CH 190

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“……Ha?”

“That’s why it won’t get hard! It doesn’t react at all!”

“Sapphiras, you need to calm down.”

“I can’t stay calm! My body is still that of a child……maybe it will stay like this forever……Oh my god……”

I clutched my head and slumped down.

Being locked up during a crucial period of growth, not given proper food and constantly exposed to excessive stress, my body had stopped growing……If you think about it like that, it explains why I’m a scrawny lizard who never grows taller.

Damn it……that Earl……I’ll never forgive that man! No, he’s a former Earl now, isn’t he? I’d go to the remote area where the former Earl was sent off to and rip out all the hair from his head!

I felt anger welling up inside me, and at the same time, an indescribable sense of disappointment.

Even if I wasn’t as tall as Percival, I thought I would grow taller and have a decent body, so this is too much……! You took away my humble dream. And what’s worse…

Unable to contain the swirling emotions, my body trembled, and Percival stroked my back soothingly.

“Sapphiras is only 15. You have plenty of room to grow. There’s nothing to be worried about, right?”

But Percival is the same age as me, but he has a very impressive physique and has grown into a man. I couldn’t help but look at him with a resentful gaze.

Percival handed me a cup of tea.

“If you are really concerned, Sapphiras, let’s go see Dr. Davis. If there is a problem with your physical growth, he should be able to tell us what to do about it.”

By the time I slowly drank the hot tea and changed my clothes, my anger towards the former Earl had somehow calmed down. It’s too late now to resent the time I was held captive. Time can’t be turned back.

However, if I ever meet the former Earl again, I’ll definitely rip out the hairs on his head.

“If you don’t mind, why don’t we take a walk?”

Come to think of it, we’re going to take a walk around the lake today. It’d be a waste not to enjoy ourselves since we’ve come all the way to the lake. We might find something interesting.

I walked around the lake with Percival.

Percival, walking next to me, doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he is somewhat concerned about me. It’s true that I was a little unmannerly in my earlier outburst. I feel a little embarrassed. I’m reflecting, I’m reflecting.

“Sapphiras, it’s not good for your health to think too much.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not a doctor, so I’m sure it won’t be very convincing for me to say that.”

“That’s not true. I’m sorry I lost my cool earlier.”

I got a little angry at Percival. Even Percival would be troubled if I took out my anger on him like this.

“Sapphiras,”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

……Ha? Eh?

I stopped in my tracks and turned my gaze towards Percival, and his gentle gaze was looking down at me. Even though I’m insensitive, I could tell at some point. This was the gaze of someone who was looking at something precious. Percival cares about me. Like always, my face got hot all at once and I instinctively looked away.

Uwah……I’m embarrassed. Or rather, is that something I should be saying now?

No, this is probably Percival’s answer to my apology.

“……Me too……I-I love you.”

“Thank you.”

Percival smiled happily as he said this.

Without exchanging any more words, we started walking again. Percival took my hand, and I held it back. It was kind of embarrassing. I was glad we were in a deserted place.

Feeling uneasy, I looked around, and found a rare herb that could stop bleeding. Looking closely, I saw that it was growing everywhere.

“……Ah! Percival! There’s a herb that can stop bleeding over there!”

If it’s just a minor wound, you can apply an ointment made from that herb and the bleeding will stop immediately. White magicians aren’t everywhere, so it’s a must-have medicine for adventurers. I used it a lot when I was an adventurer.

“Let’s pick some up while we’re here!”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure Dr. Davis will be pleased.”

Actually, I don’t dislike collecting herbs. It’s simply fun when you can pick a lot.

I carefully picked the herbs, being careful not to pull out the roots. There is an unspoken rule in foraging. It is that you should not uproot anything that is growing. If you don’t pick them all roughly, but leave a few stalks, they will grow back soon and be useful to someone who needs them. That someone who needs them might be you. Some people just pick them all up without thinking about that.

While we were picking medicinal herbs together, that ticklish, restless feeling in the pit of my stomach went away completely.

It’s not that I don’t like the ticklish atmosphere. It’s just that I’m not used to it, so it makes me feel out of sorts, and I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Will I ever get used to it?

The Knight of the Sun is always so dazzling, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.

“It’s almost sunset. Let’s go home, Sapphiras.”

While I was mindlessly picking medicinal herbs, Percival called out to me.

“Eh? Is it that time already?”

I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun had indeed passed its zenith. The breeze blowing from the lake was still gentle, but it was much cooler.

It felt more like foraging than a stroll.

We cleaned up after ourselves and headed home on Matteo.

“We got quite a harvest today.”

“Yes, we did!”

Trout and herbs. I spent the day just like a beginner adventurer.

I returned to the castle in a good mood, having forgotten all about my poor growth.

……Even if I say so myself, how simple I was.

***

“He may be a little underweight, but he is perfectly healthy.”

I was relieved to hear Dr. Davis’ words.

If he had said that there was something wrong with me, I would have gone immediately to see the former Earl.

I am currently undergoing a diagnosis by Dr. Davis in the presence of Percival.

It was a little embarrassing to talk about my physical condition, but I couldn’t turn my back on it. I told him honestly that I could not get an erection at all even at my age.

“However, being healthy and having a normal body development as a man are two different things.”

“Eh……”

My relief was short-lived. Dr. Davis spoke some ominous words.

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve lived a very harsh life as a child. I’m amazed that young Sapphiras survived in such an environment.”

Alright. Let’s go pluck the former Earl’s hair.

As I clenched my fists and tried to stand up, Percival patted me on the shoulder to calm me down. Well, I’ve never been to the remote area before, so I can’t say I’ll be able to get there right away with a transfer.

“But the fact that you were able to overcome that hardship means that your body was strong to begin with. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that your body will return to normal functioning in a few years. Above all, overthinking is the worst thing for both your mind and body. If you’d like, I’m always available to give you advice, so please try not to worry too much and stay healthy for now.”

Percival had said the same thing.

“……Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

I thanked him and left Dr. Davis’ treatment room.

The result was pretty much what I expected. As expected, my body is still that of a child. I had made up my mind that this was probably the case, so it wasn’t as shocking as it was yesterday. However, I just want to pluck out the former Earl’s hair right now.

“Sapphiras, it’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Is that a consolation? Or is it just Percival’s intuition?”

“It’s an intuition.”

I see. An intuition. Then I guess I can trust it.

Melon: Yay, I’ve caught up with the latest chapter!