The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 37

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 37
What is he doing?
Kaius wanted to bolt from the room.
How had his cozy, comfortable Lubentaine Castle come to this?
“Aaaaaaaah!”
An earsplitting shriek tore through the air, yet Kaius’s expression remained unmoved. Regardless, Tulip fixed the audience with an arrogant gaze and drew a song up from the deepest roots of his being.
“Oh, Sun! Cruel sun of miiiiine!”
“What on earth is he saying?”
“My chlorophyll, ohhhhh my precious green blood grows coooold!”
The longer the song continued, the more visibly Kaius’s composure decomposed. It was a cacophony—the pitch and rhythm hopelessly mangled.
“You made me listen to this?”
“Hehe, look at Kaius’s face!”
When he turned, three figures were watching him with barely contained delight. Ailien was one thing, but he’d never expected to see his dignified father and sensitive aunt look so utterly entertained.
“Well? What do you think?”
“What do I think? It’s dreadful.”
Kaius’s blunt assessment cut the noise short. Thinking the creature had finally come to its senses, he turned back toward Tulip. The flower had extended its stem fully and now stood right before his eyes.
“What is this—”
Before Kaius could even process what was happening, it happened.
Pssssshhht!
A spray of water shot from inside Tulip’s bud like machine-gun fire. Caught completely off guard, Kaius had no time to dodge and simply squeezed his eyes shut.
His once-neat golden hair was soaked, water streaming down his cheeks.
“Aaaaah~! Give me light! Photosynthesis! That is my dreeeeam!”
The opera singer had resumed its performance, punishing the rude member of the audience.
His eyes remained clamped shut as his heavy brows trembled in time with the melody.
“What exactly is that thing?”
“An Opera Tulip, dear.”
Kaius glared toward the Plant Room where the Opera Tulip resided, then furiously wiped his face with a handkerchief. At least it was only water—if that had been saliva, he might actually have ripped the plant up by the roots.
“Why is such a thing in the Library?”
“It’s Zeronias’s magic.”
“I beg your pardon? Why on earth would he create something like that?”
“Because there are Magical Beasts vulnerable to sound.”
Calisto’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he explained, but Kaius, still dabbing at his face, failed to notice and muttered under his breath.
“Looks like a Magical Beast to me.”
“Hahahaha!”
The moment Kaius finished speaking, a hearty laugh erupted from behind. Both Calisto and Kaius turned their attention to Ailien at once.
Ailien, who had been playing with Didi, suddenly found himself the center of attention and tilted his head in confusion.
“Haha!”
The laughter came again. Only then did father and son turn toward where Meijina stood, her hand pressed to her belly as she laughed.
He had never heard Meijina laugh so loudly before.
“That was too funny.”
“What was so funny?”
“What happened to you, Kaius.”
“That’s rather harsh, Aunt.”
Kaius’s voice had grown noticeably lighter. The three of them exchanging smiles and conversation was strange and new, yet it felt entirely natural.
“I should get to the Office.”
“What about you?”
“I’m staying here a bit longer!”
Once the three had departed, Ailien began exploring the Library with Kiki and Didi.
[Young master!]
“Ah, it’s Norman.”
Even after finding the book he’d so desperately sought, Norman didn’t vanish. Instead, he remained in the Library, immersing himself in countless volumes. Even when absorbed in reading, he greeted Ailien warmly whenever he appeared.
[Do visit the Library often.]
“Should I?”
[Yes. You ought to become more familiar with books.]
“That’s strange coming from you, whether it’s day or night.”
[Might I recommend a book?]
“Sure, why not.”
[It’s absolutely fascinating! It’s a history book called How Ignorance and Negligence Destroyed a Great Dynasty. Reading it feels just like perusing an ancient novel!]
“I hate that stuff.”
[But why? It truly is magnificent. At times, each individual character feels like humanity’s cries of anguish—blood and tears condensed into screams. Shall I give you an example? The day a prince overslept! Because of that, he couldn’t affix his seal to the dam construction documents, and through that butterfly effect, the capital became a sea of water. Behold this causality!]
“Lili likes butterflies.”
[Look here—the king once confused the spelling of ‘alliance’ and ‘war,’ and declared war instead of signing a peace treaty! Don’t you want to know how this tragic ignorance ended?]
“Lili likes talking.”
Didi, perched on Ailien’s shoulder, clasped his hands together and giggled. It was the first time she’d seen this talkative, spirited child go so quiet and still.
Norman, realizing he couldn’t break Ailien’s stubbornness, sighed deeply and returned to his reading. Ailien wandered along the bookshelves until he found a picture book.
“Poke, poke, prickly-prickle. Hedgehog. Knight.”
Ailien read it out carefully, his clumsy pronunciation giving way to deliberate clarity, and his face lit with pride. Didi clapped enthusiastically in approval, then nuzzled his soft cheek against her own, delighting as if watching a child take his first steps.
“So Lili is good at talking.”
[Talking, yes…….]
Norman, seated at the desk, had so much he wanted to say to Ailien.
But if he tried to explain right away, the boy would refuse to listen and run off, so he decided to approach this slowly. Ailien was pickier than anyone else—he had to tread carefully.
“My shoulders feel heavy.”
“Squeak…….”
“Of course, it’s not because of Didi. Didi could stay on Lili’s shoulders forever, and that would be fine.”
“Chirp!”
As Norman watched Ailien converse with the flying squirrel, he made a resolve. Yes, no matter what, he had to teach what needed to be taught.
So that later, when Ailien met Zeronias, there would be nothing to be ashamed of……!
“Since Lili is good at talking, why don’t we try some studying? If there’s something that helps, bring it and show me.”
[Understood! Your excellency! I shall fetch the books at once!]
At Ailien’s words, Norman vanished in a flash. Yes, what does rank matter? Our young master was showing such determination to study!
[I’ve brought this book called “Governance Tales for Young Rulers.” It was written by the great scholar Martinus, and it’s explained with pictures so young nobles can read it easily. My goodness, governance for young nobles! How absolutely delightful! Now, look here—there’s a story about Petra! When he first received his rank, the land given to him was a barren, rocky mountain where not a single blade of grass would grow. People mocked him as “the Stone Count” and whispered that he’d soon be ruined.]
“Shatter stone into pebbles.”
[But he didn’t give up. He staked his honor on his rank and took up a pickaxe himself. He worked tirelessly, sorting through the stones and drawing water up from deep within the earth.]
“Even water finds its path.”
[And after dozens of years, that barren rocky mountain became a prosperous domain where golden wheat swayed in the breeze!]
“Domain?”
For the first time, Ailien showed interest in what Norman was saying.
[A domain is the land that a noble who receives a rank rules over. Anyone can have a rank in name alone, but the true dignity of a noble depends on how well he cultivates what he’s been given…….]
“Domain! So it’s not enough to just have rank! Lili needs a domain too!”
[What? Young master? Young master!]
Before Norman could stop him, Ailien scrambled down from the desk, seized the globe, and dashed out of the room. The spirit let out a long sigh and offered a silent apology to the current master of Lubentaine Castle in the depths of his heart.
He seemed to have troubled him again.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————