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Chapter 22 - Preparation Begins
The next day during breakfast.
"Gail, I heard you met Dwan yesterday." (Aina)
Come to think of it, Dan said that he would report it to my parents.
"Dwan, angry~." (Gail)
"I see.... I was planning to bring you to his place later, but if you two have already met, it can't be helped." (Arnold)
"We showed him your brothers not long after they were born, after all. No wonder he was angry." (Aina)
"That’s right, we don't know that nobles would hide the birth of their child for a while back then." (Arnold)
Gail’s parents, who were originally commoners, had no idea about such customs and showed John and Bent to Dwan not long after they were born. They only learned about it afterwards.
So it's not like they forgot to inform Dwan about my birth, huh.
"Dear, we should visit him next time." (Aina)
"Yeah, let's do that." (Arnold)
"I also heard that he gave you a sword." (Aina)
"Gift for baby~." (Gail)
"Gift for baby?" (Arnold)
"Dear, maybe Gail is saying that the sword was a baby gift." (Aina)
"Ah, is that so?" (Arnold)
Gail nodded.
"But if it's a baby gift, he should have given it through us." (Arnold)
"Heartless people~." (Gail)
"Fufufufu~ That's very like him. I'm sure he said that it was more appropriate to give it directly to you rather than to the heartless people who forgot about him." (Aina)
"Yeah, Dwan would probably say that." (Arnold)
Oh, as expected of former party members. They understand Dwan very well.
"Gail, can you show me the sword? I can't thank Dwan properly if I don't even know how the sword looks like." (Arnold)
"Dan, sword, Dan~." (Gail)
"Is Dan keeping the sword for you?" (Arnold)
Well, it's still impossible for this body to wield a sword.
"Somebody, tell Dan to bring Gail's sword here!" (Arnold)
"Yes, I will go." (Misha)
Misha went to call Dan. Then, after a while, Dan came with Gail’s sword.
"Master, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. This is the sword." (Dab)
You are still bad at using honorifics, Dan.
"Thank you, Dan. But giving a sword to a two years old kid, that's very like him...." (Arnold)
Arnold pulled the sword from its scabbard.
"This is...." (Arnold)
Curious, John and Bent turned their attention to the drawn sword.
"Dear...." (Aina)
"Y-Yeah, it's a good sword. However, it's still too dangerous for Gail to hold a sword. I will keep it until you get a little bigger, okay?" (Arnold)
Gail nodded as Arnold put back the sword into its scabbard.
"You are a good boy. Dan, take this sword." (Arnold)
"Should I store it in the armory?" (Dan)
"No, you keep it separately. This is something that Dwan gave to Gail. I'd feel bad if someone use it by mistake." (Arnold)
"Got it." (Dan)
Dan's language changed from that of a samurai to that of a lowly thug.
"All right, it's time for you guys to go to school!" (Arnold)
Arnold said it with a sharper tone than usual.
""Yes."" (John,Bent)
Bent had also started going to school this year, so the two left the dining room together.
"Misha, take Gail to his room." (Arnold)
"Yes. Let’s go, Young Master." (Misha)
Misha picked up Gail and left the dining room as well.
"I will also excuse myself then." (Dan)
"You stay here for a while, Dan." (Arnold)
"I understand." (Dan)
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“Dear, this sword....” (Aina)
"Yeah, it's a magic sword . Furthermore, even though it's a short sword, it's not inferior to Abrick's magic sword whatsoever. Dwan really gave something incredible to our two years old son...." (Arnold)
"Dan, did you know that this sword is a magic sword?" (Aina)
"Yes, I was also surprised when I saw it for the first time." (Dan)
"You also noticed it right away, after all." (Arnold)
"He also said that Young Master might be able to play the roles of Master and Master Abrick by himself in the future." (Dan)
*silence*
"All right.... Dan, I want you to do something for me." (Arnold)
"Yes?" (Dan)
“I will show Gail our sword training in the morning, after that, I want you to stay with Gail and teach him how to use sword while observing how it goes. I can teach him swordsmanship to kill monsters, but I'm not very good at teaching swordsmanship to fight people.” (Arnold)
"If you don't mind me, I'll teach Young Master swordsmanship. I will also make sure he won't get hurt." (Dan)
"I'm counting on you. I'll get someone else to do the work you've been doing, so you can focus on Gail." (Arnold)
“I understand. I will tell Young Master after this.” (Dan)
“Okay, you can go now.” (Arnold)
Dan also left the room.
“Dear....” (Aina)
"Yeah, I know. John and Bent might get jealous if they know that it was a magic sword. Let’s not tell them about this." (Arnold)
"I thought so, too." (Aina)
“In addition, unlike the old days when this place was still a small village and everyone knew each other, there's an overwhelming number people living in this town now." (Arnold)
"You are right. There are so many unfamiliar faces. Not to mention the adventurers who aren't permanent residents." (Aina)
"Just like Dwan felt something about Gail, it wouldn't be strange for some of those adventurers to feel it, too. I want him to be able to defend himself until help comes at least." (Arnold)
"I know it's still too early, but it's all for his own safety. I will also try to teach him healing magic." (Aina)
"Healing magic?" (Arnold)
"Do you remember when you said that Gail threw up and passed out because he ran out of magic power?" (Aina)
"I certainly did say that." (Arnold)
"I said it was impossible at that time, but now I've changed my mind. You know, that boy is not normal in various ways, after all." (Aina)
"You are right. I was surprised when he started talking, but even before that, I’ve got the feeling that he understood what we were saying perfectly. I also started to think that he talks like a child on purpose these days." (Arnold)
“Gail is strangely more mature than his age....” (Aina)
“Anyway, I'm going to have Gail join us for morning practice so he can see me, John, and Bent using sword. Aina, you show him how to use her healing magic.” (Arnold)
"Okay." (Aina)
"I'll have Dan make a wooden sword for Gail so he also can practice little by little.” (Arnold)
After a short pause, Aina asked Arnold with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Dear, what would you do if Gail grew up to be a wonderful child who mastered both swordsmanship and healing magic? He also seems to be much smarter than his two older brothers." (Aina)
"What do you mean?" (Arnold)
"I'm talking about the successor. I thought either John or Bent would succeed this house, but Gail, who is much younger than them, seems to be the most suitable candidate so far." (Aina)
*silence*
"That may be true. However, there is no point in thinking about it without even knowing what Gail wants." (Arnold)
“Even so, you still have to think about it, even if it's just in the back of your mind. (Aina)
"All right. It's about time we go, too." (Arnold)
"Yeah, we are going to be late." (Aina)
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"Brother, was that a really good sword?" (Bent)
"Dunno." (John)
When Bent asked about the sword, John answered it indifferently.
"How nice. I also want my own sword. Why is it always Gail...." (Bent)
"Before talking about a sword, you should improve your skills first." (John)
Bent, who was lectured by John, went to school while grumbling.