Captain! Where is the Battlefield?

 

  “Mom said that the Duchess defeated the wyverns for us! Is it true? How can I become as strong as the Duchess?”

 

  The child, still brimming with energy, bounced around as he asked. Rosalie couldn’t help but smile at the pure joy radiating from him.

 

  “Just listen to your mom, eat well, and play. What’s your name?”

 

  “I’m Duncan!”

 

  Rosalie gently patted Duncan’s head, which barely reached her waist. Nearby, Derivis let out a short but meaningful sigh.

 

  “I have one more question!”

 

  “What is it?”

 

  “How can I marry the Duchess?”

 

  Duncan’s question made Rosalie smile again. The child’s purity was endearing, and Rosalie wanted to give a thoughtful answer.

 

  “Do you want to marry me?”

 

  “Yes, I really do!”

 

  However, unlike Rosalie, Derivis seemed to have other plans.

 

  “I’m sorry, but this Duchess is mine.”

 

  Derivis wrapped his arms around Rosalie’s shoulders. He spoke with a smile, but the chill in the air made Duncan uneasy. 

 

  “This Duchess has decided to live happily with me.”

 

  “No, that’s not what I—”

 

  “Wahhh!”

 

  Duncan, overwhelmed by Derivis’s assertive tone and gaze which seemed to ward him off, burst into tears and ran back the way he came. It was his first heartbreak at the tender age of seven.

 

  “Duncan…!”

 

  Rosalie watched Duncan run away then sharply turned to Derivis, who was only smiling innocently.

 

  “How could you make a child cry? And when did I agree to live happily with you?”

 

  “I’d like that, but you don’t want to?”

 

  Caught off guard by Derivis’s suddenly puppy-like expression, Rosalie found herself at a loss for words.

 

  Nathan approached them, having walked in from the direction Duncan had ran off to with a puzzled expression.

 

  “What happened? Some kid was bawling his eyes out~.”

 

  “…It’s nothing.”

 

  Rosalie sighed and shook her head, leaving Nathan looking puzzled.

 

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

 

  The sun set, and night fell. 

 

  Rosalie forcefully persuaded Derivis, who refused to leave her side, into a room by putting down an ultimatum that she wouldn’t say a word to him if he came out.

 

  It had been a while since he had regained consciousness, but it bothered her that Derivis was moving around too much.

 

  “Rosalie.”

 

  “Nathan. What are you doing instead of sleeping?”

 

  “Just something…”

 

  Nathan shrugged his shoulders as he met Rosalie in the hallway. Rosalie turned her head from the brightly shining moon to look at Nathan.

 

  “Do you want to take a walk?”

 

  “Sure, sounds good~.”

 

  Accepting Nathan’s offer, the two of them walked outside the building. There wasn’t a grand garden like in the mansion, but the natural shape of the trees in its unaltered state had its own charm.

 

  “Nathan, I know you’ve been worrying about Derivis. You can relax a bit now.”

 

  “Haha, did I worry that much?”

 

  Nathan replied with a smile. Rosalie couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his somewhat awkward gestures and expressions.

 

  “Is something bothering you?”

 

  “Well… it’s just that… I had a thought when Devi visited this time, and it’s making me feel strange and awkward. It’s like I’m trying to act human.”

 

  “Feeling awkward?”

 

  As Rosalie struggled to understand, Nathan leaned against a tree.

 

  “Ordinarily, people develop moral beliefs during their childhood. But I was being raised as a weapon, a test subject, trained to kill without hesitation. I thought I’d never experience normal human emotions.”

 

  Nathan played with a strand of his vivid red hair, catching the moonlight.

 

  “Considering that I was an experiment, it’s doubtful if I can even be called human. With these abilities, I’m probably closer to a beast than a person.”

 

  Nathan offered a wry smile, releasing the strand of hair he’d been twirling. His rich red hair fluttered gently in the breeze.

 

  ‘I’ve never been treated as a person wherever I went. Not that I had any place I wanted to belong to or settle down.’

 

  As an experiment, he was never treated as a human. And later, those who occasionally recognized his abilities treated him like an animal. In hindsight, it was Derivis, Rosalie, and Erudit who saw him for who he was.

 

  “It’s not strange; it’s just unfamiliar.”

 

  “Hmm? Why do you think that way?”

 

  Nathan, who had been looking up at the sky, turned to face Rosalie. His usually upright and indifferent eyes seemed slightly subdued.

 

  “I’ve felt the same way recently. My emotional state has become so unfamiliar and strange. But then, I realized that it just felt a bit awkward.”

 

  “That’s amusing.”

 

  “Also, I’ve seen you worry about people and get angry for your friends though you might be quick to deal with people…”

 

  Rosalie took a step away from Nathan. He looked at her, who was confident and unwavering.

 

  “So, you’re just someone who feels awkward with your emotions. You’re not an experiment and not a beast, but a human named Nathan.”

