Wary Eyes
Valdo carried me in his arms as he entered the bedroom where Carion was resting.
The heavy, tense air he’d worn until moments ago was already gone from his face. In its place was a mischievous sort of grin.
From the bed, Carion frowned.
Valdo walked right up to him, then thrust me forward with a shove.
Those ice-blue eyes quietly fixed on me.
After a brief silence, his low, composed voice rang out.
“... What is that?”
“Our newest member.”
“... A member?”
There was unmistakable wariness in Carion’s low voice.
His gaze slowly traced me from my ears all the way to the tip of my tail.
“No matter how I look at it, it appears to be nothing more than a black clump of lint... Is it alive?”
“Meow~”
As if answering his question, I gave a little cry, and Valdo curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“Don’t really know the species name, but its name’s Al. Picked him up just the other day.”
“Picked him up, you say? Then is it not a monster?”
At Carion’s slightly lowered voice, the air in the room turned sharply cold.
But Valdo paid that tension no mind at all and just smirked.
“Hah... Don’t make that face. Every last one of you gets way too worked up over a little runt like this. I can’t understand it.”
His large hand pulled my tiny body back against his chest, then adjusted his hold so I was tucked in his arms.
At a glance it looked rough, but his touch was surprisingly gentle.
Those calloused fingers stroked through my fur, and I rumbled with a purr.
“And if he is a monster, then what? You think he’s gonna attack you?”
At the teasing tone, Carion’s brow twitched faintly.
After a pause, he answered coldly.
“Some monsters possess abilities far beyond what their appearance suggests. There is no harm in remaining cautious.”
In those words, in that voice, I sensed something heavy. The weight of someone who had lived many long years amid battle.
Maybe Carion too... like Korn... had suffered from monsters in the past?
No, come to think of it, Valdo had said so before.
The Black Iron Claws had been formed by people who lost their hometowns to monster attacks and were refused entry into the cities.
… Which meant the Black Iron Claws were likely born from people who had been attacked by monsters, lost their place in the world, and banded together to survive by supporting one another.
If that was true… then Carion, and Valdo too, may have once had their homes stolen by monsters.
Their families. Their comrades. Or maybe even the very meaning of living.
The moment I thought that, something in my chest tightened painfully.
Without thinking, I looked up at Valdo’s face.
But Valdo kept talking with Carion in that same easygoing manner as ever.
“Well, sure. You’re right. Things aren’t always what they look like.”
Laughing, Valdo cupped my head in his palm and stroked it.
“Nya,” slipped out before I knew it.
At that sound, Valdo’s lips curled slightly, and for just a moment, his eyes turned gentle.
“But this one’s different. Just look at him. No abilities at all. Just a plain old fluffball.”
“All the more reason, then. What use is there in picking up such a dust clump? More importantly, do you truly believe we can afford to keep some pseudo-monster as a pet?”
At that, Valdo gave an exaggerated shrug.
“Whether he’s useful or not doesn’t matter. I’m the one who picked him up. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
“Valdo.”
Carion’s voice dropped another level.
“If you bring unnecessary things inside, there is no knowing what may happen. Even you…”
“Hey now, weren’t those your own words just a minute ago?”
Valdo casually raised one hand, cutting him off.
“The one who makes the final call is me, the Commander. Right?”
At those words, Carion’s ice-blue eyes narrowed like blades of frost.
“... I do recall saying that. However...”
“Then no complaints.”
Valdo grinned like a child whose prank had succeeded, then set me atop his shoulder.
“Commander’s orders. He’s one of us now. Settled.”
Carion started to open his mouth in protest… but said nothing, and closed it again.
Instead, he let out a deep breath and looked away.
A silence like falling snow filled the room.
No one spoke. Only the low sound of wind passing beyond the walls echoed around us.
Even the flow of time itself felt distant somehow.
How long had we stayed like that...?
At last, Carion quietly parted his lips.
“... Haah. Honestly...”
Then he said flatly:
“As for the matter from earlier, and that fluffball as well... it seems we will need to discuss both again once we return to the base.”
With that, Carion pulled the blanket up around himself and lay back down on the bed.
The conversation is over, that was the message.
Valdo shrugged.
“... No matter what you say, my answer won’t change.”
With that, he left the room while still holding me.
Behind us, the sound of the door closing echoed softly.
What do you think about this chapter?
