Chapter 5
One of the sparkling green gemstones embedded in the club dimmed its light and summoned the water gun.
When I stopped hiding and revealed myself, the boy turned around in surprise. I grinned and shot the water gun at the boy’s hand. Though it was a thin stream of water, it shot forward quite forcefully.
The flame, which had lost some of its intensity from when he’d been shaking his hand, was hit by the water gun and died out.
It went out! I was actually a bit nervous, but it really did go out.
Seen up close, the child was shorter and smaller than me. No, it was embarrassing to even call him small. His skinny body looked like it would collapse with just a light touch.
“Wipe off the blood.”
I rummaged through the small bag I was carrying and pulled out a handkerchief to offer him. But the moment I brought the handkerchief close, it caught fire.
If I hadn’t quickly pulled my hand back to avoid the blazing flames, I might have gotten burned.
…This kid just burned the handkerchief I gave him to wipe blood?
“You’re really ill-mannered. But since you seem hurt, I’ll let it slide this time.”
I could tell it wasn’t intentional. He was staring at the handkerchief that had turned to ash with shaking eyes.
“What’s your name? Where are you from? Do you want to come to my house if you have time now? Oh, I’m not hitting on you, so don’t take it the wrong way.”
It wasn’t something one kid should say to another, but I didn’t stop my rambling.
If I didn’t do this, he seemed like he’d just turn around and leave, and if he stayed in that condition for a few more days, I might really have to clean up a corpse.
Where was he trying to go with such an injured body…?
“Get lost!”
“Is ‘get lost’ the only thing you know how to say?”
The child still didn’t lower his guard even toward me, a girl just slightly older than him rather than an adult.
“Woof!!”
The puppy that had been circling at his feet barked loudly as if to say don’t forget about me. When I crouched down and held out the back of my hand, it came over sniffing.
I stretched out both hands and picked up the puppy that showed no wariness at all. The puppy’s bright blue eyes sparkled like stars.
“You’re really cute!”
Holding the small puppy tight against my chest, I looked at the boy. His reddish eyes were staring intently at the puppy.
This side of him looks just like a child.
“Want to pet it?”
“What?”
“You wanted to touch it, didn’t you?”
I took a step closer while holding the plump puppy in my arms.
“…It’ll burn to death.”
“Can’t you control your magic power well?”
The child hesitated then nodded.
This is something Dad would teach well, not me.
I didn’t even need to control my abilities, but my second brother was different. When he was young, he couldn’t control his abilities well and once spread fog throughout the entire house.
Citizens of the Ratarta Empire learn how to control magic power from a very young age. Usually parents teach it, but if you’re an orphan, street children who learned first would teach younger kids.
Controlling magic power was so easy that anyone could learn it if someone just taught them.
But if he had trouble controlling magic power at that age, either there really was no one to teach him, or… he had such vast magic power that he couldn’t handle it.
Our second brother was exactly the latter.
“Here!”
Instead of offering the puppy, I held out my hand.
“What.”
“Touch my hand!”
It couldn’t be that his hand caught fire every time he touched anything. If that were the case, that house in the mountains would have turned to ash long ago.
Everything’s difficult at first. I wiggled my hand encouragingly.
Aisa’s restraining voice could be heard faintly on the wind. When I pretended not to hear and ignored it, Aisa revealed himself from the child’s blind spot.
I raised my eyebrows and shook my head.
‘Absolutely don’t come out!’
But because I was focused on Aisa, I missed the boy raising his hand. A cracking sound burst from the small hand that struck down on mine in an instant.
Smack!
The little guy hit hard—my hand quickly swelled up red. The boy who had shaken off my hand was glaring at me with cold eyes.
“Do you really want to burn to death?”
With a chilling voice that cracked, the child spoke of death. For the first time, I took a step back from him.
What kind of kid is this savage?
If I were the same age mentally, I would have cried and made a fuss, but fortunately my mental age was that of an adult.
“Come on.”
The child hesitated as if he would or wouldn’t take my confidently extended hand, then frowned deeply and glared at his own raggedly split fingernails.
Is he scared? Or… afraid?
When I suddenly grabbed the hand of the child who was glancing at me nervously, his shoulders shook with surprise.
Fortunately, no fire ignited.
“Now, fold your fingers!”
I curled the child’s fingers except for his index finger into his palm, then brought that wounded hand in front of the puppy.
After sniffing for a long time, the puppy stuck out its damp tongue and licked the child’s small finger.
