<Chapter 94>
#10. The Beginning of Change (6)
Johaim, with a hardened expression, glanced sideways at Calix standing beside him. With arms crossed and composure intact, Calix was taking in Melty’s every movement. Realizing that further confrontation with him would be meaningless, Johaim turned his head forward with a low sigh.
The small room was filled with the sweet and savory aroma of food. The bowl in Melty’s hands contained a milky-white broth that looked like bone soup simmered for a long time.
‘This is a “gift”?’
From the beginning, there was no reason for him to oppose this when the guardian had already consented, and he had only been taking care of the patient for a few days. He hadn’t known that Melty had received a “gift” from the Beast God, something bestowed upon only a select few during the coming-of-age ceremony. After several spoonfuls of the cooled liquid had entered the patient’s mouth—
“Ah, Father!”
The boy who had been nervously clutching his father’s hand called out loudly. Following the boy’s voice came the faint sound of a man’s voice mixed with metallic tones. The man who had been bedridden for days raised his other hand to stroke the boy’s head. Johaim’s eyes widened at the gesture that carried no strength at all.
The boy’s father had been in a helpless state since Johaim first saw him. The man had been too weak for medicine, and had long been unconscious since Johaim’s first visit. During the days when Melty and Calix had gone to gather herbs, Johaim had even prepared the boy for the worst.
Nothing could be more surprising than seeing the patient, whom he’d thought would never regain consciousness, come to his senses. Johaim, frozen in place, shot a sharp glance at Calix standing next to him. Calix was observing the unfolding scene without any change in his expression.
‘Could it be… that he brought Melty-ssi to the mansion targeting his gift from the beginning?’
It wouldn’t be beyond Calix Kuse Padrian. He was a man who moved strictly according to his interests. While Johaim was lost in confusion, Melty, who had set down the bowl near the boy, carefully approached them.
“Finished?”
At Calix’s low question, Melty nodded. The sound of the tearful child and the barely audible conversation of the man filled the quiet room. Melty tugged at Johaim and Calix’s clothes and whispered softly.
“Let’s not stay here, let’s go outside for now.”
***
Johaim examined Melty sitting across from him with calm eyes behind his glasses. Though it had been only a day since they had met at the boy’s house, Melty’s mood seemed considerably lighter. The boy’s father, who had regained consciousness and swallowed food through Melty’s gift, had finally passed away several hours later.
While the boy tearfully expressed his gratitude for being able to have a final conversation with his father, Melty had kept silent with reddened eyes. Recalling how downcast Melty had appeared that day, Johaim checked his complexion and spoke.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Pardon?”
“You seemed to be having a hard time yesterday.”
“Ah….”
At Johaim’s words, Melty gave a bitter smile. He was right. As Melty fidgeted with his cup, trying to find the right words, Johaim spoke in a calm tone.
“As I told you that day, it was a miracle that he regained consciousness at all. Thanks to you, the father and son were able to have one last conversation. So you shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“…I suppose so. But I think I had some expectations anyway.”
Even though he had thought his gift was merely ‘the ability to know what food someone wants.’ Melty had held onto a ‘maybe.’ Perhaps the boy had also had such expectations, and the thought made Melty’s heart heavy. What comforted his weighed-down feelings were Calix and Johaim.
“If you hadn’t helped, that boy would have had to prepare for his father’s departure without warning. The same goes for the boy’s father, I imagine.”
As Melty’s expression grew gloomy, Johaim offered comfort again. Thinking that the boy was the one who truly needed consolation, Melty smiled bitterly. Before he could speak, Johaim quickly continued.
“Medical professionals can’t save everyone either. But there are too many people who can be saved to get discouraged over those who couldn’t be.”
“That’s true. Besides, I’m not even a medical professional.”
Seeing Melty respond with a more relaxed face, Johaim’s worried expression eased. As Melty had said, he wasn’t a medical professional, but after seeing him so downcast watching the boy’s tears, Johaim couldn’t help but worry.
He could finally set aside the concerns that had accumulated from not being able to have a proper conversation with Melty before Calix had taken him away. Johaim had watched many novice medical professionals crumble under the deteriorating conditions of their patients, which might explain why he had been particularly concerned about Melty.
“By the way, Johaim-ssi. Weren’t you planning to go down today?”
“Ah… yes. I wanted to see you before I left.”
Johaim smiled as he said this. Turning his gaze slightly from Melty, he noticed Pel standing stoically by the doorway a bit away from them. He didn’t need to wonder who had placed him there.
Though Johaim had deliberately visited when Calix would be busy to have an uninterrupted conversation with Melty, he frowned as he confirmed the hypothesis in his mind, realizing they were still not free from Calix’s watchful eye.
