Chapter 25
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back. Luca, I’m sorry about when you were leaving. It’s my fault your time over there got cut short, right? I’m sorry.”
The Water Child came flying over and hugged the Fire Child. It seemed he had properly reflected on the trouble he caused at their departure.
The priests around them were also thanking Wio for escorting the Fire Child and apologizing for the trouble at departure.
“Tell me about what happened in Ordekia. You’re going to stay here from now on, right?”
At those words, the Fire Child looked at Wio. Since Wio said nothing, the Fire Child didn’t know what to do either and remained silent.
“Luca?”
“Kai… I…”
“You are staying here, right Luca? We’ll be together forever, right?”
Feeling the awkward atmosphere, the caretaker priest intervened, saying, “First, let’s get you to your room.” This wasn’t something to discuss right here on the spot.
They handed over the luggage brought from Ordekia to the priests. Wio made a point of not entering the Fire Child’s room. It was a way of drawing a line, marking that place as the Fire Child’s own space, separate from Ordekia.
However, the room should contain many parcels sent by the elder brother. This time too, apart from the presentation ceremony clothes, he had many everyday clothes made and sent over. He prepared them regardless of whether the Fire Child would have a chance to wear them or not. He did this even knowing most of the clothes would likely be passed on, as-is, to the children at the orphanage.
“Master, um…”
“If he’s your friend, you should tell him what you’re thinking yourself. Keep at it until he understands.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll come again.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
With Wio, it was hard to tell if he was being dismissive or showing trust, but it was probably trust. Though it also felt like he might not be thinking about it at all.
As a gesture of encouragement from me, I nuzzled against the Fire Child’s hand before hopping onto Wio’s shoulder.
Wio, who had been invited to the facility director’s room, handed over the letter from the elder brother and conveyed that the Fire Child wished to return to Ordekia and attend school there.
The elder brother’s letter didn’t mention anything about the academic city, as the plans were just starting to move and nothing was certain yet.
“However, you yourself said, upon departure, that he might have painful experiences in Ordekia, correct?”
“If that is still what the child desires, to be with his family, then I will merely assist in making that wish come true.”
“Isn’t that because he hasn’t had that painful experience yet?”
“No. He was actually subjected to sarcastic remarks from children his own age several times at tea parties, and on one occasion, he nearly lost control because of it.”
“Why would you allow such a thing!”
“Because that is the reality of life in Ordekia. I cannot show him only dreams and hide reality; he must decide if he still wants to return to Ordekia despite that.”
The facility director and the priests, who worried so much about the Fire Child who hadn’t been raised here from birth, were good people who cared deeply for the Divine Children. They were a bit indulgent towards the Divine Children, but that was probably due to the way Divine Children were treated in this country.
However, the Fire Child, who held the memory of once losing control of his magic and hurting someone, felt a closer affinity with Wio than the Divine Children here who lacked such an experience. Had he not had that memory, he might have chosen to stay and live here as a Divine Child. But he likely felt some fundamental incompatibility with the Divine Children here, something he couldn’t quite blend into. This was true even with the Water Child.
He could have pretended not to notice this dissonance and lived on in this gentle cage, but the Fire Child wished to go outside.
“If he intends to live as a noble in Ordekia in the future, then attending school in Ordekia is one option, I believe.”
“That may be so, but the thought of the Fire Divine Child suffering…”
“If that happens, both Ruge and I will return to Ordekia.”
Hearing Wio—or rather, hearing me say that I would be by the Fire Child’s side, the facility director seemed somewhat relieved.
The Fire Child had grown during this trip. The incident with the Water Child at departure, reuniting with his family after overcoming his fear, the tea parties with noble children—he must have been anxious the whole time, but he saw it through to the end without giving up. That must have built his confidence.
And he had come to understand the love of his elder brother and family with a tangible warmth. A love he had previously only been able to feel through letters and gifts.
If he were to start school at age ten, he would need a year of preparation in Ordekia from age nine. While some allowance might be made for his time abroad, if he didn’t learn the minimum knowledge expected of a noble child, it would cause problems in the class-conscious society.
When the Fire Child turns nine, the Water Child will be twelve and starting school himself, so the timing works out well. Spending the next year and a half living a protected life here as a Divine Child before setting sail for rougher seas didn’t seem like a bad plan.
