Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: The Tooth Fairy
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"Pfft!"
Sir Evan couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Don't... don't laugh."
"Eee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"
"......"
Nihil, annoyed for no reason, asked Wakame to smack the back of his head.
"Ack, you wildcat bastard!"
While Sir Evan tussled with Wakame, Nihil explained Sergio's leg condition.
"The leg... well, we'll have to cut it open first to see."
"...You mean we have to amputate his leg?"
"No. The thing growing inside him."
Nihil continued with his eyes closed.
"Roots spreading from the knee all the way to his waist. If it reaches his heart, even I couldn't do a thing... about it."
Pfft. The puppy's laughter echoed again. He'd been stone-faced lately, but now he seemed fully revived.
Good.
"You said he got hurt when the 'rift' opened. Probably when the seed got in."
"A seed?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. We'll know what plant once we pull it out... Demon Realm plants have tough vitality."
If it's useful, I should grow it here. Name it 'Evan III'... Nah, the potency might drop. Better go with 'Wakame II'.
Hoping for some free herbs, Nihil hopped down from his chair.
Sergio flailed his hands in panic as Nihil approached, but Nihil grabbed his wrist firmly and checked his pulse.
"Normally, it wouldn't sprout in the Middle Realm and would've died... but it must've clung to life inside his wound by chance."
"You're saying a plant is growing inside my boy right now? Hah, but if it's a Demon Realm plant, shouldn't holy power purge it?"
"He dosed it with half-baked holy power and built up immunity. Probably stopped when the pain eased or he saw some improvement. Normal holy power won't cut it now. Only slicing the flesh open will."
"...How could that..."
"Anyway, come back tomorrow."
"...Can't you treat him today?"
"I'm tired. And it's class time for the kid."
"......"
Amanda's expression turned subtle.
"You're not seriously planning to skip class and just leave, are you?"
I could overlook the kid playing hooky, but not the teacher.
After class, Lianus gently shoved aside the coquettish Wakame and approached the makeshift cot.
Uncharacteristically, Nihil had asked permission, claiming fatigue, and now lay there like a corpse.
Lianus stared intently at the sleeping Nihil before poking his cheek. It felt strangely cold.
"He's not sick or anything, is he...?"
"Shall I fetch a physician?"
Sir Evan asked cautiously, but Wakame shook its... no, her vine in refusal. She then burrowed straight into Lianus's arms and resumed her coquetry.
"She really likes you, Your Highness. My master doesn't seem worried at all."
"Yeah......"
Wakame teased even the reluctant Sir Evan, subtly craving attention, but oddly avoided Nihil. He seemed like the one who'd care for her the most.
"...Let's head back to the palace for now."
Lianus's stomach churned for some reason.
Lianus was utterly heartbroken. A whirlwind of betrayal swept through him.
"Waaahhh~!"
Seeing his small, precious possession in Nihil's hand brought a flood of tears.
"Nil's a dummy! How could you do that?!"
"No, Rian......"
"I, I, waaah, I bravely confessed! Waaah~!"
"...Rian, it's a misunderstanding. That's not it."
Nihil was a bit flustered at making the kid cry. What to do?
He'd gone and done it himself, so an apology was in order, but the urge to tease kept bubbling up, leaving him in a bind.
"Waaah~ I really, really agonized over it for days before confessing! How, how could you... waaah!"
"Khuff......"
"Sir Evan's a dummy too!"
"Pardon? No, heh, spare me... khuff......!"
Sir Evan bit his lip, watching the baby kitten pout against his thigh.
"My toof is coming out!"
It was the baby kitten's first loose tooth.
'Nil... are you there...?'
'Yeah.'
Nihil woke from his nap perfectly fine. Apparently, he'd given too much blood to Wakame and had a touch of anemia.
Upset for no reason, Lianus scolded him for giving so much, but Nihil explained that after naming her Wakame, he'd unconsciously overfed her to help her grow strong.
He knew his own body better than anyone, so no need to worry, he'd added.
'You're my pharmacist, right, Nil?'
'Yeah.'
'Then... what do you think of my condition right now...?'
'...? Rian, are you feeling sick somewhere?'
'Huh? Oh, no, not exactly...'
His front tooth had been wobbly for days now.
'Um... my front tooth is loose...'
'Really? Let me see.'
'Okay......'
He trusted his pharmacist, so he showed it...
Pluck-.
'......?'
'Ah, it came out.'
Who could've guessed he'd just yank out his precious tooth!
'......?!'
Staring at his small, precious front tooth resting lightly in Nihil's hand, the tears came gushing out.
"Sniff, sniff, you really did it, didn't you?"
"Uh, yeah......"
Nihil strained to suppress his laughter, his lips quivering.
"Khk... heh... khheuk......"
Sir Evan, exhausted from laughing, lay collapsed on the floor, twitching intermittently.
Lianus pouted and smacked his back, but it had zero impact. Instead, he wriggled in his grasp for a while before finally breaking free.
