A New Family and a Secret Name

It was late evening by the time we returned to the spire. I hadn’t done much, but the long travel time was exhausting. I wanted to skip dinner and just collapse into bed, but that wasn’t an option. I had left with one person this morning, but I returned with four. There was Isaac, the Young Duke who had somehow invited himself along, Lamierre, and the brat I ended up bringing back.

With five people seated, the table felt cramped. I forced my heavy eyelids open and stared ahead. Lamierre had the kid on his lap, and the Young Duke was engaged in a conversation that didn’t sound particularly meaningful.

“How old are you?”

“Me? Me. I am… this many.”

The brat held out both palms and repeatedly opened and closed his fists. He counted up to ten and then rubbed his eyes. So he’s over a hundred years old—if each gesture represents ten years.

“How many did I do?”

“You did it thirty-four times.”

“Then… how many more do I have to do?”

The Young Duke smiled and propped his chin on his hand. The kid’s fingers wiggled as he puffed out his lips.

“I don’t know.”

“I see.”

Dinner for five was served quickly. Having no appetite, I just stirred my soup with a spoon. Lamierre held a piece of bread to the sulking brat’s mouth. The kid leaned back to avoid it and spoke.

“Dad said to be ten years old.”

“Then you’re ten. You’re the same age as our Sierra.”

At my words, the kid’s eyes went wide.

“Sierra?”

“Yes. My younger sister.”

“Is Sierra an Incarnation too?”

I hesitated for a moment before nodding. I wasn’t entirely sure what an “Incarnation” was in this context, but if it meant someone who inherited Capre’s blessing, then Sierra certainly qualified. The brat immediately cheered up and beamed.

“I want to see my friend!”

Lamierre patted the kid’s head and handed him a spoon. I told the brat I’d introduce them if he behaved, then turned my attention to the Young Duke, who was ignoring his food to watch everyone at the table.

“By the way, why are you here?”

“Pardon?”

“You should be looking after the people you brought.”

The Young Duke simply shrugged and picked up his utensils.

“I didn’t bring them.”

“Regardless.”

The Young Duke pulled the kid’s plate toward him and began cutting the meat. I clicked my tongue at the sight of his knife glowing with blue aura. What a novel way to waste energy.

“Don’t you need a successor for Sir Ipsent?”

“What?”

“I am a noble without a title. I am a Sword Expert. Furthermore, since I am ‘currently’ known as the heir to Duke Tephersa, taking me in would allow you to keep the Noble Faction in check.”

The Young Duke placed the plate back in front of the kid and offered a smooth smile.

“It seems there will be many masterless estates in the Grand Duchy soon. Just… well. If you could secure the title of Count Roasa for me, I would live the rest of my life in total satisfaction.”

I was almost impressed by the sheer shamelessness of his job-seeking strategy. So, he approached me and followed me all the way here because he wanted the soon-to-be-vacant position of the Grand Duke’s Guardian Knight?

“Why Roasa?”

“Because it’s right next to the Ipsent Countship.”

Isaac let out a heavy sigh. I set down my spoon and leaned back in my chair.

“You… what is your actual goal?”

“To restore a good relationship with Sir Isaac Ipsent.”

What did this punk just say?

“Get out.”

The Young Duke stood up, grinning from ear to ear.

“Please call me Jaeger.”

“Get out.”

“Then, enjoy your meal… When should I start the handover process?”

Handover, my foot. As if I’d keep someone who spouts such nonsense by my side. I jerked my chin toward the door. The Young Duke gave a polite bow and left the room.

The dinner table he left behind was a mess. More specifically, Isaac, who was still sitting there, was a mess. His neck was bright red as he sighed repeatedly and rubbed his face. Lamierre looked like he was dying to say something while suppressing a laugh, but he just bit his lip. The brat was focused entirely on stuffing food into his mouth, oblivious to the conversation.

Isaac only managed to calm down by the time the kid finished eating. Judging by his constant sighing, he hadn’t quite shaken off the Young Duke’s bombshell.

“Your Highness.”

“Yeah.”

“That… person is not… a bad man.”

Isaac’s expression contorted. He looked like he was questioning why on earth he was defending such a person. Yet, enduring his inner turmoil, he continued.

“It is true that Duke Tephersa treats the Young Duke with coldness.”

Isaac seemed to know the details of the Tephersa household well.

The reason Jaeger hadn’t married even at twenty-eight was because he refused all arranged marriages. Apparently, Duke Tephersa intended to marry the Young Duke to the daughter of one of his subordinates and then pass the dukedom to whatever child was born from that union. Since the Duke was only forty-six, he could easily bypass the Young Duke and establish his preferred heir if nothing unfortunate happened.

“The Young Duke’s desire to leave the Empire is likely genuine.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He truly has no intention of getting married.”

Isaac stopped midway through cutting his cold meat. I asked with a mischievous smile.

“It looked like he’d be willing to do it with you, though?”

“That is…”

Isaac squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them.

“He is just teasing me.”

I didn’t think so. To me, he looked quite serious. But I knew Isaac’s face would turn red again if I pushed it, so I let it slide with a simple “I see.” Isaac then began to praise the Young Duke with a reluctant expression. Despite appearances, he was a responsible man who would do well. He had been a famous prodigy in swordsmanship since childhood. Of course, Isaac claimed he would reach the level of Swordmaster first, but the Young Duke would surely reach that realm before thirty-five…

The brat patted his stomach and leaned back against Lamierre’s chest. I told Lamierre to find a room for the kid to rest in, then threw a suggestive comment at Isaac.

