Chapter 25

Laocles is an excellent model. If I ask him not to move, he will stay completely still. He can stay still for about 30 minutes without any problem, and if I ask him, he can stay still for an hour without moving at all. He does blink occasionally, but that’s it. ...What an outstanding living statue!

There is one thing that frustrates me, though. Since I’m not yet used to drawing people, I can only manage to draw his face within the time he can stay still.

However, many statues are just the head and shoulders. So, I guess I’ll start from there. ...When I get better at drawing faster, I want to draw his whole body.

Still, staying still for so long must be very tiring. So, I decided to limit drawing Laocles to three times a day. No, it wasn’t me, but Fay who decided.

"Think about Laocles' body. He doesn’t disobey your orders and doesn’t move at all. It’s painful just to watch."

Right. I’m happy watching, but I can’t help it. I want Laocles to stay healthy, so I decided not to draw too many pictures of him at once.

If I could, I’d draw him for a total of about 12 hours, taking breaks in between... but I guess that’s not possible. He’s like a statue, but he’s alive.

That day, we stayed at the Redgard family’s place, but the next day, we returned to the forest. When we left, Fay lent us fire spirits, and Laocles and I rode them back. When we arrived in the forest, the two fire spirits returned. They’re so smart.

"…What is this place?"

"A forest with a lot of horses."

On the other hand, Laocles was a bit surprised by the forest. Well, it’s mostly horses here.

We pushed through the horses and made our way forward. The horses seemed very interested in Laocles. I explained to the horses, "He’s the one I draw," and they seemed to understand. The unicorns definitely wouldn’t get close to Laocles, but the pegasi came closer, sniffing him. Laocles was a bit uncomfortable with this. Well, he’ll get used to it.

We pushed through the horses and finally reached my house.

"This is my house. Feel free to use it. There’s a guest room, so you can stay there."

"Please, come in," I invited Laocles.

He is tall, taller than both me and Fay, so the house might be a bit cramped for him.

The bed might be too small. If so, I’ll have to draw a new one.

...But then.

"I’m fine out there."

Laocles pointed to the open doorway, indicating outside.

There, the remains of a shelter I built for the horses... the old one, not the new one.

Once, it was destroyed by poachers, but I built a new one. It was easier to build a new one than to repair the old one. The horses are using the new one.

...And Laocles is saying he wants to sleep under the old, broken one.

"Um... do you like being outside?"

"Are you an idiot?"

When I asked, he called me an idiot. Yeah.

"I don’t want to sleep under the same roof as a slave who has killed people."

As he said this, Laocles had a somewhat complex look on his face.

He’s telling me to be cautious... but... hmm, do I really need to be cautious? Someone who tells you to be cautious can’t be a bad person, right? Is this way of thinking wrong?

"Um... it’s okay because of the collar, right?"

When I asked, Laocles was silent. He just stared at me.

...Hmm, it seems he’s not going to change his mind.

Fay also said it’s okay because of the collar, but since he’s worried, I guess it’s fine.

"I’m not particularly cautious of you. But if you’re concerned, that’s fine. We can stay in separate houses."

I gave in. At that moment, Laocles seemed to relax a bit, or so I thought. Well, his face is mostly expressionless. Yeah, he really is like a statue.

"Wait here. I’ll draw a house for you soon."

So, I decided to draw a new house for him.

"...What are you talking about?"

"Ah, if I faint, please put me in the hammock outside. The horses will probably carry me..."

"...Hey."

Laocles looked around at the horses, then at me as I took out my drawing materials, with a look of exasperation.

Yeah, I guess it’s unsettling not to have a house. I understand. I’ll build his house soon.

I’m sure the time before I faint has gotten longer. I’ve been drawing more things, and I even drew a red dragon. From my experience, mainly when I healed horses, it seems the more I draw, the longer it takes for me to faint.

So, I’ll try a challenge. I’ll draw a house in one day.

Since he seems restless around the horses, I’ll build the house a bit away from my house and the spring. It should be within the range of the slave collar’s effect, meaning not too far from me.

I walked around and found a suitable spot. Okay, this will do.

I immediately started with the foundation. ...Yeah. The feeling is different from before. It’s much easier. I can keep going.

"...What happened?"

"I drew the foundation."

Laocles was surprised that the drawing became real, but I quickly moved on to the next part.

...No. Instead of drawing the pillars and beams first and then the walls, I’ll draw the whole house at once. Even if I faint, it will probably only be for a day or two.

Fay said in my head, "Be really careful!" but I’ll ignore that. Sorry if I faint from running out of magic again.

...And so, a house with cream-colored plaster walls and a dark gray roof was completed.

It’s a bit smaller than my house. But the ceiling is higher, so I hope that’s okay.

I might have grown. I didn’t faint even after drawing the house.

"Um... I’ll draw the other furniture tomorrow. I’ll draw the bed and then go to sleep."

Then, I decided one of the rooms in the house would be the bedroom and drew a bed there. It’s a large bed that can easily accommodate his big body. The fabric and fluffy texture came out quite well. The bed was fluffy. Good.

"...I don’t understand."

And Laocles was left behind... but I guess that’s fine.

"I’m this kind of person. I hope this serves as an introduction."

When I said that, he... hesitantly nodded.

"...It seems I’ve been bought by someone extraordinary."

Laocles said this with a slightly strained expression.

Yeah. I’m glad you understand.

In the end, I didn’t faint that day.

But I was very tired, so I ended up sleeping in the hammock outside, being pulled by the horses.

Is Laocles sleeping properly? Is he using the bed I drew?

...I’ll ask him properly tomorrow. Yeah. Good night.

Good morning.

When I woke up and went outside, a giant bird was bathing in the spring. It’s been a while.

I greeted the bird and the horses, took a quick bath, and then headed to Laocles' house.

...When I knocked on the door, there was no answer, so I quietly peeked through a window from the back of the house.

The window, which didn’t even have curtains, clearly showed Laocles sleeping on the bed in the room.

Yeah. Laocles was sleeping.

...He seems to be sleeping soundly. Yeah, I guess he was tired. The cell-like room must not have been very comfortable.

Ah, and I might have drawn too much yesterday.

...Yeah.

Please sleep a bit longer. Good night.