Episode 40
I saw his gleaming red eyes, filled with certainty. There was no way to hide it anymore.
I looked up at him, on high alert.
“What are you going to do with me now?”
I imagined how he would react, now that he knew my true identity. He had no affection for me, so he wouldn’t be kind.
Moreover, he had been protecting me, believing I was a precious being entrusted to him by the Tower Master. If he found out that this being was actually the bird cherished by his rival, the Duke, he might not bother with me anymore.
As these complicated thoughts filled my mind, the Crown Prince said something unexpected,
“First, shall we discuss the charge of property damage?”
‘Oh, right. I destroyed the building, didn’t I?’
I glanced behind me and saw shards of glass and dust scattered everywhere. It felt like a reflection of my own fate.
A cold sweat ran down my back, and my eyes darted around nervously.
“That was… because of the monster extermination…”
“I never told you to destroy the building.”
“B-but the Tower Master…”
“I spoke to him through the communication device just a while ago, but he cut off the connection as soon as the commotion started.”
So he ran away!
My only backing had abandoned me. In short, I was screwed.
“You deserve to be thrown in jail, but… I’m feeling generous. What do you think?”
‘Generous? What kind of generosity?’
My nonexistent feathers stood on end with tension. My mind raced.
But I had no choice. As a person of unknown origin, the only one I could ask for help was the Tower Master, and he had abandoned me again.
That damn Tower Master.
My trust in him hit rock bottom dozens of times a day.
I cautiously looked at the Crown Prince.
“What happens if I refuse your generosity?”
“Nothing major will happen.”
My face brightened.
“You’ll just die painfully.”
And it immediately fell.
I reluctantly accepted his offer.
“…I gratefully accept your generosity.”
His cheerful smile was ominous.
There’s no such thing as generosity without strings attached. His so-called generosity surely came with a price.
‘Is he planning to use me to do something to Cesar?’
The thought made my face darken. I had run away from Cesar, but I didn’t want to be a bird that caused misfortune to its owner.
He approached me, my face clearly showing distress. My legs trembled as I tried to step back. But the Crown Prince ignored my reaction and stared intently into my eyes.
His warm breath brushed against my ear. And an unexpected proposition came from his lips.
“Stay by my side.”
“Pardon?”
Stay by his side? Why would the Crown Prince, who disliked me, want to keep an insignificant bird, now a human, by his side? What advantage could he possibly gain?
“I’m just an ordinary bird, though?”
“An ordinary bird? Do you really think so?”
I gulped, seeing his sharp red eyes, as if he knew something.
“What bird transforms into a human and destroys an Imperial building like that?”
“…”
“And I’m curious why you have the mark of the temple, something an ordinary bird wouldn’t have.”
I stared at him with wide eyes at his unexpected words. And I recalled the crescent moon I had glimpsed in a shard of the mirror.
‘That was the mark of the temple?’
I frowned, confused. No matter how hard I tried to think, I couldn’t understand why it was on my body.
I should have extracted more information from that monster.
Just then, a firm finger tapped my forehead.
“You’re just blinking blankly. Do you not even know yourself?”
Was it just my imagination that his expression had become subtly condescending after he found out I was once a bird?
I hesitated and then nodded. He tilted his head.
“You don’t know anything? And yet you were the Duke’s bird and somehow ended up in the Imperial Palace? Should I say you’re simple-minded because you’re a bird…”
He tapped my forehead again.
I tried to control my expression, but anger surged within me.
‘Did he just call me a birdbrain? Who does he think he is?’
“Are you offended by my words? Or are you angry after causing such a mess in the Imperial Palace?”
“O-of course not.”
I bowed my head submissively, like a mouse before a cat, and observed the Crown Prince’s reaction. He spoke, looking at me,
“You might not be useful to me yet, but I don’t usually let go of anything with even a sliver of potential.”
“Ah, I see.”
“You have to hold onto a wildcard, especially one as unpredictable as you. Stay in the Imperial Palace for the time being. I’ll cover up the huge mess you caused and make everyone forget about it.”
His words were a bombshell. I had thought I could leave the Imperial Palace after the task was completed.
