Brother, That Child is a Girl
After returning to the mansion, the family gathered in the living room.
On Brother Chris's lap, the Vendaval cub lay sprawled out, while Brother Chris gently stroked its head, grinning happily.
"Chris, is the one on your lap really a Vendaval cub?"
"Yes," Brother Chris reported on the events in the Great Forest.
"Well, I was mentally prepared for this. Bring the Vendaval cub here."
"Father, I won’t hand him over," Brother Chris refused.
"No, that’s not what I meant. I wanted Atre and Ripka to confirm it."
"Oh, I misunderstood. My apologies." With that, Brother Chris lifted the Vendaval cub in his arms and brought it over to Father.
Father crouched to meet the cub’s gaze and said:
"Are you okay with becoming my son, Chrisford’s, partner? If you don’t want to, you’re free to refuse. Even if you refuse, we will still take care of you until you grow up."
The Vendaval cub began licking Brother Chris’s hand.
"I see. Thank you for choosing Chrisford as your partner. You are now part of our family. It would be nice if you could get along with Atre and Ripka, too."
"Meow," came a weak response.
I wasn’t expecting a “meow”, so I found it odd. I’ll have to ask about it someday.
"Chris, give the Vendaval cub a name."
"I was thinking of naming it Vice."
"Meow, meow, meow!" The Vendaval cub flailed around.
"This child is a girl. Vice sounds like a boy’s name—is that okay?" Atre said to me. The Vendaval cub seemed to be protesting.
"Brother Chris, this child seems to be a girl. She’s probably rejecting the name."
"What? Really? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were a girl," Brother Chris apologized to the cub.
"Meow," it cried and calmed down.
So she really was protesting.
Atre, thanks for pointing it out.
Brother Chris lifted the Vendaval cub to his eye level and asked, "How about Bianca?"
At that moment, Brother Chris and Bianca were enveloped in a bright light.
"Father, what will happen to Bianca while Brother is in the royal capital?" Brother Gerald asked.
That’s true—Brother Chris will return to the royal capital in about a month. Even if she’s a cub, taking an A-rank magic beast along would be difficult.
"It’s a contracted familiar, so there won’t be a problem. However, we’ll need to report to and coordinate with the royal family. Once Chris is in the capital, it’s highly likely he’ll be summoned with Bianca. The royal family is bound to be interested in familiar contracts. Also, let’s say the ceremonial knife was created after the contract."
That makes sense. Since the familiar contract and the ceremonial knife are linked to the same magic beast, there’s no telling what kind of misunderstandings might arise.
"Father, I want to take Bianca to the academy with me."
"I want to take Ripka as well."
"That’s impossible. What will Bianca and Ripka do while you’re attending classes? They can’t just sit still and listen, and once they’re fully grown, it’ll be even more impractical."
"If Ripka stays the way he is now, I can take him to the academy. Ripka, I have to go to the royal capital in the spring two years from now. I want to be with you at the academy, so let’s work on mastering a way to stay small even after you grow up. I’ll help you train."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
"Really? You’ll do your best? Thank you."
Brother Gerald, you’re just ignoring Father’s objections?
Well, I get it. I also want to be with Atre, so I understand how he feels. If they succeed, I might be able to go to the academy with Atre, too.
"That’s true. If Bianca’s health worsens, I won’t be able to respond immediately, so I really do want to take her to the academy. Father, please negotiate with the Headmaster."
"Meow."
"Bianca says she wants to stay with me."
"Can you communicate with Bianca?"
"No, we can’t have conversations yet, but I can kind of understand what she means."
"It might not work, but I’ll make the proposal. The academy will likely be very interested in the familiar contract. Also, there’s no point in hiding that Atre is a Fenrir anymore. Let’s go update the Guild registration."
Fiamma, Vendaval… at this point, there’s no reason to hide that we have a Fenrir.
When reporting to the royal family, we’ll have to mention that we can communicate with magic beasts, or it will be difficult to explain how my brothers managed to form contracts. If we try to hide it, it could be seen as treason.
"Father, if Atre can communicate with high-rank magic beasts, won’t the royal family demand one for themselves?"
"That’s very likely, Chris. But we’ll make it clear that a contract is only possible if the magic beast itself is willing. Even if the royal family tries, if they fail, it won’t put our household at a disadvantage—I’ll make sure of that."
Political maneuvering is complicated.
I’d rather stay out of it as much as possible.
"Hardt, if the royal family visits, you’ll have to accompany Atre to the Great Forest. We’ll need to adjust your study schedule to include more etiquette lessons, so prepare yourself."
Just as I was hoping to stay out of it, my plans were crushed.
Will I ever get to live my slow life?
No, no matter what happens, I’ll make sure I do. I renewed my resolve.
What do you think about this chapter?
