Chapter 52
The next day, when the appointed time arrived, Kaiden came to Reina’s bedroom.
“You’re here?”
“Hm?”
Kaiden let out a soft exclamation at Reina’s appearance, which was different from usual.
Somehow, her overall vibe seemed to have changed quite a bit.
But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different.
It was thanks to Lily’s wholehearted effort to make her look effortlessly put-together, but there was no way Kaiden would notice that.
He just thought she looked prettier than usual.
Then, his gaze suddenly fell on the unfamiliar presence perched on her shoulder.
‘It’s here again.’
It was a small bird that had been following Reina around like a shadow for the past week.
At first, it just hovered nearby, but now it seemed to treat her shoulder like its own home.
It looked ordinary on the surface, but it couldn’t fool Kaiden’s eyes.
Even for Kaiden, with his keen senses, its presence was so faint that it was hard to detect.
At a glance, it was clearly a spirit creature.
Reina seemed already aware of the bird’s existence.
She would flinch sometimes at its occasional “peep” cry, which made it obvious.
The bird, fiddling with its beak using its tiny wings, looked as small and fragile as she did.
Even their auras felt similar, drawing his eyes to it repeatedly.
Quite some time had passed since the bird appeared, yet Reina hadn’t added any explanation.
Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Kaiden was the first to bring it up.
“I haven’t seen this little guy before. Isn’t it about time you explained?”
“Ah.”
She let out a low exclamation, as if only now recognizing the bird’s presence.
“Is it a new pet you’re raising?”
At the word “pet,” the bird bristled and flapped its wings indignantly.
Peep!
A pitiful cry echoed through the room.
It was meant as a threat, but it only came across as cute.
When Reina stroked its beak soothingly, the bird nuzzled against it, whining playfully.
“I didn’t think you’d be able to see it.”
“Does that mean it’s invisible to others?”
“More precisely, people tend to forget its existence often. It seems to be using some kind of concealment magic. Since you hadn’t said anything, I thought you weren’t interested.”
“I was just waiting for you to tell me.”
Reina wasn’t sure how to introduce Ritsi.
Even for her, this form of Ritsi’s was unfamiliar.
In her previous life, it only appeared in its true form when using its powers, then vanished again.
Now, it stuck to her side like glue, so much so that even she kept forgetting it was there.
“Ritsi is my familiar.”
She had no idea why Ritsi was following her in the form of a sparrow.
She could only guess that something had changed during her regression.
Meanwhile, Kaiden seemed to have figured out the being in front of him just from the word “familiar,” showing a look of astonishment.
“No way that tiny thing is a divine beast?”
“That’s right. Its name is Ritsi.”
“For something like that, it doesn’t feel majestic at all.”
When Kaiden tried to gauge its size with his hand, Ritsi pecked at him rebelliously with its beak.
Of course, his calloused hand wasn’t affected in the slightest by such a feeble attack.
“It’s even got a feisty attitude.”
Peeep!
Ritsi shot Reina a resentful glance.
As if urging her to say something.
‘In this form, it can’t speak, I suppose.’
From her observations so far, Ritsi in sparrow form seemed barely able to maintain a physical presence.
It had its unique refreshing aura, but not the overwhelming pressure of its true body.
That said, it hadn’t turned into an ordinary bird.
It didn’t eat, drink, or sleep.
It simply existed, which was why Reina often forgot about it.
Moreover, it understood human speech eerily well, so she had to watch her words.
Once, she’d thoughtlessly muttered “What a nuisance,” and she couldn’t even describe how much harassment she’d endured afterward.
Reina spoke, glancing cautiously at Ritsi.
“Don’t tease it too much. I’ll be the one who gets tired later.”
Kaiden smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
“If it’s being a nuisance, just say so. I’ll chase it away for you.”
Peep, peep, peep-peep!
Ritsi, unable to contain its anger, let out a noisy cry.
It then tried to peck at his head, but was easily subdued.
“See? Just say the word.”
Peeep—!
Ritsi whimpered, pleading with Reina for help.
When Kaiden pretended to head toward the window, the cries grew even more intense.
Pee-oo, pee-oo!
The pitiful sound moved Reina to action.
She gently grasped his hand.
“Don’t be like that. It’s actually a really big and scary bird.”
“……”
With just a slight effort, his hand released easily.
Noticing this, Ritsi quickly slipped away and hid behind Reina’s head.
At that moment, Kaiden caught hold of Reina’s hand that had been holding his.
“Kaiden?”
A strange tension flowed between them.
Ritsi tilted its head, watching the two.
Its expression seemed to say, What are you two doing?
After a long pause, Kaiden adjusted his grip on her hand and said,
“Shall we go?”
“……Yes, that sounds good.”
Reina stared blankly at their joined hands, following his lead as he moved.
* * *
The northern hub, the city of Letter.
In the hotel located at its center, people from the Hook Merchant Guild were bustling about.
This northern trip included a special addition: Arteon, the heir to the guild, accompanying the caravan leader as an attendant.
It was under the pretext of broadening his horizons to become the future guild master.
Arteon glanced out the window at the city, turned pure white from the overnight snowfall.
His father, the Hook Guild Master, had a keen interest in the north.
He’d invested considerable effort to break into this region.
Thanks to that, the guild had started making inroads into the north a few years ago.
Only after establishing a foothold had he sent Arteon.
The caravan leader asked,
“What’s your impression of setting foot in the north for the first time?”
“It’s freezing to death.”
At Arteon’s grumbled response, his face scrunched up, the leader burst into hearty laughter.
“Indeed. This place is cold year-round. It’s only this mild because it’s not winter yet. In the dead of winter, they seal off the outer walls and stay only within the inner city.”
“It’s not an easy place to live.”
“Well, in my view, that’s what allows the north to endure so long. Their bonds with one another are immense.”
“Hmph. You mean they’re stubborn. No wonder they stare annoyingly every time we pass by.”
Arteon muttered complaints while staring out the window again.
In truth, his real reason for coming here was something else.
“I have a really pretty younger sister.”
Recalling the words his old friend had once said, Arteon let out a low chuckle.
It had already been well over three years since he’d started tracking his whereabouts.
Now, even the possibility of him being alive seemed slim, but there were too many suspicious aspects to his disappearance.
‘It was like he vanished into thin air.’
Since he was royalty, Arteon had expected the imperial family to send out a massive search party, so he’d sat back and waited—a time he now regretted.
By the time he started searching in earnest, most of the evidence had already been erased.
That’s when his friend’s words came back to him.
“The imperial family is dangerous. If something happens to me during the subjugation, take care of my little sister. She’s the type who gets lonely easily.”
A royal who didn’t trust the imperial family—an odd one.
That’s what had made it fun to hang around him a bit.
If he hadn’t said that and then disappeared, Arteon would have ignored it all.
If the goal was truly to broaden his horizons, he would have learned more in a major trade city like Polten on the continent, rather than this backwater.
The reason he’d come here anyway was because he’d heard that the guy’s younger sister had come to this place.
He’d thought he’d never see her face, since she was always holed up in the palace.
But since she’d come out on her own, he couldn’t pass up the chance to take a look.
‘Just to see how pretty she is, that’s all.’
