IBTBD 38

chapter 38

“Chuuut….”

I plunged my hand deep into the drawer and grabbed something.

It was a pocket watch shaped like a rocket, exquisitely crafted, with a roaring tiger engraved on it.

To be more precise—

“This must be the last remaining medium.”

Directly opposite the pocket watch was a hand mirror.

Click.

Pressing the button on top, the pocket watch opened like a clam.

And the moment my reflection appeared in that mirror…

“Chut….”

A strange ringing filled my ears, followed by a nauseating headache.

It felt as though I was being dragged endlessly into an unfathomable swamp.

Clearly, this was a tool for brainwashing.

“Bishop, smash this immediately!”

As soon as I sent the signal, Bishop, who had been preening his feathers by the window, leapt into the air with lightning speed.

His hooked talons precisely gripped the pocket watch.

And then—

Whoosh—

He shot out through the window, cutting through the air.

As Bishop flew gracefully into the sky, gradually shrinking to a tiny dot, something glittered and fell from beneath his talons.

Though too small to identify at first glance, it was undoubtedly Erzin’s pocket watch.

“Chuu, chuut…?”

No, I meant the mirror! I didn’t mean destroy the watch!

It looked like quite an expensive piece…

And it even had a tiger emblem engraved on it.

“Could it be another heirloom from Astrakhan?”

Something like my late mother’s belongings… I have trauma from that kind of thing!

Sweating nervously as I stared out the window, Bishop soon returned triumphantly.

Perched on the windowsill, his talons held the shattered pocket watch like a trophy.

“Wow, that’s a confirmation kill done with style.”

Truly befitting a white-feathered eagle, the ruler of the skies.

[Did you see it? Behold my power.]

Bishop raised his head proudly.

“A-amazing.”

[Is that all? Try harder!]

“Amazing, incredible…!”

I was clapping my hands until they burned when suddenly—

[They’ve recognized me and are coming.]

Bishop peered down from the window and said.

“…They?”

Before I could finish forming the sentence, an answer came from outside the window.

“Th-the white-feathered eagle! Third floor, west wing!”

“Cherry may be captured inside, so no direct attacks! We must, absolutely must, capture it alive!”

“Yes, understood!”

“Open fire!”

With a loud signal, dozens of arrows simultaneously soared into the air.

It seemed to be a plan to restrain Bishop in flight.

Perhaps worried about my safety, the arrow tips had been removed, but the arrow barrage slicing through the wind was still extremely threatening.

Dozens, hundreds of arrows rained into the room we were in.

“Chuu, chuut…!”

Peeking out the window, I saw about twenty knights drawing their bows.

What… is going on here?!

This scale of trouble was not in my script at all…!

While I trembled nervously, quivering my tail, Bishop remained completely calm.

No, he even seemed pleased.

[Earlier, they looked up admiringly at me as I flew.]

Bishop fluttered his tail feathers in subtle pride.

This one apparently thinks the knights are his enthusiastic fans.

“Not wrong. They must be desperate to catch Bishop.”

The problem, however, was that the archers outside the window were not the end of it.

Thud, thud.

It felt like a squad-sized force had just arrived, shaking the floor violently.

At least a dozen men, it seemed.

“Chuuut….”

This was bad.

I hadn’t even considered a pincer operation.

Shooting arrows from outside to bind him, then entering to capture the target—that was clearly the plan.

My anxious gaze fell on Bishop, who looked at me calmly.

“T-this is bad.”

[What’s wrong?]

“I might end up as tonight’s dinner.”

[Oh, delightful! My mouth’s watering already.]

“No, don’t….”

You’ll be the one on that dining table.

Swallowing the words I couldn’t bring myself to say, I bit my nails nervously.

I hadn’t been completely unprepared for this.

After being “kidnapped” in front of Gerard, I naturally expected the news to reach König.

But—

“To unleash the entire knight order for just a single bird and a squirrel… this escalated faster than expected.”

At this point, there was only one option.

“Bishop!”

[Why?]

“Just follow my orders from now on.”

Then maybe tonight, the buttered dish won’t end up on the table.

“Uh…?! Gerard, isn’t that fluffy tail on the window Cherry’s?”

“Let’s see!”

Gerard quickly grabbed the telescope from the knight commander.

The guest room on the third floor, west wing.

As the knight commander had said, a small ball of fur was swaying lightly on the window frame.

“That luscious tail is definitely….”

The plump tail moving as if sending a signal from below the window was undoubtedly Cherry’s.

It was certainly trying to communicate something.

What that was, nobody knew.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

Gerard urgently raised his hand.

The relentless arrow barrage finally stopped.

After a few minutes, a tiny figure peeked from behind the fluttering curtains—a small ball of fur poking its head out.

A round, bread-like face and bright eyes the color of cherries.

A face I had hoped would be safe and still wished to see.

“Cherry!”

Gerard was so moved he instinctively reached out his arms.

But at that moment, a foreboding shadow loomed above Cherry’s head.

It was the drooling white-feathered eagle.

“G-Gerard!”

“Damn it….”

Gerard snatched an arrow from the knight commander, who was about to issue an order.

He immediately aimed at the white-feathered eagle and drew the bowstring taut.

But before that—

Kyaa—

A scream erupted from the eagle’s beak.

Sensing the danger, the squirrel slammed its head into the eagle’s neck with full force.

“W-what….”

“Is Cherry trying to hunt the white-feathered eagle…?”

Gasps escaped from the knights watching the scene.

It was hard to believe even with their own eyes.

A massive bird of prey versus a growing squirrel.

Normally, it would be a mismatch, yet a strange tension gripped everyone.

It somehow didn’t feel like the squirrel would lose.

“Come to think of it, that white-feathered eagle is the one Cherry recently adopted as a companion bird.”

The knights’ gaze fell on the multicolored necklace reflecting the sunlight.

Despite its appearance, it was a restraint tool.

Usually, animals wearing restraint gear became obedient, but occasionally some untamed ones existed.

Apparently, this white-feathered eagle was one such exceptional case.

“Was it brought by Ria? That explains why it hasn’t recognized Cherry as its master yet.”

“It seems to have been eyeing Cherry all along. And now, it caused an incident….”

“Then there’s no choice but to establish hierarchy.”

The knights nodded slowly.

Primal, but there was no surer way for a master to be recognized.

Whether Cherry realized this or not, she shot a look that seemed to say, “Do not interfere.”

At least, that’s how it appeared to the knights.

“If it fails to recognize its master once, the next chance is rare.”

“We can only watch.”

The knights held their bows taut, holding their breath.

“Chuut!”

Kiyo—!

The fierce battle began.