Chapter 6: Lord Aroo and the Cascade of Memories
Chapter 6: Lord Aroo and the Cascade of Memories
“WHAT poor timing…”
I let out a heavy sigh as I sat in my bedroom chair.
I’d already given out the necessary orders to my servants after learning of Lelena’s kidnapping, but there was still no foreseeable way to get her back just yet.
“If she’d simply felt overwhelmed and fled, that would have been the best outcome…”
Lelena was intelligent, but she was still just a child. It was hard to imagine she’d be able to escape the castle grounds on her own, even if she did manage to slip past the villa guards. If she’d simply run away, it would probably be easy to find her still in the vicinity.
…But it appeared that instead, she’d run into a third party outside the villa who was interested in capturing her.
“The kidnapper must be a relative of Diaz…”
Diaz was currently imprisoned for a long list of crimes. However, her relatives still walked free, and they harbored a great grudge against Krona and Lelena. Of course, they never tried to make their way into the villa itself, but on occasion, I’d heard of them checking out the property from a distance.
“…The kidnapper wants me to publicly announce my intent to cancel all future tea parties between humans and beastfolk…”
Diaz and her relatives were nobles, meaning they were allowed entry to the castle grounds, and they also looked down on beastfolk. It appeared that they were displeased with my attempt to bring the two races closer together.
“What shall you do, my lady?” Lucian was asking if I was prepared to accept the kidnapper’s demands.
“…I can’t abandon Lelena…”
But even if I did give in to their demands, chances were low that Lelena would be returned safely. I imagined that if I obeyed, the kidnapper would only return with even more horrible conditions in exchange for Lelena’s life.
“…I believe she’s still somewhere in the castle grounds.”
The territory within the castle walls was vast, but thankfully, there weren’t too many places where a captive could be held without being noticed.
I prayed that we would find a clue as to Lelena’s whereabouts, and on that night, there was nothing we could do but wait and see what happened next.
◇ ◇ ◇
MORNING came to the villa. As I was eating breakfast, I heard the loud thumping of footsteps growing closer.
“They’ve found some clues in the search for Lelena!”
“!”
I set my fork down and turned around to face Borgan.
“What is it? What kind of clues?”
“A number of items were uncovered during the search of a possible location you suggested, Your Majesty.”
“Did they find Lelena?”
“Unfortunately, the place was empty. There were signs that it was recently occupied, but it appears she’s already been moved somewhere else.”
“I see…”
The situation wasn’t resolved yet, but this was still an important lead.
“Was there a clue to the perpetrator’s identity, or perhaps the next location where they took Lelena?”
“Nothing definitive, no. However, I’ve brought the items that were left at the scene. They are currently out in the front yard now. Will you come take a look at them, Your Majesty?”
“Of course.”
The two of us rushed to the front yard. As soon as we exited the villa, I could see a group of people gathered outside. The villa guards were also offering their help in the search for Lelena’s kidnapper.
I saw Keith in the crowd too. He was gripping his spear.
“These were the items left behind at the scene.”
He pointed at a cloth spread out on the lawn. On top of the cloth, I could see various objects such as chairs, sticks, scraps of fabric, and more. I surveyed them, one by one, until something caught my attention.
“That feather…”
It was a light blue feather, seemingly that of a bird, but it was as long as the palm of my hand. Judging by the size and the color…
“Liddeus’s Cuddle Bird…?”
“Liddeus?!” Keith’s sharp ears picked up my murmured remark. “That fiend! So he’s involved with the kidnapping, huh?!”
Keith was crying out in anger. It appeared that when it came to Liddeus, the man he always disliked in the first place, he couldn’t contain his suspicion and rage.
“I always knew that sorcerer was up to no good, but I never thought he’d do something as evil as kidn—”
“Pardon me, Your Majesty.” Borgan’s voice was loud enough to interrupt Keith’s cries. His eyes were incredibly serious, and I could tell he had important information to share with me. “A guest has just arrived for you.”
A guest? Who could it be?
The person who arrived upon Borgan’s introduction…
“A Mr. Liddeus is here to see you.”
…was none other than the man who’d found himself at the center of suspicion.
◇ ◇ ◇
I met with Liddeus there in the villa yard once he’d passed through the front gates.
He didn’t seem to care about the hostile aura around him—he simply walked toward me in a perfectly straight line.
“Good day, Liddeus. What brings you to my villa today?”
“A delivery. I found that book you said you wanted to read, so I came to hand it over.”
“…You came all the way here just for that?”
Liddeus, the man who was obsessed with research, seemed to have taken up partial residence in the Bureau of Magic. I remembered the pained smile on Orth’s face when he explained that Liddeus hardly ever left the building, except in extreme circumstances.
“…I did it for you, Your Majesty.”
Liddeus averted his eyes as he said those words. Very suspicious.
