Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: A Cozy Warehouse Hideout
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While the children were busily scurrying about under Nihil's directions, only little Dan remained blissfully oblivious, beaming from ear to ear as he toddled up to Nihil.
"Fairy brother, did you come back to see Dan?"
"I'm not a fairy. Scram."
Lianus went straight into defensive mode the moment he spotted Dan.
"Why? Dan wants to stay with fairy brother."
"He's my brother. He's staying with me."
Instead of Nihil, Lianus replied, stepping between them protectively as if to shield Nihil. Nihil just watched with a low chuckle, finding Lianus's behavior utterly adorable.
But the kittenish Dan clearly didn't appreciate the attitude. He pouted his lips and whipped around.
"Brother!"
"Yeah."
"You gotta be careful!"
"Got it."
Nihil tapped Lianus's protruding lower lip with his index finger until it flattened, then scooped him up into his arms. Lianus, now quite accustomed to being carried, smiled brightly and swung his legs playfully.
Dan whined from the side, begging to be picked up too, but Yvon spotted the scene from afar and rushed over, apologizing profusely as she snatched Dan up and whisked him away. His whimpers echoed briefly before fading into silence.
Ignoring the twin siblings watching them from a distance, Nihil held the leg-swinging Lianus and surveyed the warehouse. With the tent hung up, blocking even the bonfire's glow, the space had plunged into complete darkness.
Bella hopped down from the roof once the tent was secured.
"Everything alright with you young masters?"
"No issues. If the kitty's done, mind grabbing some grub for the pup?"
"Oh, gotta feed Puppy Mister's little one properly. I'll fetch some right away~"
Bella vanished in a flash at Nihil's request.
Evan muttered curses from behind, but no one paid him any mind. Venting his frustration by kicking a stone hard, he steadily propped up planks, turning the shabby hideout into something decent, then rummaged through his bag.
"Marten, you didn't happen to pack any oil, did you? It's pitch black in here."
"There should be mushrooms in the bag. Check it out."
"Mushrooms?"
Puzzled by the mention of mushrooms, Evan dug through his bag anyway. After a thorough search with no luck, he started opening every cloth pouch one by one until he found a tiny glass vial containing a lone mushroom.
"This thing?"
"Yeah. It's poisonous, so make sure the lid's tight, then shake it hard to release plenty of spores."
Evan felt a bit uneasy but shook it vigorously as instructed. Soon, the mushroom spores began to glow.
The bustling children froze, staring blankly at the luminous vial.
"Doggy, staring like that'll ruin your eyes. Put it back in the cloth pouch and hang it from the warehouse ceiling."
Evan snapped out of his daze, just like the kids, and hurried inside. The children followed, peeking curiously.
They marveled at the now-illuminated interior. Amid it all, the ever-watchful twins crept closer, reaching for Nihil's hood, but Lianus hugged Nihil's head tightly and swatted their hands away.
"Jeez, so stingy."
"Yeah, it's not like it'll wear out if we see it."
Jane stepped in to apologize on their behalf and dragged the grumbling twins away by their collars.
Before long, all the children had gathered inside, huddling together. Yvon, brewing herbal tea in the backyard, poked her head in.
"How long do I need to boil this?"
"Let it simmer a while. Just leave it and come in."
Nihil set Lianus down and stepped outside. He didn't return until much later, hauling a tattered sack stuffed with leaves—heaven knows where he'd scavenged it. The sack was riddled with holes, patched hastily with knots here and there.
Nihil spread out clean blankets and quilts he'd brought from the palace, piled the leaves on top, and pressed them down to shape a bed. After double-checking for any sharp bits, he scooped up the watching Lianus and plopped him onto it.
"Sleep here."
"Huh, by myself? I can just sleep on the floor..."
Feeling awkwardly singled out for special treatment, Lianus squirmed to climb down. Nihil promptly lifted him back up, tucked him in with a blanket, and said firmly,
"Cold air rises from the ground. Don't be stubborn."
"O-okay..."
Lianus blinked in surprise at Nihil's unyielding tone—it was so unlike him. He worried the other kids might get jealous of the favoritism, but they seemed unfazed.
Nihil stood and scanned the interior before heading out again.
The children watched blankly. When Nihil didn't return after a long while, they glanced warily at Evan, who stood stiffly in one corner, then crept over to Lianus and sat in a circle around him.
Dan tried sneaking onto Lianus's leaf bed, but Yvon quickly pulled him off. She shot a glance at the statue-still Evan and whispered to Lianus,
"Ner, um... do you know who that guy is...?"
