Chapter 301: The Hated Potion (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: The Hated Potion (10)
Breakfast at the mansion.
Since the Hated Potion magic had been cast, eating alone had become a daily routine for Karami.
The reason was that just being in the same room with him made it impossible to swallow food—on the contrary, it felt like whatever was already in their stomachs would come surging back up.
But today, a new guest had arrived at that dining table.
“Here, Yuri. Ahh~”
“Ah.”
“That’s right. Good boy.”
At the opposite end of the table from where Karami sat at the head, Yuri was sitting right next to Elize.
She spoon-fed Yuri some soup.
All he did was open his mouth and chew thoroughly, yet Elize showered him with praise as if he had accomplished some great feat.
It was enough to make one let out an incredulous laugh just watching.
“Does that please you so much?”
“Of course, isn't it? Kids his age are usually picky eaters, but he doesn't complain at all. Isn't he admirable? He must be a genius.”
“I was the same at his age.”
“Hah, do you really want to compete with a child? You’re so immature.”
Shaking her head as if he were a lost cause, Elize finished feeding Yuri and gently wiped his mouth.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Aww~ And so polite, too. How can he be so cute and clever? Yuri's parents must have been wonderful people. No, they definitely were. It's the only explanation.”
“Hehe…”
“Now that you've finished eating, shall we go for a walk?”
“Alright, then I’ll…”
Elize was about to take Yuri out, but when Karami tried to follow, she openly showed her discomfort.
“Why are you coming? I saw you having fun with your slaves yesterday, so go play with them again today. Don't rub off your bad influence on the child.”
“Have you forgotten that the food he eats, the clothes he wears, and the room he stays in are all paid for with my money? Having provided so much, this request is perfectly reasonable.”
“You once said not to worry about money for things like this. Are you really going to be so petty about it now?”
“The petty one is you, Elize, trying to exclude me and monopolize Yuri.”
“Honestly, a grown man picking fights over such useless things.”
“U-um…”
As their voices rose, Yuri, caught in the middle, carefully interjected.
“I-I'm sorry. So please don't fight. It makes my heart hurt when you two fight…”
Yuri said in a dejected voice, sniffling.
Startled, Elize knelt down, caressing Yuri's cheek to soothe him.
“Fighting? We're not fighting, just teasing each other. This is how we play.”
“That's right. And how does this look like a fight? I'm the one taking all the hits.”
Glare.
Elize shot him a look that said, Don't say such useless things. Karami just shrugged, as if to say he wasn't wrong.
“I'm okay. I like it when we all go together.”
“If Yuri says so…”
She couldn't let a child walk on eggshells because of adult problems.
Elize decided to back down this time.
However.
“You walk one step behind us.”
“A man as magnanimous as myself can concede that much.”
He never seemed to lose a single exchange.
*
The three of them strolled through the garden.
Elize walked alongside Yuri, holding his hand, while Karami followed a step behind.
Everyone slowed their pace to match Yuri's small steps.
As they walked, Elize told Yuri various stories about the garden.
“This is the ice garden that Snow White manages. All the flowers are frozen, and they don't melt even in the summer.”
“Woooow…”
Yuri stared at the fairy-tale-like scenery, completely mesmerized.
Giggling as if he'd entered a fantasy land, he toddled around, following the ice flowers.
“Oh my? The little master is walking around?”
Yuri then ran into the mansion's servants, who were taking a break in the garden.
Azyeth's ice garden never melts. It stays incredibly cool even in summer, so the maids use it as a sweet resting spot.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Yuri as he appeared before them.
“He looks just like the master, doesn't he?”
“A secret son?”
“Nah, no way. Would he have a wife besides them? That's ridiculous.”
“You think so? But doesn't he look like someone else, too?”
“I was thinking he looks familiar, too.”
It was on the tip of their tongues. Vague and ambiguous.
“Yuri, you'll fall if you run.”
Elize, who had followed from behind, hugged Yuri and lifted him up.
““Ah!””
In that moment, the maids gasped in unison.
“It's the Saint!”
“Yes, that's me?”
“Not you! This child, he looks like you, Saint!”
“Me and Yuri?”
“That's it. Their eyes are exactly the same.”
“I know, right? If you mixed the master and the Saint half-and-half, this is exactly what you'd get. W-wait, don't tell me?!”
