I Raised My Childhood Friend as a Tyrant - Chapter 3

#3 The Appearance Of The Twins

“Miss!”

Sophia stormed in wondering why the quiet mansion was getting noisy. As expected, we had knocking manners and all that for fear of the master and the maid.

I was laying in bed and looked back at Sophia.

“Huh?”

“The Marquis is about to arrive at the mansion!”

The Marquis?

“What, Father?”

Marquis Fritz Amelia.

He’s the father of Viche Amelia.

Coincidentally, her father had only returned from a visit to the southern family’s estate.

“They’re almost here!”

“Oh my God! Then we should hurry up!”

I almost fell off the bed and combed my messy hair with my hands.

“Did you wash up?”

“What do you think?”

Despite my rebuttal, Sophia took a sprayer out of her pocket and sprayed it on me. I took out my comb and started combing my hair.

“Oh, and there are people coming with him.”

“Huh? Who?”

Sophia took out a pink ribbon from her pocket while she was talking.

“Well… What did you say the name was… Du….”

“Du?”

Sophia, who rolled her eyes as if going through her memories, also took something out of her pocket. It was a small box. When I opened the box, a cute necklace popped out.

“That, Duff…?”

The necklace is beautifully placed on my neck. Sophia looked at my figure and straightened out the creases of the dress with her hands.

“Duffrey?”

I put my hand in my pocket again. Is that Doraemon’s pouch? I feel like she keeps pulling something out.

“Put it on!”

“No way, Duffrey, and Benjamin?”

“Oh! That’s right!”

Duffrey and Benjamin…

They were her maternal cousins. The frantic twins of the author, Luichelsa Baek.

This body’s mother was said to have been the youngest daughter of Count Luichelsa. The beautiful Countess met the young Marquis, fell in love, and married in blessing. A few years later, she gave birth to Viche.

However, her weak body deteriorated rapidly after giving birth and she eventually passed away without being able to see her beloved daughter grow up.

The mother’s image, which can only be seen in portraits, resembles Viche.

However, her mom in the portrait did not wear heavy jewelry or fancy dresses. She was a woman who shone beautifully with only a subtle smile.

A woman who was more noble and dignified than anyone else.

That was how the mother of Viche felt.

Anyways, the twins of her late mother’s brother, Count Milken-Louichelsa, often came to visit us and stayed for a month or two.

Their land was located not far south from the Amelian lands, where the Count lived on his estate, not on the Imperial Islands, so they would be placed in our mansions as if they were studying abroad to see the Imperial Islands and learn the culture.

“Duffrey… Benjamin…”

At first, I welcomed them without knowing what was going on, but it was hard to handle the naughty and bad-tempered children.

Furthermore, in my past life, I could not imagine hanging out with children because my body had an adult ego even though I was a child. So I thought they were just burdened to take care of.

“Umm… just imagining it makes me tired.”

In fact, this life isn’t much different either.

“Let’s go. Does Jade also know?”

“Yes, you need to go quickly!”

I then ran out of the room.

***

The loud noise of the house seemed to be gathered on the first floor.

Lewis and Jade were standing in an upright position in front of the crowd waiting for my father. Jade’s black hair was neatly pulled back and his clothes were impeccably neat.

“As expected, you’re shining today.”

I didn’t forget to look at Jade gloatingly in the midst of the busy schedule.

I could feel Lewis’ eyes telling me to come quickly and stand next to him, so I then made my way between Lewis and Jade.

Everyone looked so bright, and I had a feeling that I was sincerely welcoming my father back.

Soon, the wagon that arrived across the garden stopped in front of us.

“Father!”

“Viche.”

Marquis Fritz Amelia got off the carriage with a kind smile. He looked like a tender middle-aged flower just as I remembered.

Viche’s father sadly died in a carriage accident just before her coming-of-age ceremony, when she was only 15 years old.

So the last time I remembered him wasn’t much different than now.

‘If I knew you’d die so suddenly, I would have treated you like a real father.’

Five years was a time when even the father of a possessed body became attached.

Before the regression, there was no information on the death of Viche’s parents, as Viche herself was also an unimportant figure that only sparked the beginning. So, I was quite shocked by the unexpected death.

I swallowed my tears and ran to my father to hug him.

“It’s so good to see you again.”

“Haha, Viche, you’ve gotten more and more humorous.”

