TPFR 05

Chapter 5

Rosien gently wiped the water from the tops of Prim’s feet and dried them with his hand like a fan.

Then, following Prim’s gaze, he looked at the bouquet and suddenly shouted,

“Hey! Prim! Look at your hands, too.”

“Ah, these are fine.”

“They’re not fine at all!”

Rosien stared at Prim’s hands, which were covered in little scratches from rose thorns. He opened his mouth wide, glanced at the bouquet once, then swallowed whatever he had been about to say and changed the subject.

“…Did you do this because you wanted to make this?”

“Yeah.”

“I see… Still, wait just a little next time. You know I’ll come as soon as you call me.”

“It’s okay. They’ll all heal by nighttime anyway.”

Her curse would never allow her to develop calluses.

“That’s not the point.”

Still grumbling, Rosien checked that all the blood had been washed from Prim’s feet before turning his back to her.

Prim rubbed her eyes when she saw how much smaller that familiar back had become.

Her eyes quickly turned red.

“Prim?”

“Mm-hmm.”

She reached out her arms and leaned against his back. Rosien picked her up and stood in one smooth motion.

Rosien was sturdier than other children his age, while Prim was smaller than most. He always said carrying her was hardly any trouble at all.

“Should we take the bouquet you made, too?”

“No. I want to leave this here.”

Leaving the bouquet on the altar, Rosien adjusted Prim on his back and confidently walked out of the old, worn-down temple.

“Prim, guess what I did today.”

“What did you do?”

“Want me to show you?”

“Yeah.”

Prim knew what Rosien had done this time, but she did not tell him that she knew.

Rosien quickened his pace.

The orphanage at Varin’s temple was in an even poorer state than the already impoverished Sanbertal Territory. Still, it had a few things going for it.

One of them was the beautiful view from the low hill behind the orphanage.

Rosien climbed the hill with Prim on his back, taking a slight detour. The first thing she noticed was a large tree.

And hanging from that tree was something that had not been there until recently.

“Can you see it?”

“…Yeah, I can see it.”

It was a swing.

There was no way an orphanage with barely enough money to survive could have obtained such strong, long ropes and such finely grained wooden boards.

Rosien had spent an entire year doing all kinds of odd jobs after coming to the orphanage just to obtain those ropes and boards.

And hanging it that high up could not have been easy, either.

“It’s called a swing. Even if it moves around a little, it’s not scary. It’s really fun.”

“……”

Rosien carefully sat Prim on the swing.

It was a little high, so Prim’s feet could not reach the ground.

Her feet could not reach the ground…

“Prim, hold on tight to the ropes. I’ll push you.”

Rosien quickly ran behind her and carefully pushed the swing.

The swing slowly moved back and forth.

The scenery repeatedly drew away and came closer again.

The smell of wild grass, the fragrance of wildflowers, and the fresh scent released by leaves in the breeze all mixed together in the swaying air.

“How is it? Fun, right?”

“……”

“If you ever want to ride the swing, just tell me. Okay?”

Perhaps worried that Prim might be frightened, Rosien pushed the swing gently as he spoke.

Yet he never once mentioned how long and how hard he had struggled to get those sturdy ropes and boards and build the swing.

Prim felt as if she were being rocked very slowly in a cradle.

She had been abandoned by everyone and knew nothing about who her parents were, so how could she possibly know what being rocked in a cradle felt like?

And yet…

In her previous life, even after receiving this gift, she had not been happy.

She had only thought about how she could never walk.

Even though she had thought that way, she could not bring herself to get angry with Rosien.

Because she believed that without him, she could go nowhere.

Her only petty revenge had been to never once say that she wanted to ride the swing.

As if he understood her feelings, Rosien had done nothing but smile while the swing he had worked so hard to make remained untouched forever.

But he must have known.

Only now did Prim feel that she understood.

Just as Rosien had thought about countless things when he saw her walking around alone, he must have looked back on the fact that she had never once mentioned the swing…

From now on, Prim decided she would no longer leave Rosien to interpret her silence.

“Rosien.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

When the swing came back toward him, Rosien tilted his head and answered.

Feeling the swing move beneath her, Prim slowly spoke.

“I’m going to become a perfumer.”

At those words, Rosien abruptly stopped the swing, then ran around to the front of her and jumped in excitement.

“Really? Yeah, you have talent! Let’s ask the priest to teach you! And you can take the perfumer qualification exam next year! Do you need a recommendation letter from a temple to take it? Well, I’m sure the priest can arrange that, right?”

“It’s a good thing we’re orphans, right?”

It was not particularly funny, but Rosien burst out laughing.

Seeing him laugh, Prim gave a faint smile as well before slowly taking a breath.

Deciding to become a perfumer was not anything extraordinary.

It was simply repeating something she had already done in her previous life.

But the real reason she had returned was something else.

Prim carefully chose her words, hoping he would not notice how nervous she was.

“Rosien, you know…”

“Yeah? Should we try to find a fragrance book first? When the merchant caravan comes this time. There isn’t much left at our temple. Until then…”

“I’m going to become a perfumer, and you’re going to become a knight.”

“I’ll practice… Huh?”

Rosien’s eyes widened.

Then he pointed at himself.

“Me? I’m… going to become a knight?”

“Yes.”

Prim nodded.

Rosien rolled his eyes uncertainly.

“But… I’m an orphan. I don’t think I can.”

In truth, becoming a knight was something only the children of fairly wealthy noble families could usually afford.

Raising a knight required an enormous amount of money.

A knight’s shining honor and authority were earned by fighting magical beasts, but the weapons and armor needed to keep one alive, along with a fine warhorse, cost an unimaginable amount.

Learning swordsmanship and the other martial arts was not easy, either.

Such advanced techniques were not taught to just anyone, and the price paid to a master was considerable.

Yet even knowing all that, Prim spoke firmly.

“No. You can do it.”

“Oh, really? …I can? Me?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… How exactly is that supposed to work…?”

Rosien stumbled over his words.

When Prim said she wanted to become a perfumer, he had been able to talk endlessly.

But the moment he was suddenly handed the dream of becoming a knight, he seemed unable to get a single word out, as though someone had glued his mouth shut.

Instead, Prim continued talking without pause.

“You have talent. You have good physical coordination, you’re strong, and you’re tall. You can become a squire for a passing knight, learn swordsmanship by watching him, build up a record of achievements, and then receive a knighthood. It’s completely possible.”

Despite spending such a poor and difficult childhood, the grown Rosien had become tall and sturdy enough to casually wield the strength of several grown men.

Even though he had never formally learned how to use a sword, he had once defeated a knight simply by imitating what he had seen.

His conflicts with others over his red hair, which people rejected by saying it resembled that of a magical beast, did not last long, either.

The holy knights under the Radiant Grand Duke had tried countless times to recruit him as a holy knight, while the knights under the noble Earth Grand Duke had repeatedly tempted him to join their order.

If it had not been for Prim, he would have become a knight long ago.

He could have shone in the light of the world, but he turned down every opportunity for that glory.

Instead, he left her standing in the dazzling light of the surface and did not hesitate to plunge his hands into filth, all so he could place the things she wanted into her hands even a little sooner.

But this time, she would not let that happen.

After hearing Prim’s plan, filled with absolute confidence, Rosien could only blink.

Then he ran a hand through his hair and opened his mouth wide.

‘Is that even possible?!’