Since we were walking at a normal speed, it took some time, but we finally made it to Guy.
“Guy, haven’t seen you since the library.”
“Yes, Princess Octavia!”
He was already at attention long before we got to him, but he gave another stiff bow. I guess it was selfish of me to wish he’d loosen up around me… I kind of wanted to do a post-mortem on the survey with him, too…
“May I ask what brings you out here?”
Guy’s eyes shifted side to side. “Um… A bird.”
“A bird?”
“Er, a wreven bird, I mean—” Guy pointed at the bramble. There was something black in it. “I witnessed it fluttering down there…”
Did he chase after it because he was worried?
Where Guy was pointing, there was a black bird—a wreven—huddled up in the leaves. I got closer and noticed that while it could walk, it didn’t spread its wings. Was it unable to fly?
“So anyway, I found it, but I’m not sure what to do…”
Just as Guy’s voice filled with worry, the wreven suddenly spread its wings—its wing, rather.
“Hey, pal! Cut it out!” Guy yelled at the wreven.
Well, Guy had checked out the How to Tame Your Wreven book. He probably wants to be a wreven tamer. This wreven…looks like its wing was struck by an arrow. Maybe the arrow broke when it tried to pull it out on its own. When the bird spread its wing, the tip of the arrow could clearly be seen in it.
As I bent over and peered at the wreven, I heard a voice from above.
“What do you want to do?”
It was Klifford.
“……I want to help it.”
Klifford nodded in reply. Then he slipped out his sword and— Whoa, what? Hey, stop it! You’re making Guy cower in fear, too!
“Klifford?”
He answered calmly. “The wound is not life-threatening, but it is serious. Without first aid, the bird cannot be saved. If left as is, the bird will suffer and die. I will put it out of its misery.”
That’s your interpretation?! I mean, yeah, that is one way of thinking about it, but still!
I said, “While that could work, isn’t there a more compassionate option?”
See? Guy is nodding his head eagerly, too!
“But nobody knows how to give first aid to wrevens,” Klifford argued.
But there is somebody! Right here!
“There’s somebody right here. Guy, you know how, I take it?”
“Uhh… Well, I only read about it in a book and got an idea in my head…”
After a pause, Klifford asked me, “Why do you want to save the wreven?”
“Well, because I want to, of course.” Klifford assumed a dubious frown, to which I replied, “Also, because I have the power to do so.”
I held Blackfeather beneath a smug grin.
“A power…which others lack?” he pressed.
“I suppose,” I said with a nod.
Well…the main reason I wanted to save the wreven was because of that hypothetical story about saving an injured cat that the mysterious young man told me when I died and wanted to come back to life.
I thought, Huh, that hypothetical looks an awful lot like what I’m seeing now.
But this isn’t a matter of money; rather, what sort of situation I’m in to help. In IRL terms, it would be like happening upon an injured animal in the road on the way to school—on finals day! And you can’t be late…versus it happening on a lazy afternoon when you’ve got no plans. Totally different in scale.
And now, I am Octavia, hear me roar!
I have no aversions to wrevens! In fact, Blackfeather is my emotional support fan every day! It is a necessity, as far as I’m concerned! And who birthed my Blackfeather? Wrevens, good sir!
On color alone, they resembled crows. But seeing one up close like this, it didn’t look very birdlike…it was just a completely different shape. As for its floofy feathers… Well, I don’t know much about birds, so I can’t make a comparison. Anyway, when faced with a genuine wreven bird, I didn’t feel even slightly ominous vibes.
Gun to my head, though, I’d probably say it’s the wreven’s kaw? That’s definitely distinctive. If I heard it at night, I’d probably find it creepy.
“This little fella was lucky…”
Except the part where it took an arrow to the wing.
But it was…lucky…
“You were just unlucky.”
Saying the exact opposite of the words I heard when I died…was a strange feeling.
“Absolutely, Your Highness.”
Klifford slid his sword back into its sheath.
Good, good. Your sword hilt has black feathers dancing off its tassel. Killing a wreven with that sword would be a bit…gauche.
