The dormitory had a communal dining hall, and there was also someone who cooked separately. Dormitory residents could eat meals there autonomously.
The reason meal times weren’t fixed was because the children worked in different places. In my case it was a tavern, but there were also children who worked in general stores or sold flowers or newspapers on the streets.
It wasn’t as if there were no rules at all. In principle, meals had to be finished within the dining hall. However, even if you took food to your room, no one said anything. It was a rule in name only. So taking food for the lizard was neither strange nor problematic.
“Good smell…….”
Because it was an ambiguous time, the dining hall was quiet. There were a few people, but since there was no one I was close with, I moved my steps to quickly just take food. I didn’t want to attract people’s gazes as much as possible.
This morning’s menu was sandwiches and soup. It was a simple menu befitting breakfast. I filled a bowl generously with soup and grabbed two sandwiches, then quickly went up to my room.
And the scene I saw when I opened the door wide was something I probably wouldn’t forget for quite a long time. Not because it was shocking or made me angry, but because it was funny.
“Eek……!”
The lizard that had been curled up obediently on the bed before I left was now sprawled face-down, tangled up in the long blanket. That appearance was quite a sight—half of its body was on the bed, half toppled onto the floor. Moreover, it seemed to lack the strength to escape from that state, making pitiful moans while struggling.
To be honest, it was cute.
“Oh my, are you okay?”
But cuteness aside, being upside down and hanging from the bed meant blood had rushed to its face, making it bright red. If I didn’t help quickly, its already aching body would clearly get worse.
I swallowed my laughter and put the food down on the table, then quickly examined the lizard’s body. When I unwound the tangled blanket, wrapped it around its body, and sat it on the bed, the child made a sound close to that of a beast and shouted.
“Go away!”
Perhaps feeling ashamed to keep receiving my help, the lizard pushed hard against my chest. But there was no way I’d be pushed away by cotton-ball-like hands. I just smiled brightly and brought over the food from the table.
“You’re hungry, right? Come on, let’s eat. Food.”
Since it had clearly slept all day yesterday, it must be hungry. Originally, when you’re sick, you recover by eating and sleeping.
But the lizard still only glared at me with eyes full of wariness. Thinking perhaps its hands lacked strength, I personally scooped up soup with a spoon and brought it to the child’s mouth. But the child blankly turned its head.
“Why? This was made fresh today. It’ll be delicious. Do you not like vegetables perhaps?”
The soup was packed full of various vegetables like carrots and broccoli, cut into large chunks. They were healthy ingredients considering nutrition, but not contents children would like. Moreover, even if it was fine for humans, it might be ingredients that a beastman lizard would find off-putting.
Were lizards carnivores? Ah. Or wait, is it suspecting I put something weird in it?
“Look, it’s delicious.”
I ate a spoonful of soup as if to show off. Then I scooped up another spoonful and held it out.
“Hmm?”
The lizard still had its head turned away as if it didn’t want to eat, but at good timing, a growling sound rang out from its stomach. Even if it wanted to keep refusing, as long as it was alive, it had to solve the problems of food, clothing, and shelter.
“It’s okay. It’s delicious.”
The lizard that had been glaring as if to kill me looked back and forth between me and the soup several times as if agonizing intensely. Then it snatched the soup bowl and began wolfing it down.
“Eat slowly. I’m not going to snatch it away.”
I started eating one sandwich. The lizard, which had finished the soup almost by drinking it, rubbed its belly while eyeing the sandwich I was eating.
It had been starving for at least half a day…… Would it be okay to eat a sandwich? Anyway, it seemed its stomach wasn’t full and it seemed to want to eat, so I held out the other sandwich I had brought for myself.
“Here.”
But it only stared and showed no sign of taking it. Don’t tell me it’s suspicious again?
I held out the sandwich I had been eating. Only then did the lizard hurriedly take it and eat it. It was a very suspicious child. Well, having suspicion is more helpful for survival than not having any…….
“I’m not someone who plays around with food.”
Even as I spoke, I knew the lizard would find it hard to believe. It hadn’t even been a day since we met, and a day was far too short a time to build trust.
In the end, all I could do was show it through actions. As if I were Lady Gimi, I took a big bite of the sandwich it had rejected, chewed, and swallowed. With a gulping sound, the food went down my throat.
“Do you want to eat this too?”
I held out the sandwich with clear traces of having been eaten. At an action that would displease others, the lizard finally took it and ate it heartily.
I was hungry, but anyway if I went down to the dining hall there would be more food, so I had no complaints about giving it away. Moreover, since it was a patient smaller and sicker than me, it would rather be good if it ate a lot. Having an appetite was practically proof that its body was getting better.
