"What the hell does this smell like?"
Theodore, who had become a bather, became Halias' handsome man again.
However, the strangely suspicious smell from him did not go away.
I sniffed my nose and asked, and Theodore buried his nose in his collar to check his body odor.
"Hmm... I guess I covered it with bodily fluids when fighting monsters."
Ugh, it's the bodily fluids of monsters.
Just thinking about it made me feel like I was going to vomit, and when I frowned, Theodore stroked my head with his big hand.
"So, don't you even welcome your brother back because of that smell?"
"But it was really huge earlier..."
"So you really won't hug me?"
Oh no.
I entered Theodore's arms a little later than planned and hugged him.
Theodore was like a mother to Shion and me.
A cozy and nostalgic existence.
No matter how terrifying he was outside, wielding his sword to kill monsters, it was an unchanging fact.
Theo grabbed both of my armpits and lifted and lowered them as if weighing them.
"Are you getting a little heavier?"
"Brothers, no matter how heavy I get, I want to be light!"
Thinking of Calipj, he retorted, and Theo grinned.
"That's right. Even if you grow up, you will be like that."
"Excuse me if I wonder how much a mature lady weighs."
When I answered what I learned in liberal arts class, Theo booed me slightly.
"Do you think you studied very hard?"
Come to think of it, Theodore did not yet know that I had manifested.
I wanted to brag right away, but it was obvious that Caliph would be waiting for him.
I also promised not to use flames when Caliph was not there.
"Should you go to my eldest brother?"
"Yes, would you like to go with Liana?"
But when I go to Caliph, who works as the acting head of the house because Alseid is not there, can I follow him?
After tilting my head for a moment, I narrowed my eyes as I could guess something.
"Let's go together. Liana."
Why does that sound like save me?
***
"You first encountered a dire wolf on the east side of the north face, and you met a mammoth near the center?"
Caliph asked in confirmation, and Theodore nodded at the dire wolf skins piled up nearby.
"Yes, as you can see. It was suspicious that they had grown too much."
Then Calipj looked at me with meaningful eyes and said:
"We know that. You know too well..."
"Really..."
Theodore asked puzzledly, and Caliph retorted.
"I went to the north wall to find you and came back."
"Did you do that? I'm sorry, brother..."
Theodore apologized, but Caliph continued with what he had to say.
"We were ambushed by dozens of direwolves, and Liana saved us."
Theodore raised one eyebrow
"...Liana?"
I guess he knew my condition with my fingertips stiff because I wanted to show off.
Caliph nodded, and I snapped my fingers to spark.
"...Liana."
Theodore stared blankly at the flames, so I made them with my other hand.
When I floated it in the air and drew a swirl with my fingers, the two fireballs immediately mixed, and when I blew on the larger one. It quickly disappeared.
"...Oh my God, it has manifested."
Without Theodore being moved, Calipe intervened.
"Who is so slow on the north face that the rest is in danger?"
Theodore, who was looking at me as if enchanted, was anxious.
"Why did you leave with the child in the first place?"
"That..."
Caliph, who was equally angry and tried to defend himself, immediately shook his head
"That's not the point. Why is it decisively late? After all, I didn't even see Garcia."
As Garcia said, the defense wall is strange. There is a weak part, so monsters come over. Most of the monsters near the north wall are in the early stages of transformation, such as mammoths and direwolves, so I'm glad I don't know.
"...Do you mean that the Direwolves have crossed the North Wall?"
Theodore shrugged,
"It's clear. Because I saw it in person."
Then he pointed to the skin of the dire wolf once again.
I shrank my shoulders with goosebumps, and it seemed that the two of them finally remembered my existence again.
"I'm sorry, Liana. Shall we just go and sleep?"
I was more curious about the story, so I went to Caliph.
"No, I'm not sleepy."
I wanted to go to Theo, but Caliph might be jealous and kick me out.
"Then I'll go to bed after a short while."
Caliph leaned in, I sat gently on his lap, and asked Theodore coldly like a very different person.
"So, you were delayed in monitoring the defensive walls? Is that all?"
Theo nodded quickly.
"I didn't stop by the Mage Tower, but I conveyed the details to Garcia accurately. Of course, Garcia knows about it."
Caliph frowned.
"Then what was that shape? I was afraid that I would run into the people of the territory on the way there."
Theodore laughed hesitantly.
"There's a big mammoth. I struggled in my own way."
Yes, I'm back alive, please be pretty.
I only meddled inwardly.
Caliph shook his head.
"But why can't I see a pair of ivory?"
Theodore glanced back at me.
"It was too heavy. The words were also difficult to make me harsher."
But leather is also heavy if you stack it like a mountain like that, right?
Anyway, heavy bars bring ivory, which is more expensive than leather...
"Something strange..."
Theodore quickly added.
