His memories were not very clear.
His sense of time felt strange, and scenes were jumbled together.
The Dragonheart residing in his heart had dismantled and reconstructed the unstable Circle that had been deeply embedded in his heart with its powerful magic.
One could commend Luke’s delicate skills for not ending up as a wreck after that work.
Nevertheless, his memories were still gradually becoming more hazy.
Was it because there were no scenes left to fill the vacant spaces in his mind?
The memories felt as meaningless as scenes in a dream.
Was it something that truly happened, or was it just a dream he thought he experienced?
His gaze was as blurry as his fading memories.
It was the look of someone whose mind was completely elsewhere.
What brought that man’s gaze back was the voice from his memories.
“You assured me you could fix me. Right?”
“Of course.”
Luke Irushi, yes. That was his name.
Of course, he had not forgotten.
“Ah, yes…”
He touched his head, recalling Luke.
It wasn’t difficult.
His appearance was so distinctive that even a fleeting glance would imprint it in one’s mind.
Platinum hair, eyes shining in teal and gold, along with horns and animal ears.
And with that, memories and scenes began to resurface.
He had met the girl for the first time, was easily subdued, and received her contact information unilaterally.
Then he had conducted some background checks and was betrayed.
Finally, with a feeling of grasping at straws, he had reached out, and she had healed him. Alright, he still remembered up to this point.
The next memory, yes, it was Yerna, the Elf Forest Keeper.
For some reason, she had reacted to the word “Proiten.”
And, to entangle her with Proiten in his stead…
He even remembered sending her to the Proiten facility.
“Damn it.”
He cursed softly, self-deprecatingly.
Just how had he managed to save his life, and now he had to worry about dementia?
He directed a resentful gaze at his chest.
—-
Diana was busily watching monsters, while Luke observed her from a distance, showing off the knowledge he possessed.
“What? You’re going on a business trip again soon?”
“Yes, now that I’ve caught a lead, I want to delve a little deeper.”
Yerna’s explanation was understandable even to Dayton.
The Proiten family might be related to Luke.
Since Dragonhearts were not that common, it made sense to think there had to be some connection.
However, only a day had passed since their return.
Had they hurried to the zoo right after arriving because he might go on a trip again and wouldn’t know when he’d be back?
Feeling utterly drained, he leaned back on the bench.
His focus blankly stared ahead before suddenly casting a glance at her.
“… How long will this one take?”
In the end, he couldn’t help but ask this question.
She initially avoided his gaze and opened her mouth.
“I don’t know.”
“….”
Dayton tried to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn’t help the disappointment that showed in his eyes.
Though it had only been a few weeks apart, that alone felt quite overwhelming.
At work, he lacked motivation and didn’t even exercise. No matter what he did, it eventually felt empty.
His reason for working hard was to perform at the same level as Yerna, and his reason for exercising was that she had said a healthy, muscular body was good. He had also diligently learned how to cook elven meals to provide healthy and tasty food for her, who usually grabbed whatever to eat.
He had tried his best to hide these feelings in front of Luke, but that was as far as it went.
Dayton was thinking deeply about Yerna.
But this time, she was saying it might really be dangerous.
He couldn’t just let her go like that.
‘What if something happens to Yerna? What about me?’
Even when he couldn’t see her for a moment, he felt that way.
What would he do then?
“It’s not something you have to do alone; you can ask someone else for help.”
“No, this is something I have to do. You know I can’t trust anyone else.”
Yerna smiled bitterly.
Thinking back to the retaliation she had faced when she completely tore apart a family alone, he understood.
Because of that, she currently lived under a changed name.
Though her authority to allow “5th class or higher destructive magic” had been reset, she still had enough knowledge.
Knowledge on how to extract information from opponents, how to dig deeper into incidents with those leads, and how to effectively harm individuals.
In this era, the saying that knowledge is power holds true in a literal sense.
She looked down at her hands.
Hands that were already sufficiently soiled and rough; so a little more dirt wouldn’t make a difference.
Yerna was confident that she was the only one capable of doing such things.
She couldn’t let someone else bear the retaliation from the ‘nobles’.
It would never be made public, and even if an investigation were conducted, it would be hastily buried.
Thus, it had to be her who did it.
Yerna raised her gaze to see Diana giggling in the distance.
“Look, sister! It’s a griffon! It’s so cool!”
“Hmm, you were scared of unicorns, but you’re not scared of a griffon?”
“Yeah! It looks like an eagle, so it’s cute!”
“Ah, so Diana seems to be fond of birds.”
Watching the two giggle made her feel somewhat at ease.
With a slight smile on her lips, when Dayton glanced at her and then turned his gaze to Luke, he spoke.
“Luke has been feeling quite lonely without you.”
“… Really?”
