I Was Reincarnated Chapter 51
Heartwarming Day
The next day, when I went to the garden Alba and the others were cleaning the wall
"Hey now, you have to scrub with more oomph"
"But, that, we can't reach up to the very top?"
As kids, they're quite lively
The castle walls are probably about 3 meters tall?
Certainly, for guys who can't float with magic it's unreasonably high
Seeing that they're anxious about what to do, Alba looked like he's resolved himself and he started climbing the wall
(Doing it that way, you probably won't be able to do things like cleaning……)
If he falls it'll be dangerous, approaching from behind I grab him and take him down from the wall
"Demon G.o.d-sama!? Good morning"
These guys are also calling me with 'demon G.o.d-sama'?
"Don't climb the wall"
"But, we can't reach to the top"
"It's fine not to"
I wasn't thinking of having them experience something dangerous
"I should have said it [already], that 'it's fine to do it within what you're able to'"
"………..But, this is our job, right?"
Alba is oddly diligent
The parents who abandoned this guy were quite foolish
Even though he's such a good child
(I want to spoil him)
He probably hasn't ever had anyone pour their affection [on him]
Since they were abandoned, these guys don't know a parent's love
Although I want to spoil an industrious guys like this—
(When I spoil someone, I end up turning the other person into a useless guy)
Rune is a model example of such
Although he's an adult he's a timid person that persistently bluffs, feigning without anything to back it up
Even like that, now, a 'lonely' 'sad' expression and att.i.tude overflows form him
Since I don't plan to part with Rune I spoil him, but if I were to do that with Alba he probably wouldn't be able to survive in human society
Though corrupting Alba who's such a good, diligent child……
"From now on, living in the castle or living here with everyone else, which do you prefer?"
For the time being, I'll just try asking
"…….Eh?"
Perhaps he didn't understand my meaning, he tilted his head
"Do you want to pa.s.s the time like this in the garden without my interference, or do you want to be pampered by me, I'm asking which you would prefer"
Ah, he's bewildered
He's panicking
I and the five [other children] are mutually staring at each other making troubled faces
"These guys are pampered by Alba. however, you've never been pampered yourself, right?"
He committed thievery for everyone's sake and if he was unlucky he was beaten
He was a child who shouldered such danger on his own
It seems that humans have no concern over orphans, and in reality knights will do nothing and just watch
They are existences that others will pretend aren't there even though they are, and if they commit thievery the way they are looked at will change and they will be condemned
Alba was enduring that the whole time
Alba probably has never been the one to be pampered
As proof of that, tears pooled in Alba's eyes
After all, Alba is still only a child
He probably actually wanted to be pampered
"………B,but, everyone else?"
Alba's voice had become teary, but even so he still worries about those five
"They will remain here, as long as they abide by the rules, they won't be driven out"
Aside from the three rules, there will be no additional rules
"If they don't want to enter human society even as an adult, they can even stay here their entire lives"
They've probably only experienced cruel treatment, so if they don't want to go, it's not really a problem for them to stay
I won't force them
I also don't care that much
"What will you do?"
"……….I will live separated from everyone?"
It seems he's still uneasy
"You'll just live in the castle, these guys will continue being in the garden. You can go see them everyday"
Perhaps with that he was finally resolved and he walked toward me
"I'll show you your room"
When I held him in my arms he let out a surprised voice, but I ignored it and teleported us inside the castle
"Here is Alba's room, if there's anything you need speak to Dea, when you go shopping you all can buy it together"
"Eh? I'll be using this room by myself…….?"
"Will you be lonely sleeping by yourself?"
However I look at it that is probably the case
This room's size is so big to the point that even a human wouldn't really be accustomed to it
For both Rune and the others who have lived in small houses or orphans who didn't have something like a house in the first place it's probably way too big
Rune and Rau even now mostly sleep in my room
"Do you want to sleep together today?"
"Eh-!? With demon G.o.d-sama?"
"[Sleeping] alone is lonely, right?"
