Chapter 443: A Home
The old lady smiled warmly as she gently stroked Kira’s head.
Her hand was warm.
It made Kira realize that none of this was a dream.
Qiong Xing truly was nothing like the humans she had known.
He looked human.
Yet the way he treated them was almost as though...
"You know, I was a slave once too."
"...What?"
The old lady smiled.
"Don’t tell the other children."
The cheerful way she spoke made it impossible to connect her with the word "slave," leaving Kira completely confused.
"It was a long time ago. A very long time ago. My parents sold me. Those days were truly painful. I don’t even know how many times I nearly died."
The old lady gazed into the distance as though looking back on memories from another lifetime.
Only then did Kira realize she was telling the truth.
"But as I grew older, they decided I was no longer useful and abandoned me in the forest. That’s where I met someone."
"S-someone?"
"Hehe. Yes. The person who saved my life. My precious, precious husband."
The old lady smiled so happily that Kira immediately understood how dearly she had loved him.
As she continued listening, Kira was shocked to learn that the man had been a beastman.
Ever since arriving here, everything had surprised her.
The humans she had known until now almost felt like an entirely different species from the people living here.
"I was sad that I couldn’t leave this world together with him. But thanks to Qiong Xing, I’m able to live happily here with everyone now. And now we’ve even welcomed two adorable girls. If there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask."
"...B-but... w-we’re... s-slaves..."
Kira was happy to hear the old lady’s words.
But she and her sister had been bought by these people.
They were slaves.
They had not been abandoned for being useless.
They had been purchased with money, which meant they had to fulfill the role expected of them.
"Did Qiong Xing tell you that?"
He hadn’t.
Kira quickly shook her head.
"I... h-he said... w-we could... l-live... l-like everyone else..."
"Didn’t he?"
"B-but..."
"Are you afraid to believe him?"
"...!"
She had realized almost immediately that he was kind.
Hearing those words had made her so happy that she wanted to cry.
But... even so...
"That’s only natural. Anyone would feel that way. I used to be a slave too, so I understand those feelings at least a little. But you know, I’ve never met anyone as warm as Qiong Xing."
"W-warm?"
Since he was human, his body temperature should have been lower than that of beastmen.
The old lady chuckled.
"I don’t mean his body. I mean here. His heart is incredibly warm."
She lightly patted her own chest.
"He taught these children how to live. He taught them what happiness is."
The children working hard in the fields looked busy.
But they did not look miserable.
"He truly loves them, even though they’re beastmen, just like me."
Kira remembered the baby he had proudly shown them.
The child had beast ears.
Yet Qiong Xing had not cared about that at all.
"He told me that the person precious to me was precious to him as well. I was just waiting quietly to die alone, but he brought me the happiness of meeting all of you."
"B-but..."
Someone like her could never become happy.
"Of course, if you truly feel it’s impossible, you can tell him. Ars may have been the one who bought you, but if it’s Qiong Xing, I’m certain he’ll search for another path that leads to your happiness."
A way... to become happy...
"I was once a slave, and those children were orphans. But Qiong Xing smiled at us as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He simply greeted us with ’Hello.’ The first time we met, he was covered in mud, yet he still smiled as he greeted me. Even after I told him I’d once been a slave, he only said, ’That must have been difficult.’ He never looked down on me or mocked me. He saw us as people."
Kira remembered their first meeting.
Normally, people called her defective.
They looked down on her.
Sometimes they even beat her.
But Qiong Xing had simply smiled and greeted her.
"Hello."
He had waited patiently without getting angry, telling her it was fine to take her time.
She now understood just how extraordinary that was.
How impossible it would have been anywhere else.
"When he asked me to look after those children, he bowed his head and said, ’Please.’ He even apologized, saying, ’I’m sorry for asking something so difficult.’ Raising children at my age certainly wasn’t easy, but it was even more enjoyable than it was difficult. I learned once again what it means not to be alone, and how warm people can be."
"W-will... I... be able... to understand... too?"
"I’m sure you will. After all, this is your home now."
Home.
The old lady had called this place a home, and the people here companions who helped one another.
Kira was still confused.
She was still afraid to believe it.
But somewhere in her heart, she had begun to think... maybe... just maybe.
If that was the case, perhaps she could try believing, at least until that feeling disappeared.
"U-um... c-could... you teach... me too?"
"Of course. I’d be delighted."
The old lady handed her a needle and thread with a gentle smile.
Kira quietly resolved to do her best.
Even while working with his hands, Ars occasionally glanced sideways toward them.
So far there had been no problems.
Still, he could not relax, worrying that the older sister might accuse Qiong Xing of something again.
They were too far away for him to hear their conversation, but at least they did not appear to be arguing.
"Ars, could you come here for a moment?"
"...What?"
Ars walked over after being beckoned.