Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

Since that day, Felix has changed a bit. He ate well, went out in the yard to bask in the sun on rare occasions, and often answered Cordelia and Lucian’s questions.

 

The children didn’t push Felix to change. They did, however, move their daily teatime from the greenhouse to Felix’s room.

 “I’m coming in~” “……?” 

Before Felix had time to respond, the table was filled with lovely desserts and teacups. By the time he woke up from his pajamas, a milk tea with plenty of milk was already in his hand.

 “……??” 

The soft, flavorful cheesecake was already in his mouth. Eileen was like a mother bird, flying dessert after dessert to Felix, who, unaccustomed to saying no, gobbled it up like a baby bird.

 

The corners of his mouth twitched as he gobbled down the sugary treats.

 “Cute!” “Eileen, that’s too much. Just taking care of Felix!” 

Lucian’s tantrum made Eileen glance back at him. The soon-to-be 14-year-old with the innate blood of a martial artist had already surpassed 170 centimeters in height, and his muscles were hard from years of training.

 

In short, he looked much more mature than his age.

 

Eileen, frowning, was genuinely annoyed.

 

“You have hands, you have feet.”

 

Inwardly, Cordelia felt sorry for herself, but she swallowed her words quietly as she watched Lucian crying after being berated by Eileen.

 

Felix, who ate well, exercised regularly, and was always in trouble, unlike his two older siblings, was exceptionally small, about half a foot shorter than Eileen, who was a year younger.

 “Even though he’s the same age as Lucian.” 

Feeling even more impressed, Eileen pushed the cookies, jam-covered scones, and fresh fruit jelly toward Felix.

 “You know, Eileen, eating that many sweets all at once could kill him.” 

After an onslaught that even Cordelia was getting tired of, Felix finally covered his mouth.

 “Look, he’s gonna throw up!” “Ugh, Lucian, you take him to the bathroom!” 

Eventually, Felix went to Lucian and vomited up most of what he’d eaten, and came back, looking three times as disheveled.

 “Sorry…” 

Eileen apologized and he nodded appropriately before climbing onto the bed and collapsing in a heap.

 “No! You’ll die if you sleep!” “Whatever, I’ll go back to sleep, crazy.” “Look, I’m so sorry.” 

Felix squirmed and pulled the covers over his head. Eileen was upset by this apparent celebration.

 

Felix hated being alone, but for once, he wanted to be alone.

  

* * *

  “Let’s go to the training ground today!” 

With that, Felix arrived at the training ground. He was dressed in comfortable clothes, not his pajamas. The bustle of the training grounds was very foreign to Felix, who had always been cooped up.

 

He sneaks up behind Eileen and lets out a small sigh. He was abou

t to throw a tantrum about wanting to go back.

 “Aah!” 

Walter swooped up, grabbed him from behind, and lifted him up.

 “Oh, there’s the new kid. How tiny.” 

Felix’s eyes widened and he shuddered.

 “Aaahhh, put Felix down!” 

Eileen gasped and clung to Walter.

 “My lady, it’s boys like this who really need exercise. You can’t keep them too wrapped up.” 

Shaking his head, Walter handed the child back to Cordelia and Lucian.

 “Look. The rougher they grow up, the healthier they’ll be. Why did the lion… what, I forget.” “It’s too dangerous to duel with a real sword!” “It’s okay, I’ll stop you before you die.” 

Eileen raised both her hands and her feet in the air as he continued to argue. She couldn’t stop him, and she didn’t know what to say to Lucian and Cordelia’s excitement.

 

Eventually, the duel began. At the sound of the starting bell, the clashing metals let out a deafening roar.

 “I go first!” 

Sparks flew between the two as they clashed. Lucian, who had been digging into Cordelia’s arms in a flash, was soon sent flying with a kick to the stomach. His venomous sting returned, this time from the right, and he slammed into Cordelia. Cordelia barely blocked it, but the force pushed her back, and she gritted her teeth and readjusted her stance.

 “Today is a true sword day, both of you, no Aurors and no Elementals!” 

Despite the dust and groans of the duel, the two looked so exhilarated that Eileen couldn’t help but laugh.

 

They may have hated each other, but they were called the Two Wings of the Duke’s House for a reason.

 

Nodding proudly, Eileen suddenly turned to Felix, curious about his reaction.

 “……?” 

Felix had been watching their training intently, his eyes full of life.

