Chapter 32
As if he himself had been hurt, Areph wore a deeply pained expression.
Seeing that, Ardores spoke to him.
“Why do you want to learn the sword?”
“To become a knight.”
“Why?”
“I have to protect the young lady. That’s my duty.”
“That’s something Nini said on her own. You don’t have to protect her. Areph, you can just live however you want.”
“No!”
Areph shouted.
For the first time, the usually quiet child raised his voice in agitation.
Instead of being surprised, Ardores continued listening.
“The young lady is younger than me, smaller than me, but she protects me! So I have to protect the leader! Because I’m her subordinate!”
“There are plenty of people who can protect Nini even without you.”
“S-still!”
Tears welled up in Areph’s red eyes.
Whatever frustration or injustice he felt, he sniffled and stubbornly insisted that he had to protect her.
He desperately tried to uphold the duty he believed had been given to him.
“I have to protect her! I must protect her!”
“Areph.”
“That’s why I’ll become strong! It has to be me who protects the young lady. No other beasts—!”
“Areph!”
Large hands firmly gripped Areph’s shoulders.
He gasped.
Only then did he realize he had been shouting without even breathing. He inhaled sharply and began coughing for a while.
Ardores patted his back.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…”
Areph answered, still coughing lightly.
“I’m sorry. I tested you for a moment.”
“A-a test…?”
“To see how much you truly value Nini.”
“The young lady is more important than me!”
Areph answered confidently.
Though his wording was awkward, what he meant was that she was more important than his own life.
But Ardores shook his head.
As if to say that was wrong.
“The one you must value most… is yourself.”
“Why? I’m just a trashy orphan.”
“That’s because Nini likes you. Very much. Truly, very much.”
“….”
Areph’s soft cheeks flushed red.
He already knew Nivellia liked him, but hearing it confirmed by someone else made him feel like he could float.
“Hehe…”
His wide smile was pure and innocent.
Watching him fondly, Ardores spoke again.
“So you must cherish yourself. And you must never call yourself a trashy orphan like that again.”
“But everyone says that…”
“Who?”
Ardores asked sternly.
“In this Deiamor estate, who would dare say such a thing to you?”
“Uh… no one.”
Areph answered quickly.
Since coming to the Deiamor estate, he had never once been called an “orphan.” No one insulted him.
Instead—
“Young master Areph.”
They called him by a respectful title and his name, in gentle voices.
They kindly taught him things he didn’t know.
When he did well, they praised him generously. When he made mistakes, they comforted him and told him it was okay.
In the mornings, they greeted him and asked if he slept well.
At night, they wished him good rest.
“…I like it here.”
Areph liked the Deiamor estate.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he wiped away his tears roughly with the back of his hand.
And he quietly resolved never again to call himself an orphan or trash.
In truth, calling himself that had always made him very sad.
“We all care for you very much.”
Ardores smiled warmly.
* * *
Summer had fully arrived.
“It’s hot.”
Nivellia summed up summer in one sentence.
“It’s really hot.”
Even the slightest movement caused sweat to form on her skin.
On top of that, a child’s naturally high body temperature made the heat feel worse.
“It’s hot, isn’t it? That’s why you must wear your hat so your face doesn’t burn.”
“Deter, get rid of the sun.”
Nivellia said weakly, clearly affected by the heat.
“Even I can’t do that. Not even the Tower Master could.”
“The Tower Master isn’t that good anyway. He’s lacking.”
“You’re probably the only one who treats the great Tower Master like a neighborhood dog.”
After carefully dressing her to keep her cool while protecting her delicate skin from the sun, Deter brought out one final item.
“Now, once you wear this handkerchief around your neck, we’re done.”
It was a magical handkerchief that stayed cool for eight hours.
A magical item personally made by the great Tower Master—and personally taken by Ardores.
A stolen item filled with a grandfather’s love.
As soon as she put it on, Nivellia’s face brightened.
“It’s cool!”
