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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: A Simple Solution
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He let go of me and vigorously scratched his arm, where goosebumps had broken out.
“A-a monster…!”
Oops.
Having momentarily forgotten about the monster, I hastily turned around.
The baron’s only servant had spotted the monster outside the door and screamed.
Daniel was the first to react.
“My Lady! To the carriage, quickly!”
Rose scooped me up with one arm.
He handled me roughly, but the fact that he consistently looked out for me was just baffling.
“Why do you keep helping me? If that monster kills me, I’ll be out of the Duke’s hair for good.”
“Blood is gross.”
“…”
I could swear it.
I wasn’t the least bit scared of this otherworldly being.
Carrying me, Rose headed for the only door.
The man named Dewey, who was by the doorway, was shoved aside by Rose but still couldn’t seem to collect himself.
“A-a monster? That can’t be right…?”
In that moment, I managed to steal a glance at the creature in Dewey’s arms.
It just looked like a rabbit with uniquely colored fur; it didn’t look like a monster to my eyes, either.
The carriage started moving the moment Rose shoved me inside.
Wait a minute?!
“Is it really okay to just leave?”
“I told you, it’s a low-level monster. Three ordinary knights could beat it.”
Rose leisurely crossed his legs.
Right, that must be why the man named Dewey was able to catch it.
“…But I don’t think the baron has three knights.”
Daniel Dawson was extremely poor. His coat and shoes were terribly worn. He was the kind of person who walked to and from the ducal estate.
It seemed his entire salary as a tutor went to paying for Nina’s food.
And his friend, Dewey, looked like he had come running in a frantic hurry all by himself.
This won’t do.
I signaled the coachman to turn the carriage around.
Rose’s lips twisted.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Then you take care of that monster!”
“…What?”
I grabbed Rose’s arm.
“I’ll disappear from the ducal house for a whole day! I can’t promise a lifetime… You heard the baron praise the Young Lord, saying he’ll be a great head of the family, right? And the Young Lord seemed to like the baron quite a lot… You wouldn’t want the Young Lord to be sad about losing someone he cherishes, would you?”
“As his guardian?”
“Yes, as his guardian.”
My question about whether he would remarry if I got divorced must have been quite a shock.
I had only asked on the off chance, since he was an otherworldly being and appeared as a woman to others.
Rose clicked his tongue with a *tsk*.
The carriage turned back and stopped once again in front of the baron’s residence, and Rose simply opened the window.
Dewey was desperately fleeing from the rabbit monster, which was hopping along right behind him.
…Meanwhile, Nina was letting out a huge yawn inside her cage.
It would look rather ridiculous to anyone who didn’t know the situation.
Without even getting out of the carriage, Rose snapped his fingers.
With a soft *pop*, the running monster vanished, scattering something like pollen into the air.
“Huh?”
Where did it go?
As if he knew what I was wondering, Rose said, “I moved it far away. Did you want me to kill it? Spilling blood isn’t a good sight for a ten-year-old.”
Oh, my goodness.
I was moved by the solution, which was far cleaner than I had expected.
“You… you talk a big game, but you’re actually a good kid!”
I grabbed Rose’s hand and shook it vigorously.
Rose cleared his throat.
“Ahem, well, I am pretty great.”
“Thank you for your help. You were really dependable today!”
My unsparing praise made Rose puff up with pride.
Rose even showed me a little bit of acknowledgment.
“You seem to have some guts, too. No need to disappear for a whole day.”
I couldn’t believe how easy he was to handle.
Kivrin’s assessment that he wasn’t a bad ‘kid’ was true.
* * *
As the girl stepped out of the carriage, the servants’ eyes were all drawn to her.
Every one of them showed a favorable disposition toward her.
It was only natural.
Rose begrudgingly admitted it.
The girl had, after all, freed Kivrin from the Snake Pit and got along well with Winter and Menelik.
Regardless of what the Temple said, many families coveted the position of the Young Lord’s wife.
But there hadn’t been a single young lady who didn’t collapse at the sight of Menelik or flee at the sight of Kivrin.
That alone was enough to win favor, but her appearance, which seemed designed to evoke protective instincts, fanned the flames.
Delicate skin that seemed to burn easily in the sun, large, limpid eyes, and gentle, downturned eyes. Hair the color of a handful of scattered dawn light.
