“He wanted to save me. But the royal family wants me dead. We’d better be careful.”
“Why not just kill him?”
The way she immediately suggests killing reminds me that Flay really is a demon.
“Let’s find out what he wants first.”
I’m a little uneasy entrusting this task to a naïve, delusional young woman, but I have no choice.
If this man has secretly come to my rescue, perhaps he can care for me until I’m old enough to be weaned.
Even if he was sent by the king to confirm my death, I could use him to fake my death and lead the king astray.
In either case, I need to be very careful here.
“Yes, sir,” Flay whispers.
In her resonant, commanding tone, she demands, “State your business, ‘Earth-Shattering Warhammer.’”
Earth-Shattering… What?
The man puts down his baggage and hoists a ridiculously large hammer.
“A demon, I see. So you’ve heard of me. But I might ask you the same question. What business have you with that infant?”
“I just happened across him. But it was a greatly fortuitous encounter, for I have gained a master worthy of life-long devotion!”
Hold it right there!
You can leave that part out! I scream-whisper to her. There’s an advanced skill.
And now she won’t stop looking at me with her “Oops. Was that wrong?” face.
“A master? A demon in service of a human child?” the fierce man probes.
“Well, you know. I care not what species he is. Or something to that effect. Even if he is the child of the Flash Princess.”
“What say you? How could you know that this infant is a prince?”
“Huh? Oh…err… Right! The royal insignia. Sir Haruto bears it on his left breast.”
Now she’s giving me an “I did good!” expression paired with sparkly eyes and a wagging tail. Um, no. That was not good.
“Haruto? Did you name him that?”
Now the look on Flay’s face says “Oops.”
As her boss, it’s my job to provide better management. Despite having no job experience.
I whisper my instructions to her.
Flay nods.
“There was a note in the basket. It said, ‘Please take care of him. His name is Haruto.’ Also, I accidentally incinerated the note,” she adds, sending up a ball of fire with one hand.
I know it was my idea, but it still sounds pretty bogus.
“Highly suspicious. Even if the soldiers disobeyed their orders out of mercy for the child, it is peculiar that his name sounds like a portion of the prince’s real name. Or could it have been Princess Marianne? No… It couldn’t be; she’s only two. Although, she is advanced for her age…”
What’s this? The bearded man is starting to waver. Now’s our chance to seize control of the situation!
“Enough of your questions! Now you answer mine. What business has the Earth-Shattering Warhammer this deep in the woods?”
“I have come for the infant.”
“And I refuse!”
You hush now, I tell her gently.
“I know not what a demon like you could want with that child. I have no intention of harming him. I wish only to save a life imperiled by human machinations,” says the large man.
Flay remains quiet, as per my instructions. But this is the time to ask why, so I instruct her to do so.
“In defiance of the king? To what end?”
“My wife…was once with child. But the child lived not to draw its first breath. This infant here may lack in magical abilities, but still, he has been blessed with life. A life to be filled with joy. I act on behalf of my own selfishness.”
I don’t trust people. I just can’t.
But what is it about this guy? Something tells me I can trust him. Still, in my past life, every time I had faith in someone and put myself out there, I’ve been betrayed.
A rush of coldness paralyzes my emotions.
In my previous life, all I did was cower in fear and hide away in darkness.
Ah, damn. When I let myself remember those horrible times…
I just want to make everything disappear.
I try not to think about it. I take some deep breaths and calm myself.
Meanwhile…
“Oooh, oo-oo-ooh! Oh, the p-p-poor poor thing… Snrff!”
Tears are streaming from Flay’s eyes. A tad too sensitive, this girl. Are you sure you’re a demon?
The man seems to be thinking the same thing. His tone softens.
“You are a strange demon indeed. I thought demons cared not a whit for human life. Those corpses I saw on the way here─were they not of your doing?”
“Human soldiers are my enemy. When I encounter an enemy, I kill. But that is that, this is this. How sad it must have been for a mother to never cradle her child. How tragic for the child to pass never knowing its mother’s embrace. Human or demon, it matters not!”
Flay is spurting tears, snot, and saliva. Not the best look on a pretty face.
“I see. Still, there is something fishy about your relation to him, but for now… Here.”
The bearded man lowers his enormous hammer and extracts a leather pouch from his bag. He tosses the pouch to Flay.
“I managed to solicit this secretly from the child’s intended wet nurse. I imagine he’s had not a drop of sustenance since birth. Here, fill his belly.”
It appears to be a canteen filled with the breast milk I’ve been yearning for.
Flay is suspicious, but obeys my whispered command. She opens the lid and brings it to my mouth.
I chug it down.
If this guy means to kill me, there’s no reason for him to go to all this trouble. Right?
I gulp it down so fast that I honestly can’t tell you what it tastes like. But for now, my hunger is satisfied.
“Now, demon! What will you do with the child if you take him? I cannot imagine you have the capacity to rear him.”
Yes. I wholeheartedly agree with you, sir.
“Choosing to serve him is your prerogative, but we must also consider the child’s needs. As his servant, it is your duty to ensure his safety at least until he comes of age, is it not?”
The old man debates with sound logic.
Flay has nothing to counter with.
“I see you have no argument. Then let us make a deal. I will care for the child. I pledge to raise him until he is of age. If you wish, I can hire you as his personal attendant so you may have peace of mind.”
Now this is a surprise. I don’t know much yet, but aren’t humans and demons enemies in this world? I decide to probe deeper.
“You would hire a demon? I cannot imagine other humans would allow this,” Flay inquires on my behalf.
“With your appearance, you can pass as a part-human, part-demon mix. In fact, are you not?”
“I am a pure-blooded Flame Fenrir.”
I make her respond with the straight truth. Now what’s his move?
“My word… You must be a mighty one, then. No wonder the Hell Hounds have kept their distance. Back to topic. Nobody will know that you are a pure-blooded demon if I keep my mouth shut and you play along. What say you?”
“I know not why you would trust me. Thus, I cannot trust you.”
“I do not trust you either. One false move and I’ll crush your skull with this hammer.”
“Hah! Bold words, human. If I deem you as a threat to my master, I will bite off your head and show no mercy.”
“For now, I will not probe why you serve this infant. Do we have a deal?”
That information seems like it should be crucial, but does that mean he cares more about keeping me alive?
I don’t know. But…
“Very well. I entrust Sir Haruto to your care. And I will accompany him for protection.”
The bearded man nods slightly, and mounts his hammer onto his back. He opens his bag and extracts a white cloth.
After tearing the cloth up, he cuts his own arm with his knife, then wipes the blood with the cloth.
“I need you to destroy the prince’s basket,” he instructs.
“You intend to make it look like he was attacked and eaten by an animal,” Flay observes.
She lifts me out of the basket and tramples it.
My death has been faked. Mission accomplished! And I’ve (probably) secured the means to survive my babyhood!
Phew! I’m exhausted…
Thanks to Flay acting as the middleman, my severely socially-awkward butt managed to pull through. I’m going to call that a job well done.
And thus…
With Gold Zenfis as my guardian, I survive the first nine years of my life…