HH Chapter 37

‘Have we gotten a bit closer?’

However, a degree of friendliness wouldn’t extend my stay. I boasted that I would become indispensable to Haylan within a month. What kind of confidence did I have to make such a bold claim? 

Far from proving it, I’ve only been a burden so far. My face flushed with embarrassment.

“I think they’re putting on a performance over there. Want to go watch?”

“You’re already dragging me there, so why even ask…”

Haylan grumbled, but he still let me pull him along. At the bottom of the plaza stairs, we could see actors performing a play. We seemed to have missed a bit of the first half, as the male and female actors were in the midst of a very emotional scene.

“Loupierre, don’t be too sad. Even if I’m reborn, you’ll find me again, won’t you?”

Oh, the man is crying.

As expected of a street play, the acting wasn’t particularly outstanding, but it seemed somewhat entertaining enough. Listening to the murmurs of the engrossed audience, we could roughly guess the plot of the story so far.

“I wish Serra wouldn’t die. Daddy, can’t Serra become a fairy like Loupierre?”

A little girl, absorbed in the play, was seen whining and tugging at her father’s arm. It was the scene where the two main characters, with different lifespans, parted ways.

“Just as birth is a law of nature, so is death. I hope you won’t grieve too much.”

The female protagonist said her final “I love you” and died. The man, holding her and crying…  the curtain closed briefly to change the scenery.

‘Why does this dialogue sound so familiar?’

I wasn’t interested in the arts, so I didn’t have a hobby of watching plays. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had heard the female protagonist’s lines somewhere before.

The curtain rose again. The female protagonist’s reincarnation and the two characters’ reunion. I was watching the play blankly when I felt a sense of unease and looked down at Haylan.

‘Could this be…’

As I mulled over the familiar lines, I realized they were the words written in Christine’s will.

“I can’t believe she blabbed so much that it’s still being told as a story.”

Haylan confirmed my suspicions.

The street play was a dramatization of Christine and Odin’s story. Love transcending lifespans and reunions that repeated several times. The audience were deeply immersed in the touching story, but it seemed none of them realized that the protagonist in question was still alive.

‘And that the female protagonist’s blood relative is watching this…’

No one would believe it was a true story, with the male protagonist being a fairy. And Haylan’s existence wasn’t even mentioned in the play. It seemed that he was excluded because he was a character that wasn’t necessary in portraying the two lovers’ story.

“The protagonist is annoying.”

He’s talking about Christine, Haylan clarified.

Is this how he truly felt? He used to be so affectionate towards her, and now he’s talking behind her back? I always wished Haylan would be half as kind to me as he was to Christine.

“She was always selfish since she was young. I was always being swayed by her. And forcing you on me was also her doing.”

That was certainly true. What kind of younger sister would pay money to make a friend for their older sibling? Not only us, but even Odin didn’t take it seriously. I could tell from his puzzled expression when I accepted her request.

“It can’t be helped. She must have done it out of concern. Worrying is the duty of those left behind.”

“I don’t like it. I feel uncomfortable every time I feel her pitying me.”

And Haylan’s feelings about that were separate from his care and affection for Christine.

I somehow understood how he felt. It’s understandable to feel a bit displeased when others constantly interfere and make it seem like he wasn’t okay, even when he insisted he was.

It was a relationship where neither person could be simply blamed.

“But even that meager pity comes in handy sometimes.”

Before I could ask what he meant, the little girl in the front row, noticing our lack of attention to the play, turned around. The child, with narrowed eyes, turned her head and, upon seeing Haylan’s face, gaped in astonishment.

I was about to chuckle at the girl’s cute reaction when I heard unexpected words from beside me.

“I’ve changed my mind. You can stay at my house a little longer.”

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

‘Why did he suddenly change his mind?’

The system indicated 100 affection points. That number proved that my relationship with Haylan had progressed from strangers to acquaintances.

In other words, it meant he liked me.

‘But why?’

Confused, I thought about what I had done for the past week.

First, I injured my hand. Using my injured hand as leverage against Haylan, I bothered him all day.

Second, I secretly picked the lock and sneaked into the library. Haylan, unaware of my actions, kindly taught me defensive magic.

