Chapter 16
Leaning out the window, he answered brazenly.
“Of course. Nobody suspected me.”
Though no one suspected he was a monster, he had proudly shown off his abnormal traits to everyone he encountered—and he spoke well about it. The crow’s glowing red eyes stared at him dubiously.
“Why? You don’t believe me?”
[…As long as your identity isn’t exposed, that’s fine. But did you meet with the Crown Prince? What did he say?]
Among the high-ranking monsters, no one looked down on the Crown Prince. He was the true power behind the empire.
The Emperor had long since been reduced to a figurehead, losing the power struggle against the Crown Prince. Not long ago, the Crown Prince even attempted to poison the Emperor in a staged accident, leaving him bedridden.
Though not a monster, the Crown Prince possessed a cruelty more monstrous than any. How a born and raised-human being could be so ruthless was beyond comprehension.
At Hector’s tense questions, the fake Lancart, Kuinan, responded sullenly.
“He told me I was rude.”
[…What?]
“He said to ‘go regain some manners before the next time we meet.’”
Not only was that useless information, it was also bad news. Unable to show much expression in his crow form, Hector remained silent. Lancart babbled on with other trivial remarks.
“And that bastard is crazy about women—even my wife. What a shameless bastard.”
After a few seconds of silence, Hector pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
[So you failed to win him over. Do you realize how important this is? Now is not the time to be rampaging like a colt, as you usually do.]
He seemed to have forgotten all the advice on how to behave before the Crown Prince. If he couldn’t learn, he was told to imitate the human Lancart perfectly instead.
But it seemed he just showed the Crown Prince his true self.
“I didn’t exactly rampage like a colt…”
[Forget it. The damage is done. So why did you call me here?]
Kuinan crushed his thumbnail into a bug shape and woke Hector from a deep sleep in a swamp, while buzzing loudly. Hector understood why the bug was sent and created a communicating clone with his detached right arm to come here, risking getting discovered by humans.
“Ah. How can I make sure the doctor doesn’t discover I’m a monster?”
A few days ago, the doctor who came to the Duchy to examine him tried to take his wrist and check his pulse. Kuinan, whose heart only beat about twenty times per minute, forced a quarrel and chased the doctor away.
Since his wife insisted the doctor see him, the same crisis would likely arise again soon.
[…You don’t know that?]
The crow’s red eyes, filled with deep disappointment, pierced Lancart’s pale cheek.
[You know how to fold your monstrous form into human shape, yet you don’t even know this simple trick?]
Hector explained the method plainly and simply.
[You just need to send blood regularly to where the human touches the fingertip. No need for the ‘heart’ to beat fast.]
At his friend’s advice, Lancart’s eyes suddenly widened as if enlightened, letting out an “Ah.”
“So that’s how it works?”
[You idiot…]
Despite Hector’s harsh tone, Kuinan showed as much courtesy as he could to the friend who had come all this way, even detaching his right arm to help. Maybe because many humans lately complained he was rude, he found himself restraining his usual stubborn nature.
Then, he told his friend, politely.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Now go back.”
[…]
“If you ever feel my smelly bug buzzing around your face again, don’t forget to come find me here.”
After about ten seconds of cold silence, the crow monster turned his back on Kuinan but shot him a sharp glance.
From the burly creature—three times the size of an ordinary crow—an indescribable intangible energy flowed. Lancart rested his chin on the balcony railing and casually accepted his friend’s anger.
This aura, called “demonic energy” by humans, was something only a few high-ranking monsters could emit.
[Don’t mess up. If you fail your mission, I won’t let you off easy.]
“Do what you want.”
[…So carefree. Let’s see if you can keep that mouth yapping later.]
With a loud flap, Hector spread his two massive wings, the size of a grown man.
Lancart grimaced, joking about the feathers flying. The monster leapt off the balcony, then, moments later, soared high into the sky, riding the wind.
Lancart watched the crow monster until it disappeared beyond the horizon, then slowly turned and reentered the bedroom.
—Tap.
Lying facing forward beside his sleeping wife, he couldn’t fall asleep until morning came.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.