Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Morning Mischief
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Nihil had dragged the kid's dad and the knights out early in the dawn for some training and returned, only to hear strange noises the moment he entered his room.
"Nil! You didn't get eaten!"
"...Hm?"
For some reason, Lianus's room was packed with children huddled together. Or more precisely, they were tied up.
"Hey! Where've you been?"
"Waaah!"
"We're saved now!"
"Friend! Friend, save Kara!"
"...Nah, I knew it was just a prank, you kn..."
Even Sergio, the oldest of the bunch, let out a sigh of relief, so something must have gone down. Nihil turned his gaze to the little one he'd asked to watch over the kids.
"Dia."
The kid didn't respond, but the faint upward twitch of his lips suggested he'd been up to something.
"The baby ate all the grown-ups! Friend, make him spit them out!"
"When I woke up, everyone was here!"
"Waaah, the door, the door won't open. I tried to run..."
"He tied us up and told us to stay quiet for the baby!"
"Said he'd fatten us up and eat us too!"
"Hm..."
Having roughly pieced together the situation from the kids' chatter, Nihil nodded.
"Dia, you can't tease the children like that."
At his words, relief washed over the kids' faces.
"Right? It was just a joke?"
"Kara's saved now?"
"But where are the grown-ups? Sir Mikael vanished too."
"Did they all go to the bathroom together?"
"Kara's big sis and big bro and little bro and the cat are gone too."
Questions came pouring out. It seemed one of them had woken up at dawn, noticed something odd, and roused the others. Waking up tied together in the same room when they'd gone to sleep separately would definitely raise eyebrows.
Of course, the culprit behind that bizarre setup was the kid who'd found wide-area protection too much of a hassle.
"Nil!"
The little seaweed enthusiast came toddling over and stuck right to him. Lianus was less wary of the kid than most, probably because he knew this was the baby he'd been looking for.
"Did you see Sir Evan by any chance? He's been missing the whole time."
"I ate him."
"...?"
Lianus froze for a moment at the habitual joke, like a machine that had glitched.
"Puppy tasted awful. Too tough and chewy."
In truth, the "puppy" was currently too busy tending to the other knights who'd collapsed from mana exhaustion.
Still, seeing how he'd held up better than the rest thanks to consistent training made Nihil quietly proud.
"...You're joking, right?"
The kids eyed him suspiciously at first, but when he slyly curled his lips, they backed off little by little.
"Kara would taste bad too!"
"Nah, Kara. Kids are tasty. Nice and squishy."
"No! ...Then eat the baby first! The baby's squishier!"
"Should I?"
Nihil scooped up the kid in one swift motion. But before he could even open his mouth, a tuft of hair was yanked.
"Ow, Dia, your mouth and your hands are getting out of control."
"What are you talking about? Grabbing this hair tuft has always been my job."
With that, the kid deftly braided his hair and tied it to one side.
"Wow! Baby, do Kara's hair pretty too!"
"..."
The kid scowled fiercely but couldn't fend off Kara's persistent nuzzling. In the end, he grabbed a ribbon.
Karus returned, supporting the utterly drained Karum, and freaked out at the sight of Kara with her hair in the kid's grasp. But Kara seemed thrilled with the result, bouncing around with her twin braids, one in each hand.
"Kara looks pretty!"
Emboldened by the positive reaction, the kid's expression softened a bit. But it hardened again at her next words.
"Baby made Kara's hair pretty, so Kara will make Baby pretty too!"
"..."
"Ka, Kara...!"
Ignoring her horrified big brother, Kara stubbornly grabbed the kid's hair and tied it up. Nihil smirked at the sight of the kid with his hair in seven uneven spikes.
"It suits you, Dia."
The kid scowled and irritably tried to yank out the hair ornaments.
"Baby, you're gonna take it out?"
"..."
"But Kara did it...?"
The kid stood up without a word.
"[...I'm going.]"
"[Already?]"
"[Do you think the Grand Duke has time to spare?]"
"[I see.]"
Nihil nodded. If he was busy, better let him go. He'd thought the kid was just lounging around, but apparently he had his own duties.
"[When will you come again?]"
"[I won't.]"
At the curt reply, Nihil unconsciously grabbed the kid's clothes.
"[...I can't come find you.]"
Before losing his power, maybe, but now he couldn't use magic freely. Or more precisely, he shouldn't. His way of handling mana was a bit special.
They'd detect it the instant he used it.
Mana stones or parts of his own body were fine, but stones had gotten too precious, and using his body was inefficient—not to mention, overdo it recklessly and his height would start shrinking.
Nihil glanced at Lianus, then back down at the kid.
"[You'll come visit, right?]"
The kid stared long and hard without answering, then pretended to pull something from his pocket and handed over a creation.
It looked familiar.
"[Black pom-pom?]"
Having suppressed its magic as much as possible, the thing was pitch-black but plush-looking—a fuzzy ball.
"[Pom-pom? What's that supposed to be.]"
The kid raised an eyebrow at the weird name, then offered the fuzzy ball. Up close, it had tiny, barely-there ears and a stubby tail-like thing.
Wondering if it had eyes or a nose hidden in the fuzz, Nihil peered in as the kid sighed.
"[...Call me if anything happens.]"
"[Thanks, Dia.]"
