After Landon left, Iver held Little Crow in his arms and suddenly said, "I quite like that young man."
Although Iver was nearly ten years younger than Landon, those unexpectedly old-fashioned words sounded surprisingly natural coming from him.
"Why?"
Viennes was inexplicably a little displeased. "Because of the things he praised you for?"
"Because of you."
"...What?"
Iver's words made Viennes choke up for a moment.
"I was joking." Iver chuckled. "Actually, it's because he's empathetic, cautious in his actions, and doesn't want to fool anyone. He thought of those who hadn't been rescued, remembered that Avalon hadn't been very accepting of Transcenders before, and when I said I needed a Bayard, he immediately stated that he might not be able to help me... Rather than agreeing first and then figuring out how to muddle through it, he had already subconsciously considered how he should carry out the task. That says a lot."
"Given your identity, it's only natural that he wouldn't dare fool you."
Viennes, on the other hand, began throwing cold water on her junior. "That doesn't prove he'll be so cautious in other matters as well."
"That's a matter of mindset, not ability. Even so, he might still be able to adjust."
Iver spoke casually as he smiled and pinched Little Crow's warm belly. "Why are you jealous of your junior too? He's a man, my little crow."
He could tell that Bayard had grown jealous because he was praising another Bayard.
"...That's the effect of the Jealousy Brand on me," Bayard stubbornly insisted.
"Mm, I suppose so."
Iver did not continue pressing the subject. "But you said... 'The territory is the treasure, and the blood is the key.' Is that a universal principle of cursecraft? Is that how the Herasul Secret Treasure came to be as