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Chapter 05 …
“Kalian! Wake up, Kalian!”
[So noisy…….]
Even though the sun was already high in the sky, Kalian was still deep in sleep. There was nothing easier than using Kalian to find Meho.
“Go and find Meho.”
[Hey, human. Are you ordering me around right now? Have you gone crazy?]
I had expected him not to cooperate obediently. If he agreed right away, he wouldn’t be Kalian.
“Do you want to be grabbed by the scruff again?”
[…….]
Ever since that day on the hill when he was grabbed by the back of his neck, it had become Kalian’s most hated thing. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t escape, which seemed to annoy him greatly.
[If I grow just a little more…….]
“Enough talk, go find him right now.”
Whenever I threatened him, Kalian would grit his teeth and say he would deal with me once he became an adult, but I didn’t care.
‘A cat is still a cat, no matter how big it gets.’
What difference would it make even if this little cotton ball grew larger?
With a thoroughly annoyed expression, Kalian finally got up from his sprawled position.
[So I just have to find that chick-head, right?]
“Chick-head…… Call him Meho.”
[Same thing.]
That ill-mannered Kalian sneered at me and leapt away lightly.
[Humans and chick-heads alike—so stupid and annoying.]
“……”
Exactly one hour later, Kalian returned with a yellow bundle in his mouth.
“Meho!”
He was limp like before, so I had thought it was just an act—but no matter how much I shook him, he wouldn’t wake up.
[Chick-head is weird.]
Kalian said as he placed Meho down. The small paw nudged the chick lightly.
[I found him collapsed in the bushes. He’s usually too scared to go alone.]
Meho always stayed close to his handler. For him to be alone in the bushes was strange.
‘Could Meho also have caught the epidemic disease?’
I immediately took Meho and went to the physician.
“Eh? Lorelia, what’s going on? Don’t tell me even Lord Kalian has caught the illness?”
The infirmary was already crowded with staff bringing divine beasts.
“Are all of them sick divine beasts?”
Seeing all the divine beasts lying unconscious in beds made the severity of the situation clear.
‘Meho is already a weak one…….’
The physician said they still couldn’t identify the disease. That meant all we could do was wait and hope they recovered on their own.
And then someone burst through the infirmary door.
“P-please save my child!”
In the arms of a panicked staff member was a white rabbit divine beast. It was still conscious—its purple eyes blinking weakly.
“Oh my goodness!”
The physician quickly took the rabbit and examined it, but again, no conclusion was reached.
At that moment—
[It hurts…….]
A voice echoed, not through the ears but directly inside the mind.
The voice of a divine beast.
“Doctor, you haven’t finished treating that yet—please hurry.”
“Oh dear, I completely lost track of time. There are so many divine beasts coming in lately. I’ll finish up quickly.”
“Yes……”
The staff member who brought the rabbit slumped down in despair.
“If the divine beast dies like this…….”
“Don’t say that. It won’t die.”
The staff soon began sobbing, burying their face in their hands.
“I’m going to be expelled like this!”
They said if a assigned divine beast ran away forever or died due to negligence, the handler wouldn’t just be fired—they could be expelled from the Empire.
‘They go that far?!’
Even if divine beasts are precious, the punishment is too harsh.
‘Maybe I should talk to the rabbit first.’
Fortunately, the rabbit was still conscious. While others were distracted comforting the staff member, I approached quietly and spoke in a low voice only it could hear.
“Hey, where exactly does it hurt?”
[……Are you talking to me? How?]
The rabbit blinked weakly at me.
“I’ll explain later. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
Its breathing was unstable, like it could stop any moment.
[I think…… I ate something…….]
“Something? What is it?”
[That person… said it was a special meal…… and gave it to me.]
“Special meal?”
[We only eat fruit from the Divine Beast Forest. But… they gave us fruit I’ve never seen in the forest…….]
Meals for divine beasts are prepared in the dining hall.
I thought they were just given feed, but they were actually fed fruit grown in the “Divine Beast Forest,” where they were born and raised.
And if they didn’t eat it, they couldn’t survive.