When I rubbed my cheek in my father’s arms he gave me a pleasant scolding.

“Oh, Viche, look who’s here!”

My father put me down and pointed into the carriage while I was still in his arms.

“…..”

I made eye contact with the golden-hair twins who were sitting in the carriage.

Oh, do they have to step in at the time of this good father-daughter reunion? They’re so tactless.

“Oh, um yeah. Nice to see you.”

I waved at them with a forced smile. In the meantime, my father approached Jade and Lewis, leaving me behind.

“Good job.”

“Were there any troubles? Did you have a good rest? How’s Jade doing?”

“Good.”

“How was everything in the estate?”

“Oh, we’ll have to go in and talk about it. Actually, it was quite a lot of work.”

Wait a minute, father? What about me? We should welcome you even more warmly.

Well, it’s just a month-long business trip for him.

“Viche, you can go and play with the twins.”

My father patted my head a couple more times and went in greeting his employees.

“You’ve changed a lot in a year.”

“What are you talking about? I’m the same!”

He left me with these noisy scumbags.

***

“Who are you?”

Duffrey looked behind me and found Jade.

“Ah… This is….”

I quickly opened my mouth to introduce Jade.

“Jade Mercian. Marquis Amelia is my guardian.”

But Jade’s self-introduction was faster.

Jade is a distant cousin of the Amelia family, whose parents died in an accident. The Marquis of Amelia had been introduced to the public as his guardian.

Of course, the last name was made up in moderation.

Jade introduced himself in a calm manner.

“I’ve heard from our parents.”

“Why don’t I remember it?”

“Don’t you remember? I heard they took in an orphan. They said he’d live it off because he had no land or property.”

What?

Of the twins, Duffrey went in front of Jade and said things that might hurt him without having any conscience.

No matter how much it was a made-up story, it was clear that Jade would feel bad listening to it.

“Aren’t you some kind of servant in this house?”

“Hey!”

I couldn’t bear to see this spoiled trick any longer.

How did Duffrey get away with this at home?

“What are you talking about?!”

“Did I say something wrong? Why are you freaking out? Do you think he would become your brother since he’s been with you? Or is he more like a dog?”

This kid… Was he insolent to Jade before I came back from the regression?

Looking back worried, Jade was calm without any facial changes. His face turned red due to a fever, and he looked embarrassed without a hitch.

As expected, you’re so nice that you don’t want to get angry. He’s still the Emperor’s son, the Emperor!

He really needs a mental education.

“Why are you guys looking down on people? Where did you learn all the bad things when you’re just a bunch of hillbillies!”

“What, a hillbilly?”

“Yeah, a hillbilly, you must be busy with your fields, so help me. What are you doing here? Huh?”

“Hey!”

“What? Hit me? Hit me!”

I rolled up the hem of the dress with one hand and pushed Duffrey’s head.

Duffrey pushed me away as my hand kept hitting him.

“Oh.”

Her body was reeling in Duffrey’s hands and she was even more upset by it and pushed Duffrey in both hands. Her slender wrist must have been huddled more than it looked, and Duffrey fell on his butt.

“This little girl…!”

Duffrey tried to stand up, but she got on top of Duffrey. Then he grabbed his back and smacked it vigorously.

“You’re not getting paid to be educated. You son of a bitch!

As I smacked Duffrey mercilessly, Benjamin, who was looking at her with his mouth wide open, ran and grabbed me.

“Let me go, man!”

“Hey, stop it!”

My body was being raised by Benjamin’s hand.

“Ooh.”

But soon Benjamin’s hand fell off of her with a short groan.

Suddenly, when she looked next to him, Benjamin was far away, and next to him was Jade, who I didn’t even notice.

“Viche.”

Even in this mess, there seems to be slow, relaxed air flowing only around Jade. Jade’s face, looking down at her, was expressionless and even chilled.

What, is this the main character’s air? It makes her concentrate strangely even though he only called her name. So this nice guy is trying to stop her again.

“Don’t stop me! You’re such a nice guy, so I’ll scold them!”

“Viche.”

Flinch.

My body went stiff. He just called my name in a plain way, but it felt strangely intimidating.

I’m on your side, but why do I feel like I’m being scolded?

“Don’t.”

“What, then let these bastards go?”

I don’t know how he feels, and he likes being dignified, but I want him to be angry at times like this!

“Don’t do anything on my behalf.”

