TBSW 10

Chapter 10

Ibi pulled a blank sheet of paper from the desk.

Then she dipped her little feet lightly into the inkwell.

Everyone looked on curiously.

Ibi began walking diligently across the paper.

Tap-tap-tap.

On the pure white sheet that looked like a snowfield, the tiny footprints of a squirrel began appearing one by one.

Tap-tap-tap-tap…

While Ibi carefully calculated the overall shape, everyone in the room watched in fascination, unable to tear their eyes away from the trail of footprints.

Tap-tap-tap… splat!

“Squeak!”

Ibi slipped and fell forward.

When she got up with a teary face, the paper showed a square-shaped print that vaguely resembled a squirrel. Even so, it wasn’t even as big as a palm.

“……”

The retainers’ mouths hung open. Olga and Baird quietly took out handkerchiefs to cover their noses, holding back laughter.

In the midst of the hushed atmosphere, Ibi finally completed the writing.

Using her footprints, she had formed wobbly letters that spelled out <Ibi>, along with a full-body print of herself like a signature stamp.

‘It might’ve been a mistake, but at least it’s recognizable.’

Phew. Forgetting her paws were covered in ink, Ibi wiped her nose—
and ended up giving herself a fine black mustache.

The Duke, who had been staring at her, reached out and gently rubbed at the “mustache” with his finger.

He lifted both ends slightly upward.

Now, Ibi’s straight mustache curved up proudly like that of a gallant general.

“Not bad,” the Duke said with a faint smile.

At that, Baird and the retainers stared blankly again—though this time for a very different reason.

Did the Lord just… joke? For real?

“The name is Ibi, you say. Did you learn to write on your own?”

Of course! The very first word I learned to write was my own name!

It hadn’t been the name given by Count Rusten, either. He’d just used whatever name had been written on the blanket I was wrapped in.

“Chyu.”

“Impressive.”

At the unexpected compliment, Ibi’s eyes widened.

The Count only ever laughed at me, saying, ‘What’s a rat doing learning letters?’

She had taught herself only to try to win over the Count’s approval.

And now, the very praise she had longed for came instead from the Duke of Black Wolves.

At a loss for words, she fidgeted with her paws—until Olga held up a small mirror.

“Shall we wipe off the ink first? Though I must say, you make quite the dashing little general.”

“Squeep!?”

Only then did Ibi realize she still had the mustache. She let out a shriek.

She scrubbed at her fur with the handkerchief Olga handed her. After that, she washed her face several more times.

That was when one of the retainers, unable to resist, reached a hand toward her.

“My, how small and adorable! Come here, little one.”

“……!”

Seeing the huge hand reaching toward her, Ibi froze.

Then came a sudden fit of coughing.

“Cough, cough!”

She even coughed up blood.

Ah, what a waste of precious blood!

Even as she collapsed, Ibi made sure to fall in a direction where the Duke could see her clearly.

The Duke’s brow furrowed slightly.

Good. Looks like it worked.

If I keep showing these coughing fits, I can stay here longer. It’s tough, but worth it.

But then—something felt off.

Huh…?

“Cough, cough-cough!”

It’s not stopping!

Her complexion turned pale in an instant. Her instincts screamed danger.

Stop! Stop, or I’ll die for real!

“Cough! Hrk!”

“Wh-what’s wrong with the squirrel?”

“Did someone touch it wrong?”

“No! I swear, I didn’t even lay a finger on it!”

The retainers panicked as Ibi gasped for breath.

“We have to get the physician, now!”

Another hand reached out to grab her—

—and that sent Ibi’s fear to a whole new level.

Now she wasn’t just scared; she was angry.

Why does everyone here keep trying to grab me?! I said don’t touch me!

“Hrk, squeak! Chu-squeak! (Stay back! Move and I’ll bite!)”

Trembling, Ibi crawled away—
straight toward the Duke.

He silently watched the tiny creature approach him, barely able to keep her eyes open.

“……”

As if testing something, he extended a hand toward her.

Even while coughing, Ibi sniffed the hand carefully. Recognizing the scent, she relaxed and climbed onto his palm.

Blood dripped continuously, staining his sleeve and hand.

The retainers gasped, fumbling for their handkerchiefs.

“M-my lord! Please, use mine!”

“I’ll fetch the physician right away!”

Even Baird, unable to stand it anymore, dashed out of the room.

But then—everyone froze.

The Duke began gently stroking Ibi’s trembling back.

