Episode 18
I hurriedly pulled my wing away and moved to a corner of the carriage. I didn’t understand what had just happened.
A faint, clear energy spread through the tip of my wing, making me drowsy.
“Beep…”
‘I’m suddenly sleepy. Why have I been so sleepy lately…?’
My eyes closed on their own. I thought I’d just take a short nap. Just a little, a very little nap.
I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again.
“…Li.”
‘I think someone is calling me.’
“Lily.”
‘That’s my name, who’s calling me?’
“Wake up immediately!”
“Beep!”
Startled awake, I heard something shaking.
‘It’s so noisy. And I’m so dizzy. It feels like the whole carriage is shaking…’
As I came to my senses, I saw the cushions rolling around inside the carriage. My vision swayed, and the sound of rattling and shaking was incessant.
“Chirp!”
‘The whole carriage really is shaking!’
It felt like the whole world was spinning. Something was definitely happening. I had to get out of the carriage.
“Beeeep!”
‘The carriage is shaking too much, I can’t keep my balance!’
The protection spell should have mitigated most impacts. Being threatened like this meant that at least a mid-level monster was attacking.
Crack!
Just then, I heard something crack. I rolled my eyes, trying to locate the source of the sound despite the shaking. And I saw sharp fangs and teeth piercing through the glass.
I could vaguely see the creature attacking the carriage through the window.
It seemed to be a wolf-type monster with black fur. Drool dripped from the fangs embedded in the glass, and its gleaming eyes were fixed on me.
‘That monster is targeting me.’
A more urgent sense of danger washed over me than when I was targeted by the snake. Cracks were spreading across the pierced glass, and the protection spell on the carriage was barely maintaining its shape.
“Chirp…”
The faces of others flashed before my eyes. The window was about to shatter. Even if I got help, I would surely be bitten to death before then.
Like when I was chased by the snake, I thought of a way to survive.
‘I have to think. Otherwise, I’ll die. A weakness… Or at least something I can use to attack…’
Crack. Another loud sound came from the window. My heart pounded. I instinctively knew that I would die if this continued.
Facing imminent death, my mind became surprisingly calm. And a single wish surfaced.
‘I want to live. Even at the brink of death, I want to survive. I want to struggle.’
The last remaining glass shattered, and the monster, its black fur bristling, invaded the carriage. At that moment, before my mind could process what to do, my body moved.
A deafening roar, louder than the shattering glass, resonated around me. A blinding light enveloped everything.
“Beep!”
‘I won’t die. I absolutely won’t die. I will live!’
A bird’s cry echoed through the engulfing chaos.
“Chirp, cough.”
Acrid dust filled the air. I coughed and blinked.
My whole body ached. Even the slightest movement of my wings made me cry out in pain.
“Chirp!”
‘It hurts!’
I couldn’t muster any strength, as if I had been overworked. I checked my body, wondering if I was bleeding, but apart from my usually clean feathers being covered in dust, I was fine.
‘I don’t seem to have any wounds. Why does my body hurt so much?’
I held my aching head and slowly looked around.
The carriage I had been in was gone. All I could see was a barren wasteland with a large crater.
‘What happened? I heard a huge roar at the end. Did Cesar use magic or something?’
The monster that had been targeting me seemed to be gone as well.
“Beep.”
‘Where are Cesar and the other knights?’
I struggled to my feet, barely supporting myself with my trembling legs.
Soon, I spotted people looking at me from a distance. Familiar silver hair and purple eyes caught my attention, and I also saw knights wearing the Clovis family crest.
Relieved to see them, I smiled brightly. It seemed I had survived the life-or-death crisis.
But something was strange. They weren’t approaching me, even though they saw me.
‘What’s going on?’
Just then, my aching body lost its balance, and I fell backward. I couldn’t stand any longer.
“Beep…”
‘I’m exhausted. My body is screaming in pain.’
I slumped to the ground and tilted my head. They were still staring blankly at me.
“…Chirp!”
‘What are you all doing! I was scared. I thought I was going to be eaten!’
As if my cry in the silent air was a signal, they finally started approaching me.
“Beep.”
‘I was so scared I thought I was going to die.’
As I looked at Lenny, who approached me with teary eyes, she crouched down to meet my gaze. Then, as if at a loss for words, she cleared her throat a few times before speaking.
“…Lily. Weren’t you an ordinary bird?”
“Chirp?”
