房客(糙汉)何璐程曜坤

The village at the border was a nice place, a small budding community that had a good chance at growing into a town or even a prosperous city given the chance.

A single horse carrying a pale-blue-haired boy and a black-haired child arrived at the place together with the sunrise.

The many villagers were already awake and going about their business but the village wasn't at its busiest as of yet.

"This should be the place, young lo... umm, Benevi. Benevi...?"

Mizoe looked around with a worried expression and lowered his head to speak to the child who appeared to be asleep.

"...I know that the safety of lord Galamroze's family is most important to him, but... what's with the idea of leaving me with a child? I don't know how to take care of him...!"

After not getting a response from the peacefully breathing younger boy, Mizoe let out a sigh full of worry and discomfort.

A few days earlier after spending the night in a local inn, Ludier announced that he must return to his own territory. The ice magician didn't give any specific reason except his general worry about his pregnant wife and nothing that Mizoe said convinced him to change his mind. The pale-blue-haired man kept glancing at the calm black-haired child even after they parted ways, but Mizoe didn't think that it was anything other than the man's worry about his best friend's child.

"You will do just fine. I am a child, but not a baby – I can eat normal food and there are no diapers to change."

"...!"

All of a sudden the black-haired child said without opening his eyes, causing Mizoe to flinch in surprise.

"Young lord! I didn't mean it like that...!"

Mizoe stuttered blushing with a flustered expression.

"This won't do. We are hiding, think about it as a knight's mission. You can't be calling someone like me young lord without getting making others suspicious about us. Also, the name Benevi isn't safe to use either."

The black-haired child opened his eyes and turned on the saddle to look up at Mizoe's face.

"This might be a bit much for you, and feel free to refuse to comply with this idea, but I was thinking that we could use your background as a way to hide my presence from the Espine family in case they would want to finish the job and get me too."

The child added, making a serious expression that didn't quite fit his cute little face.

"I... I'm listening..."

Mizoe bit his lips and nodded cautiously.

"I've heard that you were expelled from the Aspakeony Academy and then your family cut off their ties with you..."

"...that's correct..."

Zoemi pointed out and the light-blue-haired boy nodded his head with a bothered expression.

"I was thinking that we could put a twist into it – change my name to Zoemi, and claim that I am your child and..."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

The child began to unveil his plan but the boy interrupted him with a shocked, high-pitched scream and his face turned bright red from embarrassment.

"...yeah... that's the reaction I expected..."

Zoemi breathed out and nodded, awkwardly looking away.

"My idea was to make it seem like you were thrown out of your family because you had a secret love child with a maid or some village girl or something who died during childbirth. You refused to abandon me and go thrown out as a result. But I guess that would be too dramatic and would get far more attention than necessary which could have the opposite effect on what I want to achieve."

Still, the black-haired child ended up finishing what he wanted to say, even though he did not even try to make eye contact with Mizoe.

"I-I'm supposed to act as your f-father? But I didn't even h-held hands with a girl yet...!"

Thankfully, it turned out that Mizoe's initial reaction wasn't because of his pure aversion to the idea, but rather because of the pure-heartedness and innocence of the light-blue-haired boy.

"Well, your lack of experience certainly doesn't show as much as you think – by the way, have you noticed that the girl back in the inn was doing her best to get your attention?"

Zoemi held back a smile and asked curiously, looking up to have a good look at the reaction of young Mizoe from this new timeline.

"Huh...? Are you perhaps talking about that girl who had those unfortunate accidents with her clothes? No, no way, she was just unlucky. Unnecessarily reading into it would be preposterous."

"...pffft..."

Zoemi barely managed to hold back a laugh – Mizoe's denseness seemed to be a trait that transcended time and space! The unfortunate accidents he talked about was the innkeeper's daughter's ample breast bursting her shirt apart and later her skirt flipping up and exposing her shapely butt ONLY to Mizoe. Like, it was not even subtle.

Yeah.

Complete accidents, after all, she didn't smile at the light-blue-haired boy or wink at him each time it happened.

