Incompatible Interspecies Wives

88 – Mercenary Meeting (4)

The first class with Arwin has begun.

I sat down in front of a small table in the master bedroom, and Arwin sat next to me.

The candle flickers and sways on the table.

A cool breeze and moonlight streamed in through the open window.

“The weather is perfect for learning.”

Arwin said before starting.

I nodded.

Soon Arwin took out a book he had found somewhere and put it in front of me.

Then he takes out a small stick, a quill, and an inkwell.

In the meantime, I flipped through the book Arwin prepared.

“…”

The font is written inside, which looks beautiful even to me who doesn’t know the letters.

“…Did you write it?”

When I asked, Arwin, who had been frozen for a moment, nodded his head.

“I wrote it.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“…You don’t have to thank me. Because this is just a reward.”

She must have prepared this book for me.

Contrary to what I expected to give him a rough overview by showing some of the documents Adam had, it was quite serious and well prepared.

“What is this?”

I said, pointing to the small stick Arwin prepared.

“…Ah. I’m going to take a picture of the part that will be pointed out in the book with this.”

“…”

For that matter, the stick looks pretty much like a cane.

As I stared at Arwin, she belatedly added her explanation.

“…And it’s also a cane.”

As expected.

“Am I going to hit you?”

“…I didn’t mean to do that…But first of all, I could only learn like this. A little pain when you make a mistake is good for maintaining concentration.”

“…”

It was I who wanted to learn. If this was Arwin’s way, I wondered if I should follow it.

Anyway, I didn’t really care.

But perhaps she became ashamed of Ar Window’s way of looking at her, and she soon put her cane in.

She then offered her alternative.

“…I don’t think it’s a bit of a hoechori, even if I think about it.”

“He said he needed some pain.”

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“I’ll pinch it a little bit. How about that?”

After listening to it, I thought it would be better.

“Do that, then.”

****

It was not easy to learn letters.

Arwin knew that too.

It takes patience, concentration, and time.

There are a lot of confusing characters, and the time required to learn them differs from person to person.

It was the same with Berg.

“…F?”

As he questioned and read a letter, Arwin lightly pinched his forearm.

“That’s right. Berg. But it was enough to confuse you.”

Arwin said the right answer and examined the forearm of the Berg he had just pinched.

For some reason, it’s sorry but fun at the same time.

It must have been because of the strange feeling the contact itself gave.

“…”

“Don’t just read with your head.”

After pinching him like that, he looked cute as he kept his silence and rolled his eyes.

Arwin watched him with a smile.

“It’s not like that, it’s because I don’t know, Arwin.”

“Then I’ll go back to the beginning.”

She thought that teaching someone would be annoying, but it was also giving her some fun in her own way.

As such, she calmly taught Berg.

Now, when nothing big is happening, it was much more interesting and fun than the dark deviation in the Celebrien estate.

“… Poetry.”

“Poetry, that’s right.”

As the class went on, Berg’s correct answer rate went up.

And every time he got the answer right, Arwin felt a strange sense of regret.

The pinch prank was pretty fun though.

“…”

Suddenly, Arwin realized that he was only whipping.

It is right to give carrots as well.

“Ah.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

So this time Arwin stroked Berg’s forearm.

“…?”

“It’s a compliment for a job well done.”

Berg just smiled and didn’t care much.

As he laughed, Arwin smiled as well.

It wasn’t that he was particularly late in learning.

Maybe she didn’t know that because she wasn’t expecting too much.

A mercenary from the slums.

Did I ever think that you would follow me like this?

Every time he discovered a new side of him like this, Arwin felt strange.

At the same time, I feel puzzled.

“Berg.”

Speak to Berg, who focuses on the letters and words she taught me.

“… Huh?”

Berg answered without taking his eyes off the book.

“Why did you become a mercenary?”

“…”

“With hair like this, I think you did well with other things.”

Berg’s movements stiffened.

But it was a question Arwin really wanted to ask.

She In fact, from her point of view, there was no job that made more sense to her than the mercenary.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to ask the current Berg why he was doing this.

I just wanted to understand.

How did he become a mercenary?

Not really crazy about women’s color. However, it is not that he is greedy for gold coins.

He didn’t want to live freely like an outlaw, nor did he want to win honor.

A ephemera risking its life to enjoy brief pleasures. Those were the mercenaries in Arwin’s perception.

Because they were mercenaries, it might have been difficult to break the prejudice against Berg.

“…Why?”

