Chapter 72
“Cherry…!”
The moment the crow grabbed Cherry by the shoulder and hurled her off the cliff, Kenig’s mind went completely blank.
He couldn’t think.
How high the mountain was, what would happen to him if he fell from here—
None of that could stop his body.
The only thought filling his head was that he had to catch the falling Cherry.
A squirrel that had wandered into his life one day.
Aside from her slightly whiter fur, she was an ordinary squirrel you could spot anywhere in Kreuz territory.
That’s how she used to be…
But somewhere along the way, that squirrel became special.
He couldn’t fall asleep without Cherry.
Every morning had to begin with the faint scent of cherry blossoms that clung to her fur.
And now…
He simply couldn’t picture his life without her.
So Kenig Kreuz had no choice but to admit it.
This squirrel was precious to him beyond measure.
For Cherry, he could give up everything.
The wealth and honor accumulated by his ancestors, the Black Dragon Castle…
Even himself.
He would gladly surrender it all.
Whether this feeling was parental or something that surpassed it no longer mattered.
He only tightened his embrace around the falling Cherry, pulling her firmly into his chest.
He reached out, desperately searching for anything—
a rock, a ledge, anything to grab.
Thud.
His feet hit the ground first.
A broad slab of rock hidden beneath a protruding cliff had broken their fall.
A large cave stretched inward from the spot where they landed.
“…Damn it.”
Kenig muttered a quiet curse.
Then he lowered his gaze.
The crow that had dropped Cherry was rolling around on the cave floor, cackling like it would choke on its laughter.
Caw! CAW! Cawcawcaw!
Every time it opened its beak wide, the sound echoed through the cave.
Even the cave felt like it was mocking him.
Should I just wring its neck right now?
Right as he was considering it—
“Chuuuuut!”
The trembling Cherry in his arms leapt out like a swift little tiger and pounced on the crow.
With claws barely the size of rice grains, she grabbed the crow’s head and shook it violently, then used every wrestling move she had learned to choke the life out of it.
She had been watching the knights of Black Dragon Castle with unusual interest.
It seemed she had learned something surprisingly useful.
In this situation, there was no need for Kenig to intervene.
Clap, clap.
He couldn’t help applauding with satisfaction.
“…Truly. You never cease to amaze me.”
When had she climbed down?
His sister was watching him with a pitiful expression.
His ears burned with embarrassment at having his vulnerable side exposed—but that wasn’t the important part.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead.”
Kenig’s gaze turned toward the interior of the cave.
More precisely, toward the crystal ore embedded throughout the entire cavern.
What mattered now was how they were going to acquire all of it.
* * *
The next morning.
“Lady Cherry! I’ve returned!”
Awakened by the overly cheerful voice announcing the morning, I opened my eyes.
It was Gerard, who had been gone the entire previous day.
He had visited Volken’s city-state.
There, he met with Lia, reported the events at Black Dragon Castle, and tended to the tasks Kenig had assigned him.
“Lady Cherry, I heard you did something incredible yesterday!”
First taming a white-headed eagle, then subduing crows, and discovering a crystal mine!
Gerard continued babbling excitedly, but I only squirmed beneath the blankets.
“Chuuut…”
Maybe it was the aftermath of yesterday, but every part of my body ached.
I had sprinted around the mountain for the first time in ages, and literally experienced my heart dropping out of my chest.
I’d wrestled a crow, and after that—
“Chuut…”
A lot happened.
I could only nod slowly, eyes half-closed.
We’d returned to the inn late at night, so my eyelids kept drooping.
But I couldn’t lie around forever.
Everyone except me had finished preparing and was already handling their tasks.
Kenig was reading the newspaper with a fragrant cup of tea.
Eloise was deeply absorbed in some serious thought.
“Would pink diamonds suit Cherry-Cherry better…?”
Ah. Apparently, not a serious matter at all.
“Chu…”
Stretching widely, I finally rose from bed.
Today was the day marking the grand finale of this entire journey.
Because—
“Once the final demonstration mining ends, the auction will begin.”
Gerard said with a sly smile full of anticipation.
His narrowed eyes gleamed bright gold.
Mine did too.
“Chutchutchut.”
An ominous little giggle echoed through the room.
* * *
“Chuut…!”
I peeked out from inside Eloise’s handbag.
The open-air plaza was packed—truly packed—with nobles.
It was safe to say nearly every high-ranking noble in the region had gathered here.
Naturally, the biggest topic among them was the Kreuz siblings.
“Isn’t that the Duke of Kreuz?”
“Damn it… First the Duke of Astrakhan, and now even Kreuz is participating? What a waste of time this is going to be.”
The nobles who had pushed to the front to observe the demonstration mining quickly parted like the Red Sea.
Where the crowd had melted away stood a small group of men.
Two blond men who looked alike, and a knight who seemed to be their escort.
My gaze immediately locked onto a familiar face.
‘Huh? The tiger’s here too?’
Erjin Astrakhan.
It lasted no more than three seconds.
“Do you want to be buried alive in this open mine?”
Kenig clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
Erjin had scanned him from head to toe as though searching for something.
No—someone.
Me.
Because after Kenig, Erjin’s eyes shifted to Gerard’s hands.
And then naturally to Eloise’s handbag where I was hiding.
As always, his sense for my presence was eerily sharp.
“….”
Erjin wore a perfectly painted smile as he subtly dipped his head toward me in greeting.
Then wiped his expression clean and looked at Kenig.
“I assure you, I have no interest in Lord Kreuz.”
“Oh? You kept staring at me. I wondered if you had… peculiar tastes.”
“Fortunately, my tastes align perfectly with yours. I’m very fond of small, adorable things.”
“…What?”
Right as Kenig reached for the hilt of his sword—
“Hahaha. Long time no see, Duke Kreuz.”
A middle-aged man stepped between the two.
His hair gleamed as brightly blond as Erjin’s, and his gentle eyes made it hard to believe he was a beastman of a predatory species.
His identity was obvious.
Pavel Astrakhan.
Erjin’s uncle and the acting Duke of Astrakhan.
“It has been a while.”
Kenig merely gave a curt nod instead of offering a handshake.
A blatant gesture of disrespect, almost unthinkable in noble society.
But Kenig had his reasons.
Because—
Pavel Astrakhan was the one behind everything.
Finding the mastermind had not been difficult.
Who else could place Erjin under mind control, order him to infiltrate Black Dragon Castle, and stand to benefit the most from Kenig’s death?
Pavel.
Above all—
No doubt about it…
A shiver ran through my entire body as I stared past Pavel, at the man behind him.
His head was bowed, but his fierce blue eyes gleamed with unmistakable killing intent.
The assassin who had driven me off a cliff three years ago.
Kreuz and Astrakhan.
A strange, tense atmosphere settled between the two ducal families.
Silence rippled outward.
Until—
“C–Crystal! We’ve found crystal!”
A miner shouted as he unearthed a clear shard that scattered light in every direction.
