Translator: Nox

Chapter 29

 

"Gasp, mugwort is fwagrant-nimida! Supew supew good!"

In the end, the one who lost the will to continue the conversation was Declan.

"......Yeah, got it."

"Yes! And peopwe keep cawwing Kawhen a monstew, but Kawhen is a pewson-nimida. So you can't scold him!"

"Won't scold."

"And even if he's a monstew hybwid, he has no magi, so it's fine-nimida. If he had magi, I'ww ewiminate it fow him-nimida!"

For some reason, he recalled a conversation with Olivia from long ago.

Olivia, who had declared she would eliminate all magi in the world.

The warm woman who said she would create a world where everyone was happy.

Iri was fulfilling Olivia's dream.

*'If only I could stroke my daughter's head at a time like this.'*

Unable to do that, he simply stood up and said.

"......Yeah, you're smawt."

Now it was time to meet the monster hybrid slaves that Iri had rescued.

 

* * *

 

Karhen stayed alone in his room continuously. There was a comfortable bed, but he slept lying on the floor.

When the cold marble floor woke his mind, he recognized his own situation.

But sometimes, this excessive peace made him anxious.

Iri hadn't hit him, spat on him, or drawn his blood.

Just when would she start tormenting him?

It was midday on one such day when he was trembling in fear.

The servants meticulously washed Karhen and dressed him in fine clothes.

Then they brought him not to a shabby place like before, but to an elegant and perfect reception room.

"Duke Your Highness Ortejo has summoned you."

And so, Karhen met Grand Duke Ortejo.

He never imagined he'd be sitting face-to-face across a table from Grand Duke Ortejo.

Karhen calmly bowed his head.

"A monster hybrid, they say."

"Yes."

"I don't particularly sense any magi. Saying monster hybrids have magi is definitely prejudice, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Even Karhen knew the rumors about Declan Ortejo.

They said he was infested with magi and like a monster.

But strangely, the Declan before him now just looked like an ordinary human.

An ordinary person with no prejudice against him.

At that moment, Declan spoke.

"From today, be friends with my daughter."

Ah, so that's it.

The moment he heard those words, he understood his purpose.

"Yes, if it's as a noble's friend, I know it means serving like a slave by their side, and sometimes taking beatings if needed."

He thought he'd nod as if it were natural.

But Declan looked at Karhen and tilted his head crookedly.

"You're awfully grown-up for your age too. Aren't you seven?"

"Yes."

"My daughter wants to be close with you. So just become friends. Don't do the getting beaten part. That's it."

Hearing those words, Karhen became puzzled.

*'Then, what's my purpose?'*

His mind felt tangled up in confusion.

Unknowingly, Karhen dared to speak.

"Does that mean I can just play like a normal kid?"

"Yeah. That's what it means."

No way.

A year ago, when he was nearly trampled to death by a monster, someone had saved him.

 

"You look like you're from the east. Just looking at your face, you seem like a noble house's son."

 

The moment that person learned he was a monster hybrid and utterly useless.

Their attitude flipped like the palm of a hand.

Karhen bowed his head.

So, he trusted no one.

That was all.

 

* * *

 

A few days passed.

Iri received intelligence from Cookie that Karhen wasn't coming out of his room.

"Humans run on food power, but not eating? Hurry and make him eat!"

"Yes! Got it!"

Leaving Cookie's strong cheers behind!

Iri hurriedly knocked on Karhen's door.

When the door opened, Karhen still had an expressionless face.

"What is it......?"

"Kawhen! What awe you doing hewe? Not eating meaws eithew!"

"Not hungwy......"

Unlike the other friends chattering everywhere, Karhen still looked gloomy.

So Iri came up with a trick.

"Um, the othew monstew hybwid fwiends awe awound too! Wanna go see the fwiends?"

Iri didn't know, but to Karhen, that wasn't a suggestion.

The person who saved him.

At the same time, the master who bought him with money.

So he had no choice but to nod silently.

 

Iri gathered friends for Karhen and headed to the reception room.

At Iri's request, the servants placed simple meals on the reception room table.

"Hewwo-nimikka! Kawhen's fwiends!"

"Hello!"

"Wow! Baby! Feews wike it's been fowevew!"

Looking around at their kind eyes, Iri said.

"Eat wots and wots of tasty stuff togethew! Now, today's meaw is fish-nimida!"

"Wow! Fish awe fow swallowing in one bite!"

At Belze's words, Iri shook her head like a grandma looking at a troublemaker kid.

"Tsk."

"......?!"

"Fwiends, gotta puww out fish bones pwopewwy-nimida. Ow elth, thwoat huwts!"

"Then I'll use my hands! Haha!"

"No, can't! Food that can stick to hands must be eaten with spoon ow fowk-nimida!"

Karhen picked up a fork and tried deboning the fish.

Clumsy hand movements.

But it was his first time ever separating fish flesh from bones.

At that moment, Iri clapped like a seal and praised loudly.

"Wooow! Amazing! Kawhen!"

As Iri clapped for him, his shoulders nearly puffed up with pride.

A learned bad phrase slipped out of his mouth.

"Peopwe aww caww us bad monstew hybwid......"

She'd surely hate words like that.

But Iri tilted her head.

"Not bad monstews-nimida. Good chiwdwen! Hammuni said chubby chiwdwen who eat weww awe aww good chiwdwen-nimida. So if Kawhen eats weww, you can be a good chiwd too!"

"......"

"So fwiends! Gotta gain wots of weight-nimida. Wight now, awms and wegs awe aww bones, no good. Cheeks gotta be puff puff-nimida."

He'd never heard words like that before.

But Karhen started carefully deboning and eating the fish bit by bit.

 

Meanwhile, Iri keenly observed not just Karhen, but the other monster hybrids too.

"XX, wiving wike XX trash and dying XX."

The kid chattering with rough speech, future 'Warmest Spirit Mage', Sual.

"Wow, this one can be eaten with hands too, wight?"

The kid grabbing all food with hands, future 'World's Best Spear Knight', Belze.

"Yeah! We're twash! Haha!"

The kid with severe self-deprecation, 'Empire's Greatest Nature Mage', Lirid.

"Wanna just wy and do nothing."

The kid constantly lounging on the sofa, future Sword Expert Dinan.

But that's the story of their blackened future selves.

Right now, they were......

Not humans, but animals.