 

  Rosalie lightly scolded him, saying that he was having strange thoughts because he was tired and suggested that they go to sleep. Nathan smiled faintly and followed her.

 

  ‘I always seem to end up following her small back.’

 

  Rosalie, who came with Nathan to the front of his room, pushed him inside.

 

  “Nathan.”

 

  “Yeah? What is it?”

 

  “I don’t usually say these kinds of words because I find them embarrassing, but I’m glad that I came here and met a friend like you.”

 

  Rosalie ran her hand through her hair, muttering, “It gives me the creeps just saying it,” before embarrassedly making a hasty retreat. Nathan watched her leave, then grasped the doorknob to his room.

 

  “A friend… Yeah. If Rosalie likes it, then I’m fine with being friends. I’m happy with having that in this life, too.”

 

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

 

  The cleanup of the wyvern carcasses was nearing completion. Rosalie, who had been unable to participate in the work due to staying by Derivis’s side, surveyed the scene as dawn broke.

 

  Aaron approached Rosalie. He looked like he had been on the verge of death just the day before, but his face had improved significantly with the news of Derivis’ awakening.

 

  “Despite the hassle, every part of a wyvern, from bones to all, is a rare material. I can understand why monster hunters specifically seek them out.”

 

  Aaron laughed heartily while holding a Wyvern’s massive fang in his hand.  Rosalie didn’t even glance at the fearsome fang.

 

  “I’m getting fed up with it.”

 

  Rosalie said with a disgruntled expression, causing Aaron to laugh jovially. As she looked away from the gruesome fang, she spotted Duncan nearby, who was peeking around a cart loaded with wyvern carcasses.

 

  He seemed like quite the troublemaker, always running and darting about. Rosalie approached him stealthily.

 

  “Duncan.”

 

  “Ah, Your Grace…!”

 

  Duncan’s face was caught in an awkward expression as he mumbled, trying to pretend like he knew. When Rosalie raised an eyebrow in response, Duncan hesitated for a moment before grabbing her sleeve.

 

  “Your Grace. I asked my mom, and she said marriage is for people who love each other.”

 

  It seemed he didn’t quite understand the meaning of marriage and had proposed to Rosalie outright. Rosalie let out a small laugh.

 

  “Well, my dad really loves my mom a lot! He said he loves her as much as the sky and the earth. Of course, I do too!”

 

  Duncan, who had been energetically gesturing a big circle with his hand, suddenly looked around and gestured to Rosalie. Intrigued, Rosalie bent down to listen.

 

  “Uhh… does Your Grace like the man who was with you?”

 

  “The man…?”

 

  Rosalie suppressed a burst of laughter. Not having disclosed Derivis’s identity to the village, to the child, he was just another man. Duncan looked expectantly at her for an answer. After a moment, Rosalie smiled softly.

 

  “Yes, I do. Very much.”

 

  Rosalie whispered back, causing Duncan’s cheeks to turn red.

 

  “What were you two talking so secretly about?”

 

  “When did you arrive?”

 

  “Just now.”

 

  Derivis shrugged his shoulders. Then Duncan, alternating his gaze between Rosalie and Derivis, walked toward Derivis.

 

  “Mister, mister.”

 

  Derivis pointed at himself as if asking in response to Duncan’s call, and Rosalie tried not to laugh.

 

  “Kid, who do you think I am?”

 

  “Who are you?”

 

  Duncan’s innocent question made Derivis pause. After all, it had been Derivis’s decision not to disclose his identity to the village.

 

  “Just call me Mister. But more importantly, why did you call me?”

 

  “Come closer!”

 

  Derivis obediently crouched down. Rosalie had to bend over for her ear to reach Duncan’s height, but Derivis, being taller, simply had to crouch down to bring his ear to Duncan’s level.

 

  Duncan immediately whispered something into Derivis’s ear, and it seemed to be quite a long conversation. Rosalie couldn’t help but feel curious about what they were discussing.

 

  “Got it?”

 

  After pulling away, Duncan asked. Derivis grinned and lifted the boy into his arms.

 

  Rosalie approached, unable to contain her curiosity.

 

  “What were you two talking about?”

 

  “It’s a secret.”

 

  “That’s right! It’s a secret!”

 

  Derivis smiled warmly as he said this, and even Duncan, who had been in his embrace, joined in the laughter. 

 

  As Rosalie tried to ask again, Derivis hastily left to play with Duncan, who raised his hands in excitement.

 

  ‘Why have they suddenly become so close…?’

 

  Rosalie watched Derivis, who was joking around with Duncan, with a puzzled expression.

 

  Rosalie tried to ask Duncan what he had said until that night, but he kept it a secret.

 

  “Mister, mister! I think the Duchess might marry you! She really likes you a lot. Since the Duchess doesn’t seem to like me very much, you have to get married, okay? Because the Duchess was smiling so happily.”

 

 

Like my translations?
Give me a tip!