Instantly, his frighteningly sharp eyes softened gently. I gently petted the puppy and gestured to the child with my chin.
“Pet it gently.”
The child’s hesitation seemed frustrating, so the white furry puppy pushed its head forward first, finally allowing him to successfully pet it.
“Cute, right? Soft, right? Warm, right? Really squishy, right?”
He never answered any of my numerous questions, but I could tell how he felt just from his expression.
Like a ray of sunlight falling on wounded, parched earth, his scabbed lips curved into an arc. It was a somewhat stiff smile, like someone smiling for the first time in their life, but it was definitely a peaceful smile.
Wow… If he grows up properly, he’ll make people cry regardless of gender.
I’m sure of it. Even though he’s still young, these distinct features!
As long as he doesn’t turn out badly, it was a face that would grow up magnificently.
“It’s thanks to me.”
“What?”
“If it weren’t for me, you would have just stood there watching the whimpering puppy at your feet, right?”
“So what.”
This ungrateful brat. Look how he talks.
“At least tell me your name. It’d be even better if you told me where you’re from.”
After a long silence, the child vaguely pointed toward the mountains. I thought I should look into the city beyond those mountains later.
“What’s your name?”
“Why are you curious?”
“About what? Your name? If I don’t know your name, how am I supposed to call you? Should I just call you shorty?”
“…You’re going to call me?”
Following the child’s furrowing brow, my face scrunched up too. I didn’t want to indirectly learn like this that there was no one to call his name.
What could have happened for him to be wandering alone without a guardian? And in these mountains where it’s hard to find even one thing to eat…
“Yeah! I’ll call you plenty!”
“Don’t need it.”
I really want to give him just one good knock on the head.
“Don’t need it? Should I really call you little runt?”
“Want to die?”
“Hey! Don’t glare like that!”
…Should I take him with me?
His frail body that looked like it would collapse with one hit wasn’t threatening at all, so it seemed like there would be no problem taking him.
If I go back alone, he’ll return to that warehouse that doesn’t even look like a house, right? There wasn’t a single light around—isn’t that too dangerous?
Somehow I couldn’t leave him alone. Not with those wounded hands, not with that scabbed face.
“…Phe.”
“Huh? What? Phe?”
“Kalif.”
Kalif… Kalif?
“Ah… Karif?”
“Kalif.”
“Haha, sorry sorry. Karipu?”
A cold gaze flew toward me as I asked with an awkward laugh. Cold sweat trickled down. Hiding my clenched fist behind me, I acted nonchalant.
“Uh… My name is Ari! Karipu. So…”
“Phe.”
“Huh?”
“Kalif.”
The child looked at me with eyes that said if I got it wrong one more time, he wouldn’t let it slide.
I wanted to believe my ears had temporarily gone crazy. This can’t be, this really doesn’t make sense…
Why are you showing up here?!
No, wait, he didn’t introduce himself as Kallius. It might not be him. It won’t be… It could be someone with the same name.
But this kid obviously looks like he’s being chased right now!
Kalif was a name that Chervan Kallius often used as an alias. That black curly hair! Those reddish eyes! And, and…
His unique magic is fire! Not even candle-sized but fist-sized flames he can create instantly with that terrifying magic power!! This is undeniably hitting the final boss jackpot!
I crouched down in place and bit my fist.
Did the original Ariella encounter Kallius when they were young? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that?
The original Algenfrina Ariella was absolutely not a kind personality.
If the original Ariella had faced this situation, she would have definitely harshly chased Kallius away or insulted him, telling him not to lurk around near our house.
Is it actually fortunate that it’s me instead…
There was no such story, author!!
I woke up early because I slept without closing the curtains. The moment I realized it was my room’s ceiling, I sighed first.
I shouldn’t have let him go like that yesterday.
No, if you weren’t going to let him go, what were you going to do?
Kallius. Chervan Kallius, the final boss of ‘Cold Heart’!
I racked my brain wondering if it could be someone with the same name and abilities, but the possibility was extremely low.
What are the odds that a ‘boy’ who appears to be around my age, whose name is ‘Kalif’ (the alias Kallius uses), who has ‘fire’ magic power, would be in ‘the area where Ariella lives’?
And it wasn’t even cute, small fire like a candle. Kallius had definitely created fire covering his hand very easily.
“Waaah… I’m screwed.”
Should I get rid of him while he still seems young?
…That’s impossible.
