Chapter 1 Part 21: People Are The Enemy

“Alice, what are you writing?”

“Ah, I’m just listing what you might need.”

“Can I see?”

When I nodded, Asher immediately ran over.

I held out the list.

Asher scanned it with a surprisingly serious face, then pointed out.

“You’re missing two things.”

“Really?

What?”

I thought I’d written down everything necessary.

I paused before asking what they were.

Another question arose.

How did Asher write?

“You know how to write?”

“Of course.”

Asher nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

As expected of a dragon hybrid, exceptionally bright.

It really seemed like his only problem with speaking was the lack of opportunity.

But then why did he eat the flowers?

He must have known flowers weren’t food.

“When you’re hungry, you don’t see what’s in front of you, you know.”

“Ah.”

“And honestly, it wasn’t bad.

It was fragrant, so it was edible.”

“That’s good.”

But don’t eat them next time.

I brought those for decoration.

I asked him that and held out paper and a pen.

“Try writing yourself.”

I wondered how Asher would write.

When he ate, he put his mouth to the bowl and slurped, or used his nails like skewers.

But a pen was too thin to stick on his nails.

Maybe he would hold it in his mouth and write?

Just then, Asher spoke.

“Don’t you have any ink?”

The pen invented by a mage who found dipping a quill in ink too troublesome was useless for Asher.

I immediately went to another floor and got some ink.

When I held out the ink, Asher dipped his nail deeply into it.

I understood.

“So that’s how you do it.”

Using a hand resembling an animal’s paw, that was probably the best way to write.

Asher scribbled swiftly.

[Snacks]

“…”

I was speechless.

So he still hadn’t given up.

And he didn’t need to write that down.

Asher’s snacks could be obtained from the restaurant or made by me.

Of course, he ate the snacks I made well, but I couldn’t make them every day.

Asher muttered.

“And…”

What else was he going to write?

I watched him with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

Soon, Asher lifted his nail from the paper.

[Alice]

My eyes widened.

Asher, looking shy, avoided my gaze for no reason.

“Because I need Alice too.”

We hadn’t even known each other that long.

Propping my chin on my hand, I looked at the paper and asked.

“Then if you could only have one, snacks or me, which would you choose?”

Asher fidgeted, scratching the paper with his nail for no reason, then moved his lips.

“I only need Alice.”

I thought he’d hesitate at least a little.

Just as I thought that was unexpected, Asher added a reason.

“You give me snacks anyway, Alice.

If I have Alice, I can eat snacks too.”

“…”

“So I like Alice.”

A genius…?!

Even as a half-breed, a dragon hybrid really was different.

Already knowing how to catch two rabbits at once.

This kid would go far.

I was inwardly amazed.

***

On a peaceful afternoon, Clam, returning from his mission, suddenly flung the door open and shouted.

“Senior, ta-da!

I brought you a present!”

The child quickly hid behind me.

Clam set down the bundle he was carrying and urged.

“Curve your arms like this.”

“…My arms?”

“Ah, don’t stand up.

Just curve your arms.”

Following Clam’s instructions, I curved both arms while sitting.

Clam turned the bundle upside down.

“You didn’t have to buy these.”

“Come on, Senior, you always buy presents for people around you whenever you go somewhere, don’t you?”

I looked with troubled eyes at the presents falling into my lap.

Given the shine on the wrapping paper and boxes, they were by no means cheap gifts.

And there wasn’t just one or two.

I knew that since Clam was born into a distinguished noble family, he didn’t have to worry about money, but this was too much.

Clam’s eyes sparkled as he urged.

“Open one.”

I opened a box as told.

Inside was a pink gem.

This couldn’t be…

As my mouth fell open, Clam shrugged as if wondering why I was so surprised.

“The client’s territory was famous for its gem mines, you see.”

Famous or not, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one anyway.

“They said high-quality gems were just overflowing, you know?”

Overflowing or not, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one anyway.

“Almost all the tourists bought one each, you know?”

Even if almost all bought them, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one anyway.

“I thought of you, Senior, and wanted to buy one.”

Even if he thought of me, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one anyway.

“As you know, Senior, opals come in so many different colors.”

Even with so many colors, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one anyway.

I opened another box.

Inside was a black opal.

Like the pink opal, its color was vivid.

The luster was no joke either.

The price must have been no joke either.

Wait a minute, so all of these…

I stared at the gifts with fearful eyes.

