Chapter 18
18
Chapter 4. No Problem, Right? (3)
"A Shifter?"
"Mister…. I'm sleepy…."
What nonsense is this, waking someone up from their sleep? I called him 'Mister' because it was a man's voice, but honestly, the age wasn't discernible from the voice alone.
It wasn't a boy's voice, but it did sound like an adult. But it wasn't an old voice either.
If I had to say, a young man…?
'This is incredibly unsettling.'
A young man speaking like a baby….
I decided to just stick with 'Mister.' After all, to a three-year-old, all adults are 'Mister,' right?
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
"Does the mister who wakes up a kid and talks nonsense not know common sense?"
"You're acting so unlike a child for someone who claims to be a child."
"Then I'll cry?"
"……."
"I'm gonna bawl?"
"I'm sorry. My bad."
"Hmph."
I made a fist and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. Mina used to nag me, saying it would ruin my eyesight.
"Don't rub your eyes, you'll ruin your eyesight."
"……."
I decided to give this Mister a pass a few times, whoever he was. He said the same thing as Mina, so he couldn't be a bad person.
After blinking a couple more times, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and my vision gradually became clearer. Oh, I can see…….
"Eek!"
My eyes!
"……Evelyn, am I in wolf form right now?"
"You are in human form, Renat."
"Then why is she like that? Does a person get scared seeing another person?"
Crazy, what did I just see…?
The man standing by the window was backlit, but his beauty—wow, I thought I was used to beauty because of my parents, but that was totally wrong. I was just used to my parents' faces; I hadn't built up any immunity to beauty.
He's so damn handsome.
His white hair, which seemed otherworldly, added a touch of mystery to his beauty. I couldn't tell the color of his eyes because they were dark, but whatever color they were, they were sure to be beautiful. Because he was already handsome. The color didn't matter at all.
By the way, what? A wolf?
"Am I scary?"
The man seemed worried that I was scared, probably because I was young and covered my eyes after a short scream. I shook my head and quickly said,
"No. Not at all."
"Then why were you surprised?"
"Uh, no…… just……."
When I averted my eyes, the man strode towards me.
Could you not come closer? I need to protect my dignity. What a disgrace it would be if I just stared blankly and drooled?
Just then, someone stepped between the man and me.
"Evelyn, would you explain why you're stopping me?"
"Shana is scared of you. Please step back, Renat."
"Huh…."
I perked up my ears.
The face of the small girl blocking me from the man looked familiar. It was the puppy sleeping next to me, making soft snoring sounds.
It's so cool that she can be small enough to fit in my palm when she's a puppy, but bigger than me when she turns into a human.
"Name, Evelyn?"
"It's Evelyn, Shana."
"Eve, Evel, Brin…."
My tongue is still clumsy. It's so frustrating. I frowned, angry at myself for only being able to make baby sounds. Evelyn bent down to look at my face.
"Shana?"
"Tongue won't move!"
"Ah. If Evelyn is difficult, you can call me whatever you like."
"……Right now, I'll call you Eve…. Sorry…."
My situation, not even being able to say her name properly…….
Even so, Evelyn didn't get angry and smiled kindly.
Just then, the white-haired beauty leaned down and suddenly cut in.
"My name is Renat."
"……."
"What's your name, little one?"
"……Shana……. Get your face away from me."
My heart feels like it's going to burst from pounding so hard. I thought about it when I saw my father and mother, but excessive beauty is sometimes a weapon.
Heart assassins.
Renat straightened up and said,
"Aren't you being too cold to me? I'm your savior, in a way."
"Ah! Were you that wolf back then?!"
"I can't believe you actually remember. Are you even human…."
"Wow! Mister, thank you! I was warm thanks to you. You disappeared, so I couldn't even say hello…."
So, that super handsome Mister turns into that big wolf when he transforms? Would it be rude to ask him to show me his wolf form? It would be rude, right? Should I ask if it wouldn't be rude?
"It's best not to talk about that time in detail. Your parents are listening."
"Ah…."
My father's bitter face flashed in my mind. I quickly shut my mouth.
"I didn't come here to reminisce about the old days."
"But."
"The thank you is enough. I didn't do much."
Renat was extremely cold. That made him look more mature, which was cool. It was a maturity I couldn't feel from my father. When I first saw my father, I thought he would be as mature as Renat.
Of course, it's not like I dislike my father.
"The reason I came is, as I said before, because of Evelyn."
