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Chapter 16
“Hm……”
Tap, tap.
Lis’s fingers slowly drummed against the table.
According to Demon’s report that had just come in, Ail was chatting with the maids at the annex.
‘She can’t possibly not know that I’m waiting.’
It seemed that something else had become her priority. Otherwise, Ail would never act like this.
“That won’t do.”
For Ail, he should always come first.
He should always be her top priority.
After all, whose efforts were the reason she was here in the first place?
Naturally, it should be that way.
“Demon, bring Del.”
“Young Master, it has only been ten minutes since Sir Del fell asleep.”
Del especially hated being woken while sleeping.
If anyone disturbed his precious rest, they would get a close look at the rare sharp fangs of the white fox.
“Perfect. I happen to need a properly angry beast.”
If something hard needed to be forcibly torn apart, strength was necessary.
And if there wasn’t a suitable tool available, he could simply make one.
“……I understand what you intend to do, but there is also the easier option of ordering the head maid to bring the key.”
Even without being given any hint, Demon easily grasped Lis’s intentions and politely suggested an alternative.
Using Del merely to tear apart chains—he already knew this, but Lis truly had a remarkable personality.
Especially considering that Del was not some ordinary beast but a Divine Beast that merely wore the shell of a creature of the mortal world.
A sacred being said to possess power equal to that of a god, revered by everyone.
“The head maid is Father’s dog. If word gets to him, it’ll become annoying. Wake Del.”
As Lis said, the head maid reported everything to the Duke.
One could call her a loyal retainer and faithful servant, but another way of putting it was simply a dog.
The Duke probably already knew about Ail.
Even if he had never seen her in person, he had undoubtedly heard enough that he could identify her at a glance.
“Oh, so that’s the girl the head maid kept talking about.”
Hearing Lis’s firm command, Demon offered no further objections and left the study.
Only Lis could interfere with the sleep of the Divine Beast Del, so Demon had no choice but to carefully carry the sleeping fox in both hands and present him before Lis.
As soon as Del arrived, still asleep, Lis reached out without hesitation and abruptly pulled open one of the fox’s soft eyelids.
—You become more ill-mannered with every passing day.
A crimson glow gradually returned to life within the pale eye.
Dragged forcefully back to consciousness, Del bared his teeth and let out an irritated growl.
“Didn’t we agree to act friendly in front of others?”
Whether Del liked it or not, Lis smiled and casually stroked the growling fox’s head.
Del’s red eyes immediately shifted away.
—That human follows you. He doesn’t count as ‘other people.’
“I shall wait outside.”
Having been simultaneously treated as both an object and a human by Del, Demon quietly left the study with a defeated expression.
Truly, the Divine Beast resembled his master.
Their relationship was hardly good, but they were surprisingly alike.
“With those sturdy teeth of yours, you can bite through anything, right?”
—Who do you take me for? This great Divine Beast can do anything!
Del puffed out his tiny shoulders proudly.
Though, considering he looked like nothing more than a fluffy fox, it wasn’t especially convincing.
“Good. Then chew through the chains at the forest entrance.”
—Of course, anything—! Wait, what?
Before he could even finish questioning it, Del was grabbed by the scruff and forced to sink his teeth into the chains wrapped around the entrance of the Black Forest.
The scratches on his carefully maintained fangs appeared almost instantly.
—Of all the Casio descendants throughout history, none have treated me as badly as you! You dare use this great being as a tool for chewing metal!
“Must be nice being old.”
—Waaah! Grrr!
In the end, Del succeeded in tearing apart every chain.
Licking his damaged fangs mournfully, he began crying at the top of his lungs.
His teeth would naturally regenerate before long, but that didn’t erase the humiliation.
“You’re noisy. Shut up. We need to get inside before Ail comes.”
With an indifferent expression, Lis grabbed Del by the scruff once more.
He regularly entered the forest with Del, but every winter, heavy gates were installed and access was strictly forbidden.
As a result, they had to be creative about getting in.
That order had come directly from the Duke.
Even without knowing why Lis entered the forest, he had sensed that something was strange and prohibited it.
He had even spread ridiculous rumors about ghosts and such.
At least the restrictions only applied during winter.
Still, there was no telling when the other seasons might become restricted as well.
“Now that we’ve torn down the gate, they’ll probably replace it soon. Eat as much as you can today. It’ll be harder next time.”
The deeper they ventured into the forest, the thicker the fog became.
Yet Lis continued walking without hesitation.
He had traveled this path thousands of times.
He could have walked it with his eyes closed.
—But what if Ail comes here and finds you?
“Apparently, you don’t understand why I tore apart the gate like that.”
You foolish fox.
The pleasant voice carried words that were anything but kind as it cut through the mist.
Del’s pointed ears twitched irritably from within his thick fur.
—What do you mean!?
“I’m telling her I’m here. Considerately.”
—Unexpected. I thought you intended to hide everything from Ail.
Upon reaching the central area of the forest, Del threw himself into the swirling mist as though accustomed to it.
“If you want to make use of someone, you have to feed them.”
—Why are you looking at me while saying that? It’s annoying!
The retort was immediately followed by a violent crunch.
Something was being torn apart.
The terrifying sound echoed through the silent forest.
For a time, only the brutal noises of flesh and bone being chewed apart filled the air.
Soon, Del emerged once more.
“Judging by your expression, it wasn’t enough.”
—Like I told you before, this Black Forest died a long time ago. I need something with real divinity.
The remains Del had left behind littered the ground.
The dried corpse of a human who seemed to have died ages ago lay beside the body of a small magical beast Lis had killed moments earlier.
Though far removed from what most people considered “divinity,” this was the easiest and fastest way to obtain it.
Life, by its very nature, drew closer to the divine through death.
By consuming bodies abandoned by their souls, one could obtain small traces of divine power.
—Lis, find a way to reach Terasa. The sea closest to the origin of Divine Beasts lies there. If we go, I’ll be able to grow safely.
The existence of a Divine Beast symbolized the legitimacy of House Casio.
The individual chosen by the Divine Beast would always become the family head.
Because of this, the Divine Beast always remained beside the patriarch.
When the chosen head died, the Divine Beast would be reborn for the next generation.
However, the memories of every previous Divine Beast were inherited in full.
Though their bodies changed, mentally they were no different from beings who had lived for centuries.
Yet, for the selection to occur, a Divine Beast had to reach its mature form.
In human terms, it needed to become an adult.
Del, however, was still equivalent to a fifteen-year-old, just like Lis.
Under normal circumstances, he should have reached adulthood long ago.
But the Duchy of Casio was no longer the environment it once had been for a Divine Beast’s growth.
Rather than becoming more sacred, it had grown increasingly corrupted with time.
It was, in every sense, the worst possible situation.
“…I’ll come up with a suitable excuse before long.”
—Wait, Lis. I think something’s coming. A magical beast, perhaps?
Del, who had been circling around Lis, suddenly perked up and rapidly flicked both ears.
As Del began drawing upon his power, Lis’s eyes, tinged red in response, fixed themselves on a single point in the distance.
