Chapter 115
Chapter 115
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Playtime in the Empty Garden
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lianus glanced at his dear friend.
What might he be thinking as he gazed at the prince's garden, so utterly barren? He'd wanted to show only his cool, composed side, but things hadn't gone according to plan. He should have ordered the caretakers to maintain it long ago...
Meanwhile, Nihil—who had no particular interest in flowers to begin with—picked up a fallen plum blossom from the ground and gently placed it on Lianus's head.
"Rian, how about we make a bookmark out of these fallen petals?"
"A bookmark?"
"Yeah. We could frame it, too."
"Sounds good! Let's do it!"
Lianus's mood lifted instantly at Nihil's suggestion. He began eagerly gathering the petals—picking only the pretty ones that weren't frayed at the edges or discolored—until his hands were full.
I'll make it pretty and give it to Nil as a gift!
After that, they lost track of time playing. The games Nihil taught him were a bit unusual, but fun all the same.
"Nil, this is too hard... Ah, got it!"
Lianus had been glaring at the upright stones as if to pierce them with his eyes alone. When he finally knocked one over with a flat pebble, he jumped up and down in delight.
In contrast, Sir Evan—who'd hit his target stone but failed to topple any—glared at the back of Nihil's head. That bobcat punk must have rigged the game somehow.
Sir Evan was about to chew him out for blatantly cheating when he caught sight of their adorable, cute, precious baby kitten bouncing around in joy. He clamped his mouth shut.
Come to think of it, there was no way a lowly knight like him could beat their great baby kitten.
"I yield, Your Highness."
"Yay!"
Nihil placed a crude flower crown he'd woven from wildflowers on the head of the jubilant Lianus. It was rough around the edges, but Lianus just grinned from ear to ear, thrilled.
"Bobcat, why don't you give it a try?"
"If I did, it wouldn't be a game anymore."
"Pretty confident, huh?"
Nihil didn't reply. He quietly picked up a pebble and hurled it at one of the stones Evan hadn't managed to knock over.
Whoosh—thud!
A deafening crash echoed—far louder than any mere pebble toss should make. The stone, embedded deep in the dirt, sprayed soil as it whipped through the air before slamming into the ground. A small crater marked where it had stood.
"..."
Sir Evan gaped in disbelief before bellowing in outrage.
"Hey! Why'd you bury my stones so deep?!"
"You could've thrown harder."
"I didn't know they'd be planted like that!"
Nihil shrugged. The match was over anyway.
"Rian, let's play hide-and-seek."
"Sure! Sir Evan lost, so he's it, right?"
"...Yes."
"No using mana to sense presences."
"Got it. Now go hide."
Sir Evan sternly warned the two boys never to leave the garden before starting to count.
"...98... 99... 100! Ready or not, here I come!"
Sir Evan vowed to cheat right back. He'd pretend not to see their cute baby kitten even if he spotted him. After all, no one could fully behold the glory of their great baby kitten.
But he quickly reconsidered.
Sir Evan sighed at the word "Miss" scrawled messily on the ground. This was the second one. Not even a curl of their cute baby kitten's fluffy hair in sight—let alone that bobcat. The bobcat must have kidnapped the baby kitten.
"Damn that bobcat."
He scoured the garden for ages before spotting a third "Miss," this one fashioned from small pebbles. The care put into it suggested the kids had lingered there a while.
"Argh, seriously!"
Sir Evan ruffled his hair in frustration. He nearly kicked the pebble letters away in annoyance but hesitated—what if our cute baby kitten helped make them? He straightened the slightly crooked characters instead, then focused on the sounds around him.
A dry, slightly chilly breeze rustled through. He worried briefly if their baby kitten was cold when faint giggles drifted from somewhere.
The laughter was soft and quickly cut off, but Sir Evan didn't miss it. He wrapped a thin layer of aura around his feet and closed the distance in an instant.
There, crouched behind a flower bed, were the two little ones. The prince—who must have giggled—had his mouth covered by the bobcat holding him close.
Two huge pairs of eyes peered up at Sir Evan. The mismatched pair shimmered with wonder, round as saucers. The enigmatic pair gleamed serene.
"...Hic."
Sir Evan couldn't help smiling at the adorable creature hiccuping in surprise.
"Found you."
"Sir Evan, you scared me!"
"My apologies. I had to do something extreme just to catch you..."
It had indeed taken quite a while to find these two. Without the "Miss" hints and occasional traces, he might've thought they'd been kidnapped.
"Even so, wrapping yourself in aura?"
Nihil stood from his crouch, chiding Sir Evan.
"There was nothing saying I couldn't enhance my body with mana."
"Imagine the praise if word got out you used aura while playing hide-and-seek with kids."
"..."
Lianus burst into giggles, finding it hilarious. Sir Evan felt a twinge of embarrassment but decided to brazen it out.
"Who told you to hide so well?"
"Blame your own skills."
"..."
"Train harder."
Sir Evan deflated a bit. He'd never considered himself weak before, but lately, this bobcat was driving the point home.
"No, Sir Evan. Nil said your sensing range is wider than expected, making it hard to hide. We almost got caught several times, but he distracted you from elsewhere. If I hadn't laughed, we could've lasted longer..."