“W-well then, I’ll just grab the wreven and—” But as soon as Guy tried to gently grab the wreven, it flapped its uninjured wing and jerked its injured wing in a grand escape. Fast little bugger.
Ooh, now it’s coming to me! Maybe I should just catch it myself. We keep more than horses in the castle stables, we also raise hens and have a vet on retainer!
Be that as it may, a thread of worry formed in my mind.
The vet…would tend to a wreven, right? And if the vet refused, I could always use my Princess Privilege to push it through!
I crouched down and reached out to the charging wreven with both hands…however!
Klifford lunged in from the side, capturing the wounded creature with one arm. After putting up a brief struggle, the bird folded its wings and became as docile as a pet cat.
Is this another one of Klifford’s cheats? Does he have the bird-taming skill?
Cradled in Klifford’s arm, the wreven looked straight at me and cocked its head.
Ooh, look… I didn’t know wrevens had bluish-gray eyes!
“Wow, little fella has a very unusual eye color,” Guy blurted out in surprise.
“Really?”
“Yes, Your Highness. They’re usually brown. Oh, I can carry him! I c-couldn’t let an esteemed royal knight such as yourself carry it…”
Why not? Oh, wait, from Guy’s POV, Klifford is his superior. He might feel awkward making him do all the work.
“Very well, you may take the bird.”
I glanced at Klifford. Reading my signal, he handed Guy the wreven. Guy carefully took the bird, copying Klifford’s technique and taking it with one arm.
“Ow-ow-ow!”
But the bird clamped his wrist in its beak. Muttering, “But the book said…grip it this way…like this…,” under his breath, Guy finally managed to secure the bird with both hands. The wreven settled down, seemingly unbothered by the way it was being held. Behold the power of How to Tame Your Wreven! I think I’ll borrow a copy myself…
Guy heaved a sigh of relief.
“Let’s take him to the stable,” I suggested. “The wreven must be examined.”
“Yes, Princess! I shall accompany you,” Guy eagerly replied.
But then it happened—
I heard a sound. A heavy sound.
I turned and looked in the direction of the sound.
My eyes shot open.
The side gate…was moving!
And simultaneously, the fence keeping the gate shut had begun to move.
Just like me, Guy was staring at the scene in disbelief. Klifford was the only unsurprised one among us. Still, he watched the gate with caution.
In time, the fence rose, and the drawbridge was now walkable. And beyond the bridge, now no longer hidden from view, were two human silhouettes.
They were both on horseback, wearing cloaks with thick hoods. Their horses crossed the drawbridge. The figure in front removed his hood the moment he finished crossing.
It’s him… It has to be him, right?
Hope and excitement filled my chest.
Spilling out of the lowered hood were golden tresses, and the face beneath them was clear as day. It was an angel with beautiful emerald-green eyes—my baby brother.
It was Alec.
Our eyes met.
Feeling something fiery well in my chest, I couldn’t stand still any longer.
“Alec!”
“Sister!”
The doctor’s warning flew out of my mind. I just made a beeline straight for Alec.
We weren’t even that far away, but he felt so distant.
Almost there…almost there—
And as Alec finished dismounting his horse, I flung my arms around him.
“……”
Alec spread his arms wide and hugged me back, burying his face in my shoulder. Is he…trembling?
“Alec…?” I whispered, gently rubbing his back. “What…happened?”
His face still buried in my shoulder, Alec shook his head.
“Nothing… I’m okay.”
The other silhouetted figure was Randal, Alec’s bodyguard. He dismounted, removed his hood, and stood silently at the ready.
Something must have happened… They departed with a larger party. Why are there only two of them now?
Alec repeated himself.
“Nothing happened… My mission was a success…” I sensed a silent “however” hanging at the end of his sentence. In a frail voice, he continued, “I broke my promise to you, Sister…I broke the pinkie swear…”
“But you’ve come back safe and sound.”
“But I promised I would come back in ten days…and I didn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Alec…”
“…” But Alec fell silent. He was devastated.
I caressed his hair. I could tell he had come back as quickly as he could. His golden locks were caked with dust.
“Well, then…would you like me to stick a needle in your eye?”