Chapter 10

The sticky sensation made Nabom shudder and shake her head, but something long and wet brushed against her face again.

Panting filled her ears.

When she finally managed to open her eyes, a puppy was standing right in front of her.

It looked as though it were wearing a brown fur cloak, with a white belly and white markings above its eyes.

“Alexei, you little rascal!”

Nuke scolded him from the side, but the puppy simply grinned, completely unconcerned.

I’ve seen a dog like this in animal videos online.

“A Malamute?”

The moment Nabom guessed the breed, the puppy jumped in place and began kicking up snow with his hind legs.

Ah!

In an instant, Nabom was buried beneath the flying snow.

Pffft!

She quickly poked her head out and shook the snow from her fur.

As a sign of protest, she pushed at the puppy’s hind leg, but the Malamute merely opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue again.

He’s going to lick me again!

Just as she raised her paws to cover her face—

—Don’t cry.

A young boy’s voice echoed in her mind.

Looking up through the puppy’s panting, Nabom stared at him.

…Is this dog a beastman too?

If he was a Malamute, did that mean he belonged to the Sled Dog Knights?

Before she could think further, the puppy’s tongue attacked her face again.

Nabom squeezed her eyes shut and endured the wet assault when the voice sounded once more.

—Don’t cry. Come play with me.

When did I ever cry?!

she shouted inwardly as she hopped backward.

She wasn’t weak enough to cry over something like this.

There had to be a way.

A way to survive somehow!

Filled with determination toward her goal and irritation toward the dog, Nabom stomped both hind feet.

Thump! Thump!

The Malamute immediately spun in a circle and grinned.

—Your tears stopped. Then let’s play!

His excited voice rang out, and he began racing around, kicking snow in every direction.

Fwoosh!

A blizzard of snow hit Nabom right in the face.

Unable to endure any longer, she slammed her hind foot down once more and charged straight at him.

Whether it was because the snow had excited her or because the Malamute’s provocation had awakened her rabbit instincts, Nabom soon found herself happily racing around the garden with him.

She didn’t even realize she was running skillfully on all fours.

Seeing the Malamute doing the same, she simply followed naturally.

The cold, crunchy sensation beneath her paws felt wonderful.

Every now and then, she even leaped straight into the air.

“Wow, Snowflake runs really well!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Louis rushed over to join them.

Ferdi, who had been watching, soon joined in as well.

As the four lively creatures ran around the garden together, Heinz clasped his hands and called out.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to tour the castle?!”

At Heinz’s shout, Nuke, who had been watching them with a satisfied expression, blew a whistle.

The Malamute immediately came running and took his place in front of a sled.

As Louis, Ferdi, and Nabom all hurried over, Anna smiled softly.

“I think we can remove her bandages now.”

*

The afternoon sky glowed with the colors of sunset.

When Theodore visited Nabom’s room, Anna bowed her head.

“The rabbit?”

At his brief question, Anna led him further inside.

“I apologize for failing to follow your orders.”

Listening to her apology, Theodore stopped.

On the red carpet lay Louis, Ferdi, and Alexei the Malamute, a page of the Sled Dog Knights, all curled around something.

In the middle of them was a rabbit.

Covered in bits of dirt, the small rabbit had curled into a ball.

Her white belly rose and fell steadily with each breath.

“It’s fine.”

Theodore spoke quietly.

He had ordered that no more than two people enter the rabbit’s room at a time.

But if the rabbit was comfortable, it didn’t matter.

Looking at the four sleeping beastmen, Theodore sank into thought.

“So that’s it. You were already prepared for this.”

Pallas’s voice, dripping with his characteristic mockery.

He was cynical, but he never spoke anything except the truth.

That was why Theodore always listened quietly to his words.

But this time was different.

“Then there was no need for me to play the villain.”

“There won’t be.”

“What?”

“I have no intention of using that power.”

Pallas narrowed his eyes.

“You really are motivated by nothing more than pitiful sympathy. Your daughter is already dead. If you brought that rabbit here as a substitute for her, then the truly pitiable one isn’t you—it’s that tiny creature.”

“Even if it is pitiful sympathy, that’s fine.”