“Choosing which one was a hassle, so I just bought one of each color.”

His spending habits were so different I couldn’t even feel jealous.

I immediately closed the boxes and wrapped them up tightly.

These could be returned, right?

I had to tell him to return them quickly.

It was true that mages liked birthstones, but I didn’t need this many.

I put the boxes back into the bundle.

“You don’t need to spend this much money on me!”

“Come on, if you’re frugal on a trip, you’ll regret it later.”

“You need to be a little frugal!

And you weren’t on a trip, you were on a mission!

What was Aslan doing?

Why didn’t he stop you!?”

“Why would Senior Aslan stop me?

He didn’t say a word.”

“…”

It wasn’t hard to imagine.

The two of them sitting side by side, heads turned away from each other.

Whenever we went on missions, I always sat between them, desperately smiling harmlessly at the client.

I’d make excuses like this:

‘They’re usually really close, but they had a fight before coming here.

Huh?

No, it wasn’t a big fight.

You don’t need to worry.

It was a very minor dispute.

It won’t affect the mission at all.

We’re affiliated with the Magic Tower.

Mages from the Magic Tower are famous for keeping work and personal life separate, right?

I guarantee it.’

Those were all memories now.

I handed the bundle back to him.

“Anyway, go return all these.

If you bought this many of my birthstone, I wouldn’t even know where to use them.”

“Hmpf.

Clam doesn’t want to go return them.

I was hoping you’d just keep them all, Senior.”

No choice.

I hid my hands behind my back.

“Clam, my obedient, cute, and even precious fairy-like junior.

Will you do me a favor?”

“Fine, I’ll go return them.”

As expected, tremendously effective.

The downside was that it made my skin crawl.

Asher watched my fingers, which were curled and writhing grotesquely, with fearful eyes.

I’d unintentionally scared Asher.

Sorry, Asher.

But I couldn’t help it.

This was social life.

Asher was still young and wouldn’t know, but I knew.

Just as you had to laugh desperately at a boss’s unfunny jokes to please them, there were times you had to soothe a junior by praising them until your skin crawled.

Clam was a prime example.

See?

With just one word of praise from me, he gave up his stubbornness and shouldered the bundle again.

It was worth risking the skin-crawling.

I advised Clam.

“Can’t you just float it with magic?

Why awkwardly carry it on your shoulder?”

“Ah, my parents always used to personally bring presents for my birthday in a bundle like this.

So I thought presents should be given this way.”

Wow, I was envious.

I just got a book for my birthday.

As expected, the wealthier the family, the different their way of thinking.

Clam paused at the door.

“What is it now?”

“Still, you should keep one.

As a souvenir.”

Clam’s eyes shone earnestly.

I hesitated, then finally surrendered.

“Then give me just one?”

“Yes!”

Clam handed me the box with the black opal from the bundle.

Oh my, bestowing such a precious gem upon me.

Thank you very much.

I respectfully received the box with both hands.

“Thanks.

When I get paid, I’ll buy you an amethyst, your birthstone.”

“Ah, you don’t have to do that.

Well then, I’ll really be going now…”

Clam paused again.

What now?

I looked at him with slightly tired eyes.

Clam muttered blankly.

“Wait.

When you get paid?”

The bundle fell unceremoniously to the floor.

Clam clutched his cheeks in horror.

“Senior.

Don’t tell me you can’t even afford to buy a gem?”

“…Uh.

I can afford to buy you books, but not gems.”

“I knew you had no money, but I didn’t know it was this serious?!”

“You don’t have to be that horrified, do you…?”

Clam put his hands on his hips and scolded.

“Honestly, no matter how poor a mage is, they should save enough to buy at least one good quality birthstone!

You know that if you lose your birthstone, you can’t use magic efficiently, Senior!”

Everything he said was right, so I couldn’t say a word.

Clam sat back down in front of me.

Asher, who had been about to sit next to me thinking Clam was leaving, puffed out his cheeks.

Just bear with it a little, he’ll go.

Patting Asher’s shoulder, I had him sit back behind me.

Asher started playing with a ball of yarn, pressing it between his palms.

“Senior, where did you spend all that money?

I heard the mages whispering that you must have earned enough before quitting.”

“Uh, I did earn enough.

But then I bought a house and set up a lab…”

“Senior, if you wanted, you could have bought a palace.”

So sharp.

When I was speechless, Clam’s eyes narrowed.