<Chapter 65>
#7. Journey (4)
Melty blinked at Calix’s question and nodded obediently. After relieving some of his worries about the people suffering from drought, curiosity about the new village they had arrived in arose. Having paid for their meal, Calix kept Melty firmly by his side as they made their way to the village square.
“By the way, what happened to the people at the temple?”
“Our side will take care of it. We can easily accommodate that many people.”
It was questionable why they had traveled over such a distant and difficult path to reach Padrian in the first place. But that wasn’t something for Melty to worry about either. Angel’s neat report on the situation was due to be delivered to him soon. But that also wasn’t something for Melty to concern himself with.
Reaching out to tousle Melty’s hair, Calix leisurely looked around. Despite the late hour, people were still bustling about. Thanks to the lamps placed here and there, it wasn’t difficult to see.
The village closest to the Padrian family was small in scale but had various amenities without lacking anything. Calix, with his arm resting on Melty’s shoulder, nodded toward the most eye-catching shop. In front of the shop, various stalls were lined up in a row.
“How about that?”
“Wow~”
An exclamation escaped Melty’s lips as he turned his head in the direction Calix was pointing. With sparkling eyes, Melty slipped from his arm and approached the stalls. Calix glanced sourly at the spot where only a faint warmth remained, then sighed and moved closely behind him.
“Welcome. These are very rare items sold only here.”
“Did you make these yourself?”
The first thing Melty picked up with a curious expression was a palm-sized model of a temple. The temple, carved from wood, was meticulously crafted down to the smallest details. The woman smiled warmly as she watched him handling the temple model with fascination.
“Yes, I carved it myself. Please look at the other items too.”
“…When I suggested looking, I meant the shop next door.”
Calix frowned with a reluctant expression and turned his gaze to the side. The shop next door was one that made various accessories using colorful glass. He thought it would be much more eye-catching than plain wooden carvings, but it seemed Melty didn’t see it that way.
“Calix-ssi. Look at this. It’s exactly the same!”
With sparkling eyes, Melty held out the temple in his hands toward Calix.
“…Well, if you like it, I’ll buy it for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
From the start, Calix had planned to buy everything Melty showed interest in today. He knew that Melty wasn’t someone who easily succumbed to the temptation of money like Angel, but there was no need to deliberately hide his second charm point.
Eager to remove the word ‘temporary’ from ‘temporary lovers’ as soon as possible, Calix was willing to pour out everything he had. Still, he was a bit dissatisfied that the gift for their first trip was merely a ‘temple model.’
“But isn’t something else prettier than that? How about that one?”
Calix’s finger pointed to a snake statue placed to the side. The black snake, with red rubies instead of eyes, had its mouth wide open. Naru, too, stared intently at the snake statue as if agreeing with Calix’s opinion. Despite the aggressive campaign by the two snakes, Melty’s eyes showed no interest in the snake statue.
“Not really… I’ll go with this one.”
“…Please ring it up.”
Despite compliments about his good taste and how wonderful it was, Calix’s expression didn’t soften. With a dissatisfied look, he glared at the still imposing snake statue, then at Melty’s head as he excitedly held the temple in both hands.
“The snake was cool too… Isn’t it better than the temple?”
“The temple is better! It’s the Beast God’s temple!”
“……”
Calix frowned at Melty’s statement, choosing the temple without needing to think about it. Although it was just about a model, the feeling of losing to a god that didn’t even exist couldn’t be erased. Quickly noticing Calix’s displeased mood, Melty glanced at his complexion and spoke.
“I’ll pay you back when I get my salary.”
“Huh… Do you think I’m upset about the money?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No, I just don’t like the item.”
Melty laughed softly as he watched Calix mutter, ‘The snake is cooler.’ If he liked it so much, he could have bought it for himself, but Calix firmly refused, saying that was completely different. Shaking his head, Melty looked at the temple in his hand and asked.
“Why do you dislike the Beast God so much, Calix-ssi?”
“It’s not that I dislike it. I just don’t think about it. I don’t believe the Beast God exists.”
Melty’s eyes widened at Calix’s indifferent answer. The magnitude of belief in the Beast God’s existence varied from person to person, but he had never met someone who so firmly said, ‘It doesn’t exist.’ Melty cautiously broached the subject while glancing at Calix.
“…Is it because you didn’t receive a ‘Gift’?”
All beast-people could receive abilities related to their bodies through ‘blessings’ at the Beast God’s temple when they came of age. And among them, a very small number of beast-people also received a ‘Gift.’ The criteria by which the Beast God bestowed ‘Gifts’ were unknown. Some people were angered at being excluded from being one of these special individuals.
‘I still don’t know what my Gift is…’
Fidgeting with the temple model in his hands, Melty watched Calix cautiously.
