Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Trails of Cold Steel I Arc
Chapter 001 – Fufufu, son. Nice to Meet You
[“Fufufu, son. Nice to meet you.”]
What the hell is going on?
Was Rean Schwarzer’s thoughts.
Desperate to save Elise from danger, a mysterious power, something, maybe it was his destructive instinct, awakened inside him.
As a result of wielding that power out of desperation, the smell of a red sticky liquid and iron was stuck onto his body.
It was only later that he learnt that it was the blood of monsters, and that Elise had been frightened by the blood that dyed the snow crimson.
Seeing Elise’s figure, who was in tears, Rean collapsed from exhaustion.
“Nii-sama!”
Just at that moment, when Rean heard his sister’s lisping scream and was about to lose consciousness, he heard an unknown voice from earlier.
Rean turned his attention to the source of the voice and saw a doll, in the shape of a middle-aged man with a stern face, hugging his left arm.
Rean, who was filled with emotions surpassing fear, at the absurdity in front of him, easily gave up and fell into unconsciousness.
＊
It was already in the middle of night when Rean woke up.
He realized that he was lying on a bed and sat up.
“I…”
[“Fufufu, son. How are you feeling?”]
Stunned, he heard a voice, the sound of a heavy bass.
When Rean looked towards it, he saw a mysterious object on his left arm talking to him.
Rean stared at it.
It was a doll in the shape of a middle-aged man with black hair and an expressionless stern face.
The doll’s gaze met Rean’s.
“…………It seems I’m still dreaming.”
[“Son, I don’t really recommend you trying to escape from reality.”]
“What the heck are you!”
Rean screamed, forgetting it was in the middle of the night.
He was already overwhelmed with so much information because of things that had happened to him that he felt like his head might explode.
It seemed his scream reverberated out of the room and his parents rushed in from the opened door.
“Rean, you’re awake!”
“Rean, how’s your body? Does it feel dull? Are you in pain?”
The people who looked at Rean with worried expressions were his father, Teo and his mother, Lucia.
Rean, who was surprised and trembled, forgot about himself and told his parents about the doll on his left arm.
“Father, mother. I’m fine. But there’s something weird stuck on my left arm…”
“What?”
“Rean…?”
His parents’ expression portrayed how they couldn’t understand what Rean was talking about.
Aah, so I’m not the only one who found it weird, thought Rean as he felt relieved, but for some reason, his parents’ gaze began to get mixed with pain.
“Father, mother, this——”
“————It’s okay, Rean. You must be exhausted. You woke up but it’s better to sleep longer. Dad and mom will stay by your side until you fall asleep.”
“Elise was with us earlier, but it seems she couldn’t stay awake until this hour. Don’t worry, she’s safe.”
“No, both of you, look at my left arm——”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s alright.”
The two forced Rean back onto his bed and put the blanket back on.
Their expressions were gentle.
“Something like that happened, after all, so it can’t be helped if you get confused. For now, it’s better to get some rest.”
“Just do your best to sleep.”
After being told that, Rean couldn’t say anything in response.
Although he had complaints, the emotions in their eyes were, without doubt, love.
Understanding that, Rean wanted to fall asleep with ease.
[“Fufufu, it’s great that you are loved, son. It’s better to follow their words and sleep for now.”]
But that was prevented by the words of that mysterious object.
Rean let his left arm out of the blanket as a show of resistance.
The two parents looked for a moment, but then gently placed Rean’s left arm back into the blanket.
[“It seems like those two can’t see my appearance.”]
The doll’s voice sounded somewhat carefree.
Rean could understand it despite his childish mind.
It seemed he was the only one who could see it.
＊
“——You’re my real father?”
[“Of course, I’m not the real one in the literal sense. Should I say that I’m his conscience? Or maybe playfulness? Either way, I’m not that person himself and he can no longer be considered a human. He’s closer to becoming a monster.”]
The next day, utilizing the fact that he was still somewhat distant to his current family, Rean holed himself up in his room.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but right now, he had to chat with this mysterious object.
[“You know that you are an abandoned child. In that case, you must also understand that your real parents are out there somewhere.”]
“That’s….”
Rean was aware he was what the Empire’s nobles infamously referred to as a vagrant.
He was also aware that because of this, his current father would sometimes face unfair situations in social circles.
It was clear that these things had become a burden to the boy.
In the midst of all this, this mysterious object—— the doll, that called itself Osbon, told Rean.
Giliath Osborne, the Blood and Iron Chancellor of the Empire, was Rean Schwarzer’s real father.
Although the young Rean’s head felt like junk after receiving the information, he still asked what he wanted to know.
“Why did he abandon me?”
[“To fight in the political world, I must have chosen to get rid of my weakness. But as the last bit of resistance, I chose to entrust you to Teo, whom is my adopted younger brother.”] 1
“What about that power? What is that thing that defeated the monster and destroyed everything all of sudden!”