“The handover… do you think you can handle it?”

Isaac’s face twisted in agony.

The next morning, it was the brat who woke me from the deep sleep caused by the previous day’s grueling schedule. I was startled by the weight of a ten-year-old jumping onto my stomach. It didn’t hurt, but I opened my eyes in a panic. The first thing I saw was the kid clinging to me like a cicada, followed by Isaac, who was apologizing as he scooped the child up.

“I am sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Still groggy, I waved my hand dismissively. My head felt heavy from oversleeping. I yawned and sat up.

“Kaian! Can you give me a name now?”

The kid in Isaac’s arms demanded his name as if he had left it with me for safekeeping. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand.

“Where’s Lamierre?”

“He has returned.”

“Did he eat before he left?”

“Yes.”

I stretched and climbed out of bed. The moment Isaac set him down, the kid clung to me again. I wobbled and sat back down on the bed. The kid crawled onto my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck.

“Give me a name.”

“Honestly, why wouldn’t your parents just name you themselves…”

The kid glanced at Isaac and whispered into my ear.

“They said I had to get it from the Incarnation of Capre.”

“Why?”

“Because if I don’t, I’ll die.”

“What?”

Those weren’t words a child should be saying, so I asked again, thinking I’d misheard. The kid shook the arms wrapped around my neck, begging for a name. I held him close and asked seriously.

“What do you mean by that?”

“This is a real secret…”

I couldn’t ask yesterday with so many people around, but now we could speak freely. I soothed the kid with a gentle tone, the same way I treated Sierra.

“Isaac and I don’t have secrets between us. So you can tell me.”

The kid hugged my neck tightly, then pulled back to look at me.

“Because I wasn’t supposed to be born.”

“Why?”

Anxious, the kid hugged me again and whispered into my ear. Isaac moved to the door to give the child space to speak comfortably.

“Because my mom is a human.”

I slowly stroked the kid’s back. After a few ragged breaths, the kid’s whispers continued.

A dragon-human hybrid is a being that shouldn’t exist, one that cannot be born through normal means. But his father—the Black Dragon Arjen—loved the “mom” so much… he wanted to leave proof that she had lived and that they had loved each other. What kind of logic is that? It’s honestly terrible. I held my tongue since I couldn’t say that in front of the child. If I wasn’t careful, it would sound like I was asking, “Why were you even born?” The kid let out a sigh that was far too mature for his age.

“For me… to live, I need Capre’s recognition. But Dad said that bastard Capre would never recognize me.”

“So you need the recognition of someone who holds Capre’s power?”

“Yeah. Receiving a name is the most certain way.”

I stroked the kid’s hair and nodded.

“I understand.”

I couldn’t refuse when the alternative was the child dying. The kid sighed again—this time, in relief.

The kid’s name became “Belloti.” His nickname was Loti. Isaac looked at me with a strange expression, but I feigned ignorance. I got an easy name out of it, and Isaac gained a new Loti. I suppose this is what they call a win-win situation. Young Loti, unaware of the name’s origin, was overjoyed.

“Hello? I am Belloti. You can call me Loti.”

“Hello. I’m Kaian. Some people used to shorten it to Ian… but no one calls me that anymore.”

Excited, Loti clapped his hands and shouted.

“Then I’ll call you that!”

“Thanks, Loti.”

“Okay. Ian!”

I watched the brat nibble on a cookie while calling out “Ian, Ian,” and I patted his head.

After naming him, I asked more about Loti’s situation. Both parents were dead. Since he had been “recognized” by receiving a name, he could now leave his “home”—the ruins—and live in the outside world. Because he was born from his mother’s body and his father’s heart, he would grow at the rate of a human child and have a similar lifespan. Essentially, he was just a ten-year-old kid who could use dragon power.

Hearing that he had spent hundreds of years alone in the ruins, mostly sleeping, I decided to become his guardian until he reached adulthood. Besides, I couldn’t exactly let a child who could use the Black Dragon’s power—and who was likely a direct descendant of the Argenta Crown Prince—wander around alone.

“Loti. Do not wipe your hands on your clothes.”

Not that I was the one doing the actual parenting. Isaac took Loti’s hand and wiped it for him. Loti laughed and wiggled his fingers. As expected, the higher your status, the better life is. I’m the one who takes him in, but the person below me handles the cleanup. With both Isaac and Loti having black hair, they looked like brothers with a large age gap.

“Isaac is like my dad.”

“Your dad?”

“Uh-huh. My dad did this and this for me too.”

We adults became solemn, but Loti was cheerful as he reminisced about his late father.

After wiping Loti’s hands, Isaac gave the back of his hand a light kiss. It was something I often did for Sierra. A ten-year-old’s small hands are incredibly cute, after all. Loti giggled and bragged that his dad used to do that a lot, too.

“Your dad loved you very much, didn’t he?”

“Yes!”

Loti, picking up a new cookie with his clean hands, started chatting away.

“Dad called Loti ‘our baby.’ He kissed me and hugged me every day. He even patted my stomach when I went to sleep…”

“I see.”

“Because he was worried Loti would be lonely, he didn’t return to the earth even after his soul was shattered.”

What does that mean? I wanted to ask, but since Loti was pouring out his few memories of his father, I just listened in silence and eventually forgot the question.