Chapter 4

“Seriously, make some noise!” I shouted indignantly.

“Anyone who sees that will think that you have seen a ghost.”

Siegfried, who gave a crooked reply, approached quickly.

No, can you walk around already?

I’d heard that he was the strongest among humans, but what on earth was that monstrous resilience?

Meanwhile, Siegfried reached out and pulled out the towels, and glanced down at the basket next to me.

“Should I put it in there?”

“Yes! Thank you!”

I quickly answered him.

At the same time, Siegfried squinted his eyes.

“But what is that basket for?”

“I found it and now I’m trying to use it. I’m going to move things with this.”

Look, I’m such a reliable person.

I glanced confidently at Siegfried.

Siegfried alternated between me and the basket with mysterious eyes.

“This…. you’re going to carry it?”

“Yes, I’ll drag that over the floor!”

I clenched my fists.

Siegfried who was looking at me with an indescribable expression, sighed and picked up the basket.

“Huh? I’m on my way!”

“That’s enough. I don’t think it will be easy for you to move that basket with your gait even after 10 years.”

Siegfried, who declared so, moved ahead of me.

“Geez.”

If you’re going to help me, can’t you help me nicely?

I puffed out both cheeks and followed with quick steps.

“You’re a patient. Can you really do something like this?”

“I’m not sick enough to be pampered by a child like you.”

Heh, bluffing. If I hadn’t taken away the magic from you, you would have been dead long ago.

As I thought so, I pouted my lips so that Siegfried couldn’t see it….at least I thought he couldn’t.

“Why do you look like that?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Oh, I got caught.

I hurriedly changed my expression and gave a bashful eye smile.

“Nothing at all!”

“But why are you avoiding my eyes?”

“Me, when did I avoid your eyes?”

Just when Siegfried looked at me suspiciously.

“Where have you been?”

Someone called Siegfried in a crooked voice.

He was a pretty young man, with long blazing red hair that hung down in a ponytail.

The slanted posture gave off a strangely touching feeling, and that feeling itself was very attractive.

So, that person…..

“Kirios.”

That’s right! The Archmage is finally awake!

I got big, surprised eyes.

At the same time, Kirios narrowed his dark green eyes slightly.

“What’s that basket? What’s that little kid that’s wearing things like goldfish poop next to you?”

What? Goldfish poop?

Hey, you’re talking to the benefactor who saved your life, you know?

……There was no way that I had the courage to raise my voice.

Let’s put up with it, for the sake of my comfortable life.

I pushed the tip of my twitching lips up as far as I could.

“Hello, I’m Tati!”

I smiled as wide as I could, but Kirios cold expression didn’t budge.

“I brought medicine and bandages!”

“………”

“If you hurt somewhere, I’ll put medicine on you!”

“………”

Well, am I talking to a wall?

I felt a cold sweat running down my back.

Siegfried interrupted the conversation.

“I understand that you’re nervous about various things, but it’s true that she treated us anyway.”

“……..”

Kirios looked down at me with a dour expression and turned away.

“Who doesn’t know that? After giving me some treatment, you….”

“Kirios.”

“How in the world do you trust in a kid that you met in the demon castle? What if that kid has ulterior motives?”

Kirios, who fired fiercely, strode ahead.

I stumbled.

‘Did I get caught?’

You can’t, this is a big setback to my plan to foster a guardian……!

But then.

Siegfried opened his mouth as if to comfort.

“Never mind his words. He’s a guy whose judgment is a bit behind.”

Eh?…………Somehow, Siegfried’s expression looked a bit sorry. Was it a delusion?

In any case, maintaining a close relationship with my precious guardian candidate was an urgent priority.

I answered as brightly as I could.

“It’s okay, there are a lot of people who don’t like me anyway!”

Actually, this kind of territorial attitude is child’s play.

If you want to survive as a mixed race among demons, you have to learn to pass that kind of abuse lightly!

……. But why is Siegfried making such a face?

Why are his golden pupils shaking violently, as if there was an earthquake?

Moreover, I felt another gaze on me, so I turned around, and before I knew it, Kirios was also looking at me secretly.

‘Oh, we made eye contact!’

I hesitated a little bit without realizing.

No, let’s not be afraid.