And then, an even more astonishing thing happened.

“Cough… phew…”

The violent coughing gradually subsided.

But no one was more shocked than Ibi herself.

…Eh? What the—?

The moment his hand touched her, she felt… calm. As if she had just swallowed an instant cure.

Usually, once the coughing started, it would take forever to stop—

—but this was the first time it had ever eased so quickly.

Did the Duke just use some kind of magic?

“Chyuu?”

She tilted her head up at him, but he seemed lost in thought.

“So it wasn’t coincidence after all…” he murmured.

The retainers, startled by his tone, snapped back to their senses.

They spoke one after another, amazed by what they’d just seen.

“She looked like she was dying—and now she’s perfectly fine!”

“Incredible. She was coughing blood, yet ran straight to you, my lord… Almost like she sees you as her guardian.”

“Guardian?”

At the Duke’s sharp gaze, the speaker froze mid-breath.

Just then, Baird, who had been on his way out, quickly reentered and interjected,

“She means the creature regards you as a protector, my lord. Just like your sons used to cling to their mother whenever they were hurt or frightened. It’s a psychological response—a sense of safety… one they felt only with their mother.”

“……”

Indeed, even his own sons had never sought comfort from him.

The Duke spoke coldly.

“A squirrel finding comfort under a wolf’s protection? You think that’s possible?”

Ibi’s pride was immediately wounded. She squirmed to climb down from his palm—

—but the Duke curled his fingers like a cage, trapping her inside.

“Squeak!?”

“We’ll proceed with the meeting.”

“L-like this, my lord?”

“To prevent it from coughing blood again and disrupting the discussion.”

“Ah… I see…”

The retainers exchanged awkward looks as they glanced at the squirrel imprisoned in the Duke’s hand.

Ibi was no less flustered.

She grabbed the finger-bars of her “cell” and rattled them like a prisoner.

She even tried to stick her face between them to squeeze out—

—but the unyielding fingers didn’t budge. In fact, they tightened, squishing her face into a fluffy pancake.

“Chyu… squeep!”

She wriggled and struggled until finally—pop!—her head slipped free.

Sigh. I give up.

Ibi slumped down on his palm with a plop.

As she did, the grip loosened, allowing her to breathe more easily.

Phew. That’s better. And warm too… actually, this isn’t so bad.

Cautiously glancing up at the Duke, she pulled a sunflower seed from her cheek pouch and began munching on it.

A fierce-looking Duke with a long scar near his eye—
and a flying squirrel calmly nibbling a sunflower seed in his hand.

The contrast made the Duke look almost… cute.
A dangerous illusion.

Silent glances darted among the retainers.

Doesn’t it seem like the Lord’s grown fond of the squirrel?

Quite certain of it. Very much so.

Then we’d better start treating it with proper respect.

Unspoken consensus spread quickly.

Meanwhile, Ibi, engrossed in her sunflower seed, noticed none of it.

The meeting resumed.

“Next agenda item,” said the Duke.

“Yes, my lord. The next topic is the main trading partner for the charity tea event.”

At the Duke’s nod, a plump merchant entered the room, doffing his hat.

“Honor to the shadow of the Black Wolf. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m James Colton, president of Colton Tea Company.”

Clearing his throat, the merchant continued,

“It’s an immense honor for our company to cooperate in the Noctis Duchy’s charity event.”

A charity event, huh…

Ibi blinked.

The Noctis family had hosted several charity events to restore its damaged reputation.

But since the martial-minded Duke cared nothing for culture or philanthropy, each one had ended in disaster.

Right. They used to say the Black Wolf pulling off a successful charity event would mean the sun rose in the west.

While Ibi pondered this, a retainer asked the merchant,

“Can you guarantee the quality? Nobles’ eyes will be on it. It must meet Noctis standards.”

“But of course! In fact, I’ve brought a brand-new product that’s yet to be revealed to the public.”

The merchant proudly opened a tea box he had brought.

Ibi eyed the ornate packaging and thought idly,

That must be ridiculously expensive tea. I wish I could try something like that.

Then—

Hm?

A strange window appeared before her eyes.

[Blessing charging… 30%]
[Stored Emotion (Grade F) activated.]

And then—

“Behold! Our premium black tea, presented with confidence!”

As the merchant spread his arms wide, introducing the tea, another message popped up above the box.

[Target: Colton’s Overconfident Black Tea <???>]
[Stored Value: Lowest Grade]

…Huhhhh?