“Still not? Not today either?”
The eye level of the one following me around was quite low.
He had shrunk his body to a build similar to Lenox, whom I left behind in the imperial palace. I don’t know why he keeps getting smaller, but it was troublesome because my heart softened a bit when he looked like that.
“Why not…”
“What can I do when nothing comes to mind?”
At my indifferent retort, the guy who had become a little kid stuck out his lips. Come to think of it, his expressions had now become clear enough to be seen quite vividly.
‘Though he’s still whitish.’
The golden eyes embedded in his face, white and pretty like rice cakes, were admirable no matter when I looked at them. What if color came to that face? Wouldn’t he look more lovable if warm reddish tones appeared on his cheeks, nose tip, and lips?
As I stared without realizing it, he, who had been quietly receiving my gaze, gently curved his eyes and smiled.
“I’m glad you seem to like this face.”
“…”
“Shall I fill you up today too?”
I was about to nod when I realized he was still in the form of a little kid, smiling brightly, and scratched my cheek.
“But, isn’t there another way?”
“To transfer power?”
“Yeah.”
We met frequently—once every two days at most, or at least once every four or five days. Each time, we kissed for the reason of raising the ‘Chaos Meter.’
No matter how much there was a purpose, I couldn’t help but be conscious of it because the action itself carried nuances.
“I’m asking if you can give it differently. Especially when you look like that…”
He replied in a sullen voice.
“I thought you’d like it if I was small and cute.”
I have no idea how he came to think that. Even if I did like small and cute things, kissing him in an underdeveloped form is a bit… Of course, even in his fully grown form, it’s gradually becoming troublesome.
‘Because it makes me assign unnecessary meaning to it.’
As I maintained a picky attitude with my arms crossed, he let out a light sigh and gracefully waved his arm at the air.
Then a transparent armchair, as if made of ice, appeared beside me.
“Will you try sitting here?”
I hesitantly sat in the chair. Unlike my expectation that it would be hard and cold, I felt a surprisingly cozy texture wrapping around my body.
After confirming I had settled in, he promptly climbed onto my lap. He approached naturally as if being embraced, and even stretched out both arms to hug my shoulders.
A cool sensation spread from his forehead and hair touching my nape.
“Doing it like this takes longer to transfer power.”
It seemed the stronger the contact, the more efficient it was.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“What’s the problem? I can just wait like this for a bit.”
When I gently stroked his head with a slow touch, he burrowed into my embrace as if acting spoiled. It felt exactly like coaxing a small, well-behaved beast.
That impression slipped out of my mouth carelessly.
“…Like a dog.”
“Like a dog?”
“No, no. Like a dog.”
“So…”
“I said you’re cute!”
Then he, who had been wiggling his toes, raised his head.
“It seems you like animals, Your Grace.”
“I don’t dislike them?”
Are there people who dislike cute and pitiful things? The world is wide, so there might be such people somewhere.
But that wasn’t me. My life was already full just taking care of my young sister’s share too, so I never dared to think about raising an animal.
Still, if I had the capacity and fate allowed it, I had thought about reluctantly taking in one or so.
“Then you won’t bully me?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Flustered, I lowered my head and our eyes met. His golden eyes were looking at me with an innocent light.
“If you like me, you won’t kick me or bully me, right?”
“So what are you even talking about? That’s just something you shouldn’t do regardless of liking or not liking.”
Somehow I felt a strange nuance. As if someone had tormented him when he was small in that way.
Feeling uneasy, I lightly shook him in my arms and said firmly.
“If anyone treats you like that, kick their shin hard or bite them hard anywhere.”
Instead of answering, he just smiled brightly. I felt like my chest would burst.
“Don’t just live taking it. Okay?”
“…”
“No, just stay somewhere safe. Good people are rare but bad bastards are needlessly abundant in this world. Unless you absolutely have to, don’t go wandering around carelessly.”
Only after nagging several more times did he answer.
“If I just stick right next to you like this, will you protect me then?”
“Saying I’ll protect you is a bit grandiose… but at least I won’t just stand by watching that happen.”
The smaller, younger, and weaker the other party, the more so. Because there was a part of me that tried to become strong for that purpose.
“Then that’s enough.”
He hugged me tightly and adorably rubbed his head against my chest. His attitude showed he was very satisfied.
While holding him with cool energy flowing out, I asked if traces would remain even when receiving power like this. I was referring to the golden mark that appeared on my solar plexus, and as expected, it was engraved from receiving his power.
“That won’t erase now. It’ll continue to be here.”
His small fingertip wandered around my chest and gently pressed where the mark was.
“Because it means I’m watching over your soul.”
Beneath that cool hand, a hot heart was beating and thumping.
Time passed a bit more like that.
The abundant money, goods, and food I brought were extremely helpful to those who became territory residents. People completely let go of their worries about the newly appointed Grand Duke Betius, and now seemed to even think they were fortunate I came.
Perhaps because of that, those wanting an audience with me increased noticeably. Of course, I didn’t meet them. It was because my body, unable to endure the change in reputation, frequently complained of abnormal symptoms.
In the end, the option of holding him and waiting all night became a luxury. Especially when there were supply schedules.
Now I was no longer in a position to be picky, so it became a habit to kiss him right away when I met him. It was a desperate struggle to survive.
‘Didn’t you say you disliked kissing before?’
‘You should see this as refueling now.’
The body that trembled because even 1 minute of planks was difficult could now endure up to 5 minutes. I could also fairly plausibly perform overhead strikes, the basic swordsmanship stance.
Knight Commander Wieg was also suspicious watching me grow at a frightening speed.
‘Looking at how you handle a sword, you’re definitely a beginner… How do you use your body so well?’
‘Trade secret.’
‘Even in such a short period, this rapidly… It seems impossible without knowing tricks. Do you have a method of managing it…?’
‘…That’s also a trade secret.’
‘And Your Grace. I happened to see earlier when you came early, that… you were doing something like kicks…’
‘No. You saw wrong.’
Still, perhaps stimulated by watching me work hard, the other soldiers also began to frequently visit the training grounds. Thanks to that, the newly established Betius Knight Order also began to quickly find its place.
‘By the way, I want to use a real sword soon.’
‘Actually, the Head Steward went out to the village for a bit. I heard he commissioned a skilled blacksmith. Since Your Grace has magical aptitude, I heard he’s making something special so you can utilize it.’
‘Billy did? As expected, he’s perceptive.’
‘…However, Your Grace. Isn’t using a real sword still too early? Even knights spend their first year adapting to wooden swords.’
‘Really? When I talked with other knights the other day, there were those who started with real swords from the beginning.’
‘Those were people who were quickly deployed to actual combat. Our guard unit has quite a few from other regions who are former mercenaries. But Your Grace…’
‘It’s no different.’
‘Pardon?’
‘I said it won’t be different for me either.’
Winter had already begun. That meant it wouldn’t be strange for this land to become dangerous at any time. Hungry magical beasts don’t wait for humans.
I declined being quietly protected. Doing nothing didn’t suit my temperament at all.
And so, it was around the time I finally received a new sword and was just starting to handle it.
“A great destiny is approaching.”
The dream world I arrived at as usual when night came. As I approached the man standing tall in the middle of the pure white place to kiss him, an inexplicable sound flowed from his cool lips.
“The wheel of fate has begun to turn, Your Grace.”