“H-Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing?!” Keith snapped at the man. He couldn’t seem to hold in his emotions upon seeing Liddeus’s abrupt behavior. “You kidnapped Lelena, didn’t you, Liddeus?!”
“…What did you just say?” Liddeus’s gaze sharpened as he glared back at Keith. “What are you talking about? Don’t just make up wild accusations.”
“Wild accusations?! Then how do you explain this?!”
“That’s…!!”
Liddeus’s face stiffened when Keith pointed at the light blue feather. The sorcerer turned away from him as if to hide his expression.
“…I’ve finished my business here. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Trying to run, are ya?!”
Liddeus walked off into the distance, paying no mind to Keith’s cries.
“Wait! We have to stop hi— Your Majesty?!”
Just as Keith tried to point his spear at Liddeus, I moved forward to block his line of sight.
“Keith, put your spear away. You won’t solve anything like that.”
“But…!!” Keith gritted his teeth. He squeezed the shaft of his spear tightly, as if to quell his rage.
“Calm down, Keith. I’m not just going to let Liddeus entirely off the hook.”
“…Do you have something in mind?”
In response to Keith’s question…
“Bait.”
I replied with that simple word.
◇ ◇ ◇
NIGHT fell and covered the world in darkness. Lucian and I were hiding in the trees that surrounded the Bureau of Magic.
“…Do you think he’ll show up?”
“I’m sure of it.”
As the two of us whispered to each other, we caught sight of a figure emerging quietly from the back entrance of the building.
The man, with his black hair and black cloak, blended into the night. It was Liddeus, as I’d predicted, with a grim look on his face. He looked around at his surroundings, then headed into a dark thicket of trees
Silently, we tailed the man, taking great care not to lose sight of him. We eventually reached a spot in the dark forest where the trees were sparser. As Liddeus waited out there under the light of the moon, another figure approached him.
“…Liddeus, why did you call me out here in the middle of the woods? Explain yourself.”
The man was none other than Belleas—one of the sorcerers who worked at the Bureau of Magic.
Liddeus continued to stare down the dubious Belleas.
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
“What is it? It’s late, so keep it short.”
“…Belleas, you have something to do with Lelena’s kidnapping, don’t you?”
“…!” Belleas gulped, unable to hide his shock at the sudden question. “What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you stayed up all night researching again!”
“It’s not that. I’m perfectly sane. Now stop wasting time and tell me the truth.”
Liddeus held up the staff he’d been clutching. This staff had a spell engraved in the surface that would aid in the use of magic. When an experienced sorcerer wielded this staff, they only needed to chant a very brief spell in order to launch an offensive attack.
Belleas flinched a bit at Liddeus’s display of resolve.
“…I see.” Belleas’ shoulders slumped as he spoke. “How did you figure it out?”
“A coincidence.”
“You’ve got nothing but magic in your brain, yet you just happened to notice that I was acting strange?”
“…Yesterday, when I went to ask you where the magic catalysts were, I found you speaking to an outsider.”
“Oh, you saw that… We’re an unlucky pair, aren’t we?”
Belleas looked up at the sky. He seemed to have come to understand something.
Liddeus continued to stare intently at Belleas, who showed no signs of panic.
“I happened to overhear your conversation. …I couldn’t make out much, but I heard ‘kidnapped,’ ‘captive,’ ‘help me out,’ and ‘co-conspirator.’ That’s how I knew it was serious.”
So Liddeus had begun to suspect Belleas after eavesdropping on his conversation. He must have secretly followed Belleas after that and arrived at the place where Lelena was being held. It was there that the light blue Cuddle Bird feather, which happened to be caught under his cloak, dislodged and fell to the ground.
“…Belleas, you can’t participate in this kidnapping anymore. Don’t add to your crimes.” Liddeus kept his staff at the ready as he spoke.
“So you’ve come to stop me then?”
“That’s the plan.”
“…And if I refuse?”
“I’ll use magic.” Liddeus began to quickly chant a spell. However…
“You fool.”
“Guh!!”
Belleas sent his knee flying straight into Liddeus’s stomach.
“Physical blows are much faster at this range.”
“Hey, what are you…?!”
“…There’s really nothing in your head but magic, is there?”
Belleas caught the now unconscious Liddeus as he fell. He laid the sorcerer down on the grass, then scratched his head in confusion.
“…But with nothing but magic in there, how’d you manage to figure it all out? You really are so pesky.” As Belleus muttered to himself, I knew it was time.
“Fly, net of lightning!!”
“Argh!!”
I sent out a lightning spell that hit Belleas head-on. It wasn’t lethal, but it would serve to immobilize him for a while. The spell was something like a stun gun. Once Belleas was a safe distance away from Liddeus, it was easy for me to target him with this spell.
“Wh— What are you…?”
