Chapter 11
* * *
For several days after that, Asil broke the wooden puppet every day.
Dylan initially repaired it by hiring a craftsman, but soon realized it was like pouring water into a sieve and stopped.
Meanwhile, on his desk, the compensation money Asil gave him was piling up steadily, one coin per day.
“You did great!”
“Money should be used wisely.”
“Our child is the best!”
Life was depressing.
It was so bad that even his colleagues started asking such questions.
“Did you make some mistake?”
“I don’t know, me too.”
Dylan let out a sigh and brushed his face.
Was his dislike for reptiles that obvious? Why on earth is this happening?
Lately, he had been having nightmares every night where a lizard spirit chased him, and he just couldn’t find the will to live.
It seemed like he would have to beg the Duke soon to quit his bodyguard position.
“Tsk tsk tsk.”
“You finally got a good assignment.”
The fellow knights, unaware of Dylan’s reptile phobia, clicked their tongues in sympathy over the misfortune that had befallen him.
Then, one knight who raised a cat tossed out a fishing rod.
“If it’s really tough, try taking this.”
Ding-a-ling—
The bell attached to the fishing rod made a pleasant sound.
It was a cat toy fishing rod with a fluffy feather at the end.
Dylan, rendered speechless, shook the fishing rod a few times.
“It’s a lizard, though?”
“You never know. Isn’t it better than not taking it at all?”
“Is that so….”
“It seems like it’s overflowing with energy, so try playing with it well. Who knows? If it gets satisfied with playing, it might stop breaking the wooden puppet.”
“Will it….”
With the thought that there’s nothing to lose, Dylan took the cat fishing rod.
And at the moment Asil, who had handed over the compensation money, headed to the training grounds to break another wooden puppet, he shook it in front of her vigorously.
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
The bell on the fishing rod made a pleasant sound.
Asil, seeing a cat toy for the first time, perked up her ears.
‘What is this?’
It looked just like the stick adult beastkin use to teach hunting.
Asil stared intently at the fluffy feather shaking up and down.
The way it came and went, almost within reach but not quite, seemed like it was teasing ‘Come catch me.’
Thoroughly annoyed, Asil let out a chirp.
‘Does he think she can’t catch it?’
She was still young, but she was a beast of prey. That meant she was specialized in hunting.
She glared at the feather with wide eyes, and the moment it came down, she leaped up and snatched it.
“Chirp!”
“Ugh!”
Dylan, who hadn’t anticipated the jump, fell on his butt. As he tried to scramble back in a fluster while flapping away,
Asil dragged the fishing rod across the ground and thrust it toward him.
“Chirp chirp.” (Do it again.)
“Uh….”
Dylan unwittingly let out a groan.
Judging by the fact that she wasn’t going to break the wooden puppet, the toy definitely seemed effective.
But the opponent’s reaction was too scary.
It felt like that little lizard’s front paw would touch his hand any second.
Dylan froze in place and couldn’t move.
In the end, tired of waiting, Asil started shaking the fishing rod herself.
‘If the human won’t play, Asil will play alone.’
Ding-a-ling. Even though only the feather brushed him, Dylan screamed.
“Hiiiiaaaah!”
“Chirrrp!”
Startled by that stormy reaction, Asil, who had been shaking it absentmindedly, got surprised too.
Who would have thought this human is a beggar who even fears feathers!
‘And yet, he played with this with Asil!’
How kind is he.
It seemed like sharing her precious gold coin and substituting for the tree had helped a lot.
Asil was so moved that tears welled up at the thought that the human understood her feelings.
So, forgetting that the other was a scary human, she said this.
“Chirp chirp! Chiiip!” (Knight human! I think we’re pretty close now!)
“Yes? Who, who…. you and I?”
“Chiiip!” (Yeah!)
Asil, who had shouted energetically, clutched the cat fishing rod tightly and started walking.
Now that she had secured a witness to their friendship, it was finally time to go scold her bear friend!
* * *
Asil didn’t know the layout inside the castle.
However, she could tell where the bear sacred beast was by the smell in the air.
Dylan hurriedly followed her brisk footsteps.
“Where are you going?”
It was good that it wasn’t toward the training grounds, but just where was she trying to go, taking a path where few people passed.
‘What is she trying to do by going this way again.’
Dylan, unable to predict Asil’s actions at all, tensed up completely.
And then, belatedly realizing what was at the end of this path, he freaked out and tried to stop her.
“L-Lizard ! This isn’t a path.”
“Chirp chirp.” (Asil isn’t a lizard.)
Asil, who had spoken primly, glanced at the neatly laid path on the ground. And then she looked up steadily at Dylan.
‘There’s a path like this here?’
Dylan flinched at Asil’s puzzled gaze and made an excuse.
“It’s not a path for people.”
“Chiiip.” (Asili isn’t a person.)
“That’s true…… Lizards shouldn’t walk it either.”
“Chiiip.” (Not a lizard either.)
“Ahem, no one should walk it at all.”
“Chirp?” (Why?)
“Because a very dangerous bear sacred beast is at the end of this path.”
“Chirp chirp.” (Aha.)
Asil nodded nonchalantly and moved her feet again. Not backward, but forward.
Dylan, who had assumed she would naturally back away, freaked out once more.
“A-Asil !”
Did he smear honey here or something? Why does she keep going that way?
He was confident he wouldn’t lose to Viante’s bear sacred beast, but putting the one he had to protect into a dangerous situation was the problem itself.
With no choice, he snatched the fishing rod Asil was holding and shook it with all his might. Ding-a-ling.
At the clear bell sound, Asil’s head whipped around.
“Chirp!”
Ding-a-ling.
“Chiiirp!”
Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
Who knew there was something this fun in the world! When she returned to the forest, she had to ask mom to make one.
Asil, completely absorbed in the fishing rod, started leaping around.
Dylan was terribly scared of the lizard’s black scales, but he gritted his teeth and endured, slowly backing away as intended, smoothly increasing the distance from the bear enclosure.
How much time passed like that.
“Grrrrroooar!”
Suddenly, something far away let out a large roar and came charging.
It was Viante’s bear sacred beast.
‘Damn it.’
Dylan gritted his teeth. Did the bear get loose again?
Reflexively, he set aside the fishing rod and scooped up Asil.
To quickly escape from this spot.
But contrary to that plan, at the unique texture of the reptile, he screamed “Aaaah!” and unwittingly threw Asil away.
“Chiiip!”
The flying Asil thudded into a tree. Ouch!
At that cry, Dylan belatedly regained his senses and was horrified.
“No!”
He tried to rush over urgently, but the bear was already near Asil.
It was a brown bear several times larger than Dylan.
The bear, having spotted its target, charged powerfully.
“Grrrrroooaaar!”
“Asil !”
Dylan drew his sword and ran forward quickly.
However, unfortunately, it seemed the bear would reach Asil before he did.
Dylan, plunged into self-loathing, gritted his teeth.
‘You idiot bastard.’
What the hell is that phobia.
To throw away the being he had to protect—disqualified as a knight.
With the thought that he had to save her life somehow, he ran toward Asil with all the strength he had from nursing.
But.
Thud!
The bear colliding with Asil was faster. It made an incredibly heavy sound, as if it had slammed with full force.
Dylan could hardly watch the result that would soon appear in his right mind, so he barely held back the urge to look away.
Into such his view—
“Grrrrroooaaar!”
The house-sized bear cried out in pain and flew far away.
Hm?
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
By Anna 💓
