The Price of Trust

“Hmph.”

Kalli twisted his face and sharply averted his gaze. He didn’t want to bicker with the insignificant human anymore.

“When will Master be back?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“……”

Kalli, answering indifferently, went into the drawing-room.

Theodore, in response, followed him, then suddenly stopped halfway through the corridor.

“Ugh…”

Theodore winced and groaned at the sudden headache.

Before winter, he would sometimes feel this pain and lose consciousness.

Every time he opened his eyes again, he was in Sian’s arms.

But Sian wasn’t here now. He didn’t want to lose consciousness when Sian wasn’t around.

Theodore clenched his teeth.

“Hey, you again…!”

Kalli approached Theodore, hearing his groan. Actually, Kalli had never been around when Theodore lost consciousness.

It was always Sian who went to find Theodore. He just looked at Theodore, who had lost consciousness, with a pitiful face when Sian brought him in.

So it was the first time that Kalli witnessed Theodore’s sleepwalking symptoms directly.

He thought it was just a child moving by mistake while sleeping, but Sian said that sometimes he acts like this even when he’s perfectly normal.

Kalli clicked his tongue and reached out to Theodore.

“Damn it, what a nuisance…”

Even if it was a nuisance, he thought he should prevent him from going outside for now.

He’d tie him up and throw him in his room before Sian arrived. Kalli was thinking this easily up until then.

Tap!

“Ugh, what?”

But Kalli’s hand couldn’t reach Theodore. It was because Theodore had firmly pushed his hand away.

Kalli, surprised by the unexpected strength, took a step back.

“You…”

“……”

Theodore’s golden eyes looked blurred. Kalli lost his words for a moment and stared at Theodore.

“Wait…!”

Whoosh, Theodore turned and ran down the corridor. Kalli was taken aback by his swift movement.

His pride as an elf was damaged. Kalli regained his composure and chased after Theodore.

“Hey, stop there!”

“……”

“Damn it.”

Of course, Theodore didn’t listen to Kalli’s words. No, he didn’t seem like he’d stop, no matter who called him right now. He looked like he wasn’t himself at all.

Why is he suddenly like that? Kalli ran, letting out a rough curse. The distance between him and Theodore quickly closed.

Even though Theodore’s movements were unexpectedly quick, he was still a young human.

Fast for a human, but it was nothing compared to Kalli, the elf. It was when Kalli’s fingers were about to touch Theodore’s neck.

“……!”

Pow, something slammed Kalli’s hand. This time, it wasn’t Theodore who struck it down.

Something invisible pushed Kalli away. Surprised, Kalli stopped in place.

“What the hell…”

What on earth is that guy? Kalli looked back at Theodore’s back with disbelief.

An unknown energy was emanating from Theodore. Kalli’s purple eyes shook wildly.

“Gasp.”

Kalli, who had been dazed, came to his senses. He couldn’t let this human get away and make Sian upset by being so stupid.

Clenching his teeth, Kalli moved his body again. At the same time, Kalli’s purple eyes, like his purple magic, were shimmering.

“Enough already…!”

Magic gushed out of Kalli’s body. It was purple magic, resembling his purple eyes.

As he stretched out his hand, a sphere containing magic was created. Theodore was running in the direction where Kalli reached out.

Unlike Sian, Kalli didn’t intend to stop Theodore with gentle methods.

Furthermore, the human in front of him didn’t look like an ordinary child right now.

It was when the explosive magic sphere gathered in Kalli’s hand was about to be poured out towards Theodore.

“You were here.”

“……!”

Someone suddenly appeared in the air and grabbed Theodore, who was running.

Then, the strange energy that had been blocking Kalli no longer raged around Theodore.

The man, who was all black, gently embraced Theodore.

“……Master?”

“Yes, Theo.”

“Ah, me again…?”

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

Sian patted Theodore’s shoulder, who was anxious.

And he confirmed that Theodore was barefoot and lifted him, holding him in his arms.

It seemed as if he had grown over the year, but the small body was still completely within Sian’s embrace.

“S, Sian-nim…”

“……”

The magic sphere that was about to be fired at Theodore disappeared.

But Sian had already seen Kalli trying to fire the magic sphere at Theodore. Kalli, seeing Sian’s eyes darken, said nothing.

“Let’s go inside and talk for now.”

“……Yes.”

“……?”

