I thought he was grateful for breaking the magic, but even young, Ruvlian was Ruvlian. I don’t know how many times I’m already experiencing this burning personality when we’ve only just met.
“And well, th-thank you for breaking the magic too……”
His voice gradually became fainter toward the end of his words. Young Ruvlian, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me, looked at the ground then looked at me again.
“Thanks.”
Then he spat out words that seemed crushed, as if he’d rolled them around in his mouth for who knows how long. So hard to notice, it was like a really light breeze brushing past my ear.
His face and ears burned up as if they’d been scorched by fire, and now even his neck had turned red. Shamelessness naturally followed when it came to Ruvlian, but this behavior was unfamiliar. His hesitation clearly showed he didn’t usually say such words. One cabin in this endlessly vast forest. Probably the only master he had was rotten in personality, so words of thanks would be awkward and embarrassing.
Instead of answering, I placed my hand on the child’s head and moved my hand more carefully than the rough touch earlier, gently as if handling a glass that would crack at a touch.
Round blue eyes. Small lips slightly parted. Red cheeks showing no signs of subsiding. The wind rustling gently between us. The warm sunlight streaming down. I gazed at this scene meticulously as if engraving it on my retina.
“B-but since you broke the curse, can’t you give at least a drop of blood?”
The one who broke the peaceful air was the child’s master, Scalane, whose soul had returned. Young Ruvlian’s brow narrowed and his gentle eyes turned sharp upward. It was a face anyone could see was annoyed.
“Stop it already, you stubborn old man!”
“Tsk tsk. My disciple. That’s why you’re young! You’re being fooled by that, that refined face and stupidly can’t recognize the value of the things that make up that body! If your head doesn’t contain pasta noodles instead of a brain, you should naturally recognize that value!”
Anger rose at Scalane speaking with spittle flying. I’d let it go even knowing the apology he made earlier was because he wanted to get something from me. I could tell just by looking at his expression that it didn’t contain a single bit of soul.
But he keeps crossing the line. Though it wasn’t words directed at me, young Ruvlian was, Ruvlian was the object who gave me that unique emotion. I knew his personality was originally terrible, but I couldn’t help being angry seeing him treated like this.
“You crazy old man! You acted gently toward Rian from the start too! You didn’t crack his head or threaten him right after meeting, so why only to me! Plus you did things you taught me were rude! You’re the one who filled your head with something else and wear it as decoration!”
Just as I was about to use force, young Ruvlian raised his voice with veins bulging. His voice rose loud and high enough to hurt the ears.
Young Ruvlian didn’t back down to his master, Scalane. The way he refuted each point was like a puppy yapping to protect someone stronger than himself.
“That’s natural treatment since he’s Big Celton’s lover. There are adult matters that young, young you don’t know!”
“Lover?”
Young Ruvlian turned his head at rapid speed. Clear and bright eyes that distinctly held me wavered aimlessly. He seemed greatly shocked by the word lover of all things. For some reason, I was swept up in a feeling that I had to tell him that wasn’t the case. I moved my mouth and spat out a completed sentence.
“Not a lover. ……We won’t date.”
Really, there was no such thing as dating. Once the parallel world Ruvlian’s matter was resolved, I planned to send Ruvlian back to his original world.
Even though God knew of Ruvlian’s existence and kept his mouth shut, and though the reason for that hadn’t been revealed, someone who hadn’t received God’s blessing and protection couldn’t live in another world. Even if he received it, the word “together” wasn’t permitted to us since the world’s balance mustn’t be shaken.
Young Ruvlian, who had brightened at my words, immediately changed his expression. The child asks in a slightly sulky tone.
“Do you like him?”
“……Who?”
“That person. Big Celton? Do you like that person with the weird name?”
I thought while finding traces of grown Ruvlian in sulky young Ruvlian’s face. I like him. I couldn’t not like him. To me, before being a crazy bastard, Ruvlian was that kind of person. The person who could give me this one and only emotion.
But separate from that, I’d never brought that emotion outside. It was because it felt like something would change if I spoke it. Though actually nothing would change.
“Who knows.”
This time too, I gave an uncertain, ambiguous answer. Young Ruvlian’s question made me chew over my feelings toward Ruvlian, and the anger that had risen subsided. Though unpleasant emotions did ripple when I looked at Scalane’s face.
Eyes of the color I love that reached me examine me thoroughly. Though I hid it, as if searching for traces of emotion leaking out. Soon the tightly closed lips opened.
“……You’re lying. You like him.”
“Does it look that way?”
