As I took a step closer, the chains rattled as if waiting to reveal their presence.
“Brother, I didn’t say anything about a year ago when I was put on shackles and chains.”
It was true. When Chaser put a chain on me, I was like, oh, is this a new cell?
I may have tried to escape a couple more times.
“I never complained.”
You’re a smart person, so you’ll understand. I didn’t say anything about what you did.
Now please I want it.
I put the snow leopard between my arms and smiled.
“So, will you listen? I want this.”
Chaser was a villain, a man whose morals and conscience had already been sold. However, I learned over the course of a year or so that the only one who he didn’t do that to was me.
So,
“…okay.”
I knew this man would allow it.
“Okay, you keep it. Iana.”
The low voice was like looking at a sword wrapped in cloth. Even though it was soft, it couldn’t hide it’s blade.
The blade was not directed at me.
“I can’t do anything for you.”
The refracted anger was directed at the young beast.
“But you know what?”
Snarl. I saw a black jaguar crowing low beside him.
The jaguar’s name is Rattan, the guardian deity who protects Chaser, just like the black bird that caused a fire about a year ago.
And Chaser commanded these beasts.
It’s different from the little wizard’s explanation, but I think this one is more appropriate.
Because those animals have been so loyal that they would die for Chaser.
In addition, they reacted sensitively to Chaser’s emotions.
– Hiikkk! Hu, human. Take me away, get me out! Nyan!
The snow leopard, who had been unable to do anything because he had been frozen with fear, did not hesitate to lower his jaw when he saw Ratan. The only good thing is that the opponent is over there.
Of course, the black jaguar didn’t seem to even snort at him.
“I have a question.”
The hand that was holding the snow leopard was grabbed by Chaser’s hand and was lifted up again.
“Why do you want this, simply because of this?”
I knew this was referring to the snow leopard.
“Or is there another reason you wanted it?”
Our fingers intertwined with each other. Chaser’s face came closer.
“I’m curious, Iana.”
The blood-red eyes came close as if I was reflected in it. At the close distance, I held my breath.
My fingers didn’t hurt, but it felt like my knuckles were pounding. It was because of the tension.
It felt as if Chaser was observing me, narrowing the distance as if chasing a liar.
“…what are you talking about?”
I barely opened my lips.
“I just liked how it looked.”
“I didn’t know you liked animals.”
I haven’t paid any attention to Chaser’s animals in over a year. Of course.
“I like cute things.”
The response to those words came from something other than me. Kiingg, the jaguar Rattan below cried.
“Hey, is my Rattan sad?”
“…why are you sad?”
“That’s, because you haven’t even looked at it in a year?”
Chaser shrugged his shoulders, leaving a light kiss on the back of my hand.
“I love you, my sister.”
Chaser reached out a hand that didn’t hold me. Flap, flap. Something passed in front of him and sat naturally on his arm. It was a black bird.
The bird, who I did not know where it appeared, gracefully folded its wings and looked at me.
Krrrr!
Then it bowed its head and cried. Somehow, this one also looked different than usual.
“Look, Aquala is upset too.”
I think it’s angry rather than upset. I embraced the snow leopard, thinking about what the bird had been burning for over a year.
– Hu, human. You must not let me go!
For some reason, it seemed that the eyes of Rattan and Aquala looking at the snow leopard became sharper.
“Why are they not cute, huh?”
“Yeah.”
At first, I wasn’t interested in these two animals.
Even saying it was cute a while ago was just trying to get over the situation. Of course, there are some that are cuter than snow leopards.
“…isn’t it cute?”
I can’t be honest, so I just spilled it roughly. It seems this was more of a mistake.
Now that I’ve found two beasts that look at me with their shocked eyes.
“Oh, I’m surprised.”
“No, why are you surprised? They’re all grown up.
“No. It’s been a while since this one was born… ah it’s been 10 years.”
“Wah.”
If the lifespan of an animal is 10 years, it is the age to have children and have grandchildren. It was a time when I shook my head.
Paaah!
A black light flashed in front of me.
“This….”
It was accompanied by Chaser’s troubled voice, who hardly ever panicked.
And when the black light and smoke disappeared, the eagle-like bird on Chaser’s arm was gone.
Beep!
Instead a very small black. Something like a sparrow was beeping.
…. Sparrow? Sparrow right?
I stared at the sudden change in absurdity.
“Look, it’s doing this because it’s sulking.”
“No. Why are you sulking…?”
