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Chapter 35
“Um….”
I came back to my senses at the child’s hesitant voice, trailing off as if embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never held hands with someone my own age before, so it felt strange.”
“I see… me too.”
I glanced at the child, who nodded as if in agreement.
They said they’d been sick, so they probably couldn’t mingle with kids their age.
That was likely why the child was wriggling their fingers as if fascinated as well.
“If you want, you can take a closer look.”
Saying that, I held out my hand. The child shook their head, cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment.
“N-no. Touching like this is…”
“I don’t mind, so who would object? Go on, look as much as you like.”
The child scratched their cheek with the other hand and muttered awkwardly,
“It’s just… smaller and softer than I expected.”
“I’m not fully grown yet.”
“My hands are a bit rough, though…”
“You were sick, weren’t you? If you eat well and get plenty of rest from now on, your skin will become soft too.”
…Of course, that would only be when their body truly recovered.
I had no intention of telling the child, Your physical condition is an illusion.
They looked so happy; letting them enjoy a brief sweet dream wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
“Excuse me. You said you came with your uncle—won’t he be worried?”
“Oh, right. I should probably head back soon. Hmm…”
Since we’d met like this, I wanted to stay with the child a little longer and examine their condition more closely.
As I hesitated, the child spoke first.
“Mother. May I go with Hyeryeong?”
“Seogwang, your body—”
“I’ve been unable to move for so long that I want to move a bit more. …May I?”
At the child’s pleading gaze, the human woman sighed and nodded.
It seemed there really was no parent who could win against their child.
“Let’s go holding hands.”
As I said that and held out my hand, the child nodded with a slightly excited expression and took it.
My true intention was to support them, worried that the child—mistaken about their own condition—might collapse and cause a commotion.
It was when we were about halfway back to the lodging where the fox and I were staying.
“Gwang-a!!”
From afar, Wijihak came rushing toward us in a fluster. Behind him, the fox followed at a leisurely pace.
“Where on earth did you go, huh? You’ve barely recovered!”
“Father. I stepped out for a short walk with Mother.”
“If you were going to walk, you should have done it in the garden! Don’t you know how draining crowded places are?”
Seeing Wijihak making such a fuss over the child, as if I were no longer there, I couldn’t help but look at him with exasperation.
No matter how precious his child was, this felt overly dramatic.
As I sighed inwardly, Wijihak’s gaze snapped toward me.
“If you met Gwang-a, shouldn’t you have said something!”
At the absurd remark, I slowly blinked.
If anything, I probably look younger than Seogwang, don’t I?
And yet he was scolding me? A guest?
Too dumbfounded to respond, I simply stared at him, having lost my words entirely.
“Hyeryeong wouldn’t know the face of the guildmaster’s son, would she? She’s a child who hasn’t even exchanged greetings with him. I myself only just met him as well.”
It was the fox who spoke up. He, too, was looking at Wijihak with an incredulous expression.
“Doesn’t he clearly look sickly! And yet…!!”
Regardless, Wijihak burst out angrily. As the fox narrowed his eyes, about to say something—
“Guildmaster. Please calm yourself.”
Seogwang’s mother approached the guildmaster and spoke in a gentle voice. Wijihak flinched.
“Gwang-a has only just risen from his sickbed after a long time, so a walk is understandable. That guest merely happened to meet him along the way.”
“Madam, but—”
“Seogwang was happy to meet a child his own age.”
At those words, Wijihak’s mouth snapped shut.
Oh….
I looked at the mother with a hint of admiration. Unaware of my gaze, she was wiping the sweat beading on the child’s forehead with a handkerchief.
“I was happy too, being able to walk all the way here.”
Saying that, the child came over to my side and held my hand.
“So please don’t say such things, Father.”
“Uh, um…”
Unable to say anything more, Wijihak merely groaned and closed his mouth.
“You have parents who care about you. Treasure them.”