"I'll submit the report by tomorrow."
"Until tomorrow? I asked Aaron to submit it by the day after tomorrow."
"I was in charge. It's only natural for me to write it, brother."
Even if you say this, if you say that you will receive a report from the Knight Commander, you will distrust Theodore.
Caliph couldn't help but nod.
"Take a break today. You can raise it to the day after tomorrow."
The reconnaissance report ended so dryly without an emotional brotherly reunion.
***
The next day, as soon as the class was over. I went to Theodore's room.
Theodore, who turned eighteen this year, still had two more years to graduate from the academy
In other words, at the end of this month, when summer vacation ends, he will have to go back to the academy.
So, contrary to my wishes, which I wanted to see his face a few more times. Theodore's room was empty.
After knocking on Theo's door, I turned around with a slightly disappointed face, and Suzy approached me with a mischievous face.
"Find Theo, Baby?"
"Oh, no! Isn't there something so important to do?"
Whether it was Suzy or Theo, I didn't want to interfere with anyone's work, so I denied it. But Suzy giggled and pointed to the end of the hallway.
"I saw him enter the library earlier. I don't know if he's still here."
"Thanks, Suzy."
I thanked Susie and ran down the hallway.
When I reached the library, I looked inside, but I couldn't see Theodore.
"Hmm...?"
Even though Theodore, who was growing endlessly, was now on the verge of over-taking Caliph.
I slowly opened the door and went in, flipping through the tall bookshelves that were several times my height.
'You must have already gone... After all, Theodore is not a great man who will stay in the library for long.'
I found him when I was half-resigned and thinking about turning back.
Theodore lay face down between the shelves, spreading out several books and frantically looking at them.
He even lined up his notebook and pen as if he were writing down something, and he didn't seem to feel any signs of movement until 1 reached that compartment.
He noticed the situation belatedly, stood up, and when he found me, he said with a relieved face.
"It's Liana."
"Oh, am I disturbing you?"
When asked politely, Theodore giggled.
"No way."
"Do you want to see what you're looking at?"
I took a step back, respecting his privacy, but Theodore smiled brightly and nodded.
"Then."
I only found out when I got closer.
What he was looking at was books about monsters.
"Are you studying about Dierwolf?"
I was thinking about it, but Theodore asked me.
"Did you see Direwolf the other day?"
"Yes."
"How was it?"
"It was fast. There are many colors, and they are loud. And they weren't scared of the Sword Master either. The look in my eyes is creepy."
Theodore pulled me to his lap and stroked my hair.
"You observed it very closely. That's wonderful, Liana."
Looking down at the books Theo was looking at, I saw a picture of a very large and hairy beast.
"Is that a mammoth?"
I had only heard of mammoths through rumors.
Theo nodded.
"Yes."
This beast, which is regarded as a dire wolf as divided, was by no means likable just by looking at the way it was dragged to the floor due to its long fur.
And...
I came back alive after encountering something like that, but I didn't hear a single word of compliment.
I've heard that you haven't collected the ivory.
I dropped the corners of my eyes because Theodore felt sorry for me.
"It's disgusting... It's huge, isn't it?"
He gently pinched my cheek and chuckled.
"It's really big, but the cub is much smaller."
Suddenly, an ominous feeling came over me.
"Cub?"
Theodore Halias, can this guy kill a little cub?
No matter how much the beast is in the middle of the monster and the animal?
Sure enough, Theodore quickly changed his words.
"Oh, just... It appeared in the book. Look here."
Something suspicious?
I held Theo's hand tightly and pretended to be as harmless as possible.
I'm on your side, so come and tell me.
"Woowoong... It would be cute if it were small."
How small it must be.
Then Theodore lowered his voice as if he were talking about a secret.
"Actually, they are dangerous animals called dire wolves and mammoths, but they are incredibly smart."
"...Really?"
"If you harvest them when they are young, you can train them, just like birds."
My heart was pounding, but I tried my best to pretend it was nothing.
"But brother... Will a mammoth kill its cubs? Let's not give birth to such big animals."
Ha, I was so surprised that I ended up being too naughty compared to my four-year-old.
Theodore also hesitated for a moment, as if he was confused.
"That's right. You're clever after all, Liana. You know... I was just thinking about what to do."
But he eventually avoided my gaze, so 1 had to rewrite the story in my head.
The certainty is as follows.
One. Theodore went to the north wall and stayed for two months, dealing with the dire wolf and the Mammoth, but all he brought as loot was the dire wolf skin.
Two. Theodore may have seen a mammoth cub, but if this child is small and pitiful. He usually brings it.
up
Here, I couldn't help but make one unfortunate inference.
What if Theodore dealt with a mammoth with cubs and took pity on the cubs?
Didn't this bastard, the mammoth cub, also come to pick it up because it was an abandoned animal?
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