Chapter 45 ……………………………….
“Here, it’s on your face.”
“Mm.”
Ron leaned closer again.
A gentle hand brushed over the corner of his mouth.
Instinctively, his small foot tapped the rock, unsure what to do.
Quickly catching on, Ron tilted his other cheek toward me.
“I think there’s some on this side too. Can you wipe it?”
“Mm, come closer.”
As my hand touched him, Ron’s heart seemed to swell with warmth, and he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Now, this is a gift for the baby lion.”
I pulled various items from my bag.
“Really? You’re giving me a gift?”
“Of course.”
Flustered, Ron didn’t know what to do with his hands, which had been resting on his knees. He touched the ground, clenched his fists, then repeated.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s… my first time receiving a gift.”
Surely, being born and raised in the Kereis household, he must have received countless gifts before.
But in Ron’s memory, there was nothing. Only the harsh life of a child slave.
Suppressing my own swelling emotions, I handed him another gift.
“This is a book, and a handkerchief too.”
Before long, the crevice between us was filled with the presents.
Ron scratched his head as he examined them.
Since he wasn’t making a delighted face, I wondered if nothing appealed to him.
If I had known, I would’ve brought a bigger bag even if it meant extra effort.
“Ron, don’t like my gift? Then next time I’ll…”
“No, I’m really happy.”
Ron pulled all the items toward him with both hands.
“Can I really keep all of this?”
“Of course! I brought them for you.”
Seeing a child so happy just from receiving gifts was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.
“This is a book about chivalry. It might be difficult now, but I thought it could help if you read it.”
“Wow.”
Excitement lit up Ron’s face.
Seeing such a reaction made me want to explain more.
I shrugged lightly and continued.
“The handkerchief is for carrying around, to use when you need it. But with your blood on it, it can’t be used.”
“Huh? I just want to keep it.”
“No, we’ll throw this one away, and I’ll give you another later.”
Ron’s face, which had been gleeful, immediately stiffened.
“Why, Ron?”
“…I will never throw it away. Anything from you, I will never throw away.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll keep it until I die.”
“…?”
Ron gripped the handkerchief tightly, radiating a strong sense of attachment.
That much attachment meant he really liked the gift, right?
I decided not to read too much into it and let it be.
“Right. I gave it to you as a gift, but now it’s yours. You can do as you please. Ron, treasure it, okay?”
“Mm!”
Under the moonlight, Ron’s cheeks flushed like a gentle lamb.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but think about poking those cheeks.
It was too cute and innocent. I wanted to feel that soft texture.
And then, I realized my cursed fingers really were poking one of Ron’s cheeks.
“…Oh my! Ron, sorry!”
I quickly withdrew my hand.
I wasn’t some pervert in the middle of the night, so what on earth was I doing?
My face probably burned redder than Ron’s just moments ago.
Unable to face him, I lowered my head, only to hear Ron’s voice near my ear:
“You can touch more.”
“Huh?”
“Touch, touch my cheek.”
“R-Ron! Earlier, I…”
I tried to wave my hands and explain I wasn’t a pervert, but Ron’s hands were faster.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pressed it to his cheek.
The warmth and softness of his skin filled my palm.
It felt as if all of his little body’s warmth was being transmitted to me.
And in that moment, his gaze locked with mine.
His eyes, like an endless night sky, shimmered.
I could feel my heart pounding.
Of course, hearts beat naturally—people die if it stops—but today it felt especially intense for reasons I couldn’t explain.
Then I realized the sleeve I was holding wasn’t a dress but rough boyish clothing, and I withdrew my hand.
After all, I looked like Lan, a boy.
Calming the strange fluttering in my chest, I turned my gaze to the moonlit forest and asked:
“By the way, I’m curious about something, Ron.”
“What is it?”
“How have you been living there? And how did you come all the way here by yourself?”
I wanted to know what life was like for Ron at Devel.
There were limits to what I could guess from letters.
I wanted to hear it from him directly.
“My master told me. Last time I fought the adults, I won.”
“You won?”
“Mm!”