If young Ruvlian could notice, Ruvlian would have known from long, long ago. I didn’t think he wouldn’t know, but it felt like having it directly confirmed that he knew. There was a reason he came closer even while knowing I pushed him away.
“How could I not know? You’re really annoying.”
He bit down hard on his lower lip and glared at me. His two eyes filled with venom welled up with moisture. I froze just like that. If it were an unrelated child, he wouldn’t have been in my sight in the first place, but this was Ruvlian. Young Ruvlian looked about to shed tears. Not knowing what to do, only my hand that had unconsciously moved forward was frozen in the air.
Seeing that, the child whose eyelashes had also become moist asks sharply.
“You’ve never even coaxed a child?”
“You’re shouting even though you’ve never received coaxing either, my disciple.”
“The old man who always just makes me work, be quiet!”
Young Ruvlian, who turned his head for a moment then scolded Scalane who butted in, looked at me again. Then he tells me his wish disguised as a command.
“Hug me.”
Without objection, I stretched out my arms that had been awkwardly floating in the air and took the child into my embrace. I felt the child’s warm body temperature. The scent of the forest and a cozy scent mixed dizzily and poked at the tip of my nose. The immature voice states another one as if it’s the next step.
“Pat my back.”
I patted the small back, different from the back that had pointed at me with clumsy gestures. I repeated taking my hand off and putting it back on the back at a regular rhythm, carefully as if touching something very precious.
I felt two small hands gripping my clothes tightly. Near my shoulder and neck, hair was rubbed as if the child was shaking his head. I also faintly felt the touch of a small nose and eyebrows.
Did young Ruvlian have no wariness? He craves affection from me like this when we first met today. I couldn’t not know since he resembled my childhood self.
As we stayed like that for a while, a subtle gaze reached me. The child’s master, Scalane, stared intently at me and young Ruvlian then opened his lips.
“You’re saying you’re not lovers?”
It was a tone of disbelief. Pity crossed the eyes that couldn’t hide their excitement. Then he mutters to himself quietly, “Poor child.” Affection he couldn’t hide was glimpsed in his eyes.
Though his words were rough and he hurt feelings at the drop of a hat, he seemed to cherish his disciple, that is, Ruvlian. I thought he should fix his speech habits even a little if he’d grown attached, but then I went crazy thinking this might be the fixed version.
Just as I was recalling the speech habits of some mages I’d seen at the Magic Tower, the child suddenly raised his head. Completely dry eyes look straight at me.
“Don’t do it.”
“What?”
Young Ruvlian protruded his lips. His white ears gradually became painted red. He shoots a look as if asking don’t I know this, as if asking must he say this with his own mouth. His mouth finally opens.
“……Don’t date that bastard you like.”
……That’s the future you. I shoved the words trying to come out under my tongue. I swallowed down all the things I wanted to say in case the future might get twisted if I mentioned future matters, so I had nothing to say.
“Hehe. He’s digging his own grave.”
When I turned my head at the absurd voice, Scalane was shaking his head. It was a face saying he was kicking away the blessing that came on its own feet. For now, I could agree with his words.
After doing this, when we met as hero, to act like that. I wondered to the degree of how many iron plates he’d put on his face.
Of course, at first he might not have known Big Celton meant himself. However, there was no way he, whose head turned well, couldn’t notice that Big Celton was himself after seeing me who came as a hero. He would have definitely noticed right away within just a few days.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
The child’s eyes, which had been looking back and forth between me and his master, turn triangular. As if he wouldn’t let go of my clothes unless I gave a definite answer, more strength went into his hands.
A hollow laugh flowed out. After persistently getting a promise not to date himself like this, he’s the one who acted sweet first? This was nothing but comedy.
“I won’t.”
“Really?”
At the thoroughness of even double-checking, I became curious what expression this young Ruvlian would make when he grew up in the future and realized the truth. I wanted to ask Ruvlian later what it felt like to have himself become an obstacle.
“Yeah.”
After giving my answer, I removed one of the hands gripping my clothes. Then when I even hooked my finger to his small, short pinky finger, the delighted child went one step further and pressed our thumbs together to stamp it. His delight was evident, so I felt a little prick of conscience.
However, that prick of conscience quickly disappeared. It was thanks to remembering how Ruvlian acted endlessly gentle and cutely toward me when I’d not long become a hero. Since paying off his own karma seemed to suit his disposition, it would be an unnecessary worry.
[He’s properly tangling up his own life……]
God, who had seemed to be quietly watching, stealthily added words. It was a statement with no room for rebuttal.
