NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 18
After a short yet long conversation with Can, I tried to enjoy the rest of the picnic time back at my spot.
Whatever his identity was, it was clear that he wasn’t someone dangerous enough to be wary of immediately.
Of course, there was a possibility he was acting to deceive me, but that’s something I could figure out by keeping an eye on him. I didn’t think it was something to worry too much about.
Thud, thud.
But contrary to my expectations, Can’s ability to blend in was beyond imagination. His friendliness was also unusually strong, making it hard to just leave him be.
“Wow─!! I can see so far!”
“Mister, you’re really tall.”
On the way back to the church, since we were returning much earlier than planned, the kids were quite upset, but there was no other choice. After meeting Can, all the plans I had carefully made since yesterday afternoon turned into worthless scraps of paper.
I had hoped for a peaceful picnic with just us, but because of Can, everything was seriously disrupted. Even if I tried to ignore it, it still bothered me, and I even felt like my position was being threatened, which made me slightly uncomfortable.
“Aizen, Iris. No matter how close you’ve gotten, riding on Bell Ross’s shoulders is rude.”
“But this mister said it’s okay. He said we can go all the way to the church like this.”
“……”
Before I knew it, Aizen and Iris were sitting side by side on Can’s shoulders. They were showing a pure side of themselves to Can, whom they had just met today, that they had never shown me before. Watching this from the side, my heart began to grow increasingly complicated.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s just two kids, no big deal.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
Am I the only one here who finds Can uncomfortable? The kids generally seemed to like him, showing a strange sense of familiarity as if they had known him for a long time.
“Ugh… why is this so heavy…?”
Priscilla, struggling with the greatsword Can had been carrying on his back. Being a knight, it was only natural that she found Can’s existence intriguing.
I could understand Priscilla being interested in him, but…
“It shouldn’t be that heavy, right?”
“Huh? It’s super heavy…?”
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why the kids were so drawn to this suspicious Can. I wanted to kick him out immediately, but abandoning someone who had been lost in the forest for over a week just because I didn’t like him felt too morally wrong.
“Seems like you really don’t want me to follow you.”
“Of course. All we know about you is your name.”
“I thought I told you everything I could.”
“Yeah, right.”
Although Can showed quite a few childish behaviors, he wasn’t completely oblivious. At first, he refused to follow us, but after Aizen and Iris, who had become closest to him in that short time, expressed their concern, the situation gradually started to shift in his favor. In the end, we had no choice but to agree to let him stay at the church for just one day.
“……”
“What’s wrong, Ellie?”
“……”
While walking through the forest for a while, I suddenly noticed Ellie, who had been holding my hand and following me, staring blankly at Can. More precisely, she wasn’t looking at Can but at Aizen and Iris sitting on his shoulders.
“Ellie, do you want to ride too?”
“…Yes.”
I could easily understand Ellie’s feelings without thinking too deeply. It seemed like I had taken Ellie’s hand first, leaving her no chance to speak up.
“Come here.”
“Huh?”
“I can give you a piggyback ride too.”
It wasn’t a difficult request, especially for someone as small and light as Ellie.
“……”
At first, Ellie hesitated, but soon she smiled slightly and slowly climbed onto my shoulders. She was as light as a feather, and as I gradually stood up, Ellie let out a small, shy exclamation and her face filled with happiness.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes! It’s so much fun!”
“That’s good.”
After confirming Ellie’s joy from the piggyback ride, I quickly glanced sideways at Can. I didn’t want to create a rivalry, but I couldn’t stand the fact that the kids I had been taking care of were only interested in some random Can.
I knew it was a very childish action, but I still had to show that I wasn’t to be underestimated either.
“What, why?”
This was a warning-like action, telling him not to mess with our kids. Even though I hadn’t known them for long, I was confident that no one cared for them more than I did.
“It’s nothing. Let’s get going.”
.
.
.
.
.
.
In the late night, with the dim moon hanging in the dark sky, the picnic, which hadn’t gone as planned, still seemed to have been a very enjoyable time for everyone except me.
Looking back, there hadn’t been any dangerous incidents, the fish was delicious, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the lake. At least the kids had a great time and fell asleep, so I guess it was a successful picnic in its own way.
Creak.
“Phew…”
In the church, filled with the strange cries of unknown birds, I quietly caught my breath after putting the tired kids to bed one by one and stepping out into the nun’s building hallway.
