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IBP 34
“A-Ah, Baby?”
“Grand Prince Rivera!”
“Wha—What? He came back alive?!”
Coco, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, let out a loud gasp of air.
“Yes! I came back alive!”
Coco gave a bright smile and bowed her head politely.
Caligo, wearing the ring embedded with a sparkling ruby, opened his eyes.
In the imperfect silence.
“He came back alive?”
“How did he survive the berserk state...?”
Only the sound of people whispering could be heard.
At the same time, Theresia’s face turned pale.
And amidst the chaos, Duke Ardos, who seemed to be the only one remaining calm, spoke up.
“Why is the tiger spirit beast here?”
“I will explain that right now!”
Duke Ardos suddenly scooped Coco up.
Her very light body was lifted daintily into the air.
“Speak.”
At Duke Ardos's words, Coco bravely stretched out her hand.
It was just as the tip of Coco's finger tapped the pin dangling from Duke Ardos's chest.
“So, this is about when I saw the tiger yesterday!”
* * *
The situation returns to the past, when she first met the tiger.
“Tomorrow, when Theresia is treating him, you just need to go where that shadow tells you to go.”
[I can go?]
“Yes, I’ll secretly leave the door open. Can you come using invisibility?”
After making that promise with the tiger, she met the invisible tiger and together they found Caligo, who was on the verge of going berserk.
After handing over the ring and calming the berserk state.
When Caligo had given up on everything.
“We can survive!”
“...How?”
“You know, have you ever seen a tiger in the Grand Duchy before?”
As soon as the shout ended, the tiger released its invisibility within the subspace.
Deep eyes gazed steadily at Caligo.
In a situation where it felt as if all time had stopped, I whispered quietly.
“Because you two just need to imprint!”
“...Imprinting.”
“Then you can recover the power you lost, and with that power, you can leave this space!”
I conveyed exactly what Ruth had told me when I first heard about spirit beasts.
And finally...
The tiger bowed its head toward Caligo. As if saying, 'I look forward to working with you.'
It was a plain reunion.
However, the trembling of the fine hairs standing up on the tiger's skin was visible.
And the first words Caligo spoke while looking at the tiger, who had waited for him for so long, were...
“...Hello.”
It was a phrase anyone could say after a long time.
But it was the very phrase the tiger had waited for longer than anyone else.
Just as Caligo's plump fingertips stroked the tiger.
He patted the tiger's head one last time and whispered tenderly.
“...I think people used to just call you ‘Tiger’ before.”
“...”
“But once we imprint and get out of here.”
“...”
“Then, I’ll give you a name. Since I am your imprinted one...”
Giving a name.
It meant making the other party not just a passing object, but a partner who influences one's life.
For Caligo, it was a statement mixed with the determination to accept the Black Tiger as his friend.
At that moment, a bluish light shone intensely.
The Black Tiger's paw-pad touched Caligo with a soft tap.
And finally.
A barrier was formed between the tiger and Caligo, one that no one else could penetrate.
The complete imprinting between a spirit beast and a human began within the subspace.
‘Ruth said that once complete imprinting is achieved, they can produce explosive power!’
Boom!
Not long after, the imprinting ended with a small roar.
Caligo looked at me with a much more relieved expression.
“...Coco.”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s see each other once we get out.”
The three of us held hands.
I wondered why Caligo seemed to be holding my hand particularly tightly, but.
With a small sound of air ripping, the subspace tore open.
Finally.
The light from outside the subspace flowed in.
* * *
“What kind of miracle is this? Our amazing Baby!”
“I heard the Baby had no supernatural ability. Everyone confirmed it...”
“No, I do! Right!”
I stared intently at Duke Ardos. Duke Ardos looked back at the Council of Elders and answered.
“...According to my words, it is animal affinity.”
It was a dignified answer, but a sweet potato pin was dangling from his chest.
The elders, crazed for flattery, spoke with expressions of admiration.
“Truly remarkable.”
“It seems Lord Caligo was able to complete the imprinting with the Black Tiger spirit creature inside the subspace thanks to the Baby.”
“Not only has the Grand Prince regained his health, but he has imprinted with a spirit beast. Truly amazing!”