Third, I unleashed a ghost in this house. A ghost that tears people apart, no less…

“……?”

I broke out in a cold sweat. No matter how much I thought about it, I hadn’t done anything to earn his affection.

I became even more confused about Haylan. The only plausible thing I had done was sharing snacks…? But wasn’t it strange that his affection had surpassed 100 just from a few snacks?

‘Does he like food that much?’

But that was the only reason I could think of. I thought I was starting to understand him, but now I’m back to square one. 

What was Haylan really thinking?

“You seem distracted. Have you memorized it all already?”

“M-Memorizing, I’m memorizing.”

I quickly buried my face in the book before he could realize I was lost in thought.

‘I can’t believe he’s making me study even after we came back from going out.’

And he’s even going to test me, this crazy spartan kid. I was busy trying to keep up with the incredibly fast pace, as if atoning for the time I had wasted.

[You seem to almost understand the defense strengthening magic…]

[Defense Strengthening Magic Proficiency: 0.00001%]

The system repeatedly pointed out my lack of comprehension. Haylan clearly didn’t understand my level yet.

[Magic circles that have already been learned can be activated without casting. The proficiency of already registered magic increases with use.]

[*Protection Barrier Magic (Proficiency 1)]

Skill Note.

This was a newly implemented system from the last quest. It slotted the magic I had already learned, limited to defensive magic.

However, I couldn’t overuse the protection barrier to increase proficiency. If the number of ghosts released in this house increased drastically, who would handle them?

‘Me, of course.’

Haa. If only it didn’t say that lower-level magic would be deactivated.

‘Could Haylan also be affected by that magic?’

I glanced at Haylan, who had grown about half a span, over my book and thought.

‘It’s strange that someone who hasn’t grown for his entire life suddenly grew taller.’

But everyone except me seemed unfazed, so I just went along with it. Even the butler, and Haylan himself, said so casually that he ‘needed new clothes,’ as if it were perfectly normal.

‘Isn’t it something to be surprised about?’

It had only been a week since I returned to this house. It was hard to believe I had such a significant impact on Haylan in that short time.

I shook my head slightly. Having lived for years in a world revolving around me, it was easy to become overly self-conscious.

‘I don’t know.’

Even to my eyes, Haylan was beautiful and cute, but I wasn’t personally interested in his growth. If a cute kid grows up, they’re still cute…

‘I hope things don’t get more complicated.’

Rather, I was curious about the impact of those half-handspan growth on my strategy.

6. Curiosity

A month has passed. And now, I’m lazing around. It seems like there are certain conditions that need to be met before the next mission appears.

‘This is comfortable~’

But I’m not worried at all. Things would work out somehow. It’s been a while since I’ve had a daily life without quests, and I decided to enjoy this peace, which could disappear at any moment.

I wrote my first “Friend Report” about Haylan and sent it to Odin, along with a letter to the Red Lion Mercenary Group.

And today…

“What are all these deliveries?”

“They’re packages.”

“The recipient is…?”

Everyone gathered at the door looked at me simultaneously. They were all for me. What was the meaning of me receiving more packages than the supplies that arrived every two weeks? My face burned with embarrassment.

The senders were Odin and the Red Lion Mercenary Group. I first read Odin’s letter attached to the top of a box.

“…….”

I shouldn’t open the red box here. I was so relieved that the boxes were color-coded. I quietly set aside the red box at my feet.

Then, I opened the box sent from the mercenary group. Inside the first box, a gray winter coat was roughly folded.

‘Why a coat?’

In the second box, there were two wool scarves, and I could see that the other boxes were also filled with socks, gloves, and various winter items. Did they think I was some kind of centipede? There were over twenty pairs of socks.

‘Don’t tell me…’

I recalled what I had written in the letter I sent to the mercenary group.

「It’s so cold here that I can’t seem to get used to it. I feel like I’m freezing to the bone whenever the wind blows. Asileth’s winter was nothing compared to this! What will I do when it actually starts snowing?」

‘I made up those nonsense because I had nothing else to say…’

I was stunned, momentarily frozen at the sight of the suddenly increased amount of clothing.