"Then why'd you suddenly laugh after hiding so well?"
"Uh, um?"
Lianus averted his eyes. In that instant, Sir Evan's gaze flicked to a corner of the ground.
Nihil hurriedly swept it with his sole, but a few letters lingered in Sir Evan's sight.
-Stupid Pup
"..."
A bit more scrubbing, and it might've passed for "stupid idiot." But it was clearly "stupid puppy" before Nihil erased it fully.
"You little... Er, so who's it next? Your Highness?"
Sir Evan nearly snapped at Nihil but changed tack. He wasn't about to admit the "puppy" bit himself.
He considered making the bobcat it next, but that would end the game in seconds.
"Uh... um..."
Lianus glanced at his friend, clearly thinking the same, then declared himself it and began counting.
"...55... 56... 57..."
As Lianus counted diligently, Sir Evan trailed after Nihil, curious how the boy would hide.
Nihil stopped not far away, scanning Sir Evan up and down before speaking indifferently.
"Think you can hide with that bulk?"
"..."
"I'm not hiding you."
"I'll manage."
"Doubt it."
The garden had few structures, and those were low to the ground. Fine for small kids like Nihil or Lianus, but no matter how Sir Evan crouched, they couldn't conceal his frame.
Trees might've worked if he climbed them, but early spring branches bore only sparse buds—useless for cover. A big guy like him might snap them anyway.
Sure enough, he was spotted soon after starting.
"Found Sir Evan!"
"Ugh..."
Sir Evan rose from his flattened prone position, brushing off the dirt. He'd hidden earnestly, traces of effort everywhere.
He'd utilized blind spots well enough, but his size was impossible to mask.
Sir Evan eyed a corner of the garden. The bobcat who'd been there moments ago had vanished again, using him as bait.
Lianus dashed about searching for Nihil—circling fountains, peeking into tree knots, flipping stones.
"Where'd Nil go? Did he fly up into the sky...?"
As Lianus muttered and looked up, his eyes met Nihil's, perched on a branch.
"Nil?!"
There'd been no one there before.
Nihil smiled, eyes crinkling, and gave a casual wave.
"Rian."
"Wh-when did you get up there?"
"I was behind that side and moved over."
"You really do fly, huh?"
"As if."
Nihil chuckled lightly and hopped down from the branch. The motion was so light and silent that Lianus wondered if his friend weighed nothing at all.
And the baby kitten couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Nngh... cha!"
"...?"
Lianus strained to lift Nihil with all his might. His feet barely left the ground—nothing like how Nihil scooped him up effortlessly.
His back arched precariously, on the verge of toppling. Both the cradled Nihil and watching Sir Evan held their breath.
"...Rian, I'm heavy. Maybe put me down?"
"Nuh-uh! Not heavy!"
"Don't lean back too far. You'll get hurt."
"Mmph, ungh!"
Sir Evan finally caught him as he nearly tumbled backward, allowing Nihil to escape Lianus's arms.
"You jumped down so lightly, I thought you had no weight..."
"As if."
"But you carry me so easily."
"I'm strong."
"I wanna get strong too."
"You'll grow into it."
"I wanna scoop you up and carry you around!"
"...Do you really need to?"
"Yeah!"
"...I'll work on my weight."
"What nonsense. As if you could slim down from there..."
Sir Evan snorted and hoisted the two kids by their collars.
Back at the picnic blanket, a basket they'd missed earlier sat waiting—left by the kitchen staff, it seemed.
Someone had put thought into it: daintier fare than usual, perfect for a picnic. Bite-sized treats that must've taken extra effort. Dessert was strawberry-studded jelly pudding—even a portion for Sir Evan.
Sir Evan eyed the tiny teaspoon—far smaller than his thumb—and the pudding alternately before shoveling it in whole and chewing. Tasty, but... too little.
"What now?"
After eating—and downing the medicine Nihil gave him—Lianus sprawled starfish-style on the blanket. Nihil, lying beside him with eyes closed, didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached out to grasp Lianus's wrist.
Checking his condition, Nihil cautiously opened his eyes. No more vigorous play today, it seemed.
"Let's press the petals we gathered."
But at the pressed flowers suggestion, Lianus pouted openly and rolled toward Nihil.
"Mmm, I don't wanna go in yet..."
Nihil gently stroked the dark green locks photosynthesizing in the sun.
"No need to go inside. We'll have them bring some thick books."
"Yay!"
At the mention of books, Sir Evan beckoned a passing servant from afar. The man set down his tray and hurried over.
"Y-yes? Wh-what is it, sir?"
Nihil, sprawled on the blanket, merely flicked his eyes toward the servant. Their gazes met, and the man gasped. Nihil closed his eyes again, but the servant's stare lingered.
Sir Evan clicked his tongue and pulled Nihil's hood over his head.
"Not like it's your first time seeing him. Overreact much? Bring some thick books. We're making pressed flowers."
"Y-yes, right away. Anything else...?"
"An awning too. Your Highness, need anything more?"
"Hm, grab some toys or whatever."
"I'll be right back!"
The servant dashed into the palace.
And the trio, basking leisurely on the blanket, were soon left speechless by the spectacle that unfolded.