TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
Join the discord! Here
Ian quickly realized this stranger was Sephina.
'Her face is a mess.'
Giants had many similarities to humans.
Meaning just a bit of intuition was enough to judge if they were well or not.
Anyone could see Sephina wasn't doing well.
"[That's enough, stop now.]""[Sephina...]"
"[And Sephius.]"
Sephina approached Sephius then.
Wham!
"???"
Threw a full-force giant punch!
Ian jumped in surprise. The punch's power was no joke.
Shit, didn't that crack his skull?!
But only the humans like Ian were startled.
Not one giant was disturbed, all staying calm.
In giant society, that level of punch clearly meant nothing.
"I-Ian! That giant's bleeding from his head?!"
"..."
Sephius stood up without even wiping the blood flowing from his forehead.
It was clearly no? big? deal.
"[Sister! Calm down and listen to me!]"
"[Shut up. Who told you to secretly take humans? And you almost castrated them too.]"
"[...]"
"[You said you had no choice but planned to force a new human on me.]"
Sephius was silent for a moment then said:
"[Yes. That was my plan.]"
"[Sephius!]"
"[But sister, think about it! After Henry died, look how broken you became!]"
"[You think about it! What would change by bringing new humans?! Could a new human replace Henry?!]"
Sephina's emotions must have overwhelmed her as tears started falling.
"Ian. Those giants are talking too fast..."
"She's asking if raising a new human could replace the one she used to raise."
Ian translated the giants' conversation for Elia.
Elia quietly stroked her chin as if thinking.
"Actually, I had a dog at home when I was young."
Not a story Ian could relate to.
If Ian's home had animals, they would've immediately been boiled for meat.
Being a duke's daughter, of course Elia could elegantly raise dogs at home.
"It was Father's hunting dog. It was good with humans so we often played together."
"What happened to that dog?"
"It died. Its side burst open during a boar hunt."
"..."
Ian flinched slightly but thought, well that's how it goes.
This was medieval times. Stories of dying in fights were incredibly common.
A cruel death, but death was naturally cruel.
"It was a brave hunting dog."
"Yeah. Father really cherished that dog..."
Elia shrugged.
"He bought a new dog later, but I couldn't get close to it. It was completely different from the dead one."
Though he'd never raised animals, Ian sympathized with Elia's words.
Once you get attached to an animal, nothing can replace it.
It becomes a completely special, one-of-a-kind family member.
Sephius thought Sephina would regain her cheerfulness if she raised a new human but.
That was Sephius's delusion.
Sephina didn't want to raise a new human.
She was just suffering because she couldn't let Henry go.
"Hoho. Ian. How about helping that giant?"
"...Where are you speaking from, Professor."
Just as he heard Demonite's voice somewhere.
Lo and behold, he popped out of Sephina's basket?
Wait, when did he come with Sephina?!
Ian looked at Demonite in disbelief.
At first he'd seemed like a black wizard organization's spy but...
The more he saw, the more he seemed like a normal wizard.
That is, normally insane, right?
'Is this why other professors didn't suspect Demonite?'
Being naturally strange, everyone probably just accepted it when Demonite killed Black Wizard Pals too.
"Well. Honestly, I don't really want to get friendly with hill giants."
Ian said reluctantly.
Though hill giants were gentle beings who greatly liked humans.
There was an inexplicable discomfort about them raising humans like animals.
Sephina's brother Sephius had even tried to castrate the boy, hadn't he?
Even if he planned to make a new pet-human for his sister.
That was absolutely beyond what Ian could understand.
"Of course, since Ian has built friendship with Drake, you probably don't need other familiars."
'...That's not what I meant.'
"This is my personal request. I want to see Ian solve problems with magic."
Demonite said with a smile.
"More precisely, I want to observe your magic."
"My magic?"
"Watching the fire magic you showed with Professor Eredith convinced me. There's something special about your magic. I'd like to confirm that in summoning too."
Ian stared quietly at Demonite.
Using magic wasn't difficult.
But Demonite's intense interest in Ian's magic was hard to understand.
Did he simply want to see Ian's magic?
Or... did he have some other intention?
'He's so crazy it's hard to guess.'
"Though I hesitate to call it payment, if you solve that giant's problem, I'll teach you an interesting magic."
"Interesting magic?"
"Yes. You'll surely find it fascinating."
Demonite looked straight at Ian and said:
"You especially."
Ian shrugged.
No point giving himself a headache thinking about it.
"Fine. It's not difficult anyway."
"...? Not difficult?"
Elia, who'd been listening to the two wizards' conversation, started slightly in surprise.
The problem Sephina suffered seemed extremely complex to Elia.
Well... this was about eternal separation.
How could you comfort someone suffering from loss?
Yet Ian casually said 'it's not a difficult problem.'
