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IBP 29
<Bird Cafeteria>, 2nd floor.
A day had passed since Coco and her party returned to the mansion.
“Are you seriously saying you'll give the <Melody of Saint Pilaf> ring to that little human for free?”
“Yes. A professional bird agent has gone to retrieve the ring.”
“But you said you wouldn't! I clearly heard you say...!”
At the words of Jack, an elite agent of the animal information broker <Day-Talk Bird>, the leader, Jjek-jjeki, perched solemnly on his roost.
“It's suspicious that they knew about us in the first place, it's suspicious that a human can speak the language of birds, and besides! They didn't even give us a single piece of birdseed!”
“...Ahem, ahem. That child gave a reason that aligns exactly with why I run <Day-Talk Bird>. That is why I intend to help.”
Jjek-jjeki loathed selfish humans.
Unless it was the restaurant owner who had fed him since he was young, he wouldn't even let anyone come near him.
But at the same time, he believed in the saying, ‘Goodwill is returned with goodwill.’
‘The one who helped me form that conviction was the Choco that kid mentioned, and the Arreu who stayed by Choco's side.’
Choco, the loyal leader of a stray dog pack.
Arreu, the white-furred puppy who always bared tiny, pea-sized teeth and went "arreu-arreu."
He had heard that Choco died young from an illness, and Arreu had been adopted by the House of Duke Ardos before passing away...
‘Regardless, they were both good dogs.’
Arreu was kind.
Even when he had his own bone, he would give it up for a hungry puppy. Occasionally, a small light would emanate from Arreu's paws.
‘The light that flowed from Arreu was truly a magnificent, pure white light.’
It happened one day when he was dying after being bitten by a fierce stray dog.
Arreu's light had healed him.
‘It was a light that more than covered the entire alleyway.’
However, Arreu himself claimed to have no memory of it. At the time, Jjek-jjeki hated being indebted to other animals.
So, he had asked Arreu warily.
“Let's do give-and-take. What should I give you in return? Should I swear an oath of loyalty?”
“Huh? What's a return?”
“...A complete fool of a dog. I mean, what do I have to give you?”
“Hmm? Why give? You don't have to give anything?”
“...Ha! Don't lie. Tell me right now!”
“Then, you know. If there's a friend who needs your help next time, please help them. Heehee.”
And so, they became ‘Jjek-jjeki’ and ‘Arreu’ to one another.
And that child had just said those exact words.
“Arreu remembers too, right? He told you, ‘If there's a friend who needs your help, please help them.’ Can't you help now?”
It was an irresistible finishing move.
“You all know that I loathe humans.”
“....”
“But if it's a human who treated me and my friends well, that's a different story.”
“Hmm, no matter how I look at it, it seems like you're just being blackmailed because they found your weakness...”
He quickly cut the conversation short by snapping his wings open.
“Actually, since that child said they came from the House of Duke Ardos, where Arreu died, I wanted to build some connections. I am also currently digging into why Arreu died.”
“Hooo, I see.”
“Therefore, Agent Jack, brief me on the current status of the Ardos family.”
“Ah! I have a report from other bird agents. Grand Prince Rivera has arrived at the Ardos estate, and ‘Theresia Ardos,’ who is called the Saintess, has begun to treat Grand Prince Rivera.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yes. You know, right? They say she has purification power.”
He had once seen Theresia performing miracles from afar.
Humans said her supernatural ability was quite impressive.
But compared to Arreu, it was merely trivial.
Jjek-jjeki spoke while pecking at some seed.
“Then, infiltrate the Ardos mansion.”
“Yes, sir. Exactly what should I do?”
“Gather detailed information on that family, then deliver the ring to Coco. Fly off at once, Agent Jack!”
“I'm sorry, Boss. I can't run.”
Jack, a bird the size of a palm, spread his bright yellow wings and soared into the sky.
“We fly! Wahahaha!”
* * *
That very night, after returning to the mansion in high spirits.
I heard some very shocking news.
“Is—is he really that sick?”
On the rug of the shed where the tiger stays.
I sobbed while stroking the fur of the tiger, who lay there exhausted.
“Tiger, I'm sorry...”
“The black lion had definitely disappeared, but it appeared again. It's a strange occurrence. It seems to be an incurable disease.”
“Incurable... That can't be. You said he was completely healed back then.”
“How pitiful... Little Miss, since you've been close with the tiger, your heart must be aching.”
“Can you give us some space?”