Worried that Luke might be feeling lonely, she honestly hadn’t thought much about it.
He really had been lonely, huh.
Thinking that way made her feel a little guilty; as someone who claimed to be his guardian, was she really doing this right?
Though it was for Luke, could she really say she was still putting him first while neglecting the present?
“… How has Luke been feeling lonely?”
From her slightly watery voice, Dayton saw a glimmer of hope and recounted past events.
“He said it was fine to me, but his expression was always downcast. He sighed a lot.”
“Is that so…?”
“Maybe he wanted to brag about winning first place at the Magic Competition. When I asked him what he would do with the prize money of 1 million Gil, he said he would give it to you.”
“Luke won first place? Why didn’t he tell me? If he had called, I definitely would have praised him.”
Yerna looked at Dayton with a surprised expression.
Receiving her gaze, Dayton looked at Diana and Luke.
Like a child, they appeared to be having so much fun.
‘No matter how deep I am, a child is still a child after all.’
All the grown-up behaviors Luke had shown didn’t feel like a bit of it was necessary.
A pure smile.
Indeed, a child, no matter how much they pretend to be an adult, is still a child.
“He probably wanted to tell you himself.”
After hearing Dayton’s words, Yerna lowered her gaze.
“Is that so…”
Somehow, a heaviness settled in her heart.
It was a sense of responsibility.
At that moment, Dayton dramatically stood up from the bench and said in a theatrical tone.
“Oh, the mood has really dampened. We should eat something refreshing. How about some shaved ice?”
With his awkward gesture, Yerna chuckled lightly.
“Ah, I’d like to eat. Thank you.”
‘As expected, coming out has lifted my spirits a bit.’
Yes, maybe I am not the only one who can solve this issue.
However, when it comes to being by Luke’s side, I am the only one.
——-
On the other hand, Luke sighed with worry as he watched Yerna and Dayton.
‘Is the conversation going well?’
The fact that Luke was playing with Diana was actually a kind of consideration.
He wanted to give Dayton and Yerna some time alone to be a bit closer.
He felt he had been neglectful in helping Dayton with his romantic prospects and thought it a good means to repay the kindness he’d received with delightful meals.
However, the reason Luke was feeling anxious now wasn’t that.
‘When can I talk about my own issues?’
First place at the Magic Competition? That’s not something to talk about.
Whether to accept or decline the Draxx and Lass awards required Yerna’s consent.
In this era, a 10-year-old lacks legal rights.
Minors are deemed incapable of judgment, and a guardian is designated as the legal representative.
Thus, of course, only the guardian could decline or consent to the Lass and Draxx awards.
This was all because he was too young.
‘Wouldn’t it have been better if I had a slightly older body?’
He couldn’t refuse an award without his guardian’s consent.
In fact, the fact that he received the Lass award was already unusual, and the Magic Tower was quite taken aback too.
This was why Luke needed to consult with Yerna.
By chance, he had received the Lass award, and he wanted to decline it as much as possible.
Even if he accepted it, he had to inform her first.
There was no way he could discuss such deep matters over the phone or texts.
And he certainly had no reason to bring this up with Dayton either.
Telling him wouldn’t solve anything, and since Dayton wasn’t his legal guardian, he didn’t see the need to disclose it.
He didn’t think he would keep a secret, but he didn’t feel the need to expand the circle of people who knew.
The reason he confided in Yerna was purely because she was his legal guardian; otherwise, he likely wouldn’t have approached the topic.
“Haah…”
“Sister, why do you keep sighing? Are you struggling?”
“Um, it’s nothing.”
As Luke awkwardly shook his head at Diana’s concerned question, a shout came from the direction where Dayton was seated.
“Hey! Diana! Luke! Come here!!”
Dayton raised his hand to his mouth and shouted.
Luke took Diana’s hand and approached Dayton.
“What did you call us for? Did things go well?”
“Well, somewhat? Anyway, that’s enough of that. Let’s go get ice cream. How about it?”
Dayton pointed to a stall set up in a corner of the zoo.
“Ice cream! I like it!”
Luke also nodded.
Is there anyone who dislikes ice cream? Well, Yerna might; she doesn’t like things too sweet and sticky.
Luke and Diana each got mint chocolate and vanilla flavors, and Diana looked at Luke as if she couldn’t understand him once again.
“Want a bite?”
“No! Not at all!”
“Hmm…”
“Haha! Why? Mint chocolate is delicious! Look at that.”
“Ew, no. I said I don’t want it.”
Luke avoided Diana’s gaze.
Why is it that no matter what, children dislike the things they like?
‘I must be getting old on taste…’
While savoring his ice cream, Luke pondered this.
-… Luke, that’s mean.
‘…’
This time, the only one dissatisfied was Py.