Since I invited him to the castle intending to pamper him, me pampering him [in any kind of way] is nothing strange
"It's fine since you'll get used to sleeping alone"
He's still a child
Since I like children I don't intend to make him do anything unreasonable
Holding him in my arms again I go downstairs
As it's still noon he probably won't be sleeping
I've only just gotten up but, what about it?
After I got up, Rau who should have been beside me wasn't there
She probably went to eat food
It seems that everyone's in the dining room
"Have you eaten?"
"Ah, I was told I could in a bit"
So he hasn't eaten yet
"Will Alba eat in the castle? Or would you rather eat in the garden?"
"……..Is it alright for me to eat together with everyone?"
Alba's eyes widened
"If you'd like to it's fine"
Alba is not my thing
He is not even a slave
He's also not a guy that will be staying
He's a guy near me that I will pamper
A thing [of mine], like Rau, leaving my side is unthinkable
Both my desire to monopolize and attachment aren't there
Pampering is [merely] my whim
So I will not force any obligations onto Alba
If he wants to leave when he's an adult he can go, if he wants to stay he can stay
We head towards the garden
The guys in the garden are eating along with everyone
Alba also eats and saying he wants to do the cleaning with everyone he begins to clean
As I thought, he's diligent
Even though he would be fine to not work and stay in the castle without any requirements
The only task that Rune and the others have is just to clean their rooms and such, they also said that since it's the rooms they use themselves [they'll be responsible for cleaning them]
In other words, it's fine for them to not even do any cleaning if they don't want to
They have nothing they absolutely must do
Once they're finished with all their work, I take him back to his room, but somehow it seems that Alba doesn't know how to be spoiled
Because he's probably never acted spoiled, saying it can't be helped, it can't be helped
Even if I pamper him, he just has a bewildered expression
It seems I will have to wait until the time he becomes accustomed to it
"Alba, do you remember your parents?"
To what degree does he remember the parents that abandoned him, if he was abandoned after he became bigger [he should remember a bit]?
Alba shakes his head
"How did you survive?"
Such a child would probably easily die
"When I was still small I was by myself and I did things like dig through garbage cans"
If it's a single person's portion then perhaps he it was easier find [enough] food
……though rather than calling it food, it was probably garbage
"After I was a bit older, I happened to meet with everyone, and we promised that we would all join forces to survive together, however it became more difficult to gather food so we ended up having to do something like stealing"
His face scrunched up
Although it was in order to survive, it seems he still carries feelings of guilt
He's really such a diligent, good child
If it were me, I wouldn't think anything of it
"Demon G.o.d-sama picked us up and the possibility of us going hungry disappeared"
Certainly, he's probably never experienced such a thing as the feeling of a full stomach
If it was difficult for him to steal even just that sort of bread, there were probably days where he couldn't even eat
"I want to repay this grat.i.tude some day"
"Don't worry about it"
It was just my whim to bring him along and pamper him
Even if he says something like repaying this grat.i.tude, since there's nothing I want, it's unnecessary
While hugging him close I laid down
Even if I pat his head, Alba just looks up at me with a bewildered expression
"Do you not like me doing this?"
When he hears that, he shakes his head
"……maybe it's fine, I don't know………"
He murmurs in a small voice
"Since you're not accustomed to it, it can't be helped. Alba doesn't need to do anything, it's fine to just accept it"
I will pamper him to my heart's content
Alba couldn't fall asleep easily
He seemed to finally fall asleep around midnight
He still doesn't know how to be spoiled
Even if he's pampered, he doesn't know what sort of reaction to have
I'd like to try thoroughly spoiling such an Alba
……have I only increased the [number of] corrupted guys?
Well, it's not really a problem
I'll even look after for them for their entire lives
Anyhow [it's fine since] I won't die
Will Rune be jealous?
However, I don't see Alba in a s.e.xual way
Since he's still a child there's no way I would
I don't have even a speck of such a feeling for children
AN saying it's been up for three months, lots of likes, very happy, etc, etc.
TN: the author wrote this much in three months, but it took me five months to translate T-T