“Who… who gave you the special meal?”
[That woman…….]
The rabbit lost consciousness right after saying that. Its purple eyes disappeared behind its eyelids.
‘They got sick after eating the special meal?’
All the divine beasts here were young, so they probably ate it without knowing anything was wrong.
‘But who would dare do something like this?’
This place is managed by the Imperial Family.
I quickly took Kalian and left the infirmary. There were too many people to talk freely.
“Kalian, didn’t you eat the special meal that came out recently?”
[Special meal?]
Kalian thought for a moment and yawned lazily.
[No idea. I don’t eat the stuff they give here much—it tastes bad. Why are you asking that?]
“The rabbit just now said everyone got sick after eating it.”
[Hah, weaklings. Getting sick from something like that—what a disgrace to divine beasts.]
He said that, but his expression wasn’t good.
[…So that chick-head also got sick from eating that special meal?]
He seemed subtly worried about Meho.
“I think so. Do you know who ordered it?”
[Why would I bother remembering what humans do?]
“…So rude.”
Cheol wasn’t like this.
I grabbed Kalian’s small head and rubbed it roughly. Kalian, like a cat, hated having his head touched.
[Let go, human! I told you not to touch me!]
“Do you remember what fruit was in the special meal?”
[I don’t know! Stop asking me!]
“Hm, I should go check the dining hall. Let’s go.”
I hugged Kalian tightly as he struggled in my arms. He growled in protest, but I ignored it.
[Do you think you’ll get away with touching my body?!]
“We need to catch whoever made Meho like that.”
[…I don’t care what happens to that chick-head.]
Even so, Kalian stopped struggling.
‘He really is a cute one.’
As soon as we arrived at the dining hall, we headed straight into the kitchen. The busy staff ignored us.
“I heard a special meal was served recently. Can I see that fruit?”
I asked randomly, grabbing someone.
“The special meal? That’s already all gone.”
“What kind of fruit was it? Was it from the Divine Beast Forest? What did it look like?”
“Wait, one at a time……”
“Why is there so much commotion?”
Behind the confused staff appeared a middle-aged woman.
Sharp eyes, neatly tied hair, tightly pressed lips—she looked exactly like someone in charge.
“Who are you to make noise here?”
“I came to ask about the special meal.”
“…The special meal?”
She frowned, clearly displeased.
“What right do you have to question the special meal? Where do you belong?”
She’s very sensitive. There’s nothing wrong with asking about food. Something feels suspicious.
[It’s her.]
Then Kalian’s voice came from my arms.
[That woman prepared the special meal.]
“Really?!”
I accidentally shouted, and her brows furrowed even more.
“Did you just speak informally to me?”
“No. I apologize.”
I quickly turned away and whispered to Kalian.
“Is it really her who fed the divine beasts that strange fruit?”
[Yeah. It was a purple, bead-like fruit. I’ve never seen it in the Divine Beast Forest.]
Then she was definitely the culprit—but there was no proof.
“What are you standing around for? Answer me.”
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to ask because it seemed like the divine beasts liked the special meal. I didn’t know it was rude.”
“The divine beasts liked it?”
The woman smirked.
“That makes sense. It was a very rare fruit. Now leave if there’s nothing else. This place is busy—don’t come causing trouble again.”
“Yes, I’m sorry!”
I left quickly with Kalian and went somewhere quiet.
“There has to be a way. We need proof she did it.”
While I was muttering to myself, Kalian jumped down.
His black nose twitched as if searching for a scent.
“Why?”
[I smell it.]
“Smell? What smell?”
[The fruit from that special meal. Ugh, it smells terrible.]
His nose kept twitching as he followed the scent somewhere, checking if I was following.
[Here.]
We arrived in front of a lodging building—not for ordinary staff, but for administrators.
“Here is……”
[That woman’s room. The smell is unbearable. She must have hidden the remaining fruit here.]
Kalian said irritably.
I had no reason to hesitate.
I hated standing out more than anything, but I couldn’t leave the sick divine beasts like this.
“Let’s go in.”
