For a while, Hadel was too speechless to say anything. Nellis cautiously watched his reaction.
'Does he not want to do as I asked?'
The thought suddenly frightened her.
Ruperi would live only if she disappeared. Even if her body was burned, without a witness Ruperi would only think that she had left on her own.
That was why Nellis had chosen Hadel as the witness and wanted him to burn her with his own hands, so that he could be reassured.
'I'm sorry, Ruperi.'
It was an incredibly cruel choice, but there was no other way.
Nellis steeled herself to ask again and was about to form letters when—
"Then what about you?"
[Me?]
"Are you all right with this?"
Nellis was struck speechless. Even she had not expected Hadel to ask that question.
As her nonexistent mouth opened and closed, Hadel continued.
"It doesn't seem to be an act. You seem to cherish Ruperi quite a bit. Can you decide something like this on your own?"
[Ah, um, well.]
"Even though you must know it will hurt you too?"
[But Ruperi—]
"I do not know why I am saying this either, but I cannot help asking."
At that cool yet gentle tone, Nellis fell silent again.
Was she all right?
'Of course…….'
Of course she was not. She had worked so hard to escape House Teneris.
And now she was making the foolish choice to return to House Teneris in order to save Ruperi.
But it was better than allowing Ruperi to die from Corpse Poison. That was why she had chosen this.
'I'm scared.'
Nellis lowered her head. If she kept talking with Hadel like this, the emotions she had kept locked away so tightly felt as though they would burst out. She needed time to compose herself.
Seeing that, Hadel sighed inwardly.
'I should not have asked.'
Even in retrospect, he could not understand it. Why had he asked if it was all right just because it had shown him a fragile side of itself?
Was he in his right mind?
As silence settled between them, Hadel spoke first.
"Are you crying?"
[I'm not crying.]
"……It looks as though you are."
[Don't say the same thing as Ruperi.]
The curt response had slipped out reflexively, as though she and Ruperi had had this kind of conversation many times.
'Then it has cried in front of Ruperi too?'
A hollow laugh escaped him. That Miten mage had cried in front of Ruperi?
Ah. Now he understood.
This behavior was why he had asked; it was so utterly unlike that Miten mage.
Once he set aside his uncomfortable feelings and looked again, the teddy bear no longer seemed like a vicious Miten mage.
'I want to talk with it some more.'
The teddy bear Ruperi cherished, mottled with his son's blood.
Hadel asked in a mild tone,
"So you intend to sacrifice yourself for Ruperi?"
***
I finished speaking with Duke Kreuz.
After listening, he showed a little concern, then said he would do as I wished.
"Ruperi may insist on looking for you, though."
[Show him the ashes then.]
"That is a cruel request."
I was currently in Ruperi's arms.
Priest Didike had already come and gone, and Duke Kreuz had not yet left the bedroom.
And because Ruperi had caught me on the day I met Duke Kreuz, he refused to let me go even more stubbornly.
"Paul! Where did you go? I was looking for you!"
"Did Father take you away?"
"I told you I can't be without you. Don't disappear without saying anything!"
He spoke between ragged breaths, making me think he might cough up blood again.
Ruperi's voice had risen, and I was glad I had put Anchina to sleep before going.
Though the medicine's effect likely had not even set in yet, Duke Kreuz made Ruperi take it.
"How about setting Paul aside?"
"No. You'll take him away, Father."
"What if you spill the medicine?"
"Then I'll wipe it off."
Hey, can't you see the blood on my body?
Even if you wipe it, I'll end up like this.
Imagining sticky medicine dripping onto my head…….
'Let's not. I shouldn't have imagined it.'
I wanted a bath.
As I stared wearily at the spoon moving back and forth without a word, a drop of medicine really did fall onto my head.
Plop—
"Paul!"
"Oh dear."
I knew this would happen. Couldn't you at least give me a bath before you burn me?
Duke Kreuz hurriedly wiped my head with a wet cloth.
