Child of the Spirits Arc
Chpter 3. Fire Spirits Are Aggressiv
While I was rubbing my cheek against Wio’s shoulder, remembering the old days as I perched there, the fire child took an interest in me.
“Dog!”
“I’m a fox. I’m Uncle’s contracted beast.”
“I want one too.”
“You can’t. I belong to Uncle.”
“No! I don’t care, I want one!!”
The fire child threw a tantrum, and the fire spirits around him immediately shifted into battle stance. I could hear some of them urging him on: Go! Do it!
Ah, honestly, why are fire spirits always so aggressive?
“Stand down!”
They say those who are loved by fire spirits tend to be troublemakers, but I’m convinced it’s entirely because the fire spirits themselves are so combative.
When I’m around Wio, I usually sense calm or cold spirits like water and ice ones, since fire spirits avoid him out of dislike for ice, and I never had much to do with them. But if this is how they are, it’s going to be trouble in the future.
How troublesome—trying to pick a fight with Wio, who carries the blessing of me, a divine beast. Spirits are born of nature, while I was created by the gods themselves. We’re on a completely different level. I outrank them by far. I’d erase them if I could, but even if destroyed, spirits will just manifest again.
“I’m sorry! It’s not like that. Lyuca just wanted to touch him a little.”
The little brother, thinking I had barked at the fire child, started crying and apologizing. No, no, it wasn’t you. The one I barked at was the spirit itself.
I padded over to him and licked the tears on his cheek. He hiccupped and tried to explain between sobs: Lyuca isn’t a bad child. Don’t worry, I know.
When I tried to do the same for the fire child and lick his cheek, he swatted me away. Impossible!
“Yipe!”
I wasn’t expecting that—I’d never been treated like that before.
Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, prepare yourself.
I rammed into him, knocking him over, then leapt on top of him with all fours. But since I was smaller, he easily threw me off. Then I’ll go at him from the back! I’ve got better agility.
The sudden scuffle between me and the fire child left the little brother staring blankly, but he’d get dragged in if he stayed too close.
And just as I thought that, I was thrown again—and this time, I crashed right into him. I’m fluffy, so he wasn’t hurt, but still, sorry about that.
Seeing that he’d hit his brother, the fire child looked guilty, and the little brother got angry and struck back. Good! Then I’ll join in too.
The maids screamed in panic, but Wio was just sitting calmly on a chair in the corner, watching, so they didn’t dare intervene.
Somehow it turned into a three-way wrestling match—two kids and one beast—but since both of them were smiling and having fun, maybe it was fine.
“What exactly is going on here?”
“Lyuca threw a tantrum because he wanted Luje, so Luje charged him, and now Olyufes is in on it too.”
“Shouldn’t we stop them? It looks like Luje’s the one losing the most.”
“If necessary, he’ll stop it himself.”
That was Wio talking with the older brother who’d just entered the room. But sorry, I’m a little busy right now. I need to make sure I don’t accidentally scratch or bite anyone.
Ah—knocked away again. Curse my light weight!
The scuffle went on a while, but of course, the first to tire out was the fire child. The age advantage of a two-year-old is huge. The little brother still had plenty of energy.
When the fire child finally collapsed flat on his back, I pounced on him and let out a triumphant howl. Awooo! Victory! Haah…
“Carry him to bed.”
Wio started to rise at my words, but the older brother stopped him, walked over, and picked the fire child up himself.
“You fought pretty fiercely. Are you hurt?”
The fire child puffed out his cheeks, refusing to answer. No doubt he still felt guilty about hurting his sister earlier, and that made him sulky now.
The older brother laid him gently on the bed and stroked his head, telling him to take a nap. But the fire child pushed his hand away and burrowed under the covers instead, holding his breath as if to watch what happened next.
Ah… this child is testing how far his selfishness will be tolerated. It reminded me of a neglected child from the neighborhood back home, and it made my chest ache.
As for me, the butler scooped me up and carried me straight to the bath.
Nobles don’t usually roughhouse like this, and I thought I’d get scolded for playing pro wrestling in the house, but no one said a word. Maybe the butler also had his own thoughts about the fire child.
—
That night, as I curled up on the bed, Wio asked me:
“Luje, you didn’t just erase the spirit’s power, did you? You did something else too, right?”
‘No. Only that. A bit of the burn scar will remain, but I thought I could make it fade as if it disappeared naturally, if I erased it myself over time.’
“…I see. Thank you.”
It’s fine. This is something I want to do. The people in this house don’t need to feel indebted to me.
When I pressed close to Wio, he petted me. Tonight, I’ll use his pillow as my own and sleep by his side. Fluffy sleep therapy time.