Sian spoke calmly and went inside the mansion. Theodore was only puzzled by Kalli’s listless appearance.

“Theo, can you stay alone in your room for a bit?”

“Yess.”

“Good boy.”

“……”

Even so, Sian’s touch as he stroked his head was as gentle as always.

Although Theodore could tell that something was wrong, as his face was stiff.

Theodore realized that he had done something wrong again this time.

He had run outside again and made Sian uncomfortable. Theodore was most afraid of being hated by Sian.

But he could tell that Sian’s anger wasn’t directed at him right now.

Then, who was Sian angry at? Theodore, left alone in the room, tilted his head.

Tap.

“Hoo…”

Sian, coming out of the room, pressed his throbbing head with his hand. He never thought he would see such a scene.

Sian, after watching the moving reunion of the Ador village residents for a while, had hurried back to the mansion, worried about Theodore. As expected, when he returned to the mansion, he couldn’t find Theodore.

Kalli was also nowhere to be seen. Kalli, who was in the Dark Elves’ village, wouldn’t have disobeyed his words, so he must have come to the mansion first to take care of Theodore.

But seeing that he wasn’t there, he seemed to have followed Theodore to stop him from running into the forest.

That much was according to Sian’s thoughts. However, when he used the item to move and confirmed their appearances, it was much different from Sian’s imagination.

Sian, after safely bringing Theodore back and putting him in his room, sighed in the drawing-room.

“Haa…”

Even so, to try and hurt that child. Kalli didn’t like Theodore from the start, but he didn’t expect him to try to hurt him with magic. Sian, whose heart was heavy, glanced at Kalli, who was bowing his head.

“Why did you do that?”

“……”

“Kalli.”

Sian spoke to Kalli in a scolding tone after a long time. It had been a while since he had lightly reprimanded Kalli when he was young.

But it was a matter that he couldn’t just pass over. Sian had never said anything about Kalli being cold to Theodore.

It was natural for him, an elf, to dislike another race, especially Theodore, who was human.

Even so, they’ve been practically living together for over a year.

Even if he hadn’t grown fond of Theodore, he should have, at the very least, not tried to hurt him. Sian barely suppressed his rising anger.

“Are you not going to say anything?”

“……Sian-nim.”

Kalli opened his mouth with an uncomfortable face. He instinctively realized. That Sian wouldn’t easily forgive him.

“……”

He was frustrated. He felt the resentment he had felt from before towards Sian, who cherished the human kid he had just known for a little over a year, more than himself, who had been with him for nearly 200 years.

Because of that, Kalli didn’t want to admit that he was wrong.

“Sian-nim, you know it too. This human is too strange.”

“……”

“He’s definitely not an ordinary human! Even if I used magic, this human wouldn’t have been hurt at all.”

Kalli had a clear conviction. He didn’t use magic without any thought. Theodore is a monster.

That conviction was just more clear a moment ago.

“Kalli…”

Sian’s head ached more than before. Because Sian also knew what Kalli was trying to say.

Theodore is the protagonist. Moreover, because of the force of the original work, something intervened, and Theodore’s energy became stronger. So Kalli had reason to feel uneasy about Theodore.

Sian also felt the energy that had been fluctuating around Theodore just now.

But for now, he could suppress it with his power, so Theodore had regained his senses.

If Theodore grew stronger in the future, it was unknown whether Sian could calm down the energy with his power.

“I know too, Kalli.”

“But why…!”

“There’s a reason I have to keep Theodore.”

“……!”

He couldn’t tell Kalli everything yet. That he had been transmigrated into a character in the novel, that he was destined to die to Theodore, the original protagonist, and that he had to raise Theodore well to avoid that fate.

“I’ll tell you someday. Just trust me for now. It’s for everyone’s sake.”

“……”

“So don’t do anything harsh to Theodore from now on.”

If Sian, the master of the mountain, died, the other races living in the mountain would also be harmed.

Perhaps the Orta Empire would try to start a conquest war again. So he had to change the future of the original work somehow.

“……I understand.”

“Thank you, Kalli.”

In the end, Kalli nodded this time as well. The unease that was stirring his heart hadn’t subsided yet, but he had no choice.

He could only wait until Sian would tell him everything, as he had promised.

Sian, who had put out the immediate fire first, sighed softly.

Then, recalling something, he turned to Kalli again and asked.

“Oh, did you bring that?”