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‘I should get well soon and get to work.’
Adele groaned and lay down again. A frown formed on her forehead.
It was because she had recently learned the identity of the healthy food she had just eaten; such as bear soles, flame lizard tails, and wyvern claws.
I can’t believe I ate something like that! Madeleine even said that she fed me little by little while I was unconscious.
She didn’t even touch anything gross in my past life. She sighed heavily. Looks like I’ll have to keep eating that healthy food for now.
“There are still plenty of healthy food ingredients left. Don’t worry!”
Madeleine smiled proudly as she said that.
‘It must be expensive.’
That’s an undeserved favor. So I have to get up quickly to reduce the workload even a little.
Adele yawned and slowly closed her eyes. Perhaps because of the medicine, drowsiness was quickly getting to her.
* * *
Lucas let out a deep sigh. He obviously went to apologize, but the word didn’t come out as if it was stuck in his throat.
“Young Master.”
Madeleine, who had just returned with Ronschka, stopped and called Lucas.
The maid, who now knew all about the situation, looked at him as if he was the villain of the world. And she urged him to apologize quickly, but it was no easy task.
Lucas raised an eyebrow awkwardly. Meanwhile, Ronschka, who had been by Madeleine’s side, quickly ran into the room.
“Have you spoken to her?”
“No.”
He did, but it wasn’t what Madeleine wanted, so he said no.
Madeline glared at him and said, “Next time, make sure to do it. Okay?”
“I’ll try.”
“Then she probably doesn’t know about that.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Shall I tell her a little bit about it?” asked Madeleine with a calm expression.
After Adele collapsed, Lucas often left the mansion to get medicines that were said to be good for the body.
At first, he took a reluctant step, but later he took a rather active step forward to save her. Because of that, Leon’s class was constantly being postponed.
“No, don’t ever tell her.”
Lucas said in a firm voice. When he responded like that, Madeleine couldn’t speak anymore.
* * *
Three days after Adele regained consciousness, Ronschka’s first class finally started.
Ronschka came out to the gymnasium and glared at Lucas with eyes full of displeasure.
“From today, Ronschka, you will also take lessons with Leon.”
“W-w-what class?”
“First of all… calm your body and mind first to learn how to deal with the spirit.”
“T-this?”
Ronschka pointed at the little fire that was always hanging around him. It is invisible to normal people, but apparently, Lucas can see it.
“Yes, that one. It’s called a spirit. And those who deal with spirits are called Elementalists. They are precious people to be treated with respect.”
He didn’t deserve to be mistreated in a remote rural village for having that power.
“T-treated with respect?”
“Yes.”
“W-w-what is that?”
“You can always eat as much as you want, sleep in a nice bed, and go wherever you want.”
“W-with my mom?” asked Ronschka, smiling.
“…yes, with your mother.”
“T-t-then I’ll do it.”
“Yes, you have good will. But your way of speaking needs improvement. I will tell Kish to find a speech teacher for you.”
“T-t-the way I speak, is it weird?”
“A little bit.”
“I-I will learn!”
Only then will I become a precious person and be able to live comfortably with my mom. Ronschka was burning with enthusiasm.
“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body.”
Lucas then asked Ronschka to run three laps around the gym.
“Leon, you are ten laps.”
“Yes!”
The two stood side by side and set out the same way. However, the speeds between Ronschka, a newbie, and Leon, who had never been lazy during practice, couldn’t be the same.
Before long, Ronschka was overtaken.
“Huh, huh.”
Ronschka tried to follow Leon somehow, dragging his heavy feet.
‘With my mom.’
He ran as hard as he could, engraving those words in his mind. After three laps like that, he was exhausted.
When he stopped and looked at Leon, he was still running well. He didn’t look tired at all.
The sight somehow made him a little grumpy. I’m having such a hard time, but why is he fine?
Ronschka gently bit his lip and started running again.
“Ronschka?”
Lucas called out to him, but he ignored him and ran fast. In the end, he ran out of energy and fell to the ground.
