Chapter 7
< The Beginning of the Story [7] >
“Rose, you can ignore that bastard, he’s crooked.”
Pavice said that, but it was hard for me to ignore Seed. Anyway, he was one
of Michael’s colleagues, and as long as I didn’t leave Michael, I will always
see him. If possible, I wanted to be friendly with Seed.
“I’ll follow Seed.”
“No need to do that. Don’t go, Rose!”
Becky called me desperately, but in fact, it was painful to pinch Becky’s
cheek, so I used Seed as an excuse to leave the dorm.
Should I follow Seed? However, it is diffcult to deal with Seed…
Come to think of it, it’s been too long since Michael went out and didn’t
come back.
Anyway, Sid wouldn’t like it very much if I followed him…
Yes, it would be better to go to meet Michael as well.
I walked in the opposite direction to Seed.
“Hey, Kid.”
But Sid’s voice, I thought he had gone, come in. I stopped, flinching, and
looked back. Seed, who made eye contact with me, walk over to me,
looking down at me with cold eyes.
I knew that Seed didn’t like me, but it was the first time I’ve ever looked at
it with such a blatant unpleasant gaze.
“Why are you following us?”
“Yes? Why am I following you?……”
“Say it.”
“Michael allowed it, and again…”
“You know what kind of person he is, and you chase after him like a dog.”
“Michael is a good person!”
It’s okay to swear at me, but I couldn’t stand swearing at Michael. If you
don’t like me in the first place, you can just blame me, I don’t know why
you blame Michael.
“They knew you wouldn’t be able to tell them to take you with them, so
they let you follow them secretly… bought you clean clothes, gave you
delicious food, and……”
“Why do you think we let you come along?”
“…What do you want to say?”
“We are not good saints”
Seed, who came close, bowed down and made eye contact with me.
“Becky and Pavice are good people because they’re good to you, right?
They’re the ones who will lick the soles of Michael’s feet, after all.”
It didn’t look that way to me. Although Michael led the party, neither
Pavice nor Becky followed Michael as their master.
Rather, I felt more like a friend.
“You’d better run away before you get tamed, abandoned, used, and torn
apart.”
Seed turned away from me without any regrets.
“Why… are you saying that?”
But my words are not over.
“Michael may not a very good person to Seed, but that doesn’t mean he
was a bad person to others.”
“…….”
“No matter what anyone says, Michael is a really nice person to me.”
Seed glanced at me, clicked his tongue, and then walked again. I was silent
for a while when watched Seed moves away.
But what the seed said to me, rang day and night in my mind.
Even after a few days, it did not leave my mind.
I didn’t think Michael was a bad person. However, I suddenly became
curious. Why did Michael bring me?
In fact, Seed’s words weren’t completely wrong.
Favoring for no reason is a law that doesn’t exist in this world. Now that I
am young, Everyone takes me with them with compassion, but there is no
guarantee that they will continue to take me with them until I become an
adult.
I should have been a helpful person to them.
“Pavice, where is Michael?”
“He went up on the roof to pray to mother.”
“Mother?”
Since God is also called father or mother, it probably means that he went
to pray to God. I took Pavice’s words to a small extent and went up to
search Michael, I opened the window and went out to the roof.
When I opened the roof and looked at the night sky, countless stars could
not be counted.
“Someone come, Rose.”
“Michael, ah!”
When I walked, I couldn’t keep my balance on the steep and slipped roof.
But, thanks to Michael holding my waist, I didn’t fall.
“Are you okay, Rose?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“I’m glad.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“….. It’s been a while since we’ve been together, but sometimes we still
awkward”
“Ah…….”
“You don’t have to push yourself.”
He said don’t push yourself, but he seemed to be nervous. Rather, I feel
more nervous now than when I first met him. That’s how much I like him,
but.
With an awkward smile, I was looking for an opportunity to ask Michael.
Fortunately, he was kind, as if he noticed that I was watching him, he spoke
to me first.
“I think Rose has something to say to me?”
“Actually, Michael……..”
I looked up at him with my fists clenched unknowingly, nervously, and I
carefully asked him a favor.
“I want to learn a bow! Or a sword…….”
