Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

“I apologize for my inadequate thinking. Lord Lyon, your existence is rather… awe-inspiring, and I had convinced myself that it was the cause of my brother’s attitude.”

Jasper also noticed Jake’s fear towards me. However, it seems he was taken aback by the reason behind it.

“Jake is probably terribly confused. It’s like the values that he know since childhood are flipped upside down.”

“Indeed, my brother has been growing up somewhat spoiled until now. I’ve been thinking he’s been rather quiet lately, but is it because of a shift in his perspective?”

“We’re about the same height. As for physical ability, I’m outclassed at the moment. Besides, Jake can’t see spirits.”

Me, who has stunted growth, and Jake, who is a healthy child, have almost the same height. No, in fact, I’m just slightly taller.

In addition, Jake is more robust, with a solid physique and a much more developed muscles, befitting his noble upbringing.

I haven’t calculated it, but concerning my height, if I can enter the growth curve at -2 SD[1], that would be good.

I can only hope for the best in the future.

By the way, sadly, Jasper and I, despite being the same age, have a height difference of over 10 centimeters. Of course, he’s the taller one.

“I see. …Indeed, that might be the case. I will make sure to teach and advise him responsibly, and may I ask for some time to do so?”

“No, there’s no need to force it. Jake is just cautious and alert. He’s surprisingly sharp for his age. Instead of rushing this, he might naturally move in the right direction by himself, don’t you think?”

For Jake, my presence is a troublesome existence—someone with similar height, thinner and weaker-looking than himself, but in reality, have the same age as his big brother, and burdened with unreasonable demands from the adults around him like, “It’s okay to be friendly, but don’t talk too casually, and rough behavior is absolutely unacceptable.”

If he mishandles the situation, he might be scolded by the adults. So, he became extremely cautious, not knowing how to interact with me.

For a long time, he observed me silently from behind his reliable protector, his brother. Surely, he must have thought hard about what he should do.

In other words, he was making an effort to update his value system without making hasty judgments based on the values he had cultivated so far.

Even so, the answer didn’t come, and I remained as someone he couldn’t understand.

In the midst of this, his brother suddenly disappeared, leaving him in a vulnerable state, causing him to panic and feel anxious, almost wanting to find a place to hide on the spot.

“Jake actually likes to move around actively, doesn’t he?”

I specifically asked this because boys around this age are generally divided into two groups. The way to interact with them would change accordingly.

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“In that case, the current environment—adjusting his life to fit my conditions would only increase the burden on him. I’m thinking of changing that.”

The first group enjoys activities like playing with cars, trains, building blocks, and getting absorbed in creative imagination in their own world. They seem quiet and well-behaved at first glance, but have a stubborn side to their preferences.

The second group, on the other hand, likes hero squads, sword fighting, and similar active play. They care about winning and losing, running around energetically, but typically restless. So, if you try to keep them still, it becomes a significant source of stress.

In my case, I belonged to the first group. However, from the conversation, it seemed that Jake might belong to the second group.

“In that case, our positions are reversed. Both my brother and I are here to serve Lord Lyon. It’s unthinkable for Lord Lyon to make concessions for us.”

“Don’t think too much about it. Currently, just being in the same room with me makes Jake uncomfortable. It’s challenging to establish communication under these circumstances. But If we play together, we’ll naturally get used to each other’s presence.”

Following my words, I increased the time spent alone with Jake, continuing to appeal that I’m not scary.

And then.

After maybe about a month. His eye changed, showing a hint of expectation, as if asking if it’s okay to play together.

“What do you want to play today?”

Playing with a four-year-old isn’t actually that difficult. I had experience playing with my younger siblings and their friends back on Japan, and during family gatherings, my sister and I were often tasked with babysitting.

First, listen to his preferences. That’s important.

“Um, anything is fine?”

“Ok.”

At this age, their minds are preoccupied with themselves. Their whims change one after another, but that’s where you suggest play ideas and flexibly adapt.

Due to the seasonal pattern, there were many rainy and windy days. So, on the rarely arrived sunny days, I willingly went outside.

Racing, climbing trees, catching insects, playing hide and seek. Recently, he became interested in pretend-play, engaging in knight play and exploration.

Hmmm…what should we play today?

“How about something physical?”

“Physical? For example?”

“Hero play! We can fight with swords and defeat the bad guys!”

“Hero play, huh. Sounds good! I have a wooden sword somewhere… huh? Hero!?”

Wait a minute.

A hero, a brave one. Translated literally, that’s what it means. But the nuance in the current dialogue doesn’t seem to simply refer to a person with courage.

Because in this world, there are real heroes.

Their superhuman anecdotes passed down in books and paintings, while exaggerated, are based on reality.

And their designation is uniformly called “hero.”

I’ve never heard or seen anyone being called a hero or having a class like that. Where did that term come from?

“Jake, can you tell me? What is a hero? Do you know where they are, and what they did?”

[1] A categorization of growth by the WHO.