WLWES 16

When Rio raised his head, he noticed that Gale’s expression remained unchanged as he shifted his gaze from Rio to Gideon.

“You must be tired. I’ll bring your luggage later. Would you like something to eat?” Gale asked.

“No, it’s fine. I have something to tell you,” Gideon replied.

“Understood.”

Gideon nodded to Gale and turned away.

“Kenny, please show Rio around the castle. After that, bring him to my room,” Gideon instructed.

“Okay. Well then, Rio, let’s go,” Kenny said, giving Rio a gentle push as they walked inside.

As Rio passed Gideon, he looked up anxiously and felt a large hand pat his head.

“There is a spot with a view of the entire town. Make sure Kenny takes you to that viewpoint,” Gideon said.

“…Okay,” Rio replied.

He placed his hand on the spot where Gideon had stroked his head and nodded. Then, urged on by Kenny, he stepped inside. The place where Gideon had touched him felt warm, creating a strange, itchy sensation. He wondered if he had been alone for so long that he was confused by the warmth of others.

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Gideon and Gale talking about something. Noticing Rio’s gaze, Gale’s eyes locked onto his, and Rio’s heart raced. Scary. Gale’s eyes were truly intimidating. If the Wolf Lord was frightening, did that mean the people who served him were scary too? This thought was the opposite of what he had believed yesterday. Rio trembled as he glanced at Kenny, who was walking beside him. Noticing Rio’s apprehension, Kenny smiled gently and tilted his head, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Yesterday, he had thought Kenny was scary as well, but maybe it was just his imagination. Kenny had treated him so kindly, making him feel rude for thinking otherwise. Rio shook his head slightly and looked up at the high ceiling, saying, “This castle is really big.”

Kenny looked up at the ceiling for a moment before turning his face back and saying, “Well.. Yeah.. I guess so.”

“I think it’s the second largest castle after the royal castle in the capital. If you trace Lord Gideon’s lineage, he was originally of royal descent.”

“Hmm. But there are plenty of other lords from that type of background. The castle is pretty massive, and the towns I saw on the way here seemed to be doing really well. So I’m sure both Gideon and the last lord were pretty capable.”

“You already figured that out, huh? That’s right. Lord Gideon is amazing… but he’s a bit strict.”

“Uum? So I am guessing he is not called the Wolf Lord just because of his apparence? Is he really that scary?”

“Yeah, he can get really intimidating and is always strict. He never forgives mistakes. So, Rio, you better be careful too. Well… I don’t think he’ll be that strict with you since you’re not a knight.”

“Huh….”

Rio sighed in despair, gazing down the length of the long corridor. I’ll quit. I’ll make sure I quit. I’ll explain that I’m useless and get Gideon to tell me I’m fired. Then I’ll leave here as soon as possible and continue my journey.

Unaware of Rio’s firm resolve, Kenny said, “Let’s go to the place Gideon mentioned earlier,” and began climbing the stairs.

After climbing several flights of stairs and passing through a door, they entered a small room with an amazing view from a window. They could see the entire city and even the plains beyond.

“Wow!” Rio exclaimed in admiration, and Kenny naturally stood next to him.

“What a nice view! This is not a place just anyone is allowed to enter. And yet Gideon likes you enough to allow me to show you around.”

“What?!” Rio looked at Kenny in disbelief. Perhaps surprised by Rio’s loud voice, Kenny also stared back at him with wide eyes.

“What?”

“You say Gideon likes me? Why do you think so? He’s just cold towards me.”

“That can’t be true. I’ve never seen Gideon pat someone’s head like that before.”

“That’s just… treating me like a kid. He seems to treat me like I’m younger than I actually am.”

“How old are you?”

Before he knew it, Kenny’s fingertips were brushing against Rio’s hair. As soon as Rio realized this, goosebumps spread all over his body.

Scary. Gross. This person is weird after all. Why is he touching me? He doesn’t seem to like me. What is this? What should I say…

As Rio was lost in thought and silent, Kenny continued to run his fingers through his hair. Rio shuddered and moved away from him.

Kenny raised his hand in surprise and smiled at Rio. “Ahh, sorry. Did that make you feel bad?”

