With the child disliking doctors, we headed for the stationery store.
"I've cast a cleaning spell, but it's still quite shabby."
When the child entered the stationery store, which hadn't been remodeled yet, he seemed shocked by its somewhat run-down interior. But fortunately, I thought, 'I'm a knight. This is a war zone.' I took out the emergency medicine I'd brought from the workshop, disinfected the child's leg, and wrapped a bandage around it.
"We're almost done."
Dominic quietly placed his hand over it. It seemed to be a healing spell, but the child had his eyes so intently closed that he didn't notice the magic being demonstrated.
"I don't feel any pain."
"You look like a cool knight."
My gaze shifted to the object in his hand. Even when he was lying alone on the ground, or when he was whining that he was about to die from pain after I applied disinfectant, he never let go of it. It was a small music box encased in transparent material. I was amazed at what looked like an old antique. It's not easy to see a music box like this these days!
"Oh, do you like this?"
The child's face turned red. "...Yes, don't blame me for having bad taste."
Perhaps it was because people tended to dislike antiques, thinking them old-fashioned. The boy, who desperately tried to deny his taste, which didn't match the mainstream trend, was cute.
"No! I like this too. It's old."
Then the child's eyes widened like a rabbit's. He said cheerfully in a raised voice, "I've never seen anyone like this like me!"
"Old antiques are wonderful. This kind of music box has a very beautiful singing voice."
He smiled broadly at my words and soon looked sullen. "I bought it for my brother's birthday... Would he like it too?"
I thought about it for a while. Birthday gifts popular among aristocrats these days were generally very expensive and sophisticated. For example, a neat, expensive, but well-finished hat. Rather than decoration, they emphasized fabrics, such as high-quality dresses made of material imported from overseas. I shrugged my shoulders and spoke to him.
"You know, I'd be very happy to receive that gift. And—"
"…?"
"If he likes you, he'll love whatever gift he gets."
'Conversely, if they don't like it, they will accept any gift as worthless.'
At one time, Meldenik Babelloa tried to please her father. So, every time she bought the latest social trends, she brought them to him. Still, she never heard anything good. 'It was a good thing the gift didn't end up in the trash.'
My words, born from experience, made the child's eyes widen as if he'd had an epiphany. His twinkling eyes stared at me.
"That's a very touching statement..."
This kid seems to have taken a liking to me, right? I chuckled and stroked the back of his spiky hair. The little child, whose name I didn't know yet, leaned his head into my hand like a content cat.
'I was going to ask him his name, why he was hurt, who hit him, and tell him I'd punish them.'
"Is the treatment over?"
"Yes, it's a bit messy, but..."
Dominic nodded and stretched his legs. His legs were long and slender; it was hard to believe he was the hero of legend. He felt my gaze on him and said in a deep voice, "I think he's tired."
"I was going to call you a carriage right away..." I patted my injured child's shoulder. "Little one, should you go up to this floor and sleep for an hour? When you wake up, I'll call you a rental wagon."
The child nodded with drowsy eyes. He carefully touched my collar and whispered very softly, "Isn't there a ghost up there?"
"No, there isn't. If a ghost comes out, my sister will defeat it."
"...You are full of chivalry. Seeing that you live well in abandoned houses, it's really like a knight..."
The child rolled his eyes and closed them. 'Abandoned... It's too shabby, I guess.'
Dominic put the child to sleep on a small sofa on the second floor and trudged downstairs. "Let's discuss the remodeling now."
"Suddenly?"
Dominic sat down cautiously on a fallen chair. I nodded vigorously. "Yes, suddenly." My plan was as follows: I intended to send the child, who was clearly enrolled in the academy, home in a carriage to promote the stationery store. However, because the building was so shabby, it seemed that the publicity wouldn't work. Besides, I couldn't let my precious child leave with bad memories.
"I think it would be better to show them the garden a little bit when we send them outside."
"I don't know... It's kind of like that." Dominic looked away as if he couldn't deny it.
'...Is that enough?' I glanced out the window and spoke. I saw overgrown weeds and damp grass that didn't seem to be haunted. "Let's start cutting the grass quickly."
An hour later.
'Are you going to use a sword like mine to cut grass?' Dominic became quiet.
'Dominic... what can't you do?'
He had a great talent for mowing grass. Especially when he trimmed the branches of trees, I wanted to praise him as the "god of flowers."
"Don't you think it's neat?"
"That's right." Dominic straightened his shoulders and leaned against the tree.
"Oh, that's right, Mel."
"Huh?"
"You said there were three spies outside watching us, right?"
"...Ah." I was nervous.
"I carried my child on my back and brainwashed him properly. He's going to report to his master." Dominic raised his long sword and tapped it lightly against a branch. I could hear the branches rustling to the ground. Dominic looked at me as I crouched on the floor, pulling weeds. "What... it doesn't really matter if you protect them, but you can think of it as a surprise."
He grumbled about Lennox every time, and it seemed that he hated him a lot. I nodded and smiled. "Yes, good job!"
"Phew... I think I'm tired after a long time. The brainwashing magic was short-lived."
"Good job, Dominic. Let's eat meat later!" I gave him a thumbs up.
Dominic, who was weak to praise, twitched his mouth and lowered his sword. "Hmm. Now let's clean up this dangerous-looking branch."
I smiled faintly as I saw him looking up at the tree. 'Is it because it's been a long time since I've used magic? I was really excited.'
Dominic was turning his back. There was a crackling sound and a strange noise in the grass.
'What is it?' I scanned my surroundings. 'There's nothing suspicious... He said he brainwashed the three people.' But it was strangely creepy. I looked around. 'Huh? I think I can see something in the sword.' I lowered my gaze. The sword that had been placed on the ground for a moment began to glow with a pitch-black aura.
I whistled and strode toward Dominic, who was humming and picking cherries, and grabbed his arm tightly.
"...Dominic?"
"Huh?"
"That sword."
"Huh? My sword, Dominic's sword? It's good for pruning."
Dominic was humming and picking cherries. I grabbed Dominic's arm and tried to tell him that the sword was strange.
'Huh? I can't speak.'
My mouth was strangely stuck. Unfortunately, the sword qi moved faster than my words. On the ground, a smug aura flowed behind Dominic's back.
Pow!
There was a loud noise, and the air became insanely cold. I was still speechless, watching as a black, round ball of smoke billowed out of the sword and formed a shape.
"Why was the seal broken?" Dominic bit his lip in embarrassment.