CH 86

─ Rodo’s side─

I picked up Ko, who has no strength in his lower body and headed for the cafeteria.

Normally, I wouldn’t come to the barracks with Ko in this state.

I’d just buy food from somewhere and eat it at home.

However, now that we’re on a support mission, monsters frequently appear, so no one opened their stores.

The people of Omileo didn’t look completely evacuated, but no one would remain for commercial purposes.

It looks like all the people who live on the other side of the barracks have been evacuated.

In other words, they don’t think it’s necessary to hurry and evacuate everyone since they have us, the Third Corps, here on a support mission.

In fact, it looks like we’ll go back sooner than a month.

When we entered the cafeteria, the other members openly gazed at us.

I could see their gazes directed at Ko.

I also looked at Ko, who was looking at me, then turned my face away.

Everyone is doing the same thing over and over again.

There’s also Renneiga, whom we’re already familiar with.

“Did you do something to Ko? I’ll listen, so talk to me.”

No one would feel good when someone is looking at their beloved partner.

──Especially when it’s from someone who has a strong possessiveness like me.

My line of sight involuntarily became sharp.

“… Ko is Captain’s mate…what did you do? Did Ko agree? …yesterday, I thought the sweet scent that filled the barracks last night was Ko’s scent, but to be honest, I thought it’s my [mate’s scent].”

Those unexpected words made me angry.

(Ko’s smell, his smell as a mate, was smelled by these guys …?)

There can’t be such a thing!

“Ko is my mate and my partner! If someone takes him from me, I’ll kill them!!”

I held Ko firmly with one hand and pulled out my sword with the other.

Ko is not pressured by an Akinist, so it doesn’t matter even if I turn into a beast.

……these guys will die completely though.

It doesn’t matter who came, I don’t want to be robbed.

Whether it’s someone from the same Corps, my parents, or His Majesty…

“Rodo, it’s okay. Kou, Rodo, like. Ko, Rodo, partner. ……Rodo, if not, marry, won’t do.” (Rodo, it’s okay. I like Rodo. I’m Rodo’s partner. …if not Rodo, I wouldn’t marry.)

However, Ko’s words diminished my anger and impatience.

“Ko, I like, only Rodo. Other people, like, won’t.” (I only like Rodo. I won’t like other people.)

I hugged Ko who’s looking up from my arms.

Of course, the sword was also sheathed.

The others sat down, probably because my killing intent has ceased.

As long as they’re not my enemies, I won’t kill them, so I won’t put them in mind.

……unless Ko was taken away from me.

“Rodo, Ko, mate. …..anyone, won’t give.” (Rodo is my mate. I won’t give you to anyone.)

“Ko…”

In this way, the fact that Ko showed a desire for monopoly is something I’ve rarely seen before.

“…but, Ko doesn’t recognize the smell of a mate? If so, there’s a possibility that other people can be his mate. I mean–“

Perhaps unconvinced, Renneiga uttered entreating words.

Certainly, Ko said he didn’t know the smell of his mate.

So he didn’t understand the behavior between mates.

It’s hard to part with them, but very few people chose to die because of that.

Even if I die first, Ko doesn’t necessarily dare to follow.

“Yes. ……so? Rodo, Ko like, I say. Ko, Rodo, I like. Important thing, that ” (Yes. So what? Rodo said he likes me. I also like Rodo. The important thing is that.)

But Ko said he wanted to be with me regardless of being mates.

Before, I was asked if I’ll like him even if he wasn’t my mate, but as he said, it’s okay as long as we thought about each other.

“Ren, I like. But, not love. Other people too, same. Kou, loves, only Rodo.” (I like Ren. But I don’t love you. The same is true for other people. Ko only loves Rodo.)

Ko looked up at me and smiled cutely.

I’m the only one that Ko, who attracts everyone, loves… I’ve never been so happy.

“Everyone, misunderstood, okay. Because, Kou, only Rodo, accept. Others, embrace, then, dead, better.” (Everyone misunderstood. Because, Ko can only accept Rodo. If I’m embraced by another person, then being dead is better.)

Those words are very decisive.

No matter who opposed, Ko is my partner.

Ko loves me, even if I’m not his mate.

He told me that he wouldn’t love anyone but me.

