Chapter 53: It’s Okay Now
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: It’s Okay Now
“Come to think of it, Little Miss, do you remember this pendant?”
“Oh, my.”
Sophia approached and held out the pendant set with the Demon’s Gem.
Veronica’s eyes widened when she saw it.
“So this is where it was? I looked everywhere for it, thinking I’d lost it in the North.”
“I only realized it was here today. The young lady found it tucked away in a corner.”
“Does she have an eye for beautiful jewels just like her mother?”
“It certainly seems so, tee-hee.”
The two shared a lighthearted laugh over the silly remark.
“Now that I think about it, this originally belonged to Brother Vincent, didn’t it? It’s late, but I should apologize and return it to him.”
“Madam, the thing is… the young lady said she wanted to keep it.”
“Dia did?”
“Yes.”
Veronica looked at me in surprise. I met her gaze and gave her a bright, beaming smile.
“Jewel pwetty!”
“Oh, dear.”
Looking troubled, Veronica tilted her head with a hand against her cheek. She murmured softly, “I’ll have to ask my brother about it.”
“I’m sure the young master would want the young lady to have it immediately.”
“Of course. He’s probably forgotten he even owned that pendant.”
True, true.
I nodded inwardly as I listened to their conversation.
With this, all of Winston’s gems had successfully fallen into my hands.
I had been worried about how to collect all five, but it had been faster and easier than expected.
‘I’ll have to take my time deciding who to give the gems to.’
Besides, I still hadn’t decided what to do with Nathaniel.
I fell into deep thought as I watched the two women laughing.
*
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, I slipped out of Veronica’s room with the help of the demons.
“Ugh…”
It was hard for a child’s body to resist sleep.
With Bibi’s help, I had forcibly enhanced my body to drive the drowsiness away, but it was still a struggle. It was because the amount of mana Claudia could use at her current age was limited.
[Still, Master, you have much more mana than other children your age!]
“Really?”
[Of course! If anything, your body aches because your mana is so vast.]
“Hmm.”
Was it because I inherited the blood of a Sword Master and the Winstons?
To have an ordinary physical frame but an excessive amount of mana… perhaps that was why her body had been so weak.
I tilted my head, thinking of the original Claudia who had died at a young age.
Soon, we arrived at the place where Nathaniel was staying.
“…Nathaniel?”
The room was silent. Darkness had settled in, making it impossible to see an inch ahead.
Perhaps because it was a room for servants that wasn't in use, there was only a single bed sitting lonely in the corner of the small space—and it was empty.
With my vision enhanced by the demons to see in the dark, I tilted my head in confusion.
Then, I spotted Nathaniel curled up uncomfortably behind the bed.
“Nathaniel, what are you doing there?”
“…”
Why was he sitting in such a pitiful posture?
I clicked my tongue as I looked down at Nathaniel, who was merely staring up at me blankly.
“Come here. You’re supposed to sleep on the bed.”
“…”
At least he was awake. I patted the hard mattress and spoke to him.
Then, I glanced around the room. Fortunately, it seemed Ilnes had done his job; there were plates on the floor that looked like they had held bread and soup. Moreover, the plates were licked clean.
“Ilnes?”
[…]
“Hey, Ilnes!”
I called out softly since he had been nowhere to be seen for a while.
Then, a gray haze shimmered and rose from a corner.
[Why are you calling me…?]
“I was going to praise you for doing a good job.”
[Sigh, do you know what time it is…?]
“I told you it’s hard for me to come during the day.”
I shook my head at the grumbling Ilnes. He let out a deep sigh and drifted closer.
[So, why did you call me again?]
“I told you, I wanted to praise you.”
[Hmph, I did work hard despite the hassle.]
Haha! Ilnes flew around the room, laughing with a level of energy I’d never seen from him before.
Watching him, Desmond clicked his tongue.
[Tsk, tsk. Still as dim-witted as ever.]
[What, Desmond? You were here too?]
[You certainly took your time noticing.]