Elia couldn't even guess what magic Ian would use.
But Ian had a definite answer.
A special answer only a wizard could give.
"Professor. You must keep your promise."
"Hohoho. Of course."
Ian straightened his collar and approached Sephina.
#
Sephina found it hard to control her complicated emotions.
'Stupid fool.'
She'd just finished beating her brother.
It would be a lie to say she felt good.
'I'll never see Henry again.'
Her companion-human Henry had already gone to heaven.
Her beloved family was gone but she still had to live tomorrow.
That simple fact was agonizingly painful.
"[Apologize to the humans. And take responsibility by returning them where they came from.]"
"[...Alright. Sister.]"
Sephius said glumly.
The chief watched the siblings with sympathetic eyes.
He wanted to somehow lighten their hearts' burden but...
This wasn't a problem the chief could help with.
Though giants had mighty strength, separation wasn't something strength could solve.
Still, the chief couple tried to comfort Sephina somehow.
Just then.
"[Sorry to interrupt but.]"
"[...Human?]"
The black-haired human boldly stepped between the giants and spoke.
All the giants' attention focused instantly.
No giant was angry about the black-haired human, Ian, interrupting.
Well... because he was cute.
"[I might be able to slightly lighten Sephina's heart's burden.]"
"[What?!]"
The giants were shocked.
He could solve Sephina's troubles?
Though it seemed impossible at first glance, there was still possibility.
Ian's appearance was cute enough to win the giants' hearts!
If this human voluntarily offered to live with Sephina...!
"[Sephina! What do you think!]"
"[Wh-what?]"
"[About this human!]"
The excited chief suddenly picked Ian up.
Right away he lifted Ian-
"[W-wait a moment!]"
Ian shouted but the chief didn't even pretend to hear.
He just couldn't hear anything!
The chief firmly believed Ian wanted to live with Sephina.
So this is... what they call selection(?)!
"[First this black hair! Isn't this color rare these days!]"
Human coloring(?) was an important issue.
Now that the Golden Empire was gone, black hair was extremely rare!
Plus points for rarity.
"[And this cute face!]"
The chief thrust Ian's face at Sephina.
Meeting a giant's face less than 1 meter away, Ian... just felt like his heart would stop.
The giant's face was incredibly fierce looking.
"[Look! Isn't he so adorable!]"
Below, Elia burst out laughing.
Ian immediately glared at her.
Hey- just because it's not about her, she's laughing like that?!
"It's true! Our Ian is cute!"
"...I'll deal with you later."
For now, Ian waved to make a good impression on Sephina.
Sephina made a heart-fluttering(?) expression.
'This is ridiculous. Really.'
How did giants' aesthetic sense even work?
"[H-he is cute... but... not enough to replace Henry.]"
Sephina wavered briefly but.
Still thought raising another human wasn't right.
If she raised a human to forget the pain of loss-
Inevitably, another pain of loss would come.
"[I don't want special treatment from the chief again.]"
"[...I see.]"
The chief awkwardly put Ian down.
Ian sighed and said to the chief.
"[Chief. Don't you understand yet? Raising a new human won't help Sephina.]"
"[Y-yes... I was just impatient...]"
Then Sephina looked at Ian with curious eyes.
Though he looked small and weak on the outside, just a handsome human-
He said he could lighten her heart's burden.
Could that really be possible?
But then, Ian lightly snapped his fingers.
Pitch black darkness appeared, responding to Ian's will.
Sephius, hit with PTSD, screamed.
"Ahhhhh!"
"[What's wrong? Sephius?]"
Ignoring Sephius, Ian spoke directly to Sephina.
"[Let me introduce myself to the giants. I am Ian, Eredith's disciple, a wizard.]"
"[A wizard...?]"
"[As you can see, I can communicate with mysteries.]"
Communication with mysteries.
Sephina didn't know what that meant.
But...
Judging from her brother's intense reaction and the ability to handle pitch black darkness.
This human was absolutely not ordinary.
"[...So?]"
To Sephina's question, Ian answered with a smile.
"[I will create an opportunity for you to have a final conversation with the human called Henry.]"
"[...!]"
Sephina covered her mouth.
Her heart beat strongly.
It had since the word "Henry" left Ian's lips.
Could it be...
Was he saying she could meet dead Henry again?
Really?
"[How is that... meeting a dead human! That's impossible!]"
Sephina denied it but.
Ian quietly refuted:
"[No. It's possible.]"
"[...]"
"[For wizards, nothing is impossible.]"
Sephina could barely contain her surging heart.
If she could really, really meet Henry one more time...
Her heart's burden would become much lighter.
"[What... what do I need to do?]"
When Sephina asked, Ian lightly snapped his fingers.
The black darkness scattered like a lie.
"[First, let's go to your house.]"
The giants watched Ian, at a loss for words.
---
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter