TYND 37

TL: Motokare

“Rothy. You said before that you knew how to destroy bridges. Did you use that spell during the war?”

“……!”

“And not just once or twice… you were active throughout the war. Isn’t that right?”

Rothy avoided answering, his green eyes welling up. His reaction was as good as an answer. 

“How on earth did he do it without us knowing…? Your Grace, did you ever sense the presence of an archmage like Rothy?”

“Never.”

“Neither did I. An archmage with striking snow-white hair and unbelievable magical power… How could no one have noticed Rothy’s existence?”

“I wonder too. How Yolone Sirin managed to hide him so perfectly.”

Theon’s voice was icy. That was when Chungnip realised Theon was angry. He’d been too shocked to notice earlier, but now that he recognised it, the air in the room seemed strangely chilly. 

“Rothy, you were happy to see us from our first meeting. We’d never seen you before, but you alone felt affection and trust towards us. I thought it was because you had heard about us from Yolone Sirin, but that wasn’t it. It was because you’d watched us on the battlefield. Am I right?”

Rothy silence was its own reply. 

Only then did Chungnip understand.

So that’s it. He’d been watching us himself…

If Rothy hadn’t been confined to the barracks… if Yolone Sirin had sent him directly into battle… if he’d watched Theon and the Black Lion Knights in action, then his one-sided affection made sense.

Why he’d memorised destructive spells, why he’d developed such immediate fondness… all the questions were answered, except for one. How on earth had Yolone Sirin managed to keep him hidden from their eyes during battle?

Theon and Chungnip asked Rothy several more times, but he just shook his head. He looked at Theon and Chungnip in turn with pitiful eyes, and when the two adults remained firm, he slowly wiggled free from Theon’s embrace. The two of them watched quietly to see what Rothy would do. 

The boy hugged his weasel close and pattered over to the door connecting to the archduchess’s room, then carefully turned the handle.

“……”

Of course it didn’t open. The door had been locked since yesterday’s incident. After trying twice, Rothy stared helplessly at the locked door before looking back at the two adults. Theon opened his arms, inviting Rothy back, but instead of approaching… the boy scurried across the large bedroom and crouched in the corner between two walls. He hugged his knees and buried his face—the naturalness of the pose suggested he’d done this countless times whenever he felt upset.

Scree, screeeee

The weasel’s small head poked out of Rothy’s embrace, as if finding it stifling. It then licked Rothy’s hand a few times before pausing and looked at Theon.

Screeee! Screeeeeee!

“……”

To Chungnip, that threatening sound meant ‘How can grown-ups bully a child? Why aren’t you coming to comfort him?‘ Theon must’ve thought the same, given the low sigh beside him. 

“We should stop for today.”

“Yes, Your Grace. If someone walked in now, they’d think we were bullying a child.”

“That wouldn’t be wrong.”

Theon’s eyes held a touch of bitterness.

“Lord Rothy, we’ll stop for today. I’m leaving now. See? I’m opening the door.”

At the creaking sound, Rothy flinched and raised his head. When their eyes met, Chungnip smiled gently.

“Your Grace, won’t you see me out? Won’t you say goodnight?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Rothy finally stood up. As the boy pattered over, Chungnip stroked his fluffy hair.

“Good night, Lord Rothy.”

“Yes… good night to you…”

Chungnip was about to ruffle Rothy’s hair, complaining about his formal speech, but Theon had already stepped behind the boy and scooped him up. With Theon glaring at him to leave quickly, Chungnip backed away.

“Ah!”

Then he turned back, remembering something absolutely crucial.

“Lord Rothy, please erase those memorised spells. Your frequent fevers and exhaustion weren’t just because of the magic stone. Storing so many spells naturally tires both mind and body.”

“But if I erase them, I can’t use them quickly when it’s dangerous…”

“How often do you think you’ll be in danger?”

“But yesterday was dangerous…”

“Actually, the knights would’ve arrived while Lord Aeruhen was holding them off yesterday. Besides, His Grace came right away too, didn’t he? If you’re worried, you could learn some quick-casting spells that don’t require memorisation. Most paralysis spells have incantations that are just one or two lines, so they’re handy in emergencies.”

“But—”

“Lord Rothy. Do you want to keep burning up with fever even in the summer?”

