SHC22_C22 The White Pig’s Constitution and the Chick’s Nature

22. The White Pig’s Constitution and the Chick’s Nature

Apparently, having a rainbow-colored butterfly land on the head of a toddler who then proceeds to leap into your arms and sob uncontrollably… isn’t exactly something people experience every day.

After Utsunomiya-san had completely evaded any further questioning and escaped, Professor Romanov stopped by to check on me. He gave a wry smile as he told me what had happened.

The rainbow-colored butterfly had been a messenger from Princess Hyakka. It had apparently issued instructions to Regulus like “Find an adult” and “Run toward the mansion.” Regulus followed those directions perfectly and brought back Professor Romanov.

The princess had praised him with…

“Quite the promising little chick, isn’t he?”

…Yup, my chick is awesome.

Anyway, according to the princess, I’ve become prone to collapsing due to lingering effects of the illness I had.

She isn’t the god of medicine, so she can’t make a definitive diagnosis, but apparently there are rare cases where someone who’s hovered between life and death ends up with a weakened connection between soul and body. The symptoms I’m showing match that theory.

“Her Highness says, ‘I’ll look into it in more detail. For now, you’re on a seven-day break. Rest and recover!?””

“Seven days!? I can’t sing for her for a whole week!?”

“Well, not quite. She’s going to be away for a bit, so there won’t be any training anyway. In the meantime, you’re to sing lullabies to Regulus and continue practicing magic so your mana-sensitive nerves don’t go dull.”

Fair enough. I usually use mana sensitivity to stabilize pitch and protect my vocal cords, so it makes sense that she wants me to keep that sharp.

But still—why specifically lullabies for Regulus?

“I’ve never sung a lullaby for him before, though.”

“That’s also Her Highness’s idea. She said, ‘Let the chick swing a stick.’”

“…Swing a stick?”

What kind of expression is that?

While I was furrowing my brow in confusion, Professor Romanov reached over and smoothed the wrinkle between my eyes. When I flinched from the ticklish touch, he squished my cheeks. Is this supposed to be spa treatment?

“She probably meant swordsmanship. According to her, he seems to have a talent for it. She said he didn’t even flinch when exposed to her raw divine presence.”

“Wait, divine presence?”

“Simply put, it’s a god’s pressure. You’ve felt it, right? That majestic atmosphere she gives off that makes you want to kneel. All gods have that kind of aura. Normally, they keep it tightly suppressed so they don’t crush human souls just by existing.”

“And… she let that out?”

“When she split her soul to guide Regulus and protect you, she couldn’t maintain full control over her divine presence. Even if only for a moment, Regulus was exposed to her true aura. And yet, instead of being scared, he calmly followed her instructions and fulfilled her will. She said, ‘He’s got guts. A budding hero’s spirit.’”

“Wha—!? Is Regulus a genius!? My baby is a prodigy! Amazing!!”

“You’re calling him your baby now?”

Professor Romanov gave me a mildly warm look. But I’ve already made peace with this.

I’ve decided to raise Regulus into a splendid lord—yes, in place of his late mother!

Seeing me all fired up, Professor Romanov chuckled and continued.

“The lullaby bit probably just means: let him play well and sleep well. Growing kids need sleep. And Regulus is used to your voice—maybe now he can’t fall asleep without it.”

“That’s a bit much…”

I laughed it off, but he just shook his head seriously.

“You’ve grown numb to it because you meet the princess daily, but most people never even see a god in their lifetime.”

“Well, I mean… it’s only because I can sing those songs from another world…”

“Even so, she could’ve had someone else learn them and perform in your place. But instead, she’s taken to instructing you personally. That’s because she sees talent in you.”

“No, really, I—”

“There are indeed times when gods personally teach humans. But those humans are typically once-in-a-century, or even once-in-several-centuries geniuses. You must be one of those rare talents.”

He declared this with a straight face.

But I wanted to protest—I’m not that great. She just comes to hear these rare songs from a previous life.

At this point, I kinda wish I’d just told her the truth back then.

Even if the memories are from my past life, the knowledge isn't really mine to claim. Now it feels like I’m paying the price for pretending otherwise.

Professor Romanov seemed to sense my discomfort and shrugged.

“So suspicious, aren’t you? At your age, you should just bask in praise a little more freely.”

“It’s just… I’ve never heard anyone else sing, so I can’t really tell if I’m actually good or not.”

That part was technically true. I had no comparison point.

That explanation, however, seemed to hit Professor Romanov harder than I expected.

“Ah, I see… Rottenmeier-san did mention that you’ve never left the estate. No wonder you have no benchmark for your skill.”

“...Professor, you’re assuming I’m good by default.”

“When I visited the princess and heard a bit of your singing, I found it beautiful.”

“Oh…”

“In any case, without comparison, you can’t gauge your own abilities. Alright, let’s go to the imperial capital.”

“Eh?”

What!?

I must’ve looked utterly bewildered because he squished my cheeks again. I’m seriously going to lose these cheeks at this rate.

“There are musicians in the capital. And even if not, you’ll find traveling theater troupes performing there.”

“Really…?”

“Kikunoi territory is peaceful, sure—but it’s also what you’d call backwater. Traveling troupes don’t visit often. If they won’t come to us, we’ll go to them.”

So Kikunoi’s basically nowhere-land for artists and performers. Makes sense why something like “The Garden of Violets” would be unthinkable here.

But in the capital… theater exists. Musicians, too.

I want to take Regulus there someday.

That said, it takes ten days by carriage to get from Kikunoi to the capital—and twenty round-trip.

How much would that even cost?

“Professor…”

“Yes?”

“How much would the travel expenses be…?”

I asked timidly. He blinked, then gave a sly grin.

“Let’s see… not cheap, that’s for sure.”

“Especially if we bring Regulus, Utsunomiya-san, Rottenmeier-san… we’d also need guards… and food…”

I started counting on my fingers—and the list just kept growing. Costs would only go up, not down.

Seeing my face droop, Professor Romanov reached out and gently patted my head.

“Some theaters don’t even allow small children inside. So this time, let’s make it just you and me. And as for our expenses—you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Huh!? Really!?”

“Yes. But you’ll have to bring your own allowance for souvenirs.”



His smile was that of a mischievous child who just hatched a plan.

Eunie: surprised? 20 mass released  + 2~ Hope you guys enjoyed it!! 

I'll post  5 chapters tomorrow. 

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