A long time ago, simply smoking refined magic grass in the form of cigarettes was common among people of all ages.
Of course, since cigarettes made from magic grass were a very expensive luxury item, ordinary citizens found it hard to indulge.
However, this drove merchants who had to cater to nobles to focus on improving the quality of tobacco, resulting in cigarettes from that era being very finely refined with almost no side effects.
The fact that inhaling smoke itself had a negative effect on the respiratory system was not an issue during the era when gods existed… In other words, during the time when divine power was common, it was hardly a problem.
In that era, one could easily treat any degree of respiratory damage as long as one had the money.
Now, in the present age, such a thing was unimaginable.
Thus, even in the body of a ten-year-old, Luke felt no abnormalities when smoking a cigarette.
It was only natural in his time.
Therefore, this treatment felt unjust.
‘Me, being punished like this…’
He couldn’t see past his shame, more than the pain itself.
He was close to tears.
To conclude, the cigarette that had been made with great effort ended in failure.
There was insufficient research on Yerna’s tastes, and there was also a lack of research on the times.
Moreover, perhaps because he had expended so much effort making it, he felt extremely tired.
The tiredness around Luke’s eyes stemmed from this.
As a result, his slightly drooping eyes and laid-back atmosphere…
When Yerna looked at him, he appeared so strange that she wondered if he had taken some kind of drug, but Luke, who had not seen himself in the mirror, had no way of knowing how he looked.
“Lu, look at big sister.”
Yerna gently lowered the hands that Luke had been using to cover his red face out of shame and met his gaze.
She spoke firmly, almost as if admonishing him.
“Don’t do it again, understood?”
“I understand…”
“You made a mistake; repeat after me.”
“I made a… mistake.”
Luke’s voice trembled as he barely managed to respond.
Seeing his expression, as if he were about to cry, softened her heart even more.
Certainly, there was a bit of moisture in the corners of Luke’s eyes.
The reason for it was not pain at all, but sheer embarrassment, a fact Yerna could not comprehend.
She was simply worried that she might have hit him too hard and gently embraced Luke.
“Yes, it’s enough if you understand now.”
Luke let out a deep sigh at her words and thought.
‘Is it taboo for children to smoke in this age…?’
He truly hadn’t even dreamed of it.
Of course, looking at the abundance of such low-grade cigarettes distributed, it might be that children shouldn’t smoke in this era.
However, if it was perfectly refined, smoking it should cause no side effects…
Yet Yerna’s hands would tighten when Luke offered her the chance to try the cigarette he had made himself.
Perhaps out of resentment, after all.
It was always common for people to doubt the efficacy of a concoction.
Originally, there was no reasonable way to prove its effects other than using it personally.
The only guarantee was how much trust one had in the “creator.”
Once, Luke Illus’ name had been a solid guarantee…
But now, it seemed that was no longer the case.
‘Is it because I have this body that they can’t trust?’
In the body of a ten-year-old girl, whose fundamental essence remained unknown…
Luke could only feel regretful that he had not instilled trust in Yerna.
Thanks to this, he resolved never to produce any potion in the form of something smokeable in the future to prevent misunderstandings.
Luke let out a sigh mixed with lament as he felt Yerna’s hand gently stroking his back.
“Ha…”
However, upon hearing Luke’s trembling sigh, Yerna felt it was enough to signify that he was enduring pain.
‘Did I hit too hard?’
She had done it with good intentions, but she began to wonder if she had any right to do so.
Perhaps there could have been a better way.
Even though it was too late to regret now.
While holding Luke, Yerna continued to gently pat and stroke his back, speaking in a soft voice.
“…Did it hurt?”
Her tone was markedly different from when she was scolding him.
Luke shook his head lightly, careful not to hurt Yerna.
“No, it doesn’t hurt…”
Luke replied bitterly.
The physical pain was far lighter than the emotional wound he had received this time.
He was quite accustomed to bodily pain, but…
This experience was a type he had never felt, not even in over a hundred years of his previous life.
In the past, no one would have dared punish Luke Illus.
Who would dare punish a genius young mage from the influential Illus family, the youngest graduate of the Academy?
However, upon hearing Luke’s subdued voice, Yerna became worried.
What if she had hurt him emotionally?
Avoiding the thought of Luke remembering her as a bad elf, Yerna briefly detached herself from him and rummaged through the medicine box to pull out a red healing ointment.
This was a medication commonly used for minor bruises, meant to reduce inflammation and swelling while accelerating recovery.
“Lu, let’s see how the bruise looks. If it’s not good, we need to apply some medicine…”
At her words, Luke flinched and waved his hands in a panic.
“Th-that’s not necessary! It doesn’t hurt that much!”
“Still.”
“I really don’t need any medicine!”
Despite Luke’s firm assertion, there was no sign of Yerna backing down. Luke reached out toward the red ointment she was holding.
