Stigma Effect

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

Baraha readily agreed.

“Yes, I think it would be better to send it before subjugation. It would be more convenient for me to do that too….”

After saying that, he leaned back, not paying attention to the dusty ground. The monster that was holding its snout in Yuriel’s hand turned and looked at the fallen Baraha.

Baraha, lying among the sparsely sprouting flowers, showed a tired look. He continued to mumble and added,

“Actually, it bothered me a lot just looking at it, so I think it would be easier to send it out of sight…. Ah, the sunlight sucks….”

It was natural for the sun to pierce his eyes as he laid down. He stopped talking and covered his eyes with his arms. The monster and Yuriel watched his actions and moved together.

The monster leaned towards Baraha first. It let out a low sound as if thanking him for hiding it last night, then slid its chin on Baraha’s stomach.

“Why are you so heavy?”

He slowly raised his arm and confirmed that it was the monster with its face on his stomach. Pushing away the monster seemed like a nuisance, and Baraha covered his eyes with his arm again.

He didn’t seem to like the monster’s favor, but he didn’t look like he hated it either.

“You can go in and rest.”

“I’m tired of going back. I just want to sleep here… .”

“Then you’ll catch a cold.”

“I won’t. Have you ever seen me catch a cold in Mogris?”

Yuriel, who was about to get Baraha up, who was clinging to the floor like a sloth, let out a small sigh.

Well, she doesn’t remember seeing him catch a cold. A child who was fine even in the middle of winter wouldn’t get sick on such a warm day.

Instead of raising him, Yuriel slumped down beside him like the monster. Baraha gently raised his arms again this time to see it was Yuriel.

Seeing Yuriel sitting on the ground, he squinted his eyes.

“… The ground is cold.”

Baraha, who covered his face, said in a casual tone. It was an euphemism to get her up, but Yuriel replied as if it was nothing.

“Not very cold. You’re lying down too.”

“I usually sleep on the floor.”

“Well, I suppose so”

Baraha was the kind of person who could take a break wherever he could rest his head.

Yuriel rested by his side for a long time without thinking about anything.

The worries led by the unexpected pregnancy, the criticism towards herself, and the pressure to leave have stopped. Seeing Baraha sleeping casually, she became more comfortable without thinking of anything.

There were a lot of things to worry about, but that was a matter Yuriel had to decide anyway.

Yuriel closed her eyes, enjoying a brief moment of comfort. She could understand a little bit of Baraha’s feelings as she frowned at the sunlight.

The warm light poured down on her delicate eyelids without diminishing its momentum.

Yuriel, who was dozing off in the sun next to Baraha, woke up from her shallow sleep when she felt a touch on her shoulder. She saw the monster lightly nudging her shoulders. Baraha got up, brushing his body, and was looking at the monster.

He began to speak in a tone of disgust.

“Yuriel, don’t sleep in front of the monster when you are alone.”

“… Will it try to take me again?”

Yuriel asked while stroking the monster’s head. The monster that tried to drag her out of Albraka whenever it had time seemed to have acted like that this time as well.

Baraha reached out near the nape of Yuriel’s neck and nodded his head. Traces of when the monster tried to drag her away were still there.

Seeing Baraha tidying up her disheveled collar, the monster cried briefly as if it was a pity.

Yuriel lightly rubbed the monster’s snout with her finger and narrowed her brow severely.

“Where the hell does it want to take me?”

Naturally, the monster did not answer Yuriel’s question. The monster simply put its head on Yuriel’s stomach and purred obediently.

After hiding the monster and erasing the traces, it was time to head to Shudmuel’s office. As expected, Baraha’s gaze was filled with wonder when he asked if she was going to Shudmuel’s office.

Baraha was curious about Yuriel looking for Shudmuel once a day.

“Is there a reason to go to the medical commander? Are you sick or…. Something like that.”

Yuriel was surprised to hear his question. It was a tone of concern, but it was especially surprising to see that Baraha had an insight that was rarely seen in him.

He didn’t spend a little bit of his mental energy on things he didn’t want to be interested in. It was comfortable to assume that his interest was reached just by asking a question.

Even when she was kidnapped, Baraha spared no effort to save her and even worried that she might be ill now that her eyes trembled.

“Yuriel?”

“Hmm, no. It’s not like that.”

