Chapter 97: Am I a Monster?

  Previous           TOC            Next   

---

“Gazeff.”

“My lady, you were supposed to be resting in your room… Wait! This blood… are you hurt?”

Gazeff hurried over as soon as he noticed Alicia.

He looked at the bloodstains that hadn’t been wiped away.

Alicia quickly spoke up.

“This isn’t my blood.”

“It’s not your blood, my lady?”

Gazeff furrowed his brows and looked up at Fenrir.

Fenrir quietly averted his gaze.

An accomplice knew better than to speak.

“Actually, something happened.”

“In that case, was it an attack—”

“It’s nothing like that, so don’t worry. More importantly, have you found Michael?”

“We’ve just found traces of the young master. With His Highness on the move, we should be able to find him soon.”

Gazeff smiled to reassure Alicia.

“You found traces? Really?”

Alicia tightly grabbed Gazeff’s hand, holding back her tears.

The breath that had been stuck in her throat finally eased a little.

“The soldiers discovered the young master’s footprints.”

“Footprints?”

“The traces of the young master were found along the path to the antique warehouse. It was a place rarely traversed, so dust lay thick on the floor.”

“Why would Michael go to a place like that?”

Alicia wrinkled the bridge of her nose.

Michael often wandered around, claiming he was exploring Schwarhan Castle, but he was a timid child.

Even on his little adventures, he always stuck to well-trodden paths.

“The young master didn’t go to the warehouse.”

“He didn’t go to the warehouse? Then where?”

“On the way to the warehouse, the young master’s footsteps just stopped.”

“Are you saying someone kidnapped Michael?”

Alicia’s face turned pale.

No matter how hard she tried to forget, the nightmare from eight years ago didn’t fade easily.

“That’s not it! There was only the young master’s footprint! The likelihood of that happening is low!”

"Then, Michael is…"

“Schwarhan Castle has many hidden passages. Since His Highness arrived here, most of them have been mapped and documented, but there may still be some places we haven’t discovered yet.” 

“Are you saying Michael found a hidden passage?”

“We believe that’s the most likely explanation. There are footprints leading in, but none coming out.”

“Then, where is this passage?”

Gazeff turned his head instead of answering.

Alicia and Fenrir followed Gazeff’s gaze at the same time.

In the direction Gazeff was looking, there was a gaping hole in the wall, and beneath it lay a pile of stones.

"…Could it be that His Highness did that?"

Fenrir brushed his hair back from his forehead.

The cross-section of the wall, pierced in an incongruous spot, was unusually clean compared to the other dirt-stained bricks.

It was a sign that it had been recently cut away.

“Finding the hidden passage would probably take a long time. That’s why I was thinking of breaking through the wall with a hammer…”

Gazeff gave an awkward smile and pushed his slipping glasses back up.

The image of Cabelenus drawing his sword the instant someone said they couldn’t find the passage was still vivid in his mind.

・・・・・

Michael huddled as close to the wall as he could, his eyes darting wildly. 

He had cried so much that he was too exhausted to shed any more tears, but the countless pairs of eyes staring at him remained unchanged.

They simply stayed hidden in the darkness, their vivid golden eyes gleaming sharply. 

After a long moment of hesitation, Michael cautiously spoke up.

“You guys, what are you doing over there?” 

Kriiiiiiiiiiiik—.

Of course, the only reply was the low, rumbling growl of beasts.

Michael's eyes darted around a little more before speaking again.

It was better to at least speak than to remain in heavy silence.

“If you guys brought me all the way here, shouldn’t you be doing something?” 

“Why are you just standing there doing nothing?” 

“You guys, can you even understand what I’m saying?”

He tried his best, but as expected, talking to himself had its limits.

Michael stopped pondering what to say next and stood up.

At first, the gleaming eyes were frightening, but the more he looked at them, the less scary they seemed.

Above all, the glowing golden eyes were familiar to the child.

Michael took a deep breath.

Then, slowly, he stepped forward, waving his hands.

One step. Another step. And then, one more step.

Michael’s movements, mechanical like a broken machine, came to a halt.

Something touched his hand.

It was coarse, thick hair of a beast.

Michael swallowed hard and cautiously lifted his gaze upward.

Just from that, he could tell that the beast he was touching was enormous.

“You’re monsters, right? That’s why you came for me?” 

Michael hesitated, biting his lip.

Even at that moment, countless eyes watched the child silently, not blinking once.

“Uncle said... I’m a monster.”

The tears that had stopped welled up once again.

Michael clenched his hands tightly to keep from crying.

“But I don’t want to be a monster. If I am one, I won’t be able to see Mum anymore. So, can’t you just pretend you don’t know?”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

Michael sniffled but tried not to avert his eyes from a monster.

The monster looked at Michael, then lowered its head cautiously.

Michael instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

Lick—.

“Gasp!”

Something wet touched his cheek.

Startled, Michael jumped back, only to freeze in place before the golden eyes right in front of him.

The beast’s rough breaths spilled over the child’s face.

“Did… you just lick me?”

Instead of an answer, a thick tongue came in return.

Michael wiped his damp cheek with his hand and blinked.

“By any chance, do you understand what I’m saying? You do, right?”

Michael’s eyes lit up.

It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly, but its head definitely moved.

Michael tugged gently at the monster’s fur, his eyes filled with a bit more hope.

"Then can you take me to Mum? Please?”

The monster stared at Michael for a moment, then shook its head.

Michael’s shoulders slumped immediately, his spirit deflated.