“Against the adults?”
“Mm!”
Watching Ron smile brightly, I tilted my head.
He was only twelve, just beginning to learn swordsmanship—there was no way he could beat adults.
Still, contrary to my expectations, it seemed he was doing well, though I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.
“Are you really okay? If anyone bothers you, promise me you’ll tell me, understood?”
At my last question, Ron hesitated.
“Mm! If I get hurt, or bleed again, you have to wipe it.”
“Y-Yeah, I will.”
Just as we promised, hand in hand, it happened.
“…My head.”
Suddenly, my head spun.
Ron in front of me blurred and flickered.
And then, the tingling in my body made me collapse.
The small Ron in the forest looked around.
But perhaps intentionally keeping his distance, the black horse and the woman were nowhere in sight.
“…Lan has collapsed!”
His fingertips trembled.
Seeing Lan fall suddenly, fear surged through him.
Ron had seen countless deaths before—horrific and brutal ones.
But when children his age cried, he always faced it with calm detachment.
He didn’t know why.
He simply acted on instinct.
“I need water…”
But now, things were different.
Lan, his most precious friend, the one who had given him strength to survive, was lying collapsed.
Ron grabbed an empty water bottle and hurried to find a spring.
After searching around for a while, he heard the clear sound of flowing water.
He crouched by the spring, checked the water, and filled the bottle.
He wet the handkerchief Lan had given him.
Lan had appeared like a miracle when he escaped Devel and hid in an unknown cave.
He had to save Lan.
“…Ugh.”
Lan, lying down, groaned weakly.
Ron wrung the wet handkerchief and gently poured it into Lan’s mouth.
Praying she would wake.
“Lan… don’t die.”
Even after covering her with his jacket, Ron was still uneasy.
He tried to remember how Lan had cared for him when he had collapsed in the cave.
His small hand hesitated before touching Lan’s sweating forehead.
He pressed his own forehead to hers, comparing their temperatures.
Lan felt feverish.
“C-cold…”
Her body trembled.
It was winter, and the forest at night was colder still.
Seeing her suffer and feeling powerless, Ron almost cried.
But he held back.
Wiping his wet eyes with the back of his hand, he gently wrapped Lan in his arms.
It was something slave children did during cold winters—survive using only each other’s body heat in places without fire.
“Lan… I’ll keep you warm.”
Though small, his desperate heart made Lan gradually calm down.
The air was thick with acrid smoke.
Some limped through the haze, holding their legs; others screamed, clutching their bleeding bellies.
It was chaos.
I was standing in the middle of a battlefield.
“…Ron Kereis!”
A man with an expressionless face stepped over a pile of corpses.
It was Ron Kereis—but very different from the child he once was.
“…Ah, no. My… foot.”
At the sound of sobbing, I woke.
The small head covering me slowly lifted.
Under the moonlight, a worried boy’s face appeared.
“Lan! You woke up? Are you okay?”
“…Where am I?”
“The forest.”
“….”
As my eyelids stopped fluttering, my vision cleared.
And I realized it was real.
Ah, it was a dream. A dream.
I truly felt relieved.
“Lan, are you sad?”
At the boy’s question, something slipped from my eyes.
I had unconsciously begun to cry.
Not the bloody battlefield Ron, but this small, fragile boy in front of me—I was grateful for that.
“No, it’s not sadness.”
“Then?”
With eyes as pure as countless stars, Ron asked.
“I’m crying because I’m grateful you protected me. When you’re this thankful, tears come.”
Ron nodded slightly, as if he understood completely.
“I suddenly collapsed.”
“I see.”
I only remembered up to the moment we were talking.
Then my head had hurt like it would split, and everything went black.
“Are you hurt, Lan?”
“No. I just overdid it getting here. Normally, I’m fine, really.”
Gradually, Ron’s sulky expression began to lift.
Seeing that, I too felt relief.
Thinking back, the sudden collapse was probably due to the magic powder I had ingested.
At one point, I panicked, wondering if I had turned back into Marianne—but judging by Ron’s reaction, thankfully, I had not.
