If you don't want to just drift through life, you have to go through time.

"No, little Philon. Boys and girls shouldn't sleep in the same dormitory after the age of seven. You can't just say that."

"So, Uncle Truman and Lady Frillien didn't sleep together when they were camping in the wild?"

……what?

Truman was asked the question.

He hadn't really thought about that.

Normally, camping in the wild shouldn't be considered sharing a room, but since the two of them were alone and leaning on each other for warmth, it does seem to be the same.

"Is it... not okay for me?"

Philon's upturned face showed a barely perceptible hint of disappointment, so subtle that it was almost invisible without close observation.

Is it because you're afraid of being alone?

Haita was a monk, or in other words, a priest, and the relationship between priests and children is...you know...I suppose Haita had never granted Philon's request.

We should have sent Philon to find Frilian, since she would have been more suitable. But Frilian is currently engrossed in deciphering the magic book, so we had no choice but to ask him.

"...Come in."

Truman eventually softened.

He made room for Philon to come in.

Philon entered the room, but instead of lying down on the bed, he silently watched Truman.

"Yes, yes..."

Only after Truman lay down on the bed did she put her own pillow on the bed and then lie down as well.

So, what should we do now?

Truman had slept with children before, and was asked to look after their kids when relatives visited. Those unruly children were incredibly noisy, so he always used physical methods to force them to fall asleep immediately.

But Philon is so well-behaved and adorable, you can't use the same method on her, that would be too much. Besides, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

At that moment, Philon asked softly, "Uncle Truman, can you pat me?"

"oh oh……"

Truman raised his hand and gently patted Philon's shoulder and back, the clumsy movement making him look somewhat ridiculous.

no way.

This was the first time he had ever done this.

Speaking of which, do you hum nursery rhymes to lull a child to sleep? Thinking of this, Truman began to hum softly the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Uncle Truman.

"What's wrong, little Philon?"

"I can't sleep."

"……Feel sorry."

The piece of music is good, but when someone sings it off-key, it doesn't have a hypnotic effect.

Truman stopped humming and simply patted Philon's shoulder gently. Accompanied by the rustling of leaves outside the treehouse, Philon slowly closed his eyes, his breathing becoming even and long.

Are you asleep? Then I'll go too—

Boom!

"Truman, are you asleep?"

Frillie's voice came from outside the door.

Truman tiptoed out of bed, opened the door, and saw Frillie, also wearing pajamas and holding a pillow.

Her pigtails were undone, and her smooth, long silver hair cascaded down. Her red and gold earrings reflected a dim light in the candlelight, making her look somewhat languid.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to sleep with you."

"Um?"

"No, I accidentally broke the bed in the basement, and I was too embarrassed to bother Haita and Philon, so... Strange, why is Philon here?"

"That child was surprisingly afraid of being alone."

"I see."

Frillie's expression remained unchanged.

Truman thought for a moment, "Frilian, why don't you and Philon live here?"

"And you?"

"I'll go to Philon's room... no, I'll just make do in the basement."

"Didn't I tell you I accidentally broke the bed in the basement?...Never mind, I'll go to Philon's room then," Frilian said.

"Is it okay? Don't you think I might do something weird?"

"Would you do strange things?"

"Won't."

"Then there's no problem. Besides, today is the first time you and Philon have met, right? The fact that she came to you means she trusts you, and I trust Truman too, so you can keep her company... Kids do get lonely easily."

"Okay, I understand."

Truman nodded.

Frillie turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps and looked at him.

"You really won't do anything weird, will you?"

"No way!"

Didn't you just say you trusted yourself? Where is your trust now?

Frillie left.

Truman gently closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar instead of locking it. It's unclear what prompted him to do this, but he did just that.

Go back to bed.

Philon curled up, her little face scrunched up. Unlike her expressionless face during the day, she looked sad and tormented, which was especially heartbreaking.

"Dad... Mom..."

She seems to be having a nightmare.

Truman lay down, gently patting Philon's shoulder and back, and murmured, "It's okay, Philon, I'm here, so there's no need to be afraid..."

As Truman patted her, Philon's expression gradually relaxed, and a subtle, sweet smile appeared on her lips as she fell into a deep sleep once more.

In the Middle Ages, disciples held the same status as servants.

Haita wanted Philon to become Frilian's apprentice, so during the day he would make Philon do all sorts of housework as if showing off, whether it was cooking, cleaning, or a mature and steady personality. These were all hard conditions for Frilian to agree.

Unfortunately, Frilian refused.

She probably didn't see through that, because she genuinely didn't want the child her friend entrusted to her to die, which is why she refused without hesitation.

However, Haita once again used the demand to decipher the magic book to scheme against Frillie.

Truman should have been the one to teach Philon. If, as Haita said, he brought Philon to him for care, then he should take responsibility.

But Truman backed down.

While chatting with Haita, I subtly expressed my intention to back down... No, that wouldn't do, it would be so irresponsible.

Looks like I need to do something.

With these thoughts in mind, Truman also drifted off to sleep.

The next day.

As the morning sunlight streamed onto his face, Truman slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and stretched. He discovered that Philon was gone, and his pillow was also nowhere to be found.

I listened carefully.

There were light footsteps outside the door, and a faint aroma of food wafted through the air.

I left the room and went into the living room.

Haita greeted him, "Good morning, Truman. I'm so sorry about last night; I accidentally fell asleep during our conversation."

"I apologize for not being considerate of the elderly."

"He is indeed an elderly person."

Besides Haita, Frillian was also in the living room, and her appearance surprised Truman greatly.

"This is the first time Frillie has gotten up this early!"

"Philan woke me up; it's my fault for taking over her bed."

"Hehehe, Frilian often oversleeps and misses her schedule."

Oh, I see. It's Philon.

"Good morning, Uncle Truman." Philon brought out food from the kitchen. "It's time for breakfast. Please go wash up first."

"Call me Dad."

"...What?"

"Call me Dad."

Upon hearing Truman's words, Philon paused briefly before taking a step back.

"Please don't joke around, Mr. Truman..."

"Won't this just create more distance?!"

"Truman, you really did something strange last night, didn't you?" Frilian pulled Philon along. "Come over here, let me check."

"So, I didn't do anything!"

Frillie pulled Philon to the room, seemingly intending to really check it out, while Haita chuckled, trusting Truman more than Frillie.

"By the way, Haita, the bed in the basement is broken. I'll go fix it later."

"it's out of the question."

"...What?"

"The bed in the basement is made of mud, making it virtually impossible to destroy."

What does this mean?

Did Frilian lie?