Something’s wrong with the flow of the conversation. You’re telling me not to fight, right? That’s the only line that’s going to come out.

“Huh? Don’t fight?”

“Anymore.”

I didn’t understand, so I stopped moving and was dazed for a moment.

“Come on.”

Jade reached out to me and suddenly grabbed my hand.  With my body standing up, I felt somewhat embarrassed and organized my clothes for some reason.

Boy, are you a pacifist or what? Was I too excited? I must have gotten used to the aristocratic behavior by now, but whenever I get angry like this, my cheap personality would just jump out.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly a painful groan came out of Duffrey’s mouth.

What’s wrong with Duffrey now??

I looked at the mysteriously distorted look on Duffrey’s face and soon found the cause of Duffrey’s pain.

Jade’s foot was stepping on Duffrey’s right hand.

Uh…? Is this intentional…? No, it’s not. I think it’s a mistake.

“Jade?”

I blinked while pointing at Duffrey’s hand and Jade’s foot.

“Ah.”

Only then did Jade’s foot press down on Duffrey’s hand again, smiling faintly as if he had just noticed it.

…Intentional. It was on purpose, this is not a mistake.

“Oh, my God, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

To see Jade’s angelic face smiling softly, I certainly witnessed it, although I should not doubt his words a hundred times.

His foot was moving from side to side, stepping on Duffrey’s hand.

“…”

“Viche?”

Jade, smiling brightly, looked at me in slow motion.

It felt as if my head were ringing. Did I miss something?

“Are you all right? Now, hold my hands and get up.”

However, Jade’s tender appearance forced me to push those thoughts to the side.

Yeah, if you don’t get the center of gravity, you might stumble.

“Viche, will you take care of Benjamin?”

See? Jade is some kind of kid. No way.

“You, you! I’ll kill you!”

“What if I don’t let you go?”

Duffrey stood up and shouted angrily. I’m not the one who stepped on his hand. It was probably a misunderstanding.

“Stop it, both of you.”

Jade mediated between us.

“You’d better behave yourself. If you get caught talking nonsense to Jade like today…”

I stretched out my thumb vigorously and motioned to slit my neck horizontally.

“I’ll kill you. Really.”

The twins were bitten back in surprise. The threat seems to have worked.

Come on, come on, come on!

…I was threatening the young children.

***

After the little fuss with the twins, we only met again at dinner.

“Did my daughter become very eccentric while I was gone?”

At my father’s words,I glanced at Lewis, who was carrying the food, and he quietly avoided my gaze.

What a snitch.

I was in a lot of trouble. Miss some class, pick on Jade… Ah. I did hit a lot.

“It’s just part of my curiosity.”

“You hit us earlier too.”

Duffrey, who was eating the smoked duck frantically, spoke out.

A tactless guy…then should I say what you did to Jade?

“My sense of justice is on fire.”

I replied by staring at Duffrey as if saying, ‘if you tell anymore, I will tell them everything.’

“Haha, when you were younger, you grew up arguing with each other. Viche has grown up alone and tends to be a little self-righteous. You guys should understand.”

No, that’s not it. It’s unfair to hear that.

“But it’s nice to see that you’ve gotten a lot brighter. I was worried when I went down to the estate.”

The Apostle of Justice right now must be playing the hero of this era.  Of course, he didn’t do it with good intentions.  I was well aware that the most exciting person in the event of a war would be Grand Duke Kapmel.

“Hmm… I’d like to ask you a favor, but were you able to contact him?”

“Yeah, Jade. How about finding another teacher?”

He was against having Grand Duke Kapmel as a teacher, but he wanted to make sure Jade took the classes he wanted to take.

In particular, he wanted to learn more about the magic that gave him a great sense of loss because he wants to face the painful wounds head-on, so we want to support him even more.

“No. I don’t need anyone else. I want to be taught by the Grand Duke.”

Jade’s determination was firm. My father looked at Lewis with an annoyed expression and was sweating profusely.  He probably gets sweaty when he can’t make false promises to his father’s upright temper, and he can’t even say no.

“I’ll try to reach out.”

“Thank you.”

It was only then that Jade showed his usual sullen smile, and my father was able to exhale.

Why did it seem like both of us tend to be swayed by Jade? I didn’t want to disappoint that wounded child, so my father must’ve thought the same way.

Anyways, father, instead of trying to get the Grand Duke, you should try to make excuses.

