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Chapter 12
“Hey… you….”
There were words prepared in advance.
Hello, little one? I heard you have a special power. I’m someone the Count called here to help you. Shall we have a little conversation?
But all the words he had prepared were rendered useless.
Because of Sadrak’s unexpected escape—and the boy’s unexpected reaction.
Rosha could do nothing with the boy cradled in his arms and could only look down at the small crown of his head. Perhaps sensing his gaze, the boy lifted his head and rested his chin on Rosha’s chest, smiling broadly.
A child who made the formidable Count feel like a coward afraid of an adopted child.
A child who painted dark, grotesque, blood-filled pictures.
In truth, Rosha had, without realizing it, defined this boy as extremely grim. So, the opposite reality—this lovely, charming boy—was utterly disorienting. His fair skin matched the snow-white scenery, and his gem-like, clear golden eyes made him reminiscent of a fairy of the snow from a storybook.
“Could you step back a little?”
“Yes.”
Even the boy’s surprisingly obedient retreat startled Rosha. Everything was beyond his expectations.
At that moment, Sadrak—who had not come despite repeated calls—finally scurried up to Rosha’s feet. Rosha quickly scooped him up to keep him out of the boy’s reach, stepping a few paces away from the boy.
“Ahem. How do you know my name?”
“I saw it.”
“What did you see?”
“The day we’d meet like this!”
“…Alright. Well, I understand for now.”
It seemed like a conversation that would drag on too long for the cold snowy field. Rosha tried to remain composed as he belatedly introduced himself to the boy.
“You probably already know my name, but I’m Rosha Rostellier. I came here to help you. And you are…”
“Joshua von Baldwin.”
“…Joshua. Nice to meet you.”
Rosha extended his hand to the young boy. Unlike when they first met, cradled in his arms, Joshua looked at Rosha’s hand thoughtfully before carefully shaking it.
“Shall we go inside first? It’s too cold out here.”
Rosha tucked Sadrak into his coat and shivered lightly; Joshua nodded shyly, smiling.
“Follow me!”
Following Joshua, who walked ahead, Rosha also moved toward the annex. As he stepped inside, he tried to sense the unique aura emanating from the place, but there was nothing particularly unusual.
Apart from the fact that there were too few people around, there was no evil presence. And whether the atmosphere felt sacred… that was still uncertain.
Perhaps it was the boy’s innate presence that felt so mysterious, or maybe the aura itself was genuine.
Rosha followed behind, carefully watching the boy’s back, which even seemed adorable.
Because of the boy’s circumstances, there were few servants left in the Count’s house, and since the boy avoided contact with others, he seemed entirely isolated in this place, uncharacteristically for a noble.
Passing the cold stone walls, the boy opened a door and entered a room. Following him inside, Rosha saw what appeared to be the boy’s bedroom.
The fireplace contained only half-burnt logs, no fire at all, leaving the room just as cold as outside. Rosha made a small gesture toward the fireplace, snapping his fingers; suddenly, flames erupted in the previously empty hearth.
“Wow—.”
The boy’s amazed reaction aside, Rosha dragged a thick blanket, which looked long unwashed, from the bed to the floor. He casually covered Joshua with it while he sat on the sofa. It was practically as if he had thrown the blanket onto him.
Joshua wriggled and flailed inside the blanket, covering even his head, but finally managed to peek his face out.
Ignoring the boy’s charming gestures, Rosha brought over a rocking chair and sat opposite him.
“As I said before, I came to help you. I heard… you have a little problem.”
“……”
“To understand your condition, we’ll obviously need to talk. Are you ready to answer me honestly?”
Rosha was somewhat curt for addressing a child five years younger than himself. But he was making his best effort to be kind.
He worried about what would happen if the boy stubbornly resisted or refused to cooperate. Yet, as if to dispel that worry, Joshua looked up at Rosha and nodded cheerfully.
“Ask me anything!”
Rosha relaxed. Now that the boy had agreed, there was no need to hesitate.
“How did you know my name?”
Joshua rolled his golden eyes momentarily—not searching for an answer, but scanning the room.
It was just the two of them—what could he be looking for?
Rosha also looked around but couldn’t figure out what Joshua sought.
After a moment, Joshua leaned slightly toward Rosha and whispered:
“They showed me.”
‘They? Could it… be the demons?’
“…Who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you must know what they look like.”
“Just… black.”
“What?”
“They look human, but as black as shadows.”
Rosha thought constantly as he listened.
