By Zephyria 
Ruben did not hesitate to answer.
“…No.”
Why? I was surprised by my own question.
Ruben smiled bitterly and intertwined my hand with his. The warmth of our touching skin was pleasant, but the child’s voice was chillingly cold. For some reason, I felt like the child might be cold, so I wrapped my free hand around Ruben’s shoulder.
When I had first met Rubel, the child had mentioned that he didn’t want to say anything bad about his half-brother. Rubel had said that his father wanted a fair competition, and that whoever did not become Emperor between Richard and himself would receive a Duke’s title and remain in their place.
He had said it was fine. That it was okay. Such innocent words had worried me.
Thinking back to that day, I carefully opened my mouth.
“…When you told me before.”
“That… time, I was also a bit… younger. No, …no, actually.”
Ruben turned in my arms. He looked me in the face. I quietly gazed at the child as well.
“…If I had said I wanted to kill Richard, you wouldn’t have played with me anymore, would you?”
“…No, you wouldn’t have.”
“No, you would have. But you’re right.”
Would I have?
Now, all I felt was the thought that I had treated Ruben so coldly. How could I have pushed away this precious child, for him to say with such certainty that I would have rejected him? Especially when I felt so pained just by looking into his eyes.
A hollow laugh escaped me. I placed my hand on Ruben’s cheek. When I pinched him gently, the child leaned his cheek into my palm and rubbed against it. Looking into the dark lashes of his lowered eyes, I took a breath. Ruben whispered.
“…It’s true I didn’t want to kill Richard. I still don’t. He lived his whole life… so hard. Honestly… I felt sorry for him. Father, and Mother too… they seemed like good people, but they weren’t.”
“…”
“But, you know.”
“…”
“People who can’t even take responsibility for their own sadness… shouldn’t ascend to the Throne. That’s why I will do it.”
Ruben’s eyes snapped open.
“No matter what it takes.”
Yes. I had treated a predator like a kitten, playing with him with my fingertips.
The child’s dark gaze shone like a sharp blade. I did not avoid his gaze. The child studied my expression without blinking. I savored Ruben’s gaze for a long moment before speaking.
“The reason you’re telling me this now is…”
“Now Mika won’t… ”
Ruben hesitated slightly then.
“…dislike me for this kind of thing, I think.”
“Of course not.”
“Even if you hadn’t asked, I was going to tell you someday. Really.”
“…I know that too.”
The fragments of trust the child offered were sweet. Holding back the surge of emotion, I opened my arms and pulled Ruben into an embrace. Ruben leaned into my chest without a moment’s hesitation.
I was now intensely curious about all the thoughts Ruben had harbored secretly.
Still, it was a relief. Ruben would open up to me when I asked. We still had plenty of time ahead of us. So, all that remained was for me to figure out what I should be curious about. I deeply wished for the child to be able to reveal everything by my side and remain proud.
* * *
After taking turns sleeping and waking, we decided to move, even if only a little.
Rubel’s stamina had fully returned. I, too, was able to walk for a short while. It was partly because I wasn’t the type to lie around for days on end just because an arm had been dislocated and reattached.
Ruben did not believe me when I said I had fully recovered. However, after I didn’t flinch even when he poked my injured arm a few times with his finger, he gave his approval for us to move.
From my perspective, I wondered how he could tell from me merely touching the fabric without being able to grip it properly, but I was simply glad that Ruben was being lenient with me.
Ruben said he would walk ahead again this time.
In my opinion, it was more reassuring to walk with Rubel in my sight than behind me. As I was now, I could defend myself within a distance of five steps. Even if my balance was off due to my injury, I could sufficiently block any danger that might befall Ruben.
And it felt good to watch Ruben’s round head as he toddled along. Adding this to the previous reason, I happily followed the path as the child drew his sword and walked forward, step by step, with tension.
We didn’t talk much while walking.
I tried to listen carefully, to read the signs of presence. I wanted to find someone I knew, but my physical condition was not fully recovered, so I was more concerned about not encountering any unfamiliar presences.
It was a region with heavily contaminated Mana, so thick it made breathing difficult. We walked silently through a rocky mountain where not even a rat scurried.
Then, at one point, Ruben reached his hand back.