“……”

Rothy appeared reluctant to erase his stored spells. It was understandable since it’d take a very long time to memorise them again, but for the child’s health, erasing them was the right choice. Chungnip was about to offer more persuasion, but Theon suddenly cupped the back of Rothy’s head, turning him to look his way.

“Chungnip, leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Have a peaceful night.”

After Chungnip left, a strange silence filled the room. Theon felt Rothy’s heart beating rapidly as he carefully set him down on the bed.

“Rothy, Chungnip’s right. The war is over, so there won’t be any more danger.”

“But…”

“You can keep one or two lethal spells.”

“Yeah…”

Rothy closed his eyes, then opened them.

“I’ve erased them…”

“Well done. This way, you won’t have frequent fevers.”

Theon smiled, relieved but Rothy’s expression remained vacant.

“I’m going to wash up, so go to sleep first. It’s late.”

Theon laid the boy down and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. It’d been a very long day. Rothy must’ve been exhausted too. When Theon returned from washing, Rothy wasn’t where he’d been tucked in, but curled up without a blanket in a corner of the large bed. The weasel lay in his arms in the exact same position. He’d never turned his back and laid like this in a corner before when they shared the bed. They’d always lay side by side on the pillows, chattering about their day until they fell asleep.

Is he sulking because I made him erase the memorised spells?

Theon stared at that tiny, miserable back and swallowed a sigh. 

“Rothy, you’ll have a sore back tomorrow if you sleep like that.”

Theon picked Rothy up and laid him in his original spot. The weasel scurried across the bed, stretching itself out beside him. He then covered Rothy with the blanket and patted his chest, but Rothy kept his eyes tightly shut. Watching the trembling eyelashes, Theon gently poked Rothy’s cheek with his finger.

The soft, tender cheek.

When he poked again, the eyelashes quivered like a candle before a storm, and the eyelids slowly lifted. Their eyes met. Rothy stared quietly, his gaze a mixture of hurt and affection, wariness and trust.

“It was for your health.”

“……”

“And Chungnip and I weren’t interrogating you.”

“……”

“But even if you think it was an interrogation, I will find out how Yolone Sirin deceived all our eyes and sent you into battle. That method will be added to his list of serious crimes. Participating in battle’s forbidden for those under seventeen.”

“But Your Grace was fifteen when you went to war.”

“And I was the last one before it was banned. Now sleep. I’ve kept you up too late.”

“Yes, Your Grace…”

Rothy closed his eyes again. Theon wanted to keep his palm against Rothy’s cheek, but stopped himself, thinking it would keep the child from falling asleep. 

He’ll return to speaking casually tomorrow. 

He turned off the lights, thinking it would be rather grim if Rothy kept speaking formally to him tomorrow as well. 

The next day, the assassin from The Mandate, who’d been kept in the underground prison, was found dead. While having breakfast, Theon received the report and hurried downstairs. He frowned at the lump of mud left in the cell. 

“The curse activated because he failed to complete his mission within the time limit. Not even a single hair remained… he was turned to mud. How cruel.”

“By curse, do you mean Maton’s magic?”

“Yes, it’s also called black magic. It’s forbidden, but assassin guilds commonly use it. I heard even the royal mage tower in Givarche uses it. Even though for a while they were our allies, those people are barbaric.”

“Preserve that.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

When Theon came back up, Rothy was waiting quietly with wide eyes as they ate breakfast. Theon picked up his fork as if nothing had happened.

“Rothy. I know it’ll be frustrating but stay in the room today. Ultje will be with you.”

“Yeah, sure. But is Aeruhen alright?”

“He’s been bragging to his friends about his heroics since morning.”

His round eyes grew rounder.

“Someone came to kill me…? Will it be alright?”

“I had them spread word that fiends appeared in the forest. They used to appear in the Falsen forest from time to time anyway.”

“I see…”

Rothy nodded, his face thoughtful. 

Theon had work to do—matters of the territory, the family, and Rothy—so he left the room as soon as he finished his meal. That day, Rothy stayed in the room as Theon had asked. But he didn’t feel confined at all. He was very good at staying in… and Jay, Xeon, Barry and others visited in turns, showering him with praise like, “Your Grace’s such an incredible mage!”

By the time Theon saw him late that night, Rothy’s cheeks were still flushed. 

“Did the praise make you that happy?”

Ultje had already told him what happened, but Theon still raised his hand to check Rothy’s temperature. Rothy smiled brightly.