Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Under the Yellow Blanket
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"I hope you won't scold me just for making the kid cry, Noah's father."
"……."
Morris rolled his eyes slightly, unsure how to respond to the strangely unique way of speaking, and glanced at King Sedes. But Sedes wasn't used to this manner of speech either, so he just shrugged.
Morris gazed at the child hidden behind black gauze cloth—mysterious precisely because it concealed him—with trembling eyes, then carefully nodded. This wasn't an ordinary child, which was why he must have been able to save his son.
"How could I reproach my son's benefactor? Still, I'd like to repay you, so speak if there's anything you need."
"Hm……."
Nihil hadn't saved the boy expecting anything in return, but help from a prominent trading company would bring all sorts of benefits.
"Do you happen to deal in herbs by any chance?"
"Of course. Is there something you need?"
"I didn't mean for you to fetch anything right now. Just sell them to me cheaply later."
"Tell me your family name. I'll pass it along to the trading company."
"I have no family."
"……?"
"I'm a commoner, you see."
Morris looked at Sedes with a confused expression. What commoner child has a private audience with a kingdom's king like this? And in such refined speech, no less.
Nihil tilted his head slightly at Morris, who looked full of doubt.
"Is it strange for a friend's dad and his friend's son to talk?"
"……."
Morris was at a loss for words again. How was this the atmosphere between a friend's dad and his friend's son? He certainly had never had a private talk alone with his son's friend like this.
Morris racked his brains trying to gauge the child's identity. Then he realized—this was the protagonist of the rumor, the new friend the 2nd Prince had made, even seen again today—and his eyes widened.
Sedes offered some light advice to the bewildered Morris.
"Baron Allie, don't try to think of it in terms of common sense. You'll only end up more confused."
"…Yes."
'As expected, not an ordinary child.'
Having sorted things out in his head, Morris rummaged in his bosom and handed Nihil a small token. It was the one and only token of the trading company's master.
"This is our trading company's token. Show it, and any branch of the Allie Trading Company will prioritize you."
"Hm……."
Nihil casually glanced over the platinum token enchanted with magic and tucked it into his bosom.
"I'll gladly accept it. I'll leave the preservation and anti-forgery spells as they are, but I'll remove the location tracking one. I can't stand being monitored by anyone."
"…It was only for theft prevention, so don't misunderstand."
"We'll see."
"……."
"Merchant Guild Master, don't dig into my background."
"……."
Morris narrowed his eyes down at Nihil, who had changed how he addressed him. Don't dig, he says—but now he wanted to investigate this child even more.
But as if seeing right through that, the child spoke again.
"This isn't a warning, but advice. You'll just come up empty, so if you're curious, ask me directly. Honestly, whether you dig or not is none of my concern."
"…Then……."
"Ugh…, ugh……."
Sedes, who had once dug into Nihil's background and come up empty, was about to ask a few questions when Noah let out groans and his eyelids fluttered. He had no choice but to close his mouth.
"Noah!"
Morris hurried to his son, overcome with emotion at seeing him safely awake. But the moment Noah saw his father, he started convulsing again.
"Ugh, aaahhh!!"
"N-Noah!"
"Ugh, ughh, m-monster, s-save…!"
Nihil covered Noah's convulsing eyes and pulled him back. Noah fell on his butt but wouldn't calm down easily, wriggling in Nihil's arms.
"Kkh, kkhh, haah…!"
When he showed no sign of settling even after a while, Nihil spread the blanket he'd draped over Noah wide, forming a round dome over his head. He gestured for Morris to stay back.
"Haa, hkk, s-save…."
"Look at me."
Nihil grabbed Noah's cheeks and turned his head toward himself.
"Hkk, hkk, haah, haah…?"
Noah, whose eyes had been covered, flinched at the black gauze thrust before him, then widened his eyes at the yellow blanket enveloping him.
"Hkk, y-you, you… that attendant…."
Why was the 2nd Prince's attendant here in front of him? He'd clearly been told he couldn't speak, but it felt like he'd heard a voice.
As Noah thought he'd misheard, a calm voice spoke again, as if denying it.
"Shh, good boy. It's okay. Breathe slowly."
Noah didn't know what was happening, but his chest felt tight anyway, so he breathed slowly. The space inside the yellow blanket felt strangely unfamiliar yet comforting.
"Y-You, you can't speak, right?"
"…Right. I can't speak."
"But…, you're speaking! Is, is this another d-delusion? Am, am I crazy…, hearing things?"
Noah gripped Nihil's wrist tighter as he said it. Hoping this was real.
But instead of calming, his body started trembling again. Maybe he really was mad, like others said, and even this sensation was just his imagination.
Then he remembered falling from the terrace while chased by the monster. Noah panted again, unaware that the wrist he gripped so tightly was turning pale.
"D-Did I…, die?"
At those words, Nihil hugged Noah tightly and replied.
"Hmm…, you're soft and warm. Seems you haven't died yet."
"……."
Seems I haven't died yet…? What kind of expression was that?
Noah thought it was an utterly bizarre thing to say, but regardless, the small embrace felt so cozy that he stayed still, nestled in it.
