A man talked to Rodo when we’re about to go home.

That person was beside the king.

Is he like a minister?

Rodo, after listening to him, said something back.

He didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

What did the other person say?

He’d become quite cranky when it’s related to me, so I wonder if that’s the case today?

I’m going to the Tower of Sarez after this.

I told Ruu that I’m going today, so I’d be troubled if this person gave Rodo some errand.

Maybe he’s just giving a job for Rodo, but I can’t figure out the way if he didn’t guide me to the Tower of Sarez.

──I’m just going there to ask the representative of the Tower of Sarez to show me some magic.

If I can do it, I’ll go back soon, but I’ll go home even if I can’t do it.

I wish I could understand the mechanism of magic in this world but I might not be able to do it.

Even if I can’t do it now, I might if I can recognize the words in the chant.

“…Kou, for a while, Seidask, stay here?” (Are you fine with staying in Seidask for a while?)

“…why?”

Stay for a while?

What about Rodo?

If I’m alone, I definitely won’t agree.

But Rodo also has a job.

…as expected, am I the one they’re talking about?

“Heal, want you to do it, he said.” (He said he wanted to see you heal.)

“…heal?”

There’s a “?” on my face.

There must be a healer here, and before that, I just said that I’m using a different method than the healer, so I have to study the language first.

…is there someone who’s missing a limb?

“Kou, heal, want, see, said.” (He said he wanted to see Kou use heal.)

He inclined his head to the man he spoke to earlier.

What do I do when a person who looked like a minister wanted to see me healing?

What does he mean?

Rather than that──

“…Rodo, about?” (What about you?)

I need to know this first.

“Rodo, together?”

“Rodo, with Kou. Alone, not, promise.” (I’m with you. I won’t agree if you’re alone.)

I was relieved to hear that.

If Rodo is with me, I can stay wherever.

“I see.”

Perhaps seeing me relieved, he stroked my head.

Rodo’s been stroking my head lately and I don’t hate it.

I used to avoid his hands but now, I just let him be.

It’s the same even when I’m hugged.

I can’t help it since I’m truly relieved.

As for other people, I’d still want to run away.

“Injured, many, people?” (Are there many injured people?)

“Kou, healing, special. See, he said.” (Kou’s healing is special so he said he wanted to see it.)

Apparently, they don’t lack healers but just want to see how I heal.

Does staying for a while meant that there are no injured people right now?

Or do they want to see me heal various injuries?

But what would you do when you see it?

Imitate it?

I think that would be useless.

Because I’m just portraying what I could imagine.

I still don’t understand the usage of magic in this world.

Far from using any chants, I don’t even understand how to cast magic.

It’s really just based on an image.

“*******”

“*******”

In Rodo’s arms and clinging to him, a voice came from behind us.

When I turned around, the minister-like person who was talking to Rodo and the King who should have been sitting on the throne came closer.

“Hii…!?”

Surprised by his closeness, I clung to Rodo and he turned his body, using his back to face them.

When I exhaled, he gently stroked my head.

As expected, I feel relieved in Rodo’s arms.

“….are you still scared of me?”

With that voice, I looked behind Rodo’s body.

An expressionless and scary king like the lord of dogs.

But someone who was clumsy and tried to smile.

(It’d be rude to such a person if I was scared even though he didn’t do anything.)

I’m scared because he’s a dog, not from something the king did.

That’s worse since I’m scared for no reason.

“…I apologize. King, scared, Kou, bad. Small, time, similar, creature, Kou, chasing. Scared, thoughts…. But, King, relationship, no. Sorry.” (Sorry. It’s my fault for being scared of the King. When I was small, I was chased by a similar creature and felt really scared… But, it has nothing to do with the King. Sorry.)

It’s not that I’m not scared at all.

So I said that while hiding in Rodo’s body.

Before this, I didn’t like other people from the beginning, and my habit of running away hasn’t changed.

By the way, I never thought Rodo was scary from the beginning.

Well, I could only rely on Rodo, so I didn’t have time to express those feelings.

Then he soon became my “guardian”.

The King is more like a wolf than a dog, and unlike the stray dogs that chased me, he can communicate.

I’ll be bitten…I don’t have to have that fear.

He won’t bite me when he bares his teeth and he won’t chase me, so don’t be scared...I can understand that in my head.

But even though I know it in my head, my feelings don’t.

Without Rodo, I’d be scared of even approaching the King.

It’s scary even being in the same room.

