“Master, Rose is a child who’s in danger even from a small injury. Yesterday too, he was sick and received treatment all day, so taking Rose on a mission like that is too dangerous.”
The other children also looked surprised, but no one stepped forward like Elijah did.
“I’ll go.”
Then Rose spoke with an unbothered face. When a flustered Elijah tried to stop him, Rose quietly shook his head.
“It’s okay, Elijah.”
He whispered small enough that only Elijah could hear.
“I’m not that much of an idiot.”
“Then finish your meals. If we delay too much time, it might interfere with the mission.”
Ding, ding. With the bell ringing a couple of times, the situation was very simply settled. Igrit, who sat down with a triumphant face, looked at Elijah with his characteristically irritating expression.
“Just what are you scheming, Igrit?”
“What? I just wanted Rose to participate in the mission too. Is not having magic power some kind of honor or something? He should work the same as everyone else. This food is all stuff we gathered too.”
Rose’s hand covered the back of Elijah’s hand that was tightly gripping his spoon.
“Elijah, I’m really okay.”
Elijah turned his head to look at him. It was a face that clearly showed worry and fear that couldn’t be hidden. Looking at such an Elijah, Rose smiled innocently.
“Don’t worry. I’ve lived outside much longer than you guys. I’ll do well on my own so I won’t be a useless hindrance.”
“But….”
“Elijah.”
Rose tore his bread and placed it on top of Elijah’s stew. The bread soaked in warm broth quickly softened.
“Hurry and eat. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
“….”
Elijah couldn’t stand how much he resented Igrit.
* * *
Elijah, who had left the dining hall, chased after Igrit with quick steps. Having barely narrowed the distance with Igrit who was walking ahead, he grabbed and yanked the red hair.
“Ah!”
Igrit, who was pulled along tilting by the roughly snatching force, looked up at Elijah’s fiercely crumpled face.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so desperate to bully Rose?”
“Let go of this!”
He shook off Elijah’s hand and burst out in fury.
“What’s really wrong with you? We were originally the closest!”
The heart that had built up and built up and finally burst echoed loudly against the stone wall. Elijah was just absurd and dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about? When were you and I ever close?”
“You and I have been here the longest. The only people Master hasn’t given names to are you and me! All the other bastards are all the same weeds! Don’t you know we two are the most special?”
“What is that….”
“Why the hell are you sticking to a bastard like Rose? He’s not even a mage! He came in the latest among us! He’s completely useless except for being pretty!”
“Watch your mouth, Igrit.”
“We’ll become great mages someday, and he can’t even follow at our feet! He’ll die soon anyway…, urk!”
In an instant, Igrit’s body was pushed. The back of his head that hit the wall throbbed. He faced Elijah’s angry face gripping his collar tightly.
“Say that again. What did you say?”
“Wha, so what! Let go! Any…, anyway Rose won’t live long. They said kids with that kind of disease all die soon without living long!”
“Hey! You guys stop it! Do you want to get in trouble again?”
Clover came running with thumping steps and pushed them with his whole body. Igrit and Elijah, who were hit by the heavy body, tumbled like sheets of paper.
“Elijah!”
Rose, who belatedly discovered them, hurriedly approached Elijah’s side.
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
However, Elijah absolutely couldn’t contain his anger. It was because what Igrit had just spouted was too shocking. He huffed and lunged at Igrit. Clover wrapped Igrit with his whole body.
“Ow! It hurts! Elijah, stop it! Stop it, I said!”
Clover, who had suddenly had his hair grabbed by Elijah, was swung around this way and that. In the end, Rose, who couldn’t watch anymore, hugged Elijah’s waist and lifted him up in one go.
Having lost his grip on the hair he was holding, Elijah now began to struggle with his whole body. His feet floating in the air kept kicking toward Igrit, unable to control his anger. However, the kicking with all his might ultimately couldn’t reach Igrit and only got farther and farther away.
“Let go, Rose! Let go of this!”
Rose, who had carried Elijah for quite a while until they were out of sight, completely exited the building and put him down.
The monastery’s backyard, thinly covered by snow that had fallen last night, was gently pervaded by winter’s cold. Hastily bursting white breath came from Elijah’s mouth.
“Calm down, Elijah. Why are you suddenly like this?”
“….”
He couldn’t bring himself to say he had heard that Rose wouldn’t live long. Elijah just huffed breaths, trying to digest the anger he couldn’t resolve.