‘What are you talking about? I am an ordinary bird? Look. Pink feathers, the color of cherry blossoms, a tiny body the size of your palm, small wings that are barely visible when folded. What am I if not an ordinary bird?’
“You see, Lily.”
“Chirp.”
“I don’t think you understand yet, but Lily did this.”
“Chirp?”
‘What did I do?’
“Well… the monster that attacked the carriage you were in is gone now.”
“Chirp.”
‘Yes. It’s gone.’
“And the carriage is gone, too, the ground is caved in, and see those trees over there? They’re completely gone.”
“Chirp!”
‘Yes, I see they’re gone! I thought it was strange that there were no trees there. Did Cesar do that?’
“Lily did that.”
“…Chirp?”
‘I did that, not Cesar?’
My gaze swept over the barren surroundings. As Lenny said, both the monster and the carriage were gone.
And I could see the empty space where the trees had disappeared. And the ground, caved in as if a giant had stomped on it.
But I did that?
“…Beep?!”
‘I wasn’t an ordinary bird after all?!’
“Beep…”
“Lily. Why are you so spaced out?”
Cesar’s finger pressed down on the feather sticking up on my head.
“Beep.”
I wasn’t spaced out; I was organizing my thoughts.
Heron, who had said I was special, didn’t seem to know anything about my true nature, but he had looked at me with a strange interest.
And today, I had unleashed the formidable power of a bird — I don’t know the right word to describe it. I had devastated the surroundings, obliterating both the carriage and the monster without a trace.
“Beep. Chirp!”
‘Cesar, what am I?!’
“I apologize, Lily, but I can’t understand bird language. It’s difficult to infer what you mean when you’re chirping so excitedly.”
“…Beep.”
‘You’re good at magic, swordsmanship, and everything else, but why can’t you understand bird language?’
Frustrated, I blamed Cesar and sighed deeply.
It was good to know that I was special. But I still didn’t know what I was. And I still hadn’t found any clues about how to become human again.
The thought of the possibility of becoming human gave me a headache. Cesar tapped my head and spoke.
“Are you worried about the place you destroyed? If so, you don’t have to worry since it’s the Dukedom’s property.”
I shook my head at his words. That was good news, but I was busy contemplating my identity.
I needed someone to talk to, someone to ask for advice. I groaned and pondered for a long time, like a drama heroine trying to uncover the secrets of her birth.
“Chirp…”
‘I don’t understand, no matter how much I think…’
Just because I knew the original novel didn’t mean I knew every detail. I hoped this power would help me return to being human, but it was uncertain. There hadn’t been any noticeable changes in my body.
Feeling disheartened, I sat on Cesar’s shoulder and rubbed my face against him. I felt a little better.
Perhaps noticing my low spirits, Cesar apologized.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I shouldn’t have brought you along and put you through this.”
“Chirp?”
‘…I didn’t mean for you to apologize, Cesar. And it’s okay, since I insisted on coming.’
I smiled brightly as if telling him not to worry and chirped as usual. Cesar chuckled softly. His laughter lifted my spirits, and I recalled the dangerous situation from earlier.
‘Thinking about it now, I was brave to confront that scary monster. Looking at these tiny wings, a kitten’s paws would be more threatening.’
Looking at my tiny wings, I habitually touched them. And the tip of my wing stung slightly.
“Beep.”
As I winced, Cesar looked where my gaze was directed. And he examined me with a serious voice.
“Are you hurt?”
“Beep…”
‘I think there’s a scratch on the tip of my wing. I must have scratched it while covered in dust…’
As I held out my left wing, Cesar frowned as if displeased. Soon, the stinging pain disappeared.
“I was careless, thinking you wouldn’t get hurt since I cast a protection spell on the carriage.”
“Chirp!”
‘It’s okay. I’m fine, apart from the small scratch on my wing!’
“Thank you for being your usual cheerful self, even though you must have been very frightened today. And I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt again.”
I blinked at Cesar’s gentle voice. It felt strangely unfamiliar.
But I didn’t dislike it, so I smiled and rubbed my head against Cesar. He seemed relieved and then took something out.
I wagged my tail feathers and my eyes sparkled, curious to see what Cesar was taking out.
“Chirp?”
‘What’s that?’
“You seem curious. It was near you.”
‘Near me?’
What Cesar held out to me looked similar to the jewel I had seen in the carriage earlier.