and from now on, I was forever a solitary existence, wasn¡¯t I? ¡°Lilius.¡± As I was sinking into past memories, close to my ears, I heard a voice calling for me. ¡°Lilius, are you alright? Are you still hurting?¡± The low, whispering voice jolted my mind. Someone¡¯s hand patted my body as if to soothe me. The excruciating pain and loneliness gradually retreated from my body. ¡°¡­¡­What happened to you, Lilius? When you wake up, would you be willing to tell me?¡± The stiffness in my body was clearing away. As warmth enveloped my body, I noticed that someone was hugging me. From the chest I was pressed to, like a lullaby, I could hear the sound of the person¡¯s heartbeat. I wanted to answer the owner of the voice who asked me that question. Yet, I was unable to. My eyelids were unbearably heavy. Just who was it that gave me this gentle warmth, I wanted to see with my own eyes. Saddened as that hand left me, I reached out, even knowing that I wouldn¡¯t be able to grasp it¡ª ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó My consciousness hazily rose to the surface. My head ached horribly. On top of that, my stomach felt uncomfortable as if it was laden with lead. My body, wrapped in soft bedding, sometimes felt flashes of pain, but it wasn¡¯t something I couldn¡¯t handle. On my chilled body, the only exception was my right hand, which was exceptionally warm. When I looked in that direction, I thought I was still in a dream. ¡°Knight Commander Moorwright¡­¡­¡± Grasping my right hand tightly, he was sleeping on the same bed. His gentle breathing occasionally tickled my skin. It was the first time I saw him up close like this. Beautiful people, even if they were asleep, their beauty still wasn¡¯t obscured, huh? With his sharp, narrow eyes closed, his usual sharpness was absent. In some respects, he seemed innocent and cute. A high, completely straight nose bridge, and thin, slightly open lips. They were like Andrea¡¯s. Gently, I touched the flattened ears. The twitching reaction I received amused me, and a clumsy laugh spilled out. Like that, I combed the soft-looking hair. Perhaps it felt good, as his throat rumbled with a purr. Pleased, I patted the silver-snow hair, which was even silkier than I had thought it would be. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Doing this while still in a sleepy daze, gradually my consciousness came awake. Then, I became troubled by my own actions. When I realised that this was reality and not a dream, the man in front of me opened his eyes. Those pretty, golden eyes seemed to melt sweetly, though I must have mistook it. ¡°S-sorry for touching you. I¡¯d thought it was a dream.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve touched for a long time. Next, is it going to be like Cyril, biting my ears?¡± ¡°¡ªEh, no, ah.¡± ¡°Actually, just a bit before you woke up, I was already awake.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then you should have brushed off my hand or something! A-are you and idiot?! Letting a guy you¡¯re suspicious of touch your head, do you not have any sense of danger?!¡± ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s exactly what I wanted to say to you too.¡± Knight Commander Moorwright showed a bitter smile, and then patted my head. ¡°How does your body feel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the worst.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with you, so don¡¯t apologise.¡± Although this guy was the starting point, it didn¡¯t mean that he was accountable for everything. In the first place my stupid older sister was the root cause, and I was only arbitrarily holding guilt about it. Although there were horrible experiences, the people here had treated me with at least minimum courtesy and served me as a guest without complaints. The only person I should have a grudge against, was the person who had stealthily moved behind the scenes.