It seemed the young lord had called his brother in as well, thinking Leo might be uncomfortable surrounded only by adults.
Arden Kaldis, perhaps because he was meeting a boy his own age, looked excited and cautious at once.
"...Hello. I am Arden Kaldis. ...Thank you for saving my brother."
"Not at all. This is my nephew, Leo."
"Hello, Master Arden!"
At Leo's bold greeting, Ethan Kaldis smiled and said,
"You may call him Big Brother, Leo."
"Yes! Hello, Big Brother Arden!"
Big Brother! He called me Big Brother!
At the title he had never heard before, eight-year-old Arden Kaldis' eyes went wide.
"...Hello!"
At the sight of Leo and Arden Kaldis greeting each other so warmly, a memory of the 'future' suddenly came back to Alex.
***
The 'future'.
Arden Kaldis, a knight of the relief army, met Hero Leo in the midst of the war against demonkind.
"I am Arden Kaldis."
"Kaldis... did you say?"
'Kaldis!?'
The Kaldis domain had been destroyed a few months earlier.
When Leo and the ghost Alex asked back with startled faces, Arden Kaldis smiled sadly and nodded.
"It has been a long time, Hero."
"Come to think of it... we met back then. When I killed the goblin shaman."
"Yes."
The corrupted dungeon of the Kaldis domain.
When Leo killed the goblin shaman then, the people whose grief he laid to rest had not only been Sophia and Hallon, but the viscount's family as well.
Leo and the ghost Alex could recall the faces of Arden Kaldis and the Viscount and Viscountess, offering their thanks while holding back their sorrow.
"I was truly grateful then."
"No. I only did what had to be done."
Having said that, Leo opened his mouth, closed it, and hesitated.
When the Kaldis domain was destroyed, Leo had been elsewhere and could not go to save it.
'Leo....'
So he wanted to apologize.
But when he thought of the people who had died, an apology seemed far too light a thing.
Sensing that, Arden Kaldis smiled gently and said,
"There is no need to apologize. I ran away like a coward, but...."
Arden Kaldis remembered the mother who had drugged him with a sleeping draught, and the father who had sent him out along with the people of the domain.
And the words telling him to survive, if no one else.
"They refused to fall back. They meant to fight to the end."
The day before the escape from the Kaldis domain.
From Bello Village, a letter had arrived along with wailing children.
"To protect the village, and to be a strength to you, Hero."
Hearing that, Leo could not help remembering the warm people of Bello Village who had bid him farewell with, 'Take care of yourself, Leo!' and 'Have a safe trip, Leo!'
'All of them....'
The ghost Alex could not begin to guess what had been in the villagers' hearts as they fought.
"They would all want you to be well and not to grieve, Hero. As do I."
Arden Kaldis' words consoled Leo's heavy heart at least a little.
After that,
Leo and Arden Kaldis sat side by side and talked about their beloved homeland, the Kaldis domain.
The beautiful wheat fields, the peaceful scenery, the splendid sunsets, the cooking of the Kaldis domain....
"If my brother had not died then, we might have held the Kaldis domain longer. My father and mother would not have suffered so."
And they talked about the people they missed.
"He must have been a fine man."
At Leo's words, Arden Kaldis smiled from the heart.
"Yes. He was truly a good brother. The way he worked for the domain was magnificent."
After that, whenever a battle ended, Arden Kaldis came to Leo to talk. His bandages multiplied, but he took no fatal wounds.
'His talent is ordinary, but he must have worked very hard.'
From his looks and temperament he seemed the administrator type, so he had likely thrown himself into learning the sword after his brother died.
Arden Kaldis took part in every battle.
"My skill is lacking, but I hope to be of some small help."
He would say, smiling gently.
And then,
"Sir Kaldis has fallen in battle."
He did not come back from the fourth battle.
"Ah.... I see."
Leo mourned his friend with a sorrowful face, at a parting he had endured countless times and never once grown used to.
'Leo....'
The ghost Alex could only watch.
If he could have reached him, he would have held him tight so he could weep.
***
"This is... the drawing room."
"Whoaaa! It's amazing!"
That brief friendship, which had ended that way, was forming again here.
At the sight of Arden, as young as little Leo, a smile came to Alex's face.
The two boys ran ahead of the adults, exploring every corner of the manor.
"Uncle! The ceiling is dazzling!"
[That's made with magic.]
"That's... a magic lamp. It makes light with magic."
"My uncle is a mage too!"
Arden smiled and nodded at Leo, who said it as though showing off.
"My brother told me. They say he's an amazing mage?"
"He is! Heheheh!"
Alex's mood lifted at Leo's beaming face.
