Chapter 34: 34

Episode 34: Blueberries

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Ivan stared at Isaac’s insensitive profile again in a strange sense of incompatibility that was rising, and soon murmured aloud.

“Oh fuck, are you…….”

“Anyway, as I confirmed a while ago, it is unfair to doubt only the temple as magic stones can be sold as many times as possible in the black market. Maybe the culprit used the magic stone to turn the suspicions around, and after he finds out who he’s got enemies with, the Marquis of Puriana or Freya…….”

“Hey.”

“Again, what?”

Isaac, who stopped and looked back, looked very tired. There was shade under his narrowed eyes.

There was nothing more dangerous than a sleepless monster, so Ivan gulped down his dry saliva.

“Was it that?”

“What?”

“The reason you’ve been trying to find the culprit for 79 hours. Was it that?”

Silence fell.

Isaac, who suddenly stopped talking to Ivan, also stared at each other silently for a long time.

“What is it?”

“The opposite of what I think.”

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re half-fed because you’re suspicious of your wife.”

“…….”

“What do you intend to do if you find the criminal and say that he has something to do with your wife or wife’s family?”

Isaac only walked again without answering back. Finally, the narrow street ended and an open square with mosaic decorations greeted them.

Yes, it was like that. Only then did Ivan realize the source of the strange sense of uneasiness that he had felt all this time.

That bastard wasn’t scouring the city like this until now to arrest the criminal in the first place.

If the man was captured by Isaac, and if the mastermind was considered a certain aristocrat of Earendil, he might be lucky enough to save his life.

But if he’s related to the temple, or to the Romagna side…….

Perhaps it will be hard to find the criminal’s trace.

“Do you think your wife…….”

“I don’t care.”

“What?”

“I don’t care.”

He didn’t care. He wasn’t saying he didn’t doubt his wife at all. It really didn’t matter.

Even if she was involved directly, or she was involved under the directives of her family. It really doesn’t matter or doesn’t matter either way even if she isn’t involved.

He is going to do everything he can to get rid of a human being that could be evidence in the future.….

How in the world could that be? Ivan felt the strange waves swirling in his head.

Of course, he didn’t think Rudbeckia was the one to do it, but if it was her family, the story would be different, and he felt that the old villain was acting like a completely different person around Rudbeckia these days.….

It was Freya—no one else— who almost died.

And yet, he’ll protect the woman he hated so much.….

“Why are you so…….”

“Damn it, I don’t know, man. Stop talking.”

I don’t know. I don’t know…….

Isaac tried to erase the lingering image in the corner of his view.

Colleagues waiting on one side of the square were slowly approaching them.

“Well, Isaac.”

“What? Stop talking…….”

“There’s actually something I’ve been hiding from you.”

“What is it?”

“Then, after you ran in with Freya. Then, damn it, Lorenzo bastard..….”

Lorenzo what? Strangely irritated, Isaac looked straight at Ivan. And it was then.

“Sir Isaac!”

The apprentice came rushing in. He couldn’t just ignore him because he looked very urgent as if an accident had caused.

“Sir Isaac, just a moment ago, gasp, a message from lady Ellenia has arrived…….”

“Ellen? What’s the matter?”

The two knights waited patiently while Endymion calmed down his rough breath for a while.

At last, Ivan, whose fuse got burnt out, was about to burst out, then finally Endymion shouted in a loud, woeful voice.

“The Lady is missing!”

* * *

Chop, chop, chop, chop.

I opened my eyes with an unidentified noise that tickled my ears.

A mixture of the smell of damp soil and a strange, bloody smell pierced his nose.

As I reflexively turned my heavy head to the left where I heard the sound, I was startled by the sight that gradually became clearer.

“Gasp!”

A giant bird glanced back at me as I raised my upper body.

No, it was something that could be called a bird, and the half-folded wings and two front paws, including the face, looked like those of a raptor, but the lower body, including the hind legs, was the shape of a different animal.

Even a long line with a clear leopard pattern was attached to the area that was supposed to be a tail.

It seemed to be a tail.

It looks like an eagle and a leopard cut in half and attached together. Besides, what is it eating?

The beast, who looked just reminiscent of a Griffin [1], stared at me, who was frozen for a moment with green eyes that felt somewhat solemn, then calmly focused on the meal again.

Apparently he was eating a dead horse.

I closed my eyes for a moment at the terrible scenery and offered a silent prayer for the poor horse.