Praises poured in about how she brightened the dreary ducal estate by never holding back her smiles.
With her looks and her actions, the girl was emphasizing her harmlessness.
…And that was precisely why Rose found her unsettling.
In the wild where he had lived, beings like her were the most dangerous.
Their weak and beautiful appearance was a camouflage.
‘Though she seems ordinary for now.’
Rose’s brow twitched.
It would be a problem even if the girl was perfectly ordinary.
When the sealing spell broke, even Menelik wouldn’t be able to handle Kivrin, and the girl named Cheria had the highest chance of being the first to die.
Unaware of what Rose was thinking, Cheria came up beside him.
Her eyes darted around, surveying her surroundings, before she suddenly lifted her head with a flash of insight.
“Found the Young Lord!”
Cheria then dashed off toward the garden.
She was just like a child, unabashedly excited after a long-awaited outing.
“…”
Rose sighed, his eyes following Cheria’s retreating back.
A year ago, Rose had left after confirming that Kivrin was confined to the Snake Pit.
Had Kivrin been an ordinary child, it would have been an incredibly cruel act.
But to him, who knew full well what Kivrin was sealing, it had seemed like a decent solution.
The sealing spell was imperfect and could break at any moment, even that very night.
Unaware of this fact, the Temple continued to condemn Kivrin as a monster.
‘He’s much more than a monster.’
Beyond the thin pane of glass that was the sealing spell, there was that snake.
An apex predator.
During its active periods, it was known by ominous titles such as Snake God, Demon, and Fallen Morning Star, and it was famous for the rumor that it was always accompanied by disaster.
It and Kivrin were inextricably linked.
Strictly speaking, they were the same being.
The priests were almost pitiful, steadily racking up sins under the assumption their god would protect them.
“Viscount Rose.”
The maid Cheria was particularly fond of called out to Rose.
Deciding her name wasn’t even worth remembering, he gave a curt nod.
The maid expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you so much for accompanying the young miss, I mean, the Young Lady.”
“I was merely doing my duty.”
Rose replied in a cold voice.
Mera flinched, feeling a strange sense of unease.
Feeling a slight weariness, Rose reined in the energy that was trying to escape his body. Then, he politely put some distance between them.
Mera felt a sense of relief without knowing why.
Before Rose had appeared, the servants had also feared Kivrin.
Their reactions had been no different from those of outsiders.
It was only because Rose had used his magic to dilute their fear that people began to see Kivrin for who he really was and pledge their loyalty.
Now, it was something he somewhat regretted.
He should have prevented any good memories from being made, instilling the perception that the Snake Pit and this place were one and the same.
Rose clicked his tongue.
It was too late for what-ifs.
Rose looked out at the two children chatting amiably in the garden.
He had to admit that the ‘current’ Kivrin was a quiet child.
He admitted it, but…
Rose found himself observing Cheria more intently and felt a headache coming on.
“I told her to get lost because I was genuinely worried…”
Even he didn’t know what would happen when Kivrin regained the memories of his past life as a snake.
* * *
The incident at the baron’s residence ended up being just a small happening.
Daniel had made a confession to Winter, though it wasn’t his fault, and Rose had brought me back safely.
Winter checked on my condition first, then ordered Dewey to be brought in.
She said he would be dealt with according to the results of an investigation, as he had recklessly brought a monster onto the property.
On the other hand, Daniel, who had dutifully reported about Nina as he had told me he would, received a scolding instead of a punishment.
“Are you still living in the slums with that beast that’s turning into a monster?”
“She’s not a beast, her name is Nina…”
Shouldn’t you protest the fact that the baron’s residence was just called the slums…?
Winter cut him off.
“Bring her here.”
“Pardon?”
“You said Kivrin wants to see her. Wouldn’t this be better for both you and that beast?”
“…If the ducal family is willing to take her in, I would be nothing but grateful. May I come every day?”
Winter tutted.
“You haven’t changed a bit. Do as you please.”
A huge grin spread across Daniel’s face.
“Thank you, Mistress of the Crescent Castle and the Waning Wood.”
The title, “Mistress of the Crescent Castle and the Waning Wood,” was a formal way to address Winter.
It was mentioned only once in **.
It wasn’t incorrect, either, as Winter was the actual owner.
Menelik did so love to shower Winter with gifts.