At the maids' fuss, Elize stared intently at Yuri's face.
Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. No matter how long she looked, she didn't really feel that he resembled her.
That's how it always is. You only start to wonder, ‘Really?’ after others point out a resemblance.
Elize tilted her head, puzzled.
Yuri tilted his head, too.
Besides, if he did resemble her, wouldn't that be a problem in itself?
Since Yuri already resembled Karami, if he also resembled Elize, people would think he was their son. The maids were already reacting that way.
A child with Karami.
The mere thought is horrifying.
Elize shook her head as if to clear away the idle thoughts.
She needed to think straight.
“Shall we go somewhere else this time? …Yuri?”
Yuri, nestled in Elize's arms, had gone limp. His face was pale, and his breathing was faint.
“Yuri, what's wrong? Are you sick?”
“Could it be heatstroke? His body must be weak from living on the streets.”
“…”
“Let's end the walk here and go inside.”
“…Alright.”
Elize hurried back to the mansion, carrying Yuri.
Contrary to her great concern, he recovered quickly after some rest.
I should layer him with blessings.
Even a frail person was bound to become a superman if they received a saint's high-level blessings.
Moreover, if he received them consistently from a young age, he would steadily absorb the power of the blessings, little by little. By the time he became an adult, it would have accumulated in his body, making him significantly stronger.
He would be reborn as what people commonly call a hero.
A hero. I like the sound of that!
A hero admired by all the world.
If he were to condemn the Slave Reaper, he would be recorded in history as an eternal hero.
“I have work to do, so I'll be leaving. Have your fill of fun so you don't have any regrets.”
“Goodbye…”
Yuri said his goodbyes while sitting on the bed. Karami glanced at him once before leaving.
As soon as he was gone, Elize spoke as if she had been waiting.
“Yuri, you don't need to be polite to that man. He's a very, very bad person.”
“…?”
“He's the kind of person who turns women into slaves and treats them however he wants. A vile slave trader. When you grow up, you have to punish people like him.”
“But he's not…”
“What?”
“He's not… a bad person.”
When Yuri said that in a barely audible voice, Elize was taken aback. His expression grew so gloomy he looked like he might cry at the slightest touch.
Don't tell me that man has already brainwashed him?
Whatever the case, Elize didn't want to see Yuri sad, so she had to soothe him. She quickly corrected herself.
“You're right. He's not a bad person. Even if he acts that way, he takes responsibility for his actions. You're right, Yuri.”
“Yes, hehe.”
Elize gave a wry smile and gently stroked his head.
“It's hot, so let's not go outside. We can walk around the mansion instead.”
“Okay!”
Elize and Yuri wandered around the mansion. The boy who had captured the Saint's heart was loved by all, regardless of race.
The servants, the elves, and the beastkin.
Elize felt her own nose lift with pride, as if it were her own accomplishment.
Elize had various conversations with Yuri, and as she did, a few strange points began to emerge.
First, it was as if Yuri had amnesia; he had no memories from before he came to the city.
He couldn't remember how he got here or what had happened.
Second was the situation he had been in.
Yuri was loved by everyone. Elize herself, the people at the Cathedral, the members of the merchant group.
He exuded a mysterious charm that constantly made people want to help him. Even a heartless, vicious criminal would have no choice but to help him.
That's why it was strange. When she first met him, Yuri had been filthy. It was impossible that anyone could see him like that and just leave him be.
If he had been in Noctar, it had been a long time since Mirabelle had scoured the city with magic to protect the children.
In other words, he must have come from outside the city…
But how could he have made it this far with such a frail body, one that collapsed just from being in the sun?
Wouldn't it be more believable to say he just fell from the sky?
“…”
Elize was deep in thought.
Of course he fell from the sky, right?
This unimaginable loveliness wasn't something a human could create. He was an angel who had descended from the heavens to meet her.
Perhaps he was a child sent by the Lord.
With a grateful heart, Elize made the sign of the cross and prayed. When she lowered her head, she found Yuri craning his neck to look up at her.
He moved his adorable little hands this way and that, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked at Elize and giggled.
Elize stared, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Did you just copy me?”
“Ye-es…”
“Oh, you~”
She swept Yuri into a hug and nuzzled his chubby cheeks.
I could die of happiness.
Please, let this moment last forever.