Chapter 33: What Children Need (4)
by fnovelpia
The sandwich in Loren’s hand had already been more than halfway eaten.
‘She eats well.’
I stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly remembered something she always used to say.
“Loren.”
“Yes?”
“You always said you shouldn’t eat before your elders, right?”
Was my comment amusing?
Hubert let out a hearty chuckle, as if entertained.
On the other hand, Loren flinched, gulped down the sandwich she had stuffed in her mouth, and turned her head away.
“W-Well! It was an emergency!”
“So in emergencies, it’s okay?”
“Ugh, you should’ve warned me ahead of time that the kid made it!”
“You already took a bite before I could say anything.”
Loren groaned and lowered her gaze.
“Grr, how frustrating. I was so happy to have something to tease you about, and now it backfired on me.”
“I didn’t tease you.”
“Ugh! That makes it even more frustrating!”
“Haha, you two are bickering as usual. Such a good relationship.”
Suddenly, the child in my arms clung tightly to me.
When I looked down, her lips were oddly pouting.
“…Hm?”
“……”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Miss Row?”
Loren blinked and approached.
The child puffed out her cheeks and quickly turned her head away, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Loren.
“Huh? Our little one suddenly got all pouty, huh?”
“……”
She tightened her grip on my robe.
Her eyes trembled slightly.
I studied her face carefully, trying to understand what she was feeling.
“What’s wrong?”
“……”
“Hmm, are you sulking because I was talking with Miss Row for too long?”
Her small shoulders twitched.
She blinked, hesitated for a moment, then gave the tiniest nod.
Loren froze.
She stared at the child blankly, then suddenly stumbled backward, both hands clamped over her mouth.
“Oh my gosh. So cute!”
“……!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll stop talking, I swear. I won’t even go near him!”
“Is that really necessary? …Ah.”
Loren quickly poked me in the side.
It was a signal that I had something to say.
‘What am I supposed to say…?’
I looked at her blankly.
Loren silently mouthed something at me in a flurry of urgency.
It took a while, but I finally figured it out.
I looked at the child once.
Then I looked at Loren again.
And gently patted the child’s back.
“It’s okay.”
“…?”
“No matter who I’m talking to, you’re always the one I think of first.”
Her small hand twitched.
She cautiously lifted her head.
And at last, she smiled.
A soft smile spread across her blushing cheeks.
Watching that, Loren staggered again.
“…Ahh, too cute.”
“Haha, thank goodness. It’s cold—let’s go inside.”
“Okay.”
We headed to Loren’s clothing shop.
When the door opened, warm air greeted us.
Loren patted a small chair inside the shop.
“Here, little one. Come sit here.”
“……”
“Oh boy, sticking to Row again like glue, huh?”
Maybe because I always left her inside when I ran errands during our visits to the shop—
At some point, the child started clinging even more whenever we came here.
I knew she didn’t want to be apart from me.
But…
I had no choice.
‘…Because I can’t risk bursting anything while bathing her.’
Loren was the one who always gave the child her baths.
Sometimes she said it was because she had free time.
Sometimes it was a perk for her regulars.
Sometimes she just wanted to spend time with the child.
She always had some plausible excuse,
But in truth, she simply knew how inexperienced I was with childcare and offered to help.
I was grateful.
But all I could do in return—
We buy new clothes for the child every time we came.
Suddenly, I recalled the third time we visited the clothing shop.
That day too, Loren had bathed the child,
And lovingly dressed her in an outfit she made herself.
“Oh my, she’s so beautiful. It was worth staying up all night. Wash it just like you did with the last one, okay?”
“Yeah. And, here.”
“Yes?”
I handed a gemstone to Loren after finishing the payment.
Loren, who had been blankly staring at the gem, refused it outright just like Hubert had.
She waved her hands and pushed the gem back.
“Oh no, that’s too much. You didn’t have to give me something like this.”
“It’s because I’m grateful.”
“If you’re thankful, then just stop by more often. Dressing the kid up in clothes I made is the best part of my day lately.”