Belleas, his limbs numb, stared up at me. Only his tongue and eyes could move freely, while his arms and legs stiffened in place.
“He certainly took the bait, didn’t he, my lady?” Lucian retrieved a rope and quickly began to tie Belleas up. This way, he wouldn’t be able to move even when the paralysis wore off.
“Bait…? Ah, I see… So that’s…what this was…”
He seemed to understand what Lucian was implying.
When Liddeus came to my villa and acted strangely, I could have chosen to have him restrained on the spot, but I decided to let him go instead. I simply had a strong hunch that Liddeus was not the culprit himself.
He was a man too obsessed with magic to possess any kind of convincing acting skills. There was absolutely no way, in my mind, that he would be so capable of deceiving everyone around him and participating in something like a kidnapping.
From that conclusion, I was able to work backward and form another hypothesis. It was at that point I realized the kidnapper must be someone close to Liddeus.
Liddeus himself had only dropped the Cuddle Bird feather as he pursued the real culprit. And if he believed he could find the right time to convince this culprit to surrender and refrain from any further involvement, then that explained why he didn’t reveal the whole story when Keith accused him of the kidnapping. He wanted the offender to turn himself in so that he might face a lighter punishment.
“We could have captured Liddeus and forced him to reveal the kidnapper’s identity, but who knows if he would’ve talked…and if the culprit was someone close to him, they might get suspicious and run. That’s why I decided to let Liddeus go free and use him to search for the kidnapper myself.” I looked at Belleas as I spoke.
The paralysis should have worn off by now, but Lucian had him completely tied up.
“Tell me, Belleas. Where is Lelena right now?”
“…A room in the bureau that no one uses.” Belleas confessed instantly. He seemed to understand that resistance would be futile.
“How many lookouts are posted there?”
“…Not a single one. I was supposed to be the one guarding her, most of the time.”
I cocked my head.
Not a single guard to watch over a kidnapped girl? Could it be possible?
I knew he might just be trying to trick us into letting our guard down, but for some reason, I got the sense he was telling the truth.
“…Thank you for the information. We’ll be going, then.”
When I turned to look toward the bureau building, I sensed a faint shift in Belleas’s demeanor. I knew he might make a run for it while we were off rescuing Lelena.
“You’ll join us, won’t you, Belleas?”
“…You’re going to make your servant carry me?”
“No, I’m not. I want him to keep his hands free.” I shook my head, while Belleas looked on, puzzled.
It was true that Lucian was the only person I’d brought there with me. I’d imagined that bringing a large group along might only serve to alert Lelena’s kidnappers, and I didn’t want her being harmed as a result of that.
“Don’t tell me you think you can carry me yourself, Your Majesty…?”
“Indeed, I do.”
Belleas was taken aback by the smile I gave him.
Immediately, I turned to face him and chanted a spell.
“Formless grasp, light as leaves, flutter and rise up high!”
“…!”
The whoosh of wind came with a silent scream. Belleas was swallowed up by the wind, and his body thrown up over the treetops and toward the Bureau of Magic. I kept the direction of the wind controlled so that it carried his scream off into the night.
I maintained enough control so as not to hurt him, but I knew how terrifying the experience must be. As soon as he crashed back down on the ground, I knew he wouldn’t be able to stand on two legs for some time.
“There you go. That was a perfect landing.”
“Well done, my lady. Was that the ‘slam dunk’ I’ve heard you refer to before?”
“I think that’s a little different…”
As Lucian expressed his praise for me, I turned back toward where Liddeus was collapsed on the ground. I used the wind to carry his body up as well, though much more gently this time.
When I returned to the bureau with Liddeus, I saw that Belleas was passed out near the back entrance of the building. I had Lucian search him for weapons, just to be safe, and found a single key in his pocket. It was a perfect fit for the backdoor lock, thankfully enough.
We proceeded deeper into the pitch-black, silent building where we’d been told that Lelena was being held. The room we arrived at was nestled in the back of the building. It appeared to be old and in a state of disrepair.
“Are you all right, Lelena?!”
After looking around the premises and opening the door, I saw that the room was a tiny one. A single bed was set up in the corner, where Lelena was laying on her side. It appeared that Belleas had been telling the truth. I didn’t see any guards around whatsoever.
“…She’s asleep.”
Lelena didn’t stir, even when Lucian poked her cheek.
I didn’t see any bruises or injuries on her body. She really did just appear to be sleeping. More than a full day had passed since Lelena was abducted and held captive, and I was sure she must have been drained from the whole experience. No wonder she was fast asleep.
“I don’t really want to wake her…”
The best option was to wake her up once we returned to the total safety of the villa, so I decided to gently carry her back with my wind spill.
As I returned to Belleas, now with the slumbering Lelena, I heard a groan from below.
“Mmph… Where am I…?” Liddeus, who’d lain slumped against a wall, was regaining consciousness. “Your Majesty…? What’s going on…?”
“Belleas knocked you out, so I carried you back to the bureau.”
“Belleas?” Liddeus let out a gasp. He looked around at his surroundings, and the sorcerer’s eyes went wide when he saw Belleas tied up and the sleeping Lelena. “You’re the one who captured him, aren’t you, Your Majesty?”
“…Does that upset you?”
Liddeus closed his eyes.
“No, I’m glad. …It’s best that he be detained before he adds to his list of crimes.”
“You were worried about him, weren’t you, Liddeus?”
“…Worried?”
Liddeus always behaved like nothing other than magic mattered an ounce to him. But I was certain that wasn’t the whole story.
“You realized he was behaving suspiciously because you care about him as a colleague, and that’s why you were paying close attention.”
“What are you talking about? All I cared about were his fascinating theories of magic.”
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw how Liddeus cocked his head in total confusion. His words were expected, coming from the man who had nothing but magic on the brain.
“What is it? Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing. I just feel like you’re a kind person on the inside, and you must truly care about the people in your life.”
His Cuddle Bird cared about him so much, it wasn’t unusual to see those light blue feathers stuck to the sorcerer. He seemed to be the source of many problems when it came to his magic obsession, but in his own way, he cared a lot about the people of the bureau and the Cuddle Birds.
Feeling calmed by Liddeus’s awkwardness, I noticed he turned his face away from me.
“What is it, Liddeus?”
“…I think you’re much kinder than I am.”
As Liddeus muttered his response, I could’ve sworn his ears looked redder than usual. I was wondering what was wrong, when suddenly, a strange sensation crept over me.
“Hmm…?”
I looked around to find the source of my concern.
Is it Liddeus? No, it’s not him.
My eyes traveled past him and toward the back window, where I saw smoke billowing past.
“A fire?!”
I looked outside in a panic and saw that the surrounding forest was ablaze. The thick smoke carried a burning stench to our noses.
“Urk. What’s that smell…?” Belleas had just awoken. His eyes went wide when he realized what was going on. “Don’t tell me they started this fire?!”
“So you know what caused this?” I asked.
“…It’s from a crest.” Belleas’s face paled as he responded.
“Are your co-conspirators responsible?”
“I believe so. They must have activated the crest when you surprised them with your arrival, Your Majesty!!”
“…What I want to know is why you had such a dangerous crest at the ready…”
But putting out the fire was more important right now. The forest fire was on the verge of taking the entire building with it.
“Liddeus, do you know where the Cuddle Birds are kept?!”
“It’s the room on the back right.”
“Can you keep an eye on both Belleas and the Cuddle Birds for me?”
“Got it! But what about you?!” Liddeus cried out as the light of the fire reflected against him from the windows.
“I’m going to be sure the fire doesn’t spread to this building!”
“On your own?!”
“Yes! You’ll see!”
I had to answer him while I took off running. There was no time to waste.
Lucian and I made it outside, where I quickly chanted a spell.
“Blessed droplets!”
I formed a water spell to douse the flames. But the only result I observed was the water sizzling out against the fire in a plume of smoke.
“This isn’t enough.”
The fire roared back to life as soon as the steam evaporated.
I attempted to cover the flames with dirt, but they always leapt back up from the gaps in the earth.
The origin of the fire—a crest—seemed to make the flames all the more resilient. Even if I cut it down with a whirlwind spell, taking the trees with it, there was still a chance the fire would spread farther.
“…I may have to keep a sustained rainstorm over the area.”
Weather control involved high-tier spells, but with my current amount of magic energy, there was no reason it wasn’t possible.
There was, however, one problem…
“It will really stand out.”
“Most conspicuous indeed.”
Lucian and I spoke at the same time.
To cast a rainstorm spell, I had to first create rain clouds in the sky itself. Despite the late hour, this would be a sure cause for alarm. Their small size would only make them stand out due to their unnatural appearance.
Honestly, with the attention that the crimson flames were already sure to draw, I didn’t want to resort to this spell at all. It could even mean the end to my life of leisure entirely…
Lucian’s eyes were on me, waiting for me to make a choice.
Sparks flew close to our direction.
There wasn’t much time left. At this rate, Lelena or the Cuddle Birds could be injured in the fire. Drawing attention to myself didn’t matter if such an outcome was preventable.
With my mind made up, I was just about to chant the spell, when suddenly…
“Huh…?”
Something unbelievable was happening right before my eyes.
“This white stuff…”
It was ice.
A layer of white snow and ice began to cover the trees, taking the flames out with it. It was as if this section of the woods alone had been sent plunging into the depths of winter.
“What’s going on…?” Lucian couldn’t hide his shock either.
The two of us, completely dumbfounded, stared at the transformed forest. Just then…
“…Aroo.”
With the most familiar of cries, Lord Aroo himself appeared on the scene.
◇ ◇ ◇
“…AROO.”
Glenreed let out a low cry and gazed at Laetitia with his blue-green eyes.
…It doesn’t look like she has any burns.
Still in silver wolf form, Glenreed let out a sigh of relief.
Laetitia had left on her own to apprehend Lelena’s kidnapper. Once Glenreed learned of this, he took the form of the silver wolf and followed her in secret.
I was just supposed to be observing, not interfering…
But those plans didn’t last long.
He caught a glimpse of Laetitia, lost in thought, as the forest burned right in front of her. Before he knew it, he’d sprung into action, worried that an ember might land on her at any moment.
Glenreed’s rational thoughts always grew weaker whenever he was in wolf form.
“Why are you here…? Wait, could it be that you’re the one who made this ice?”
“Aroo!!”
He nodded his head one time to show that she was correct. With this, he caused a pillar of ice to grow at his feet in a display of the power.
One of Glenreed’s special abilities was the control of snow and ice. He was able to freeze anything he wanted without the use of a spell or crest.
“Lord Aroo, you really were an incredible Sacred Beast, weren’t you…?”
Laetitia seemed deeply impressed as she surveyed the ice-covered forest. As a sorcerer herself, she had to know the incredible significance behind what she had just witnessed.
…I never meant to reveal this power to her.
Glenreed lowered his eyes sadly.
This was the last time he would be able to see her in this form. Sacred Beasts were powerful beings and had direct ties to the secrets of the royal family of this kingdom. Regardless of how Laetitia felt, now that she knew the true power of the Sacred Beast, they couldn’t go on spending time together like they always had.
“Roo…”
Glenreed let out a farewell cry. The message seemed to reach her, and her face clouded with sadness.
“I won’t be able to see you anymore, Lord Aroo?”
“……”
Silently, Glenreed took one step away from Laetitia.
Don’t make that face. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. We’ll still be a king and figurehead queen, so we can meet when the occasion arises…
…But he didn’t want that.
It was as if something deep inside his heart was calling out to him. He tried to crush those unsettled emotions to prevent them from appearing, and just as Glenreed was about to leave…
“Wha?”
He turned around when he heard that silly sound come out of Laetitia’s mouth.
“What kind of noise…was…that…?” The more he spoke, the more Glenreed felt his face go stiff.
Those words weren’t the grunts of a wolf.
It was the unmistakable sound of his own human vocal cords.
“You’re…”
Speechless, Glenreed took a moment to comprehend the situation.
In wolf form, Glenreed’s rational thoughts grew weaker, and his emotions tended to be much stronger. He hadn’t wanted to leave Laetitia, and he didn’t want her to be sad either. But it appeared that those desires had distracted him enough to override the control he wielded over his own transformations.
◇ ◇ ◇
“YOU’RE…”
I was dumbfounded by the appearance of the most unexpected person imaginable.
“…King Glenreed?”
Incredulous, I called out the name of the man before me.
I don’t understand.
It didn’t make any sense.
Why was the king here, and where had Lord Aroo gone to?
My brain was on the verge of overload.
“Could it be…”
“……”
His Majesty didn’t say a word.
The silence filled me with a deep sense of dread.
“King Glenreed, were you the one transforming into Lord Aroo…?”
That was the only logical conclusion: Lord Aroo was King Glenreed.
Suddenly, along with this shocking reveal, a cascade of memories involving Lord Aroo swirled around inside my brain.
“You’re such a little hunk, Lord Aroo!”
“Fluffa fluffa fluffa fluff!”
“Paw pads make the world go round…!!”
“Hehe. The slicker brush feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Aaaahhh! This fur brings me back to life!!”
All the ridiculous things I said to Lord Aroo, and all those dumb smiles on my face…
King Glenreed had witnessed every last one of them.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!!”
My life is over.
I was screaming that from the depths of my very soul.
◇ ◇ ◇
“I’M truly, truly sorry…!” I cried out in apology to His Majesty. It was the first thing I decided on, now that my shameful acts were exposed. “I’m so sorry for petting you all those times when you were Lord Aroo…”
“…Stop it. I don’t know how to respond.”
His Majesty’s words came out indifferent. His face was as beautiful and rigid as ever, but right now, I couldn’t look him in the eye.
“I didn’t know it was you, Your Majesty, but still, the way I treated Lord Aroo…”
I just wanted to squirm in agony.
I was so intense when I petted Lord Aroo, and even teased him at times… It was an outright parade of disrespect in the face of the king. I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if he chose to lock me up for such behavior.
“…Forget all about it. That’s what you need to do.”
“There’s no way I can do that…”
His Majesty’s face was calm, in contrast to my panic.
Maybe the two of us are just built differently.
That was the ridiculous thought that ended up in my brain.
“…I’m sorry for all of my shameful displays.”
I took a deep breath. I needed to get back on track. My mind couldn’t keep up with the shock of this situation, but there were still things I needed to do first.
“If we stay here, we’re just asking for someone to spot us. Why don’t we head someplace else so that we can share what we know?”
“…I agree. Let me come with you to your villa.”
His Majesty gave a little nod, and suddenly, his features began to change. A flash of light shot out, and Lord Aroo appeared where the king once stood.
“…So I really wasn’t seeing things.”
That was what Lucian muttered as he watched King Glenreed transform into Lord Aroo. He was the only other witness to the reveal of Lord Aroo’s secret.
Liddeus was still inside the Bureau of Magic, and I didn’t believe he could have seen anything.
“Lucian, about that transformation—"
“I understand. I’ll keep it to myself.”
“You’re always so quick. I appreciate it.”
I would expect nothing less from Lucian.
As long as Lucian stayed quiet, there was no reason to worry that His Majesty’s secret would be leaked to anyone on the outside.
I breathed a sigh of relief. The two of us stared down at Lord Aroo.
“I watched him cling to my lady because I believed him to be nothing more than an animal…”
Lord Aroo had fallen on the receiving end of a gaze filled with unbridled criticism.
◇ ◇ ◇
ONCE I confirmed that Liddeus and the Cuddle Birds were safe, I decided to return to the villa. Belleas was powerless for now, and people would probably arrive soon when they saw what had happened to the forest.
Lord Aroo and I arrived at my villa with Lelena, and then the two of us agreed to take some time in the parlor together to sort out the day’s events.
“I see. I think I’ve got the whole story now. I’ll deal with Belleas and his crew of kidnappers myself.” His Majesty nodded when he heard the details of Lelena’s abduction. He was in his human form once again, sitting on the couch opposite from me.
“Thank you for your help. …Now may I ask about your personal circumstances as well?”
“You mean my silver w— My transformation into Lord Aroo?”
I nodded.
My first question was one delivered with the utmost fear and hesitation.
“Do you remember everything that happens to you when you take the form of Lord Aroo?”
“…Mostly, yes.”
“…!!”
I couldn’t help but recoil.
Urk…
Even though I knew it was coming, that answer knocked the wind out of me.
All those times I lost myself in petting Lord Aroo’s fur, humming silly songs to myself, and everything else I’d done too…
As Lord Aroo, the king himself had witnessed all of it. He still remembered it right now. I felt like I could drop dead from shame. I had no idea how I was supposed to face His Majesty from now on.
“…Don’t worry about it. I’m in the same position that you are,” His Majesty said as I writhed in agony. “The times I visited you as Lord Aroo, and the things I saw you do during those times. It’d be better if we both keep our mouths shut about all of it.”
“…You’re right…”
All I could do was weakly accept the helpful words he offered me. Even though, on the inside, I was still ready to die of embarrassment…
His Majesty didn’t strike me as the type to reveal the humiliating sides I’d shown during our time together.
“…By the way, why did you transform back into a human before me, when you’ve always kept your identity a secret?”
“The transformation was just a bit off.”
I guess the transformation from wolf to human isn’t perfect every time?
I was so curious about many aspects of the situation, but decided not to voice my questions just yet.
Regardless of the king’s circumstances, one thing was certain: he’d really helped me out by stopping that forest fire with his powers. I hadn’t resorted to casting a high-tier rainstorm spell, which meant my peaceful life would go on as usual.
It was late, and the king would be busy when morning came, so I decided to press him for more details at a later date. His Majesty transformed back into Lord Aroo, and I headed for my bedroom.
“I’m exhausted…”
I dove into bed after saying farewell to His Majesty. But despite how tired my body was, my mind was still running wild, so I doubted I’d be falling asleep any time soon.
“Peep?”
Tweety cocked his head as he peered at me.
The Cuddle Bird who loved my magic always spent his nights in my room.
He pressed his soft, ticklish feathers against my body.
“Now that feels much better! This is cheering me up, but…”
Tweety’s black eyes stared closely at me.
“…I’m sure you’re not secretly another person who’s transforming into a Cuddle Bird, right, Tweety…?”
The shock of Lord Aroo’s identity was causing me to become distrustful of others.
As an answer to my question…
“Peepa peepa peep!”
“Want more cuddles? Want more cuddles?”
Tweety hugged me with his feathers, letting out a happy series of chirps.
◇ ◇ ◇
“I’M still sleepy…”
It was the next morning. Still in my bedroom, I had to force myself not to let out a yawn. Thanks to Tweety’s soft embrace, I’d fallen asleep faster than I even realized. However, perhaps due to the mental shock of last night’s events, my body still felt heavy and sleep-deprived.
“Lelena’s still asleep, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I checked on her earlier, but she appeared to still be out cold.”
Lucian stood completely alert and looked to be entirely well rested. It was hard to believe he’d been through the same events that I was last night.
“I’m sure she’s tired. Let’s let her rest until she awakens on her own.”
There were many things I wanted to discuss with her, but Lelena’s health came first. I decided to prioritize tying up loose ends after the kidnapping case.
I rubbed my tired eyes as I finished my breakfast, and it was then that Borgan appeared with a piece of paper in hand.
“A letter from His Majesty has arrived for you.”
“…From King Glenreed?”
Doubt filled my mind as I took the paper from his hands. I’d been planning on waiting for His Majesty to arrange a time for us to meet and discuss recent events. I never expected him to send a letter so soon.
“‘Come to the rose garden’…?”
The words in his handwriting were skewed, and I realized it must have been written in a rush.
◇ ◇ ◇
“OH no…”
I stood at the entrance to the rose garden, completely lost for words.
It was nothing like the garden I’d seen during my last visit here. Most of the roses were scattered in the dirt, leaves had been ripped straight from the vines, and stems had snapped and collapsed, all throughout the grounds.
“They must have done this last night.” The tone of King Glenreed’s voice was much deeper than usual as he glared at the disastrous state of the rose garden. “This is certainly the work of those who plotted Lelena’s kidnapping.”
“So they had another goal in mind the whole time…”
Lelena’s kidnapping partially happened by chance. It was just a coincidence that she happened to run away from the villa and was spotted by her abductor. The lack of a concrete plan was probably also why she was being kept in the bureau without a single guard on lookout.
“…Belleas and his gang wanted to destroy this rose garden,” I said ruefully.
“So it appears.”
His Majesty furrowed his brow at the state of the garden.
The king had interrogated Belleas first thing this morning. While Belleas hadn’t confessed to everything just yet, the king came to learn the general details about the group’s plot.
“Belleas really did join forces with Diaz’s relatives,” he said.
“…And those relatives are people who despise beastfolk.”
This rose garden was special in that it belonged exclusively to the royal family. Naturally, it was guarded closely by the finest of knights, which in this kingdom meant beastfolk.
“The culprits must have been trying to sully the reputations of the garden’s guards, as well as beastfolk as a whole.” I recalled Orth’s words as I spoke.
Most of the kingdom’s military budget was paid to beastfolk soldiers. Orth had complained that this was why the Bureau of Magic suffered from insufficient funds. Belleas was with him at that time too, and he didn’t deny Orth’s words. Perhaps Belleas had secretly been harboring resentment over the distribution of funds as well.
“By joining those criminals and damaging the reputation of beastfolk soldiers, he must have been attempting to secure a larger budget for the Bureau of Magic,” I said.
“It looks like that’s the case. Diaz’s relatives even promised to donate to the bureau if he helped them in their schemes,” His Majesty confirmed my suspicions.
“…So they made a deal behind the scenes…”
I let out a sigh.
Belleas’s crimes were unforgivable, but I understood why a sorcerer such as him would grow frustrated with the state of the bureau. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that money ruled the world…but it was impossible to deny that everything, including magic research, needed a certain amount of financial support.
“…They can’t be let off the hook. Diaz’s relatives didn’t just attempt to hurt the reputation of beastfolk. They also tried to sully Your Majesty’s own name, right?”
His Majesty had played a big role in locking Diaz away in prison. Diaz’s imprisonment also meant that her relatives lost a great deal of political power, for which His Majesty had earned their scorn. Harassing the very king of Wolfvarte was a dangerous game, but it seemed they’d lost not just their social standing but their common sense as well.
“The Rose Gathering takes place in three days… But with the garden like this…”
There was almost no way the event could still be held.
“I suppose they might have chosen such reckless actions because the Rose Gathering is so soon,” I said.
The Rose Gathering had a history in this kingdom that spans many years. It was a tradition in which all the biggest figures throughout the land were invited to attend. Canceling the event now would hurt King Glenreed’s name.
“…Lelena’s kidnapping was only a lucky coincidence to the culprits,” he explained. “Their original plan was to use that flame-spawning crest to start a fire big enough to draw the attention of the guards while they snuck in and destroyed the rose garden.”
“So last night’s fire was a distraction…”
Though these guards were the most elite of their kind, a sudden, large fire within castle grounds would still be enough to throw them off, if only a little. The criminals used that opportunity to sneak into the garden. Their misdoings weren’t spotted until morning either, as they’d left the rose bushes closest to the entrance unharmed.
“I’m not letting them off the hook for Lelena’s kidnapping, but they sure did treat these roses terribly too.” I looked at the roses that had been plucked from their stems.
The last time I was here, the garden was filled to the brim with large, beautiful flowers. That beauty was the result of the painstaking care and love the gardeners had poured into them. Such destruction couldn’t be undone so easily.
“…Do you think you’ll have to cancel this year’s Rose Gathering?”