“If that’s the case, I’ll apply it myself. That should solve the problem!”
“You can do it by yourself?”
“Of course I can!”
Luke almost snatched the tube from her hands and took it into the bathroom.
However, Yerna found Luke’s behavior a bit strange.
Was he now embarrassed to show his behind?
They had bathed together, so showing a bruised backside shouldn’t be a big deal.
To explain, Luke indeed had a valid reason.
Bathing together had become quite common in the past, especially for someone living the life of a noble like Luke.
So, under the premise of bathing, showing one’s nakedness would be utterly nothing to be ashamed of.
However, it was an entirely different matter for someone else to apply ointment to his behind.
That was something he had never experienced, nor did he want to experience in the future.
It felt too humiliating.
——
Click, Luke closed the bathroom door and pressed his forehead as he looked in the mirror.
“Huuh… How did this happen…?”
He had wanted to try his best, but things hadn’t gone well.
Why did so many embarrassing situations occur with Yerna?
He had wanted to help her this time too.
In the end, all he had was a stinging and burning backside.
He squeezed the tube-shaped ointment and dispensed an adequate amount onto his hand.
As he applied the medicine to his own behind, he felt a sense of self-loathing.
It was as if he were touching a body that was not his own…
He thought he had become quite accustomed to it, yet mixed with this alien discomfort, it felt unfamiliar and unsettling as it had on the first day.
“Yerna, your hands are rougher than I expected.”
———
Click, the bathroom door opened again.
Yerna spoke to Luke in a concerned tone.
“Did you apply it well? Can you show it to big sister?”
Luke flinched at her words and raised his voice defiantly.
“You don’t need to worry about that at all! Do you think I could make a mistake with something like this?!”
“Even so…”
“That’s why…!”
This time, Luke spoke firmly.
“Applying some ointment… that’s something I’m used to, so you really don’t need to check it with your eyes.”
Saying that, Luke headed to his room.
‘Used to it…?’
Yerna hesitated at Luke’s words “used to.”
Why had applying healing ointment become something “familiar” to him?
She suddenly thought about why Luke had been so adamant about not letting her apply it.
His desperate rejection, his actions to hide his wounds…
Something began to surface.
In the shocking realization, Yerna found herself unable to focus.
Luke said, “Well, I’ll head in now. I’m really tired today…”
It was a heavy weight difficult to ignore in the voice of a ten-year-old, utterly filled with fatigue.
It felt to Yerna like a sort of declaration to stay away.
She stumbled to find her words as she tried to respond.
“Uh, um… good night, Lu…”
——–
Swish, swish, swish.
The sound of leaves brushing against the body.
Moving gently.
No sound from footsteps.
She looked up.
The sunlight filtering through the leaves was very pleasant.
The wind blew, shaking the leaves, and eventually brushing against her body.
And then she realized.
The fluffy fur all over her body.
Her white and soft legs…
-Nyaaaw…
The sensation vibrating her throat indicated that this was her voice.
Was it a dream that she had turned into a cat?
‘What a fun dream.’
She felt joyful.
The forest viewed from a cat’s perspective was a different landscape.
Gently, she jumped and flew between the branches, chasing after fluttering butterflies.
She brushed aside the grass swaying in the wind and sang alongside the birds and the breeze in the sky.
Then, when she found a sunny spot, she curled up and let herself enjoy it for as long as she wished.
Everything in the forest was friendly towards her.
Thanks to this, becoming a cat now was immensely pleasurable.
Realizing it was a dream, she decided to enjoy it to the fullest.
Just then, a strange magic enveloped her whole body.
She couldn’t move a muscle.
“Finally found you.”
Finally found her? What was he talking about? Why?
Countless questions emerged as a single cry from her mouth.
-Nyaaaw!!
‘Oh no, I’m a cat right now.’
Unable to speak, dialogue was impossible.
Without a circle, magic was useless.
Looking around, all those who could help her had fled.
How could she have not noticed such a strong presence at all?
Her body began to tremble slightly.
“Stay still.”
The heavy footsteps that were decidedly different from her own approached.
When he appeared, she couldn’t help but feel shocked.
“Isn’t that Luke Illus?”
——–
Luke Illus opened his eyes.
“Ugh… What on earth is this…”
Seeing from the eyes of someone else in a dream was a strange feeling.
It was too vivid to dismiss as a silly dream.
Almost like…
A memory.
“Is there something meaningful in this?”
Thinking carefully, that figure certainly seemed to be himself during the 8th Circle.
He remembered dressing like that when he visited the Demon Realm.
But why had he dreamed of this?
‘This could be a clue to a lost memory.’
Luke thought it would be good to wash his face to wake up his mind as he opened the door.
What he saw was…
—
“Lu, did you sleep well?”
“Y- Yerna? Is my sleeping arrangement uncomfortable lately…?”
“Oh, I just have some things to think about…”
“This is a serious problem…”