Feeling embarrassed and wronged for no reason, Lianus grumbled sulkily.
"Sniff, even so, just yanking it out like that... where's the fun in...?"
"Kh, kheehuff!"
"......"
As Sir Evan's laughter erupted again, Lianus clamped his mouth shut. It was just too mortifying.
"Nil, what're you doing?"
With his lip still jutting out, he watched Nihil scrub his small, precious tooth—previously dunked in some odd solution—with a crunching sound.
He brushed so diligently every day. Was it dirty after all?
"...Does it smell bad?"
"Nah. Gotta clean it spotless for the fairy."
"Fairy...?"
"Yeah. There's a fairy who takes baby teeth. But the ones here are kinda dim—they probably don't know how to store teeth properly."
So I have to clean it thoroughly. Otherwise, it'll discolor later.
His dear friend muttered as he scrubbed the tooth even harder.
"Rian, wanna write a letter to the fairy?"
"...There's really a fairy like that?"
"Of course."
Lianus was skeptical, but his friend's eyes were special—he could see all sorts of things, so he let it go.
To the Tooth Fairy.
Wanting a sturdy, clean new tooth and a gift, Lianus finally picked up the pen.
Next time, please give me a strong tooth that won't fall out. Sir Evan keeps laughing, and it's so embarrassing.
"...Rian, maybe skip mentioning the puppy?"
As he diligently wrote the letter for the fairy, Nihil offered advice with a subtle expression from beside him.
The fairy liked Nihil too much and might punish Sir Evan.
Lianus glanced at Evan sprawled on the floor. Meeting his eyes, Sir Evan covered his face with both hands and let out another "kheuk," laughing.
"......"
He didn't want his knight punished, but a single light smack to the back of the head seemed fine.
Please smack Sir Evan's head just once. Gently.
"...Hmm......"
His friend let out a groan, but Lianus pretended not to hear.
He considered adding how shocked he was that Nihil pulled his tooth, but with the anemia, he held back. Fainting from a head smack would be trouble.
Sir Evan's tough, so he'll be fine... right?
Don't hit too hard.
Lianus added one more line just in case and smiled contentedly.
"Nil, when will my new tooth grow?"
Nihil pressed Lianus's gum. A small white tooth seemed ready to emerge soon.
"Once the letter reaches the fairy."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"But doesn't yours ever get loose, Nil?"
"......"
Nihil froze at the unexpected question. After all, this was his first time appearing as a child.
He was assimilating with humanity, but whether he'd follow their growth exactly was uncertain.
"Nil, if your front tooth gets loose, you have to tell me. I'll pull it."
"......"
If it loosened, fine... but what if it didn't? Would he have to yank out an adult tooth? It'd bleed a lot and scare the kid...
Lost in such thoughts, his body suddenly lifted. The puppy, risen from the floor, whispered lowly.
"Wildcat, don't even think about pulling an adult tooth."
"...Then our kid misses out on the experience..."
"Don't put him through that crap."
Sir Evan shook Nihil roughly before remembering the anemia and setting him down gently.
Giving blood to a plant—what an utter fool. Shouldn't have named her Wakame to begin with.
He recalled Wakame constantly teasing him. The name was Wakame, but her knack for grating his nerves matched the wildcat perfectly.
Then a certain phrase flitted through his mind.
'Don't get too mad. She's just craving attention.'
Attention... craving...
Knock knock-
His thoughts evaporated at the door knock.
"Your Highness, it's Perry."
"Come in! Heop!"
Our adorable baby kitten's lisping is cute as a bird's chirp. Truly magnificent.
Sir Evan gazed fondly at the baby kitten rolling her eyes, fearing he'd laugh again. Ah, the pouty lip. Adorable.
"Your Highness, the servants Young Master requested... Oh my, you've lost a baby tooth?"
"Uh... yeah......"
Lianus, who'd made such a fuss earlier, now felt embarrassed. Who knew losing a tooth was so natural...
"That's a relief. I was worried it was taking a bit long... The 1st Prince lost his first one two years ago, after all."
"...Is it late?"
"Well, the 1st Prince was a tad early, but since you're turning eight soon, it's only slightly behind."
Lianus's face fell at that.
"I'm always late at everything. Even my height's this short..."
When will I grow? he muttered, only for his friend to scoop him up.
"Rian, you're quarter-elf—time just flows slower for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's just delayed growth, not that you're short forever. No need to worry."
"Okay!"
If his friend said so, it must be true!
"Once I grow, can I get taller than Sir Evan?"
"...He's built outside standard specs, so I can't promise."
"But if I train hard in swordsmanship, I could build solid muscles like his, right?"
"...Uh......"
The words Quarter-elves can't bulk up like that rose to his throat but went back down.
Yeah, dreams should be big.
Nihil feigned ignorance and skimmed the report Perry had brought.
In the dead of night, with the kid asleep, Nihil clutched the small, precious item and sought the Tooth Fairy.
"......"
"Fairy father, you won't open up?"
"...Haa......"