“Then, want to come with me?”
A thoughtless comment from a child who mistook him for having lost his mother.
But to Abrisius, who had nowhere to go, it was an irresistibly sweet proposal.
‘…I don’t have anywhere to go anyway.’
Even if he somehow managed to shake off the hunters now, as long as he couldn’t return to his original form, he’d have to spend his entire life running like this. Besides, the forest didn’t just have hunters—there were dangerous beasts as well.
‘And I can’t go back to Seianes now either…’
If he went back, all his suffering until now would be for nothing. In the first place, he’d gone through all this hardship to change the future between him and Seianes that he’d seen flash before his eyes like a panorama.
“…Mm? Let’s go together.”
The boy’s hand touched the head of Abrisius, who had quietly fallen into thought.
A bright face that showed no trace of betrayal. Pure, clear eyes that held no impure intentions, just like when he first saw them. Yes, if it’s those eyes, they’re worth trusting.
“Squee…”
‘I will…’
Having quickly organized his thoughts, Abrisius slowly leaned his head against the boy’s hand. It was a kind of sign of permission. Noticing this, a radiant smile bloomed on the child’s face.
“Thanks, deer. I’ll really treat you well.”
‘Well, living like this for a while wouldn’t be so bad.’
For some time, he couldn’t return to his human form anyway, and staying here would only mean being chased by hunters, so following him was the better option.
With that, he closed his eyes, leaning into the boy’s warm touch.
But that was only for a moment—heavy footsteps pushing through the reeds were heard behind Abrisius.
“Get away from that deer right now.”
A chilling voice followed.
The peaceful atmosphere turned cold. Ricarkos’s eyes, panting heavily, glittered with greed.
“Kiiee…”
‘Just when I thought I could finally relax, he still hasn’t given up?’
Abrisius’s heart pounded with anxiety at the persistent boy’s pursuit. Pressured by the intimidation of the pursuing party, his fear grew that the blue-eyed boy might give him up.
‘No, please don’t abandon me. You said you’d take me with you, so don’t give up over something like this.’
“Squee…”
To not lose his last hope, Abrisius burrowed deeper into the boy’s embrace. The boy silently wrapped his arms around his trembling body.
“Hurry!”
Ricarkos’s rough voice spread through the reeds.
But despite Ricarkos’s threats, the boy before him remained unmoved. Rather, he tightened his grip on the arms holding Abrisius.
“What are you doing, not listening to me? Put it down right now. That’s my prey!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Ricarkos moved to forcibly snatch Abrisius from the boy.
However…
Smack—!
The boy struck away the hand that reached out like a demon’s claw.
“Is there any reason I should comply with those words?”
His gentle voice had sunk low. With cold eyes different from the kindness he’d shown Abrisius, the boy glared at the prince and spoke quietly.
“Don’t order me around so carelessly, Prince.”
Without batting an eye, the boy was ignoring Ricarkos. Daring to ignore Ricarkos, the prince of Adlen.
“That… That…”
Ricarkos trembled at the impudent boy’s behavior. His face reddened as if he’d strike the boy before him at any moment.
However, Ricarkos didn’t do so. No, more precisely, he couldn’t.
“Cairens, are you ignoring me right now?”
“Squeak?”
‘What?’
A familiar name burst from Ricarkos’s mouth. The moment he heard it, Abrisius’s ears perked up sharply.
‘If it’s Cairens, then surely, from the novel I read… the protagonist?’
Could that boy before his eyes be…?
The hero of this world, who would later become Abrisius’s rival, defeat him, and claim Seianes.
With a sense of disbelief, Abrisius glanced up at the boy—no, Cairens—holding him.
Red hair and lake-blue eyes, Cairens’s distinguishing features. They matched the image described in the novel perfectly.
The only difference was that the Cairens in the novel was an adult, while the Cairens before his eyes was a young child.
‘Really Cairens?’
Realizing this fact, the desperation he’d felt just moments ago and his favorable feelings toward the boy melted away like snow.
Who was he suffering because of right now… Of course, it was largely due to the future he’d glimpsed, but this bastard stealing Seianes’s heart wasn’t entirely blameless either.
After all, it was true that this bastard would oppose him because of Seianes.
Meanwhile, while Abrisius fell into confusion, a strange war of nerves passed between Cairens and Ricarkos. Holding Abrisius firmly in his embrace, Cairens smiled sweetly while pointing out the prince’s attitude.
“I’m simply not indulging your unreasonable demands.”
Cairens was responding with a smile to the prince who was intimidating him. There was a sense of leisure, as if he were soothing a whining child.