“Hmm?”
“…Let’s walk holding hands.”
“Why?”
“…”
It was difficult to decipher the reason behind his resentful glare.
But since he told me to hold it, I took his hand. Ruben extended his left hand backward, and I clasped it with my left hand. Because my left elbow was bent and fixed to my shoulder, Ruben and I were very close. I worried that it might hinder the child’s steps.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“…It’s fine.”
“Still.”
“…”
Ruben did not answer. He simply tightened his grip on our clasped hands. Only then did I realize that perhaps he was afraid of my presence following him silently. I am quiet when I walk. It must be scary to think of being alone in a place like this.
The thought made me feel obligated to say something. But what should I say? I am not a man of many words. Warming the tips of the child’s cold fingers with my palm, I pondered for a while before finally speaking.
“Is there nothing you’re curious about?”
“…Hm?”
“I want to tell you something, but I don’t know what you’re curious about.”
Ruben paused his steps for a moment.
Then he walked again. This silence was sweeter. The child’s white nape, revealed by his hair tied high, flushed red. What was he thinking? I desperately wanted to turn him around and see his face, but the path was narrow, so I held back.
“…There is.”
“What is it?”
“You said you climbed… cliffs a lot.”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“Usually.”
“…And when it wasn’t usual?”
“Sometimes I carried others, sometimes I lifted them… and sometimes we ran side by side.”
It was hard to guess whether the child was curious about the people around me or the achievements I had made. So, without much thought, I decided to speak about the things I considered myself better at.
“Where I lived, there were many mountains. Like the dizzying cliffs of the Indus Canyon where we are now, and the high, rolling mountains of the Yuil Mountains… Because of that, many villains fled into the mountains. Usually, villains, regardless of the era, torment the weak… There were many who stole women and children from villages. If they were caught and hid in the mountains, we had no choice but to go into the mountains to catch them.”
“…”
“Even after defeating the villains, if I found people alive by luck, I would carry them on my back or shoulder them… and bring them back out of the mountains to their homes. If I found someone dead, I would barely find a lock of hair as proof and return with it. That’s when I climbed mountains the most.”
“You were like… a hero.”
“Haha. Perhaps so.”
Hero. It was a title I had only recently become accustomed to since coming to this land. Heroes in fairy tales started their adventures by defeating street thugs and ended them by defeating fire-breathing dragons. In the very end, they almost always married beautiful young ladies or princesses. So, does that mean I… get to have the most beautiful man in this land as a reward for playing the hero? It’s not a bad calculation.
“Of the guys I used to go with, only two were better at climbing mountains than I was. One was a monk who shaved his head and was called Shaolin… that is, a disciple. He believed it was right to fight with weapons bestowed by Buddha… that is, God, so he hardened his hands like iron and used them as weapons.”
“…A disciple? So he lives alone his whole life?”
“Uh… yes. And the other one who was good at climbing mountains was a Shaman, a Taoist master… I remember he probably intended to die as a pure and loyal spirit.”
By this point, I think I knew what Ruben was curious about. The tips of our clasped hands had grown warm, so I gently moved my hand, caressing each of the child’s fingers tenderly.
“…My close friends all found their partners, or had their own enemies, gods. Truly. Most of them were disciples…”
“…”
“What are you so worried about?”
Ruben’s neck turned bright red. It was just as the child was about to pout and say something.
Thud.
I swiftly pulled Ruben into my arms, embracing him. From high above, a small pebble tumbled down, making a thud, thud sound. Both my gaze and Ruben’s gaze were fixed on the cliff face. Beneath the black sky, a shadow, even blacker, flickered into view. It was a Wyvern.
Ruben whispered softly in my ear.
“…Can a zombie fly?”
“…I don’t know.”
Whether it was influenced by Black Magic… I couldn’t tell. Even if my body were in normal condition, it wouldn’t be an easy enemy to face with Ruben by my side, and now, with my left arm throbbing like it was struck by lightning every time I drew my sword, it was even more difficult.
We stayed close together, holding our breath for a long time. Let’s go slowly. Ruben, understanding my glance, moved his steps cautiously. Fearing that the child might be snatched away, I walked without leaving any space between us.