It is expected that he may have asked for this kind of request before he returned, but it failed and he was not able to take a magic class.

“Ah, Viche.”

Father called me again.  Are you going to recommend a class to me too? Out of anxiety, I looked at him with a grim expression.

“Why are the fountain statues in the garden broken?”

“…”

My gaze returned to Lewis.  He no longer averted my gaze and greeted me with a soft smile.

That scoundrel.  Did he say all that?

“…I didn’t like fish.”

“Huh?”

My father’s eyes met the fish meat on the tip of my fork.  After all, this is what it is here.

I gently dropped the fish meat onto the plate with a knife.

The statue of the fountain was a carp statue. The reason for me destroying the water-breathing carp statue was simple. It was because Jade had hurt the back of his head when he hit the fountain in his previous life, so I neatly removed the risk factor in advance.

I should have thought of an excuse earlier…

“Every time a carp spews water, it vomits blood.”

Of course, we know that it was just a mixture of stone powder.

“So I sent him to heaven to sleep comfortably. If a carp has worked that much, he should rest.”

It was a difficult one to explain, and those brazen words came out of my mouth. Even talking about it made me feel plausible.

I could see the absurd expressions of the twins sitting opposite me.

Father just laughed pleasantly.

Before,I wandered a lot because I could not fully adjust to reality after being possessed. It was natural for the number of words spoken to decrease, and it was a situation in which it was difficult to deal with family members and the employees.

“How was the Amelian estate? How are the young people doing?”

I slowly changed the subject.

“Fortunately, things are running smoothly without any major problems. Come to think of it, how long has it been since you saw Dufrey and Benjamin again?”

My father’s gaze returned to the twins.

“It’s been less than a year. Father.”

They went in and out of the country like summer and winter.

“Every time I see you guys, you’ve grown up, so it felt like it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Haha. Did you say hello to Jade?”

Everyone shuddered at my father’s question.

“That’s right! We’re supposed to be friends!”

I clapped my hands with an awkward smile to evoke the chilled atmosphere. They’re so ignorant.

I was afraid that they would begin to say nonsense.

So, I warned them with my eyes.

‘Don’t be silly, nod your head!’

Dufrey and Benjamin, who understood my inner feelings perfectly, nodded their heads vigorously.

“Jade is my distant nephew and I’m his guardian, so I want you to think that he is just like you and part of the family.”

“Well, of course!”

“I’ll be close to you.”

They were like things that have no conscience. They just talked about Jade being an orphan too. Children must be children. I’m stuck in the font of an adult.

“Jade said the swordsman had already finished his meal. He’s talented. Do you want me to add a famous teacher from the Knights to be yours? If you want that, I’ll do it.”

Jade must have been more talented in swordsmanship than I thought. I don’t know how Lewis’ report went up, but, by looking at my father’s sparkling eyes, I looked forward to it too.

Jade’s knife, which was cutting the steak, stopped. His purple eyes sank serenely beneath his low eyelashes.

“What kind of class do you want to take? Don’t hesitate to say it.”

“Please get me a magic teacher.”

“Magic?”

My father tilted his head. It probably didn’t seem to make sense to him because Jade was abandoned by the imperial family since he had no mana. Of course, it was the result of his mother’s humble origins and complicated circumstances from the imperial family.

So he’s going to learn magic? Both my father and I felt embarrassed.

“…Do you have a teacher in mind?”

Surprisingly, father seemed to be willing to comply with Jade’s request.

“I’d like to be taught by Duke Kapmel.”

“What?”

“What?”

“The Grand Duke?”

Cough.

My father, the twins, and I reacted one after another.

There was a reason why we were so surprised. Because the wandering wall of Duke Kapmel, the brother of the current emperor and Jade’s uncle, was from the imperial family. He was a mysterious figure who no one even knew if he was alive in this country.

More important than that, he was a…

Psycho. Someone out of his mind. Above all, he was a fanatical believer in magic. He was the only peculiar case in the imperial family that did not become a madman while using magic.

There was a curse in the blood of the imperial family, and in the end, the emperor and the people of the imperial family did not use magic because no one wanted to use unnecessary power in a peaceful time.

“Duke Kapmel…?”

“Yes, if possible.”

Of course it will be impossible. How can he bring him and ask him to be his magic teacher for a child? Maybe even at this time, criminals were being beaten up in a strange place.

