“Uncle…?”

“I thought it was a ball of cotton, turns out it’s the little one.”

“…But it couldn’t have been a ball of cotton in the first place.”

“Well, since you’re so tiny, you don’t look any different.”

“Tsk.”

Leciel’s lips twitched at the familiarly annoying voice.

For a moment, she let herself shed the tears she had been holding back, realizing that he truly had awakened.

A wave of relief washed over her as the emotions she had been suppressing burst out all at once.

“Little one?”

Kael was perplexed, caught off guard by the sudden tears as he looked at her.

But only for a moment.

Though he didn’t know why Leciel was crying, seeing the small child tearfully weeping made his heart ache.

He couldn’t help but feel sorry for the child, to the point where he doubted if he had ever been so affectionate before.

With that, Kael slowly rose and approached Leciel. Then he simply embraced her.

Nestled in his arms, Leciel cried even harder.

Hearing his voice already brought tears gushing out from her eyes like a broken faucet, and being held like this only made her feel even more sorrowful.

“Sob … Uncle.”

Unaware of what was making her so sad, Leciel simply clutched onto Kael’s clothes with one hand and let out her sobs.

How terrified she was.

And how scared she was.

And how sorry and worried she was.

It all felt like her fault, and she felt terrible about herself.

“Ha. You said you’re not a kid, but I guess I can’t call you a baby either.”

Kael wasn’t very skilled at comforting.

Since his son, who had been surprisingly mature from birth, rarely cried, he hadn’t had many occasions to comfort a crying child.

But seeing the child clinging to him as if he was her only salvation, he wanted to console her somehow, even if it meant resorting to his usual snark.

“Huh, I’m not a baby.”

“Then I suppose ‘kid’ is accurate.”

“But I’m not a kid.”

“Well, you look like a kid to me.”

“Why do you think I’m a kid?”

Even as she cried, Leciel steadfastly countered Kael’s words.

“Well, I’ll have to take a closer look.”

Cael carefully lifted Leciel’s face buried in his chest.

And there, he saw her swollen, red eyes.

“You’re definitely not a kid.”

“Naturally!”

“Your puffy eyes look like steamed buns.”

Even her lips, tightly sealed to hold back her tears, had become plump.

Despite his teasing tone, Kael’s gaze held concern in it.

She had been a child full of laughter.

Occasionally, she would wear a gloomy expression, perhaps feeling regretful and disappointed at the thought of him leaving, but overall, she was overflowed with energy. Her clear smile and lively spirit were infectious to those around her.

Seeing her cry like this was unexpected.

What could possibly be so sad and heartbreaking?

Her hand, which seemed like it would detach with just a little force, held an intense longing and urgency.

“Heek, it’s not true.”

With her face held in Kael’s hands, Leciel shook her head in denial.

“So why were you crying?”

Was there something that had happened while he was asleep?

For it to make a child as resilient as herself cry like this, it couldn’t have been something trivial.

“…Because you, because you…”

As she tried to answer, Leciel burst into tears again.

Thinking about how she felt hearing his painful groans and moans, Leciel suddenly felt even more sorrowful.

“Yeah, what about me? Did I accidentally hit you while half-asleep or something?”

Kael asked with a hint of jest.

“…I’d rather you hit me than be in pain….”

With tear-filled eyes, Leciel spoke, clinging to Kael as she spoke earnestly.

“…am I sick?”

At Kael’s question, Leciel nodded in response.

“That’s strange.”

“What?”

“It’s because my condition is too good for me to be in pain.”

Like someone who had been sleep-deprived for a long time finally getting a good night’s sleep, his body felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

It was the first time he had felt this light and comfortable.

“Does that mean I’m lying now? I was so worried. What if something happened to you? Even though it’s unlikely, what if you…died…how worried I was… woo.”

As she spoke, Leciel burst into loud sobs.

Although Kael was perfectly fine now, seeing him express no concern for her feelings as he laughed as if nothing had happened made her feel unjust and angry.

“There’s no way. A kid who can’t speak empty words wouldn’t lie.”

Somehow, it seemed that the more he spoke, the more she cried, and Kael, feeling perplexed by the situation, tried to comfort Leciel gently.

His feelings were somewhat complicated.

While it was true that he felt perfectly fine despite appearing to be sick, Leciel wouldn’t lie to him, as she had said.

And there was no reason for her to lie in the first place. Furthermore, if it was a lie, she wouldn’t be so sad as to make her cry like this.

So, even though he didn’t know, it was true that he had been sick.

But even if that was the case, was it really something worth crying about?

