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IBP 82
“Reincarnation, you say?”
“Yes. They say that spirit beasts who die before fulfilling their full lifespan, for whatever reason, are reincarnated.”
“Ah.”
“And so, they return to live out the life they couldn't finish.”
Grand Duke Rivera spoke with a slight smile.
“I don't know if it'll be any comfort, but well, we also lost a spirit beast recently while dealing with magical beasts.”
“......Ah.”
“At the time, the general mentioned something similar while mourning the deceased spirit beast. That's what brought this to mind.”
“.......”
“You're probably thinking of your puppy, Coco. This is my own way of comforting you, telling you not to be too heartbroken.”
“......It does help a bit.”
The thought that Coco might be living happily somewhere made her tight chest feel a little warmer.
Feeling the carriage begin to move again, Chloe looked down quietly at the stiff, frozen rabbit spirit beast.
‘Then, would our Coco have reincarnated too?’
She knew it was unrealistic.
But what was the identity of this strange sense of déjà vu she had been feeling lately?
‘If spirit beasts can reincarnate, I'm sure Coco would have come back.’
Perhaps, just like back when she was healthy, she was running toward her, barking...
She raised a trembling hand and stroked the suffering rabbit spirit beast.
Just as she used to stroke Coco affectionately.
* * *
My eyes widened as I looked at the leopard, rabbit, and penguin getting off the carriage.
“Hello, leopard! Hello, penguin! Rabbit....”
A snow leopard with impressive pure white fur, and a penguin with shiny, well-maintained skin.
However, the condition of the rabbit that appeared from the third carriage with my sister looked poor to anyone.
“......Gasp.”
“The rabbit is very sick.”
Grand Duke Rivera, having dismounted from his horse, approached me and spoke with a look of regret.
“Why is it sick?”
“Its health suddenly declined while crossing the Grand Duchy's border. It's a rare occurrence. We might have to say our final goodbyes....”
“Huk....”
With teary eyes, I stroked the rabbit.
“Rabbit... please don't be sick. Okay?”
I became upset while petting the rabbit's snow-white fur.
“I'm going to call a vet and have you examined, Coco.”
“Ung....”
My heart ached, so I held the rabbit—which had been handed to me by my sister—tightly in my arms and went to find the veterinarians.
However, the veterinarians didn't seem to have any clever solutions.
Including Vet Dot, the family's veterinarians concluded the examination, stating there was nothing physically wrong with the rabbit's body.
They then cautiously suggested that since the young lady has a great animal affinity, perhaps she could try communicating with the rabbit.
I looked down quietly at the rabbit standing on the examination table.
‘How can there be nothing wrong with its body?’
The rabbit's condition was clearly serious.
Its stiffened body was unmistakably that of someone paralyzed by terror. A vivid fear lingered in its bright red eyes.
After all the veterinarians and servants left at my request, I spoke to the rabbit.
“Why on earth are you so sick? Rabbit, tell me something.”
“S-s-scary. I'm scared. I'm so, so scared.”
“......Wait, are you a coward rabbit?”
So that means....
“Oh, you can understand me?”
The rabbit's already large eyes grew even wider.
As soon as the rabbit realized we could communicate, its stiff body turned limp.
“I—I want to live. Aigoooo.... I'm so, so scared.”
“......It was a mental illness?”
I had suspected it based on the vet's words that there was nothing physically wrong, but it seemed to be an even deeper psychological trauma.
I pricked up my ears, wanting to hear from the rabbit exactly what had happened.
“Listen to me. There are people who target and kill only spirit beasts!”
“Gasp.”
The story I heard from the rabbit after that was staggering.
Apparently, there are things called spirit creature hunters.
They kill spirit beasts to absorb their life force?
As soon as the rabbit spirit beast heard that news from another spirit beast, it had been trembling with anxiety, thinking that something unfortunate might happen to it.
It was already such a terrifying situation.
