Rowy took out a wad of cash and paid the price. At the amount that popped out from his pocket—roughly a month’s living expenses for a commoner household—Van’s eyes widened. Come to think of it, yesterday at the slave market too, he’d paid by himself. They probably wouldn’t touch a noble in the middle of the city, but still…. Van became a bit more vigilant of his surroundings.
“Mm, as expected, you look more distinguished with a sword.”
“Thank you.”
With Van’s good physique and a sword attached, it was quite a sight to see. …Even though that sword was one-tenth the price of the pasta tongs.
“Still, it would be nice if there was a better sword.”
“This is sufficient.”
Van shook his head. This really was sufficient. However, Rowy wasn’t satisfied at all. According to the blacksmith, to get a good sword, they would have to place a custom order in the neighboring country of Marzen. He said there were no forges in Seraphila that professionally made swords.
‘Well, who would come here to play and buy a sword.’
Though he was convinced, Rowy kept looking at Van’s sword with regretful eyes. To his eyes, it seemed mediocre. Was it because he’d seen the price that the jeweled tongs looked more impressive?
“Well, it can’t be helped. Now let’s go buy clothes. Once we enter the island, we won’t be able to come out for a while.”
“The island?”
“Didn’t I mention it? We have to take a boat in.”
Rowy didn’t give any further explanation after those words. Van roughly accepted it, thinking he meant a vacation island. After that, Rowy led Van to a clothing shop. When he was greatly disappointed that there wasn’t even a sword holder, it was a shop the blacksmith had recommended.
Fortunately, he knew clothes much better than swords, so he could interfere saying pretty or not pretty. When he dressed Van in luxurious shirts and pants that matched Rowy’s taste, Van looked more like a knight than a slave. It looks plausible? Rowy melted all his tastes and dreams into Van.
“Oh my, the knight’s body is too good! Customer, how about this vest? If you wear it cinched at the waist, the chest is like this!”
“Oh oh, give me that too.”
The clothing shop owner, knowing exactly who to target, kept pushing clothes at Rowy. Van, feeling awkward, kept going in and out of the fitting room. The shopping ended only after putting golden tongs all over Van’s body. His hands were full of shopping bags. Van, who heard the price, followed Rowy while holding all of it up.
“Master. This is too much. These clothes, even if I wore them my whole life, I couldn’t wear them all….”
“Yawn….”
Van kept talking and talking from the side. But unfortunately, Rowy’s stamina ended there. His body rapidly went limp. Since morning, he’d taken a boat out, stopped by the slave market, eaten desserts, and even went shopping. For Rowy, he had endured quite a lot.
Rowy’s steps quickly dragged. Seeing this, Van extended his arm and escorted Rowy. Van, wearing a luxurious jacket with a sword at his waist, looked like a knight to anyone.
“Carry me on your back.”
Rowy spoke impulsively. Even as a child, Rowy had never been carried on someone’s back. It was just a thought that really suddenly occurred to him. Even at Rowy’s out-of-the-blue words, Van immediately bent his knees.
“Wrap your arms around my neck.”
“Why? Are you going to drop me?”
“How could that be.”
Even while saying that, he only took a step after confirming that Rowy had wrapped his arms around his neck. Van held the shopping bags in one hand while carrying Rowy on his back without any difficulty.
‘It’s incredibly stable.’
Even so, Rowy was also an adult man, but Van moved easily while carrying such a Rowy.
‘Being carried is really comfortable. I don’t have to walk with my own feet. And… it’s warm.’
Rowy leaned his head on Van’s shoulder. Van’s newly bought clothes covered his neck sufficiently, but from this position, the ugly restraint inevitably caught the eye.
‘As expected, I need to make a new restraint.’
Make him kneel, make him bow his head… and ask him to carry me on his back.
‘And have him cut pies too.’
Rowy, who recalled Van’s hands carefully cutting the pie, giggled softly.
“Where should I go?”
“Mmm, that building.”
Rowy pointed with his hand at the red brick building at the end of the road. Van nodded and began walking slowly. Rowy, who had been swaying on his back, slowly closed his eyes. A smile that hadn’t yet faded remained on his lips.
* * *
The place where Rowy arrived while being carried was the most luxurious inn in this downtown area. Seraphila’s capital was Seren, but if you were to pick the most developed city, it was undoubtedly this place, the port city of Seto. Nobles tired of playing in nature flocked to Seto. Thus a city completed solely for extravagance and pleasure.
Rowy also owned a mansion there. Since no one had thought Rowy would actually live on the island in the first place, the servants sent from the main family were all residing there. However, Rowy had never once been to that mansion. There was no other reason. Just because he didn’t want to hear nagging.
“It’s been a while since you’ve come.”
“Hello.”