He felt the mana flow. It really was leaving. The kid glanced at Lianus, then spoke lowly once more.
"[...Requies, I haven't given up. Don't forget what I said.]"
"[Saying it so seriously looking like that...]"
"[...]"
The kid scowled deeply and vanished.
"He disappeared!"
"What?!"
"Friend, the baby's gone!"
The watching kids erupted in chaos, but Nihil just shrugged and replied curtly.
"Fairy, they say."
"...! A fairy!"
"Yeah. Call him Fairy next time he comes."
"Okay! Kara will!"
Baby Fairy! Nihil's lips curved at the cheerful reply. He could already picture the kid's face hearing that.
"Nil, the baby's gone..., you okay?"
Lianus asked hesitantly, looking quite flustered.
"Yeah. He said he'd come play again."
He must have been worried Nihil would run off after the kid.
Nihil soothed him that it was fine and fiddled with the black fuzzball. Tiny bean-like eyes invisible till now glinted in the light, demanding attention.
The kids swarmed it curiously, but handing it over risked the kid getting genuinely upset, so Nihil plopped it on his head and blamed the Grand Duke.
"The Grand Duke gave it to me as a gift. Can't let it get ruined."
"Did the baby go back to the Grand Duke?"
"Yeah."
"Hope he comes to play soon!"
"Hm, yeah."
What bet would they make next time? Nihil hid the truth and just smiled brightly.
"How about we all go out and play today?"
They'd all be wondering, so he might as well show his face.
* * *
Click. Lawrence set down his fountain pen mid-note.
For some reason, he couldn't focus today. Actually, ever since the quarterly evaluation, he'd been off.
'Big Brother will tire of that crude thing eventually.'
Lianus of all people...
He was angry, but it would be fine now. The Grand Duke had dragged off that insolent brat.
A shame Lianus hadn't died on the spot from using the elixir, but no more worries. Lianus was probably bawling right now that his little friend got taken.
The thought made his lips curl slyly.
'Idiot.'
Why couldn't he give up after all this time—not once or twice? Though this one had lasted longer.
'Maybe I should go console him.'
Yeah, with no friends left to comfort him, he'd have to do it. Only someone of his stature could bother with Lianus anyway. Who else would deal with a dumb, greedy kid under a curse?
His mood lifted. Finally, things were back to normal.
"Your Highness, where are you off to?"
Servants tailed him as he stood. Lawrence pondered briefly before speaking.
"Might take a walk to clear my head. Have tea with Mother."
Better check with her before heading to Lianus. Come to think of it, had she found a new mage? Time to refill his earring's mana.
The previous mage had gone mad when his mana heart shattered trying some dangerous summoning circle.
Couldn't get details since he was incoherent, but they'd shipped him back to the Empire, so surely a replacement by now.
Lawrence fiddled unconsciously with his earring and frowned slightly.
'Should kill that mage before he returns to the Empire.'
Trouble if he snapped out of it and spilled secrets.
'Gotta ask Mother about the mage's status...'
Bang!
As he raised a hand to knock on Mother's receiving room, a loud thud echoed—like something slammed down hard.
"I'm saying, why is that kid the Grand Duke supposedly took back lounging in the 2nd Prince's palace unharmed? And with all those children too!"
Lawrence froze at the unexpected conversation leaking out.
"Your Highness, Her Majesty seems busy."
"..."
The valet approached quietly, signaling to leave, but Lawrence pretended not to hear and lingered, eavesdropping.
"Maybe to check the child's condition..."
"Why would someone who ignores anyone not royal personally fetch a commoner's kid and examine him?!"
"Well, we don't know either..."
"Your Highness."
At the valet's more insistent urging, Lawrence had no choice but to retreat. Lingering wouldn't reveal much anyway.
Right—the key point was that insolent brat was back.
"Your Highness, where to?"
The valet spoke again as he walked silently. Lawrence smiled faintly at the trailing servants.
"Can't bother Mother when she's busy. Nice day—shall stroll the rear garden."
"Y-yes, shall I prepare?"
"No need. Just a light walk."
The rose garden in full multicolored bloom practically shimmered. The maids trailing him gasped in admiration.
"Wow, so beautiful."
"Look over there—blue roses! So mystical."
"Speak if you desire anything. A gift for my ever-diligent ladies."
A touch of kindness set them chattering. Lawrence smiled habitually at the sight.
Gifting a few wilting flowers for their loyalty was efficient. His reputation among the maids would soar.
"Mother loves roses too..."
He murmured, plucking a red one nearby.
"Seems she's too preoccupied with that child for leisure."
The servants glanced warily before piping up cautiously.
"Why did the Grand Duke take that brat anyway? Forgiving the rudeness so easily was surprising."
"Maybe a young demonkin."
"Oh, yeah—at the council, he seemed to understand the Grand Duke's strange tongue."
Young demonkin. More plausible than rumors of a spirit or doll. It explained the inhuman looks and strength lifting kids effortlessly.
"But if demonkin, why release him?"
"Maybe deemed harmless?"
The servants gossiped curiously, but Lawrence cared little for the Grand Duke's motives.
Just irked that the brat resurfaced.
"At least the child's safe return is fortunate. Brother's palace probably lacks such flowers..."
Snipping another bloom, Lawrence smiled shyly.
"...Think Lianus would like this as a gift?"