Oh, no. Wait. She did.

"Excuse me, my good man, could you point me to the house of the person in charge of this place?"

Unaware of the reason for the child's sudden good mood, Mizoe stopped the horse and asked the passing commoner carrying a rake.

"Tallaran family lives in the newly built part, their house is right next to the granary."

The man examined the light-blue-haired boy and the child in his lap before turning right around and pointing toward the roof of the biggest building in the village, visible even more behind other houses.

"Thank you very much."

"It was nothing."

Mizoe nodded at the man and the commoner waved his hand dismissively and went on his way without looking back.

"I really hope the letter will be enough..."

After making sure that Zoemi is seated properly with no chance of falling off, Mizoe made the horse move again and breathed out in a worried expression while subconsciously reaching his hand to his chest pocket where a sealed envelope that Ludier gave him as a parting gift.

He was changing the subject, but the also his anxiety was real so Zoemi stopped himself from prolonging the teasing session.

"It will be, father."

"Father...?"

The black-haired child shrugged and nodded, causing the light-blue-haired boy to gasp.

But it wasn't exactly shocked gaps – it sounded more as if an echo of a distant Memory responded to the situation, even though it wasn't properly remembered.

Zoemi's eyes turned round, something in the young Mizoe's eyes make them seem like the eyes of his adoptive father who took him in despite the punishment he had to suffer.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I don't know what got into me. Let's go to meet lord Galamroze's friend now, Zoemi."

Still, after Mizoe blinked and shook his head, that peculiar aura dissipate without a trace and the light-blue-haired boy spoke softly to the black-haired child.

"Yes, let's..."

Zoemi gulped down his saliva and nodded back, turning around with an odd sensation in his stomach.

|Demon lord Mirienne said that Miriette's memories are sealed and are supposed to be unlocked as long as I become her attendant... but what if it's not exactly exclusive to her...? Maybe being related to the presence isn't the only condition for memories from the other timeline to return to the incarnations...?|

The child thought to himself – although the thing with Mizoe might have been a complete misunderstanding on Zoemi's part, it was still something that he wanted to keep in mind going forward.

Actually, couldn't he check it out in the very location they were currently at?

After all, that very village should be the home of Teo and Veo – although the two of them should have other names. The ones that Zoemi knew the girls under were given to them by king Horeo while he was still the first prince... after he and Zoemi found them in one of the royal castle's pantries.

With that in mind, Zoemi began to keenly look around, searching for the two girls.

It was still very early, but some older kids were already up and about helping their parents or doing chores while the younger ones must be either still sleeping or staying in their homes.

The twins should be only around one year older than Zoemi, so they definitely were counted amongst the latter group.

|Oh well, as long as we will stay here for a bit, I will get the chance to meet them.|

Zoemi thought, leaning back into Mizoe's stomach.

"...everything will be okay..."

That action surprised the light-blue-haired boy but after the initial surprise, he only smiled, taking his hand away from his chest pocket and placing it on the black-haired child's head and assured him in a quiet voice.

A short ride later, the two arrived at the house that should belong to the Tallaran family that was granted control over the newly established territory.

The house wasn't all that much bigger than the other houses – it wasn't a mansion and definitely not a castle, and actually, it was the first time that Zoemi had a chance to visit a family house of a lower noble.

"It kind of gives off a feeling that good people live there, doesn't it?"

Surprisingly enough, Mizoe whispered to Zoemi before dismounting the horse and taking the child with him.

The light-blue-haired boy didn't make the mistake of leaving the child on the saddle, but he certainly did not ti down the horse itself – but it seemed that this time it would not cause any trouble.

"Hope that they are already awake."

Mizoe smiled down at Zoemi before taking out the envelope from his chest pocket and knocking at the door.

"Coming...!"

"Coming!"

"...!"

The response was immediate, just as if the two young-sounding voices were waiting for the chance to respond - they sounded familiar enough to make the black-haired boy straighten his back and stare at the door in suspense.