Lianus's eyes widened as he looked at Jane and Dave. Nihil had told them not to spill anything, but he hadn't expected zero explanation at all. Even Evan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Uh... he's our big brother. Say hi."
"...Big brother?"
The children all looked up at Evan in unison. He found their stares so uncomfortable he involuntarily turned away.
"No need to be scared."
"......"
"He's super nice."
"......"
"Really..."
"......"
Evan cringed at Lianus's awkward introduction, wishing he could bolt outside, when the warehouse door suddenly burst open and someone entered.
"I'm baaack~"
Blissfully unaware of the tension, Bella greeted them cheerfully.
"Huh? What's going on? Where's the pretty young master?"
"Brother stepped out for a bit. Uh... what's with the cat?"
Lianus eyed the cat Bella had brought.
"I went to get milk for Puppy Mister's pup, but it was too late at night—tough luck, right? So I brought a mama cat who's just given birth!"
"Uh... can puppies drink cat milk?"
"Better than starving, no? Don't worry, I convinced Mama Cat Lady fair and square!"
Bella gently set the cat down. True to her word, it stayed put, purring oddly instead of fleeing.
Lianus hesitated, then nudged the pup from his arms toward the cat. She looked a bit skinny, maybe from poor eating, so he worried about the milk, but something must've been flowing—the pup wriggled and latched on, suckling away.
"So cuuute..."
The children couldn't tear their eyes from the pup. Bella beamed proudly at them, then poked Evan's side with her elbow.
"Good thing it doesn't take after Puppy Mister."
"Shu... quiet."
Minding the kids, Evan toned down his usual profanity. Bella giggled, clearly enjoying teasing him, and struck up a candid chat with the cat.
"Mama Cat Lady, how'd you end up nursing a puppy? Life—or should I say cat life—is so unpredictable, huh?"
"Meowr."
"Sure, I brought you here, but it couldn't be helped~"
"Mrrow, meowr."
"Payback? How could you say that...!"
"Meeeooow~"
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Puppy Mister, got anything for Mama Cat Lady to eat?"
"Haa... what a handful."
Bella turned to Evan mid-conversation and rummaged for food. Grumbling, he pulled out his last scraps of jerky and tossed them to the cat. The pouch of dried fruit pieces went to the world's cutest prince.
The cat eyed the jerky that landed on her head, turned, dragged it to her chest, and munched contentedly before giving Evan a long stare.
"...What're you looking at."
For a cat, her gaze was awfully cheeky.
'Mama Cat Lady' stared at Evan for ages before turning back to her jerky. The slight shift made the suckling pup lose the nipple and flail on the floor; Evan carefully picked it up and nudged it back.
"Fed you too, so let it nurse properly."
Bella, who'd been watching quietly, patted Evan's back laughing.
"Aww, look at you caring for your 'pup'."
"Not mine!"
"No need to be shy, Puppy Mister. So where's the pup's real mom? Must've been shocked thinking it was a human kit—turns out it's a doggy! But love transcends species—how romantic~"
"Argh, seriously! You damn cat...!"
Evan finally exploded at Bella's relentless teasing and shot to his feet. But under the kids' eyes, he just yanked at his hair before plopping back down.
The children burst into giggles at the sight. He'd been introduced as Ner's big brother—big, scary-looking—but turned out fun and simple-hearted, putting them at ease.
Lianus laughed along and passed out the dried fruits Evan had given him to the circle of kids, popping one in his own mouth. He saved the biggest piece for Nihil.
The sweet, tangy aroma filled his mouth.
The children sparkled with delight at their first taste of sugar-glazed dried fruit. Little Dan whined for more, but Yvon soothed him quickly.
Soon Nihil returned with the kettle from the herbal tea brew. Spotting the cat nursing the pup, he examined her closely.
"Brother, where'd you go?"
Lianus scampered to Nihil's side, offering a sugar-dried orange slice. Nihil nibbled it obediently, then split the rest and popped it into Lianus's mouth before answering.
"Just scouted around. Grab a cup or bowl each."
Nihil nodded at the kids, petted the cat—who was lying contentedly, munching jerky while nursing—then served tea to everyone but Dan. Most kids grimaced but drank; the twins slammed down their chipped bowls, complaining.
"This tastes awful."
"Do we hafta drink it? I don't wanna!"
"No forcing it. Just don't waste it—set it aside."
Hearing they didn't have to force it, the twins gave up immediately. They whispered among themselves, and while Nihil fussed over Lianus, they secretly dumped the tea.