Author: aji (あじ)
Translator: sleepingjay
Despite practicing, Andrea was completely unable to transform into a beast, so he was jealous of the other two kids who could do it easily. He felt happy talking to Jill, but he was also afraid of finding disappointment in his eyes.
That was what Andrea told me, intermittently between his crying.
Those were not just tears of sadness, but also tears of frustration and envy towards those who were “beastmen”.
Being a half-beastman was fine. The word “half-breed”, as if he could be neither human nor beastman, was ridiculous.
Whichever traits he possessed, they were both wonderful races.
“Listen, Andrea. You’re smart, your swordsmanship is good, and you even have talent in magic. Besides that, you’re also brave, and you have a kind heart even if you don’t show it honestly sometimes.”
“Uh,”
“So, don’t let the words of people who say stupid things like that get to you. You’re a very good child. ‘A half-breed’? Pfft, what a joke. Next time you see that guy, punch him square in the face—You have my permission!
“…Hic,…… Lilius is mad?”
“Of course! I can’t believe someone would say something that stupid to Andrea. There’s no way it wouldn’t piss me off.”
“……”
Andrea stopped crying, his eyes blinking rapidly.
His round, golden eyes were wet.
“Look, you may not be able to do something now, but with a little practice, you can. This is a secret I’ve never told anybody, but you see, I’ve never been able to improve my swordsmanship.”
“…….Really?”
“Compared to everyone around me, my body was thin and I lacked strength and stamina. No matter how I practiced, I couldn’t improve my swordsmanship. That’s why I quickly threw it aside, and then I put all my effort into magic.”
“So that’s why Lilius can do awesome magic.”
“But to become like that, there were many, many times where I thought of giving up. If Andrea wants to beastify, I’ll help you. But if you’ve already decided you can’t do it, then wouldn’t your heart have already stopped at that point?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“……Dea, P mjc’a vb la fnfc atbeut P qgjmalmfv ibar.”
“Qfii, sbe’nf ralii uba j ibcu kjs ab ub. P’nf jirb atbeuta bo ulnlcu eq wjcs alwfr, yea P’w tfgf cbk. Dea, la’r olcf ab ub ilaaif ys ilaaif ja sbeg bkc qjmf, atf wbra lwqbgajca atlcu lr ab tjnf yfilfo lc sbegrfio, Ccvgfj.”
You’re an amazing boy. Even if it’s beastification, you can definitely do it.
If you feel like giving up, I’ll encourage you again and again.
The six-years-old Andrea had put in so much thought and effort. My heart was greatly moved by him.
I couldn’t wait to see the future shine for this little brave one.
“……Lilius.”
“Hmm?”
“Actually, I have another secret.”
Andrea, eyes swollen from crying, but now narrowed into slits from joy, whispered in a small voice.
There were only Andrea and I here, so there was no need for him to lower his voice. But when Andrea acted all secretive and came close to my ear to speak, I thought, “He really is still a child.” It was very endearing.
“……Truth is, I really liked Lilius.”
“Huh?”
“But I know Father likes Lilius, too. But, if it’s Father then he’ll definitely make Lilius happy, so I gave Lilius to him.”
—So that’s why, Lilius. I hope you and Father get along well. I want you to be very happy.
At the secret confided to me by this tiny child, a heartfelt smile blossomed on my face.
I would never forget this warm and fuzzy euphoria in my chest.
“…….True. After Andrea has gone to such great pains and gave up on me, if we don’t get along well, we should get punished.”
“Un. Also after that, I want you to stay with us forever.”
Those words spilled out as Andrea clung tightly to my chest.
Ah, right. Now, Andrea probably had my older sister, his mother, in mind.
“……I want to see her.”
“Nn.”
“…….I’m not a child anymore. So, I know that Mother is a bad person who did a lot of mean things to people. But Mother is hated by everyone, right?”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
Unable to neither confirm nor deny, I simply lent an ear to Andrea’s story.
“I think of Mother being all alone because she’s hated. Whenever she feels sad or wants to cry, I don’t think anybody will be nice to her…… So, I want to be the one that’s on her side.”
“……”
“…..Am, am I a bad child?”
“Absolutely not.”
Andrea’s admirable heart made my chest ache as if it was wrung dry.
You are really, truly, a gentle child.
I wonder what my older sister was thinking right now. Her child was thinking of her to such an extent. If she found out about it, it would be good if her heart wavered a little.
And then, I hoped she could give Andrea a hug.
Just once was fine.
I have neither family, nor kids.
Hence, I couldn’t understand Jill’s troubles.
But, I was also a child once, so some things I did know.
Not wanting for anything much.
Even just once would be nice.
Even just once, if I could have my beloved mother hug me and say, “I love you”, that would have been enough to satisfy all my wishes and make me happy.
“……I love you, Andrea.”
When he fell asleep, exhausted from crying, I kissed his smooth forehead.
I would never be your mother, and I would never be able to give you what you really wanted most.
But, if I could alleviate Andrea’s pain even a little, I wanted to be there for him, even if I was just an imitation.
thanks for the chapter ♡
Awwww… absolutely trully adorable chapter. I hope talking to Lilius helped Andrea a bit. Every child wishes for its mother, only women unfit to be mothers can’t understand that.
Thank you for the chapter!!!
I want to adopt him. I promise I will love you forever ❤️
Thank you for the chapter
Andrea is so cute! I also want to hug him!
thanks for the chapter <3