When he heard my question, King Glenreed looked conflicted.
“The gardeners are currently carrying out a thorough examination of the roses…but I’m not optimistic. I’m going to hear the results by the end of the day, and if it doesn’t seem possible, I’ll be formally announcing the cancellation of the Rose Gathering.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“…IT’S just one bad thing after another…”
I couldn’t hold in a sigh as I sat in my carriage, departing from the rose garden.
It all began with Lelena’s kidnapping, and now the Rose Gathering was at risk of cancellation. And in my personal life, Berry had gone missing from the villa, and then I learned the shocking truth behind Lord Aroo’s identity. My head felt heavy with the weight of these events.
“I wonder where Berry could be…?”
I left my carriage and headed into the villa, choosing to ask that question aloud instead of letting out another sigh.
I really missed seeing the gray tabby-like pattern of Berry’s fur. Her striped fuzzy coat alternated light and dark gray in color, and her tail casually bobbed from side to side in the air. Only her paw pads and nose were black, and the way she walked was like…
“Meow.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked.
Huh? What?!
I blinked some more and started to wonder if I was now hallucinating Berry instead.
“Meow meow meow?”
Berry’s voice cried out once more.
She trotted up to me and began to nuzzle my legs.
Lucian, at my side, was just as startled, and that’s how I knew I wasn’t just dreaming or seeing things.
“Berry…!”
“Mragyah?!”
I scooped her up and squeezed her so tight. Berry’s gray fur tickled my cheek. I felt the soft warmth of her body in between my arms.
“Welcome home! Where have you been?”
I stroked her striped gray fur to my heart’s content, since I hadn’t experienced it in such a long time. After a while, Berry began to speak.
“Meow meow meow!!”
“Um, hold on. What are you…?”
I had to read the meaning behind her cries from her gestures and expressions.
“You can’t tell me where you went…?”
“Mrrraw mraw.”
“Oh, that’s not it? I’m a bit off?”
“Meow!!”
She was shaking her head, so I took a guess at where to go from there.
“You can’t tell me just yet, but you will sometime in the future… Is that it?”
“Meow meow!!”
I’d given the right answer this time.
…But what does that mean? Why can’t she tell me now?
Berry escaped from my arms and began to lick herself all over, grooming her messy fur back into place. She was acting cold, despite how long we’d been apart, but I could tell that the tip of her tail was swishing with happiness.
“…Such a troublesome little cat…”
Lucian looked somewhat bewildered by Berry’s laid-back attitude. The concern he’d shown while she was missing was now completely hidden from his face.
“As long as you’re back, that’s all that matters. …If you take more long trips away in the future, you’ll be sure to return to the villa at some point, won’t you?”
“Meow!!”
“Of course! This place is where I get my strawberry treats!”
With that implied sentiment, Berry gave a big nod.
I didn’t feel as scared about her leaving the villa from here on out.
“Now I don’t have to worry about Berry anymore. I just hope the rose garden situation works out too…”
“…Meow?”
“What did you just say?”
I heard that question in the tone of Berry’s cry. She had visited the rose garden once before as well, so maybe that was why she recognized that phrase.
She stared up at me, demanding more of an explanation.
“You see…”
I told Berry all about the damage the rose garden had suffered. She silently listened to the whole story, appearing lost in thought.
“What is it, Berry? Are you thinking of using your magic to help out?”
Berry was a Gardener Cat. While most of her work went to growing and eating strawberries, she was capable of helping all plants grow. If she wanted to, Berry could probably heal the damaged roses and make them bloom again. However…
“The rose garden is a big place. Even if you give it your very best effort, I don’t think you can bring the roses back to the way they were before.”
“…Meow meow meow…”
“That’s true.”
Despite her response, she still appeared deep in thought.
“Mraw mraw mraw mraw, meow meow meow… Mrah!!”
It was as if she’d arrived at a conclusion of sorts.
Berry’s whiskers twitched as she turned around and took off in a run.
“Where are you going?”
She looked back at me, beckoning for me to follow her, then raced toward the back of the villa on all four legs. After some distance, Berry came to a stop. We’d come to a simple forest path with nothing in particular to note.
“What’s going on? Can you please expl—”
“Meow!!”
Berry cut me off loudly just as I demanded an explanation.
I looked around, wondering what was happening, when suddenly…
“Mraw!”
“Mee-ow!!”
“Mrah-raw-raw!!”
I suddenly heard a chorus of meows.
One by one, cats appeared through the rustling bushes and formed a group.
“Are these your friends, Berry? Or…are they…”
My eyes went wide.
All the cats around Berry began to stand up on their two hind legs.
“No, you’re not cats… Are you all…Gardener Cats…?”
The response I got was affirmative meows, one after another.
The large group was confirming that they were, in fact, Gardener Cats.