The job I’m best at is to survive among people who hate me, right? 

After having made up my mind like that, I smiled brightly at Kirios.

“……….”

Kirios seemed to stiffen his shoulders, then quickly turned his head away.

What was that?

Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?

At the same time, Siegfried scolded Kirios in a hoarse voice.

“Why don’t you just say sorry if you’re sorry?”

“Who, who said I’m sorry?”

After Kirios replied like that, he stomped and disappeared into the distance.

Siegfried let out a long sigh.

“I apologize in his stead. That guy probably will never grow up for the rest of his life.”

“Who told you to gossip about me behind my back?”

Kirios raised his voice as if he had heard our conversation.

Oh, he has sharp ears.

But I didn’t blink an eye at his jagged tone, since I’d been trained by countless demons.

“It’s fine. I’m used to hearing that sort of thing. I understand everything.” 

“………..”

“…………”

Then both Siegfried and Kirios looked down at me with strangely complex faces.

Did I make a slip of the tongue? What’s wrong with everyone’s reaction? 

***

As I returned to the central hall, I saw Cesar sleeping soundly.

‘Come to think of it, Cesar was the one who suffered the most in this battle.’

In the first place, since divine power and demonic energy were opposite forces, the burden on his body must have been the greatest.

Perhaps that was why the other two heroes had already woken up, while Cesar hadn’t come to his senses yet.

I walked up to Cesar.

I could feel Kirios and Siegfried’s gazes persistently following me.

‘No, it’s not like I’m planning to eat Cesar!’

While growling inwardly, my mouth became a little bitter.

Well, it’s not like I couldn’t understand why they doubted me.

The feud between humans and demons had been going on for a very long time, and it hadn’t been long since they even risked their lives.

How could you trust me, a half-human, half-demon?

“Give me the basket, please.”

I tugged at the hem of Siegfried’s clothes.

“I was going to put down the basket, even if you hadn’t pulled on me like that.”

Siegfried, who gave me a nagging, put the basket down on the floor.

Then he added quietly, “I can be in charge of Cesar’s treatment.”

“No, I can do it, too.”

Shaking my head, I took medicine and bandages out of the basket.

I’m struggling like this to get points from you.

So, take a good look at me, okay?

I glanced down at Cesar’s wounded arm.

‘The wound still hasn’t fully healed…..’

Even though I removed the demonic energy, the wound that was eroded could not be cured by divine power in the first place.

I used medicines to help him recover, but basically he had to rely on his natural healing power.

‘Let’s disinfect the wound first and change the bandage.’

I picked up the vial resolutely.

However–

“Ugh!”

Disinfectant spilled over the wound!

Kirios, who was watching the situation, grumbled bitterly.

“I think it’s going to be very painful…..”

I– I know?!

The pain of the wound must have been considerable, because deep wrinkles formed on Cesar’s forehead who was sleeping.

I got teary and quickly wiped off the overflowing disinfectant.

But the difficulties continued.

The bandage that needed to be tightly wrapped kept coming loose!

Kirios, who couldn’t bear to keep watching, stepped up.

“Hey, kid. I’ll wrap up the bandage for him, and you get out of the way….”

But then.

“Uh?”

I opened my eyes wide.

Cesar’s silver eyelashes trembled, and then his eyelids slowly opened.

The blurry gray eyes were out of focus.

“Is this…..?”

A deep, hoarse voice – characteristic of a person who had been asleep for a long time – came out.

The two heroes immediately rushed at Cesar.

“Hey, Cesar! Did you come to your senses?!”

“How is your body, are you all right?!”

Meanwhile, I was restlessly looking at Cesar’s countenance.

‘Wow, what should I do? The high priest is awake…..!’

I knew he’d wake up one day, but my heart wasn’t ready yet!

There was a reason why I was so nervous.

That’s right, it was clearly stated in the original.

‘Cesar, the high priest who was loved by the god of light, hated the demons the most among the three heroes.’

…….I mean.

If by any chance, Cesar didn’t like me…..

Just in time, gentle gray eyes turned my way.

‘Our eyes met!’

I became reflexively nervous.

At the same time, Cesar tilted his head, then muttered in a clear voice.

“…….Angel?”

Pardon?