AT night, nocturnal animals flocked toward Mr. Vil. There was an owl on his right shoulder, a horned owl on his left, and a family of weasels following him.
“Um, Mr. Vil, I’ve been curious, but are all these animals…yours?” I asked.
“Huh? No. I’ve no clue where they come from.”
He apparently was well-liked by animals ever since he was a kid. He’d looked into it before, but all he could conclude was that this was some sort of gift bestowed upon him by God. Is a blessing some kind of special ability that few people receive? I wondered. I’d heard stories that heroes, saintesses, and those destined to be kings would receive this sort of blessing, but I felt so detached from any of that. I would’ve never expected anyone so close to me to be blessed.
“Frankly, it’s troublesome to be forced to have a blessing like this,” he grumbled.
“Animals have never really liked me, so I do envy you.”
“I’d like to give this power to you, blessing and all.”
Whenever he scolded a student for breaking a rule, rabbits would often follow him, which really undermined his authority. Even when he was indoors, animals flocked to his window and stared at him intently, distracting him immensely.
“Is that so… But surely, everyone’s voiced how envious they are,” I said.
“No, you’ve been the first to mention it, Ritual.”
“I-I see…”
Looks like everyone else pretends to look the other way. Should I have done that, too? I felt bad for not reading the room—when I inspected the animals around him more closely, I realized they were magical creatures.
“They’re not just regular animals…” I muttered.
“So it seems. If wild animals liked me too, I wouldn’t be able to lead a normal life.”
I imagined Mr. Vil frozen in place, surrounded by squirrels, and let out a small giggle.
“Oh… I’m sorry,” I said. “This is no laughing matter for you.”
“I’d rather you laugh away,” he replied. “I’d feel better about it than have you whisper behind my back.”
Though I didn’t know what family he came from, it seemed he was a high enough rank that everyone tried to earn his favor and was abundantly careful with their words. And I related to how much I preferred a frank person to someone who awkwardly tried to get on my good side.
“Do the animals listen to your orders?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Have you never tried to talk or play with them?”
“Of course not.”
Though they were magical creatures, it wasn’t as though they were his familiars. They meant no harm, so he treated them like they didn’t exist.
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
“Er, I just thought that you might be able to ask them to look into the poisoning,” I said.
“That’s an impossible ask.”
You think so? The animals that gazed at him all hummed with energy as though they awaited his command.
“Um, could you try it out, at least?” I pushed.
Mr. Vil turned to the animals. Perhaps he felt overwhelmed by their glittering eyes as well. With a reluctant sigh, he crouched down and spoke to the family of weasels that had been tailing him.
“Could you guys look into the poison that’s been tormenting me?” he requested.
A magic circle appeared above the weasels before it popped.
“Squeak!” the weasels cried. They turned right like seasoned soldiers and scampered off into the darkness.
“Um… Mr. Vil… You saw that magic circle, didn’t you?” I asked.
“I did…” he muttered. “It’s one that indicates a contract…”
“Which means…”
The magical creatures who approached him were under his contract.
“I’d been told that it was just a blessing that made me popular with animals…” he muttered.
“Maybe it actually allows you to form contracts with wild magical creatures,” I guessed.
An unlimited magical creature subscription!
Meanwhile, Mr. Vil turned to the owls on his shoulders and made the same request. A magic circle appeared above them before they flew off into the night sky.
“Well, that seals the deal,” I said.
“I can hardly believe it…” he groaned.
Still, this was a huge plus. He could use animals and sneakily investigate.
“I think you should tell your uncle about the poisoning as well,” I suggested. “He suffers from the same symptoms, doesn’t he?”
“You’re right,” Mr. Vil replied. His face darkened, likely thinking about the possibility that someone close to him was after his and his uncle’s lives.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Vil,” I said firmly. “I’m on your side! You’ve got Gem and Professor Whipp, too! We’ll help you out whenever you need it!”
I gripped his hands and stared into his eyes, hoping to send him some energy. My family often did this for me during my exams, reassuring me that I would surely get in and that I had nothing to worry about. They filled me with energy and courage.
“Thank you, Ritual,” he said.
The biggest worry was that someone was lacing his food with poison.
“What will you do about meals?” I asked. “I have breakfast with a friend, and I make bentos for lunch.”
“You need not worry about breakfast and lunch. I’ll handle it somehow.”
He claimed that he’d investigate who was poisoning him, and he had some canned and preserved food in his room. He would be fine for a while.
“But for dinner, I’ll be in your care,” he said.
“Of course,” I replied. “You can count on me for dinnertime.”
Professor Whipp gave me more money to cover food expenses, and I wanted to prepare the best dishes to help cheer Mr. Vil up.