"My brother is shy by nature, but he seems at ease with Leo."
Ethan Kaldis said, looking pleased.
"Master Arden seems a fine person as well."
[He does. Nobles usually keep commoners at a distance.]
[They're completely close already?]
Arden did not seem to care about such things at all. If anything, he was watching out so that Leo, too absorbed in looking around, would not trip.
Alex was not the only one watching them; the young lord and Butler Norton were looking on with smiles too.
After they had toured the places outsiders were permitted, such as the garden,
Ethan Kaldis showed Alex and Leo to a room where they could prepare and rest comfortably until dinner.
"Please rest here until dinner."
The room was furnished neither too plainly nor too extravagantly.
"Your present attire is fine, but we have clothes prepared. What do you say?"
[Oh, noble clothes? I'm curious.]
[Leo might look cute in them?]
Alex accepted at once, without a moment's hesitation.
Butler Norton brought two sets of clothes. One was Alex's, the other Leo's.
"Shall I assist you in dressing?"
Alex declined quickly at Norton's offer. He could manage that much himself.
"Then we shall take our leave. If you need anything, pull that cord. Norton will come."
"Yes. Understood."
"Rest well. Come, Arden."
At his brother's gesture to leave, Arden looked at Leo with regret.
"...See you at dinner, Leo."
"Yes! See you later, Big Brother Arden."
[They've gotten so close.]
[The Hero's charisma!]
Alex laughed.
In the 'future' and in the present alike, Leo's ability to win people over drew nothing but admiration.
Once the Kaldis brothers and the butler had gone, Leo explored every corner of the room.
The big, plush sofa and the pretty table, the curtains covering the large window, and even a fine painting.
He had a great deal to tell Sophia, Grandpa, and Big Brother Matthew.
"Uncle, this place is amazing!"
Leo sat on the plush sofa and said with a wide smile.
"Is it? Shall we decorate our house like this someday?"
"Really? I'd love that! Hmm, how should we do it!"
While Leo pondered, Alex changed first.
[I thought medieval noble clothes meant stockings and such, but these are just suit trousers.]
He had never worn clothes this noble in the 'future', as a ghost, but he had often watched Leo wear them.
Neatly dressed in no time, Alex stood before a mirror. As befitted a noble house, there was a clear, full-length one.
Thanks to it, Two Hundred could see Alex's face closely for the first time.
Deep golden hair, clear and manly features, light green eyes the color of grass blades, and a solid body honed by farm work.
[Oh! Alex, you're good-looking!]
[Well, considering how cute Leo is, I suppose it stands to reason!]
[But I didn't know you were this handsome!]
[And the clothes suit you perfectly!]
Letting Two Hundred's astonished voice pass by with practiced ease, Alex called Leo.
"Leo, let's change your clothes."
"Okay!"
Leo, who had been rolling around on the wide sofa, ran straight over to Alex.
"Arms up."
"Up!"
And so they changed his clothes.
They were noble clothes, but since they were made for a child, they did not look particularly uncomfortable.
"How is it? All right?"
"Yeah! It feels a bit strange, but it's comfy!"
Leo, in a child-sized suit, giggled.
[It suits Leo perfectly too!]
[You could pass it off as Leo's own clothes.]
[Did the butler pick them out? Or the young lord? Either way, they've got a good eye!]
[If I really had a camera I'd take a photograph. He could be a child model!]
Alex could understand only about half of what Two Hundred said, but he understood the sentiment perfectly.
That was how adorable Leo looked in a suit. Enough to make him want to preserve it in a whole pile of pictures.
In the 'future' too, Leo dressed properly had looked truly fine and handsome, and it had suited him so well.
Alex smiled contentedly.
Knock, knock—
There was a knock at the door. It was Butler Norton.
"I see you have changed. We shall see to your hair."
Two maids followed him in and neatly arranged Alex's and Leo's hair.
"It suits you both very well!"
When all the preparations were finished, Ethan Kaldis and Arden appeared. The two of them had changed clothes as well.
"Leo, it suits you!"
"You look wonderful too, Big Brother Arden!"
The adults laughed at the children beaming and complimenting each other.
"Only our family will be at dinner tonight, so please be at ease."
Listening to Ethan Kaldis, Alex and Leo headed for the dining room.
When they reached the door, a servant opened it.
The great door swung open, and inside, the Viscount and Viscountess, who had arrived first, rose to greet them.
"Welcome!"
"Well met."
The Viscountess beamed as she greeted Alex and Leo, and the Viscount smiled gently in greeting as well.
[Oh! Nobles!]
[These two seem like decent people too.]