He took me from Ruperi while doing so, but perhaps because Ruperi was startled by the spilled medicine, he did not stop Duke Kreuz.
'I hope my fur doesn't clump together.'
Duke Kreuz carefully wiped my head. He even inspected every part of my body, as though he wanted to wash me.
But so much red staining had already set in that a wet cloth could not remove it.
"……Ruperi, how about washing Paul?"
"No."
"The cloth is coming away pitch-black like this."
Could you not say things like that?
The cloth really was picking up pitch-black grime.
I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole from embarrassment, but Ruperi refused flatly.
"No. Give him back to me now."
"Just a moment. There are still places I have not cleaned."
Apparently deciding that he should at least clean me as much as possible with the wet cloth, Duke Kreuz avoided Ruperi's reaching hand.
'Ah, that tickles.'
I had noticed it before, but Duke Kreuz's hands were large, warm, and gentle.
Was it because he often stroked Ruperi's hair?
As I let him handle me, it felt as though a fluffy cloud were kneading my body, and a smile came to me on its own.
As my mouth relaxed into a silly grin, I met Duke Kreuz's sharp purple eyes.
'……!'
In an instant, I snapped awake from that soft, hazy dream.
He was Duke Kreuz. He had agreed to my request, but he was also the father of Ruperi, who had been poisoned by Corpse Poison because of me.
Besides, Duke Kreuz had asked about my identity.
"There is one more thing I would like to ask."
[What is it?]
"Who are you?"
[……]
"How can a Necromancer control a teddy bear too? If it is magic, I cannot even sense the aura of Darkness Magic."
I had ended the conversation by saying, You don't need to know, but remembering the strange look in his eyes made me think he would ask again later.
Was he trying to learn my identity so that he could kill me for certain?
'If that's the case, I have even more reason not to tell him.'
And if he learned I was a member of House Teneris, he might suspect I had some ulterior motive and refuse my request.
Stiffening, I cautiously looked at Duke Kreuz again.
Having finished wiping me down, Duke Kreuz handed me back to Ruperi.
"Once you are fully recovered, wash Paul first. Do you understand?"
"If you promise not to burn Paul."
"That is different. He will get sick."
"I'll think about it."
Ruperi answered coldly.
After that, Duke Kreuz continued speaking to him one-sidedly.
He asked how the medicine was working and said he would give Ruperi candy if it tasted bitter, among other things.
But Ruperi answered dryly, turned his back, and lay down.
"Ruperi."
"……"
"Do not be ill."
Duke Kreuz looked sorrowfully at Ruperi, stroked his hair, and left the bedroom.
I was the only one who had seen that expression, so I tried to speak to Ruperi. But he only responded firmly.
"He wanted to burn you. So why are you telling me to get along with Father?"
[Because he's your father—]
"Are you planning to leave, Paul? Is that why you're telling me to get along with Father?"
***
Ruperi's instincts were sharp, just as I thought.
Perhaps he had instinctively noticed that I was about to leave, because he began pressing me with even more questions for reassurance.
"Paul, you'll always stay by my side, right?"
"Don't listen to anything Father says, all right?"
"I need you, Paul. I'd be terribly sad without you."
After all, he had seen all that talk about separating me from him and burning me. There was no way he would not notice.
But I had no idea how Ruperi would react if he learned the truth, so I decided to reassure him.
[Of course I'll stay by your side.]
[I haven't even met your father. What are you talking about?]
[I promised, didn't I? I said I'd stay by your side until you were sick of me.]
At this point, the best we could do for Ruperi was keep the poisoning from worsening.
Didike was somehow holding it back with his power, but cold sweat gradually gathered on his forehead. Even with Divine Power of such high purity, it seemed to be more than he could bear.
'That's strange. I can't sense any aura affecting Ruperi.'
I checked my aura every time, but the aura poisonous to Ruperi remained quiet.
Yet when I was away from Ruperi, Didike's face finally relaxed. It seemed that staying apart from Ruperi was the answer.
Therefore, today I decided to leave Ruperi's side.