Despite Pallas’s cruel words, Theodore answered firmly.

“A powerful, unknown force. If used recklessly, there’s no telling what might happen.”

“…”

“We are not so weak that we must be saved through the sacrifice of a small life.”

Those words were sincere.

Not only he and his wife—

even his daughter would never have wanted such salvation.

His wife had thrown herself forward to protect their daughter.

Yet she had failed to save her, and instead had been afflicted with an incurable curse.

He had believed that was the end.

That there was nothing left beyond that conclusion.

Slowly, Theodore approached the sleeping rabbit.

Kneeling beside her, he reached out a hand toward her head.

“…”

His fingertips trembled as they touched her soft white fur.

Why was that?

It felt like a gift.

This tiny life…

felt like a gift left behind by that child before she departed.

“You people truly never cease to exhaust me.”

Following the sound of laughter—a sound Theodore hadn’t heard in a long time—the Sage curled his lips into a grin.

“In that case, you should at least tell her she wasn’t brought here as emergency rations.”

With those words, Pallas vanished without a trace.

Gently brushing the rabbit’s forehead with his thumb, Theodore murmured,

“Next time.”

He couldn’t possibly wake a child sleeping so peacefully.

*

Nabom opened her eyes.

Perhaps because she had been dreaming of running through snowy fields, all four of her legs were suspended in the air.

Slurp.

She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with a paw and sat upright.

What was I doing?

And what was she supposed to do now?

Her thoughts felt sluggish and unfocused.

Her body, however, felt refreshed.

It was the lightest she had felt since arriving at Grizzly Castle.

After sitting on the carpet and looking around, she sensed something strange.

I thought there were more people here earlier.

At the same time, she felt someone’s gaze.

Nabom flinched.

Something was there.

It was pressed against the dark brown wall, almost perfectly camouflaged.

Not moving at all.

The moment its yellow eyes met hers, its thick fur puffed out into a round shape.

The creature looked like a furry cylinder with the face of a tiger cub or kitten attached to the front.

Expressionless, it began walking toward her.

An unfamiliar animal.

For some reason, Nabom felt as though she were dreaming.

The instant that thought crossed her mind—

—Never thought I’d meet one while I’m still alive.

A voice echoed directly inside her head.

—Especially this close.

It was the voice of an adult man, carrying curiosity and quiet satisfaction.

—Your power and your soul are tangled together. Is that why you’re being suppressed so thoroughly?

The mysterious creature had somehow reached her side.

Nabom blinked.

It wasn’t very large.

Nor did it smell like a predator.

Then why did it possess such overwhelming dignity?

The black pupils set within those golden eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through her.

—Are you truly content to remain like this?

Like this?

Nabom tilted her head.

—Yes. Like this. Living your entire life trapped inside the body of a rabbit.

She tilted her head again.

That wasn’t really her choice.

She had died.

She had been reborn.

She couldn’t transform into a human.

Honestly, she wasn’t even sure whether she was a beastman or not.

—Your words haven’t reached the other beastmen, have they?

How does he know that?

Was this really a dream?

Still dazed, she nodded.

—Tell me. Don’t you want to speak with everyone in a human form?

A human form?

Was that actually possible?

And what did he mean by everyone?

Could predators and emergency rations really hold conversations together?

As she pondered with a puzzled expression, a thought suddenly surfaced.

If they could hear her…

If she could show them a human form…

What kind of expressions would they make?

Would Louis smile brightly?

Would Ferdi proudly pat her head?

Would Anna beam with happiness?

And Theodore?

How would Theodore react?

—Let’s go back.

Would he speak to her again—

with that same gentle voice from that day?

…Yes.

The answer slipped out before she even realized it.

I want to talk to them.

When Nabom nodded, the creature before her nodded as well.

—Good.

Was it her imagination?

It looked as though the creature had smiled.

Suddenly, light flooded her vision.

Nabom woke up.

Blinking sleepily, she looked around.

The room was empty.

So it really was a dream?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a knock sounded at the door.

The door swung open.

“Snowflake! Time to eat hay!”

Louis, Ferdi, Anna—

and the Malamute entered together.

Without thinking, Nabom jumped straight into the air.

Food!