‘It’s good that I have met you!’
Nick, who had unwittingly clenched his fist, groaned.
“Ouch…”
His hand, which had been scratched by a piece of ice yesterday, stung.
This kind of injury would heal in a day or two, but right now, Nick was in the body of a frail human child and had been wandering around the forest in the cold wind.
‘Human body is so uncomfortable.’
As Nick was about to lick the back of his hand out of habit, suddenly,=-
Thud.
“It’ll get infected.”
“…”
The Duke took out a clean handkerchief from his bosom and tied it around Nick’s hand.
“Don’t remove it.”
“Okay.”
“Let me teach you the rules.”
Duke Carlyle led Nick towards a makeshift racetrack.
Even though it was called a horse race, it was a game modified for children.
Unlike the real knights’ horse races where they charge with lances, the mock battle was just marking the start lines on either side.
Since the participants were children, not real knights, they rode small ponies, and the match was more of a contest of weight and agility than sheer power.
The rules were simple.
Start simultaneously from both lines and push the opponent off the horse or outside the designated track to win.
The problem was that the children of the county, led by Count Gruber’s eldest son, were far physically superior to the participants from other families.
“Did you understand?”
Nod-nod.
The Duke briefly explained to Nick how to ride a horse and the game rules. From afar, their interaction looked quite affectionate, but the conversation between them was oddly unique.
“You can at least keep balance on the saddle, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then stick to it. Don’t fall off.”
“Okay.”
“Any questions?”
“Yes, I have one…”
Lowering his voice, Nick asked earnestly:
“If no one sees, can I give him a lesson?”
The one Nick discreetly pointed at was Toby Gruber, the eldest son of Count Gruber.
Duke Carlyle raised an eyebrow as if surprised.
“Teach him a lesson?”
“He’s a bad human! He threw stones!”
Nick declared indignantly.
“He also said bad things!”
Actually, the one who falsely accused Nick of breaking a statue and insulted him was Anton, Toby’s younger brother.
But that human boy also tried to hit Nick with a wooden sword, so to Nick, it was the same thing.
Burning with the desire for revenge, Nick ratted them out, even lying.
“…”
“R-Really…”
Duke Carlyle, who was watching Nick intently, smiled gently, patting Nick’s head. Then he whispered softly,
“Behave like a human child.”
“…Y-Yes.”
He’s still scary.
* * *
“Please put on the protective gear.”
Before the game, the servants checked if the protective equipment was properly worn.
Meanwhile, Toby, the son of Count Gruber, who was glaring at Nick with a displeased look, suddenly asked:
“Hey, how old are you?”
Nick tilted his head.
“How old?”
“Your age!”
“Age?”
“…Are you joking!”
Toby got irritated, thinking he was being mocked.
Quickly, another boy explained to Nick:
“He’s asking how long since you were born…”
“Hmm.”
But Nick really didn’t know what age meant.
-Nix is only 10 months old, so even though he doesn’t know magic, It’s still okay.
Juliet had said something like that.
It was 10 months, not some years.
Nick stared at his hands very seriously.
Then, mimicking what Elliot once taught him about counting, he folded his fingers (Now that he had fingers, he could count).
One, two, three…
After seriously counting, Nick proudly stretched out all ten fingers.
“What? Ten years old?”
Toby snickered.
“Looks like Duke Carlyle has decided to lose.”
“Sending such a kid, he’ll probably make an excuse later saying he lost because of this little guy, right?”
The Gruber count’s boys laughed around Nick.
It indeed looked as if Duke Carlyle, to save face, had thrown in the young boy as a sacrifice.
“Don’t worry, little one.”
Toby smirked and tapped Nick’s head.
“I’ll make sure you feel it.”
“Line up, get ready!”
The flag bearer, acting as the referee, lifted the flag high and then forcefully lowered it. It was the signal to start the game.
* * *
The horse tournament, held in a tournament format, surprisingly proceeded swiftly in the first half.
“…The winner is Nick Hayon from the Duke’s side.”
