Chapter 94
Duke Starafit flew straight into the fountain and crashed.
Asil, startled, jumped up.
“Why did you do that! The Duke didn’t say anything bad!!”
Asil quickly shook off Fier’s hand and ran to Duke Starafit.
Fortunately, he had avoided vital points, so he had only lost consciousness and was still breathing.
“Uh… W-What, what is this? Did I do that?”
Fier’s flustered voice came from behind.
But that lasted only a moment, soon it changed into a voice filled with hostility.
“Move. Let me kill that human.”
“No way!”
“I can only be free if I kill that human. Only then can Duke Skya become my new master… No, what am I saying right now?”
Fier, having regained his senses, quickly shook his head.
It felt as if something sticky was whispering nonstop in his ear, telling him to kill Duke Starafit.
“I have to kill Duke Starafit… What am I saying. Starafit is the one I have to protect… No, the one I have to protect is Skya… Ah, damn it.”
His mind was tangled like a messy ball of yarn.
Why the hell am I like this? Fier clutched his head in confusion.
Even while doing so, his body kept moving forward, one step at a time, trying to harm Duke Starafit.
By the time he reached right in front of the Duke,
Fier had completely lost his reason.
The sharp red eyes became clouded, and the limp hand slowly rose upward.
“I will kill Duke Starafit…”
“No way!”
No matter how much he tormented her husband, he wasn’t a bad enough person to deserve death!
In a hurry, Asil swung her fist.
Thwack!
“Keugh!”
Fier, hit in the stomach by Asil’s fist, collapsed to his knees.
But he raised his head again and stood up to kill the Duke.
“I’ll kill…”
“No!! Way!!”
Thwack!
This time he was hit in the shoulder.
Ughhh! With a painful groan, Fier clutched his shoulder and rolled on the garden floor.
But that too was only for a moment; he energetically stood up once more.
“Kill…”
“No!!! Way!!!”
Thwack!
Fier, hit on the top of his head, fainted on the spot.
* * *
The unconscious Duke Starafit and Fier were moved to the temple.
Since it was an unprecedented incident where both the Duke and the divine beast collapsed simultaneously in the imperial palace, Asil was summoned to meet the heresy inquisitor as a witness.
The inquisitor treated her very kindly, thinking that she was a colleague’s daughter and that a five-year-old girl couldn’t possibly have done anything.
“It’s just simple questions, so you don’t have to be scared. What happened before the two of them collapsed?”
“Little brother—no, the divine beast tried to kill the Duke.”
Asil reported everything except the fact that she had hit Fier.
“So Asil blocked it and protected the Duke. But then the divine beast suddenly collapsed.”
“As expected of Lord Arcian’s daughter—such splendid chivalry. However, divine beasts are dangerous beings. Next time, don’t do that; just shout loudly for help.”
The inquisitor, looking at Asil who spoke clearly with a fatherly smile, quickly concluded the investigation.
Since the location was the imperial palace, the servants and nobles who happened to pass by all gave similar testimonies, so there was no need to ask further.
“Lord Fier suddenly attacked His Grace the Duke.”
“Lady Erzebet stood in front of him.”
“If the young lady hadn’t distracted his attention, it would have been a real disaster.”
Hearing the testimonies, the inquisitor sighed.
It wasn’t particularly strange since Pier suddenly acting out wasn’t a once-or-twice thing.
They would have to hear the explanation from Fier once he regained consciousness, but for now it was going to be treated as an accidental action of the divine beast.
After finishing the testimony in the blink of an eye,
Asil rode the carriage back to the Erzebet count’s residence.
She was filled with curiosity about why Pier had suddenly turned hostile and tried to kill Duke Starafit.
‘Why on earth did he do that?’
It didn’t feel right to simply blame it on Fier’s strange personality as the inquisitor uncle had said.
‘When he first attacked the Duke, he himself was extremely flustered.’
Come to think of it, he had said he felt something strange when he met the Crown Prince—could it be because of that?
Asil clenched both fists tightly.
Just as her older brother Snowa protected his little sister Asil, big sister Asil also had to protect her little brother Pier.
