“Wait, wait─!!”
As I quietly said those words, I was about to head towards the Nun’s Building in a somewhat atmospheric way.
Aizen suddenly grabbed my hand and tugged me towards him with all his strength.
“…?”
“Don’t push yourself. I’ve told you repeatedly.”
“Pardon? No, what do you mean suddenly….”
“Everyone here knows that Levi hates sunlight. So why are you trying to force yourself?”
“I said I’m fine with it now. I can handle sunlight without….”
Before I could finish my sentence, Ellie jumped in and made the situation even more complicated.
“We’re fine, so please don’t push yourself…. I was really shocked just now.”
“It seems Levi doesn’t realize it. There are quite a few people who hate sunlight to the extreme.”
“Aizen is right. I’ve seen one or two people like that too.”
“There’s no need to force yourself for our sake. You’ve been doing fine so far.”
As I unintentionally re-entered the shade of the World Tree, Aizen and Ellie began urgently trying to persuade me, each adding a line.
The kids still thought I hated sunlight.
Even though I had occasionally shown myself outside basking in the sun since becoming a Familiar, for some reason, they only thought I was overdoing it.
“No…. I’m not overdoing it, I’m really okay.”
“Alright, alright, but don’t do it next time. We even gifted you a parasol so why aren’t you using it?”
“Oh, I use it well. If I had known I had something like that earlier, I would have used it right from the start─.”
In the meantime, I had received quite a few gifts from the children.
Sometimes they would bring food, and other times they would give me clothes and various daily necessities.
Among them, the most meaningful and practical gift was none other than the parasol.
At first glance, it looked almost the same as an umbrella, but a parasol is said to be used only to block sunlight.
That’s why I referred to it as a sunshade, but Aizen kept insisting it was a parasol, so I had no choice but to call it that.
“I’m using it well…”
“Nun, if you keep lying like that, Lady Paelia will get angry.”
“Pardon? I’ve never lied. I’m really using it well….”
Before my words could finish, a very familiar parasol quietly emerged from Ellie’s arms.
It was clearly the parasol that I had received from the children.
“I found it by chance in your room. It’s not good to just keep something we gifted you without using it.”
“…Did you go into my room?”
“Yes. I put all the clothes I brought from the capital into your closet.”
“…….”
I was momentarily speechless.
To be honest, I had used the parasol frequently until I became a Familiar.
However, since then, I had no reason to use it anymore because I was fine with sunlight.
So, I wanted to show the children occasional glimpses of me basking in the sunlight to let them know that I could roam around freely without the help of a parasol.
But apparently, my attempts only made them worry about me.
“Is it possible that, concerning you, I…?”
– Bang!
As I cautiously opened my mouth with a sense of foreboding, Ellie suddenly opened the parasol wide and stepped out into the sunlight beyond the shade of the World Tree.
She then gently held my hand and pulled me into the shade of the parasol.
“We’ll walk you to the Nun’s Building. By now, Iris and Rune should have finished preparing the meal.”
“No, more than that….”
“Right, Levi. Let’s go to the dining hall for now. We can talk about the rest there, it won’t be too late.”
After saying that, Aizen and Ellie cautiously led me to the Nun’s Building, as if escorting aged parents.
It felt somewhat strange.
Despite the children’s suspicious behavior, I couldn’t believe that I was already being treated with such utmost care by them.
“Haha…. It feels strange. It feels like just yesterday you were playing in the church garden….”
“If it weren’t for Levi, we wouldn’t have grown this much.”
“That’s true. You’ve suffered the most because of us, teaching us so much….”
Looking at Aizen and Ellie, who stood robustly on either side, those thoughts became more pronounced.
Just a few years ago, they were much shorter than me with tiny hands.
Now they have grown up this much, earning money and even showing filial piety─.
“But you guys, I’ve been feeling some discomfort for a while now, is there something about me…?”