Neither the referee nor Toby Gruber, who lay dumbfounded on the ground, could immediately grasp the situation.
“Wha… What just…”
“Well, looks like the match is settled.”
Only Duke Carlyle remained calm.
The Duke, with a refreshing look on his face, got up from his seat and helped Nix down from the horse.
“This is unbelievable! My son lost!”
Count Gruber, who had been gaping, stood up a beat late.
Count’s eldest son, Tobias, had lost to a kid who was half his size. In the finals!
“That kid just clung to the horse! He didn’t even swing his wooden sword!”
“Yes, that’s the rule too. Is it wrong?”
“Well… yes, but…”
Count Gruber’s face crumpled.
The assistants of the ducal family breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Duke, who seemed pleased.
‘He really hated losing.’
‘It’s a relief he won.‘
There wasn’t much more to it.
Nix sat well on the bucking horse, skillfully dodging the opponent’s attacks as the Duke had taught him.
Until the finals, Nix’s opponents were eliminated in the same pattern.
He underestimated the small-sized Nix, swung his wooden swords aggressively, and lost his balance, falling off the horses.
“How, how did…”
Toby Gruber, who delivered a powerful strike and fell off the horse, murmured in a daze.
Of course, Toby, who narrowly missed clashing with Nix’s wooden sword, felt that Nix’s reaction speed was unusual.
But from a distance, the audience simply thought the small kid was surprisingly agile.
Count Gruber looked unsatisfied, but he couldn’t find any fault.
In the end, Count Gruber had no choice but to accept defeat.
Duke Carlyle, holding Nix, handed him the prize for the horse match, which was elegantly placed on a velvet cushion.
“It’s yours.”
‘Mine!’
Nix’s eyes sparkled with joy upon finally holding the crystal flower.
The large flower made of magic crystal shimmered mesmerizingly.
Moreover, Onyx, who could sense strong magic, detected a sweet aroma.
Comparing it with the red paper flower Juliet received in the morning, Nix felt confident.
‘This is much bigger, cooler, and shinier!’
Juliet would undoubtedly praise it.
As Nix was gleefully pondering, a large, well-shaped hand caressed his head.
“Well done.”
Startled, Nix looked up at the Duke. His cold gaze was the same, but his lips were warmer.
Nix, feeling awkward where the Duke touched him, asked:
“…Did I do well?”
“Yes.”
Huh.
‘I got praised.’
It felt strange. This was the first time someone other than Juliet had complimented him.
Nix, covering his mouth with the large crystal brooch, giggled.
“Then, by the way…”
Nix gathered his courage and tugged on the Duke’s sleeve.
“I also want that.”
That?
What Nix pointed at was none other than Count Gruber’s aide. He held a large, colorful quill and a portable writing instrument.
“A writing instrument?”
Nod.
“I… I’ll give it to you!”
The quick-witted aide of the targeted Count Gruber immediately offered the writing instrument.
“Hehe.”
Nix, having acquired the quill and paper set, was fully satisfied. He seemed particularly fond of the large piece of paper.
Duke Carlyle watched the joyfully flustering Nix and suddenly asked:
“Where’s your thank you?”
“Th… Thank you.”
As Nix mumbled, Duke Carlyle smiled and gently poked the chubby cheek of the child.
“You should speak politely.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Being cautious, Nix nodded, clutching the writing instrument and magic tool in both hands.
Regardless of the actual conversation, from a distance, they looked heartwarming to the observers.
“…”
Not only the vassals who knew the Duke’s temperament, but even Count Gruber who had been embarrassed from losing a bet, were at a loss for words.
“Was Duke Carlyle always that kind to children?”
“No, who is that child? Is he possibly the Duke’s illegitimate son?”
“But he doesn’t have red eyes, right?”
“Hmm, well… His Highness is indeed very generous.”
The knights of the Duchy tried hard to maintain a neutral expression. However, Nix, who occasionally glanced at Duke Carlyle, thought.
‘Still, he’s a bit scary…’