[“That power comes from your heart, the power based on ogre. That heart of yours was originally mine.”]
“Eh?”
[“In the first place, the reason I entrusted you to Teo was meant to keep you away from political world, but the premise was the most important reason.”]
Then Osbon told Rean about when Rean was even younger than he was now.
When the village they lived in was attacked by the jaeger corps, Rean’s mother died and Rean himself also got his heart pierced and almost died in the process.
Osbon said that Rean managed to survive because Giliath used his own heart to replace Rean’s missing heart.
[“Perhaps it is too difficult for a child to understand?”]
“No, I think I understand it somehow.”
[“Oh? It seems you’re competent, as expected of my son.”]
Osbon’s words sounded somewhat distant.
What Rean felt in his heart was the sadness of being abandoned and the circumstances that forced it to happen.
Above all——
——……Oh Aidios… If you’re listening, hear me now. Please allow this child——
They were words heard from a man’s big back whose face Rean could no longer remember.
They took clear shape with Osbon’s explanation.
“…………So I………… am actually not an unwanted child…………”
[“Rather, you are very much loved, son.”]
Although Rean was embarrassed to hear that, there was something he was more curious about.
It was the reason why Osbon was with him.
Even when Rean asked, it seemed Osbon itself didn’t understand either.
[‘I don’t know that either. But I am an existence that was born from Giliath Osborne, and proof of the existence of his parental love that his steely reason sealed away after entrusting his son to someone else.”]
“Err, what do you mean?”
[“Please take care of me from now on, son.”]
And so, Rean Schwarzer ended up living with a doll that claimed to be his father, which only he could see.
The days after that were stormy.
[“Fufufu, son. The reason why Miss Elise keeps her distance from you is because she knows you are her adoptive brother and is worried on how to treat you because of that. You don’t need to worry about it and just keep behaving as her elder brother. What? The reason why she keeps her distance upon knowing you are her adoptive brother? You see, it’s because the chance came even after she gave up when she thought you were her actual brother—— no, you should ask Miss Elise if you want to know more about it. It’s a problem between man and woman.”]
[“Fufufu, son. It seems you are worried about the power of ogre. It might be natural to worry, but that’s a force majeure. It has no choice but to do so to save you… perhaps you can understand if I put it that way. So here’s my suggestion. You should learn martial arts. It has been said since ancient times that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. If your body is trained, your power shouldn’t run out of control. If I remember correctly, there was an old man, a master of the Eight Leaves One Blade school of swordsmanship who came here to enjoy the hot spring. Why don’t you to visit that personage?”]
[“Fufufu, son. Regardless of whether you become the next lord or not, since you’re the eldest son of the family, it is your duty to go around the Ymir village. It’s the so-called Ymir marathon. It’s a good idea to try running around during your free time between training and studying. It’s a great role to know about people’s lives and listen to their problems and try to solve them. Of course, make sure to ask twice, you know? It’s the etiquette of a runner.”]
[“Fufufu, son. Fishing is great, you know? It’s one of the most popular hobbies in Zemuria that spawned Fisherman’s Guild and Imperial Fishing Club. It’s also a good method to unify your mind and put your thoughts in order, or you can invite Miss Elise and the Ymir children, then cook the fish you caught and have a meal together. It’s also not a bad idea to polish your skill to become comparable to a professional to fish rainbow trouts that may appear someday in the future.”]
[“Fufufu, son. Is it about controlling the power of ogre after all? I’ll join you too. I mean, help you. What? You think all I can do is talk? I guess such a thought is natural. After all, I’m just a cute doll hugging your left arm all this time. But both the power of ogre and I are things that could be seen yet couldn’t. In that case, there’s no reason I can’t interfere with it—— my son, why are you silent with such an ambiguous expression?”]
[“Fufufu, son. The answer to that question is—— what? You want to solve it yourself? What a serious kid… Teo, your son is growing splendidly. Let’s have a drink tonight! Teo can’t hear me, so please pass him a drink.”]
[“Fufufu, son. I wonder if the onomatopoeic sound of a sheathing sword is ‘kiin’ or ‘chiin’. Either way, the sound of the metal rubbing against each other when the blade is seated in the sheath is a strange sound, don’t you think so?”]
[“Fufufu, son. Hot springs are great stuff, you know? But drinking liquor has to wait until you are 20. However, that demon prince costume is only available for one year and can only be worn when you’re 14 years old. Take good care of it.”] 2
[“Fufufu, rejoice son. Your wish is has finally come true—— it’s time to make up with Miss Elise.”]
There were days that weren’t so thin that could be summed up in a single word, but instead thick days that left behind a rich, gooey taste, like tomato juice.
However, Rean didn’t hate those days.
There was an issue about the true identity of that unknown power that resided within him.
The issue about his relationships with his family.