Renat put his hand on Evelyn's head.
"Is Eve Mister's daughter?"
"I met her for the first time yesterday."
"……."
"As you saw, she would have died if I had left her alone. Someone beat her up,"
Evelyn gave a short, sharp "Renat" as a warning.
'She probably thinks it's not appropriate for me to hear since I'm a child, right?'
Honestly, after already seeing blood, what does it matter? But I didn't dislike that she was being considerate of me.
"I found her rolling around on the street, injured. I thought you would be able to heal her, so I dumped her in front of you."
"Is Eve some kind of object…."
"You healed my leg, so I figured you could heal a Shifter. Well, honestly, I thought the odds were fifty-fifty."
Renat shrugged.
You're so tough when someone's life is at stake….
"If you grew up hating Shifters, well, she would just die."
Cool, so cool…. Cold, so cold.
Handsome face and terrible personality……. I glared at Renat with cold eyes. Evelyn seemed bothered that I was glaring at her benefactor, and added softly,
"I would have died if Renat hadn't taken a gamble."
"Uh, um…."
"Thanks to Renat, I was able to meet Shana and live. Thank you for saving me, Shana."
Evelyn bowed deeply.
"Oh, no, it was nothing…."
I just applied some Clay. It was an act that I didn't even feel like I was using my power for, and it was my parents who fed and sheltered Evelyn.
I felt embarrassed to receive such a polite greeting for something so small.
"Little one, you really don't know anything, do you?"
"I'm not a little one, I'm Shana."
"No one can heal a Shifter."
"……Huh?"
"They have a high natural healing ability, but Healing magic and the healing power of priests don't work on them."
I almost asked what they do when they get hurt, but stopped myself.
It's only been two years since I was reborn in this world, and I've already forgotten that that's my original common sense.
That I was able to cure Mother's illness with Clay.
That I was able to heal the wolf and Evelyn's wounds….
No matter what my Clay is like, it wasn't originally something to take for granted.
"Are you listening, Shana?"
"Huh?"
"What you did is something no one else can do."
"Really?"
"……You did something amazing."
"Oh, I see. I'm glad. I was able to heal Eve!"
"……."
"You did something amazing. How did you do it?"
Oh, Renat seems a little sulky.
"I don't really know. It just worked."
"……."
Ah, that sounds really obnoxious depending on how you hear it. I quickly added,
"Mom is more amazing. She makes fire!"
"The Duchess Wentworth is a rare 7-class Magician for a human."
There are classes too….
Magic, which I thought was a symbol of dreams and hope, suddenly felt overly realistic. Having stages means there's a theory, and having a theory means you have to study.
'I'm glad I don't have Mana.'
It's not that I'm not doing it, it's that I can't.
"You've done something that no one else in this world can do…."
"Stop it, Renat. Shana is still a baby."
I'm tired of saying I'm not a baby, now….
"How can you call that tired face a baby? Evelyn, are you a Shifter who's being fooled by appearances?"
"Shana is human."
"Yes, the same kind of human who made you 'that' way."
Oh, I think they're forgetting that I'm listening. Can I go back to sleep now?
Ever since I became a baby, everyone around me has been thinking with me as the center, so this moment of disappearing presence is actually comfortable.
Besides, a young body needs to grow diligently. It's a good thing I slept more than usual during the day. I desperately tried to hold back a yawn.
It seems like a serious conversation, so I shouldn't interrupt. Definitely shouldn't.
"Shana saved me!"
"I saved you. Shana healed you."
"It's the same thing!"
"Shifters are more comfortable living with Shifters."
"I don't have a family anyway!"
"So you're going to live with humans?"
Oh. My ears perked up.
"It will take you several years to earn your keep, so are you going to ask your benefactor to raise you as well?"
"……Sniff."
"I came to take you away secretly in the middle of the night, but you stubbornly refused to go…."
Evelyn was on the verge of tears. Pretending not to hear, I jumped up and hugged Evelyn's waist.
"Don't bully her!"
"……When did I ever bully her?"
"Eve is going to cry!"
"Your parents told me you wouldn't raise Evelyn, right?"
"Th, that's because I might have somewhere to go! Of course, I want to raise her!"
Oops. No.
"No, of course, I want to be with her!"
"Then I'm counting on you."
"Huh?"
"The conversation with your parents is over too."
Huh?
"I'll come by often."
Renat disappeared just like that.
"……."
What is this. I feel like I'm being…….
Scammed.