I’m sure Popo took me in it’s arms and then I lost my consciousness, but where did Popo go and Griffin, who is ferociously comparable to Manticore, show up and watch me?

Don’t tell me that’s Popo’s true form, is it?

Popo seemed to prefer human meat to horse meat.

Looking around, this place seemed like some kind of cave.

The icicles hanging from the high ceiling like jewelry felt unnecessarily artistic.

When I turned to the right, I saw the entrance not too far away.

“Pureung.”

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As soon as I tried to stand up, Griffin, who was concentrating on eating, turned around towards me, stamping one front foot.

Hik.

There was a moment of silence.

While I was contemplating on what to say to her, the beast, or I don’t know if it’s Griffin or something, bit something with a very threatening big beak and came close to me.

Then it dropped something on my lap.

“Ahhh!”

It was none other than the thigh of a torn horse.

I almost screamed, but I managed to suppress it. Why is it doing this to me….

“Po, po, po, po…….”

“Po-Popo!”

I looked back hastily at the most welcome sound from the entrance. Popo, where have you been?

My Popo jumped this way with it’s arms full of something wrapped in huge leaves, and then paused when he saw me.

I was trying to talk to him again because I wondered why he suddenly stopped, but Popo turned to Griffin.

For a moment a rather strange atmosphere passed through. It may have been purely my illusion, but Popo was staring at Griffin with a reproachful look.

And Griffin made a bizarre sound as if he were scoffing. Huh?

Then Popo picked up the horse leg that was randomly placed on my knee and struck Griffin.

Slap!

Griffin, who was beaten with food, stared at Popo.

“Purrr…”

“Po, po.”

“Purung.”

“Po.”

……I wish I could understand what they’re talking about with each other.

Don’t tell me they both are fighting here?

“Well, um….”

As I whispered carefully, both of them looked back at me as if they had waited instead of staring at each other.

It was a situation that should have felt life-threatening, but strangely, there was no sense of fear.

“Don’t fight….”

If anyone saw me, they’d say I was out of my mind.

Whether or not it understood me, Griffin, who turned it’s head coyly first, began to focus on the meal again.

And Popo, waddling it’s short legs, sat face to face in front of me and gently put down what it was holding.

I hesitated to look at the dark blue berries in a giant leaf dish.

Popo was already revealing it’s fearsome teeth in the shape of a crescent. It seemed to be a smile.

“Is this… Blueberry?”

“Po.”

“You want me to eat it?”

“Po.”

I see. You picked blueberries for me.

I can’t imagine it gathering blueberries with it’s appearance.….

“Thank you.”

It’ll be disappointed if I don’t eat it when it brought it to me

At that thought, I picked up the round berries and put them in my mouth.

It was a bit bitter and sweet.

Eventually, Griffin stopped slaughtering horse meat and sat with all four legs folded and stared at me.

I wondered if it needed dessert, so I nudged out a few blueberries but it shook its head.

It was strange.

I sat down with Popo and Griffin and ate half of the blueberries by myself, but I did not have any resistance to eating as usual.

The sweet taste was just pleasant.

Come to think of it, the symptoms of the annual event seem to have subsided a lot.

What did Popo do? Or…..

……Wait. Didn’t my nose bleed at the end?

“Hey, guys.”

“Po?”

“Pureung.”

“I-Is there something on my face?”

It might be a useless worry, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of shame suddenly imagining what my face with a dry nosebleed would look like.

Popo and Griffin seemed to exchange glances for a moment, then shook their heads at the same time.

To be exact, Popo shook it’s body from side to side and Griffin shook his head. Really?

“Po, po, po, po.”

Popo quickly flapped his arms. Just looking at it, it seemed like an action that meant something.

That’s like. Is it washing one’s face action?

“Did I wash my face?”

“Po, po.”

“Did you wash your face?”

“Po.”

“I see. Thank you.”

It was just then.

Griffin, who was making a sniveling sound again, suddenly rose.

Popo also stood up with a pause after showing it’s teeth widely. At the same time…….

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[1] The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle’s talons as its front feet.

Durahan: The Dullahan, Durahan or Dullaghan (Irish: dúlachán, /ˈduːləˌhɑːn/), also called Gan Ceann (meaning “without a head” in Irish), is a type of mythological creature in Irish folklore. He is depicted as a headless rider, on a black horse, who carries his own head held high in his hand. It is said to be the embodiment of the Celtic god Crom Dubh.

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