C32
As soon as he let go of Richard, the kindness disappeared.
"Erno Etham was always kind to me even if it was a lie..."
The sudden thought startled me, and I shook my head from side to side.
"Don't you have time?"
"Oh, no!"
I quickly nodded.
"Just the two of us."
"Yes."
"No, I'll be there too! I'm your teacher. Where is BamBam going again...?!"
"Teacher..."
As soon as the response was over, the two children hugged me.
"I'll be back soon."
I patted the two children and gently pushed them back. Then, I gently pushed them toward the door.
"They're good kids! Aren't they?"
"I'm good, but..."
"If my teacher says so, I'll do it."
"Yes, you two wait here."
When I nodded, the soldier hesitated, as if embarrassed, and carefully closed the door.
"Now we can talk!"
I approached him with a big smile.
It was negotiation time.
"Where did you find my son?"
"In an orphanage."
"..."
He wiped his face once, as if frustrated, and his expression distorted.
The mixed expression of guilt and relief, regret and despair, and joy was so vague that it couldn't be described.
"An orphanage... I guess he didn't have a good life."
Duke Collin murmured quietly.
The reason he couldn't bear to say it wasn't actually because Richard was quite out of place in the orphanage.
"Because a child born with wizardly qualities is inevitably despised."
In the novel, it was said that the smaller the child, the more likely one is to feel the strange energy that is different from one's own.
"Still, because there was Albion..."
Although there may have been minor bullying or intimidation by children, Albion did not discriminate.
"Still, he met a good teacher."
"A good teacher?"
"Yes, so Richard is fine."
Of course, the wounds he received at an early age won't disappear easily, but as he has a family, it's something that can be fixed.
"With this, the probability of him becoming a psychopath will decrease."
Richard was just an innocent child with a lot of curiosity.
I'm sure he will grow up to be a slightly better adult.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"And now, with Uncle, they'll be fine."
"..."
"Uncle, there are many unfortunate children in the orphanage."
"What do you mean?"
"Richard was so good that he was bullied for a while, but that was because he was too good. He's handsome and can do magic..."
I listed Richard's strengths as I crossed my fingers anxiously.
So, don't even think about taking revenge on the orphanage.
With his bloodless, tearless nature, it wouldn't be difficult to ruin at least one orphanage that caused trouble for his son.
"Of course, I don't think Albion will stand still..."
Albion also tended to exaggerate when it came to "kids." If he tries to kill them, he'll be in trouble.
"So, don't do anything to the kids."
"...Aren't you a kid too?"
"Oh, right, yes. That's true."
He looked at me strangely, then rested his chin on his hand and stared at me for a long time.
"Is it money you want?"
"No."
"Then?"
"A small house."
I said, pretending to show two palms together.
As much as I think about it, asking to live with the Collin family seems like an excessive offer, and I have plenty of money...
The compensation was decided by asking for a small house in the capital.
Then I can see Richard as much as I want, and I don't have to go to an orphanage.
"And Erno Etham..."
No, not that. And I'll be able to see how the original story unfolds!
I have to watch the heroine grow.
Yes, it's because she was someone I admired once.
"Plus, the bank is also in the capital..."
There are banks in other areas, of course, but the one in the capital is the safest.
I'm still a kid.
It wouldn't be pleasant to visit a bank in a small estate or village frequently.
"A house?"
"Yes, a small one."
I wondered if a small one-story wooden building would be okay.
"What's the price of a house in the capital?"
It's embarrassing because I have no idea.
"Why?"
"Oh..."
"Didn't my son ask you to come with him?"
"Yes..."
"I'll tell you first."
"Yes?"
"I studied the Imperial Law all day yesterday."
"Yes..."
Why is he suddenly mentioning the imperial law?
Since Richard was declared dead, did he find a way to revive his canceled identity?
Nevertheless, why is he telling me this?
"I'm sorry for you, but..."
Oh, is the house a bit presumptuous?
"There was no legal way to register 'pets' in the family registry."
"...Yes?"
"I asked lawyers and those who enact laws within the imperial castle, but I received no answer."
"...Yes?"
Am I not understanding the imperial language right now?
Or is Duke Collin speaking a foreign language? Even I felt my pupils tremble slightly.
"Oh... so...?"
It was a bit absurd that I was seriously considering being registered in the family registry.
"Even as a pet..."
It was clear that Duke Collin wasn't normal either. Are there any normal people in this novel?
"Did you know that Suin originally belong to the 'family' or their 'master'?"
"How...?"
I took a deep breath. Duke Collin's cold gaze reached me.
"How did you find out I'm a Suin...?"
He never mentioned it or said anything. The robe would have completely covered the tail.
"Your magical power is unique to Suin. You're such a small Suin that you haven't even learned how to control your magic."
"...Magical power?"
Was there such a thing?
I thought I just needed to hide the tail. Wasn't that it?
Then why didn't Duke Etham notice I was a Suin?
"You really know nothing. It seems like you've recently gone through your first growth season, haven't you?"
"Growth...?"
As I frowned, Duke Collin's icy expression became even more serious.
"Ah, that shedding..."
The only recent event that can be called "growth" is about shedding.
Could he have sensed it because I shed my skin?
"It seems like the robe is blocking it to some extent, but a mage sensitive to magic will notice it."
"...How can I hide my mana?" I looked around my body with a puzzled expression.
In my eyes, I couldn't see even a hint of magical power, let alone the Suin's exclusive magical power.
"It's not difficult to give you a house, but an ownerless Suin doesn't end up well."
"...The best would be to go back to your family. Do you know what kind of Suin you are?"
"A lizard..."
"A lizard? There are no lizard Suin in the Empire. Although there's the Komodo family..."
It's just a race that occasionally interacts with each other on a very southern island...
Duke Collin paused and looked at me.
"They are characterized by having dark skin."
I looked down at my arm. It looks way too white and fluffy to be called dark.
"Albion told me about the Komodo family..."
Judging by the fact that he didn't mention it twice, there was a high probability that he realized I wasn't born into that family.
"Did you know? The Empire doesn't like Suin."
My shoulders involuntarily shivered at those cold words.
Even in the novel, Suin are hardly mentioned.
Suin make up only 3% of the population in this world, and most of them live alone in places like the southern continents or southern islands.
Originally, except for my death, later on the Southern Continent, when the Suin prince fell in love with the heroine at first sight, the story of Suin briefly emerged.
"...Should I feel bad for his rejection?"
That's true; he might not want a lizard stuck to his newly found son.
"I understand."
Thinking the conversation was over, I put the robe back on.
I can go back to Albion.
I'm sure Albion can teach me how to capture Suin mana.
"You don't need to spend money; I simply helped a friend. Goodbye."
To be honest, I was a little annoyed.
When I jumped off the couch without remorse, he frowned and reached out his hand.
"However, if you enter as Richard's little sister, there's no problem."
"...My steps came to an abrupt halt at the unexpected words."
"Even if you can't register a 'pet' in the family registry, there's no problem registering a sister."
