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Chapter 4 Part 2: Renatus and the rose garden.




Translator: Michiko
Editor: Lastinline
The gazebo in the middle of the rose garden was a rest area with a cute little white round roof. There were chairs and a table at the center.
Once Renatus sat down in his usual seat, Bradley sat opposite him.
The landscaping seemed to have been deliberately done so that the audience could clearly see beautiful roses from where they were sitting. So the scenery was very nice.
Renatus poured some black tea from a hand-held pot into two cups.
The pot was a magical tool, so it was insulated and the black tea inside remained hot. When Renatus offered a cup to Bradley, he accepted it with a short thank-you.
“Delicious.”
“Actually, I wanted to treat you to some freshly made tea.” 
“No…it’s more than good enough for someone like me.”
Perhaps because Bradley had a cat’s tongue, he drank his black tea only after he blew on it to cool it down. 
When Renatus saw the masculine and attractive Bradley making such child-like gestures, the words ‘gap moe’ came to his mind.
(Cute. This kind of detail wasn’t in the novel.)
Renatus’s fanboy heart was satisfied and a smile appeared on his face.
“…You don’t seem to dislike me.” 
“Eh, why would I hate you?”
Renatus did not understand the meaning of Bradley’s words.
The corners of Bradley’s mouth turned down, perhaps he felt that Renatus’ reaction was dull.
“…You heard it, right? That I grew up in the slums. I was adopted by my biological father and became a noble, but my education as a noble was a stopgap. There are only nobles in this school, so when people hear that I am from the slums, they all look at me with disgusted looks on their faces.”
Apparently, it’s about his origin. Come to think of it, he was clamoured for such things at the place of condemnation from before. It was unpleasant so Renatus put it away in the corner of his memory and placed a lid on it.
“I don’t really care, but rather it’s amazing that you’re at the top of your class with just that…You must be smart.”
“…After I was adopted, I had a private tutor. And even when I was in the slums, I attended a kindergarten. My mother said I had to go to school.”
“You have a good mother.”
Bradley Wolf’s birth was also described in detail in the novel ‘The Heroic Legend of the Wolf King’.
His mother was the daughter of a lowly nobleman and worked as a servant of Count Wolf’s family. His beautiful mother became the Count’s mistress and got pregnant.
When his lawful wife learned of this, she became enraged and banished her to a brothel in the slums. The count’s lawful wife was unable to have children, so that was why she could not forgive her.
Bradley was then born in a brothel.
A boy born in a brothel became a male prostitute if he was good-looking.
Bradley didn’t become so because the brothel owner had information about his biological father. The brothel owner calculated that he would eventually be able to sell him to the Wolf family for a lot of money.
His mother, who was a noble, albeit of a lower-rank, also understood the importance of studying.
Even though it was up to Bradley to decide how he wanted to live his life, he needed the strength to live. So his mother begged to make sure he went to kindergarten.
The brothel owner also allowed it for the aforementioned purpose. Because he couldn’t sell Bradley at a high price if his head were empty, even if he was related by blood.
(Few children attend kindergarten schools in the slums. I remember reading that it was often a one-on-one teaching situation on most days.)
Nevertheless, it was Bradley’s efforts that made him reach the top of the class. In the slums, the quality of the teachers was nowhere near as high as it should have been, so he must have studied desperately after being taken in by the Count.
Renatus honestly praised Bradley for his hard work.
“…You are really odd.”
Bradley muttered softly. He looked uncomfortable at Renatus’ praise.
Renatus was a fan of Bradley so he could praise his awesomeness endlessly.
He stopped the fanboy mode, thinking that it would look really strange as they had known each other for only a short time.
“I’ve never gone out much. I’m ignorant of the ways of the world if I do say so myself.”
Renatus hung his head down to convey his shame. He minded how he was acting eccentric and naive.
This way, it would not seem strange whenever his fanboy behaviors might slip out.
In front of him, Bradley seemed to understand that Renatus’ praise was sincere.
(I wonder if I can become Bradley’s friend with this momentum…)
Renatus genuinely wanted to be friends with the honest Bradley.
Apart from that thought, there was also the self-interest that if he stayed by Bradley’s side, he would be able to deal with any unwanted flags that came up.
Renatus looked Bradley straight in the eye.
“From my naive point of view, I don’t want to be friends with the people who bullied Bradley. No matter how high their status.”
“…”
“I want a friend. Will you be my friend? Bradley.”
Bradley’s eyes widened in surprise.
To this extent, Renatus did have a basic knowledge of social status, having grown up in this world. Plus his knowledge of the novel. From a conventional perspective, it was not likely that the son of a duke would want to be friends with a person from the slums.
Renatus had a weak sense of social status because he was a reincarnated person. Even though he had knowledge of it, he couldn’t seem to get used to it.
“Become friends with you…”
“You can say no if you don’t want to. Because friendship is not something that can be forced.”
Renatus took a step back to provide a way out. He consciously kept his tone light.
Bradley shook his head. Then he squinted and laughed.
“No, I’m happy. So much so that I wonder if I’m good enough.”
“Haha. Then, since we’re friends now, I’d like for you to call me by my name.”
Bradley was again surprised by the suggestion.
Renatus excitedly waited to hear his name. He managed to get the protagonist to call him by his name with brotherly love.
(I should try not to get too excited…)
Renatus tightened the corners of his mouth that were about to become loose.
“…Renatus-sama.”
Bradley called Renatus’ name as if to chew on it.
His awkwardness was so adorable and pure that Renatus couldn’t help but smile.
“You don’t need to address me with ‘sama’. Because friends are equals. It might be another thing in an official setting, but outside of that, I want you to call me freely.”
Renatus wanted to get closer to Bradley a bit more.
It was better to have these arrangements set in place from the start. Once it’d been fixed, the difficulty of dropping the honorific titles would likely decrease from then on.
Bradley nodded in agreement. And then, with a serious expression, he looked straight at Renatus.
Renatus didn’t look away either.
“…Renatus.”
Bradley called out.
Instantly, an electric current ran through Renatus’ body.
His body reacted first to the low, mellow voice. Perhaps due to the influence of growing up in a brothel, he was so sexy that it was hard to believe they were the same age.
My cheeks were hot.
Was this embarrassment?
No, butミ.
Renatus’ thoughts spun around at a high speed and concluded that he should not go too deep into what he just felt. He felt like he was about to take a step off the straight path as a man.
“Yes. I am happy, Bradley.”
So he responded as cheerfully and wholesomely as possible.
Consciously doing so was as good as having an answer to what he felt, but he kept a tight lid on it.
The office worker inside Renatus was good at pretending he never saw the inconvenient truth.
Bradley then confirmed in a small voice, “Renatus…Renatus?”
TN: Listen to your heart, Renatus. Guess it’s Renatus who fell in love first. There’s a chapter from Bradley’s perspective after this arc so we will know the answer then.
You can read chapters in advance before public release at my kofi. You don’t need to join the monthly subscription if you only want to join for December. With one kofi, you can get access to my stock for 30 days. It also counts towards the extra chapter release goal. If you read all my translations, I think it’s a pretty good deal. My other two projects are Hero x Childhood friend and Selfish prince x His studymate who is also his caterer.
It is a bit difficult for me this month. So, I advertised my kofi. Sorry about that. Even though I said only one update left in the previous chapter, I am free and my wrists are not hurting so you can expect one or two more updates this month. I will try my best. Enjoy reading.