People didn’t know much about this, but after reading the original, I knew roughly what he would do if he disappeared.

What? What am I supposed to do?

Father gave me a friendly smile that meant to be quiet and eat.

“I see… Hmm.”

“Viche you look full of energy, how about taking a swordsmanship class together?”

Jade, who was listening, smirked and asked, “What’s so funny?” Yeah, you think you’re funny too? You don’t even know I’m your benefactor, do you?

“Swordsmanship? But you hate using your body….”

In fact, Jade’s recommendation to take a class of swordsmanship was rejected once before. Because he hated it when it came to using his body.

“It’s swordsmanship…”

But living as a ten-year-old again these past few days, I was so bored. A child’s day is long and boring, especially if you repeat the same life twice!

“No, I’ll try.”

So I decided to take on a new challenge. Let’s focus on the things we haven’t done this time.

“I’d like Duffrey and Benjamin to join us while we’re at the mansion.”

“Oh! That’s a good idea.”

I’m going to beat him up and teach him personally.

“What?”

It was fun to see the twins panicking over the sudden teen firestorm.

Every time they’d come to the mansion, they should roll around it so that they won’t come here often. I was finally able to carry on a pleasant meal with a happy circuit and a pleasant thought that would justifiably afflict the twins.

****

A few days later on one late night, the twins, Jade, and I were huddling head-to-head behind a bush a little way from the mansion warehouse.

There was a picture of a creaky warehouse painted on the dirt floor, and I drew a guard in front of the warehouse by hand and said:

“Jade draws attention from here and lures in the guards.”

“How?”

“You look like you’ve seen someone suspicious or something.”

“Well… yes.”

Jade replied with a blush in his face as if embarrassed by one of the last missions. He was too timid.

“Then Duffrey and I will sneak in and pack things.”

“What about me?”

Benjamin’s eyes were shining, asking for his role.

“You’re on the lookout. You know your role is the most important thing, right?”

“Yes!”

“Twins! Talk quietly!”

Benjamin was in close spirits.

“What if the guards come back?”

“Kill them.”

“What?”

“Are you crazy?”

My high-level gag didn’t work for children. Such innocent kids.

“It’s a line I’ve always wanted to say in this situation. Don’t look at me like that. You have to stand out, you idiots.”

Jade was the only one smiling at my words and the twins’ reactions were cold.

“Come on, let’s go. Jade!!”

We looked at Jade with a throbbing look and Jade smiled shyly and stood up.

He hid his body closer to the bushes. Besides him, Benjamin’s runny nose was spewing out.

…I’m going to get caught because of your runny nose.

As Jade approached the front of the warehouse, the guard found Jade and talked to him.

“What’s the matter?”

“I think I saw a suspicious shadow over there while I was taking a walk.”

Jade’s words startled the guard back.

“A suspicious shadow?”

“Yes. It looked like something was popping out….”

“I’ll go!”

As expected, the guards steadily followed Jade.  At the same time, I tapped Duffrey on the side.

‘Go. Go.’

He pursed his lips and crept over to the warehouse.  As soon as we reached the warehouse, we carefully opened the door and entered quickly.

In fact, there was no lock because this place is not a safe or a place with valuables.  It was really a warehouse for storing groceries and other miscellaneous things.

The reason the guards were guarding this place was simply that it was close to the back door, not because it was important.

Why did we come to such a warehouse?

“I think I found it.”

“I can’t see well because it’s dark.”

“I’ll bring it back. Try not to stutter!”

“Huh? Wait, I think I found it…?”

In the dark, there was a faint sight of Duffrey waving something.

“Let’s get out!”

Obviously, we snuck in, but on the way out, we  left with a loud bang.

 “Hyuk…Hyuk…”

As we ran, Benjamin, who had been hiding in the bushes, started running with us, and we eventually ran to the depths of the garden.  Benjamin, who barely caught his breath, opened his mouth first.

“Is that right?”

“Are you sure you found it?”

“Look!”

Dufrey presented the things he had cherished, and we cheered with joy.

“It was successful!”

“My heart was pounding!”

“You didn’t do anything, did you?”

We enjoyed each other’s presence and started to dance.

What we stole was firecrackers.  Fireworks, a magical item, were only occasionally seen at banquets, but it all started when I happened to find out that we had some in our mansion’s warehouse.

“Jade?”

“You think he’s coming from there?”