Berg asked in doubt.

“Just like that. I’m curious now.”

Soon he snorted lightly.

“…What else could a slum kid do?”

“If you are from a slum, are there any other options?”

“It’s not like that, but it’s difficult. Because perception is so bad. In fact, people from the slums cause a lot of problems.”

“…You must have been unfair.”

Berg shrugged his shoulders.

“Not much? I also did a lot of stealing when I was young.”

“Is that so?”

“Because I didn’t want to starve to death.”

Berg calmly told me about my past.

And Arwin was a little surprised by that past.

I knew that slums were rough, but hearing direct examples made the reality different.

As if reading about the sea in a book is different from seeing it.

And I was surprised by the feelings I felt.

Rather than being disappointed with the fact that he stole, I was heartbroken over his difficult past.

He probably felt the same way when he first heard that he was from the slums.

Instead of a negative perception, only empathy for him bloomed.

Arwin put his hand on Berg’s forearm even though he didn’t read the words correctly.

She didn’t even know why she was doing this.

But a question slipped through her mouth.

“…Was it difficult?”

Berg shook his head. He answered firmly.

“No.”

“…”

“Beside me…”

He said, creating a brief silence.

“…I had good friends. You saw it last time, like Flint.”

Arwin nodded and returned to the story of how he became a mercenary.

“Was Captain Adam one of those friends?”

“I met you later. He broke up with all his friends. They asked me, who couldn’t do anything, to come and become a mercenary, so I did.”

“…”

He laughed again.

“I didn’t know it would grow this far.”

Berg closed the book in the ensuing conversation.

“Arwin. Shall we stop here today?”

“…Will you?”

“Yes. Thank you for today Let me know next time.”

“Yes. Just leave it to me.”

While Arwin was tidying up books and other items, Berg made the bed and took off his clothes.

Then she sat down and waited for Arwin to get on her bed, and when she laid down on her bed, she turned off the light.

Arwin thought it was unfortunate that even the previous conversation ended like this, so he asked him a question.

“…Do you want to continue being a mercenary?”

“…Well.”

“Aren’t you afraid to risk your life?”

“I’m not going out thinking I’m going to die.”

“Is there a frequent risk of dying?”

“…Of course not.”

Arwin trembled at that answer.

Goosebumps ran through my body once.

“…Let’s go to sleep.”

Berg said and let out a big sigh.

It was a sigh that seemed to end the day.

“…Ah.”

But Arwin had something to say.

The fact that he tells you before he goes to sleep.

“…Berg?”

“Huh?”

“Do I have to learn letters only from me?”

“What do you mean?”

“…It’s a story about not learning from Ner.”

Berg laughed.

“Why?”

“…I made up a teaching sequence, but that’s why it’s twisted.”

Berg said it as if it were nothing.

“…Yes. Let’s do it.”

Rather than understanding Arwin’s words, it felt like he was going to match them.

Whatever it was, Arwin didn’t care.

She too closed her eyes, not wanting to disturb Berg any longer.

…Then, I remembered the stumbling block in the conversation earlier.

‘They asked me, who was not good at anything, to join me as a mercenary, so I did.’

I couldn’t do anything.

It was a nuance that seemed to be discouraged.

Did Berg ever have such a moment?

In the darkness, Arwin slowly opened his eyes and stared at Berg.

That was a bit unbelievable.

****

In the morning, I wake up to the sound of knocking on the door.

‘Vice-captain!’

When I opened my eyes, Arwin was soundly asleep next to me.

-Kong-Kong-Kong.

After that, someone knocks on the door of the master bedroom.

‘Berg? A guest is here.’

It was Ner.

She seemed to have woken up early today too.

She just wished she hadn’t woken up early because of the ring.

I tried to get out of bed.

“…”

A pod stuck with Arwin before you know it.

Did I catch it overnight?

No matter what, I untied my hands and headed outside.

Open the bedroom door first.

Ner looked up at me.

She takes a big breath, she lets out her sigh.

“…Ha ha.”

“…Was up early.”

“…Yes. But a guest has arrived.”

I headed for the gate scratching my head.

Ner comes close to me as well.

When I opened the door, Baran was standing outside.

There was also a child sniffing next to me.

I knew it the moment I saw that scene.

I was right.

Baran shouted angrily at the boy.

“Don’t stand straight!”

Ner looked at me, embarrassed by the outcry.

As if they were scolding such a poor child in front of our house in the morning.