"It is a pleasure, my lord, my lady. My name is Alex. This is my nephew, Leo."
"Hello!"
The couple looked fondly at Leo's bold greeting and quickly urged them to sit.
Beside Alex's seat was a tall chair suited to little Leo, so Leo could sit comfortably.
Once Leo was seated, Arden, after a moment of glancing about, quickly gestured to a servant and moved his own seat next to Leo's.
The Viscount and Viscountess and Ethan Kaldis widened their eyes, then laughed.
"This is the first time I have seen our younger son take to anyone like this."
At the Viscountess' words Arden flushed with embarrassment, but he did not move back.
"The kitchen worked hard on this, so please eat well."
The maids set the dishes on the table. Every one of them had clearly been prepared with care.
"Thank you."
"Thank you for the meal!"
[It looks delicious!!]
Alex took a bite and was about to place food on Leo's plate when he stopped.
"This is good...."
Because Arden, seated beside Leo, was putting food on Leo's plate himself.
"Thank you, Big Brother Arden."
"...It's nothing."
Even as he said it, Arden was so pleased at being called Big Brother that he kept diligently piling food onto Leo's plate.
The adults laughed.
"He must be happy to have a younger brother."
"So it seems."
At Ethan Kaldis' words, the Viscount smiled as well.
Once the two boys were eating happily, the adults began their meal too.
[Over there, that one!]
[Let's have the fish dish on the right!]
[Meat next! The sauce here is incredible!]
The food of House Kaldis was certainly exceptional.
The ingredients themselves were fresh and the seasoning exactly right. The sauces were never overpowering and brought out the flavor of the ingredients all the more.
And there were dishes using rare spices that could never be tasted in commoners' cooking, giving Alex new flavors as well.
[Uwaaah!]
[This is unbelievable!]
Two Hundred, who had lived decades without tasting anything, was so excited that he shouted at him to eat everything, and Alex, a ghost for twelve years, ate with shining eyes.
"This is truly delicious."
"Is it? The head cook will be pleased."
Of course, that did not mean he wolfed it down; outwardly he ate with composure.
[Wow! Let's try that too!]
[And the one behind it!]
[Ohh! Wine!!]
...The beggar in his belly did not seem to care about such things in the slightest.
"This is good! Try it, Big Brother Arden."
"Yeah...!"
Leo, who had crammed table manners at the last minute, was doing well too.
The Viscount and Viscountess and the young lord watched Alex and Leo with somewhat surprised eyes.
Not perfect, but they knew table manners despite being commoners.
'A fascinating man.'
Ethan Kaldis looked at the uncle and nephew with interested eyes.
Once they had eaten their fill, they talked.
"Thank you so very much for saving our son."
The Viscountess spoke in a trembling voice, as though the thought still frightened her.
"I am truly grateful. If not for you, I would never have seen my eldest son again."
The Viscount, who had heard the news on his way home, felt the same.
To think that while he was away for a short time, his precious son had nearly died in a strange dungeon.
Even now his hands seemed to shake.
"Thank you for saving my brother."
Arden, remembering how Ethan Kaldis had lain bandaged in bed only the day before, spoke with a slight catch in his voice.
His brother, dead.
It was something he had never even imagined.
"Thank you, Alex. I owe you my life."
Ethan Kaldis conveyed his thanks once more.
"Not at all. If you had not been there, Master Ethan, my acquaintance would have died."
Because the young lord, a swordsman, had held out alongside him, Kane had still been alive when Alex arrived.
"Your acquaintance was the soldier Kane, was it not?"
"Yes."
Ethan Kaldis smiled and said that he had rewarded Kane and the soldiers who had fought beside him that day.
[He's certainly made an impression with this.]
Perhaps in a few years Kane would rise to a higher position.
"Where do you intend to go next?"
"I am thinking of Mitera."
"Mitera?"
Alex nodded.
"Yes. I have business at the mercenary guild in the royal capital."
"Will you be stopping at the Brodel domain on the way, by any chance?"
Ethan Kaldis said it with a strangely eager face.
Alex briefly reviewed his route. As it happened, there was a lower-middle-grade dungeon in the Brodel domain.
"I believe we will."
"Wonderful! The daughter of Count Brodel is my fiancée."
Ethan Kaldis said with a bright face.
"If you have any trouble in the Brodel domain, speak to the count's house. Once Meilin — my, ah, my fiancée — knows you saved my life, she will settle anything!"
[Just talking about his fiancée makes him happy.]
[His ears have gone completely red.]
Two Hundred snickered at Ethan Kaldis, and Alex laughed too.
The Viscount and Viscountess laughed quietly as well. Seeing their son in love was rather funny.