“It’s a magical item made by the Tower Master. It’ll keep you cool for eight hours, so you’ll be fine while you’re out.”
“The Tower Master is useful after all!”
“He’s far more amazing than you think.”
After finishing preparations, Nivellia left with Deter.
Today, they were visiting the former flower farm—now the planned site for a pharmaceutical company—where they would meet the witches.
“Are grandma and grandpa coming too?”
“They left earlier. They said they knew them from the war and wanted to talk first.”
“Grandma is close with witches.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“Nini saw it a long time ago!”
Inside the carriage, Nivellia sat between Areph and Soles.
“Huh? We’re wearing the same thing!”
She noticed that both of them had the same handkerchief around their necks.
“The Tower Master made this.”
“Yeah, it’s really cool. Nini, you feel cool too, right?”
Soles asked, removing her hat.
Areph carefully observed everything Soles did, planning to do the same for Nivellia later.
With her hat off, Nivellia said,
“I should praise the Tower Master.”
“Hahaha! You mean it’s cool? Looks like you like it.”
Soles easily understood her meaning.
“If I meet the Tower Master, I want to thank him,”
Areph said, touching his cool neck.
“Areph, you’re a child who knows how to express gratitude.”
“Even adults find that difficult.”
Kaleo and Selethina praised him, and Areph blushed shyly.
Seeing that, Nivellia raised her hand.
“Me too! Nini will say thank you too!”
“Really?”
Kaleo smiled proudly.
“I’m not that thankful, but I’ll still say it. Because I’m the leader.”
“You should say it sincerely. Thanks to him, you’re cool, aren’t you?”
The carriage left the capital and headed toward the forest outskirts.
Azel’s nightmare—the cottage-like structure—was gone.
The building had been completely demolished, and the land had been leveled.
In its place stood several tents of various sizes.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Nivellia tried to run toward them.
But Areph quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.
“Oh.”
Soles, who had been about to stop her, quietly admired him. Areph had begun to anticipate Nivellia’s actions.
“My lady, you might get hurt if you run.”
“I won’t!”
“You could. The kindergarten said you shouldn’t run recklessly in unfamiliar places. You have to stay with an adult.”
“Areph became a nag…”
Even so, Nivellia stayed beside him.
Areph secretly felt relieved.
He had worried she might shake him off and run, but she obediently listened.
Though she did pout a little.
Meanwhile, Soles put her hat back on.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
At that moment, Muniel and Ardores emerged from the largest tent.
They were dressed much more roughly than usual.
Muniel wore a work dress that looked decades old with a worn cloak, while Ardores wore a patched top and worn trousers.
“Grandma! Grandpa!”
Nivellia jumped excitedly in greeting.
Areph’s arm, still being held by her, flailed wildly like a reed in a storm.
At her catnip-like excitement, Muniel and Ardores burst into laughter.
“Let’s greet the Great Witch. She’s been wanting to see you.”
“The Great Witch?”
Soles murmured, and Muniel explained:
“The leader of the witches. A great being who communicates with the earth.”
As soon as they entered the tent, a strong scent of grass filled the air.
It came from dried flowers and medicinal herbs arranged inside.
Baskets and mysterious boxes lined the tent like walls.
As Nivellia struggled to take off her hat again, Areph helped her.
Once it was off, she said,
“I learned this at kindergarten. You shouldn’t wear a hat indoors!”
“What a polite child.”
A voice like aged wood spoke.
There were only two people inside.
One was Azel, who smiled warmly at the children.
The other was a very small elderly woman.
She was the one with the strong, grounded voice.
“This is the Great Witch, the leader of our witches,”
Azel introduced her.
“And I can’t tell you her name. That’s our rule.”
“The Great Witch is the only one who can communicate with the earth. Just knowing her name—”
Muniel began to explain further, but the Great Witch interrupted.
“You two make it sound too grand. Even praise should have its limits.”
Despite her deeply wrinkled face, her eyes shone brilliantly.
They were warm and bright, like sunlight filtering through the leaves of a lush forest.