The main setting of the original novel was the dangerous Imperial Palace. The power struggle with the Second Prince would begin in earnest during the autumn hunting competition, and if I got caught up in it, my life would be in danger.
But I had no other choice. If I refused this veiled threat disguised as generosity, I would be thrown in jail.
‘It’s okay. I’ll bide my time and wait for an opportunity to escape…’
As I was scheming, the Crown Prince spoke casually,
“Of course, I’ll be taking back the payment I gave you.”
“B-but!”
“So don’t think of doing anything foolish and just stay put. Understood?”
“W-wait a moment!”
“What is it?”
He frowned, waiting for me to speak.
Since the reward was gone anyway, I had to ask at least one thing.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“…What does it mean to have the mark of the temple?”
“It literally means you belong to the temple.”
“Then was I a bird raised in the temple?”
He hesitated at my question. He looked at me appraisingly and spoke,
“That’s a possibility. The source of the mana you absorb isn’t different from divine power, so it’s even more likely. Mana and divine power are subtly different, but ultimately, they’re both derived from the same source.”
The same source of power and the temple. I felt like I was getting closer to a clue.
But the Crown Prince’s next words were disheartening.
“Are you planning on going to the temple? Belonging to the temple means being subservient to the gods for life.”
“Subservient?”
“Yes. Besides, if you ran away from the temple, you’ll be punished as soon as you’re caught.”
“Punished…”
“I think it would be beneficial for you to learn about your power, but going to the temple doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
I blinked. And I checked my clothes, just in case.
“W-what are you do…!”
I didn’t care about the Crown Prince’s flustered reaction. The important thing was whether the mark of that lifelong servitude contract was on my body, now that I was human.
And I despaired. Because I found a crescent moon mark clearly shining in the center of my chest.
My face crumpled.
“Is there any way to hide this?”
“Sigh. At least dress properly.”
“Then please help me hide this. You said it would be beneficial for me to stay by your side. To be subservient to the temple for life? I’m not religious!”
I didn’t believe in gods, even in my past life. And now I was a bird subservient to a god?
Morning prayers, fasting, strict rules – all those things flashed through my mind. I had planned on living a luxurious life, enjoying the rewards I would receive if I survived.
“This is a lifelong servitude contract!”
A lifelong servitude contract without my consent? Where did that even come from?! Whether I’m a devout bird or a holy bird, I just want a peaceful life!
“Sigh. This is driving me crazy.”
Aaron frowned, recalling the incident from early that morning.
He had been assessing the value of the Tower Master’s pawn, the Duke’s bird, but her actions were baffling, making him question whether she had truly been a bird.
“Does she even have any self-awareness that she’s human?”
He recalled her frustrating behavior, which made him sigh, and felt a headache coming on.
Still, she seemed useful. The power that had destroyed the building and devastated the garden was beyond his imagination.
“If she belongs to the temple, she must have a special power, which is why they marked her to prevent her escape. And the fact that she can even defeat monsters means she’s no ordinary bird.”
He tapped his desk. His thoughts took an unsettling turn.
“But which temple’s mark was it?”
It wasn’t the mark of any temple within the Empire. The Empire worshipped the God of Peace, Kisheia, and their symbol was a brightly colored flower.
He frowned, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with the mark. Just then, he heard a knock. He told the person to enter, and Arenz opened the door and bowed.
“Was last night’s incident resolved?”
Aaron chuckled at his question.
“I caught her, but what is that woman doing now?”
Since the original building was unusable, he had told her to go to a temporary residence. The problem was that she had clung to him, asking him to hide her appearance during the journey, as if she was scared of something.
Aaron recalled the exhausting early morning.
“She seems tired and has fallen asleep. She caused quite a commotion, she’s a truly interesting person.”
Arenz, on the other hand, chuckled as if the mere thought of her was amusing. Aaron frowned.
“What’s so funny? Don’t you realize that you and I are the ones who have to clean up her messes?”
“I do, but… I apologize.”
Arenz’s strange reaction made Aaron wonder if the Duke had also been bewitched by the bird.
He vaguely recalled the soft feathers he had held in his hand and the fluffy backside as she flew away. The feather on her head, swaying back and forth, had been quite cute, despite his annoyance.