– Thud
Suddenly, realizing I had entered the dining hall of the Nun’s Building, I found myself seated at a table filled with a dazzling array of various foods.
“How is it? Isn’t it amazing?”
“Iris and I worked hard to prepare it─.”
Iris and Rune had grown while maintaining their relatively unchanged appearances.
Iris still had a cute yet indifferent face with sparkling eyes.
Rune was exuding her usual soft and cheerful atmosphere.
It was hard to believe that their professions were Sage and Archery expert.
“What are you so proud of? All this food is just reheated rations.”
Seeing Iris and Rune puffing up their shoulders proudly, Aizen promptly raised an eyebrow and playfully spoke.
“That’s rich coming from you, whose only destination is the blacksmith.”
However, contrary to the intentions behind this statement, unexpected sharp reactions poured out swiftly, leaving Aizen with a flustered expression.
It seemed that since he was the only male at the party, this kind of position naturally occurred.
It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.
“But why does mine look particularly bloody? Didn’t you say it was preserved food?”
“Nun prefers it slightly undercooked. That’s why your dish isn’t preserved food.”
“It would have been fine to just make mine preserved without any fuss.”
“Special meal─.”
As I looked at the well-prepared dishes on the table, the discomfort I had been feeling grew stronger for some reason.
The atmosphere of the children was just as peaceful as usual, but somehow I felt something was off only about me.
But then again, I couldn’t overtly express my suspicions.
As Iris mentioned, I usually ate meat with some blood remaining.
It wouldn’t be right to say anything if the food was specially made for me.
Perhaps most of the discomfort I felt was just my own mood, and my mind began to get a little complicated.
“Did I think too much…?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Iris looked puzzled at my quietly mumbled remark.
I hurriedly shook my head and tried to return the atmosphere to normal, but that nagging feeling inside me still wouldn’t go away.
“Well, I’ll eat well. Thank you for preparing this.”
“Today, we’ll take care of the meals and housework. You can take a good rest, Nun.”
“No, you guys should be the ones who need to rest. You don’t have to do anything anymore, so take a good break in your rooms.”
Unlike me, who was feeling an inexplicable unease while quietly watching the kids, they continued chatting naturally without a hint of it, maintaining a warm atmosphere.
“…….”
An entirely ordinary lunchtime.
While there were slightly suspicious parts in between, the children seemed no different from usual aside from that.
Perhaps I was just overreacting alone, so I began to slowly clear my head and was about to poke a piece of meat on my plate with my fork to put it in my mouth when—
“If you only eat meat, you’ll get thirsty, so have this too.”
Ellie, who had sat down late, quietly said and placed a cup in front of me.
“Thank you. I feel like I’m being spoiled today.”
Because it was so natural, I picked up the cup without any suspicion, setting my fork down for a moment.
However, that cup, which I had assumed contained water, was filled with a thick, bright red liquid, and the smell wafting from it was strange and oddly familiar.
“…What?”
I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.
Looking here and there, the contents of the cup were undoubtedly blood.
“Oh, just to clarify, that’s tomato juice.”
“Tomato juice…?”
“Yes, it’s nothing suspicious, so don’t worry.”
I slowly closed my mouth and placed the cup back on the table.
Worried, I pinched my cheeks hard and hit my head, but all my senses were intact.
For some reason, this situation felt increasingly confusing and bewildering.
“…Is this really tomato juice?”
At my suspicious question, everyone present suddenly flinched and began to blink rapidly.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
However, Ellie remained unfazed by this awkwardness and calmly spoke as usual.
“Of course. Do you think I would offer something strange to you, Nun?”
“That’s true, but still, this is….”
No matter how sensitive I was, I could tell the difference between blood and tomato juice.
Thus, I picked up the cup again and cautiously took a sip of the liquid inside.
Then─.
“…….”
I felt a strong sweetness in my mouth.
But it was absolutely not tomato juice; it was a strange liquid mixing beast’s blood with sweetness.