“Don’t fall for Igrit’s provocation. He’s always like that anyway.”
He was so angry that tears were about to well up. With his rapidly moistening eyes wide open, Elijah quietly stared at Rose.
“….”
There was so much he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
“Elijah, it hurts here.”
Rose smiled and held out his hand.
“I scraped it on the wall trying to stop you.”
Seeing the back of the hand with raised rough skin from being shallowly scraped, Elijah was horrified and grabbed his hand.
“You’re bleeding.”
“I’m not.”
Elijah stubbornly examined his hand. A red tinge of blood showed on the skin where a weak scratch was carved.
“This much is okay.”
His heart was completely messed up in disarray. He was so hurt inside that he couldn’t stand it. Rose’s hand covered his eyelids that had become sore from the rush of heat.
“You’re not crying, right?”
“…I’m not crying.”
Elijah forcibly held back his tears. The tears that couldn’t come out completely blocked his throat and swelled as if they would burst at a touch.
Smooch, smooch, smooch…. Warm lips repeatedly touched slowly and fell away. Elijah, whose vision was still blocked by Rose’s hand, just couldn’t say anything and received his kisses.
Each time the soft sensation pressed firmly against his lips and fell away, the heat blocking his throat gradually disappeared. Rose stamped his entire lips as if pressing a seal, and also came to bump against the corners of his mouth, his chin, and his cheeks.
“Th-, …stop it now.”
Elijah turned his head back and removed his hand. Rose’s white face, tilting his head to carefully examine his expression, filled his vision. Slowly rippling brown eyes leisurely wandered over Elijah’s face.
“The tears all went in, right?”
He grinned. Elijah, who had lowered his eyes, quietly nodded. Just as Rose said, the tears that seemed like they wouldn’t disappear at all unless poured out had scattered without a trace before he knew it.
Instead, flushing heat rushed to his skin. Rose’s hand gently stroked his cheek. Absurdly, Elijah worried that his cheek was too hot and Rose might burn his hand.
Does he know too? Did he feel this heat too?
“Let’s go, Elijah.”
He must definitely know. There was no way he wouldn’t know. Even touching it himself, it was this hot.
* * *
“It’s the second floor of the inn at the end of this alley. The only guests are those bastards, so there won’t be any mistakes. But today’s mission is a more important mission than ever, so you need to keep your wits about you.”
The children listened attentively to Jade’s words with their gazes fixed on the map.
“Elijah and Iris will go in directly, and Igrit, Daisy, Rose, and Clover wait here, then when these two escape the scene, set fire to the stable to disperse attention.”
“….”
Elijah’s lips twitched. He didn’t like being separated from Rose. He wanted to be in the standby group too. However, since he couldn’t dare interrupt when Master was giving operation instructions, he had to swallow back the words that had come up to the tip of his throat.
“Have Igrit lead the standby group, and if any variables arise, deploy Daisy and Clover.”
The gray gaze that had been toward Igrit moved to Rose.
“Rose, move together with Igrit as much as possible….”
“Um…, Master.”
Elijah, who had hesitated several times, finally opened his mouth.
“Could I not join the standby group?”
Jade’s brow wrinkles deepened. He looked at Elijah for a moment and shook his head.
“Then someone has to be deployed to the scene instead of you, and that’s still a dangerous thing. There are no children as skilled in magic casting as you and Iris.”
His gaze turned to Igrit again. An aged hand firmly patted his shoulder.
“Since this is Rose’s first real combat, you need to take good care of him, Igrit.”
“Yes, Master.”
Igrit answered diligently while looking at Elijah, not his master. Don’t worry. I’ll protect your princess well. He sneered with his lips so his master wouldn’t notice.
“When the work is finished, gather here….”
Elijah couldn’t concentrate on Master’s words anymore. If it were up to him, he just wanted to take Rose and return to the monastery, never mind the operation. And he felt he could only be at ease if he hid Rose tightly away in the safest place in the monastery, his own room.
He had no idea why Master had made such a decision. Master must clearly know how much Igrit hated Rose. Though Elijah always followed Master’s words unconditionally, this time he really couldn’t help but have doubts.
“…lijah, once we go in, I’ll cast a vow of silence as always. And…, Elijah?”
Iris tapped his shoulder.
“Elijah, are you listening to me?”
“…Yeah. I’m listening.”
“Want to check this again? It’s the necklace we need to bring.”