“Yes. Just for a moment.”
After Dot, who looked worried, left.
I watched the dark shadows flickering like a dance beneath the tiger's paws and on the back of his hand.
It was definitely the black lion. The omen of death...
“I was bad. I shouldn't have let my guard down; I should have found the tiger's friend quickly.”
It was the tiger's wish.
The tiger nudged his nose against me as if to say it was okay.
[I am okay]
Watching the tiger write something, I wiped my runny nose.
“I'm sorry...”
[It doesn't hurt]
The black lion was still shimmering beneath the tiger's paws.
[Usally if black lion is there, body hurts a lot. I am okay]
“Really?”
I wiped my tears and looked up.
‘That was strange.’
I barely managed to lift my hand to stroke the tiger's fur.
For a tiger who was about to die, his coat was glossy and smooth.
“Strange. You're not hurting, but it's still there? When did the black lion reappear?”
The tiger wrote down a long explanation of when it started.
[Hmm. Yesterday. Day before. Body, hurt. And then, I wanted to move. Wanted to go to North... ]
I blinked and tilted my head.
[Suddenly black thing appeared on body. And like footprints appeared in heart. Like I had to leave, heart was forced to. Move. Move.]
The tiger's tail slumped onto the floor.
Black threads continued to move like a dance beneath the tiger's body.
[Maybe this is incurable disease, even now, little by little, body moves. But now I am blocking it with strength.]
The moving black threads looked like dark shadows.
No. This looked exactly like a shadow.
I recalled what Ruth had told me when I first captured the tiger.
“A spirit beast can exert a small amount of their imprinted partner's supernatural ability. And once they have an imprinted partner, they instinctively want to stay by their side.”
Perhaps, from the moment the tiger escaped.
I started to think that everything that had happened until now might be a single puzzle.
“By the way. The person you're looking for, what do they look like?”
[Blonde hair. Sea eyes. Small child. Sick.]
All these words pointed to exactly one person.
‘The tiger wanted to go to the Grand Duchy of Rivera. And Grand Prince Caligo Rivera had blonde hair and blue eyes.’
The moment I realized that, my eyes widened instantly.
The fact that shadows kept appearing on the tiger's body.
And that those shadows kept making the tiger move.
Perhaps, it meant that Caligo and the tiger had already been imprinted.
“...Um, you know. If things go well, you might get to meet the friend you were looking for.”
At my words, the tiger's tail flicked upward.
But it was right then.
[Lie.]
“Huh? It's not a lie!”
Startled, I waved my short, stubby arms.
[No way. Too lucky. So it is strange. Keep meeting Coco-nim by chance, and now meeting friend too...]
“Huh?”
[Strange that things keep happening the way I want]
“...What does that mean?”
[I am supposed to have hard life... If only good things happen, maybe bad thing will happen suddenly.]
I looked down quietly at the tiger writing the words.
I also worried a lot when I first came to my sister's house.
“Coco, why do you keep peeing here every day, hmm?”
“Arru, arru, arrurrrr.”
“My Lady, the puppy seems somewhat anxious.”
“Anxious, you say...”
Looking at the tiger, I quietly recounted the things I had experienced.
“Tiger, I also, a long time ago. I thought it was strange that I suddenly became too happy. That became a sickness in my heart, and I made peeing mistakes every night.”
[Gasp]
“I absolutely, absolutely don't do that now!”
“....”
“But you know. When I made mistakes, my sister didn't nag me. She just held me tight in her arms and said, ‘Our Coco, my baby. It's okay.’”
“....”
“So the sickness in my heart gradually got better. My sister told me that I had worked hard on training myself to adapt to happiness.”
“....”
“So it's the same for you. You're just in the middle of training to adapt to happiness!”
[Happi...]
“Yes! So, it's okay to make mistakes or be clumsy. I'll still love you.”
Even after hearing everything, the tiger still looked anxious.
However, he quietly wrote down the words.
[Cool]
I nodded, pretending to be nonchalant.
“I've always been cool! Speaking of which...”
I stroked the tiger's fur and spoke affectionately.
“I just thought of a really cool plan!”
[What is it?]
Then, he nudged his head against my body.
‘Ow, it hurts!’
The tiger's fur is so coarse and prickly.
I let out an awkward laugh and said,
“A plan for you, Grand Prince Rivera, me, and my sister to all become happy together!”
“...?”
“So, will you make one promise with me?”
[What kind of pro-mise... ?]
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