I said this while lightly patting the back of the child’s hand with my free hand.
“I don’t have parents, so I’m a little envious.”
It was true that I had no human parents. And my real parents had long since returned to the earth, so it wasn’t a lie.
“Ah…”
At those words, not only the child but also the mother and Wijihak fidgeted, unsure what to do.
“Don’t make your parents worry too much. Even if it feels stifling, it’s better to go back and rest.”
After hesitating, the child nodded, wearing an expression as though unsure what to say to me.
“Now, let’s go.”
The mother stepped beside the child and gently wrapped an arm around their shoulders. Even then, she didn’t forget to give me an apologetic and grateful look.
I gave her a light nod in return and went back to the fox.
The mother then led the child away by the hand, though I could feel the child occasionally turning to look back at me.
“Ahem, hm. Our son has become healthy now. He still needs time to recuperate, but he’s recovered enough to rise from his sickbed, take walks, and increase his meals.”
“……”
“So if that master were to come, would you explain these circumstances well? It’s a bit laughable to retract our request, but I’ll make sure not to slight him.”
It was a polite yet gentle refusal. Though he seemed to have completely forgotten the scene he caused just moments ago, the redness on his cheeks suggested he did feel some shame.
At Wijihak’s attitude, the fox glanced at me once, then replied slowly.
“I will convey your words when he comes.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“On a separate note, would it be possible to purchase some medicinal herbs from the guild? We will, of course, pay properly.”
“If there’s anything you need, say the word. If we have it, we’ll sell it.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Then we’ll take our leave and return to our lodging.”
“Please rest as comfortably as you like.”
After bowing to Wijihak, the fox picked me up and returned to the lodging.
Following behind us, Jimjo landed on the window frame and joined us.
[Mountain Lord. How was it?]
[Recovered? Not at all. That kid isn’t healed. No—honestly, things would have been much better if he’d just stayed lying in bed.]
Even as I spoke, my teeth ground with anger toward the Blood Cult.
[Moving around like that? It’s an act that shaves away the child’s lifespan. And they made him do it without even realizing—calling it vile wouldn’t be wrong.]
[Then that means…?]
[There’s the stench of the Blood Cult on the child’s body. They must have pulled some kind of scheme. Damn those Blood Cult bastards.]
The fox blinked with an incredulous expression and asked again.
[How long do you think he’ll last?]
[I’m not particularly well-versed in human bodies, but… at most, about a month. And that’s a generous estimate, only because that kid isn’t an ordinary human.]
[…Not an ordinary human? Right, you mentioned something about a white deer. What was that about?]
At the fox’s question, I swallowed a sigh inwardly.
The fox had no ties with the white deer. But I had forged a bond with it—someone I could call a friend.
[…].
Speaking of that friend, of the end she had faced, was not easy.
But it had to be said. Since both the fox and Jimjo were involved now, they had the right to know.
[…The white deer was my friend. She’s dead now. And…]
I ran my tongue over my lips, which wouldn’t open easily.
[And Wijihak and Wi Seogwang. Those two are descendants of the white deer.]
At those words, the fox and Jimjo gaped, mouths and beak hanging open.
[D-descendants of the white deer, Mountain Lord?!]
[What? Did I hear that wrong?]
[You didn’t hear wrong. Your ears are fine, and I’m speaking perfectly sane.]
[I’d rather believe my ears went bad—or that the Mountain Lord lost his mind. That’s how unbelievable this sounds!]
At the fox’s reaction, more startled than I’d expected, I tilted my head.
[You’re close with humans, aren’t you? You come to enjoy yourself often, too. Haven’t you ever paired up or reproduced with a human?]
At my words, the fox’s face instantly flushed red and trembled violently.
[A-are you crazy?! How can you shamelessly talk about m-m-mating like that!!]
[Fox. At your age… the Mountain Lord understands everything.]
[No, I don’t!]
The fox bared his teeth.
[I’m pure, I tell you!]
