Chapter 109

– I don’t know its name. Therefore, I’ll personally give it a name. Hereafter, I’ll call it ‘Shy One.’

This was the passage written on the first page of the untitled book.

Looking at the gently flowing handwriting made him drowsy for no reason. Quilbion plopped down on the floor.

“Should I bring you a chair?”

Elcoco asked.

“No, this is more comfortable for me.”

“You really like the floor.”

“Because I’m used to it.”

He turned the page.

– I cannot know when or where Shy One came from. You should be amazed that we cannot know. That we cannot know means it existed before us, or was born around the same time as us.

“Um, should I bring you cocoa? It’s delicious.”

“Shh.”

He spoke while glancing at Elcoco. Elcoco made a sullen expression while playfully copying Quilbion with a “Shh.”

– One of the predecessors who has now returned to Barara’s embrace called Shy One the world’s wicked brat. Another predecessor called them a son of a bitch, and another called them a damn seed. But one person called them a delicate friend, and one senior called them someone with much affection.

Shy One.

Quilbion recalled a certain face he’d seen to the point of being sick of it while turning the page.

– Once, I happened to meet Shy One on the street. I recognized Shy One, but Shy One didn’t recognize me. Shy One was hiding themselves in a pseudo-personality created by extracting their consciousness. They truly were an existence with much shame. I tried to wake Shy One to have a conversation, but the moment I recognized them, Shy One created a typhoon and fled.

“Is it worth going that far?”

Quilbion spoke with a small laugh.

Then Elcoco approached and suddenly stuck her head in. Instead of the book, he could see Elcoco’s face.

“You want cocoa?”

“……How long are you going to keep offering?”

“Until you drink it. The cocoa I make is the most delicious in the world. Right, Grandma?”

Flan, who’d been called Grandma, wiggled her left ear. A broom flew from somewhere and mercilessly struck Elcoco’s buttocks.

Elcoco screamed while dodging the broom.

Quilbion formed hand seals and lightly touched his ear. As Sitpin Yellow Form’s sorcery, ‘Quiet for Now’ spread, his ears became muffled.

It was sorcery for deep sleep.

Even if he couldn’t sleep, he could block sound, which was convenient.

He tried to look at the book again when a fluffy pawed—no, a hand covered the book.

Flan was in front of him before he knew when she’d gotten up. Her mouth was moving but no sound could be heard.

Ah, the sorcery.

When he dispersed the nark, he could hear the voice.

“You can do that for me too, right?”

“Yes. It’s possible.”

“Do it for me. It’s impossible to shut that noisy ground brat’s mouth.”

“You have it rough.”

“That’s what raising a kid is like.”

“I’ll touch you briefly.”

The texture of stiff fur transmitted through his palm. He tried to stroke it unconsciously before flinching and pulling his hand away.

“I dislike rude humans.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“It’s good sorcery. It’s nice not hearing sounds.”

She know about sorcery.

Quilbion smiled faintly before shifting his gaze to the book. He could ask questions later. Since there’s disgustingly plenty of time. He formed hand seals at his ear again.

– I tried to find Shy One’s origins. But it was useless. Even digging through the predecessors’ records, only Shy One’s traces appeared. At least ‘Brine’ seemed to know something, but they’re a miser so they won’t tell. They seem to have taken it to heart that I teased them about having stiff fur. A petty friend.

Brine?

They seemed to be the same Barara Tribe.

He tried to concentrate again when white foam invaded his vision. Quilbion looked at the foam in the cup before raising his head to look at Elcoco.

Her mouth was open saying something, but he couldn’t hear it. Well, she must be explaining how delicious the cocoa is.

He received the cup and took a sip.

How good could cocoa that’s only sweet taste……

After smacking his lips, he stared at the cup. Another sip. He set the book down completely and gripped the cup with both hands.

Warmth and sweetness spreading deep into his body. This was worthy of being called a masterpiece.

“Surprising.”

Quilbion muttered to himself while looking ahead. Flan had also set down her book and was enjoying cocoa.

He nodded once while looking at Elcoco who was feeling proud. This deserved recognition. It was a taste worthy of lavish praise.

“What on earth did you put in this?”

He dispersed the nark again before asking. He really wanted to know. If he mixed coffee with this, an ultimate taste with deep flavor would be born.

“Sincerity, and love.”

“……”

“You don’t believe me? Here. This is the cocoa powder I used.”

Elcoco held out a wooden container. It was full of cocoa powder that supposedly only appeared on nobles’ tables.

Had the times changed so commoners could enjoy it too?

“Try making it once.”

“Alright.”

Pressing wasn’t needed. An appropriate amount of water, frothed milk, and cocoa powder.

“It looks decent. But how does it taste?”

Elcoco spoke while looking at the completed cocoa. Her tone changed to a high-handed one as if she’d become a cocoa critic.

He took a sip while listening to her talk.

Even using the same ingredients, the taste was different. Compared to the cocoa Elcoco made, this was…….

“Garbage.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad. Cocoa made with sincerity can never become garbage.”

“Then what’s lacking?”

“I told you. Love!”

“……Difficult.”

He requested another cup of cocoa from Elcoco. It was when he tried to shift his gaze back to the book while enjoying the sublime cocoa.

“Is Shy One doing well?”

Flan spoke. Whether she’d removed it herself, the sorcery attached to the ear had disappeared.