If it’s them, there must be more than one.
Are there shadow-formed demons that travel in groups?
The answer was quick: according to the Golden Dawn, no such demons existed.
“When did they start being with you?”
“From the beginning. I thought everyone could see them too.”
“Do you talk to them?”
“I tried a few times, but they never answer me. They just tell me what they want to say.”
“What do they usually say?”
“Bad things.”
“What kind of bad things? Are they whispering to you now?”
“Yes.”
“What do they say?”
“Die, you cursed girl.”
“……”
“…That’s what they say.”
Rosha was momentarily unsettled by the boy’s sudden rough language.
“They whisper as if it’s my own thought, even though it isn’t.”
Rosha composed himself and continued listening.
“When someone hurts me, they whisper ‘I want to kill’ as if it’s my thought. Because they whisper so often together, sometimes I mistakenly think it’s what I feel.”
Tap, tap.
In the quiet room, with only the fire crackling, Joshua continued:
“Then I end up thinking, without realizing it, that I want that person to die.”
“And what happens if you think that?”
“That person actually dies.”
“……”
“I didn’t try to hurt animals either. Even horses, rabbits, dogs—things I touched to comfort myself—they died. But I didn’t forcibly touch them. The animals liked me, so they came for me to touch them.”
“……”
“I’m not sure if it’s them or me. People say I’m strange. Scary and creepy. Are you scared of me, Rosha?”
“Yes.”
Rosha didn’t hesitate and answered immediately.
Joshua’s golden eyes visibly shook, shocked by Rosha’s honest answer. To gain the boy’s trust, pretending not to be scared might have been wiser—but Rosha refused to lie.
“Then… hugging me earlier… must have been uncomfortable…”
“Let’s make one thing clear.”
“…What?”
“I raise eagles and wolves.”
No sooner had Rosha finished speaking than Sadrak leapt from his arms.
“Don’t touch them. I hate losing what I consider mine, whether human or animal.”
“And you, Rosha?”
“Me…?”
“Should I avoid touching you too?”
“I don’t mind.”
“You said you’re scared.”
“I was worried you might harm the animals I keep.”
“…What if I hug you, Rosha?”
“If you want to, go ahead.”
Having a child cling could be bothersome, but since he was here under the guise of protection, Rosha didn’t mind indulging him.
To Rosha, Joshua was merely someone he could use to fulfill his mission and search for Lily—nothing more. Yet, the boy, unaware of how he was treated, looked genuinely moved.
Joshua, wrapped in the blanket, scampered over and clung to Rosha. Rosha awkwardly pried him off and sat him back down.
“…It’s overwhelming, so don’t stare at me. I’m not done asking yet.”
“Okay.”
Joshua quickly bowed his head, obeying the instruction.
Was that really necessary? Are kids that age so extreme? Rosha shook his head and continued his questioning.
“You said ‘they’ showed you, so you knew about me in advance.”
“Yes.”
“What did they show you about me?”
Rosha recalled the painting the Count had shown him of Joshua. At first unsure, seeing that Joshua had known him from the start gave Rosha confidence: that painting aligned with his and Lily’s story.
Perhaps it even held clues to Lily’s whereabouts.
Although it was almost certain Lily was in the orphanage here, Rosha wanted confirmation from the boy just in case.
‘It’s strange that the shadows bothered to show this to the boy…’
That was something he could consult Noah about later through Kashin. It was only unfortunate that they couldn’t reach Noah by phone in a foreign country.
“…Rosha…”
Finally, Joshua spoke.
Rosha swallowed dryly, tense.
“You treated me kindly.”
“What…?”
Unexpectedly, Joshua’s words were not what Rosha anticipated.
“You patted my head, smiled warmly, and called me cute.”
“Me?”
“It’s unlike my nature to say this…”
“And you hugged me and cried.”
“……”
“No one has ever cried for me before…”
“That’s enough.”
It was hard to hear any more. The shadows seemed to be implanting false delusions in the boy.
“Anything else?”
“…I’m not sure. It’s always jumbled together…”
“That’s enough.”
Rather than seeking clues about Lily from Joshua, it was better to search directly. Rosha turned his back on the boy without hesitation.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll step outside for a moment.”
Before leaving the room, Rosha glanced at the boy, still standing wrapped in the blanket, and said casually:
“I’ll be staying here for a while, so just keep that in mind.”
For some reason, the boy, who had seemed a little down, immediately beamed a wide smile.
Rosha didn’t glance back and closed the door.