There were also matters about his old master and his real parents, so much so that were it not for Osbon, Rean could say for sure that he would still be wandering through his life like a lost child.
That was how much Rean was grateful for Osbon, felt an unshakeable bond with him, and enough to call Osbon dad.
It just——
In the end, no one else can see dad. Not even the old master… perhaps only my real dad can see it?
After learning that Giliath Osborne was his real father, Rean told Teo in passing that he wanted to meet him, but that wish hadn’t been fulfilled yet.
It was understandable since the other party was the busiest person in the Empire, but Rean couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Osbon said it was a correction, but Rean couldn’t understand its words as usual, so he chose to just ignore it.
Sometimes, Rean couldn’t help but wonder that Osbon was just his hallucination.
Every time that happened, Osbon would say something stupid or get evasive. That made Rean lonely.
From the outside, it would make it seem Rean was muttering to himself endlessly, and that fact made him even lonelier.
Naturally, Rean recognized that the Schwarzer family was an important existence to him.
But despite that, he couldn’t help but wish for someone else to truly see Osbon.
He wanted the world to know more about the person who saved him.
Such a feeling emerged within Rean.
[“Fufufu, son. I’m sure such a being will appear in your lifetime. After all, nobody else could even see me…… there’s no way someone could understand something they can’t see in the true sense…… don’t you think so?”]
Rean’s heart skipped a beat.
Because it hit exactly what he was thinking.
Osbon, whose expression never changed because it was a doll, spoke with a tone as if it had a smug expression on his face.
[“That’s because you, Rean Schwarzer, have a low level of understanding of the world as a human. Your world is limited only to Ymir and its surroundings. Raise your level and go to many places to grow your perspective. I’m sure you can find what you’re looking for somewhere inside Zemuria. For now…… there’s Thors Military Academy. Since that’s the place where the elites of the Empire gathered, you might be able to meet the comrades you desire.”]
“Will that really happen?”
[“Fufufu, son. Do you doubt your father?”]
“When you told me to do this and that to me and I actually did them, Elise glared at me, though?”
[“That’s just a typical youth’s… no, Miss Elise might do that for her entire life… anyway, it’s more of a girl’s cute tantrum. It’s a man’s capacity to accept it. Besides, isn’t it etiquette of a gentleman to be kind to women?”]
Even after being told that, Rean frowned.
It was okay to be kinder to strangers, but he couldn’t understand why his adoptive sister got angry at him over that.
Since Osbon wouldn’t give him a concrete answer, Rean couldn’t help but be confused.
“But Thors Military Academy, huh… I do plan to advance my studies, so I guess it’s not a bad idea to go there.”
Since his younger sister Elise enrolled at St. Astria Girl’s School, Rean also worried about his future education.
It was because Osbon often told him that while studying was important, making connections for that purpose was also important.
Rean’s parents also respected him and said he could do as he liked, and they were thankful Rean had a clear goal.
And so, Rean stepped into Trista during the season when white rhino flowers were falling.
There, he met.
The thing he really sought, someone who could also see Osbon——
“W-what the heck is that? What’s the thing stuck on your arm!”
And since Rean wasn’t Aidios, he had no idea that “someone” wasn’t even a human, but a talking black cat with shiny black fur.
Author Note:
This is a story where if one got help during the days one was mentally unstable, one would feel compassion even if said helper was something suspicious.
You should have an idea who that reincarnation and possession tag refers to.
In case I include memetic lines, should I include the involved series in the tag?
I ended up writing this on impulse while reading the Trails series fanfic, but I hope you enjoy it.
Tsukii Note:
Hello, we met again! Hope you’re not bored of me yet.
I picked this one up because of how often it made me laugh, and I wanted to share the joy of reading this.
For full enjoyment, it is recommended to have read(better yet, played) the Trails series, or at least, from Trails to Azure to Trails of Cold Steel IV(or better yet, Trails into Reverie). It is not a requirement, as I do not play the game myself, but I still enjoyed the story nonetheless. If you are curious about terms or names used in this fanfic, feel free to google them (kiseki.fandom.com provides plenty that you won’t need to search elsewhere).
As you can see above (and from the tags on the title page), Rean’s character changed from how he was in the game version. Because almost all of his issues that made up his character got solved early, resulting in him growing into a practically different character. This, however, also causes some negative effects that will be apparent as the story progresses, but you can find out as you read on.
From the Deus Ex Machina Tag in title, you can guess most of the things that happened will end up resolved in better circumstances compared to that in the main story. But as mentioned above, some things could turn out worse than what happened in the game. I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless.
Even though I picked this due to its comedy tag, do note that there are still serious moments in it and the comedy frequency gets lower on the Trails of Cold Steel II arc (due to obvious reasons by the time we get there. I won’t mention it just yet.) It has still got the feel of the Trails series’ seriousness despite the fun.
All in all, I hope everyone will enjoy this series just like how I enjoyed it!
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
