Chapter 45
<47화>
Rock, sway.
Aisha’s chubby legs dangled beneath the arm of a man walking deep into the secluded forest.
Following behind them, a kitten trotted along, its tail twitching in the shape of a question mark.
In truth, the cat hadn’t been waiting for the man called the King, nor the Duke of Pose.
His target was the man with the thin, slit-like eyes who had been eyeing Aisha for some time.
‘I wonder if he’ll do.’
His brown eyes, clouded by the potion, stared intently at the man as if appraising a piece of merchandise.
Originally, the cat didn’t know much about humans.
However, he had realized during his time trapped in Ahili’s Circus that humans mostly lived in groups.
But this man.
The one with the narrow, slit eyes.
The fellow who had been following them since the moment Aisha took the cat and boarded the carriage.
This man didn’t carry the scent of other people. He was like a being born to die one day without a sound.
‘That’s why I thought he’d be perfect and followed him.’
But why was this guy acting like he knew Aisha?
Actually, the cat had been biding his time since the moment Aisha brought him out into the garden.
The plan was to pounce on the man the second Aisha let her guard down. But…
‘Aisha ruined everything.’
The cat shot a sharp, sideways glance at Aisha.
‘She suddenly chased after me and let the guy catch on.’
Hmph.
The cat suddenly felt a spark of resentment toward Aisha. If only she hadn’t chased him, this would have been over quickly.
Regardless, did this guy know Aisha? Where on earth was he taking her?
If the man was related to Aisha, then, as regrettable as it was, the cat had to watch and wait.
Humans were social animals. He had heard they grieved when someone related to them died.
‘So, let’s wait a bit.’
He felt a hint of impatience, but for the record, he was a generous-hearted cat.
‘If I wait without killing him, he might give me something good, like that man called the doctor did.’
Plop—
The cat quietly tucked his paws under his chest into a “loaf” position and hummed internally.
‘I am a good cat.’
It was then.
“No one should be around here.”
After checking the surroundings, the man set Aisha down and began to bind her hands.
The child’s delicate wrists were chafed by the rope, which was coarse even at a glance.
Aisha, who had been unconscious, furrowed her brow.
“!”
The watching cat’s eyes widened, but the man didn’t care as he moved on to bind her feet as well.
‘That rope. I saw it at Ahili’s Circus.’
He remembered how it stung just to touch it, and how it would strip the skin if it rubbed against you.
In particular, that kind of rope was used at Ahili’s Circus to muzzle monsters that didn’t listen.
‘Isn’t that used for punishing monsters?’
The cat, still in his loaf position, tilted his head.
‘If he knows Aisha, why is he hurting her? If she dies, how is she supposed to answer my questions?’
“Hey—”
And what’s more, the man…
“Wake up, you little spy. Hey—!”
He slapped Aisha’s cheek with his crudely large palm.
“Why did a brat who should be in the North come to the Center? You even ignored the secret message and eavesdropped on the Duke’s conversation?”
Slap, slap.
The child’s cheeks, white as flour, began to turn red.
At that sight, the cat’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly stood up.
It was clear now.
This guy wasn’t the same kind as the one Aisha called the doctor.
Rather, he was just like the staff at Ahili’s who had thrown the powerless cat into a cage and starved him.
In that case—
“Are you really asleep?”
Just as the man, teeth gritted, was about to bring his raised palm down hard.
“Gack.”
Something white suddenly leaped up and bit into the man’s throat.
“Khhk. Haggh…!”
Attempting to scream at the stinging pain as if venom were spreading through his neck, the man suddenly froze like stone with his mouth agape and toppled over backward.
“Meow—”
The cat’s satisfied cry rang out like a song.
In the quiet forest.
The man, now a corpse, was dragged away through the vines and disappeared.
At that time.
“…Ugh.”
My whole body was stinging.
It felt like sharp leaves were brushing against skin that had been scraped raw.