“…”

I didn’t reply.

Instead, I waited for Baran.

The child was recognizable. Alex is… A 7-year-old who was orphaned two years ago.

Even though I know that I have to scold him, my heart tingles for no reason.

His dad wasn’t Chief Joe, but if we had done better he might not have walked down this path.

Alex walks forward, crying at Baran’s screams.

“Stop the tears!”

But Baran’s scolding continued. He even slaps Alex lightly on the back.

Ner grabbed my forearm at the sight.

He looked up at me as if asking me to dry him.

But Alex had to open his mouth first.

“…Ner-sama…heheheh…Black…”

Ner got down on one knee at the call and looked at the child affectionately.

Discover her warm treatment of children.

“Don’t cry…Yes, I’m listening, so tell me.”

I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Is it common for aristocrats to be wary of naughty children?

Beginning with me, people from commoners pointed fingers at me for being from the slums.

Alex pulled something out of her pocket.

Ner’s ring was on her small, fern-like hand.

“….”

Ner’s movements stiffened.

The expression gradually hardened.

Alex apologized.

“Sorry… I’m sorry… I thought it would be fun… Black… I stole it as a joke…”

“…”

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Ner didn’t answer that.

It remained frozen.

I understand. You’re probably shocked.

“I will never do this again… I’m sorry…”

I let out a short sigh.

I also knew that I had no right to point out anyone because I had a lot of history of stealing, but in the current situation, I had to pay a scolding.

For the sake of the departed crew, this was the right thing to do.

“…Alex. Do you know how many times we found this ring yesterday?”

Alex continued to weep. I tried to wipe away my tears with the back of her hand.

“You can’t do this in the future.”

Alex nodded.

My turn is over.

Ner’s turn is back.

“…”

But she was frozen in shock and hadn’t said anything until now.

Baran and I exchanged glances for a moment.

In the meantime, Ner muttered.

“…Was it because of you…?”

I looked down at Ner.

“Ner?”

She let out a big sigh and brightened her hardened expression.

“…You said your name was Alex, right?”

Alex nodded her head again.

Ner took the ring from Alex’s hand with a small smile.

Then he said, slowly putting the ring on my ring finger.

“…This is my prized possession. Just like Berg said… I felt very sad knowing that I lost it yesterday.”

“I’m sorry…”

As Alex continued to shed tears, Ner slowly reached out her hands.

He gently touches Alex’s face.

Then I started wiping away his tears with my thumb.

“Stop it.”

“…”

“Stop crying.”

“…Suck…Yes.”

“Crying over something like this-“

“-Oh!”

At the same time, Alex pulled his head back in surprise.

Ner is surprised and retrieves his hand.

Under Alex’s eyes, there were traces of Ner’s fingernails in red.

“Mi, sorry. My fingernails are naturally sharp…That’s…”

Alex shook his head.

“Oh no…”

Ner, who was looking at me and Alex, said while hiding his agitation.

“…Anyway, I see how things went. If you tell me how you got into my house, I’ll forgive you for this just once.”

And then he says.

“……You won’t watch it twice?”

Alex nodded.

Soon Alex began to outline the circumstances.

After his story, Baran and I met eyes.

At the same time, we nodded. It seemed like the job was done.

I leaned over to Baran and whispered.

“…Wish. Don’t scold Alex any more, comfort him now and send him back.”

“Yes, vice-captain. Sorry from morning.”

“No. I live thanks to you.”

After saying goodbye to Baran, we closed the door.

Ner sighed.

Her expression is contorted again.

“…I thought I was lost…”

“…”

Actually, that is a natural reaction.

How would you feel if you found out that what you were looking for all day yesterday was actually stolen?

No matter how young you are, you can’t help but get angry.

She then turned to me and said.

“…Berg. I didn’t throw it away.”

It seemed like he was finally telling me about his worries.

I replied.

“I didn’t doubt that.”

I have said many times that the ring is uncomfortable because it seems to restrict me, but I tried so hard to find it yesterday, so I doubt it.

Meanwhile, Arwin rubbed her eyes and walked out into the living room.

She looked at Ner.

“…Did you find the ring?”

“…………”

But Ner did not answer and gave Arwin a long stare.

Even his eyes seemed to be sharpening a bit.

Arwin asked again at the awkward silence.

“…Ner?”

“Oh, yes.”

Ner reacted momentarily as if she had just woken up.

I carefully covered her left hand with her opposite hand.

“…I found it again.”