“He’s doing well. So well it’s a problem.”

“Seems you’ve known Shy One for a long time.”

“By human reckoning, it’s a very long time, and by a dragon’s sense, it would be no more than a moment.”

“Compared to Shy One’s sense of time, we’re also creatures that live moderately and die.”

Elcoco interrupted.

“Shy One is a dragon? Dragons live longer than Grandma?”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Go take a walk for a moment.”

Two giant dogs burst out from underground. They were bigger than Elcoco.

Drooling, they charged at Elcoco.

“Kyaaa! Get away!”

Elcoco screamed while fleeing. Chased by the two dogs, Elcoco disappeared beyond the darkness.

“I heard it’s dangerous to go outside the blue line.”

“It’s inside my mind anyway. I can find her if I want to. I usually ignore it because it’s bothersome.”

Flan pointed at a chair beside the hammock.

“Come sit. My eyes are dim. It’s more comfortable to see up close.”

It was a languid voice. Quilbion sat in the chair holding the book.

“How did you know I was with Shy One? Looking at this book, it seems you knew before I came.”

“Smell.”

Flan sniffed. Long whiskers growing around the gleaming nose wiggled.

“The human brat, was it Ruki? That guy was covered with the smell. Then I got to hear your story.”

“I see. With just that nose, you could find Shy One even if he changed his appearance.”

“If he’s close, I can find him no matter where he hides. But because he’s so shy, he run away as soon as I find him. It’s a headache.”

The yellowed eyes blinked regretfully.

“Can you tell me Shy One’s name?”

“I like the saying about exchanging favors.”

“You humans are all calculating. Fine, I’ll also add a hand to that favor, so speak.”

Flan spoke while extending their plump hand.

“He’s currently using the name Winte.”

“Really? He’s still going around in that form pretending to be physical like you?”

So she recognize it after all.

Quilbion looked down at his body before speaking.

“I heard that when Winte’s main body awakens, something close to a disaster occurs.”

“Oh! Really?”

Flan put on special gloves. No, not gloves—prosthetic hands. Prosthetics with nimble fingers like a human’s instead of plump hands.

She gripped a pen with the prosthetics and scrawled writing on paper.

“I learned a new fact about Shy One. I’m very pleased.”

“Even if you meet Winte later, you must keep it secret that I told you.”

“Of course, of course. Naturally.”

Flan’s eyes curved, but it wasn’t very trustworthy.

“Now that you’ve solved one curiosity, will you solve my curiosity too?”

“You’re talking about your soul that hasn’t found its central point, right?”

“You see right away.”

“This is inside my mind. I can see everything that enters here inside and out. You’re, how should I say it, twisted in a truly bizarre way.”

“My life was twisted, and my heart ended up that way too—it’s sad.”

“Do you even know what sad is?”

Quilbion smiled faintly.

“I know that much.”

“Don’t forget too many things. For things displaced from time like you and me, the more we forget, the further we advance to a point of no return and finally become something terrible.”

“Is that why you’re recording all this?”

Quilbion looked around.

Before he knew it, the scenery had changed.

It was a beach where seawater rushed in.

On the beach, crabs were moving in lines, with storage compartments attached one by one to the crabs’ shells.

The moment he saw them, he knew.

That history was contained within those.

“Records are my entire life, my calling, and my purpose. We lose our reason for existence the moment we give up recording.”

“All of history must be here.”

“Not quite. What’s been collected here is only what I’ve seen or information conveyed to me.”

A wave covering the sky crashed down.

Quilbion quietly looked at the wave.

Even in the current pressing down on his body, Quilbion looked at Flan with both eyes open.

“You’re firm.”

“Rather than firm, I’m too broken. To the point where I no longer react to things like this.”

“Recognizing your own wounds is the first step of healing. You’ll remain human. Or become the most terrible thing.”

“Is there no middle ground? Like a monster that’s tolerably decent.”

“There isn’t. That’s how I see it.”

The wave that had swallowed everything receded with a refreshing sound.

Quilbion looked at the floor. He could see Elcoco passed out together with two dogs.

“If you establish the center of your mental world and solidify the foundation, your soul that lost its home will find its place.”

“Tell me the method.”

“Mm, the method.”

Quilbion spoke with a smile.

“Do you happen to know? That dragons like coffee best.”

“Oho! I learned about a favorite food.”

Flan scribbled happily.

He’d have to brew coffee with great care when he met Winte later.

“Ah, do you happen to know the word paparazzi?”

“I’ve heard it. Because it’s something Shy One often said when encountering us.”

“As expected, it’s not a very good meaning.”

“Probably a kind of curse.”

Flan laughed hehe.

“You’re a human who wandered too long outside human habits. Plus, I see traces in your soul of continuously traversing somewhere other than here.”

“You saw correctly.”

“So first, you need to build a foundation to settle.”

Flan perked up both ears and pointed at the passed-out Elcoco.

“Stay among humans. And reawaken that you’re human and recover your humanity. You don’t necessarily need to stick with that kid, so handle it yourself.”

“It’s a difficult yet easy method. For now, I’ll try blending into society as you advised. I have to stay here for a while anyway.”

“It won’t be easy. Retracing your steps back down a deviated path is subtly tricky.”

The rabbit blinked yellow eyes while asking a question.

“Ah, so when are you thinking of returning to the surface realm?”