Reborn into Beast Tamer Clan with Monsters-Only Affinity-Chapter 50: I’m sorry

Axelius rolled his eyes with a groan. "Then why bother asking?"

He gave a bitter chuckle, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Yeah, I acted out of anger. Can you believe that? Those monsters used me like a damn punching bag... they deserved what they got."

There was a hint of pride in his voice as he spoke, his grin widening into something darker. He laughed again, this time with that eerie tone Owen had grown used to.

The slime muttered under his breath, "You’re scared of your own blood, but you enjoy seeing other people’s. What a total psycho..."

Axelius laughed then winced, his hand flying to his stomach.

"Ugh... my stomach still hurts. I’m done for today. I’m sleeping—too much happened..."

His voice trailed off until it faded into steady breathing. He had fallen asleep, just like that—completely drained.

Owen watched him in silence for a moment. Then, with a soft sigh, he extended one of his gooey arms and gently pulled the blanket up to Axelius’s chin. He stared at his sleeping face, expression unreadable.

"You look so innocent when you sleep, people might say ’What a handsome boy~’ " Owen murmured copying old woman voice. "It’s honestly kinda creepy. Gives me chills."

He gave one last bounce, covering Axelius’s face with the blanket too, then slid down off the bed, settling on the floor beside it with a soft squish.

"Good thing we’re friends," he whispered to himself.

Axelius was smiling in his sleep. His face was relaxed, free from tension, and a rare, soft grin curled on his lips. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. His body was warm, light, and completely at peace.

Mm... this must be a side effect of healing magic...He sighed in his sleep, curling deeper into the blanket like a cat.Good thing I had Millie. Sorry but not sorry, Cyruz. Hahahaha...

But his peaceful moment didn’t last.

His brows twitched. A soft frown appeared. Something began to disturb him—a sound. At first, it was faint, like murmurs in a distant tunnel. But soon, it grew louder, rougher, and more urgent.

"...Axelius..."

The voice echoed in his dream, desperate, shaky, like someone struggling to reach him.

"Axelius...!"

His face twisted further. His peaceful sleep cracked. And then—

"AXELIUS!"

A deafening ring exploded in his ear like someone had screamed right beside him. He shot up with a yell, standing abruptly on the bed.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

One hand clutched his ear as he looked around the room in confusion. His heart raced. Sweat rolled down his temple.

"H-Help"

He turned toward the voice—and his eyes widened.

Owen was... melting. His slime body looked like it was turning into a puddle of water, slowly slipping out of form. But more than that—someone was holding him.

"Ellory?!"

Axelius blinked at the sight. There, standing in front of his bed, was Ellory with sparkles in her eyes, cradling Owen like a plush toy. She smiled so brightly that Axelius instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.

"An... angel?!"

Ellory giggled, tilting her head. "Good morning, Brother Axel! You didn’t tell me you had a cute little slime!"

Before Axelius could answer, Owen used the last of his energy to scream weakly, "I SAID HELP ME, AXELIUS!!"

Axelius leapt off the bed, carefully prying Owen out of Ellory’s arms. "What is wrong with you?!"

Owen was barely holding himself together. "C-Cuteness...Overl-load..." he groaned.

Ellory clasped her hands behind her back and beamed. "You didn’t say your friend was so adorable!"

Axelius blinked. "Wait... you can see him?"

"Mm-hmm!" Ellory nodded, rocking on her heels.

Owen whimpered again, as if her cuteness was a weapon, and began melting in Axelius’s arms once more. Feeling grossed out, Axelius flinched and tossed Owen onto the bed. "Disgusting."

Then he turned to Ellory with a deadpan face. "What are you doing here?"

Ellory pouted, puffing her cheeks. "Brother, I came to visit you. You’ve been sleeping for so long! You should be grateful."

She reached for his hand and gently led him back to the bed. Axelius hesitated—her small hands were warm, and her expression too sweet. But he pulled his hand back, pretending to scratch his neck.

"I’ll ask again. What are you doing in here, Ellory?"

Before she could answer, Owen bounced up onto the bed’s edge with a frustrated wiggle. "Axelius! Don’t be rude! She’s the definition of adorable!"

Axelius shot him a look. "All children are adorable to you, idiot."

"Nuh-uh!" Owen fired back. "You never looked adorable to me!"

The two glared at each other, both full of pointless pride. Ellory watched them, hands covering her giggles. Then she laughed out loud, clapping with joy.

"You two are so funny! You’re like a grumpy pair of uncles."

Axelius groaned and flopped back onto the bed. "Great. Just what I need first thing in the morning."

Ellory took a step back and bowed her head deeply. Axelius, still sitting on the edge of the bed, frowned at the sudden formality. "What is it now?"

His tone was sharper than he intended, and Ellory visibly pouted at the sound. She took a deep breath and straightened her posture.

"B-Brother... I would like to apologize. What happened to you yesterday—it’s my fault."

Axelius blinked at her. For a moment, he didn’t respond. Then, as if the words had tugged at something in his memory, he tilted his head and looked out the window. A bright strip of light spilled across the floor. His brows furrowed.

"...It’s morning?"

He rubbed his empty stomach with a quiet sigh. ’I didn’t even eat dinner... no wonder I feel like collapsing again.’

Still, his attention returned to the small girl still bowing before him.

"Nope," he said, standing up and stretching his arms. His joints cracked. "None of it was your fault."

Ellory looked up in surprise. "But—!"

"I said it’s not," he interrupted, scratching the back of his head. "Even if Elias had been beside me with all those monsters, I’d still get hit. Too many. That’s just how it is."

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

"It’s my fault, okay?" Axelius muttered as he walked around the bed, still stretching lazily. "I hid on purpose so Elias wouldn’t see me."

Ellory tilted her head. "You were playing hide-and-seek?"

Axelius froze. He turned to look at her and found her staring at him with those round, innocent eyes. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. After a moment, he looked away, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

"...Yeah."

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Brother. I feel lighter in my chest now."

Axelius frowned. "Aren’t you just four years old? Why do you talk like that?"

Ellory poked Owen, who was still lying on the bed, half-melted. Owen gave a pitiful look before shrinking further like jelly being pressed.

"Isn’t this normal?" she asked with genuine confusion. "We were taught to speak and act gracefully. As the Duke’s children, we must show good manners in everything we do. That’s what our tutors say."

Axelius raised a brow. ’Tutors? Graceful?’ He suddenly thought of the children back in his pastlife life—the hideout brats with messy noses and louder mouths. One of them always chewed on dirt. Another couldn’t say three words without crying. One boy called him ’Onion’ for a whole year.

He sighed.

"Man, the kids in the base couldn’t even pronounce their own names. And here she is, bowing and speaking like a lady."

Axelius waved his hand. "Just... be normal. You don’t have to act like you’re at some royal dinner especially talking to me."

"But I’m always like this," Ellory said honestly.

Axelius squinted at her. "That’s what worries me."