“Umm, I’m sweaty.”

“Oh? It’s totally fine.”

Just because you’re fine doesn’t mean I’m fine! Cursing in his mind, Rio approached the door and spoke, “About what I was saying earlier, I’ll be an adult in winter.”

“Really? I’m surprised… You do look a lot younger than your actual age.”

“It’s not uncommon. Anyway, I want to see other parts of the castle too.”

Rio said this as he quickly left the room and headed for the stairs. He wanted to get away from Kenny, but he was right behind him.

As Rio went down the stairs, he cautiously glanced over his shoulder to ensure he wouldn’t be touched. He sensed a faint smile behind him. “Oh, you’re done already? You can stay and enjoy the view a little longer, you know.”

“It’s fine. I’ll come back another time and enjoy the view again.”

Not with you, but alone.

Rio had no idea what Gail was thinking when he first met him, but Kenny was even worse. What he couldn’t understand the most was that it was Gideon, and his desire to leave the castle grew even stronger.

“I wish I could have watched Rio a little longer,” Kenny muttered, but Rio hurried down the stairs.

Rio had been taught by the villagers and his mother to always be on guard. If they discovered he could use magic, he would be captured. Even if he was caught by someone he considered a good person, there was no telling how he would be treated if he got captured. Thats why he was taught to never let his guard down.

Now, he had developed the utmost caution towards Kenny. He was someone to watch out for. It would be one thing if he was just touching Rio out of kindness, but why was he interested in Rio in the first place? He wouldn’t know that Rio could use magic. So what did it matter?

Rio was lost in thought the entire time he was shown around the castle. Eventually, he was taken to a large, impressive room on the top floor. It appeared to be Gideon’s room. However, it looked more modest than the lavish room at the inn where he had stayed not long ago. No, it only looked modest, and upon closer inspection, the furniture and fittings seemed to be of high quality and class. Rio looked around the room restlessly, then approached the large window at the back. He placed his palm against the glass, gazing out at the view outside and exclaiming in admiration, “Wow… the view from here is beautiful too.”

“Indeed. I’ve visited this room before, but this is the first time I’ve taken the time to really look at the view. What a nice view.”

Rio quickly moved away from Kenny, who had once again clung to his side, and spoke. “Kenny, I’m waiting here for Gideon to arrive, so please go back now. Thank you for guiding me.”

After Rio said that, he bowed his head. Kenny opened his eyes slightly, and a strange expression crossed his face; it was hard to tell if he was angry or troubled. When Rio tried to create more distance between them, Kenny immediately grabbed his arm.

“Ouch! What…?”

“Come on, it doesn’t hurt. I’m not holding you that hard. Look, I want to talk to you more, Rio. But I don’t like this attitude of yours.”

“I’m just a servant. Don’t mind me. There’s nothing in particular to talk about. Besides, wouldn’t it be better if we got back to work?”

“Tch…”

Hmm? Did he just click his tongue? Is he really getting angry at me? Why? There’s no need to worry about just a simple servant. Just leave me alone.

Kenny wouldn’t let go of Rio’s hand, and while he was debating whether to pull away forcefully, he heard a growl from his chest. An, who had been asleep until now, had finally woken up. Now awake, she bared her fangs and glared at Kenny. As Kenny looked at her, he immediately released Rio’s arm. But then he reached toward An. In that instant, Rio threw his arms around An protectively. From behind him, a low, cold voice rang out, “What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice was icy, and yet Rio felt a wave of deep relief wash over him. He didn’t even realize how tense his body had become until he finally could relax his body again. Slowly, he turned around. Standing directly behind him was Gideon. From above Rio’s head, he stared down at Kenny with his usual cold eyes. Yet Kenny didn’t seem shaken. He calmly withdrew his hand and gave a small bow of his head. 

“After I finished showing him around, we were just admiring the view together and talking about it.”

“I see. It looked like you were trying to grab Rio, though.”

“That was a misunderstanding. I was just trying to touch An.”

“I see. Got it, step back.”

“Understood.”

Kenny bowed again, looked at Rio for a moment, then left.