“You really can’t?” 

Lick—.

“No, not the licking!” 

Lick—.

“Even if you do this, it won’t help! I just want to see Mum!” 

“If you wanted to see your mum, you should have behaved and not caused trouble."

“…Mister?”

Hearing a voice from somewhere, Michael spun around frantically.

But no matter how he turned, Cabelenus was nowhere to be seen.

Michael soon looked on the verge of tears and started to whimper.

“Mister, where are you?!”

“Where are you looking?”

“Eek!”

Startled by the hand that suddenly appeared, Michael stumbled backward.

Cabelenus quickly grabbed the child who was about to fall, frowning.

Michael blinked rapidly as he looked at Cabelenus.

“…Mister, where did you come from?”

Michael placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath.

Just a moment ago, Cabelenus had been nowhere in sight.

“Where do you think I appeared from? I’ve been right here the whole time.”

“You were here all along, Mister?”

“That’s right. Even though I kept calling, you didn’t answer.”

“That can’t be. I was the only one who was here…” 

Michael couldn’t continue speaking, his eyes widening in shock.

For some reason, the surroundings were now very bright, and the monsters were nowhere to be seen.

“Why on earth are you playing in a place like this?” 

Cabelenus brought the lantern he was holding a little closer to Michael.

The child’s face, flickering in the reddish shadows, clearly bore the traces of crying.

“I wasn’t playing! I just heard the monsters and was trying to run away!”

Michael jerked his head up, met Cabelenus’s gaze as he looked down at him, and, unable to contain himself, clung to his leg.

“What are you doing?”

“When I’m with Mister, it feels like the monsters disappear.”

“What?”

Michael’s grip tightened even more.

Cabelenus frowned at the clumsy force tightening around his legs.

“It was like that last time, and it’s the same this time. Just a moment ago, there were a lot of monsters here, but when Mister came, they disappeared.”

“There were monsters here?” 

“Yes. They were here.”

“How long were they here?”

Cabelenus raised an eyebrow.

The only one here was Michael, standing there in a daze.

No other presence could be felt.

“Until Mister touched me.”

“...”

“Mister, you didn't see the monsters this time either?” 

"Yeah. I didn’t see them."

Even as Cabelenus answered, he slowly scanned the surroundings.

No matter how quickly they disappeared, they would usually leave traces. But there were none here.

There was not even the slightest trace of presence, let alone the distinctive smell of a monster.

If that was the case, there was only one possible answer.

“Could it be that the monsters are afraid of you, Mister?”

"That could be the case."

Perhaps these were monsters he couldn’t see from the start.

Cabelenus swallowed the rest of his words and slowly moved the lantern.

The wall illuminated by the lantern was densely covered with drawings and inscriptions.

Cabelenus quietly stared at the mural that evoked the golden-eyed monsters.

There must have been some purpose in luring the child all the way here.

"No wonder the monsters are scared. Mister has a bad temper, after all."

"Seeing that you’re still chatting away, I guess there’s no need to worry."

Cabelenus reached out and firmly pressed down on Michael’s head.

Fortunately, the child’s eyes were wide open and alert, showing no serious problems, but for now, moving him to a safe place took priority over examining him.

“Mister, were you worried about me?”

“It was just strange because you weren’t lurking around like usual.”

Cabelenus let go of Michael and placed the lantern into his arms.

The lantern, infused with a magic stone, felt warm to hold.

Michael fiddled with the lantern in his hands, then quietly snuggled up next to Cabelenus.

Just having the sturdy man beside him made him feel oddly secure.

“You know. I honestly didn't think you'd keep your promise, Mister.”

"I said I would protect you. I do what I say I’ll do."

"Then, next time, will you keep it too? No matter where I am or what I’m doing, always?"

“Yeah.”

At Cabelenus’s blunt reply, Michael broke into a wide, beaming smile.

Though a bit curt, it was a more than satisfactory answer.

“I think I like you a little more than I did before, Mister.”

“…Just a little more?”

“Even if I don’t know about anything else, I have to be careful when it comes to the stepdad issue.”

“...”

“Even if you look at me like that, I won’t back down on this! Mum has to meet someone better than anyone else!” 

Cabelenus stared at Michael for a moment, then lowered his body.

“Come here.”

“Wh-why?”

“I’ll carry you.”

Michael furrowed his brows and stepped back.

Cabelenus’s sudden display of kindness felt suspicious.

“Mister, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?” 

“You said that when you’re with me, the monsters seem to disappear.” 

“...”

“Your mum’s waiting, so come quickly.”

Michael hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped forward.

At the same moment, his body was lifted off the ground.

“Mister.”

“What?”

“...Did… Mum cry?”

“Now that you know, don’t sneak off again.”

Cabelenus pressed his hand firmly against Michael’s back.

Michael, held awkwardly in the embrace, slowly relaxed at the warmth against his cheek.

As he had noticed before, the man lifted him with astonishing ease.

And he liked that very much.

Michael wrapped his arms around Cabelenus’s neck and closed his eyes.

With his vision blocked, the warmth against his cheek felt even more vivid.

“…Hey, Mister. Can I ask you just one more thing?”

“What strange thing are you going to say this time?”

“Am I a monster?”

“...”

For a moment, Cabelenus stopped in his tracks.

---

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡ ⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

If you notice any errors or broken links, please let me know and I will get that fixed~ Additionally, if you would like to support me, I have a Ko-fi ~ Thank you! 💖

---

  Previous           TOC            Next