Since there was no way Morpha would do something that could harm Varen, I held my breath and watched. The light that had started at the crown of Varen’s head spread until it covered his entire body.
And a moment later, in the place where a large, long-haired blond man in his early twenties had been, an unfamiliar child was sitting.
“Now then. At this point, no matter who looks, he’s not a large man, is he?”
My mouth—and Kallen’s and Margon’s—fell open as wide as it could. None of us could react, struck dumb.
Then the kid—no, Varen—shot to his feet.
“Morpha! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Varen had become a child who didn’t even reach my waist. His hair was no longer bright gold, but a faded brown cut short to his jaw. And his face—round eyes, nose, and mouth, cheeks red like apples—looked about eight years old.
Morpha shrugged and snorted.
“Would you prefer the appearance of an old man? It will be more inconvenient than you think.”
“Change me back right now!”
“A child’s appearance is best for avoiding suspicion. Trust me.”
“I told you I don’t need it! Change me back right now, or I’ll kill you!”
Even Varen’s voice had become that of an eight-year-old. He was raging like fire, but he sounded like a chirping chick.
I stayed frozen, unable to react at all, when child-Varen glanced at me. Everything about him had changed, but his sea-blue eyes were the same.
In that moment, I was absolutely sure it was Varen. His tiny face flushed bright red as he spoke in a voice that seemed to crawl away.
“Ceryl, don’t look. This is embarrassing....”
I had tried to be responsible for children before. Tried to protect them.
But I’d never had a history of finding babies cute in my entire life. I’d loved animals more than babies.
And yet—whether it was the Varen buff, or that doll-like face—the kid in front of me shattered my tastes and kicked my dignity straight off a cliff.
“Aaah! He’s cute!!”
“W-what....”
“Come here! What is this—he’s so cute?!”
Even if I got up on my knees, I was still taller than Varen. I spread my arms wide and pulled him into a hug, and his small frame fit easily inside my arms with room to spare.
My breathing started to quicken, the way it had the first time I’d hugged a dragon’s tail.
“Hhk—huh... he’s cute. He’s so cute....”
The kid who had been wriggling in my arms gradually relaxed. Then, with tiny arms, he clung tightly around my waist and rested his head against my shoulder.
No matter where I touched, his soft body nestled into me as if it had been made to fit. He tilted his face up, hope filling those blue eyes, and asked.
“Ceryl, am I cute?”
“.......”
Varen had said those words once before. It had been cute even coming from that huge body—so hearing it from this child made my heart drop with a thud.
What was I supposed to do with this. Would biting those plump cheeks full of baby fat make me feel better.
As I seriously debated it, a trembling voice came from the side.
“B-baby, come he—. Come to your sister....”
It was Kallen, her eyes just as wild as mine. She waved both hands, calling child-Varen to her.
Behind her, Margon stood with a shaggy beard, the corners of his mouth twitching. Even without saying a word, his deep-lidded eyes were coveting child-Varen.
At their reactions, Varen recoiled in disgust and burrowed deeper into my arms. A sharp thrill surged through me, like a butler who’d been chosen.
Only for a moment.
“...Varen is Varen.”
He looked like he ought to smell like powder, but when I held him close, that distinctive body scent that made me feel steady was unchanged.
At my mutter, Varen jerked his head up and met my eyes. That familiar look made me smile without thinking.
“Ceryl, what do you mean? You didn’t recognize me?”
“Haha. As if.”
It made the thought I’d always had whenever I looked into his eyes feel certain.
No matter what Varen became, I’d be able to recognize him just by his eyes.
***
I tried not to tense up, but the closer our turn got, the more sweat gathered in my palms.
Morpha cast appearance-altering magic on the humans as well. They changed our clothing from Dravergh’s luxurious, silk-like garments into stiff, rough work clothes.
And all four of us ended up with the same brown hair as Varen. Our eye colors were different, but at a glance we looked like a family.
Kallen, at an age where appearance mattered most, seemed displeased and kept fussing with her brown hair.
After we finished preparing, we got in line at the checkpoint. As I swallowed hard and waited, Margon—frozen stiff—muttered to himself.