“Since Lady Coco showed such wit, the Grand Duchy of Rivera will surely offer their commendations. Congratulations, Your Grace the Duke!”
Those middle-aged men—their eyes were sparkling as they looked at me.
They looked exactly like puppies who had recognized someone who would give them a bone.
“Then, we shall now escort the babies...”
“Wait a minute!”
I shouted bravely, baring my teeth.
“There was a separate cause for the berserk state!”
“What do you mean?”
I pointed at Theresia and shouted.
“Lady Theresia Ardos made Lord Caligo go berserk! With a wrong treatment method!”
Caligo testified calmly from the side.
“Everything this child says is true. Theresia never had the ability to cure me from the start.”
At that, everyone's gaze shifted toward Theresia.
Half the looks were filled with suspicion, and the other half were filled with belief that she, a candidate for the Saintess, could not possibly have done such a thing.
“Could the Baby's words be true? But Lady Theresia is a Saintess candidate...”
“However, despite the continuous treatment, Grand Prince Rivera continued to complain of pain.”
“Then, could it be... that Lady Theresia lied?”
As the people around them whispered, Theresia began to mutter incoherently.
“I—I... it’s a misunderstanding. How can you try to condemn me by believing only the words of children? Father, please think of the contributions I have made to the family until now.”
To some, her words might have sounded right.
Even now, the vassals were whispering.
But Theresia had picked the wrong opponent.
“Theresia, recall the words you spoke.”
“...Pardon?”
“You informed me that Coco had made the Grand Prince go berserk.”
“T-That was...”
“Does that statement not completely contradict Grand Prince Caligo's current state?”
“That is...”
“Since there is no evidence for your words, I cannot believe them either.”
The Duke shook his head firmly and spoke to the Council and Theresia.
“Theresia Ardos, listen. There have been many things you have done for the family until now.”
“F-Father. That’s why...”
“But regardless of those things, it seems clear that you caused the Prince to go berserk.”
“Father! How could you do this to me...!”
Duke Ardos whispered lowly.
“Take Theresia to the ‘Bastille Annex.’ She shall remain there in confinement.”
“Y-Your Grace! Even if I caused the berserk state, i-it wasn't intentional!”
But Duke Ardos ignored Theresia.
“That may be so. However, Theresia. Was it not intentional that you framed Coco for the crime?”
His cold gaze pierced through Theresia.
“Grand Duke Rivera will visit the mansion. Until he arrives, the doors of the annex shall remain closed.”
“Father! I am a Saintess candidate! You cannot act this way. No matter if I am an adopted daughter.”
“I am sick and tired of that phrase!”
Everyone flinched at Duke Ardos's roar.
“It is only because you are my daughter that this ends with confinement. You nearly harmed another noble. Even with ten mouths, you would have nothing to say! Truly pathetic!”
Theresia's face turned white at the thunderous shout.
Tears dropped from her eyes.
But no one looked at her with pity.
They only saw her as someone who had nearly killed another person, blinded by glory.
The family's private soldiers dragged Theresia away to the Bastille Annex.
Only then could I finally breathe.
Theresia was thus locked in the ‘Bastille Annex.’
It was as if she was now locked in the very place where she had once locked me up.
Only then did I hop down from Duke Ardos's arms.
But then, Caligo looked at me clearly and reached out his hand.
“Coco, come here.”
I tilted my head curiously.
Everything is over now!
Why does he want to hold my hand?
It was when Caligo whispered something to me.
I snapped my head up.
‘Sister's scent!’
Had she been quietly watching my exploits this whole time?
Sister strode toward me.
Only after seeing Sister's face did it feel real that I had saved Grand Prince Rivera.
It meant that now, my sister could live.
‘Seriously, it was really, really hard.’
I had thought so hard that my head was spinning.
I smiled brightly and ran patter-patter toward Sister.
“I saved the Prince!”
Sister probably doesn't know that I worked so hard to save her, right?
But since everyone says I'm amazing, I wanted to be praised a little bit by Sister too.
I hoped she would say, 'Our Coco is such a genius.'
However...
Sister's expression was very cold.
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