 

Suddenly, he remembered his encounter with Cordelia in the original story. He’d made fun of the bastard who’d made the slightest mistake with him, breaking his bones into pieces and smiling like an angel when he saw her.

 “That’s enough! That’s enough!” “Not yet, he’s still moving, so it’s not over.” 

Eileen, her head spinning, grabbed Felix’s hand.

 “Fel-Felix. What are you looking at?” “I’m just curious. Eileen likes both of them, but what if one of them dies?” “Why would they die!” 

Eileen gave him a genuinely puzzled look.

 “When you draw your swords, one of you has to die, that’s the rule.” 

Eileen felt a small shiver run down her spine. She’d thought Felix was adapting better than she’d expected, but that wasn’t the case; the child, used to obeying rules, understood every moment of his life as a rule.

 “There are no rules. It’s just a duel. No one dies.” “Then why are they fighting?” “Fighting and dueling are different. They’re both trying to get stronger.” 

Felix nodded obediently. Eileen frowned slightly, not sure if he really understood or if he was just pretending to.

 

His state was raw. The world he’d just emerged from his bizarre eggshell was both strange and unfamiliar, and he was constantly rearranging and reinterpreting things based on faulty criteria.

 

Finally, she sighed and said.

 “In the future, if you don’t understand something, you can ask me.” “About anything?” “Yeah, anything you want to know.” 

If anyone else heard, she’d be in trouble.

 

Felix nodded again. Thinking she had a good answer, Eileen reached to stroke Felix’s head and paused.

 “Ah, out of habit. You’re older than me, though, so I’m sure you don’t mind.” 

She lowered her hand again. Felix himself leaned down and rubbed his head against Eileen’s palm.

 

He looked so content with his closed eyes that Eileen couldn’t believe her eyes.

 “What are you doing?” “I thought you were going to pet me.” “Well, yes, but…” “I like to be petted,”

he smiled, his violet eyes sparkling with life.

 

‘Holy smile on an unholy mind, that’s cheating.’

 

Eileen, her face slightly warmed, turned her attention back to grounds. Unlike Lucian’s retriever-like grin, Felix’s was more like a languid cat’s.

 

From then on, Felix began bombarding Eileen with questions whenever he wanted to know something. Something as trivial as how many snacks he could eat.

 “How much can you hurt a person, as long as it’s not permanent damage?” “No, you can’t hurt people!” “What if I don’t bleed?” “The whole premise is gluttonous!” 

Each question made Eileen very tired, but she didn’t mind. As she learned more and more about normal social norms, Felix became a little brighter and laughed easily.

 “Yes, I suppose we could tighten the loose screws.” 

Eileen’s nervousness was beginning to ease, so when Felix announced that he was going to join the other children in learning to sword, she was quite pleased. Exercise was important for a growing child.

 “He’s not in the right frame of mind for a swordsman, let alone an assassin.” 

Much to Walter’s chagrin, Eileen didn’t want Felix the Greatest Sword in the World; a reasonably healthy and happy Felix was the best she could hope for.

 “When did the Duke and Mr. Orgen say they would be back?” “Father said they should be gone for another week.” “And you, well, you haven’t called.” 

It had been a week now since the duke had been sent out by the emperor’s orders due to the appearance of a dangerous creature. It was an imperial order, so they didn’t know the details, but they vaguely knew that he was headed to a very faraway place.

 “Being strong is hard work.” “Some of the weaker ones have been attacked by demons.” “…heh.” 

Eileen, who’d been avoiding Cordelia’s searing glare, gulped down her tea, pretending to be thirsty.

 “I’m sure you’re feeling a little lonely, Eileen, with Mr. Orgen gone for so long, and you’re not training.” “No, it’s quite pleasant.” 

Eileen was serious. Orgen was certainly an amazing fighter, but he tended to make most of his lessons hands-on, which meant they were always intense.

 “Throwing them off cliffs, throwing them into fields of carnivorous plants. Isn’t that a little old-fashioned?” “At least they work.” 

Eileen looked at Cordelia as if she were seeing something unfamiliar. The girl’s expression only changed when she started to draw her sword.

 

Failing to be understood, Eileen looked at Felix, who shook his head, then spoke up.

 “So, the proper way to teach is to risk your life?” 

Eileen huffed and puffed. It was one of those moments that made her wonder if toughness was the price of escaping a bloody ending.

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