Desmond shook his head, while Bibi showed no interest at all. While the other demons didn't exactly get along, the relationship with Ilnes went beyond just "not getting along."
‘They really have zero interest in each other.’
It almost seemed like Desmond and Bibi, who shouted and fought constantly, were on better terms.
I clicked my tongue as well and turned my head. Nathaniel was still crouched on the floor.
“Nathaniel, it’s okay, come over here.”
“…”
“Nathaniel?”
Was he still not in his right mind?
As I tilted my head and looked at him with concern, Nathaniel’s lips slowly parted.
“Is that… my name?”
“What?”
“Natha… niel?”
“…”
He didn't even know his own name.
A wave of shock washed over me. To think he hadn't been answering because he couldn't remember his name.
I let out a small sigh and nodded.
“Yes, that’s your name. Nathaniel.”
“I see…”
“I’m Claudia.”
“Clau… dia.”
“Call me Dia.”
“Okay, Dia.”
Nathaniel murmured softly, like a child learning his first words.
Though he was larger than the current Claudia, he was still a child, and in my eyes, he seemed incredibly young.
Seeing him follow me so purely instead of being wary of a stranger made me feel a pang of pity.
‘Maybe it’s because of his white hair, but he’s like a little bird.’
Muttering to myself, I wrapped a blanket around Nathaniel as he approached.
“Are you hungry?”
“No…”
“Are you sleepy?”
“No…”
Nathaniel shook his head and stared at me with clear, wide eyes.
Having only faced his unfocused, blurry gaze until now, this was quite startling.
Given that he was answering without the nonsense he’d spouted during the day, it seemed he had regained his senses to some extent.
I asked, half-doubtingly, “Do you remember anything?”
“…”
Nathaniel, sitting pitifully on the bed, blinked his eyes wide.
“Remember…?”
“Yeah. Do you know you were in the Temple until now?”
“…”
Nathaniel’s clear face clouded over. Seeing his expression darken instantly, a wave of guilt hit me. I quickly waved my hands.
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to remember.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s okay. You’re never going back there again.”
“…”
Nathaniel’s hands, resting on his knees, trembled slightly.
He might not remember clearly, but he seemed terrified enough to shake at the mere mention of the word ‘Temple.’
After a moment of hesitation, I reached out cautiously. Then, I gently took his trembling hand in mine.
“It’s okay now.”
“…”
Nathaniel stopped trembling and gazed at me intently. Soon, he gave a faint smile.
“Okay.”
“…”
So he knows how to smile. This was the first time I’d seen him do so.
With his doll-like face, the smile suited him breathtakingly well.
I felt my face flush and cleared my throat. It felt incredibly foolish to react this way to a child.
“Ahem. Anyway, you’ll have to stay here for the time being.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll find a way soon…”
“Okay.”
“…”
I think he’s just answering mindlessly.
I looked at Nathaniel with a skeptical eye as he nodded without even listening to the end of my sentences. He just tilted his head back at me.
Sigh, whatever.
He was a child who had lost most of his memories and was practically a blank slate. I’d have to be patient with him for a while.
“How do you feel? Can you move around?”
“Yes…”
Although Ilnes had removed the sorcery and divine power, there were likely still faint traces of the spells that had restricted his body and mind.
Furthermore, since he had been harboring a vast amount of divine power that would have killed an ordinary person, there were bound to be aftereffects.
However, Nathaniel only nodded, saying he was fine. It was an unconvincing gesture.
“Ilnes.”
[What now?]
“Keep a close eye on his condition for a while, okay?”
[Whew, fine. I get it.]
“…”
I frowned, staring at Ilnes, who was being surprisingly compliant.
Come to think of it, every other demon I’d met had pestered me for a contract the moment we met. Was Ilnes really okay without one?
Driven by sudden curiosity, I spoke up.
“By the way, don’t you need to make a contract?”
[What are you talking about?]
“What?”
[I already made one.]
“…?”
What on earth was he talking about?
I stared at the nonchalant Ilnes in utter bewilderment.