As expected, my old perception wouldn’t change immediately.

“*******.”

“******. *********.”

“******.”

The three of them started talking.

I don’t understand because they spoke quickly.

So I waited for the conversation to end while sticking to Rodo.

I’m going to the tower but will he pick me up after that?

I don’t know where the barracks are but is he going there?

I’ve heard that the First and Second Corps are in this town, but I’ve never met them.

As for the Tower of Trik, I won’t go for a while because I have to learn the language first.

Right now, I’m using magic by imagining it, but if I learn the chant, I’d only need a little magic power.

I don’t know how much I’m using in my current state, so I have to try chanting once and compare it.

…but, I can’t feel the sensation of diminishing magic power like Ruu said.

Even the feeling of hunger was no different when I’m not using it.

I also don’t get suddenly sleepy.

I heard that I have more magic power than most people, but I don’t know by how much.

It seems like my magic power is larger than Ruu and the other magicians.

I think Rodo and Ren said that.

However, I don’t know the magic power of the others, and it doesn’t feel the same as other people.

Is it because I’m not using magic power?

Even for monsters, I can feel their horror but I don’t feel the magic power that should be there.

I don’t feel anything from an Akinist that everyone should feel.

Is it something that I don’t understand because it’s a different feeling from my five senses and sixth sense?

“********.”

“***********.”

They’re still talking.

Rodo is stroking my head while I hugged him, but he’s talking fast as if he didn’t want to let me hear their conversation.

(Will it end soon?)

He said we’ll be staying here for a while, but how many days are we talking about here?

The support mission was about one month, but it ended in about three weeks.

…would it take that long?

Rodo is also with me, so would they make him take a break from work for that long?

Then, as expected, is it just a few days?

“Rodo. Sarez, Tower, go, when?” (Rodo, when are we going to the Tower of Sarez?)

Seems like their talk is not over yet, but I want to go to the tower first.

If we’re staying for a while, I think I should greet them first, but is it just me?

I know they can’t have this talk while I go learn magic.

I already said that I’d go to the tower with Rodo.

Well, I told him that I didn’t intend to stay for a long time from the beginning and I also told him that I wanted to go to Sato and Al’s house along the way, so Rodo must be with me.

He had a disgusted face but became happy when I told him we’ll go report our marriage.

When I said “marriage”, Rodo was overjoyed.

Maybe because he thought I’m enthusiastic about getting married…

By the way, I’ve told him about the general view about relationships in Japan but I didn’t tell him that I don’t like women.

However, there aren’t many women around me right now.

They won’t even talk to me once everyone knew that Rodo is my mate.

I’m a shabby guy among these muscular dudes, and I’m just a kid who hadn’t made any money yet so I’m sure I won’t get any confessions.

As expected, I wouldn’t have to worry about that.

…is he worried because the ratio of mean around me is high?

But my age seemed to be recognized as a child, so would anyone care about me?

I know that Rodo is restraining his surroundings, but to be honest, I think it’s just his “strong possessiveness”.

I’ve forgotten when people with strong possessiveness are likely to have an affair, but I’ve heard of them.

…what should I do if I’m thrown away by Rodo?

The 156-year-old Rodo must have dated before and the chances of me being abandoned aren’t zero.

Once we get married, it’ll be a divorce.

…besides, there’s a great lifespan difference between me and Rodo.

I don’t know how long I can be with Rodo.

And also, the last Akinist seemed to be Rodo.

Speaking of “children”…I wonder if other people wanted to bear Rodo’s child.

With regards to having children, it might be unavoidable in a sense to want a young partner.

If I remained Japanese, I’ll be an old man unless I die of illness in the future.

But now I can shrink, return to my original form, and use magic.

I don’t even know what’s going on with my body.

There’s no way to know how long I’ll live or even stay in this world.

But I want Rodo to remarry after I die. However, what if my lifespan is longer?

I’d hate it if he spent hundreds of years in sadness.

Rodo often says “only Kou”, but I don’t know what the future holds.

I also learned about the habits between mates, but maybe it’s just for now.

…well, he might like another person and I can’t give up the possibility of him getting bored.

(But…I’m used to being spoiled by Rodo and I’m happy being the only one special for him. …if nothing else, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of an all-you-can-eat of my favorite cat-sama.)

As expected, if someone would be abandoned, it’d be me.

…this is bad.

I cried when I imagined it.

“…Kou?”

It’s kind of noisy, but I can’t say that I cried from my imagination.

──how pathetic, me.