4
Chapter 4
‘Okay, I give up.’
I cleanly scrapped my plan.
If I ran away to save only myself and something bad happened to the protagonist's future, I would probably regret it for the rest of my life.
‘Just for six months.’
I'll temporarily protect the protagonist for half a year, then safely hand him over to Ophelia and run away.
Okay. Now that I've made a new plan, shall I be true to my desires?
Let's see, our squishy. What's your name?
"Name?"
"The name is, well..."
Well?
"Ah, I don't have one yet."
What? Why don't you have a name?
Just as I was about to ask about the shocking answer.
Ding.
The Quest Window popped up with the sound of a bell.
[Quest] Give the Star of the Hero a New Name
A name is an expression of affection for a child! Give the Star of the Hero a new name.
*Reward for acceptance: Temporary Guardian Status of the Star of the Hero
[Accept/Decline]
Ah. That's right.
Even in the game, it started with naming the protagonist.
‘What should I do?’
Since it's not Ophelia, it seems like I'm being given something like 'Temporary Guardian Status' as a reward.
I don't know what it is, but since I'm not the official guardian, this much should be okay, right?
With a spoonful of personal interest, I muttered 'Accept' in my mind, and a cursor appeared above the child's head, blinking like in the game.
‘Is it okay for me to name him?’
"You need a name to order a dog around."
"A name...?"
Despite my mean words, the protagonist's eyes sparkled like shooting stars falling into a blue lake, as if he was happy about something.
I didn't want to disappoint the child, but there was no need to think for long.
I had a name that I had been calling the protagonist for a very long time.
I watched the child's reaction and slowly rolled the name on my tongue.
"Your name from today is Acorn mouse."
The protagonist's eyes trembled at my words.
"My name is... Acorn mouse."
I covered my lower face with a fan and smiled contentedly.
Yes, Acorn mouse! How is it, do you like i...?
‘Huh?’
Who is it? Who just called our Leo Acorn mouse?
Tap tap.
Soon, the sound of typing echoed, and the name I gave Leo appeared clearly above his head.
Acorn mouse
Then a fanfare sounded...
[Quest] 'Give the Star of the Hero a New Name' Completed
The name of the Star of the Hero has been fixed as 'Acorn mouse'.
As a reward, you can now use the Status window as the Temporary Guardian of the Star of the Hero.
Hey, Mr. System!
Acorn mouse instead of a perfectly good name like Leo. Acorn mouse!
Our squishy rice cake's name is Leo!
‘Leo, hoping he grows up brave and healthy like a lion!’
"The name Acorn mouse suits you well, since you're as pathetic as a mouse and as small as an acorn."
Leo, who was standing there with a tearful face at my words, wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
"Yes, yes."
Ah, no.
‘Leo!’
"Acorn mouse."
"Yes!"
‘Leo!’
"Acorn mouse."
"Yes, I'm Acorn mouse!"
Hoo-eong. Why can't I call Leo, Leo!
* * *
Before Belinda met Leo.
"Your job is to assist Belinda."
The head maid said in an overbearing tone in front of the antique oak door.
‘What is assist?’
Leo didn't know what assist meant, but it wasn't an atmosphere where he could dare to ask.
And when he finally met the person inside the door.
"What a beastly sight."
Leo felt like he had become the most insignificant and worthless being in the world and lowered his head.
That's how cold the gaze was.
Besides, Belinda's expression as she twisted her lips when she saw him was so hideous.
He wanted to step back right away, but Leo endured it by pinching his thigh.
‘I don't want to go back to the orphanage.’
Was it thanks to his desperation? Eventually, he was allowed to work at the mansion by Belinda.
Leo was determined. No matter how hard the work was, he would definitely do it.
‘What Belinda tells me to do...’
"To think you're walking around with such kindling sticks as arms and legs. I don't want to see it, so you need to gain weight right away. Chef!"
‘Anything, gobble gobble.’
"I hate cold beds. Acorn mouse, warm the bed with your body temperature."
‘I will, haam.’
"The dessert is terrible. Acorn mouse, eat all this garbage right now!"
‘I will, but what is this pitch-black food?’
The moment he hesitated and put a spoonful of the unidentified food Belinda handed him into his mouth.
Leo's facial muscles, which had been stiff from tension, melted away.
‘It looks like coal... but it was so, so sweet.’
Even after returning to the servants' quarters, Leo stomped his feet and savored the sweetness of the fondant chocolate.
Then, he tilted his head as if he had suddenly realized something strange.
‘Is this what ‘assist’ is usually like?’
Leo looked back on what he had done today.
Taking a sweet nap on Belinda's cloud-like, fluffy bed, and eating three meals until his stomach was bulging.
His hands, which hadn't touched a drop of water all day, were filled with the sweet smell of sugar from eating dessert.
‘Besides, I even got a name.’
It was the first thing Leo, who had nothing, owned, and he didn't want to be taken away by anyone.
"Acorn mouse."
"Yes!"
"Acorn mouse."
"Yes, I'm Acorn mouse!"
Whenever Belinda called his name, it felt like someone was tickling his heart with a feather.
He was so happy that he even shed a few tears.
‘Belinda is a little... well, a little scary, but I don't think she's a bad person.’
She let him work at the mansion and even gave him a name.
Maybe he could become a needed person here.
Leo leaned his head on the pillow with such expectations.
