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“Wa-wa-wait a second.”
With a loud thud, Thunder fell over in surprise before springing back up.
“I-I-I’ll ask again. Can you actually hear me? Not just as a ‘neighing’ sound?”
“Yeah, I can hear you perfectly.”
Because I’m a very wonderful former puppy.
At those words, Thunder’s eyes, which had been vacant and dull until now, sparked with life.
“This kid isn’t a fool, she’s a genius! Then ple-please. Help me! I’m hurting!”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
“Where does it hurt?”
Thunder, whose eyes were now twinkling, stuck out his tongue and said:
“Ugh-gu-seu-gu-eu-sseu! (There’s a thorn here!)”
I couldn’t see it very well...
Anyway, he talked a big game, but he’s just a little crybaby hurting over a tiny thorn stuck in his tongue.
‘Ruth must have adored him immensely.’
I pulled out the thorn, which was nearly invisible to the naked eye.
“So, because of this thorn, you wouldn’t eat hay, carrots, or drink water, and you bullied people?”
“Yes! I was so stressed because of this damn thorn! But those veterinarian fellows couldn’t even find the thorn. They are utterly incompetent!”
Well, that’s because you kicked them whenever they tried to get close...
But that’s not the important part!
I diligently stroked Thunder’s magnificent mane and asked:
“Anyway, it’s gone now, right? Now tell me! What does ‘earning merit’ mean?”
“Ahem, ahem. Treating a magnificent steed like me is also a type of earning merit!”
“Gasp, pulling out a thorn counts as earning merit!”
“Yes. But listen, did you say you’re a child who was adopted? Your merit will be stolen. This family isn’t that easy on children without connections.”
“I can’t let that happen. I have to earn merit so I can definitely meet my sister!”
I squeezed my head with both hands and furrowed my brow.
‘What should I do so my merit doesn’t get stolen?’
The number one priority in my life is my sister, and number two is sweet potatoes.
Only for these two things did my sparkling brain begin to whirl at full speed.
* * *
Some time later.
Patricia, the successor veterinarian to Dot, opened the barn door nonchalantly.
And...
Patricia faced a seriously shocking situation.
“Hey, are you crazy!”
Some strange child she had never seen before was carelessly stroking Thunder’s mane.
‘I definitely set up a barrier so outsiders couldn’t enter, so how did she get in?’
If that were the case, it meant she was a member of the household.
Patricia was about to scream, but she paused.
‘Moreover, the Great Steed’s condition is too good?’
He wasn’t irritable, and he was staying still even while his mane was being touched.
Flustered, she walked closer to the unfamiliar child.
“You... who... are you?”
“Me? I’m Coco!”
“Coco...”
As the baby pushed out her round, plump belly, something suddenly came to mind.
‘Ah, isn’t she that commoner who’s about to be sent away? Why is she here?’
With an annoyed expression, Patricia hoisted Coco up haphazardly.
“I don’t know how you ended up in the barn, but just stay here for a moment, little miss.”
The important thing was Thunder’s condition.
Patricia looked around.
Fortunately, there was animal examination equipment that the veterinarian kept in the barn for emergencies.
“My goodness.”
The result of checking Thunder’s condition was surprising.
There was nothing wrong with the horse’s pupils, front teeth, or legs. Furthermore, far from kicking, he was docile.
He even let out a lazy yawn as if he were happy.
Patricia smiled as she brushed Thunder’s mane with a comb.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you?”
“Yup?”
“How did you manage to calm such a sensitive horse?”
Thunder, the favorite steed of Ruth, a direct descendant of the family, had become well.
It was certain that a reward of an immense scale—something unimaginable for a mere child—would be bestowed.
In that case...
“Anyway, I should report this immediately. That I treated the Great Steed, Lord Thunder?”
“Yup? I fixed him, and you said I’m quite something...”
“No. That was a slip of the tongue. Now that I think about it, I think I fixed him with that tool just now.”
Patricia spoke as if nailing the situation down and shrugged her shoulders.
‘Well, she’s just a brat who knows nothing anyway. Besides, there’s no way a brat like that actually fixed Thunder.’
Rumors were widespread that she was an ordinary person whose holy stigma hadn’t even manifested.
‘The timing must have just happened to align by chance.’
Patricia sneered inwardly and said:
“Little miss, you should go back to the annex, right?”
“Yup? I-I have something to say for a sec—”
“Hurry now. I’ll call a maid for you, so please go.”
Her forceful manner was essentially just shaking off an annoying child, but who cared?
‘She’s going to be kicked out anyway.’
Humming a tune, she hoisted Coco up again.
“Let’s go, little miss.”
Closing the barn door with her other hand was a bonus.
“Haa, I can’t wait to see Lord Ruth. I wonder what kind of reward he’ll give me.”
* * *
“Did you truly, Patricia, treat Lord Thunder?”
“Yes, I did it.”
The veterinarian, Dot, returned after hearing Patricia’s report.
After examining Thunder’s condition, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Impressive. How did you do it?”
“Haha. It was nothing much.”
It was just as the light praise continued.
The barn door flew open with a loud bang.
“I heard the news that our Thunder has fully recovered. Where is he?”
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
The person who had burst into the barn was Ruth Ardos.
He was a man with short black hair and vivid purple eyes.
His appearance alone was overwhelming, and he was a rare ability user who could manipulate wind.
However, contrary to the brilliant image he projected externally, his reputation within the family was poor.
He was appraised as a delinquent who had long since abandoned the position of successor to obsess over mere curiosities.
“I simply couldn’t concentrate on anything else. So, what was the illness?”
Under Ruth’s chilly gaze, Dot wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered.
“I-I do not know the name of the illness yet.”
“You don’t know the illness, so how on earth did you treat our Thunder?”
Patricia blushed and whispered softly.
“Ah, yes! Lord Thunder seemed to have a bit of indigestion, so I cut his carrots smaller than usual.”
“Hmm, it was for a reason as simple as that? I find that suspicious.”
Since Ruth’s reaction was lukewarm, Patricia reached out to stroke Thunder’s mane.
“Look, see how well he follows me—”
But it was at that exact moment.
“Hiiiiing!”
Thunder, who had been docile until a moment ago!
He suddenly neighed and began kicking wildly.
It was a gesture of violent rejection.
“...Follows you well?”
“Ah, ha, hahaha, I-I mean, why is he doing this...”
As Patricia wore a panicked expression, Ruth gazed at Thunder with narrowed eyes.
Then, Thunder stopped kicking and trotted toward Ruth with an elegant gait.
“Hmm? Thunder, if you wanted to cuddle, you should have just—”
...Thunder passed right by Ruth.
And he elegantly slipped through the open gap of the barn door.
“...Thunder?”
Under everyone’s gaze, Thunder stopped in front of a sign that read ‘Barn.’
And in front of that sign...
“Aaah, Thunder!”
There was a child with silver hair like silver thread, chubby cheeks, and pale iris-colored eyes.
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