“What do you take me for?”
Calix smirked and answered by pressing down on Melty’s head. Like Melty, he too had received a very special ‘Gift’ at the Beast God’s temple. Thanks to this, he could instantly determine whether a person, even a stranger, could be useful to him. Meeting Melty was actually due to this ability.
“How can you believe that these abilities received at the coming-of-age ceremony are given by the Beast God in the first place? They could just be abilities that awaken when you become an adult. When the only proof of existence is the temple, how can you believe it?”
“But the Beast God tells you directly during the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Yes, that’s why it’s all a lie… What?”
Melty’s eyes widened at Calix’s sudden questioning tone. Calix, grabbing Melty’s shoulders with a puzzled look, asked again. Though he knew very well that Melty wouldn’t lie about such things, Calix couldn’t help but scrutinize his face.
“What do you mean the Beast God told you directly? Are you saying it actually appeared?”
Melty blinked at Calix’s question and nodded up and down. Though he hadn’t seen the Beast God directly, he clearly remembered hearing a voice resonating in his head.
“During the coming-of-age ceremony, when you pray at the temple like this, the Beast God tells you. ‘This is your blessing!'”
“…You heard a voice…? Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”
“Come on, how could I mishear that?”
Melty tapped Calix’s hand on his shoulder and laughed. Even after his laughter stopped, Calix remained frozen and unmoving, causing Melty to look up at him with a puzzled expression.
“Didn’t you hear it, Calix-ssi?”
“…I…didn’t…hear it…?”
“Eh? Then how did you know what your blessing was??”
At Melty’s question, Calix ran his hand through his hair with an awkward laugh. He wanted to laugh it off casually as if it were nothing, but what Melty had said was too perplexing to simply dismiss.
“You just know what blessing you have. It’s hard to explain, but you feel it.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying at all, Calix-ssi. What about the Gift then?”
“The Gift is the same. Wait, don’t tell me… Did you hear the Gift through a voice too?”
After hesitating at Calix’s question, Melty nodded with an awkward smile. Looking at Melty, who was watching for his reaction, Calix could only let out a deflated sound. Though he had met quite a few people due to work, Melty was the first person who claimed to have heard the Beast God’s voice during the coming-of-age ceremony.
“People who don’t properly utilize their Gift often fail to grasp what ability it is. They rely only on fleeting feelings, so they’re often slow to understand how to use it or what kind of ability it is. That’s why I thought you were like that too…”
Calix, stroking his chin in thought, raised the question that still remained.
“You said you heard directly what it was? Then why don’t you know?”
“Uh… That’s… Well…”
This time, Melty found it difficult to answer Calix’s question. He had never thought it strange that he heard that voice on that day. Like everyone else, the coming-of-age ceremony was a first for Melty. So he had just assumed that was how coming-of-age ceremonies were.
“…I was thinking about something else… and didn’t hear it properly…”
“…What?”
Melty, who had mumbled his answer, looked up at him with an awkward laugh. Calix was at a loss for words at Melty’s shocking revelation, which was different from earlier.
“Were you too surprised when you first heard the voice?”
“Um…”
Melty dragged out the end of his word at Calix’s question. While hearing the voice of a god was certainly surprising, that wasn’t why he had missed the latter part. Recalling the shocking blessing he had received from the Beast God, Melty awkwardly smiled and unconsciously rubbed his round belly.
The food he had eaten seemed to be digesting now, as his belly was less round than right after finishing the meal. Just as Calix’s hand was about to reach for Melty’s belly, which he was suddenly touching:
“Little one, come over here and have your fortune told too.”
Melty looked up at the small but distinct voice. A kind-looking elderly woman was enthusiastically gesturing toward him. On her stall was a single round crystal.
“Ca-Calix-ssi. The grandmother is calling me.”
“What? Forget it. It’s all just sales tactics anyway. By the way, is your stomach hurting?”
“No, it’s not. Ah! Don’t touch my stomach.”
Without even raising his head once, Calix finally placed his hand on Melty’s belly. Embarrassed by his still bulging curved belly, Melty took a deep breath. Seeing that Melty had held his breath and sucked in his stomach as much as possible, Calix explored his belly with a serious expression, hiding his mischievousness.
“It feels hard, so it seems like something’s wrong.”
“Pfft! I told you it doesn’t hurt!”
Finally unable to hold it any longer, Melty exhaled and forcefully removed Calix’s hand. As he moved his body this way and that to avoid Calix’s hand trying to reattach itself, Melty discovered the elderly woman still standing in the same place, watching them.
“Little one.”
At the affectionate call, Calix, who had been fully teasing Melty, turned his head. Now receiving the attention of both Melty and Calix, the elderly woman continued to speak with a smiling face, moving her hand:
“Come over here and have your fortune told.”
