"Uu!", Half-asleep, Linie let out a cute whimper and reflexively bit his neck, leaving him staring blankly at the ceiling with a completely lost expression.
During that time, he could even feel warm saliva sliding down his neck. It was just… strangely weird, no matter how you put it.
It wasn't until Linie woke up that he finally broke free from that bizarre situation.
It was Linie's first time acting on her own. Even though he scolded her right after she woke up, she still looked unusually cheerful, even wanting to keep wandering around the city a bit longer.
"Secretly having an affair with Lord Ash," The girl walking quickly ahead swayed her body, her two cute twin tails bouncing, but after only a couple of steps she turned around in confusion and asked, puzzled, "At a time like this, what are we supposed to do, Lord Ash?"
"At this point, I don't even feel like correcting your wording anymore, but at least call it a date or something. Even though in reality it's just an adult accompanying a kid to stroll around."
"More importantly, what's that?", Linie directly pointed toward the white tower in the distance.
"You are now changing the subject?", He shook his head helplessly, then followed the direction of her slender finger, "That's the Magic Association. There are troublesome old people inside. It's better not to go near it, or it'll get annoying."
"Troublesome like Lady Aura?"
"If you say that in front of her, she'll get angry."
"I understand. But I'm saying it behind her back right now."
"Sometimes I wonder, do you also say I'm troublesome behind my back when you're with Aura?"
"Don't I usually say it to your face?", Linie replied casually with a serious expression, making him cover his face and sigh, "That terrible personality of yours, who did you learn it from?"
"From Lady Aura and Lord Ash—"
"I'm absolutely not like that. Apologize to me immediately."
"Sorry."
Scolded sharply, Linie couldn't help lowering her head in dejection.
But her dejection never lasted long. She immediately took out the apple he had put in his pocket before they left, casually wiped it against the inside of his clothes, and started eating it expressionlessly.
There wasn't any particular reason. She didn't just treat apples as food, she was like a heavy smoker, eating them whether she was happy, unhappy, troubled, or upset.
If Ash wasn't around, she'd wipe it on her own sleeve. If he was, she'd use his clothes. Either way, she had to eat them. A true apple addict.
But apologizing and then immediately eating made Ash feel like there was zero sincerity… though even if she didn't eat, there wouldn't be any sincerity anyway.
"Sigh! Why is there not a single normal girl around me?", He sighed like that, then felt something was off, 'At least… Kanne, Lawine, and Sense are pretty normal.'
Hearing his voice, Linie suddenly looked very well-behaved and casually handed him the apple, "Does Lord Ash want some too?"
"I really don't understand why you'd give me an apple at a time like this. But even when giving something to someone, at least don't give something you've already eaten, okay? Hmm… I feel like I've told you that many times already."
"This one tastes good," As she spoke, the expressionless girl once again pushed the apple toward him on her own.
Unable to refuse, he took it and bit into it. The sweet and sour flavor spread in his mouth as he thought about where to go next, while Linie casually wiped her hand on the hem of his clothes.
Then she lifted his shirt, leaned in, and skillfully rubbed her face against the inside fabric to clean her mouth. Without waiting for him to speak, she quickly walked ahead again.
He felt thoroughly frustrated, but didn't even want to say anything anymore, so he just shook his head and followed.
———
Passing through the bustling district, going by the commercial street, and even glancing at the slums, Linie, who had come to this city for the first time, kept looking around, clearly in a good mood.
Although because she lacked expressions, Ash couldn't really read her well, that lively energy was obvious enough.
Even though he knew a bit about this place, he wasn't good with directions to begin with, and since he had always been busy, he never wandered around much. As a result, there were many places he had never been to, making his knowledge feel rather insignificant right now.
Soon, Linie even led him weaving through the market, entering a maze of crisscrossing paths… throwing him into a labyrinth-like challenge.
As far as the eye could see, he didn't even know where the destination was, yet the path under his feet twisted like a maze. Linie seemed to be searching for something in the market, constantly wandering around, leaving him no choice but to hold her hand to avoid getting separated.
