Thud, thud.
Now that I think about it, I wasn’t like this before my regression. I used to be much more mature, capable of clearly distinguishing between work and personal matters. I was even praised as a model naval officer.
Thud, thud, thud.
‘But how did I end up like this?’
Instead of just happening by chance, it feels like I became a reckless and immature fool after a sudden snap. It could be because my body got younger after the regression, and now I’m being treated like a child. Or maybe it’s because there have been too many personal moments and I haven’t been able to separate them from my professional side.
Thud, thud, thud.
‘I guess I’ll never know.’
At least, my intelligence hasn’t dropped dramatically. If it had, I’d probably be nothing but a crying, helpless little kid.
“Lala, how long do we have to keep doing this?”
“Hmm, just a little longer.”
Right now, I’m grinding a bowl full of Kacho leaf.
Other idle crew members were also busy in their own spots, grinding Kacho leaf and trimming the roots of the trees infected with the White Dragon disease. They seemed slightly confused about why we were doing this, but since I insisted on it, they just went along with it.
‘They probably think it’s some sort of play-pretend.’
Since I was young, I often found myself at the mercy of the ship’s infirmary. Even now, though I’m six years old, I was in terrible health when I was found, to the point where I had to stay with Ethan almost constantly for six months. Although it’s not as bad as it was back then, I still rely on medical care quite often.
So, it’s not strange that I developed an interest in medicine from a young age. Everyone probably thinks I’m just imitating Ethan.
“Is it because… it’s fun?”
“Maybe… takes after someone….”
The people grinding bowls nearby were having a conversation, but it didn’t interfere with my work, so I paid them no mind.
‘This should be enough for now.’
I started preparing medicine using some of Ethan’s spare tools. The most time-consuming task was extracting the essence from the Kacho leaf.
I also had to mix the base medicine at intervals, so I moved quickly, but I noticed the sounds of leaves grinding and roots being trimmed gradually faded away.
“I have eyes in the back of my head. Stop watching me and get back to work.”
As expected, the others had stopped out of curiosity, but they quickly resumed their tasks after hearing my voice, and the sound of their work became consistent again.
‘Great, now I’ll extract the essence from the Kacho leaf and distill it once….’
Since the tools Ethan had were outdated and meant for emergencies, the process required more steps than usual, which was quite a hassle.
Half of the roots had to be burned into charcoal, then the ashes had to be mixed with the sap and boiled. During the Wittar Medical Association’s test, this was an incredibly simple process, but since I’m using outdated equipment, it’s taking much longer than expected. Most of all….
‘Ugh, this body’s endurance is awful.’
I already felt a bit fatigued, wiping the sweat from my forehead and letting out a small sigh.
“What’s wrong? Are you tired? Why don’t you take a break?”
Nereus, who was next to me, spoke up.
‘Huh?’
When did this guy get here?
Nereus, smiling like usual, leaned on his chin and looked at me, shaking the vial of medicine beside him.
“So, you’ve been holed up in your room this whole time, and it’s already done?”
“I haven’t added the Kacho leaf extract yet.”
“You even know the word ‘extract’? Wow, you’re a real genius.”
Is that really something to be surprised about? As I crossed my arms and stared at Nereus in protest, he finally placed the vial in his hand back where it belonged.
“But Lala, you still need to eat, right? You’ve been in here for over four hours. The whole family is worried about you. You need to eat and rest.”
“But I haven’t finished it properly yet.”
“Thanks to your help earlier, the sick family members are all better now, right? Let’s eat first.”
That was just a successful emergency treatment. Without taking the proper medicine, they could relapse within a few weeks.
Whether Nereus knew this or not, he grabbed me and pulled me out of the room.
“Oh, by the way, the kid we brought in just woke up. I was worried he’d be scared if we brought him, so could you bring him to the table?”
As we walked, Nereus stuffed a muffin into my mouth with a playful comment about not collapsing, and then took a big bite out of one himself.
I wanted to say something about his reckless behavior, but….
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
“Right? Eat more.”
It was too good to argue.
Apparently, it was one of the dishes Gilbert had been cooking up since yesterday. Leaving behind the suddenly foolish atmosphere, we headed toward the room where the child was.
“……..”
Without a creak, the door opened smoothly, revealing a small room filled with sunlight pouring in through a large window—reserved for very ill patients.
The boy, who had just woken up, was sitting up, staring out the window.
“Oh, um, hi?”
