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Chapter 3
“Yeah. I answered!”
“W-w-w-wait a second.”
With a loud thud, Thunder stumbled back in shock, then quickly sprang to his feet again.
“I—I’ll ask again. Can you hear me? I mean, not just as a neighing sound?”
“Yep, I can hear you perfectly.”
After all, I’m an awesome former puppy.
At that, life returned to Thunder’s previously dull, lifeless eyes.
“You’re not an idiot—you’re a genius! Then p-please, help me! I’m in pain!”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
“Where does it hurt?”
Thunder’s eyes sparkled as he stuck out his tongue.
“Ugh, thsgh sgh! (There’s a thorn here!)”
I could barely see it…
So this was the “serious illness” they were talking about? He was just being a baby over a tiny thorn stuck in his tongue.
‘Ruth must have spoiled him like crazy.’
I carefully pulled out the tiny thorn that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
“So because of that thorn, you refused to eat hay, carrots, or water—and even bullied the people around you?”
“Yeah! That stupid thorn was stressing me out! But those so-called veterinarians couldn’t even find it. Completely incompetent!”
Well, that’s because you kicked at anyone who tried to get close…
But that wasn’t what mattered!
I patted Thunder’s magnificent mane enthusiastically and asked,
“Anyway, it’s fixed now, right? So tell me—what does it mean to ‘earn merit’?”
“Ahem, ahem. Healing a magnificent steed like me is also a form of earning merit!”
“Gasp! So pulling out a thorn counts as earning merit?”
“That’s right. But you said you’re an adopted kid? Your credit will be stolen. This family isn’t so easy on a child without connections.”
“That can’t happen. I need to earn merit so I can see my sister!”
I grabbed my head with both hands and furrowed my brow.
‘How do I keep them from stealing my merit?’
Number one priority in my life: my sister.
Number two: sweet roasted sweet potatoes.
Only when it came to those two things did my brain start spinning at full speed.
* * *
After some time passed—
Patricia, Dot’s junior and the new veterinarian, casually opened the stable door.
And then…
She was met with a shocking sight.
“Hey! Are you crazy?!”
A child she had never seen before was boldly stroking Thunder’s mane.
‘There’s definitely a barrier preventing outsiders from entering. How did she get in?’
Then that meant she was someone from inside the family.
Patricia was about to scream when she suddenly froze.
‘Wait… the Lord Steed’s condition is incredibly good?’
He wasn’t sensitive at all. He was letting someone touch his mane without reacting.
Flustered, she approached the unfamiliar child.
“Y-you… who… are you?”
“Me? I’m Coco!”
“Coco…”
As the baby puffed out her round belly, something came to mind.
‘Ah, isn’t she that commoner who’s about to be sent away? Why is she here?’
With an irritated expression, Patricia lifted Coco up carelessly.
“I don’t know how you got into the stable, but for now, stay here, little one.”
What mattered was Thunder’s condition.
Patricia looked around.
Luckily, there were veterinary examination tools stored in the stable for regular use.
“Oh my.”
After thoroughly examining Thunder—
She was stunned.
His eyes, front teeth, legs—everything checked out perfectly. Not only that, he didn’t kick at all. He was docile.
He even let out a relaxed yawn, as if he were happy.
Patricia brushed Thunder’s mane with a comb and smirked.
“Impressive.”
“Huh?”
“How did you manage to calm such a sensitive horse?”
Thunder, the prized steed most cherished by Ruth, a direct bloodline of the family, was completely fine.
There was no doubt that an enormous reward—far beyond what a mere child could even imagine—would be granted.
In that case…
“Anyway, I should report this right away. I’ll say that I treated Lord Steed Thunder.”
“Huh? But I fixed him. You just said I was impressive…”
“No. That was a slip of the tongue. Now that I think about it, I must have cured him just now with this tool.”
Patricia spoke firmly, as if sealing the matter, then shrugged.
‘She’s just a clueless brat anyway. And there’s no way a kid like that actually cured Thunder.’
Besides, rumors said she was an ordinary person whose divine mark hadn’t even manifested.
‘It must have just been good timing.’
Suppressing a scoff, Patricia said,
“Little one, shouldn’t you return to the annex?”
“Huh? I—I just have something to say—”
“Come now. I’ll call a maid for you, so hurry along.”
Her tone made it clear she was brushing off an annoying child—but what did it matter?
‘She’ll be kicked out soon anyway.’
Humming to herself, Patricia lifted Coco again.
“Let’s go, little one.”
With her other hand, she shut the stable door behind her.
“Ahh, I can’t wait to see Lord Ruth. I wonder what reward he’ll give me.”
* * *
“Patricia, are you truly saying that you cured Lord Thunder?”
“Yes, I did.”
Veterinarian Dot returned after hearing Patricia’s report.
After examining Thunder himself, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Incredible. How did you do it?”
“Haha, it was nothing much.”
Just as the light praise continued—
Bang! The stable door burst open.
“I heard our Thunder has fully recovered. Where is he?”
“Oh, you’re here.”
The man who strode in carelessly was Ruth Ardos.
He had short black hair and vivid purple eyes.
His mere appearance was overwhelming, and he possessed the rare ability to control wind.
Yet, despite his outstanding public reputation, his evaluation within the family was harsh.
He had long abandoned any interest in succession, obsessing only over whatever caught his fancy—a reckless wastrel, they said.
“I couldn’t focus on anything else after hearing the news. So, what was the illness?”
Under Ruth’s cold gaze, Dot wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“W-we’re not certain of the diagnosis yet.”
“You don’t know the diagnosis, yet you cured Thunder?”
Patricia flushed and muttered softly,
“Ah, yes! It seemed Lord Thunder was having slight indigestion, so I chopped his carrots smaller than usual.”
“Hm. Just that? I’m skeptical.”
When Ruth’s reaction remained lukewarm, Patricia awkwardly reached out to stroke Thunder’s mane.
“See? He follows me so well like this—”
But at that very moment—
“Neighhh!”
The same Thunder who had been docile just moments ago suddenly began kicking wildly.
It was an intense display of rejection.
“…Follows you well?”
“Ah-ha-ha… th-that is… why is he acting like this…?”
As Patricia panicked, Ruth narrowed his eyes and stared at Thunder.
Thunder abruptly stopped kicking.
Then, with elegant steps, he trotted toward Ruth.
“Hm? Thunder, if you wanted to come to me, you could have just sa—”
…Thunder walked right past Ruth.
Then he gracefully exited through the open stable door.
“…Thunder?”
Under everyone’s gaze, Thunder stopped in front of the sign that read Stable.
And in front of that sign—
“Thunderrr!”
There stood a child with silvery hair like spun threads, chubby cheeks, and pale violet eyes.