Before long, he was holding Linie's hand with one hand, while the other carried a large bag of apples. Two wooden crates floated beside him, apparently supplies she had prepared for later.
"Lord Ash, is this the way back?", Linie held his hand and walked beside him, but couldn't help asking, "Why do I feel like we've been on this road before?"
"How would I know?"
"Lord Ash is unexpectedly useless?"
"If you say something like that again, I'll hit you."
"Sorry, Lord Ash, I was wrong," Linie, always quick to admit fault, apologized without hesitation. Her attitude was so good it felt like... looking at himself when he was being sincere.
"Is this karma?"
Whenever he was around Linie, he couldn't help thinking that, even though he didn't really want to admit it.
Before they even got out of the place, he spotted Kanne alone on the opposite side. She clearly noticed him too, her eyes lighting up as she waved and ran toward him.
But at that moment, Linie narrowed her eyes, poked his waist with her fingertip, and asked in a calm, emotionless voice, "Lord Ash, that girl's companion stepped on your foot yesterday… may I kill her?"
"No. That doesn't count as an attack, it's just messing around, like a joke… and girls shouldn't go around killing people for no reason."
"So Lord Ash likes being stepped on?", Linie nodded thoughtfully, then lifted her foot and stepped on the top of his foot, tilting her head as she asked seriously, "Does it feel good?"
"Huh?"
Being stepped on by a girl while being asked something so strange left him completely stunned, his mind buzzing.
Kanne, who had just reached them, was even more dumbfounded, "Mister… you actually like being stepped on?"
"Of course not!", He grabbed Linie by the back of her collar, lifting her off the ground so her feet dangled in midair, glaring at her unhappily, "Linie, don't step on my foot in public and ask weird questions like that."
"Sorry… next time, I'll definitely pay attention," Linie looked very apologetic and skillfully lowered her head to admit fault.
"Then tell me, what have you ever actually paid attention to next time?"
"Before this, have I done anything bad?"
"Wow, you can forget everything in the blink of an eye?", Staring at her, he directly pinched her cheeks, pulling them, "If I don't properly teach you a lesson this time, what are you going to do next? Don't you even understand something as basic as not stepping on me?"
"But someone stepped on you yesterday. Lord Ash is biased?"
"Is that really the point right now?"
"Should I step somewhere else?"
"That's not it either!"
Facing this child who always said nice things but never actually changed, Ash lectured her but had no confidence at all that she would improve.
Kanne quickly stepped forward to stop him, persuading, "She already apologized, mister, don't bully her anymore. Act like an adult!"
"You say that… but just like when she apologizes to me, she'll never actually repent."
"You can't say that, right? You have to give children enough trust. The more you say that, the less likely they are to change, isn't it?"
As she spoke, she pressed down Ash's hand, making him put Linie down, then smilingly took an apple from her basket and handed it over.
She even gently rubbed Linie's reddened cheeks where they had been pinched.
"Does it hurt? Big sister will rub it for you~ Mister is so rough, bullying such a cute child like this!"
"...", Linie, who wouldn't let anyone touch her even if they were the same gender, perhaps felt no malice from Kanne, and since she had helped her and even given her an apple, unexpectedly didn't slap her hand away. Instead, she turned to Ash and said expressionlessly, "Lord Ash, this woman is unexpectedly nice."
"What do you mean 'this woman'~ Big sister is Kanne. What's your name?"
"Linie."
"Little Linie~ what's your relationship with mister?"
"I am Lord Ash's daughter."
"Daughter? Mm, mm, daughter sounds nice, da-daughter?"
Kanne, who hadn't processed it at first, nodded with a smile, but halfway through suddenly cried out in shock, whipping her head toward Ash, "Y-you! When? And what about Fern?"
"Ahem! She just isn't good at introducing herself. Wait here for a moment, I'll have a proper talk with her."
He had wanted to complain about her being fooled by the child's cute appearance, but now Ash simply wore a numb expression as he silently grabbed Linie's hand.
