Say It Again. (1)
Say It Again. (1)
Kael left the banquet hall, held in Alicia's arms.
Usually, he would have somehow climbed down and walked, not wanting to burden the mothers who held their son so tightly, for fear of bringing shame upon them....
But he simply couldn't.
The sight of Laika, who had showered him with motherly love for over three years, looking so sad remained in his eyes.
He had seen the strange sight of Alicia and Laika about to have a fierce argument right before his eyes.
He had seen Aria bowing her head to apologize to the nobles, and he had seen tears finally fall from Laika's eyes.
His hands and feet were trembling.
He felt as if he couldn't even walk on his own.
The fact that he possessed the memories of an adult, the fact that he had become young again.
None of that mattered at all right now.
'... I, I'm, not enough.'
Kael buried himself in Alicia's arms without realizing it.
He leaned into the touch of the mother holding him and desperately tried to hold back the tears that were about to spill out.
The words the noble young ladies had said kept coming to mind, making it hard to even ask them to teach him anything.
Really, what if I have no talent?
What if the mothers really were avoiding me because it was hard to teach me anything?
Right now, it was just a simple guess, but if that were to become the truth...?
"... Kael."
Alicia stroked Kael's hair as he nestled into her, and held him a little tighter.
She didn't know exactly what had happened yet, but it was clear that something had definitely occurred.
It was evening, the sun was setting, a time when the banquet would normally be in full swing, not yet late at night.
Kkii-ik-.
Alicia boarded the carriage while holding Kael, and the carriage departed straight for Mayhead.
For the first time since adopting Kael, an awkward atmosphere hung inside the carriage.
"Did something upsetting happen? Will you tell Mom, Kael?"
Aria sat beside Alicia, took Kael into her arms, and stroked his hair as she spoke.
"... Laika, let's talk."
Alicia whispered quietly to Laika.
"... Later."
Rather than talking to Alicia, Laika was immersed in looking at the scenery outside the carriage on the way back to Mayhead.
"Nothing happened...."
Kael hid the events of the banquet hall for the sake of his mothers, rather than his own sadness.
Unlike usual, he nestled in Aria's arms and wore an awkward smile.
'... I just need to try harder.'
His heart was pounding from the series of commotions that had unfolded before his eyes, and he had been hurt enough to make his hands and feet tremble from the malice-free contempt....
But he just resolved and thought, as he always did, that he would have to study something on his own so that his mothers could be at ease....
The carriage headed toward Mayhead.
Passing by the Hasla Family, crossing the bridge floating by magic.
Passing through the street where swords were embedded, they only returned to the mansion when it was deep into the night.
When Alicia and Aria returned to the bedroom with Kael.
Laika was not there.
...
One of the Empire's Count families.
The Hasla Family was a 'Magic Family' created by those who showed excellent talent in magic.
Within the Empire, they were treated as a prestigious magic family, and their treatment was not bad compared to other nobles.
The Hasla Family took an interest in Kael, the son of 'Alicia'.
They had increased their influence through political marriages with those who had talent in magic, as if improving a breed.
It was because they thought the only son of the Archmage must have been born with talent.
They intentionally sent their eldest son, who showed excellent talent, near Alicia.
Likewise, they sent their only daughter, who was excellent but lacked emotions, to Kael.
However, Alicia didn't even spare a glance at the Hasla Family's eldest son, let alone the man himself.
And the daughter had simply spat out words like 'orphan' and such to Alicia's son in front of everyone.
"... Rone, surely you didn't say something like that to the child named Kael, did you?"
Isier Hasla, the matriarch of the Hasla Family, asked her daughter.
Even if he had no talent, 'Kael' was Alicia's son....
And since it was visible that Alicia loved Kael, she was checking the facts.
"... Huh? I was talking to myself."
The daughter, and the youngest, Rone Hasla, replied while tilting her head.
"Did Kael hear it?"
"I don't know."
Her mother, Isier, stroked Rone's hair and gave her brief advice.
"You shouldn't voice your thoughts, Rone. We are nobles, after all."
If Kael had been a child who inherited everything, it might have been a little different.
Such words wouldn't have come out, but there were many times when hiding one's inner thoughts was more helpful than revealing them.
It was advice given not out of consideration for 'Kael', but for the sake of the Hasla Family.
"... You said nobles are people who can say whatever they want at any time, didn't you?"
"Rone, that all depends on the time and circumstances...."
"Isier, it's fine. She's still young, so it must have been a mistake."
Rone didn't speak with any particular emotion, but the family head stroked his youngest daughter's hair.
Although it was a relationship formed through a political marriage, he cared for his family quite a bit more than people thought.
"It was also the fault of your father, who told you to approach such an orphan. Don't be too heartbroken. Rone, it's not your fault. You know that it's the fault of the child named Kael for having no talent and receiving nothing."
He briefly comforted Rone.
"Yes, I understand."
The family head had forgiven her, and since everyone had enjoyed themselves at the banquet without any particular problems, there was no issue.
Isier stopped trying to give any more advice, and Rone also lost interest.
The carriage stopped in the garden of the Hasla Family mansion.
The head of the Hasla Family and his wife.
The eldest son and the youngest daughter walked down in turn.
"Mosli, I plan to stop by the Red Tower tomorrow, so be aware of that."
"I understand, Father."
"Rone, sleep well. It really isn't your fault, so don't worry about it."
"... Yes, Father."
As always, the family head spoke briefly about the schedule for tomorrow.
The eldest son and the daughter bowed politely as they had been taught, and Isier headed to the couple's bedroom first.
"Family Head, do you intend to do more work?"
"I will only look at a little, so don't worry."
The head of the Hasla Family, Ruben Hasla, answered his retainer briefly and entered the mansion.
Step, he walked and climbed the stairs.
Standing in front of the office door, he took out the key and clicked open the locked door.
And, when he naturally stepped into the office.
Hwa-ak-.
A wind blew in.
"... Huh?"
Behind the family head's desk, the large window was open.
The wind that rushed in as he opened the door fluttered the curtains here and there.
On the desk in the office, where only the soft moonlight crossed.
"... You were talking quite interestingly."
An elf with glowing green eyes could be seen sitting with her legs crossed, resting her chin on her hand.
Kwang-!
As the elf gestured, the wind moved and slammed the office door shut roughly.
"... Orphan, this, that. No talent, Kael's fault, and so on. You really think that, don't you?"
At the same time, blue mana bloomed softly behind the elf's back.
Following the mana, several daggers floated in the air together.
"... If your daughter also becomes an orphan, will she understand Kael's heart, hmm?"
Laika spoke.
That if she killed the head of the Empire's Count family, a prestigious magic family, wouldn't she understand Kael's heart?
"... What did you say?"
Ruben Hasla asked back, as if he didn't understand Laika's words.
He doubted his ears.
He had heard it properly, but he thought he might have misheard.
What? You're going to make my daughter an orphan?
You're going to kill me?
"... Are you saying that in earnest?"
Killing a noble meant going to war with the Empire.
No matter how much Laika was a hero who saved humanity and the strongest elf, she could not kill a Count of the Empire and be safe.
The Elf race would not sit idly by regarding the slaughter of a race with whom they had established friendship, and the Empire would not forgive an act bordering on treason just because she was a hero.
"... Then, does it look like a joke?"
Laika spoke while still showing her green glowing eyes.
But unlike when he heard the first sentence, Ruben had regained some composure.
Even though daggers were floating behind his back and Laika was growling....
He didn't really think she had come to kill him.
'They said elves were a cunning race....'
Ruben looked at Laika and asked briefly.
"What do you want? You have visited rudely, but if there is something you want, I will discuss it."
Laika had come because of Kael, but he didn't think 'Kael' was the real reason.
Because Kael was an abandoned orphan who hadn't learned magic, prayer, or archery.
He was certain that she wouldn't kill him for a child who had been given nothing.
Of course, he knew she loved Kael, but.
"I heard that to the Elf race, humans are like pets. If my daughter's words bothered you, I will apologize for that."
In the face of the long lifespan of the Elf race, Kael, who lived only for a fleeting moment.
He just thought that the love an elf gives would be different from the love a human parent gives to a child.
"... Ha."
Laika chuckled without realizing it.
Ruben laughed along with Laika and took a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
"You, do you not know who I am?"
Clenching her fist, under the green glowing eyes.
The expression reflected in the permeating moonlight hardened coldly-, very coldly.
Laika knew that 'Kael' would have a hard time if he knew someone had killed for him.
She had barely, barely-, tried with all her might to endure it, and endure it again, but.
"I know. Aren't you an elf?"
Ruben just spoke calmly.
An elf who wasn't as cold-blooded as Alicia, nor as noble and hard to approach as Aria.
It was because Laika's friendly attitude, always laughing and joking lightly among humans, had fueled Ruben's arrogance.
"So, stop talking about the discarded child. State your purpose."
Discarded child.
Ruben spoke to Laika as if he truly thought so.
She had tried to act like a 'human' to stay closer and live for Kael, fearing that the love she gave might be lacking....
But Kael had become a discarded child simply because he hadn't inherited her skills.
"... You, you need to die."
Laika's lips parted.
"Are you saying you're going to kill me?"
Me?
"... Heh, you. Your sense of reality seems to be very lacking?"
At Ruben's words, Laika's eyes narrowed.
One of the daggers swimming behind her glowed with a green light.
And then, without a moment's hesitation, as if piercing through the world in an instant-.
Puk-!
It pierced through Ruben's shoulder.
"Heo, Keo-eok-!"
He felt sharp pain.
His head spun, and his pupils rolled upward, showing the whites of his eyes as if he were about to lose consciousness.
He had just been pierced, but the pain that started from his shoulder swept through his whole body once.
"Heu, kkeu, ha-eueuk-, kkeu...."
Ruben collapsed to the floor immediately and thrashed his body.
It was an instinctive action to try to hurt even a little less because the pain was so great.
Laika looked at such a Ruben and moved her fingers a few more times.
The dagger.
Hwi-i-ik-!
Flew.
"Ha, kkeu-euk-, geu, heo-eo-eok-, geu, stooop.... Plea-, please-."
It had pierced through Ruben's body several times, but strangely, no blood flowed.
There was only dizzying pain, enough to make him wish he would rather die from excessive bleeding.
Ruben wet himself.
He shed tears, let snot flow from his nose, and drooled profusely from his mouth.
"... Ho, what on earth-, wh, suddenly, why-, heu-kkeu...."
The fact that she was a hero or a High Elf meant nothing.
Laika had visited the Hasla Family as Kael's mother.
"... You fucking bastard, do you think I came all the way here to play around?"
From the office desk where Laika had been sitting....
"You were saying such fucked up things, say it again. Go on. You fucking bastard."
Tuk-.
She walked down.