“Here, drink water too.”
I took a sip of water as if to show off and passed the cup to it. The lizard’s eyes as it gulped down the water had softened much more than before.
As expected, you get sensitive when hungry, and become docile when you eat. Somehow, seeing the somewhat relaxed appearance of the lizard, I felt completely full despite having barely eaten. But just because it had softened didn’t mean the lizard showed friendly behavior like speaking to me first.
“I wish you’d take some medicine but……. You won’t eat it, right?”
I wanted to bring a doctor, but I couldn’t let outsiders in when beastman characteristics were strongly manifesting. Moreover, even if I brought medicine, it was questionable whether it would eat it. Since it was in a state where it only ate food after I ate it first. Though it was questionable from the start whether human medicine would work on a beastman.
“……What are you?”
“Me? I’m Jack. 10 years old. Male.”
“That’s not what I mean…….”
The lizard let out a deep sigh. Unable to hide its expression, what it was thinking showed as is. Perhaps because of that appearance, no matter how much it sharpened its edge and exuded killing intent, it seemed like a child. An appearance full of confusion. It seemed to wonder why I, a human, was helping it.
“I just helped you because you were collapsed.”
“…….”
But my answer seemed even harder for the lizard to accept. Well, even I would find it hard to believe in kindness without compensation.
To full-grown adults, kindness without compensation is close to a scam—that’s close to common sense. Even friends, no, even family stab you in the back, so it’s even harder to trust complete strangers. But it was somewhat pitiful that a small child who looked much younger than me thought that way.
Do beastmen learn about society’s coldness faster? Well, it would be natural if so. Being sold as expensive slaves to other races is a reality that’s not just harsh but cruel. If you can’t face reality, you won’t survive.
“Well, honestly speaking, I do have ulterior motives.”
“No matter what you do, I won’t tell you the tribe’s location!”
Before I could say anything, the lizard shouted as if it had been waiting. Its face held a firm will not to open its mouth even under torture.
But…… so that method existed. Come to think of it, rather than being satisfied with one beastman, it would be economically profitable to rob their entire living place.
“So that method existed?”
“……As expected!”
The lizard’s expression hardened fiercely. It seemed to hold some sense of betrayal. Even if it looked mature, it was still a child after all. Since I had safely put it to bed and obediently even gave it food, perhaps it had believed in me a little.
But what would I do by obtaining beastmen? Unless I was going to flatter the protagonist or main characters, I didn’t want to build bad blood. Additionally, even if I obtained many beastmen, how would I distribute those beastmen? I don’t even know where slave traders are.
“No, what would I do by knowing where beastmen live?”
“But……!”
“Think about it. I’m a 10-year-old kid. Even if I obtained beastmen, I don’t even know where to sell them…….”
I scratched the back of my head while laughing awkwardly. Though the look was suspicious, the lizard asked in a more relaxed stance than before. The realistic answer was one thing, but my appearance looking quite stupid probably helped dispel suspicion too.
“Then…… what’s the ulterior motive?”
“Because you looked interesting.”
I said with a bright smile. Since I didn’t particularly have any dark ulterior motives, I didn’t mind stating my desired purpose.
“Because I thought it would be interesting to be by your side.”
“…….”
The lizard looked up at me with a truly dumbfounded face.
Well, of course. It had only seen humans who treated beastmen as expensive slaves, so a human like me would be a first. My words sounded strange even to me and weren’t trustworthy.
“So hurry up and get better.”
I reached out my hand and checked the lizard’s forehead temperature. It seemed better than yesterday, but it persisted. Even at the sudden approach, the lizard stared at me blankly with a face flushed perhaps due to fever. But soon it slapped away my hand with a sharp expression.
“Don’t, touch me!”
“I have to check your fever. Bear with it a bit.”
The child rubbed its forehead where my hand had touched several times. As if something dirty had gotten on it. Did it dislike it that much? I wash my hands well every day though…….
“But what’s your name?”
“……I don’t have a name to tell a human.”
Since time was needed until it recovered, I tried to exchange names to get along smoothly from now on, but as expected, the child was picky. However, if it wouldn’t tell me properly, I also had a method.
“Then I’ll call you Belly.”
“…….”
If I don’t know the real name, I just have to roughly make up a nickname. Haha, it probably didn’t expect this.
It was a half-hearted nickname, but perhaps not wanting to reveal its own name even so, Belly, who had been sending a displeased look, plopped down on the bed. It was a silent affirmation. I grinned and said.
“No way. If you lie down after eating, you’ll become a cow.”
