Chapter 13
“Nini! You can’t say things like that!”
Soles scolded sharply, his face turning pale.
“That’s a really bad thing to say!”
“But grandpa said it a lot…”
“When did grandpa ever say that?”
Nibellia pouted, feeling unfairly treated. But Soles didn’t loosen his stern expression this time.
In the end, Nibellia apologized.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay. It’s our fault for disturbing busy Nini.”
Al reached out to pat Nibellia’s head to reassure her. However, Nibellia swiftly dodged his hand with flashy skill.
“Don’t touch Nini’s hair.”
Only those permitted could touch Nibellia’s hair.
Because stroking someone’s hair meant that the person doing it had a higher rank than the one being touched.
Nibellia still regarded Al and Rubens as beneath her.
“Well, anyway, it’s fun.”
Despite being rejected, Al smiled brightly.
“So, what were you doing?”
Rubens approached the desk where Nibellia and the children had been gathered moments ago. On it lay a wide-open biographical dictionary.
“It’s a dictionary of names?”
“We were trying to come up with a name for this child. He didn’t have one, so we decided to create one.”
“Huh?”
Rubens tilted his head in confusion, looking at the boy with a puzzled expression.
“You have a name, though. Lima told me.”
“Lima?”
“She was a girl with pink hair who was at the orphanage with him. Her father said he would sponsor the child and brought him to our home.”
Rubens explained this.
“She said to say hi when I come to see you today.”
Hearing that, the boy’s face twisted slightly.
But the only ones who noticed were Nibellia, who briefly turned around to check on the boy, and Al, who was watching the scene with amusement and accidentally saw the boy.
“If he already has a name, maybe there’s no need to come up with one.”
Soles felt a little disappointed.
“Rubens, Lima? What name did she say the child’s name was?”
“It was a very cool name. It meant ‘lion’…”
Hearing this, the boy recalled what Lima had told him.
“See? Your hair is like a shining yellow lion!”
“Re■! How’s that? Cool, right?”
“It’s actually a bit longer name. Re…”
But before the boy could fully recall the name Lima had given him, his memory suddenly cut off.
A hand firmly grasped his.
The boy slightly lowered his head.
“No!”
Nibellia said firmly, holding the wolf’s hand tightly.
“A wolf is a wolf! Not a lion!”
“……”
“A wolf can’t be called a lion? Nini will find the right name for you!”
Nibellia, who had climbed onto a chair by herself with a grunt, began rummaging through the dictionary. But since she couldn’t read, there wasn’t much she could do.
“Big brother! Big broooo!”
Eventually, she called Soles over, whining to read various things for her.
“Wolf! Find a name for the wolf!”
“Alright, calm down. Don’t stand on the chair with your shoes on.”
“Should we help too?”
“Nini, I can read too! I’ll help.”
Before long, the children focused on finding a new name for the boy.
But the boy himself had to watch from a distance, feeling detached.
They were all noble children from birth, while he was a scruffy orphan with no education.
The sad thought that he could never fit in held his feet to the floor.
“Wolf!”
But Nibellia caught him.
The boy’s feet, which felt like heavy lumps of iron stuck to the ground, lifted easily.
“Hehe, I found a name!”
The children, gathered around the floor instead of the desk, copied wolf-related names onto paper.
Nibellia pointed her finger at the first name on the list.
“Areph!”
“That one’s read as ‘Hirpa.’ Areph is this one.”
Soles pointed to another name, correcting Nibellia who was confidently wrong.
“Here’s Areph.”
“Areph…”
The boy tried saying the name.
For some reason, it felt comfortable, like a missing puzzle piece clicking into place.
“Areph.”
He said it again, putting emphasis on the name.
“Looks like you like it?”
Al explained the meaning of the name.
“That name is from a wolf who fought alongside Grandfather Ardoreth in the Crepatna War over 40 years ago.”
Over 40 years ago.
The world was plagued by monstrous creatures called ‘Magula’ that killed all living beings.
The heroes who ended that disaster were Saint Muniel and Paladin Ardoreth.
Just as Saint Muniel raised the white cat ‘Nini,’ Ardoreth kept a golden-furred wolf named ‘Areph’ by his side.
