CH 20

─Rodokiaus side─

Kou’s title became apprentice magician.

I told him that he didn’t have to go to the tower, but Kou said that he wanted to go.

The magicians seemed upset at knowing that Kou might not choose to be a magician, but they became happy at finding out that Kou was going to be a magician.

While learning magic in the tower, he’s away from me.

I want him to stay by my side all the time, but I can’t just get out of work.

So I reluctantly return to the barracks.

Kou seemed to be learning magic at a tremendous speed.

If this goes on, he’s likely to start working as a magician sooner.

…but Kou hasn’t humanized yet.

Giving work to a person who hasn’t humanized, no matter how powerful they are, wouldn’t be possible.

──even Kou didn’t know if he could humanize or not.

I decided that we’d eat together as much as possible.

Every day, I’d pick him up, eat at the barrack’s cafeteria, then send him to the tower.

I want to be with Kou even a little, so it didn’t bother me at all.

Kou was initially reluctant, but when I told him it’s what I want, he stopped saying anything.

“Ryodo, togwether.”

Kou, who happily said that, was incredibly cute.

That’s why I’d go back and forth between the barracks and the tower while holding Kou every day.

At first, many eyes would gather, but since it happened every day, everyone probably got used to it after a few days.

The attention was somewhat diminished, to the extent that they’d just smile.

It seems like it wouldn’t completely disappear since I’m an Akinist, and Kou is my mate. Moreover, Kou looked like a human being from an unknown race.

Kou talked about things at the tower after the meal.

What kind of magic he’s currently learning, what kind of magic he’d done…

To be honest, I’m not familiar with magic, so I don’t really understand the difficulty of magic that Kou is learning.

Kou, who speaks while gesturing, was lovely and I just want to look at him forever.

Even if I’m attacked by magic, many things can be nullified by the racial characteristic of an Akinist.

That’s why I didn’t learn any magic.

What’s required from an Akinist is their power rather than magic.

That’s why I never thought about using my power for magic or other things.

I don’t even remember the magic that’s normally used because “I don’t need it”.

That’s why cleaning is left to other people.

Usually, many people clean with purification magic.

“Today, Kou, ki, kuryukuryu, came out.”

Ki?

Kurukuru? (something spinning round and round)

…

“Do you mean a vine?” (tsuru)

(T/N: Okay, Kou mean to say “tsuru”, which is vine, but mispronounced it very badly, so it became “kuryu”.)

“Vuwine.”

A vine emerged from his palm.

Mainly, it’s magic that’s often used to restrain someone.

“Bwig came out.” (A big one came out.)

However, Kou seemed to have made a big one.

“I see. Amazing.”

When I smiled at him, a smile came back to me.

Kou doesn’t seem to like or hate being patted on the head, but he’d sometimes shake off my hand.

Because he often says that he’s an “adult”, it seems like Kou didn’t want to be treated as a child.

But from his appearance, anyone would treat Kou as a child.

Would he bear a grudge?

However, he doesn’t hate being praised.

“Kou, Ryodo, a lot, togwether.” (Kou and Rodo will be together a lot.)

“…?”

I’m a soldier and Kou will be a magician in the future.

It’s not that we won’t work together, but they’re usually separate.

Even when working together, soldiers are usually on the front line while magicians are logistical support.

There’s not much recognition that we’d work together.

If we get injured, we’d see a healer instead of a magician. Moreover, all magicians would do physical strengthening for everyone.

Not one-on-one.

“Together?”

“Togwether.”

I asked but he affirmed it.

“Kou, magician. Rodo, soldier. Together, impossible.” (Kou is a magician. I’m a soldier. Together is impossible.)

I don’t know why he made that mistake but I decided to tell him how it works.

Kou is not yet working as a magician since he’s still learning magic.

So it’s not strange that he didn’t know how it works.

The magicians probably hadn’t told Kou, who can’t work yet, that kind of thing.

But──

“Kou, Ryodo, togwether. Kou, majichan. Ryodo, your majichan.” (Kou and Rodo will be together. Kou will become a magician, Rodo’s magician.)