“How much, even if told, Kou, only Rodo, can love. …also, everyone, Kou, doesn’t love. …that, love, different.” (No matter what you say, Ko can only love Rod. …and not everyone loves Ko. ……that love is different.)

It’s probably because he didn’t understand the smell of his mate.

He’s saying that he doesn’t need the feeling of being confused by the smell.

Ko asked me many times what I liked about him.

And I’ve never said, “your smell as my mate.”

I can’t stop since there are too many things I like about Ko.

There were times when I continued endlessly until Kou stopped me by saying, “it’s okay”.

“Smell, I did, last night? Now, not?” (Did you smell me last night? Can you smell me now?)

I realized what Ko was saying, but no one else would come close to smell him.

“…slightly.”

“Is it? Ko’s smell hasn’t disappeared.”

So the scent that I can smell so strongly could only be slightly smelled by others.

Before humanizing, Ko’s smell as a mate was certainly faint, but now, he has a sweet scent that’s peculiar to a mate.

“Last night, Kou, Rodo, like, all the time, thinking. Everyone, that feeling, just hit, that’s it.” (Last night, I think it’s just from me loving Rodo for a long time. Everyone just got hit by that feeling.)

Ko’s calm words dissipated the heat from the surroundings.

I guess they felt that they couldn’t get Ko’s feelings.

“…barracks, don’t, better? Misunderstanding, be done, trouble.” (It’s better not to do it in the barracks, right? It’s troublesome because they misunderstood.)

I couldn’t immediately nod to those words since his head was on my shoulder.

Does that mean I can’t embrace Ko during support missions?

So I can’t touch Ko for about a month?

If the support mission is prolonged, then even longer?

However, I don’t like someone calling themselves Ko’s mate.

“Go home?”

“Do you want to use movement magic? Will you be tired?”

“No problem.”

Previously, when he used movement magic from the Castle to our house, Kou didn’t look tired, but as expected, Ko’s power might be special.

Normally, when moving multiple items, a few magicians are needed to activate the magic.

That’s why there are multiple magicians around His Majesty.

“Ko, faint, even so, wake me up?” (If I faint, then wake me up?)

Those words and that smile are foul.

But I just love my partner too much.

“Ko, Rodo, marry, happy. …that’s why, obstacle, don’t okay?” (I’m happy being married to Rodo. ……So don’t get in the way, okay?)

Is Ko keeping them in check?

……how cute.

However, Ko is now said to be the strongest, even surpassing me.

Even my opponents, whom everyone said would be “killed”, would become “easy to kill” for him.

Ko is now the strongest in the whole country.

It seems like various things have been said about him because of that…and I’ve been trying to get their meeting reports about Ko.

If there’s a country that can offer the conditions that Ko wanted, it’s okay to move.

I don’t care where I live as long as I can stay with Ko.

……the problem this time was unexpected.

I wonder if there will be such a thing in the future.

I have to keep an eye out from now on.

Just thinking that Ko might be pushed down by someone while I was away caused blood to rise in my head.

Should I set up an escort?

……no, there’s no one whom I can trust with the escorting in the first place.

(Should I ask my parents who aren’t working?)

I don’t want them to come closer to Ko, but they’re better than the others.

Even though they’re old, they’re Akinists, so everyone wouldn’t think about it.

(That’s the best idea.)

They seem to like spoiling Ko, and it’s easy for them to take on the role of escorting Ko.

With an Akinist, useless people wouldn’t get together in the healing area.

Ko is also fond of those two.

(If so, I’ll send a letter right away)

If I write my name and Ko as the sender, they’ll give it priority over the others.

Ko will stop me, so it’s best to let my parents come first.

Then Ko wouldn’t send them back.

After learning that they’re old, Ko has been caring for those two.

……though they don’t need him for that.

─ Rodo’s side end ─

T/N: I found a new way of translating, hopefully, an easier method. I’m still working out the kinks so the grammar might be awkward in some parts. I can’t really tell these days since my grammar has been skewed from reading too many mtls.

Right, did I mention that when it’s from anyone’s perspective except Kou, they’d call him Ko so I used that here? But when Kou says his name, he’ll call himself Kou, so don’t get confused about the different spelling. In retrospect, I should have done this from the very beginning but oh well. I don’t think it’ll affect your reading much so I’ll leave the other chapters alone for now.