Hubert, who had been listening to our conversation, ambled over at a leisurely pace.
“Let’s put it on hold for now. When Loren gets married, you can give her a nice, fat congratulatory gift.”
“…A congratulatory gift?”
“M-Mr. Bookstore?!”
Loren’s voice shot up an octave.
Her face flushed red, and she flailed her hands in embarrassment.
“N-no! We’re not like that yet!”
“Heh heh, but someday you will be with Sean, won’t you?”
Hearing the unfamiliar name, I tilted my head.
“Who’s Sean?”
“You know that mushroom skewer stand you often visit? The young man working there— that’s Sean. He is Loren’s childhood friend. I think he’s about four years older than her.”
“Ahh…”
My eyes naturally drifted toward Loren.
Her face still red, she waved her hands for a moment before lowering her head deeply.
“Ugh, why is the conversation going there…”
“Well, when you do get married, let me know. I’ll give you a nice big wedding gift.”
“…Urgh!”
The memory made me chuckle quietly.
I looked down.
The child was clinging tightly to my robe, lips pressed shut.
“Hmm…”
“Ha ha, looks like today’s going to be another tough one.”
Munching on a sandwich, Hubert burst out laughing.
Loren bent down at the waist,
Lowered herself to the child’s eye level, and stretched out her arms.
“Hey, little one, can you come to big sis for a moment?”
“……”
The child gripped my robe even tighter.
With lips clenched, they slowly shook their head.
“Ahh, not easy. What should we do, Mr. Row?”
“I’m not sure… Ah.”
Now that I thought about it—
Today, I was supposed to buy some art supplies for the kid.
“If you take a bath with Loren, I’ll be back soon with the supplies.”
“……”
“…Don’t want to?”
The child nodded.
Just a little while ago, they had been so excited—and now, it was no use.
I was at a bit of a loss.
Then Loren clapped her hands and stepped closer.
“Ah!”
“……?”
“You know, Mr. Row says he really wants to see our little one all squeaky clean after a bath. Says you’re super cute and pretty like that!”
“……!”
“…Did I? Ah.”
I felt a dull ache in my side.
Loren was jabbing me with her elbow, giving me a look that said, play along!
I’m not good at this sort of thing…
After hesitating a bit, I slowly nodded.
“…Yeah. I guess I did.”
“!”
The child’s eyes widened.
The little hand clutching my robe loosened.
They stared up at me, then finally reached out toward Loren.
“There we go!”
“Ha ha, good job, Loren.”
She gently took the child into her arms.
The child, nestled against her, sneaked a shy glance back at me for some reason.
Loren smiled brightly and waved.
“Alright, hurry back now. Don’t take too long like last time.”
“Got it. I’ll be quick.”
I waved to the child.
“Be right back.”
“……!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
Soon, a tiny hand waved bashfully.
I stepped out of the clothing shop and picked up my pace.
“Right. Should I get the art supplies first?”
“No, let’s stop by the bookstore.”
“Fair enough.”
The scent of paper from the bookstore greeted us.
Hubert stepped behind the counter and smoothly tied on his apron.
“So, what book are you looking for today?”
“The child’s just started learning to walk.”
“Ohh…”
“Is there a book that might help with that?”
Hubert stroked his beard and nodded.
Somehow, his gestures seemed heavier than usual.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong?”
“A book might not be enough in this case.”
After a pause, Hubert continued slowly.
“That child can’t walk because she was badly injured when her home burned down.”
“…Really?”
“Her aunt said she was getting treatment for the child’s leg, and she even received donations from various people…”
Hubert’s expression darkened.
He looked more stirred than usual.
His hand, resting on the counter, clenched into a fist before relaxing.
“From the child’s condition, it doesn’t look like that money was spent on her.”
“Yeah. I was thinking the same.”
“…I can’t believe she would use her niece like that.”
Hubert rubbed his forehead.
The kind smile he always wore had long since vanished.
“When I think about it, there were more than a few suspicious things…”
“……”
Hubert took a deep breath and continued.
“The small talk dragged on. In any case, it might be too late for treatment.”
“…I see.”
