Side Story 11
After the chocolate jam toast swept through like a storm, the dining table was completely devastated. Bael, not satisfied with the two pieces of toast Set had initially given him, had started to toast bread and spread jam on it himself.
The chocolate jam toast was so amazing that even Bael, who hated thinking deeply more than anyone, was compelled to learn how to use a toaster. Along with him, Isquis, who had been hungry all day, also began to eat toast like crazy, so their meal only ended around one in the morning.
Of course, while they were eating so enthusiastically, Set had returned home but hadn’t touched even a sip of water yet.
“Your Excellency, um, please eat something while you wait…”
“Ji-ho!”
Set’s voice rose sharply at the end. Isquis, who had already filled his stomach with toast, belatedly put toast on a plate and was bringing it to Set when his shoulders shook at the sudden outburst.
“Ji-ho isn’t coming…”
“Y-yes…? It’s already almost one in the morning. Is he planning not to come home at all today?”
“…Not coming home?”
Set muttered with a face that had turned deathly pale. The thought that Yeon Ji-ho wouldn’t come home was something he had never even imagined. Normally, Yeon Ji-ho preferred staying at home rather than going out, so unless Seho and Set suggested going out, it was natural for him to remain at home.
Moreover, Set focused even more on the fact that Yeon Ji-ho wasn’t coming home during the “night.” What on earth could an adult man be doing out at night? The more Set imagined, the more his complexion alternated between turning deathly pale and dark.
It was when Set’s heart had sunk that the space above their heads tore open.
“Hu, huuuwaaaaah! Hu, mama, mama, mamaaaa!”
“Here! We’re here! Young Master, we’ve returned to the house where Mama is!”
Even before anyone appeared through the torn space, crying that struck their ears arrived first. It was Seho, sobbing and calling for his mama, and Apophis, who was sweating profusely trying to comfort him.
“Apophis? What? How did you get here?”
“Never mind that! Here!”
“What are you suddenly—oof!”
As soon as his feet touched the floor, Apophis immediately handed Seho over to Isquis, who was closest. But Seho, peeking up to see Isquis’s face, seemed to realize this wasn’t the mama he was looking for and once again his eyes welled up with tears.
Looking like he might burst into tears at any moment, Isquis didn’t know what to do. But somehow, having stayed by Yeon Ji-ho’s side and learned how to handle children, he started what’s known as the “airplane” while lifting and lowering Seho. At the same time, he glared at Apophis who had given him this ordeal.
“I had no choice! Damn it, I used up all my mana to get here, so I can barely stand—*cough*.”
Apophis barely covered his mouth, unable to suppress the cough that erupted. For good reason—he had spent the day firing off every impressive spell he could perform to entertain Seho while looking after him.
Moreover, when bedtime came and Seho showed no signs of stopping his tears no matter what magic was shown to him, Apophis finally made the decision to teleport with Seho from New York to Korea. Of course, it was something that required enormous amounts of mana, so now Apophis didn’t even have the strength left to stand.
“Up, up and away! Young Master Seho, how about it! An airplane after so long!”
“Hu, hiccup. Huuuwaaaaah! Mama! Mama!”
Despite Isquis’s attempts at playing airplane, Seho was busy looking for his mama rather than enjoying it as he usually would. It seemed that being separated from Yeon Ji-ho for almost the first time since birth had greatly startled him.
Finally, even Set, who had been in a daze nearby, came to his senses due to Seho’s crying. He approached Isquis and carefully took Seho in his arms.
“Seho.”
“Papa…?”
Seho, who had seemed unlikely to stop crying no matter what trick was performed, ceased his scream-like crying when he confirmed Set’s face. But he was still hiccupping, so it seemed like he might start crying again if anything went wrong.
“…Seho, do you miss Mama?”
“Yeah, yeah… Mama, where’s Mama?”
Set tightly closed his eyes looking at Seho searching for Yeon Ji-ho. Then, without realizing it, he muttered to Seho:
“Mama has disappeared.”
“…Huh?”
“Ji-ho, my Ji-ho won’t come back…”
Isquis and Apophis, who were watching them, let out quiet groans. Set, having lost Yeon Ji-ho, was not in his right mind. He needed to comfort himself first, rather than immediately comforting Seho.
Before Apophis and Isquis could urgently cover Seho’s ears, Seho seemed to understand the situation and turned his head quickly from side to side. And as if realizing that Yeon Ji-ho wasn’t here, he raised his chin high.
At the same time, tears burst forth. It was a much louder cry than before, incomparable in magnitude. Seho, born as a magician, had the habit of resonating his cries with mana, which made it painful to the ears.
“Hey.”
Amid Set who had lost his mind, the useless Apophis, and Isquis, a single voice flowed through.
“Hic, hiccup, huuuuh…”
“Hey.”
Thinking that Seho hadn’t heard his voice, he called again. This time, Seho’s ears twitched. As Seho, with tears in his eyes, turned his head slightly while still in Set’s arms, there stood Bael, leaning slightly and looking in their direction.
“…Who are you?”
Seho seemed confused by the unfamiliar face and naturally stopped crying. He nestled further into his papa Set’s arms, wriggling slightly. Of course, he was still curiously peeking at Bael with just his eyes showing.
Bael strode purposefully toward Seho. Normally, those who knew Bael’s personality would have stepped in to stop him first, but Apophis and Isquis would have gladly made a deal with the devil if only the young master would stop crying. Finally, Bael arrived behind Set’s back and in front of Seho’s eyes.
“You’re noisy.”
“…Hmph.”
“Stop crying.”
Bael raised his long finger and tapped Seho’s white forehead. It looked like a very gentle tap, but even that seemed too much as Seho’s forehead began to turn red.
Apophis and Isquis naturally expected Seho to burst into tears again. How sad must he be, getting hit when he was already upset about his mama being gone?
“Hee.”
But surprisingly, Seho smiled with tears still in his eyes. Then he emerged from Set’s shoulder and demanded to be transferred to Bael’s arms. Before Set could grab him, Seho moved into Bael’s arms of his own accord.
“Mister, who are you?”
“…”
“Who are you? Papa’s friend?”
“…”
Three-year-old Seho began bombarding Bael with questions, using all the words he knew. Bael, who suddenly found himself holding a child, awkwardly supported Seho’s bottom and made eye contact with the child.
Small lips, round nose bridge, eyes sparkling with tears. Bael took it all in with his eyes.
At that moment, as if enchanted by someone, Bael responded:
“Not… a friend.”
“No? No? Then who are you?”
“What’s it to you?”
Bael replied with an unfriendly attitude, but Seho paid no mind and kept asking questions. Apophis and Isquis were shocked by the two of them.
To them, Bael was closer to a beast than a person, and they had never even imagined him having a proper conversation with someone who wasn’t part of the knights. Moreover, the sight of Bael affectionately holding a three-year-old baby was so startling it was frightening.
While the two of them were reacting this way, Seho continued to ask Bael various questions. Finally, tired of the questions, Bael was the one to ask first this time.
“…Who are you?”
“Me?”
Yeon Seho extended his chubby, short arms and tightly hugged Bael’s thick neck. Then, with a broad grin, he exclaimed:
“Yeon Seho!”
At that moment, seeing Yeon Seho’s brightly smiling face as he said this, Bael felt as if the three syllables “Yeon Seho” were being driven into his chest like a stake. Perhaps along with the unpleasant premonition that he would never forget that name until his death.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Uhh… what’s happening?