Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Need an Identity?
I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled the long breath I'd drawn in.
The weight of unfamiliar emotions gradually settled.
"…?"
"Uh…."
"!"
My eyes met the girl's.
Peeking over the book, her eyes curved into crescents.
"…!"
"Hm?"
I turned the book she was looking at toward me.
She pointed at the rabbit in the picture with a small finger and lifted the corners of her mouth.
As if wanting to convey something,
she leaned toward me—
But when I smiled and tilted my head, she suddenly bowed her head deeply.
"Mm…."
"Heh heh, you two get along well."
"Do we?"
"Indeed."
The old man nodded with a smile.
"You can tell from that child's expression."
"…Expression?"
I looked at the girl intently.
Our eyes met, and she hurriedly fixed her gaze on the book.
"……."
But still, a glance.
She peeked at me ever so slightly with one eye.
As if trying not to get caught,
with her face pressed close to the book.
I kept watching her closely like that—
but aside from her ears gradually turning red, there was nothing particularly unusual.
"I don't get it."
"Heh heh. No need to if you don't."
The old man's laughter trickled softly.
Scritch-scratch, the sound of the pen moving rang in my ears.
With that as background noise, I closed my eyes and sank into thought.
'What else was there to ask.'
I calmly settled the swirling memories,
and slowly picked out the most important thing to address first.
Only then did it come to mind.
"…Ah, right."
"Hm?"
"If I want to keep staying with that girl, what should I do?"
The old man's hand stopped.
The pen tip touched the paper but didn't move for a moment.
Soon, his shoulders shrugged.
"I don't grasp the intent of the question."
"Just as I said."
"Can't you just keep staying together?"
Not wrong, but…
it didn't fully resolve my doubts.
Guess my question was too simplistic.
How to phrase it, from where.
I organized my thoughts once more and opened my mouth.
"Someone might take that girl away."
"Hmm…."
The old man's eyes narrowed.
After a brief silence, he cautiously nodded.
"That could happen. Her aunt is still alive. She abandoned the child and fled, though."
"…Then, if that aunt tries to take her, how can I stop it?"
The old man set down the pen in his hand
and placed his interlaced hands on the counter.
His eyes were somehow serious.
"Then, you become that child's guardian."
"Guardian?"
"Legally, and in people's perception."
Law, perception.
Familiar concepts, yet still foreign.
Reading my expression, the old man continued in a softer tone.
"If it's acknowledged that you're taking responsibility to raise her, no one will dare interfere."
"…I see. How do I get acknowledged?"
"Right now?"
"Yes."
The old man stroked his lips for a moment.
His eyes moved slowly, as if deep in thought.
"First, you'd need to go to the church and go through adoption procedures."
"How?"
"Verify your identity and leave a written statement of intent to raise her. It's more solid with a guarantor."
Why was that.
Suddenly, my breath caught in my throat.
The old man watched me quietly, then tilted his head.
"…Are you hiding your identity, by any chance?"
"……."
I couldn't answer his question right away.
Less hiding,
more like not mentioning it.
'But now it's turning into something I have to hide….'
I hesitated, then slowly opened my mouth.
"Something like that."
"Heh heh."
As if he'd expected it, the old man nodded and rolled the pen on the counter.
"Then it's simple. The church might not accept you."
"…Yeah?"
"Do you have anyone who can vouch for you?"
Someone to vouch.
I slowly closed my eyes and thought.
"…Here."
"Hm?"
"You served Rakiss, right."
"That's right."
"…Seems like there's a god who can vouch."
The old man widened his eyes, then let out a small laugh.
"Heh heh. Rakiss himself vouching. You're quite bold."
"I'm serious."
"Hm, serious in that tone feels odd."
The old man's hand rolling the pen on the counter stopped.
He shrugged and continued.
"Well, with that kind of conviction, I'd raise both hands in approval."
"Conviction…?"
"Few lightly invoke a god's name. Especially if that name can truly respond."
Truly respond…
Rakiss apparently still manifested from time to time.
Makes sense.
Unlike dragons, gods draw power from faith.
My old friend.
The chief god of this land.
'If I ask in the form of an oracle….'
I shook my head after a moment's thought.
I wouldn't need an identity,
but it'd cause unnecessary uproar.
Humans treat gods as grand existences.
'…A hassle.'
Borrowing my friend's name,
I never wanted to do it again.
Tiring, annoying,
and full of meaningless commotion.
I frowned slightly, recalling past events.
Slowly, I turned to the girl.
She was humming and picking books.
'She's in high spirits.'
Seeing her purely bright demeanor, a smile tugged at my lips somehow.
In the end,
to live with that girl,
I needed an identity.
Identity.
An identity, huh.
I'd obtained one long ago.
'…From the neighboring continent, though.'
I remembered using it occasionally in the past,
so I'd brought that ID this time too.
The problem was—
I'd given that ID to someone else.
"Haa…."
I slowly traced my memories.
It was when I started wandering,
right after arriving on this continent.
A village that looked affluent somewhere.
Passersby's clothes were neat,
buildings well-kept,
with fancy stone structures and manicured landscaping catching the eye.
'Not bad.'
I flew leisurely, then landed in a deserted forest away from the village.
Hid my wings,
pulled on my robe.
Slowly set off toward the village I'd eyed.
Thus, for the first time,
I blended into the human world as it is now.
A human-only village was very rare after so long.
After wandering and sightseeing for a while,
I spoke to a knowledgeable-looking human hugging a book.
To ask how to use an ID.
"Hey. How do you use this?"
"Hm?"
And when
I handed over the ID—
his eyes behind his glasses changed.
"…Th-this!"
The human's hand holding the ID trembled.
His eyes gleaming through the lenses were filled with excitement.
It was the gaze of a researcher facing an academic discovery.
Before I could ask anything,
he fired off questions with sparkling eyes.
"Where did you get this? A heirloom? Family relic?!"
"No way. This form and format is clearly…."
"A relic thousands of years old, preserved so well."
"Have you found anything else related? Or—!"
…Too annoying, so I gave it away.
I did get considerable compensation.
Most of it was heavy and bothersome, so I donated to the church.
'Can't eat paper money anyway.'
Back then, it didn't matter giving it.
I had no plans to stay long in human society,
and if needed, I could get another from the neighboring continent.
But—
Now it was a problem.
Inter-continental travel wasn't free these days.
As far as I knew,
the only way from here to the neighboring continent was by 'sea voyage'.
Curious about human travel methods, I'd gone to a port before.
But no regular ships,
and even departure permits were hard.
Due to rough seas,
long duration,
and high risk of sea monster attacks.
Even then,
I waited two or three months, but no departure.
I sighed softly.
'Other ways to take the girl there….'
I sorted my thoughts slowly.
Ways to cross to the neighboring continent with the girl.
'The fastest and surest is probably….'
[Long-Distance Teleportation] magic.
The most common method in the past
for going between continents.
But current humans
are too frail to withstand teleportation shock.
If I used magic with the girl,
her fragile body might tear apart in an instant.
'Then, flying….'
This time, I'd come by flight.
Leisurely, but not easy.
Even so,
it took over a week.
'A blink to me, but….'
I murmured softly, looking at the girl.
"…That'd be tough too."
"What's that?"
"Nothing."
The old man glanced at me but asked no more.
Scritch-scratch, the pen scraping paper continued.
I turned my gaze back to the girl.
Swinging her legs,
rifling through the bookshelves, she looked especially small.
'…Yeah, tough.'
But,
getting an identity is much easier on the neighboring continent.
I exhaled lightly, then slowly opened my mouth to the old man.
"Hey, about that."
"Hm?"
"…An identity from the neighboring continent works too, right?"
The old man's hand stopped.
His eyes widened more than before.
He looked at me and chuckled.
"You're from the Dianos Continent."
"For now."
"No wonder your speech and demeanor felt so unfamiliar."
The old man nodded and continued.
"It's possible. The procedures are much more complicated, though."
"…I see."
"Well, it should be fine for now."
The old man, after glancing at the girl for a moment,
looked at me with an inscrutable gaze.
Not understanding, I tilted my head.
The old man smiled faintly and continued.
"That girl's aunt doesn't have a very clean identity either."
"…Yeah?"
"Plus, with so many orphans from the war, people tend to overlook things."
The old man looked at me again.
His eyes held an inexplicable warmth.
"So, people's perception should suffice for now."
"…How do I do that?"
"Simple."
The old man leaned back slowly as he spoke.
"Make it natural for those around to know the girl is following you."
"…How?"
"Go around together, eat together, laugh together. That's it."
I looked at the girl.
The girl looking at the book turned her head.
Our eyes met, and she beamed, waving both hands.
The book dropped to the floor with a thud.
Her flustered scramble to pick it up was quite cute.
Even then, she waved at me once more.
I raised my hand and waved slowly too.
"…That, I think I can do."
"Good. That should be enough."
The old man's eyes crinkled slightly.
Scritch-scratch, the pen on paper continued leisurely.