Chapter 6: Childhood(2)

About twenty minutes later, the time had shifted to late afternoon, with the sun beginning to set.

Walking along the road, Lia and I left the village center and arrived at the outskirts, where fruit trees grew in abundance.

Letting go of her hand, I scanned the surroundings, but there were no fig trees in sight.

It seemed we’d need to venture deeper to find them.

“Lady Lia, there don’t seem to be any fig trees around here. Do you want to go further in?”

“Yeah, we have to. We came all this way—there’s no way I’m turning back without seeing a fig tree.”

“I’ll follow your lead, but are you sure? If we stay out too late, your mother might worry.”

“Oh, that’s true. Cain, what time is it?”

“It’s 5:40 PM. We’ve been out for an hour and a half.”

I slipped my pocket watch back into my pocket and glanced at Lia’s face.

Realizing we’d been out for an hour and a half and that it was nearly six o’clock, she tapped her lips with her finger, letting out a small hum of concern.

…Sorry to Lia, but I’d prefer it if she went back to the mansion now.

The outdoors are full of unknown dangers, and if something goes wrong, she might encounter an incident that turns her into a villainess.

It might sound like an exaggeration, but since I don’t know what event or trigger causes Lia to become a villainess, it’s not an exaggeration at all in this situation.

To put it dramatically, she could even trip over a rock and turn into a villainess.

That’s why I need to be cautious of everything and check for potential dangers.

It’s better to uproot anything that could become a seed of trouble before it grows.

With that sincere thought, I spoke up to ease Lia’s worries.

“By the way, Lady Lia, did you know?”

“Hm? Know what?”

I cleared my throat and lowered my voice, looking at her.

“I only heard recently, but they say magical beasts appear around here after sunset.”

“M-Magical beasts…?”

“Yes, magical beasts. And terrifying ones at that.”

I emphasized the last part, and Lia’s shoulders flinched.

“Hmm… Magical beasts, huh? What kind?”

She tried to act calm, but her eyes darted around nervously. It seemed my scare tactic was working.

Now’s the time to drive it home.

“Well, there are several kinds, but the most common is a wolf-like beast with a silver mane and blood-red eyes that look like they’re dripping with blood. It’s so ferocious that it attacks any human it sees. And when it spots a young girl, it goes wild, charging with its jaws wide open, slowly tearing her apart from the head down…”

“C-Cain…! Stop, stop!”

Her face pale, Lia shook her head frantically, clearly not wanting to hear more of my description.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

“I’m not scared! I know all about it, so stop trying to frighten me!”

“You know all about it? Who, you, Lady Lia?”

Teasing her was getting fun, and before I knew it, I’d let slip a provocative comment.

As expected, Lia’s eyebrows twitched, forming an angry ‘V’ shape.

“Ugh, Cain! I know, okay?! Even though this is the outskirts, the mana density here is low, so magical beasts hardly ever appear!”

Wait, how does she know that? I thought a sheltered noble lady like her wouldn’t know, which is why I said it.

Somehow, she’s well aware of the correlation between mana density and magical beast appearances.

Did her tutor not teach her this? Did she study it on her own from a book?

Caught off guard since I didn’t expect her to know, I fumbled with my lips. Lia looked at me confidently.

“And even if a magical beast does show up, I can protect myself!”

“Protect yourself? How?”

Her tone implied she had a plan, so I asked out of curiosity. She clamped her mouth shut.

Her expression seemed… embarrassed, somehow.

“…W-Well, I just can! So, Cain, let’s hurry up and go see the fig tree. If we delay any longer, Mother will worry.”

“Alright, I’ll take the lead.”

What’s with her, making me curious and then clamming up?

I considered pressing her, but her slightly flushed cheeks and annoyed expression suggested she wouldn’t answer, so I dropped it.

Silently, I moved forward. Crossing through dense weeds and passing dozens of clustered trees, we finally reached a small hill with the fig tree Lia wanted to see.

“Oh, found it! Cain, that’s the tree, right?”

“Yes, it looks like it.”

“Let’s get closer. I want to take a good look.”

As expected. I nodded and extended my hand to her.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Lia hesitated, staring at my palm as if wondering why I was offering my hand.

It’s not out of personal feelings—it’s imperial etiquette.

A hill is, after all, a small incline. When a man and a woman ascend one together, tradition dictates that the man leads and escorts the woman.

So, I extended my hand to follow etiquette.