Yuriel shook her head to a friend who was concerned about her. Baraha hunched down and observed her complexion.

Yuriel licked her lips as she received the gaze of her only friend in the imperial capital with whom she could confide.

She wanted to announce the news of her pregnancy right away and receive congratulations.

Helio and Shudmuel never congratulated her on her pregnancy. They saw her pregnancy as a huge shackle holding her back.

It was clear that Helio, who clearly had been a noble before he joined Albraka, and Shudmuel, responsible for the changes within the Order as the medical commander, did not welcome the news.

They were only concerned with the chaos that Yuriel’s pregnancy would bring.

Their concerns over Yuriel’s pregnancy were proof of their responsibility. As much as they were concerned about Albraka’s prestige, they were not pleased with Yuriel’s pregnancy.

Unlike them, Baraha could not feel affection for Albraka.

Yuriel didn’t know that he belonged to Albraka until the moment she met him when she arrived at the imperial capital.

If Baraha had even thought of Albraka, there would not have been such a reaction. He was deliberately excluding Albraka from his consciousness.

It makes her wonder how he can still be the commander.

Although Baraha and Raphlet were both commanders, Baraha was usually dissatisfied with an increase to his workload because he did not do his work properly unlike Raphlet. But if he wanted to, he could properly complete his work, like when he heard about Yuriel’s kidnapping.

She just thought that she should be careful with even the smallest expressions and gestures, yet Yuriel unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach again.

Baraha’s gaze deepened as he watched Yuriel lay her hands on her stomach while immersed in thought. Yuriel, who was worried, did not notice his gaze.

Yuriel was thinking of Baraha, who she had spent time with at the Mogris Estate.

He liked children more than she thought. When he saw a child begging on the street, he would turn around and toss a coin.

He was kind to children under the age of ten. He paid special attention to children living on the streets.

It was not that he hates children, so if he wanted to, he would show the reaction Yuriel wants.

Yuriel barely suppressed the urge to confide in Baraha and said,

“I’m helping Sir Shudmuel with his business.”

“Does Commander Shudmuel need your help? There are subordinates all around.”

“You have subordinates all around you, but I’ve written a report for you in the past.”

“… It is.”

Fortunately, he nodded his head as if he was convinced when she talked about what had happened the other day when she helped Baraha with his work. Apart from his movements, his gaze briefly turned to the back of Yuriel’s hand.

Gazing at her hand, which was slowly rubbing her stomach, he noticed that Yuriel’s tone, unaccustomed to lying, trembled awkwardly.

Her itchy mouth was also very visible as if she wanted to say something.

He thought she would soon reveal herself if he asked a few questions, but Baraha stopped thinking about digging up what Yuriel was hiding.

He felt his stomach churn with displeasure as he looked at Yuriel’s hand rubbing her stomach as if she had hidden something precious in her arms. What Yuriel was trying to hide would probably have to do with Commander Raphlet, and when he hears it, the displeasure he felt right now would probably increase in size and swallow his whole body.

Baraha, who came closer as if to find out what Yuriel was hiding, forcibly cut off his thoughts.

‘I don’t want to know what you’re hiding.’

Baraha said, in an uninteresting tone.

“I’ll go.”

“Uh? Yes. You must be tired, so rest well.”

Unconsciously, his thoughts stopped for his own defense. Baraha, who felt uncomfortable, turned around, and ruffled his shaggy hair with one hand.

Yuriel was tilting her head and waving her hand at his suddenly rough look.

Yuriel’s face while moving her hands carefreely, was clearly visible through his messy hair.

Aside from the unpleasant sensations, it was also true that Yuriel, who was not feeling well these days, was concerned about him.

Baraha turned away from Yuriel, who was moving her hand, and said in a low voice. Her hand through his hair fell helplessly down.

“… If there’s something you can’t handle on your own, just tell me.”

The absurd moment he secretly watched as she hid the traces of the monster alone still remained inside him.

Yuriel was trying to do things by herself, but if he looked at it closely, the results were very clumsy.

The biggest problem for Yuriel was that she did not notice the clumsiness and was in high spirits.

Baraha, who was unable to ignore Yuriel’s mistake and looked after her, sighed in excruciating fatigue.

This time, he could not turn away from Yuriel.

After all, nothing has changed from the moment he decided to run to save Yuriel when he was young.