“Anyways, what we’re looking for is like a ghost. Wasn’t it hidden somewhere?”

Jade joined naturally, as if he knew we were here.

“Where are you hiding this now?”

Duffrey patted my chin and said a thoughtful word.

“What are you talking about? Let’s blow it up right now!”

“What, what?”

This timid guy thought of stealing firecrackers, but he didn’t even think of exploding them. Did you think you’d save it and blow it up at your wedding?

“But don’t you need fire?”

Come to think of it, I have to light a fire to use this firecracker. I thought about whether I should run to the kitchen or not, but as soon as Jade smiled and waved the lamp in his hand in front of us, all my worries disappeared.

“Oh, you’re a smart guy!”

With excitement, we packed the lanterns and firecrackers and moved to an empty open space a little way out of the garden.

“Put it in?”

“Are you really going to stick it on?”

“Really?”

“Me?”

Benjamin, who was in charge of igniting fireworks, asked again.

“How many times do we really put them on?”

“Put it on!”

“You coward!”

I took the lamp from Benjamin’s hand in frustration.

“I’ll put it on. You guys stay behind.”

Then I proudly put firecrackers on the floor and lit up the wick.

The wick burned with a thud and I rushed toward the children.

My heart was pounding. Why was I shaking so much?

Soon, with a roar, the firecrackers burst into the air. The night sky, which was black without a star, was filled with five colors of light.

In a round circle, fireworks exploded in the shape of a flower poured down like rain. I was shaking to the point of flinching just in case it reached me.

It was a strange sight. I never thought I would see fireworks like modern ones in this fantasy world.

“It’s so beautiful.”

I looked up at the sky, and soon, I could hear the children chattering and was buried by the sound of fireworks.

Ah! This isn’t the time.

Looking blankly at the sky, I turned my head wondering about the faces of others, and I made eye contact with Jade, who was right next to me.

Jade, why isn’t he looking at the fireworks? Was he curious about our facial expressions?

“Why don’t you watch it?”

I asked with a pout because I knew my voice would be buried anyway.

I was proud to have planned this reckless crime for no reason.

Jade, who was watching my mouth shape, smiled softly as if he understood her. A cute dimple went in his cheeks.

As I smiled along with him, Jade’s face came closer and closer.  As the slowly approaching face reached the edge, Jade’s body stopped. With a little wind, Jade’s voice pierced my ears.

“Pretty.”

It was a bland answer.

“I’ll remember it forever.”

…Is that too much?  When he lived in the Imperial Palace, he probably couldn’t see the fireworks…  Poor guy.

Jade’s intense reaction was unexpected, but once again, a sense of pride welled up in me.

The firecrackers kept going off, and we laughed.  This situation was so interesting and fun that I doubted my mental age deteriorated as my body was younger.

The quiet mansion soon became noisy and loud.

Perhaps the family was all watching in surprise at the untimely fireworks.

I could hear the cheers of flower-like maids.

‘I’m happy.’

In fact, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel hopeless when I returned to the age of ten.

But, I was sure I was lucky to see Duffrey, Benjamin, and Jade…again.

Let’s enjoy it more.

Okay. Until then.

In the still pitch-black sky, the embroidered flowers of the night sky from the fireworks were more beautiful than the flowers of the day.

***

“Viche instigated it.”

Lewis was angry.

Behind Lewis, the employees of the mansion gathered together and giggled.

“No, I didn’t..”

We stood in a line and put our hands neatly together.

“Lying is worse, Viche.”

“…Yes.”

I bowed her head sullenly.

Naturally, we were caught right after the uproar by Lewis, who ran out to the commotion, and were immediately taken away.

Lewis touched the firecracker remnants and pressed his hand to his forehead as if his head was aching.

“Why are you having such an accident? Don’t you know how dangerous magic items are? You can’t use them without an adult!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing these days…?”

He had nothing to say, even if he had a hundred mouths.

“A few days ago, you said you were taking a swordsmanship class, and you beat Duffrey and Benjamin.

“I’ll just stab or cut them the next time.”

“That’s not what you’re saying, is it?”

I guess swinging like a club wasn’t the problem.

But back then, these kids really needed a real education. Oh…

I looked up at Lewis with the most pitiful expression possible, and Lewis let out a deep sigh.

His mouth sounds like it’s chipping teeth, is it an auditory hallucination? Lewis’ anxiety was deepening today as well.