Anything that could just protect my body was good. I didn’t want to cause
trouble. Even if I couldn’t protect others, I had to be able to protect my
own body so that Michael wouldn’t abandon me. Even when I’m an adult
and no longer cute.
Then so you won’t say you’re going to abandon me.
It was time to make such a commitment alone.
“You don’t have to.”
“…What?”
But Michael didn’t even ask me why.
“You don’t have to learn such a thing.”
“But…….”
“Rose.”
He called my name as if to lecture a stubborn child.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“…”
“If you need it, I’ll decide on your role.”
It was a friendly voice and attitude. However, the content in the story was
not very friendly. At least it felt that way to me.
Why is that?
But that brief question was only for a moment. Actually I knew it too. Even
though I’m the same woman, I’ve lived a normal life, unlike Becky. It would
be quite cumbersome for Michael to take the time to teach me the sword
or bow.
Perhaps he felt that it was something unworthy.
My father said that I was special, but I am not special to Michael.
Maybe Michael intends to leave me in a safe village.
That would be for Michael and his party.
But not for me.
I know how cruel people are to the weak. If Michael said so himself,
anyone would take good care of me, but I can’t guarantee that their hearts
would be maintained even after Michael is gone.
And now I’ve met someone who recognizes me…
‘How can a child who inherited my blood be so special…!!!’
I was loved by my father, but the reason I like Michael because he was
different from my father.
I don’t have to hide my abilities in front of Michael. Although he knew all of
my abilities, he treated me as an ordinary person without special thoughts.
Besides, he didn’t even try to use me.
I will never meet anyone who knows my secret but treats me the way I am.
As if separating from him would prevent me from socializing with other
people in the future.
Having tasted enough freedom and protection that had not been
repressed, I had no confidence to go back to the past.
“I won’t bother Michael.”
He was still looking at me affectionately, but I was the most nervous and
trembling I’ve ever been with him. In my mind, I thought through all sorts
of persuasive thoughts, carefully choosing his words.
“I’ll ask Becky or Pavice to teach me a bow. I won’t bother practicing bow
while on the road…”
“You must have misunderstood.”
A white finger lightly touched my nose like a butterfly. He gently knocked
on my nose so that I could feel the slightest touch, and then he let go of his
hand. He was treating me like a cat, just like he had before.
“Rose.”
“What?.”
“It seems like you are always trying to prove yourself.”
“…Ah.”
Did I do that?
There was no intention of proving something. I just got impatient without
knowing…
“I brought you to protect you, you don’t have to try anything.”
“But…”
“You don’t have to try anything for me.”
“…I don’t want to be a useless person.”
Especially, even more for you.
He told me not to try, but I still wanted to help.
“It would be better to run away before being tamed, abandoned, used, and
torn apart.”
Seed had warned me before. Michael will use me, so I must run away.
Of course, I still don’t understand Seed’s hostility toward this kind of
Michael. I’m even thinking that Seed’s words would come true.
Michael takes pity on me and takes care of me, but as Seed said, Michael
and his colleagues were not saints. They take me with them right now, but I
cannot guarantee how long a one-sided relationship will last.
So I would rather have Michael use me. As Seed said, I will be torn apart, so
ai don’t have to worry about being thrown away.
“Everyone is born with one talent.”
I have to be a helpful person too.
That way I can stay by their side, by this person’s side.
“Just like Becky was born strong and Seed has an unusual sense of humor.”
“What about Pavice?”
“Oh, then it turns out that he was there too.”
I couldn’t laugh at the mischievous Michael’s prank. It was because I knew
Michael’s words were a joke. Because I know so well that I’m the only one
who’s useless by his side right now.
“So, Rose”
“…”
“It’s okay if you don’t try to help me now. You still deserve protection, and
someday you will naturally realize your role.”
“…Even after a very long time…”
Even though I knew that my attitude of constantly speaking low
self-esteem bothers the other person, somehow, depressing words kept
popping up.
“What if Michael… Has waited for me, but I am incompetent?”
“Hmm.”
This time, even if Michael was hesitant, he tilted his head and looked at
me. It was only for a short time, but it seems that there was a dry look as if
to evaluate an item. But maybe I was mistaken, and when I blinked once,
Michael smiled sweetly again.