Where did that mutter come from? He do not know. But those words are the questions that everyone here wanted to ask.
But, when he look at the state of Blansa, who was keeping silent as giving her consent, now they know that it wasn’t a lie, but the truth in itself.
However, there isn’t anyone who dared to ask.
“Kokurou, is an orphan whom Gareos had picked up in the battlefield”
Leowald explained plainly to everybody.
A story before Leo was crowned as the Beast King. The times when Lendock, his father, still ruled the country. The times where chaos still leads the whole world, when the everyday life of fighting hasn’t still died out and continued to torment people. And the time when a large scale war broke out between them and the [Humas].
As for what was done in the boundary between the beastmen and the humans, the beastmen were able to barely gain victory, but the damage dealt to them was serious, too. Many towns and villages are sacrificed, and many lives have lost.
A small village of [Egma], being engulfed in the war, was driven to its destruction. Gareos Konigh, who was leading the that time, grieved about the village that they were unable to save.
But fortunately, he heard an Intel that a couple of a certain family was still alive. As they went to confirm it in a hurry, there was an older sister and younger brother being protected by their father and mother from the attacking [Humas]. The kids were still young, around five or six years old apparently. They had pure white hair like the snow.
But the moment when they rushed, the parents were already killed by the humans, and had started bearing their fangs towards the siblings. That’s why Gareos somehow managed to protect them from the detestable blades of the enemy.
“The older sister and her little brother were the only ones left in the village.”
The elder sister’s name is Nerei. And the younger brother’s name……was Kokurou.
“War orphans……aren’t they?”
A word with similar meaning flowed from the first prince Regulus’s mouth. Leowald gave a slight nod, then continued the story.
“Gareos decided to adopt these two who didn’t have any relatives left but themselves”
Coming from the debt of not being able to save their parents, this is the utmost of what he could do. Fortunately it can be done because he was not in the situation where increasing his attendants by two could endanger his life.
And also, he also has a seven year old daughter, all alone. In fact she is……
“my wife here……Blansa”
Everyone’s eyes faced Blansa. It is connected to what Leowald was saying a while ago. Then he becoming his brother-in-law is not strange.
With the adopted son’s story coming out unexpectedly, of course they were confused at Kokurou and Nerei at first. However, over time, they eventually became accustomed to it.
One time, accompanying the three people the young Gareos went to Lendock who was the king at that time to pay respects. Then, Leowald met Kokurou for the first time.
“When we met at first, Kokurou seemed to be a weak child at a first glance. I was already past ten at that time, and because I have been training harder than anyone else, Kokurou looked even smaller to me. However, his eyes hid a keen strength. Though it is weak, I could feel that they were the eyes of a challenger”
To Leowald’s words, Blansa partly closed her eyes in nostalgia.
“Nerei was also young and beautiful at that time”
“Yes, it is so”
Still with closed eyes, Blansa agrees.
“She was a very talented child. Bright, polite, and a child with a strong heart above all”
Blansa tells as she recalled, Leowald furthermore added.
“It was to the extent that you will be speechless in admiration”
Everyone recognized and acknowledged her as the brain of [Pasion], as she could infer the things a common man couldn’t understand.
After that, the four came over often to play with each other. Especially for the meagre Kokurou, he trained himself with Leowald with sword and fist as well.
Blansa and Nerei happily watched them. Though the world was at war, peace continued between the four people.