Kou shook his head and opened his mouth again.

I’m not surprised at his words.

“Rodo’s magician? …my exclusive magician!?”

When I asked again, those words were returned.

Kou will be my exclusive magician!?

I haven’t heard such a thing.

…no, I’m happy, but isn’t Kou just thinking for my sake?

Only His Majesty can have an exclusive magician.

“What did the other magicians say?”

Since he has potential, the one teaching magic to Kou should be an exceptional magician.

The greatest magician in the Tower of Trik should be Rudikda Rickmoore.

Kou just calls him “Ruu”.

He can’t even say my name properly, so he couldn’t help but call out nicknames to other people.

At first, some people seemed dissatisfied, but no one complained because he couldn’t speak fluently.

“Ruu, good, shaid. Kou, Ryodo, togwether, can… Kou, gwo, mare, togwether.” (Ruu said it’s okay. I can be together with Rodo…since that’s what I want.)

Ba-dump…his distorted expression hurt my chest.

He didn’t know when he’ll leave, but he wanted to stay with me until then.

I haven’t told anyone yet that Kou came from another world.

Maybe I just don’t want to believe it.

──there’s the possibility that Kou will disappear.

Do you even want to be on my side?

But…your feelings of wanting to go home seemed to be stronger.

I had seen Kou sadly look far away many times before.

How much sadness and loneliness does he carry in that little body?

He never said he’s “lonely” until now.

He also didn’t say “I want to go home”.

How long have you put up with it?

Are you not saying it just for my sake?

Are you enduring and trying not to cry?

I haven’t cried for a long time, but I’m about to cry.

“Ryodo, hwome?” (Rodo, let’s go home?)

“Yes. Home.”

After becoming Kou’s guardian, I stopped working after dinner.

I never went home before since I just trained.

Now it’s important to spend time teaching Kou.

Kou had to go to the tower to learn magic, so he had less time to learn the language.

That means that he spends less time with me.

So this was the only time I could be with him for a long time.

I’ll be with Kou from now until morning.

At first, Kou wanted to take a bath alone.

He was mature since the first day, but he shook his head the next day.

Even so, I persuaded him many times, until he sighed and agreed, so we’re taking a bath together.

It’s the same with the sleeping arrangements.

…well, because there’s only one bed, Kou only made a disgruntled face once but didn’t say anything after that.

There are some empty rooms, but they’re left vacant.

I don’t need it because I don’t intend to have any guests in this house.

Even my parents never visited me.

If three Akinists get together, even if they’re humanized, their aura would multiply and the people around them would be intimidated.

I’m not that strong in my childhood, but when I grew up and humanized, I had an adult’s aura.

That’s why I came to live here as soon as I was able to humanize.

By the way, my parents are quite wealthy as Akinists, and this house was also gifted to me for becoming an adult.

Since Akinists have great power, the country gives a high salary.

And because both of them were in charge of the nation’s soldiers, it’s not strange to be wealthy.

I’m even given a salary that I wouldn’t be able to use up.

Those two are in a higher position than me in terms of their contribution to the country so they’re probably getting more than me.

What I meant to say is that it’s okay to be treated like the Captain of the Third Corps…

I don’t have to know what’s going on in detail.

I’m not interested in things I’m not interested in.

So I picked up Kou and left the cafeteria.

He often wanted to walk, but he didn’t look that dissatisfied when I lift him.

He even happily sings what seems to be a song.

I still don’t understand Kou’s native language.

I can’t even hear Kou’s name.

Even if I happen to hear it and say it, the pronunciation seems to be different.

To Kou, it might be similar to how Kou lisps his words.

As I was walking towards my house, a strong wind suddenly blew.

“Ah…!”

I heard someone’s voice.

Something might have been blown away by that gust of wind.

“Whind.”

When I was walking without worrying about it, I heard Kou’s voice on my shoulder.

He manipulated the wind and picked it up.

Looking at it, it looks like a cloth.

This light brown cloth is often used to wrap children.

When humanized adults carry children still in their beast forms, the small ones would be wrapped in cloth and moved in a basket.