He didn’t seem surprised at my voice, likely already sensing our presence before we entered. Slowly, he turned his head to look at me, and the moment our eyes met, I couldn’t help but hold my breath.
‘Wow, unbelievable.’
How could a kid be this pretty?
His hair was like melted gold, spun into threads by the sun, and his eyes shone brilliantly in the same golden hue.
With hair so dazzlingly golden, his eyes could have easily looked like copper coins, but both were so radiant that he seemed like an angel straight out of a painting.
A child who could perfectly pull off such vivid colors—his future would be something to behold.
In my twenty-six years of life, I had never seen someone this beautiful. Not once, not twice.
“How can someone be this stunning?”
“Huh?”
Wait, did I just say that out loud? I usually don’t voice thoughts like this. I covered my mouth, but it was already too late. I could see the tips of the boy’s ears turning red, though he had been expressionless just moments ago.
“Sorry for judging your appearance. You’re just so pretty that I was surprised. Oops, I did it again. But seriously, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you in my life.”
“………..”
Even though I was apologizing, his face started to change in a strange way. One thing was clear—I had definitely done something wrong.
‘I didn’t think I was the type to get swayed by looks.’
It’s just that I had never seen anyone so stunning before. I realized now that I’m weak against pretty, shiny things.
“So, um, how old are you?”
“Me? I’m s—6 years old.”
I almost said twenty-six by accident. For some reason, though, the boy’s face grew even more perplexed as he sat on the bed.
I chewed on my muffin, closely observing the subtle changes in his expression.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
This was strange.
Why did he seem so familiar? I had barely met anyone who looked like this. I sat down on the bed, leaning closer as I scrutinized his face carefully.
“Have we met before?”
“Huh? N-no, I don’t think so.”
‘Is my memory really this bad? Or did seeing someone so beautiful shock me into creating false memories?’
I’d heard that people get stunned when they encounter something this pretty. Maybe this was one of those experiences.
‘Wait a minute.’
Staring at the boy’s face right in front of me, I realized something.
‘…They look similar?’
In the past, the first person I remembered as the most beautiful looked quite similar to this child. No, they were almost identical.
That person was the only one I could call a friend during my time in the navy, and he were also the most beautiful person I had ever met.
He used to move from one ship to another, doing all sorts of odd jobs, and no matter how exhausting the work was, his beautiful face always looked a bit worn.
‘Even though he looked tired, it was amazing how he still appeared so beautiful.’
The beginning of our connection was when I treated him after finding him collapsed in the backyard of the 3rd naval division building I was stationed at. I couldn’t imagine just how much work he had been through.
Whenever I got tired, I would look like a ghoul, but he looked like a contemplative statue even in exhaustion. And when he occasionally smiled, I would wonder how such a creation could exist in the world, often imagining it was a mistake made by the earth god Deira and the sea god Cormare.
But this child looks exactly like him.
‘No way.’
There’s no way the gods could make such a mistake twice.
Pure gold hair and eyes without a single speck of dullness. I had heard that golden hair and golden eyes were relatively common in some regions of the western continent, but to have both in such a radiant shade was rare.
“Are you perhaps a part of the navy?”
At my question, the child’s face, which had turned as red as the sunset, nodded.
‘I can’t believe that the second prettiest person I’ve ever met is actually the same person.’
Why didn’t I realize it the moment I saw them? Obviously, there couldn’t be two people this beautiful in the world.
It was clear that I had fallen for this beauty. After growing up quite a bit, the accumulated fatigue from taking care of various tasks must have acted as a seal for this beauty.
“Can I ask for your name? I’m Polaris.”
The friend I had before my regression was named Rion.
I asked for the name, just in case, thinking there might be a doppelgänger who looked almost like a twin.
“H-Hyperion.”
“……….!”
In a very small voice, the child said his name.
But as soon as I heard it, my heart dropped. Rion was a nickname for Hyperion. However, that’s not the reason I was surprised.
‘Hyperion is the name of an admiral from about ten years in the future, isn’t it?’
No. While Hyperion wasn’t a common name, it wasn’t unique either, so it could have been a coincidence….
Then, the surname the child cautiously added shattered my hopes.
“Hyperion Pharus….”
Damn it. Now there was no turning back. Pharus was one of the six great families, most closely tied to the navy and admiralty. This kid was definitely the same person.
In other words, my former friend from the past and this child standing before me….
Creak—
“……….”
“Uh, your muffin… in your hand….”
The child in front of me was the same admiral who had watched the destruction of Caelum and captured Nereus.