“So maintain your dignity, Prince.”
“You… How dare you…”
The more he did so, the redder Ricarkos’s face became with shame. Though Cairens found Ricarkos laughable, he didn’t let his guard down either.
Over a single young deer, a tense energy began to swirl between the two boys.
“…Callipus, bring that deer before me at once.”
Unable to win against Cairens with words, Ricarkos ground his teeth and commanded his attendant with a nod.
“Hurry.”
More than anything, putting him forward was close to showing off that he had an attendant while Cairens didn’t.
I have subordinates who obey my words, but you don’t. You have nothing but your bloodline as a god’s son.
Cairens, who received more precious treatment than himself just for being a god’s son.
Ricarkos found it extremely disagreeable that Cairens dared to act so brazenly toward him, the prince of this nation, using that as leverage.
That’s why he had to take this deer before his eyes.
In the process, he planned to use his loyal retainers—something Cairens didn’t have but he did—to gain the upper hand over Cairens and teach him a lesson.
But…
“Y-Your Highness.”
Contrary to his expectations, the loyal Callipus remained unmoved.
He hesitated, glancing between Ricarkos and Cairens, not knowing what to do, only rolling his eyes back and forth.
“What? Move right now!”
Even at Ricarkos’s roar, he continued only to read the room.
The surrounding knights were the same. Even the knights who had been hunting Abrisius together kept their mouths firmly shut, reading Cairens’s expression.
The reason was simple.
Their master was Prince Ricarkos, but Cairens was a god’s son.
They feared divine punishment if they chose loyalty, and at the same time feared retaliation from the prince before them. They couldn’t carelessly take either side.
“Are you all… reading that fellow’s expression instead of mine? When I am your master…!”
Seeing them all hesitating without anyone stepping forward readily, Ricarkos finally grasped the situation and shouted with bloodshot eyes.
To them, he should be heaven, should be god…!
He was flabbergasted that they dared to read the expression of the god’s son—not even a real god, just one of the demigods—Cairens.
“Haa…”
The situation was one step away from him beheading them all. Finally, letting out a deep sigh, Cairens stepped forward himself.
“Prince, do you think I’m trying to take this deer purely for my own selfish desires?”
“W-What? Isn’t that obvious? It’s my prey. You’re taking what I discovered first and pretending it’s your prey…”
“How foolish.”
Cutting off Ricarkos’s mumbling, Cairens looked at the prince as if he were pathetic.
“Even in your eyes, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? Black fur and red eyes. An uncommonly seen deer. Obviously special at a glance.”
“That’s right, because it’s special. That’s why I’m trying to catch it as my prey in this hunting competition! And you’re trying to steal it. Don’t tell me you think this deer should be your prey just because you’re a god’s son?”
Still unable to contain his anger, Ricarkos pointed accusingly at Abrisius.
The specialness of that deer. That would establish his authority as prince.
“You can’t see the bigger picture because of your emotions. This deer is special. And don’t you know what that means? It’s a sacred creature blessed by the gods.”
As if fed up with Ricarkos trying to fulfill his greed and satisfaction to the end, Cairens shouted loudly.
“Have broader vision. There are things more important than immediate recognition. Even if you catch this deer and gain recognition from the king and the people, what use would it be if divine punishment and calamities greater than that descend?”
With clearly logical words, Cairens completely pressured Ricarkos. Even Abrisius in his embrace couldn’t close his mouth at his dignified yet logical speech.
‘He looks about my age though…’
Unlike himself, whose biggest concern had been what fruit to eat while playing each day, Cairens was mature and quite sharp.
‘…How annoying.’
Abrisius’s brow furrowed slightly at the feeling of somehow having lost. Yet he had not even a speck of intention to leave Cairens. Rather than following that young, arrogant prince, Cairens’s embrace was a hundred times better, even if it was humiliating.
“Damn it…”
Unable to properly refute Cairens’s logical words, Ricarkos swallowed his curses.
Now no one here seemed to be on Ricarkos’s side.
The words of Cairens, the god’s son, became a kind of evidence, and they were accepting as fact that Abrisius was a sacred creature.
“…How would you know…”
Except for Ricarkos alone.
Whether he was bitter about having Abrisius stolen from him by Cairens, or whether he just didn’t want to acknowledge that his words were correct, he still denied his words while trembling.
But even to his final struggle, Cairens replied with a sweet smile.
“Of course I know. Because I’m a god’s son.”
It was Ricarkos’s indisputable defeat.