This cloth should be used at those times.

“Hwere.”

It seems like he’s giving it to the person who lost it…but they wouldn’t approach to get it.

Kou, who’s tilting his head, didn’t seem to understand.

The reason they can’t get close was that I’m here.

“Ryodo, drop.”

Kou asked me to bring him down, perhaps because he’s impatient that they wouldn’t get it.

I lowered him to the ground and he ran towards that person.

A woman with a basket entered my view as he chased her back.

There might be a child in the basket.

“Hwere.”

Kou presented the cloth again.

“Ah, thank you very much.”

The woman was quite scared, probably because I’m there.

She received the cloth with a deep blue face.

“Chuwild?”

Kou looked into the basket.

Did he become interested because he never saw a child nearby?

Children don’t get close to me, so Kou would never see one nearby.

“Y-yes. He’s five years old.”

When the woman removed the cloth, the beast-like creature woke up.

Apparently, it seems to be a race called “Torjiu” that’s common among the people.

It doesn’t seem to be a race that Kou would be afraid of.

“…cuwute. Ishn’t it cuwute? Get used, doing, good?” (...cute. Isn’t it cute? Can it pet it?)

You can see him getting excited.

…seems like he favors this race.

Contrary to me, who’s dominated by a gloomy black, Kou is happily stroking her child.

“Cuwute, hey. ****, ***. ******.”

Perhaps because he was so excited, he spoke in his language.

Kou seems to be trying to use the language used in Marihect as much as possible but when he’s excited, scared, or overly emotional, he’d use his original language.

Even when he’s stroking me in my beast form, he often speaks in that language.

That’s why when I saw Kou speaking in that language and at something that had nothing to do with me, that gloomy feeling accumulated.

…I never thought I had such a strong desire for monopoly.

Unlike the eyes she used to look at me, the woman’s eyes are smiling when looking at Kou.

She wouldn’t repel a person who stroked her child with such a gentle hand and called it “cute”.

The petted child was also squinting comfortably.

I realized that my expression was gradually disappearing.

In my current state of mind, I can’t smile.

“Gwoodbye.”

Perhaps finally satisfied, he waved at the woman and approached me.

I picked him up as soon as he arrived.

My desire for monopoly seemed to be getting worse and worse.

“Ryodo.”

“What’s up?”

He called out to me.

Will he point out my stiff expression?

“Akinicht chuwild. Bwig? Shmall?” (How big is an Akinist child?)

“…I don’t know.”

It seems like he wanted to know the size of a young Akinist, but I have never seen an Akinist’s child, so I don’t know how big it is.

I didn’t care and I wasn’t interested.

If someone should know, it’d probably be my parents.

Since they gave birth to me, they probably remember how big I was.

…but those two aren’t conscious of things that didn’t interest them, just like me.

Would they even remember?

“Rodo, parents, meet, go?” (Would you like to meet my parents?)

“Ryodo, parents?”

When I turned, his face was asking “why?” and I remembered that I hadn’t told him that Akinists are from a rare race.

…but how should I tell him?

“Akinist. Parent, parent, Rodo. Three people. Akinist, Marihect, different country, none.” (There are only three Akinists, me and my parents. There are only Akinists in Marihect, none in other countries.)

Kou stayed in that position for a good long while.

But he probably understood it right away.

When he looked up, his big eyes became even bigger.

“Akinicht, Ryodo, parent, parent? Sho shmall!?” (Rodo and your parents are the only Akinists? Why so little?)

He was surprised at knowing that in this world, there are only three Akinists.

“…Kou, Ryodo, chuwild, wove…Akinicht?” (…if Kou and Rodo have a child…will they be Akinist?)

“…half?” (...only half though.)

Normally, different races give birth to children who inherit half of their characteristics.

However, Kou is from an unknown race.

Even so, Kou isn’t an Akinist, so it should be a halfling.

“Hiyaf…” (So, it’s a half.)

He pondered over something.

What on earth are you thinking about?

After that, Kou, who was thinking without saying anything, didn’t say a word until we got home.