“Guardian…”
“Yes, as you know, Yerna, if the temporary guardianship extends too long, we will ultimately have to be forced into a facility.”
“I know. I know, but…”
Temporary guardianship.
Literally, the term “temporary” means it is, after all, temporary.
While there aren’t many specific documents required for the temporary guardianship process, after a certain period, you must go to a facility designated by the government.
You will be provided with medical, food, and housing support from the government until you become an adult.
Yerna thought that perhaps it would be better for Luke as well, but it wasn’t something that could be viewed so simply.
She had already contacted every facility that seemed suitable for Luke to stay at, and weren’t they all turned down?
Moreover, Luke was a child with a Circle in his heart.
And it was incredibly powerful.
No matter how cute Luke was, there were no people willing to adopt a child whose life could end at any moment, and the excessive amount of mana he consumed would obviously be a problem as well.
Surely, after barely surviving in a place that was no different from a prison, once he became an adult, they would expel him into the outside world.
“So you’re saying to apply as his guardian?”
Daphne asserted strongly.
Indeed, the time for the temporary guardianship was drawing near, and if time passed, Luke would be forcibly housed in a designated facility.
Isn’t it too harsh for a child who has just escaped slavery!
“Luke also seems to like being with you, Yerna. What’s the problem?”
“That’s…”
Indeed, it was true.
In her opinion, Luke followed her very well.
Moreover, Yerna thought that there was no suitable place to live with Luke other than the forest.
So it fit her job as a Forest Keeper quite well.
It felt almost like fate.
However, the biggest obstacle was this.
“But, you know that in order to apply for guardianship… you can’t do it alone.”
Yerna sighed and leaned against the door of her parked off-road vehicle.
“Ah. That’s right.”
Daphne nodded with an expression that seemed to say she understood the problem now.
Guardian.
It is essentially adoption.
And there was an examination that proved that one could raise a child in a suitable environment.
Moreover, that examination emphasized that the applicant must be a married woman.
Yerna had no partner.
“Sigh…”
Having lived for half a century, she had not found a suitable man all this time.
While it was also due to being busy with work, decent male elves were not common in the world.
And her job as a Forest Keeper didn’t exactly enhance her attractiveness as a woman either…
“Sister, lower your standards a bit. Half the world is male.”
“Daphne, I have to exclude elves from that half.”
“Ah. That’s right. It’s a problem that you are a rare species.”
Yerna, her head swirling with thoughts, covered her face with her hands and let out a groan.
According to last year’s statistics, the elven population was about 12%.
And among them, finding unmarried males of marriageable age is exceedingly difficult.
Elves are that much of a rare species.
On average, elves can live up to 250 years, and perhaps because of their lifespan, their desire to reproduce is not as strong as other races, making it even harder to find a partner.
In fact, even Yerna, who was only half a century old, had such thoughts.
‘It’s still too early for marriage.’
Still, it felt strange that she had never properly dated anyone, but Yerna usually stopped that thought before it even crossed her mind.
She asked.
“Is there no one reliable?”
“Well… for now, among my friends, there’s no one who can take Luke.”
Daphne shook her head.
“What do we do? Now there’s really only a week left.”
“A week? Has it really come to that already? Then we really don’t have much time…”
For a human, the idea of finding someone to marry and getting a marriage stamp in just a week was far too rushed.
At least, one would need to date for more than a month to get to know someone a little.
“I need more time.”
At Yerna’s muttering, Daphne suddenly seemed to remember something.
“Then, first, try applying for an extension exam.”
“Extension exam?”
“I believe there’s a system that allows you to apply for an extension based on that examination if the temporary guardianship is prolonged. If there’s a valid reason, you can also apply for support funds.”
“Is that really true?”
Yerna lifted her head to look at Daphne.
She smiled kindly and nodded in response.
“Yes, when I was still in administration, such things existed.”
“Really!”
Thinking about it, Daphne was originally an administrative civil servant but had applied for a departmental change to fieldwork because of her fast promotion.
No wonder she was so well-informed about this, Yerna thought as she grabbed Daphne’s hands and exclaimed joyfully.
“You’re truly my ‘Guide’! Thank you so much, Daphne! I’ll treat you later!”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, and if you have any cute pictures of Luke later, please send me a few.”
“Of course!”
———–
“I see, an extension exam for the temporary guardianship,” Luke nodded at Yerna’s explanation.
Temporary guardianship.
Luke didn’t particularly care if he were sent to a facility after the time ran out, but he was reluctant to be too far away from Yerna.
