Chapter 75
It had been nearly a week since returning to Black Dragon Castle.
After a long absence, the castle was a little noisy for a while. Especially in the annex where the Rose Guild was stationed, disturbances were constant every day.
According to Lia, two-thirds of the members had been replaced.
“But when they left the castle, there were fewer than ten of them,” she added.
While Kenigh had been away, Lia, who had been monitoring the Rose Guild, quietly confided this to me. Where the remaining members had gone remained a secret. The fate of the traitors… I could roughly guess.
However, it seemed there was still a vacancy in Black Dragon Castle.
The Duke’s office.
Kenigh, absorbed in his work, suddenly lifted his head and looked at something.
“Where did that guy go?”
From the chair in the office, looking back, you could see the window.
“It looks unusually empty.”
“You noticed it too, my lord? That person who used to follow Cherry around is nowhere to be seen,” Gerard nodded with a somewhat serious expression.
If it was the one who had been obsessively following me—
‘Bishop?’
I spread my arms wide and flapped them like wings, and Gerard clapped his hands in delight. Lately, it seemed like we could communicate better than before.
“I felt the hot gazes aren’t around these days, and the sky above Black Dragon Castle feels empty. Maybe he ran away?”
Gerard said with a serious expression. Then he casually muttered a horrifying suggestion: “Shall we release the knights and turn him into a stuffed specimen?”
“Chut-chut!”
What are you saying? Then what am I supposed to ride?
I quickly crossed my arms to form an X.
I had requested something special from Bishop. Since we had parted at Volken’s private workshop, by now he should be returning to Black Dragon Castle.
Yeah, probably… he’s coming back, right?
“Kyaaek!”
“Kikikiki—!”
These past few days, there hadn’t been a single quiet moment in Bear Mountain, thanks to the constant chirping of birds.
On the surface, it seemed like an ordinary day in the mountains, but in reality—
‘Chorong, you crazy thing!’
It was a chase, back and forth.
Bishop barely managed to hide as the sharp wings of the kestrel, pecking at his tail feathers, came at him fiercely.
‘I shouldn’t have come to this mountain from the start.’
Bishop flapped his aching wings in late regret. He shouldn’t have met that troublesome little squirrel in the first place.
The reason he had traveled to Bear Mountain, which was a straight week’s journey away, was simple.
It was because of the little squirrel’s request.
“Go tell them I’m alive in Bear Mountain. When I return, I’ll give you a whole turkey, not just a turkey leg.”
He had been lured by the promise of one whole turkey to fly all the way to Bear Mountain, a week’s straight journey.
And he wasn’t alone.
He also had to monitor some strange creatures that hummed weird songs. The wagon, pulled by two old horses without a driver, was loaded with sacks of grains, carrots, sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables. The squirrel had painstakingly collected all of it. It had demanded that he deliver everything before winter arrived.
Unable to resist its nagging, Bishop set off on the week-long journey.
‘I was just supposed to monitor if they reached Bear Mountain and deliver the message,’ he thought.
What a lie. Not only was there no conversation, even mentioning the word ‘Bear Mountain squirrel’ drove the animals into a frenzy.
Bears over three meters tall climbed trees like mad at the sight of red flags, and when Bishop tried to escape from the trees, the squirrel snapped its beak and pecked at his wings.
Hiding in thick forests or caves didn’t change the outcome much.
[There he is!]
[Chorong, Bear Lord!]
What kind of mountain was this? Rabbits, raccoons, badgers—predators and prey all chased him as if in a team.
‘I think they blame me for something with that squirrel.’
If they had at least tasted him, it wouldn’t have felt so unfair! All he had done was act as a shuttle for the short-legged squirrel’s wings.
And that wasn’t all. Once, he had been beaten all day by a woman named Lia just for a minor mistake with his tail.
Kek, kkek, kkeek…
Bishop hid in a rotten tree hole, secretly wiping his tears. The king of the skies reduced to hiding like a rat—it was unbearable.
Determined, Bishop flapped his wings noisily and took to the sky.
“Hey, you idiots! I came here because the reckless squirrel sent me!!”
At that moment,
‘Reckless squirrel?’
The bear, which had leapt forward, froze in place. The badger jumping off its back did the same.
‘That’s our leader,’ the animals murmured.
Luckily, the news spread like a chant.
‘He’s the leader’s subordinate.’
‘Leader’s subordinate? Then is he our friend?’
‘Well, he’s from another region. Something called the Black Dragon faction.’
‘Compared to the Fire Squirrel faction, he’s not so great.’
Rabbits, squirrels, and field mice chattered from their hiding spots.
‘But why isn’t the leader coming?’
‘He has something to do. He’s protecting someone.’
‘As expected of our leader!’
The crazy little squirrel friends—thinking was just as erratic as their actions.
‘Ugh.’
Bishop shook his head in disgust. Staying any longer would make him just as foolish.
Since he had seen them unload the sacks from the wagon into a cave, he was ready to leave.
Then—
‘Hey, tell the leader something.’
A delicious-looking rabbit approached him. It had no intention of delivering any message but said what it wanted and vanished.
‘Sigh… if I’m coming to this mountain, I’m not a white-headed eagle, I’m an eagle, an eagle.’
[Give me the turkey, make it two, rare!]
With Bishop safely returned, peace returned to Black Dragon Castle. The sunlight was warm, the breeze gentle.
In the distance, dark clouds were gathering…
‘Huh? Clouds?’
Was it going to rain?
At the Duke of Kreutz’s office window, I wagged my tail, watching the distant clouds.
“My lord, I’ve selected the families to participate in the Crystal Mine development. The Bearman family will oversee the entire operation, and the Ulford family will be stationed at Gelende to manage security,” Gerard reported.
“Good, let’s review it.”
For the first time in a while, Kenigh and Gerard looked like a proper Duke and chief aide.
I later learned that Kenigh had also managed to acquire shares in the Harbor River development. Gerard’s brief absence from Gelende had been for this reason.
“Also, the shares we purchased under an alias for the Harbor River development have been returned to the House of Kreutz.”
“How many percent did we acquire in total?”
“Including the funds provided by Lady Cherry to the Rose Guild… a total of 48%.”
“What about the prince’s side?”
“The Third Prince owns 35%. It’s not a majority, so there’s some concern, but Astrahan, which could have affected the mine significantly, didn’t intervene. So in effect, we control the management.”
“Any complaints from the nobles?”
“There were a few murmurs, but no one openly opposed it. Since news spread that crystals were mined in Gelende, everyone is cautious.”
“I see.”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to Lady Cherry.”
“Chut?”
I turned my head at the unexpected mention of my name. Gerard, with his naturally narrow eyes, squinted even tighter at me.
“Lady Cherry discovered the Crystal Mine using her ability to communicate with animals! Gerard regrets not witnessing your contribution.”
Chut-chut…
Oh, that’s nothing.
“I want to know everything about Lady Cherry!”
“Chut?”
That was a bit…
At that moment, there was a knock.
Knock, knock.
It was unusually heavy, different from the usual knocks.