"But…, how can you speak? Did you…, lie to the Prince?"
Nihil gave a half-hearted answer that came to mind.
"…Actually, my voice can only be heard by good children."
"……?"
"It's true."
"B-But I…, I'm not a good child. I said mean things to you…."
"A child who reflects is a good child."
"……."
Noah felt embarrassed for no reason and bowed his head, fiddling with his fingers. Then, curious about what happened to the monster, he peeked under the blanket.
But in that instant, his cheeks were grabbed again, and his head whipped around.
"Stop. Don't turn your head—look at me."
"……!"
Noah stared wide-eyed at Nihil, who held his face. Then he pouted and grumbled.
"You're all covered in gauze—what am I supposed to look at?"
"…Look at the gauze."
"…You…, you're actually the same as that monster, aren't you?"
"Monster…?"
Perplexed by the remark, Nihil tilted his head. Noah muttered to himself while sitting slumped.
"This is all my imagination. I fell from the terrace and am wandering between life and death, and that monster and you are both delusions I made up in my head!"
"Delusion……."
Nihil flinched briefly at the word "delusion," but Noah kept rambling.
"Saying your voice is only for good children doesn't even make sense! I'm past the age of believing in fairies! I'm already ten! This is…, because I wanted to talk to you!"
"You wanted to talk to me?"
At the question, Noah startled and stammered on.
"N-No! I-It’s just, you act so weird…, it’s frustrating not being able to talk, and…, so……, a-anyway! You're wearing the gauze because I can't imagine your face."
"Then how did you imagine my voice?"
"Uh, huh?"
Right…?
Noah's eyes darted around in confusion. So was this real? Where was he anyway, and why was the attendant in front of him?
"Does it sound like the voice you imagined?"
"Uh…, no."
When Nihil asked again, Noah pondered briefly and shook his head. The voice of the kid who played mean pranks and smeared chocolate on his face was lower and calmer than expected. The serene tone, devoid of any playfulness, made him doubt it was the same person.
Noah hesitated, then gingerly pinched the edge of Nihil's gauze with his fingertips. He gasped as he met eyes like the night sky through the gap.
"……!"
Nihil playfully crinkled the corner of his eyes.
"Well? Does it match your imagination?"
"N-No, n-not at all…!"
Match his imagination? He didn't have the imagination to picture a face like this.
"A-A real fairy…?"
Nihil's expression turned subtle at that.
"…Do fairies these days look like this?"
"Uh…, I don't actually know, since I've never seen one."
"You know you just said the exact same thing as a five-year-old? You're ten—think a bit more realistically."
"Then…, an angel?"
"……."
"I died, right? You came to fetch me?"
"…No."
Nihil sighed deeply, thinking kids' imaginations had really dulled these days.
"Noah, stay here just a moment."
"Uh, huh?"
With that, Nihil poked his head out from under the blanket. The adults were quietly conversing a short distance away. Nihil signaled with his hands, herding the adults into one corner.
And right then, the parlor door burst open.
"Nil!"
A kitten appeared.
"Rian."
"You didn't get in too much trouble?"
Lianus said that without checking who was in his blind spot, trotting right up to Nihil. Evan followed behind, freezing upon seeing the people in the parlor, but when Sedes quietly shook his head, he shut his mouth and watched his innocently naive master with trembling eyes.
Nihil scooped up the approaching kitten. When he asked if class was over, Lianus nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! They ended it early today! I hurried because I was worried you were still getting scolded!"
"Good. You came at the right time."
"So you did get in a lot of trouble?"
"No, I didn't. It's all thanks to you."
At that, Lianus beamed brightly, said it was a relief, and rubbed his face against Nihil's head. Then he noticed the round lump of blanket nearby.
"What's this……."
Lianus tilted his head and plopped his hand on the blanket.
"Uwaaak!"
"Kyaaak!"
The yellow blanket and seaweed cried out strangely and jumped at the same time.
"N-Nil! Th-There's something, something here!"
Lianus hugged Nihil's head tightly while eyeing the blanket warily. The yellow blanket froze, thinking it mustn't be discovered, then crouched down meekly again. Of course, that only made it more conspicuous.
"Wh-Who is it?"
At the question, the blanket wriggled a bit before going still again. Curled up as round as possible, it almost looked like a giant chick.
Nihil, still holding Lianus, flipped the blanket open with a flap. Noah stared wide-eyed as if to say why are you doing this, but Nihil handed Lianus straight over to him.
"Here."
"…Uh, huh?"
"Wh-What?"
Noah reflexively took Lianus. Lianus widened his eyes at Nihil handing him off so naturally but didn't resist and stayed docile.
"Take good care of him."
"Wh-Why are you entrusting the Prince to me?"
"I'm not entrusting Rian to you—I'm entrusting you to Rian. Hold him tight. It'll make you feel better."
At that, Lianus and Noah stared wide-eyed at each other and spoke at the same time.
"The Prince has that kind of power?"
"Do I have that kind of power?"
Nihil nodded seriously and answered.
"He's cute."
"……."
"Holding something cute makes you feel better."
"……."
Oh. I see.