“Healing magic might still be an option… but to reverse injuries of that scale, you’d need quite a powerful blessing.”
Healing magic.
That was beyond my capabilities.
Ever since I became an evil dragon, I couldn’t use holy-attribute magic at all.
After taking a moment to collect my thoughts,
I looked at Hubert and spoke.
“Is there, by any chance, someone nearby who could…?”
“Unfortunately, no. The war just ended, remember? Most of them were summoned to the capital.”
“…I see.”
“Besides, even in the capital, there aren’t many who can grant high-level blessings.”
A silence fell.
Once again, I sank into deep thought.
‘A blessing…’
There is a way.
Not just someone capable of high-level blessings—
If I could ask her, the very source of holy magic, it would be more than enough.
But…
‘I’ll have to take the child to Dianos.’
By now, she would be—
Preparing, gathering power in anticipation of the coming calamity.
Which meant she wouldn’t be able to leave her sanctuary,
and if I wanted the child healed, I’d have to bring them to her myself.
‘I need to make sure the child is strong enough to withstand warp magic.’
A clear path forward finally began to take shape in my mind.
Just as I was organizing my thoughts,
there was a soft thud — and Hubert’s voice followed.
“Here. Books on treatment and rehabilitation.”
“…Ah.”
Before I knew it, a whole stack of books had been placed on the counter.
Hubert rang them up with a relaxed tone.
“No harm in trying something, right? Better than doing nothing.”
“Yeah.”
“By the way, have you thought about teaching the child to speak?”
“Not yet. The child hasn’t shown any desire to.”
“Heh, you’re something else.”
Hubert chuckled as he began wrapping the books.
The bag looked especially heavy today.
As he finished packing, he spoke again.
“Sometimes, it’s only after learning to speak that one realizes why it’s necessary.”
“…Is that so?”
“Teach them when you get the chance. I slipped a few language books in there too.”
“Thanks. How much for all this?”
“Free. A regular’s perk.”
With a wink, Hubert handed over the bundled books.
I accepted them with a slight bow.
“Leaning on you again, as always.”
“Now, now, no need to say it like that.”
“…Thanks. I’ll make good use of them.”
“That’s enough for me. Off you go— the child’s waiting, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
I left the bookstore.
Picked up my pace again.
“It’s gotten pretty late. I’ll buy the art supplies together with the child.”
“As you should.”
Cold wind,
Busy crowds.
Pushing through it all,
I made my way toward the clothing shop where the child was waiting.
I hurried inside.
A clear chime rang out.
“…!”
“You’re here!”
“Sorry. I’m late, huh?”
The child’s face lit up with joy.
Just from her expression,
I could tell she’d spent the whole time brimming with anticipation.
‘Good.’
Loren approached, proudly straightened her back, and pointed to the child.
“What do you think? My masterpiece! Cute, right?”
“…”
“Uh…”
I stared quietly at the child.
Her face flushed bright red.
‘Looks soft.’
It definitely looked warm.
It was perfectly tailored to fit her body,
With soft material both outside and in.
As I examined the outfit, Loren’s voice piped up.
“Oh, come on. Compliment her!”
“Ah, yeah. It suits her well. Very cute.”
“!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
Wearing Loren’s pink coat,
She shyly extended her hands toward me.
I tried to pick her up—
But she shook her head and held her hands out like she wanted me to take them instead.
“…”
“Alright.”
Carefully, I took both of her hands.
Loren, standing beside us, told me to gently pull her forward.
I tilted my head but followed her instructions.
“…!”
“Huh?”
The child stood up.
Her posture was awkward,
And her thin legs trembled nonstop, but…
The child, who had only ever fallen down before,
Was now standing on her own two feet.
However,
It didn’t last long.
Her body soon began to shake, and she plopped down.
In that moment, large teardrops welled up in her eyes.
“…”
“…You did great.”
“!”
“Yeah. You really did amazing.”
Her small shoulders trembled.
And then, through tears,
A radiant smile bloomed on her face.
And maybe,
On mine face as well,
A similar smile had begun to spread.
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