Planning to give her a proper lecture, he left the bag of apples with Kanne to watch and told her not to move, then directly took Linie away to prevent her from saying anything strange again.
———
Ash had no intention of coming back. While talking to Linie, he led her away, but before long, after turning a corner, he once again saw the orange-haired girl standing ahead with her back to them, still looking around waiting for them to return.
"That woman again," Linie bit into the apple Kanne gave her and said in an overly calm tone, "Lord Ash, I told you we came this way earlier. Why wouldn't you listen to me? We should have gone the other way… but this is fine too. I quite like that bag of apples."
"Can you stop thinking about apples all day? And don't get bought over by just one apple. Have a little ambition, will you?"
"I just think that woman is unexpectedly nice."
"You don't sound convincing at all. What if someone tries to bribe you with apples? I'm worried!"
"Kill them and take them back. Then both their life and the apples are mine. Mm, the money too," Linie bit into her apple and casually stated the law of the jungle.
Hearing something like that come out of a child who looked like a girl felt extremely out of place.
It made him feel relieved in one way, yet worried in another.
Before he could say anything more, Kanne, who had her back turned to them, had already noticed the two somehow appearing behind her again.
She showed a slightly surprised expression, then put her hands on her hips suspiciously.
"Mister… why did you end up behind me?"
"Wanted to give you a surprise?"
"This path loops around from behind and takes quite a while… you weren't trying to ditch me and run away with that child, were you?"
"How could that be~ why would I—Linie, don't wipe your hands on me in front of others, that's rude. At least wipe them on this girl."
Before he even finished speaking, he didn't need to turn around to feel his clothes being tugged. He smacked away Linie's small hand.
"Sorry," Having just finished her apple, Linie pitifully withdrew her hand.
Kanne, hearing him, showed a strange expression and pointed at herself, "This girl? And using me would be polite?"
"Ah, sorry, I got influenced by Linie without realizing."
He said it so naturally that now he had a headache, and just as he was about to explain, Kanne was about to say something too, when she saw…
Linie, standing beside him, with an unmistakably sneaky air, silently placed her hand on his clothes again and casually wiped her mouth on them.
And it hadn't even been ten seconds since she was scolded.
Kanne was stunned, and even Ash completely gave up on saying anything.
Although he sometimes had to scold this troublemaking Linie, he still found her quite adorable. As for her personality… there was nothing to be done. A child he raised himself, he'd have to take responsibility, even if it brought tears.
———
Even though he wanted to escape, Ash couldn't. Forced to rely on Kanne, a true local, he finally managed to get out of the maze-like market.
But just after coming out, while resting on a roadside bench, Kanne looked at him with suspicion.
"Mister… what exactly is your relationship with this child?"
"A relative's child."
"Really not lovers?"
"Use some common sense…"
"Isn't that pretty normal? Since you're probably a noble, right?"
"Hmm… that does sound kind of normal?"
That medieval common sense left him speechless. Then he placed his hand on Linie's head, shaking her lightly as he asked Kanne in return, "Have you ever seen a lover this rude?"
"That's true… but… mister taking care of a child is really surprising…"
"I've at least taken care of children before."
"You mean Fern? Oh right, I ran into Fern earlier. She said you didn't come home again last night?", Kanne tapped her chin with her finger and suddenly brought it up.
"Let's talk about something happier," He quietly looked into the distance, stroking Linie's head as he sighed, "Speaking of which, tonight is the privilege granting, right? Lawine is probably thinking about what kind of magic she wants. What about you? What are you planning to do these three years?"
"Is that something happy?", Kanne stared at him with a deeply resentful look, "I finally managed to forget about failing the exam, and now you bring it up again?"
"Sorry, sorry…"
With no other choice, his other free hand also reached out to pat Kanne's head, soothing the girl who now looked like she was about to sulk.
[🎉 Shoutout to Little_Demon, Thanh, WetWatee, Slashdog, Darklouche and Michael for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
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