Chaser shrugged his shoulders. It was an expression of not knowing too.
Rattan was not a jaguar, but a little cat. No, this one is also a jaguar, but it’s as small as a snow leopard.
The two animals seemed to be at a loss as they could not elicit a particular reaction even when they became smaller.
“Hey, I thought you were cool enough even if you weren’t cute.”
I reluctantly opened my mouth.
“I like cool things too.”
Then, Rattan’s ears, who had been ignored, stood up. It came over quickly and rubbed its face against my leg.
… .What simple animals. For a moment, I wondered if this really was the guardian deity, but I shook my head.
Aquala, who burns anything, or Rattan, who pursues and kills intruders until the end.
The power of the two animals had already been felt.
“…let’s go back and rest.”
It seems that the tension has been loosened due to the transformation of these two animals, and it seems to have softened like a jellyfish. If this is a talent, then it is a talent.
It wasn’t bad for me.
“Can I go if we’re done talking?”
I wanted to increase the distance as he got closer, but my hand was still clasped with him.
Come to think of it, there was one more thing in common between this man and Ricdorian.
They both like to clasp when holding hands. I usually don’t catch it.
It felt like I couldn’t get out of the hand that was interlaced with me, so it was creepy sometimes.
“My Sister, you don’t have to ask me for permission. No, you’re the only one who doesn’t have to ask.”
“Yes. I’ll be going back.”
“By the way, Iana.”
If his voice was a sponge, it seemed that sweet honey would ooze out when pressed. But he was always a person who did not hesitate to say bloody words with such a voice.
“Is there really no reason?”
He was also a person who casually throws even words that pierces, just like this now.
“You just like it?”
“Yes. I like it.”
I said so, then opened my mouth again and added.
“It’s because it’s a bit quiet. I have my older brother and the small wizard but… I don’t have any friends, right?”
I don’t know if ‘Iana’ had any friends. All I knew was that her friend passed away early.
If they had died when Iana was this age, they would have died very early. because she was young
“Friend?”
I came up with this to convince Chaser, huh. It wasn’t my intention, but it seemed to work better than I expected.
Because he smiled and was troubled. But he also raised his lips for a moment.
“Isn’t me enough?”
I didn’t want to say yes or no here, so I just kept silent. He smiled as he had before.
The eyes that didn’t smile at all, even with a nice smile on them, looked at me for a moment and they were gone.
“Yes… …a friend.”
His hand fell.
“If you needed a friend, you should have said it.”
“…uh?”
“I got it. As long as it wasn’t for some other reason, that’s fine.”
He smiled
“You can have it. …please don’t like it more than me.”
It wasn’t that he had grabbed my hand too hard, but my hand felt tingling, so I hid it behind my back and opened it, then hugged the snow leopard.
“Get some rest, my sister.”
Well, that word “rest” didn’t feel like simply saying “rest”. I turned around and walked, ignoring the strange anxiety that felt like the beginning of something else.
Clink, clink.
Anywhere in this mansion, with the clear sound of chains announcing my presence.
***
A few days in, I kept the snow leopard safely in my hands. The snow leopard is temporary for me, but I got the name Pudding. No particular reason, it was because I like white pudding.
The pudding I ate that day was also white, and it was mixed with white.
The snow leopard objected, saying that the name had no dignity at all, but the name of this guy, who had already become a cat for me, won the bid as Pudding.
Pudding became quiet at one word.
-Broccoli? What is it, nyan?
When I showed it the broccoli, the dissatisfaction went away.
And if there was a slight difference from before, it was that Rattan and Aquala came all the time.
And for some reason, each was in the form of a small baby jaguar or a small sparrow.
No, baby jaguar aside, why is Aquala a sparrow? It must have looked like an eagle… .
– They, they’re here, Nyang! Human, they’re here!
Weeoongg, waong! Kaooo!
-Human! Take me away, Nyan! I got pecked with its beak! It pecked!
Kyaaaongg! Waaong! Waong!
“I know. Rather than that, can’t you have only one of two voices, a cry or a normal voice?”
It’s going to be noisy because it’s ringing in my head and ears and on both sides. However, it answered that it could not be controlled and I gave up. Instead, I turned my head.
“Hello, Aquala.”
Today, only Aquala came alone without Rattan. The black sparrow beeps, chirps, cries.
Come to think of it, I understood what this Pudding was saying, but why haven’t I been able to understand Rattan and Aquala?