Chapter 62

With Yurii having fallen asleep, I let out a sigh of relief and picked up the papers on the table. It was the product introduction that Sam had mentioned yesterday, detailing the contents of the notebook. After skimming through it, I took out the request form, filled in the necessary information and signed it, then clipped it together with the product introduction. I also glanced over the regular supply order form that Ordima had filled out and signed it. This one was probably for Yurii's notebook.

Yurii, hugging Letz's plush toy, seemed to have been exhausted by the morning's shopping and was sleeping more soundly than usual.

Yurii's civilian clothes had been ruined by Kalaf. From the moment we arrived at the cafeteria in the morning, Yurii was playfully teased, and he joined in the fun. "Dad" was one thing, but "mom"? When I threatened to withhold his meal, he immediately corrected himself, but at that time, Yurii seemed half-serious.

Thinking about venting my frustration with Vincent's disinfectant, I unconsciously avoided it. Instead, Vincent ended up being on Yurii's side. Why am I the one being targeted by Vincent? ...I really don't know what to do from here.

Just when I thought we could finally go out, Yurii started playing with the new beast of Oji's old man at the beast stable. Is it really a good thing to be looked after by a beast?

After being babysat by Kalaf and being doted on by Zhen, the deputy leader of the beast unit, Yurii's desperate attempts to please Letz made Yaal, the leader of the beast unit, and Zhen look at him with warm eyes. It was only natural that it made me feel a bit better. Thanks to that, we managed to have a brief discussion about when to introduce Yurii to the dragon managed by the beast unit, which was an unexpected opportunity. We mostly decided on it, so we just need to schedule it for next month's shift.

Still, what kind of image does Yurii have of the beasts? They are still magical beasts and dangerous creatures, after all. We might need to have a serious talk about it soon. Or perhaps it would be better to have the two from the beast unit thoroughly teach him about the dangers?

The morning outing was quite intense.

From the impression of walking through the village, Yurii seemed to have less stamina than an average child. Despite that, he didn't complain or fuss loudly. He looked around with genuine curiosity and enjoyment, even though it was just a regular street. He listened to me carefully and didn't wobble. He was a well-behaved child, indeed. The adults passing by smiled at him warmly.

At the general store and children's clothing shop, we got enough to last for a while. We could have bought more, but considering that Yurii would receive things from various sources in the future, I focused on selecting items that suited him well and were easy to move in. We can always add more as needed.

At the candy store, where I let Yurii practice using money, he showed immediate decision-making skills, understanding, and calculation abilities, just as Elies had said. Most children would either demand everything or take an unusually long time to decide. It's no wonder the shop owner was taken aback. It's not every day you see a child like that.

One thing that caught my attention was how insensitive Yurii was to people's gazes. Despite drawing more attention than I did, he acted as if he didn't notice at all. However, he was very sensitive to strong emotional gazes and handled them skillfully. I'm used to being watched, but I just let it all pass by. It's impossible to react to everything.

I've seen Yurii's kind of response a few times before. No, it's only a select few who are forced to do so.

...Thinking about reporting this to Elies along with the request form makes me dread it. I didn't want to notice it.

"Captain, welcome back."

"Ah."

"...I heard you've completely turned into a 'holiday dad.' Rumor has it that you were reading picture books to Yurii in matching outfits."

As I let out a sigh, Ordima, who had come to prepare for a break during a lull after the first wave, spoke to me. Her unexpected words made my brows furrow.

"Reading picture books? That was just a little while ago."

"Several members of the cleaning unit and the external security unit saw it. They said it was very heartwarming."

"That was just studying the basics of magic from a picture book."

"Wait, can't Yurii read on his own?"

"He can. Not only can he read, but he can also develop theories on his own. Still, he wanted to be read to, which is a sign of being a child. I tried to let him read on his own at first."

In response to Ordima's teasing, her smile changed slightly.

Actually, the magic control during the practical use of the subspace is a good example.

Normally, just learning theory from a book doesn't make it easy to control magic. The usual approach is to first cause a minor explosion under adult supervision to gradually grasp the sensation. However, Yurii didn't cause any explosions. From the movement of his magic, it seemed he prevented the explosion by developing his own theories. Considering it was his first time, it was more than sufficient.

Despite being capable of such things, Yurii modestly asked to be read to.

"I was thinking of stopping halfway, but Yurii kept saying the book was beautiful and looked at it with shining eyes, so I ended up reading it all the way through."

"...That's..."

"Why does a child who can read react to picture books as if they're something new? ...If I had known this, I would have bought some picture books in the village."

Mentioning another thing that caught my attention about Yurii, Ordima fell silent.

It was a blind spot.

I thought Yurii didn't need picture books since he could read.

That's why I didn't even look at the children's book store next to the general store.

"Then, maybe I should ask the members with children if they have any picture books or children's books they no longer need."

"Consulting with Elies and showing Yurii various books might be a good idea."

What books has Yurii read? How much knowledge does he have? Yurii is full of unknowns.

For now, I'll tackle each unknown one by one without jumping to conclusions.

The more trump cards we have against Rois, the better. It's better to assume we'll need a lot.

"By the way, about the soup earlier."

"Ah, the deputy leader and the old man were already discussing the menu combinations while working. It might become a helpful menu without increasing the workload much."

"Everyone is already looking forward to eating it."

"Of course. Alf is already getting antsy to eat it."

"The menu details will be finalized after everyone has eaten. We can discuss it in detail at next week's menu meeting."

Regaining my composure and changing the subject, Ordima nodded.

Yurii unexpectedly added a twist to the lunch soup.

He put bread directly into the simple onion soup, topped it with cheese, and grilled it. If we change the main dish, it will definitely be a popular menu.

He must have picked up this knowledge from some book.

I definitely want to confirm this.

If so, it will add new menus, which will be a good stimulus for the cooking unit.

"For now, we'll review the morning's lessons and do practical training in the afternoon."

"...Yurii doesn't seem to have much stamina. It doesn't even look like he's ever done any physical activity, let alone swordplay."

As I muttered while looking at the sleeping Yurii, Ordima, who was steadily preparing the table, whispered softly.

This guy's observations are usually spot on...

Well, it's fine. It's a waste of time to think about it now.

While Yurii is sleeping, I'll try to finish as much of the paperwork on this desk as possible.