From Kael’s perspective, it was incomprehensible that a child would cry so sorrowfully just because he was sick.

They had only spent a few days together.

They didn’t know much about each other, and they had only exchanged small, insignificant conversations.

It was only a fleeting connection.

Anyway, it was meant to be a fleeting encounter, something akin to the passing wind, never to be seen again once he left the monster forest.

Even if, as Leciel feared, his sickness was so severe that he would eventually die, it wasn’t worth shedding such precious tears.

Their relationship wasn’t deep enough, nor were they that close.

If it was him, he would have accepted it, thinking it was fate.

Although his heart ached a little, he wasn’t warm-hearted enough to shed tears for someone’s death unrelated to him, nor was he affectionate enough to waste emotions on something without gain.

But Leciel was different.

Despite appearing mature on the outside, she was still like a child.

No, not all children were like Leciel.

“Are you that sad?”

“Of course… you’re a special and precious person to me, uncle.”

Kael looked at her with a complex expression in response to Leciel’s answer.

He knew the child followed him unusually well.

Rather than being cautious of the stranger she met for the first time, she was just glad and fond of him.

It was understandable since she hadn’t seen people while staying here.

But the child seemed to hold more affection for him than he had thought.

Was it because the child was soft-hearted? Or was it because the child felt much loneliness?

Perhaps it was both.

Thinking so made his heart heavy.

Could he really leave the child alone here?

Could the child manage well after he left?

Even though they had only been together for a few days, the child held a significant place in his heart.

But would the child withstand a time longer than two years, perhaps several times or even dozens of times longer?

Until now, he had only thought that the child had lived a difficult life so far; He hadn’t considered anything beyond that.

Leaving the child alone bothered him, but he hadn’t thought about it in detail.

He just thought she would have to stay here a bit longer, that it would be tough. That was all he thought.

But now, seeing the child burst into tears because he was sick, he couldn’t help but think about it even though he didn’t want to.

Kael knew.

The fact that the child was deliberately showing only a bright side in front of him.

She was afraid that if she showed even a slight hint of regret or disappointment, it would burden him. So, she tried not to show a dark expression in front of him.

The child had been suppressing her feelings to that extent.

But now, she was expressing her emotions without reservation.

That meant the depth of the child’s feelings was exceptionally great.

So, he had to make a decision now.

Whether to take the child with him or leave her here.

He couldn’t delay the decision anymore.

Now, it was really the time to leave.

Although he hadn’t checked yet, it seemed like his wounds from the monster had completely healed. That meant there was no reason to stay here anymore.

“It’s not good to trust people recklessly.”

Especially when the child didn’t know who he was.

What his real name was, and what his status was.

“I’m not trusting anyone, I’m trusting you. It’s not because you’re the first person I meet, but because it’s you.”

Of course, it was true that the fact that he was the first person she met in two years affected her emotions.

But would she have given her heart like this to someone else if it wasn’t him?

She couldn’t be sure.

She would comply every time he asked for something even though it was annoying to her.

She subtly drew a line as if he was a person unrelated to her, but she took care of him in her own way.

Even if it was just a little sympathy and compassion, he gave her what she wanted the most.

It meant a lot to her.

“…I trust you.”

Muttering Leciel’s answer, Kael looked at her seriously.

Despite the fact that she had been crying so hard just a moment ago, Leciel was looking at Kael with a gaze straighter than ever.

Her answer and gaze.

The meaning contained in them was by no means shallow or small.

It was a phrase full of meaning as if saying he was special.

Because it was Kael, because it was him.

Because it was himself.

So, he had to respond to the emotions the child sent him.

Sincerely and genuinely.

Lie for a lie.

Hostility for hostility.

Kindness for kindness.

Especially if that kindness was true kindness that didn’t expect any reward or compensation, if it was something granted only to him, how could he turn it away?

So, just as he became the only existence for the child, he decided to regard the child as the only existence for him.

Until now, and probably in the future, he was certain that Leciel would be the only one to receive such kindness from him.

He had no desire to extend such kindness to anyone else.

With that, Kael made a decision he had been postponing.

While Kael was lost in thought, Leciel, who had calmed her emotions in his embrace, got up as if nothing had happened.

Then, she naturally began to prepare a meal.

Although Kael tried to help her, Leciel refused.

Even though he had recovered, she didn’t want to ask something from someone who had been sick just a while ago.

Eventually, Kael reluctantly stepped back.

After a while, the meal preparation was completed. Leciel and Kael naturally sat facing each other and started eating.

As the meal was about to end, Kael slowly opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Do you have any intention of leaving the forest with me?”