Then, suddenly, it was put in a carriage and sent to another Grand Duchy; the rabbit explained that it was inevitable for it to develop a mental illness.
After pouring its heart out, the now-soft rabbit let out deep sighs.
“......Are those spirit creature hunters that scary?”
“Yes. Just imagining it was so painful that I was nearly dying. My health deteriorated completely.”
To be on the verge of death just from imagining it.
Even if it's a spirit beast, a rabbit is still a rabbit.
“I was thinking, 'Even if it's a spirit beast, a rabbit is still a rabbit,' wasn't I?”
“Huk, is your supernatural ability by any chance mind-reading?”
“......Do you think so?”
The rabbit looked at me with a prim expression.
“I need treatment first, so go call the vet.”
Seeing the rabbit suddenly acting superior, I started to nod but then paused.
“They just left.”
“.......”
“The rabbit really is sick....”
The rabbit's earlobes seemed to turn red.
But thinking about it, it was practically like the rabbit had moved from a Grand Duchy where it lived well to Duke Ardos's mansion because of me.
Feeling sorry for some reason, I reached out toward the rabbit.
“I'll help you!”
A cluster of pure white light shimmered from my hand.
“Oh, w-what is this? This kind of ability...!”
The rabbit's eyes widened, and its ears twitched repeatedly.
It seemed thrilled.
I had only continued to stroke the rabbit!
The rabbit rapidly absorbed the life force from my body.
‘Aigoo, this is exhausting.’
The rabbit lifted its paw and grabbed my hand.
“M-more, do it more....”
“Hah, hah, hah....”
I barely managed to breathe in short gasps.
Perhaps it was because I used too much power.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, and just as I felt I couldn't do any more and was about to die—
Pure white fur sprouted on the back of my hand and vanished in an instant.
“Eh? What was that?”
“What?”
“I saw white fur on the back of your hand.”
“......I'm a human.”
“No, I definitely saw it. I saw something like puppy fur.”
I widened my eyes at the rabbit's words.
“R-really... is it really not my imagination? You really saw fur?”
“Yes, I saw it. I even saw you straining to use your ability. Suddenly, your hand looked like a puppy's paw.”
I recalled the time not long ago when I tried to manifest my supernatural ability.
I had felt a similar sensation back then....
I thought while catching my breath.
Teacher Belief had said that the 4th stage of the light ability, a level I had not yet reached, had the nickname of the <Essence> stage.
If that's the case....
Could the <Essence> stage refer to the level where I can transform into my original form as a ‘puppy’?
‘It seems that the more life force I use, the closer I get to my original form.’
The rabbit spirit beast tilted its head and grabbed my hand again.
“Anyway, it's a mysterious hand.... I should show it to the other spirit beasts too.”
“Ah!”
Come to think of it, there were the penguin and the snow leopard besides the rabbit!
I nodded excitedly.
“Wait! I'll bring them!”
“No, there's no need to wait. They are subordinates who have been longing for this rabbit.”
“Hmm...?”
No sooner had I spoken than the door opened, and the penguin and snow leopard entered.
They quickly approached the rabbit and bowed their heads.
“Ah, Lord Rabbit. Has your health improved?”
“This snow leopard has also arrived, Lord Rabbit!”
......Something feels weird about how this is going.
Usually, aren't snow leopards and penguins stronger than rabbits?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the rabbit muttered.
“It's because I raised them when they were young. They're just subordinates.”
A snow leopard and penguin raised by a rabbit.
‘This is too strange.’
But well, they're spirit beasts.
I figured they must be spirit beasts with some kind of story and stopped thinking about it.
“Then, will the three of us be staying at this Duke's mansion now?”
“Yes! That's how it'll be.”
I nodded while stroking them.
While I was peacefully greeting the three spirit beasts, the door opened hurriedly.
“The penguin and snow leopard suddenly escaped... wait, no.”
His eyes widened.
“A-ah, young lady...?”
“......Uh-huh?”
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