As my consciousness surfaced and my senses returned, my right cheek felt hot as if it were on fire. It felt like I’d just had a wisdom tooth pulled.
‘What happened? I chased the baby. I heard the conversation between the King and the Duke of Pose…’
After that. Everything after that was erased?!
‘Wait, am I being kidnapped?’
Startled, I lifted my eyelids.
“……?”
At first, I didn’t realize they were eyes.
Was it an amethyst? For a brief moment, I wondered why a jewel was in front of me.
“Why did you save me?”
“…Huh?”
A nonchalant question pierced my ears.
“I asked why you saved me.”
It’s talking. The jewel is talking.
Flustered, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
Then, I saw a pair of purple eyes revealed between deep, clear lids, staring intently at me with a gaze full of curiosity.
‘…Who is this?’
White hair covering the forehead. Pale, fine skin.
If someone were asked to draw untainted purity, this boy might be the result.
To be precise.
I would have thought that if I hadn’t seen the blood smeared around his mouth.
“…Blood?!”
Startled, I tried to back away, but my body wouldn’t move. My hands and feet were tied with rope.
‘Wait, did this kid do this?’
“…You.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the boy to ask his intentions.
“Ah, this.”
How did he interpret my expression?
The boy wiped his mouth haphazardly with the back of his hand, looking displeased.
“I ate a little so I could transform into a human. It tastes bad.”
And then he muttered to himself that he’d eaten blood.
“…You ate blood?”
“So I could communicate with you.”
While saying something so nonsensical, he acted indifferent, as if wondering why I was even asking.
What a strange kid.
My mouth trembled in a grimace.
‘…Were there vampires in the original world?’
No. If there were, they would have appeared at least as a supporting character.
While my eyes were swirling in confusion.
“Anyway, speak up. Why did you save me?”
“…Wha?”
“I asked why you saved me.”
The boy, who had been diligently wiping the smeared blood, suddenly leaned toward me.
“Why I saved you?”
Isn’t that an inappropriate question to ask with a blood-stained face?
I blinked like an idiot.
“Why would I save you?”
“You rescued me. At Ahili’s Circus.”
“I did?”
“Yes.”
A confident answer.
“…No, I didn’t?”
I shook my head from side to side.
‘…I thought he was a bit slow, but if he knows about Ahili’s Circus, does that mean he’s been there?’
But I had never seen this boy back then.
“I think you have the wrong person. This is the first time I’ve seen you.”
At that, his mysterious purple eyes narrowed sharply.
“I went through the trouble of saving you just to get an answer.”
Judging by his tone, he clearly didn’t believe me.
After glaring at me for a long time with his hands on his hips, he nodded as if he’d made up his mind.
“If you have no intention of talking, then there’s no reason to keep you alive anymore.”
Then, with an indifferent expression, he opened his mouth wide.
“I’ll just eat you. Ah—”
“Aaaah!”
As his small mouth opened, sharp molars were revealed between his neat rows of teeth.
He’s crazy. This kid is crazy!
I wriggled my bound body like a caterpillar and blurted out whatever came to mind.
“O-okay! I’ll answer! I’ll answer!”
At that, his wide-open mouth snapped shut.
I get it now. I don’t know who this kid is, but I know for sure he’s a lunatic.
So…
“I’ll answer if you untie the rope.”
First, I need my body to be free.
“You’ll answer if I untie the rope?”
“Yes. It hurts because of the rope, so it’s hard to talk.”
As I wiggled my body and pretended to be in pain, his indifferent purple eyes flinched.
“…It is hard to talk when you’re in pain.”
Then, with a suddenly submissive attitude, he knelt down and began to untie my ropes.
This brat. It’s a relief he’s an idiot.
“Hehe. Thanks.”
‘Once this rope is off, you’re dead.’
Grin—
I curled the corners of my mouth into a sinister smile.
I was watching him intently as he untied the rope, when—