“Areph means ‘Golden Wolf.’ After the Crepatna War ended, many people started using that name.”
“Now that you mention it, it fits. Your hair is blonde too!”
Rubens smiled proudly.
The boy fiddled with his own hair.
At the orphanage, teachers would tug his hair saying, ‘If only it was all gold!’ but in a mean way.
He didn’t like his hair color because of that. Just thinking about those days made his scalp ache.
“Look, wolf!”
Nibellia showed off her silver hair.
“Nini’s hair is white, and yours is yellow.”
“……”
“They’re all cool colors!”
The boy’s red eyes trembled quietly as he looked at the smiling Nibellia.
Meanwhile,
While the children were enthusiastically trying to find the boy’s new name,
Duke Kalarof Daygladis was conversing with Muniel in the parlor.
“Thank you. Thanks to you two, his condition has greatly improved.”
“That’s a relief. When are you planning to return to your territory?”
“Probably in summer.”
“Then until then, we will also…”
As the conversation continued, Muniel put down her half-finished tea on the table.
“…Ralph.”
Kalarof was a father and, being a swordsman, had a strong, muscular build and a tall stature.
Yet Muniel still treated him like a kid.
Kalarof didn’t mind her calling him by a pet name.
Rather, he was grateful to have a guardian he could rely on, even at this age.
“Did you bring another child besides the one I asked for at the orphanage?”
Sometimes, when she guessed things she wasn’t told, it gave him chills.
“…How did you know?”
“Dear, no matter how old I get, I’m still a saint.”
“Does that child have saintly power?”
Muniel was known as the strongest and most fearsome saint in the empire’s history.
For her, knowing which neighbor had saintly power was as easy as eating cold soup.
She folded her arms and closed her eyes, seeming uncertain.
“…It’s ambiguous. But he does have some power.”
It was greedy to call it saintly power, ignorant to call it magic.
And to call it ‘power’ was a bit pretentious for how weak it was.
“Actually, I also felt that child was unusual.”
Kalarof said.
“He blocked my way, asking me to take him. He was so confident it was almost unbelievable.”
“But you brought him.”
Muniel said, surprised.
“You made such a decision despite your personality.”
“I admit it. If it were my usual self, I would have been cold and never brought him. I’d just have supported the orphanage from afar.”
“……”
“But his hair…”
Kalarof’s red eyes narrowed.
“It was that person’s hair.”
That pink hair.
The hair of the person they could no longer see, the one they always missed and loved dearly.
Muniel, who had been listening silently, asked.
“Didn’t you bring him today? You brought him by carriage yesterday.”
“You knew that too?”
“Don’t underestimate a saint.”
“I tried to bring him today. But he declined, saying he was fine. He seemed to understand my position.”
“If you’re only going to support, it’s better to keep distance.”
It’s cruel to the child, but it’s better to tell the harsh truth to avoid misunderstandings.
Muniel gave a bitter smile and suddenly chuckled.
When Kalarof asked why, she waved her hand dismissively.
“…I remembered a story I read when I was young. It was similar to what you just said.”
Muniel recalled an old memory and told the story’s outline.
“It was a bit childish but fun. There was a rich young duke who adopted a child from an orphanage…”
The old woman’s cheerful expression suddenly froze.
“…Muniel?”
Sensing something strange, Kalarof hurriedly called her.
Muniel was like a parent to the boy, even more than his birth parents who raised him.
He had never seen her like this before — as if she had just witnessed the world collapsing.
“Grandmaaa!”
Knock knock!
At that moment, a lively voice broke the silence beyond the closed parlor door.
“Nini’s here! Nini!”
“Father, we’re here too.”
Rubens’ voice followed.
Finally regaining her composure, Muniel gave Kalarof a reassuring smile.
“Should I call the doctor?”
“No, just let me be alone for a moment. I just need a little time to gather my thoughts.”
“Understood.”
“Keep the children occupied for a bit. I’ll come out soon.”
Kalarof nodded and left through the parlor door.
“Gran…!”
Nibellia, excitedly calling for her grandmother, stopped mid-sentence when she saw the large unfamiliar man in front of her.
“……”
Then, clutching the boy’s hand tightly, she hid behind Soles.