“You’ve had a long day.”
Can’s low voice suddenly came from behind me. Startled for a moment, I quickly regained my composure and calmly spoke.
“Yes. Recently, some bad things have been happening, so the kids have been having trouble falling asleep at night.”
“…What happened?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
At my firm answer, Can fell silent for a moment.
“Is there a problem?”
Feeling an inexplicable discomfort from the sudden silence, I tilted my head slightly. Can slowly shook his head as if it were nothing.
“I don’t know what happened, but if it’s bad enough to keep you from sleeping at night, it must be serious.”
“Well, yes.”
“Taking care of the kids so diligently in such a difficult situation—are you being paid by someone?”
“It’s not that I’m being diligent, and no one’s paying me.”
“Then what’s your connection with those kids? Why are you secretly taking care of them in this forest, away from the village?”
For some reason, there was a sharpness in Can’s words. As the conversation continued, it felt less like curiosity and more like an interrogation.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“It’s not easy to do something like this without any reward.”
“You seem quite sharp for someone who’s just asking out of curiosity.”
The atmosphere, which had been normal just moments ago, suddenly turned cold and heavy.
“Are you connected to this church?”
Can didn’t answer my question and continued asking his own. The atmosphere was definitely getting stranger, but I calmly shook my head and spoke.
“Of course not. This church is just something I found by chance and borrowed for a while.”
“I see.”
No matter how I thought about it, the situation was baffling. I couldn’t understand what Can was thinking or why he was interrogating me like this. I hadn’t done anything suspicious, had I?
Clank.
As I blinked repeatedly, feeling an inexplicable discomfort from the strange silence, Can suddenly raised his index finger sharply, pointing somewhere with a loud clanging sound.
Where he pointed was a rather ordinary window.
“What about the window?”
“You don’t feel anything strange? Look closer.”
His tone seemed to suggest he wanted me to figure it out myself. At this point, I was even confused about what I was doing here.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
I still had no idea what was going on, but I turned my gaze back to the window and furrowed my brow slightly. There must be a reason for this.
“……”
The window, though not perfectly clean, was clear enough to see the outside. The old wooden frame looked like it would creak at the slightest shake, but it wasn’t in immediate need of repair. The glass was also intact and clean. What exactly was strange about it?
“There’s nothing particularly strange…”
At that moment, Can’s reflection began to appear clearly on the faded glass. Not only that, but the bleak scenery of the hallway and the faint shadows around it also came into view, making me blink rapidly as I stared at it.
“……”
No matter how much I rolled my eyes, I couldn’t see myself. My reflection, which should have been clearly visible alongside Can’s, wasn’t there at all. I wasn’t reflected in the window.
“I didn’t particularly want to know, but I accidentally saw that your reflection wasn’t in the lake.”
“…So you knew since the lake…?”
“Yeah.”
Can’s blunt words felt like a dagger, making my already hazy mind even more distant. I had no idea until now that my reflection didn’t appear in glass or water.
“You’re definitely not human. But even so, it’s quite puzzling.”
“……”
“From what I know, vampires are already extinct─.”
“……”
I never imagined my identity would be exposed in such an absurd way. A hollow laugh kept escaping me like air from a deflating balloon.
“Ha, haha… You’re sharper than I thought.”
“Huh?”
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
I found myself at the edge of a steep cliff, in the worst possible situation. Denying it now would be pointless. All I could do was prepare myself mentally, just in case.
“…What should I do?”
While I was tensely preparing myself, Can, in contrast, scratched the top of his smooth helmet awkwardly and spoke in a puzzled tone.
“Huh?”
“Just saying. If you want to keep living peacefully with the kids, be careful about that kind of thing. That’s all. No other meaning.”
The heavy, cold air suddenly lifted. The serious atmosphere from moments ago was gone, replaced by a strangely light air that spread throughout the nun’s building hallway.
“You weren’t planning to fight…?”
“Ah, well… You must have your reasons for doing this. No need to fight over something like this, right?”
“…Well, that’s true, but…”
“When you live long enough, you see all sorts of things. The situations are different, but I can understand where you’re coming from.”
Can’s oddly mature words left me speechless for a moment. But only for a moment─.
“Wait, same position?”
Suddenly, I noticed a suspicious word hidden naturally in Can’s words. My eyes widened, and I frowned slightly.