‘Asil is an adult dragon who can even turn human. So I’ll definitely protect my little brother!’
Even after getting off the carriage, Asil stood still for a while, rolling her head hard, then headed toward the well-kept garden.
She planned to sit under the cool shade of the trees and think about how to help Pier.
Just as she reached under a large evergreen tree,
something huge fell from the tree with a thud.
“HUAAAAAAP!”
Asil, startled, was about to scream when her round eyes widened at the large hand that covered her mouth.
“Shh.”
It was Ikart.
He was covering Asil’s mouth.
“If you promise not to scream, I’ll let go.”
Nod nod.
Although a little surprised, there was no reason to scream since it was someone she knew well.
When she obediently nodded, Ikart slowly removed his hand with eyes full of wariness.
“What exactly are you?”
“Hm?”
“I heard that the divine beast of Starafit who was with you tried to kill its master.”
The air around Icart grew coldly heavy.
“My divine beast did the same right before becoming an idiot.”
“……”
“The fact that Skya’s divine beast disappeared too—what exactly are you?”
“…Asil is Asil.”
She didn’t know why her father-in-law was acting like this, but she could tell the situation was going strangely.
Asil swallowed dryly.
Even if captured in the human world, she could survive as long as she kept her wits—now was the time to stay calm.
Asil is a ferocious and cool dragon. She’s not afraid of anything!
Thinking that, she reached for the necklace she was wearing—to call Arcian.
But Ikart was faster in grabbing that hand.
“As expected, you had something to rely on.”
He coldly said and quickly cut the necklace with his dagger.
No! Asil’s eyes widened in shock.
“Give it back!”
“Speak. Who are you?”
“Asil is Asil!”
Without the necklace, she couldn’t maintain the flow of mana. In other words, she couldn’t continue humanization.
Dad said never to let humans find out she’s a beastman!
Anxious Asil reached out to get the necklace back.
But Ikart only flicked his dagger and remained cold.
“If you don’t speak properly, I’ll have no choice but to use force. I’m talking only because of Edenber.”
“Asil really is Asil!”
Asil is Asil—what more identity does he want! Frustrated, Asil stamped her feet.
At that moment,
the mana that had been smoothly flowing around her whole body suddenly felt cut off at one point.
Then all the strength in her body began to drain rapidly.
Her long arms and legs became short.
Then her field of vision dropped sharply, and the hidden wings and tail appeared.
Her heavy body became plump but light and agile.
Asil, who had returned to her original form right in front of Ikart, froze completely.
Ah…
Meanwhile, Ikart, who had been so suspicious, also stiffened upon seeing the true identity of the supposed Lady Erzebet.
After staying motionless in place for a long time as if nailed, he barely moved his lips.
“…A baby divine beast?”
* * *
Her identity had been discovered by a human.
Her heart pounded so fast it felt like a drumming bear was beating its own chest.
‘What do I do.’
Could Dad erase this father-in-law’s memory like he did when her husband found out?
But that magic only worked on very recent memories, so unless she called him right now, it couldn’t be erased.
“If my eyes aren’t wrong, you look like that baby divine beast.”
Ikart scanned Asil’s appearance up and down.
“Did you copy the appearance of a divine beast with magic?”
“…Ppiya.” (…No.)
Even though Ikart wasn’t yelling, her throat was choked with tension.
She had been taught to call Dad in times like this…
But father-in-law wasn’t returning the necklace.
Not wanting to hurt father-in-law by taking it by force, Asil lowered her head deeply.
Her body kept trembling as if cold.
“Then what is it?”
“……”
“I absolutely hate making people repeat the same thing.”
Asil rubbed her teary eyes with her front paws.
She knew a ferocious dragon shouldn’t be like this, but tears kept coming.
“Ppiya… Ppi.” (Asil is… the real boss of Monlepe.)
“…What?”
“Ppiyaa ssit. Ppiyappiyappiya.” (Asil is the boss of Monlepe. Also Lady Erzebet.)
Sniff.
A tear the size of a royal pearl fell to the ground with a plop.
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