“Are you still working as an assistant at the Padrian household?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
Melty tilted his head slightly as he responded to Johaim’s sudden question about his work. Looking at him, Johaim lowered his voice so that only Melty could hear.
“Melty-ssi. Do you remember what I told you before?”
“What are you referring to?”
Melty’s round eyes widened in confusion at Johaim’s question. Looking at his clear brown eyes, Johaim wore a faint smile.
“I told you to let me know if there were any forced duties or uncomfortable situations while you’re working.”
“Ah….”
With Johaim’s explanation, Melty could recall the faint memory he had pushed to the back of his mind. Indeed, Johaim had told him this when they first met. Since nothing particularly troubling had happened afterward, and he hadn’t had sufficient time to converse with Johaim, he had completely forgotten about it.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“I’m doing fine here, though.”
There had been no forced tasks or uncomfortable situations. A few days ago, he might have said that Calix’s face floating in his mind was uncomfortable, but things were different now. Calix and he were now a freshly established couple. Recalling that this was his first romantic relationship, Melty smiled shyly.
“Have you told him everything about your gift?”
“…Johaim-ssi, are you interrogating me?”
Furrowing his brow at the fine edge in Johaim’s question, Melty crossed his arms. Seeing Melty’s hardened expression, Johaim realized belatedly that he hadn’t given him a proper explanation and responded with an awkward smile.
“I apologize if I’ve offended you. I’m just concerned.”
“Concerned about what?”
At Melty’s question, Johaim pondered how best to explain in order to convince him. When he first met Melty on the street and heard his story, he thought Calix had approached him to exploit his family. His opinion changed after seeing the gift Melty used yesterday and Calix’s subsequent actions.
“Calix Kuse Padrian is a cold and selfish individual. He’s also someone who categorizes people’s value based on their usefulness.”
“…Calix-ssi?”
“Yes. That’s why I think his approach to you was to use you.”
Despite Johaim’s calm explanation, Melty blinked without particular agitation.
“It’s not like that.”
Watching Melty wave his hand dismissively, Johaim continued with an even more serious expression.
“While I may not know exactly what your gift is, I know it’s an ability that goes beyond the ordinary.”
“Eh…?”
“You were able to make someone who was beyond treatment regain consciousness, even if just for a while.”
At Johaim’s calm explanation, Melty looked at him with a bewildered expression. He hadn’t saved the person, and even though the man had regained consciousness, he hadn’t lasted a day. Nevertheless, Johaim was treating the gift as if it were extraordinary.
“No, it’s not like…”
“I can’t know what Calix Kuse Padrian is aiming for by approaching you, but there’s a possibility that it’s to exploit that gift.”
At Johaim’s words, Melty pressed his lips tightly together. The eyes behind Johaim’s glasses held conviction. But Melty couldn’t agree with his opinion at all. There were several holes in the theory that Calix had approached him for his gift.
First, he had always thought this gift was ‘the ability to know what food someone wants.’ He only realized that the gift was different after establishing the employment contract with Calix. When he used the gift on the boy’s father, he felt like he might understand something, but even he, the owner of the gift, wasn’t yet certain.
“I don’t know how to explain it… but it’s not what you think. Calix-ssi doesn’t have the slightest interest in my gift.”
To begin with, using the gift on the boy’s father had been his own choice. Moreover, after the test, Calix hadn’t mentioned anything about the gift to Melty.
Looking at Melty, who was waving his hand with a smiling face, Johaim regarded him with a calmly settled expression.
“Has he ever tried to approach your family?”
“What?”
Melty frowned at yet another aggressive question.
“We need to get permission from our families for our marriage.”
Remembering Calix’s face as he broached the subject seriously, Melty let out a large, fake cough. However Johaim interpreted his change in expression, he murmured “As I thought…” in a low voice. With an even more serious face, Johaim continued.
“At first, I thought he approached you with your family in mind.”
“Why my house?”
“If the Crosel family were to lend strength to the Padrian family, they would grow enough to threaten the continent.”
Our house just makes hunting our profession, though?
Swallowing the doubt floating in his mind, Melty continued to look at Johaim with a gaze that couldn’t understand. Of course, having hunters might make it safer to protect herb fields from wild animals, but he couldn’t understand how protecting herb fields more securely would threaten the continent.
“He is thoroughly deceiving and lying to you. I hope you won’t be swayed by him anymore. I hope you won’t be hurt by his selfish actions.”
Johaim’s voice was filled with sincerity. Looking into his calm, light blue eyes that seemed to pull him in, Melty asked.
“Why are you telling me these things?”
To Melty’s question, Johaim looked at him with warm eyes and said.
“Because you’re special, Melty-ssi.”