“Margon Crow. Hometown, Riberto. Job, hunter. Brother’s name, Treon....”
“Margon, be quiet. They’ll hear you.”
“Y-yes... Margon Crow. Hometown, Riberto....”
It was improvised false information, but it seemed like too much for Margon—an original-grade idiot—to memorize.
I’d put him in charge since he looked the oldest, but his pale, rigid face didn’t inspire much confidence.
Finally, it was our turn. Two guards stood at the checkpoint with sharp eyes.
“Name. Affiliation.”
“...M-Margon Crow. Hometown is Ribe—Riberto....”
“I said tell me your affiliation, idiot.”
At the guard’s voice, dripping with irritation, Margon sucked in a short breath. When even his thick shoulders jumped, the two guards’ eyes turned cold.
I quickly wedged myself between Margon and the guards.
“Margon Crow, from Riberto. I’m his nephew, Harry Crow.”
The guard looked me up and down with a crooked stare. I smiled as harmlessly as I could, acting like nothing was wrong.
“We’ve come to take a boat. My maternal grandfather in Salkra is having a birthday.”
“...Affiliation.”
“I help out at a grocery shop, and my uncle is a hunter. As you can see, he’s not good at dealing with people.”
The guard nodded and looked at Margon. Margon flinched again, then added his weight to my lie.
The other man flicked his gaze over the rest of us and asked, tossing the words out.
“The kids?”
“They’re my siblings. Guys, introduce yourselves.”
To the eye, we were a nineteen-year-old second daughter, a fifteen-year-old third son, and an eight-year-old youngest. An absurdly perfect set of four siblings.
Kallen and Morpha smoothly gave their aliases.
“I’m Kare Crow.”
“I’m Modi Crow.”
And the eight-year-old youngest said nothing. He puffed out his lips and stared at the ground.
The guard bent at the waist and examined Varen’s face. No matter what, he wouldn’t look like a handsome man in his early twenties, but my throat tightened with tension.
“Can’t he talk?”
“Ah... our youngest is shy around strangers.”
I clenched and shook the tiny fist that fit in one hand. But Varen stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
The longer the silence dragged, the more sweat prickled down my back. My awkward smile was so forced my mouth nearly started twitching.
“Haha—ha... Berry Crow, you have to answer. Come on?”
I looked down at child-Varen, acting the part of a kind eldest brother. When he finally lifted his head, his young face was full of grievance.
He looked cute and adorable, but I ground my teeth and murmured.
“Come on?”
Varen shot me a glare with round eyes, then pouted those tiny lips. After that, he let out an age-inappropriate sigh so deep it felt like it would cave the ground in, and lowered his head as if resigned.
“...Yes, brother.”
“Ahaha. Our baby’s just scared, that’s all. Ahahaha!”
I hurriedly scooped Varen up into my arms. With his bottom perched on my forearm, Varen wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face.
The guard snorted a laugh and handed out travel permits one by one. I took Varen’s share too, stuffed them into my pocket, and passed through the checkpoint.
Watching the guards recede, Varen whispered so only I could hear.
“I’m going to kill them all....”
It didn’t match his adorable voice at all.
***
Bellorian, a commercial city, was packed with people. It was basically a marketplace in itself.
Child-Varen’s pride was wounded, and he demanded I put him down, but he could barely take a step in the crush of adults. He was glaring hard and grinding his teeth, so before he used magic, I quickly °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° hoisted him up again.
Even if he’d become a kid, carrying around a Varen who weighed around thirty kilograms was hard. My arms were trembling, and Margon held out his hands—but.
“I’d rather burn the entire city down than let that bastard hold me.”
At that sweet, murderous little voice, I decided to find my strength.
As we walked through the busiest part of the street, Morpha came to me and whispered low.
“I’ll scout for a moment. I’ll come find you where Lord Varen is, so don’t move rashly.”
Before I could answer, Morpha—in the form of a boy—moved away. A few people brushed past, and in the blink of an eye, I saw the back of a tall guard. That innate ability to change shape was useful in every way.
I hitched Varen up again as he kept sliding down. Right then, something hanging on a stall caught my eye.
“Baby, want me to buy you candy?”
“...No.”