Realizing this belatedly, Lia cautiously reached out and took it.

“Okay, let’s go…”

“I’ll guide you, so just relax and follow.”

Holding Lia’s hand, I climbed the hill.

Being slightly elevated, the view opened up, giving a refreshing sense of freedom.

I started scanning the area for anything suspicious when Lia tugged lightly on my hand.

“Wow… Cain, look at this! The tree’s so tall! How high is it—three meters? Four?”

“Hmm, it’s about five times your height, so maybe seven meters?”

“Cain! What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not that short!”

She bristled at the mention of her height, gripping my hand tightly.

It didn’t hurt, given it was a girl’s strength, but her next words hit my ears hard.

“And aren’t you shorter than me, Cain?”

“What? No way. Look, I’m clearly much taller than you.”

“Liar. You think I don’t know you’re wearing height-boosting boots? Those insoles add seven centimeters!”

How did she know that?

Caught off guard, I flinched.

I quickly reverted to my usual poker face, but Lia, having caught that brief moment, glared at me sharply.

“Cain, I saw that. Your poker face just cracked, didn’t it?”

“What… are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’re wearing height-boosting boots, aren’t you?”

“No, you’re mistaken. I don’t know where you heard that, but…”

“Really? Then take them off.”

“Take what off?”

“Those boots you’re wearing. If they’re not height-boosting, your height should stay the same without them, right?”

With my height-boosting boots on, my eye level is slightly above Lia’s.

But if I take them off, the tables would turn, and her eye level would be above mine.

Needless to say, I’m a man.

And a man’s pride comes from his height.

No matter what, I can’t take off these boots…

“Cain, if you don’t take them off right now, I’ll tell Mother you disobeyed my orders.”

“…”

Using the parent card? That’s low, Lia, you cunning villainess…!

Is she already a full-fledged villainess? With that chilling thought, I reluctantly removed my boots.

As expected, my height dropped by over seven centimeters without the boots’ heels and insoles. Our eye levels reversed, and Lia looked down at me.

“What’s this? You said you weren’t wearing height-boosting boots.”

“It’s just… my height shrinks a bit in the afternoon.”

“Oh, I see. It shrinks in the afternoon, huh?”

Lia grinned, catching my weak excuse.

It was the adorable, lovable smile of a ten-year-old girl.

But to me, it looked like the painted smirk of a villainess covering her mouth with her hand, laughing coyly.

“When’s your birthday, Cain?”

“December.”

“Mine’s April, so I’m your older sister, then?”

…What? Older sister?

I couldn’t help but turn my head. Still smiling sweetly, Lia poked my cheek with her finger.

“Cain, try calling me ‘sister.’”

“…No way. That’s disrespectful.”

“Come on, just do it. It’s just us here. Call me ‘sister,’ just once. Please? I want to hear you say it.”

Even doubling Lia’s current age wouldn’t come close to my past-life age, and she wants me, who’s more than a decade older, to call her ‘sister’?

I’d rather bite my tongue off.

“Just once, please? Come on, Cain, just oooone time—”

Clinging to my left arm, Lia kept pleading in a cutesy voice to call her ‘sister.’

But no amount of aegyo would make me call someone so much younger than me ‘sister.’

I tried to ignore her, pretending not to hear.

“…Hey, Cain.”

Lia leaned close to my ear.

In a low, meaningful voice, she murmured.

“Do I really have to order you?”

That half-threatening tone wasn’t something I could just brush off.

Sighing deeply, I looked at her.

“…Fine. But just this once. As an escort knight, I can’t call my lady ‘sister’ otherwise.”

“Okay, got it! Just this once, and I won’t ask again!”

She beamed, clearly thrilled at the prospect of me calling her ‘sister.’

“…”

I’ll pay back this humiliation the day I surpass Lia’s height.

Sighing internally several times, I took a deep breath.

Slowly opening my reluctant lips, I started to say, “Sis…”

Just then—

Rustle.

A faint noise came from below the hill. Instinctively, I knew.

This wasn’t the sound of branches swaying in the wind—it was the presence of a person.

Positioning myself diagonally in front of Lia to shield her, I placed my hand on my sword’s hilt, ready to draw.

From behind, Lia’s startled voice called out.

“C-Cain, what’s wrong? Your face just got really scary…”

“Well…”

I was about to explain that I heard someone nearby but didn’t know exactly where when—

Whoosh!

Something black and sharp flew toward Lia’s shoulder.

“—Lia!”