The reason was that he was very grateful to Yerna, and to repay her kindness, it would be best to stay by her side, that was the first reason, and the second was the unease that came from knowing how much Yerna despised sending him to a “facility,” and finally the third was…
“Luke, how do you feel? You don’t dislike being with me, right?”
“Of course not! I wouldn’t want that. I’m just sorry for you.”
“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about!”
It was due to Yerna’s reaction like that.
Anyway, for him, since it was what Yerna desired, he had no choice in the matter.
If a benefactor wishes it, it must be so.
So Luke could only stroke his chin and ask.
“Then what do I need to do for the examination?”
“Nothing! You really don’t have to do anything. Oh, a few examiners will come to visit, and you just have to answer them well. You can do that, right?”
“I understand. I’ll manage. Don’t worry.”
Just answering correctly doesn’t seem too difficult.
“It’s just that I have some paperwork to take care of. By the way, since we’re in the forest, never go out alone and definitely make sure to call someone to go with you. Do you understand?”
“Sure. I’ll do that. Well, I don’t think I’ll need to go out, though.”
So, left alone again in Yerna’s lodging, Luke passed the time by reading a book.
Now that he had created a Circle, accumulating knowledge was more important than accumulating mana.
He had unintentionally burdened Yerna with his lack of common sense.
Luke needed books more about society and culture than those related to magic.
He realized his ignorance, but since he didn’t know what he didn’t know, he needed a means to infuse indiscriminate and comprehensive common sense.
And literature, which metaphorically compresses the zeitgeist, was the right fit.
Luke picked any book from the shelf and instinctively sat down where he wanted and began to turn the pages.
For a while, only the sound of rustling paper filled Yerna’s lodging.
——–
“Hmm…”
Of all the books he could pick, he had chosen a risqué novel.
The title and cover seemed quite wholesome, but the content was anything but.
Of course, as with any novel, there was a preparation process for the story, but the early part was surprisingly high-level, far from the simple romance novel he initially thought.
Above all, the straightforwardness of the language surprised him.
In his era, even books that contained sexual descriptions were very expensive, so the majority of readers who bought them were nobles.
Thus, Luke, who was accustomed to act descriptions wrapped in luxurious and metaphorical expressions tailored to the tastes of the nobility, was not prepared for the modern romance novel full of graphics and straightforward expressions laid out before him.
“I think I need to find something else.”
Luke felt a slight heat rise to his face.
As a mage with an excellent imagination, Luke even felt a guilt akin to peeping at someone else’s intimate relations.
“Does Yerna usually read things like this…?”
‘Just because she’s an elf doesn’t mean she lacks sexual desire.’
Thinking this, Luke neatly placed it back on the shelf and then opened another book slightly to check what it was.
‘This seems to have a similar vibe as well…’
Even the second book he picked had the same implication, so Luke thought.
Is such expression common in this era?
No, surely it couldn’t be.
He must just have had bad luck.
Thinking this, Luke pulled out a third book, but then…
Bang!
“Luke, are you in here?!”
“Ugh, ah!”
He let out a startled scream at the sudden enter of a man who burst through the door.
Upon confirming who had entered, Luke sighed in relief.
“Ha, so it was you…”
The one who came in was a red-haired man.
Dyton Geneper.
“Huh? What’s wrong, why are you so surprised?”
Seeing him stroking his chin with a strange expression, Luke quickly shook his head and replied.
“Oh, it’s nothing. But are you always this sudden? How about knocking?”
Realizing that he had reacted too flusteredly for his age, Luke shot a slight reproach at him, but Dyton appeared indifferent.
“More importantly, Luke, I heard you need a guardian.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
The extension of temporary guardianship eventually came down to preparing to be a guardian himself.
Although they hadn’t told him how he could become a guardian.
Dyton suddenly knelt down and clasped his hands together.
Luke was taken aback and exclaimed.
“What on earth are you doing? How can a man kneel so lightly like that!”
He urgently tried to lift him up, but Dyton didn’t budge at all.
With a frail strength of barely 10 years, Luke couldn’t lift him.
Even as a mage, being a 1st Circle means he only had the most basic authorities released.
As a result, it was a fact that physical enhancement was still out of reach for Luke.
Dyton completely ignored Luke, who was struggling to raise him, and spoke.
“I’m begging you, please talk to Yerna nicely for me.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“You need a spouse to apply for guardianship, right? Please connect us, even if it’s just on paper, just once.”
“What?”
Luke froze at that.
“A spouse?”