“The room you use is vacant.”
The place he found instead was this very inn. Whenever Rowy occasionally came out from the island, he always stayed here. Though he didn’t come often, Rowy, who spent a lot of money every time he came, was quite a guest the inn looked forward to.
An employee politely guided Rowy to his room. The employee didn’t change expression even once despite Rowy being carried dangling on someone’s back. This was precisely why Rowy sought out the inn instead of his family’s mansion.
“Rest well.”
Click. The employee, who was polite until the end, closed the door and left.
“I’m going to sleep.”
Rowy, who came down from the back, immediately flopped onto the bed. And then he wriggled and thoroughly wrapped himself in the blanket. Van, who had been watching such Rowy for a moment, slowly looked around.
It was a large guest room with a living room, bedroom, and additionally a small room. Moreover, the furniture, decorations, everything was luxurious. Though he’d experienced his new master having a lot of money throughout the day today… Van felt intimidated again, awkwardly placed in a space that didn’t suit him. Having been burned by money once, everything made him cautious.
‘They wouldn’t make me pay for dirtying the carpet, would they?’
Fortunately, thanks to his master who had coordinated him from head to toe, even his shoes were new. Van organized the luggage with cautious movements. Most of it was all his luggage, so he felt unworthy.
‘Will I even have occasions to wear these?’
Why did he buy so many tailcoats? It seemed like he’d have to attend parties at least ten times to break even. No wait, considering the price, I’d have to attend every single day… Van’s hands became even more cautious.
Knock knock.
Then with a polite knock, the employee entered again. The capable employee had received and brought clothes to wear at Rowy’s mansion. Van received them and busily began organizing again.
“Master. They brought clothes, so please change first… Master?”
‘He must be very tired.’
Rowy, who had seemed excited being carried and swung his legs dangling, had gone limp and quiet from some point. Van had brought such Rowy as carefully as possible. Seeing him lie down on the bed immediately upon entering the room, he must have been quite tired. Still, he needs to wash and change clothes. Van approached Rowy with concern.
“Master?”
“Sniffle.”
Van stopped his movement completely. Did I hear wrong?
“Sniffle.”
“……”
“Sniffle.”
Why? Van’s face turned ashen. Suddenly? He was definitely excited until just now?
“Sniffle, hiing….”
“……”
Van’s eyes shook violently. It’s my first time as a slave so… what should I do when my master is crying?
* * *
At that very moment when Van was flustered and circling around the bed, Rowy was shedding tears profusely while covered in the blanket. His head hurt, and he had no strength in his body at all. His mood sank endlessly. He had definitely been fine even when being carried on the back.
‘I just need to get through this night.’
When night came, depression visited without fail. Rowy, who was born blessed with magical power, naturally had strong mental strength too. So much so that he didn’t need to defend separately against most mental-type magic. That’s why this situation was even more unfamiliar. The churning of emotions he was experiencing for the first time ate away at Rowy.
‘The ice cream was delicious. The cake and pie too.’
Rowy recalled the times when his mood had been okay. He tried hard to remember the taste, but only saltiness came from his mouth. The taste of tears, the taste of depression. Ice cream, pie, cake, cookies.
‘Ice cream.’
Rowy forcibly imagined ice cream. Sweet vanilla ice cream, the melting taste. The ice cream in his imagination soon melted away. Just like tears. Tears are… depressing. Depression rushed in like waves.
‘I need to sleep.’
Rowy squeezed his eyes shut. Tears fell pit-a-pat. The long night began once again.
* * *
“Sniffle.”
Van looked at the lump of blanket on the bed. It was rolled up so well that not a bit of the body showed, and only some silver hair sticking out at the edge was all. The blanket that had been wriggling toward the center soon began rolling the body into a ball. Now even the hair was completely wrapped in the blanket.
“Sniffle.”
Only crying sounds and intermittent trembling allowed one to guess at the person inside. Van didn’t know what to do and circled around.
“Kheung, sniffle.”
“……”
“Hiing.”
The crying sounds continued endlessly. And they grew louder and louder.
“Hic, hic.”
Now even hiccups. Even a child probably wouldn’t cry like this. Van looked at the blanket lump with concern. …Why is he crying like that?
‘He was smiling so much earlier.’
At just one ice cream, Rowy had smiled brightly. That smile that instantly spread across his blank-looking face was like sunshine. So much so that Van, seeing that face, smiled together without realizing it. And now….
“Sniffle, sniffle.”
He felt like crying together. No, what am I supposed to do when my master is crying?
‘Is it okay to comfort him?’
Even if he didn’t know what to do when a master cries, he still knew how to soothe a child.
“Hic, hiing… hic.”
Van, who had been looking at the lump that started hiccuping again, opened his mouth.