“Ronschka?”
Leon who was ahead of him was surprised and ran over to check on Ronschka.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I-I am.”
Ronschka calmly brushed off his clothes, only to find out that his palms were injured.
‘Did I get hurt?’
When he found out that he was injured, he felt a throbbing pain belatedly.
Ronschka hesitated and tried to wipe his bloody palms on his pants. Leon hurriedly stopped him.
“You can’t rub the wounds anywhere!”
Then, holding Ronschka’s hand, he walked towards the room where the doctor is. That was before Lucas did anything to help.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Leon speak comfortably. Maybe it’s because they’re the same age.”
A child who grew up early. Leon is such a child.
Because of that, he doesn’t trust people very much, and he always puts a wall around himself. He tried to pull the child out of the wall, but it wasn’t easy.
All the adults living in the mansion are kind to Leon, but the child always keeps his distance. At least, the person closest to him is his teacher, Lucas.
“Well…”
Seeing what he is doing to Ronschka, I think I can put my worries aside for a moment.
* * *
-step step.
Leon took Ronschka by the wrist and walked down the hallway. He is so skinny that his wrist is like a dry twig.
According to Master, this is also because I have grown a bit bigger. Maybe that’s why.
Leon glanced back at Ronschka, who followed with an unreadable expression.
It must be painful, but he doesn’t cry. Is he a patient child? Leon tilted his head at that thought and knocked on the doctor’s door.
“Doctor.”
“Oh, my. What’s going on?”
“Ronschka is hurt.”
“Are you hurt? Let me see.”
The doctor raised his glasses and examined Ronschka’s wounds.
“He fell down.”
“Oh, that must be painful. Come this way. I will treat you.”
The doctor treated the wounds on Ronschka’s palms with a friendly smile. He first cleaned them with water, then sterilized them, applied medicine, then applied gauze, and bandaged them.
“Be careful next time.”
Ronschka looked at his healed hands and tried to move them.
The people in the mansion are strange. They don’t scream, point fingers, or throw stones at me. They treat me like a normal child.
Maybe I’m not a monster like my mom said? Otherwise, these people wouldn’t treat me so kindly.
Ronschka was lost in thought. Then, at that moment, he saw a flower blooming brightly beyond the window.
“F-flower.”
Leon asked, “What flower?”
“Outside, flower.”
“Oh, do you want to see it up close? Then let’s go.”
Leon dragged Ronschka into the garden. He knew it was still class time, but he wanted to be nice to this child who seemed to have a story not too different from his own.
‘Master can scold me later.’
The weather is warm, and a gentle breeze is blowing. The flower garden in the well-kept garden shone in various colors, showing off its beauty.
Ronschka, who had been staring at the flower garden, suddenly broke a flower.
“Ronschka?”
Bewildered, Leon called out to him, but Ronschka ignored him and started picking the flowers one by one.
“What are you doing?” Leon asked, sitting next to him, trying to stay calm.
“F-f-flower bouquet.”
Remembering the gardener grandfather planted and tended them carefully, Leon asked with a puzzled expression, “Rather than picking flowers, wouldn’t it be better to leave them here and visit them often?”
“I-I-I will give it to my mom.”
“Your mom?”
Leon remembered Ronschka’s mother, who had been lying in bed since they arrived at the mansion.
She is, somehow, a sweet-looking person. His Master doesn’t seem to like her much, but Leon does.
How can he stop a child from picking flowers for his sick mother? In the end, Leon also helped Ronschka.
“I think that flower is prettier.”
‘I’m sorry, Grandpa Vane.’
I guess I’ll have to apologize later.
The flowers that were picked carelessly at first, became a nice bouquet with Leon’s help. The size is also quite large.
Ronschka rose from his seat with the finished bouquet. Leon hesitated for a moment, then he followed him.
Ronschka headed towards the room where his mother is with excitement. However, his brisk steps became calm as he approached the door.
‘Is Mom awake?’
He opened the door carefully and saw Adele standing looking out the window.