MFWSP 79

Chapter 79

“…You have very sharp eyes.”

Karsiel, who seemed briefly flustered, spoke.

“Ruten hasn’t fully recovered from the injuries he sustained during the war.”

Though it was a short assessment, there was a look of genuine curiosity in Karsiel’s eyes as he observed Lin and Kyle.

“You have a rather peculiar bird. What is it?”

“This is a monster called an ‘Elka.’ It can mimic every sound in the world—even ones it’s never heard before. Want to hear a lion’s roar?”

Kyle pulled out some food from his pocket and fed it to the three-eyed bird, which began making strange cries.

It neighed like a horse, growled like a dog, chirped like insects, then cackled in Kyle’s own voice—before finally letting out a thunderous lion’s roar.

“…Incredible.”

Karsiel widened his eyes.

“But Iris noona said she wanted to see it follow commands properly. Right now, it’s doing whatever it wants.”

Kyle sighed deeply as he petted the bird.

“Elkas are temperamental, hard to train, sickly, and have short lifespans. So I’ve been trying to crossbreed it with David hyung’s parrot. Maybe the next generation will inherit only the good traits?”

“That was your idea?”

As Kyle babbled on with his explanation, Karsiel lowered his voice and asked me.

“Well, I was just fascinated that a monster could mimic voices,” I replied vaguely. There was no need to explain everything just yet.

“I never imagined training or breeding it. Honestly, I thought even catching one would be impossible. Elkas move as fast as light.”

“You caught it? Which guild do you need to go through to catch such a monster? Not even the imperial palace or the monster-breeding Marquis of Ludes has one.”

Karsiel looked back and forth between Kyle, the Elka, and me in disbelief.

“It wasn’t through a guild,” Kyle said.

“When we visited the Apellemion estate, Lin noona and Rishian hyung caught it for me. There was only this one left, and it was sick—on the verge of extinction in the area.”

“Those two…?”

“Yup!” Kyle kept feeding the bird and chattering.

“Rishian hyung caught it using the net Lin noona designed!”

“I thought he was a swordsman because of his wooden sword, but he’s also a bird hunter?”

“He’s both. He can catch anything.”

Karsiel gave me a baffled look.

“It’s true. Rishian’s more creative than knights raised in noble families,” I said with a proud smile.

My Rishian really is amazing.

“He can fight anything that moves.”

“Anything that moves…”

Karsiel looked at Rishian with great interest.

Rishian stared back with a hint of hostility in his eyes.

Sensitive guy.

It seemed the title “bird hunter” had rubbed him the wrong way.

“If you’re curious, want to try me?” Rishian suddenly challenged Karsiel.

“If you can’t use your sword properly, I’ll take your guard instead.”

“How dare you! That’s Prince Karsiel—the first prince who commands the imperial army and defends our empire’s borders!”

Ruten furrowed his brows, but Rishian just smirked as if daring him to say more.

“I’m curious too, but today’s not the day,” Karsiel calmly declined.

“As the kid said, Ruten hasn’t fully healed. And I don’t send injured men into duels.”

“With just one foot—or even just one toe—I could crush someone like him.”

Ruten growled.

“You’re promising to use only your foot now?”

Rishian replied with a crooked grin.

“Iris, tie his hands up and let me duel him. If he so much as twitches a finger, I win.”

“You rascal! Have you no pride as a swordsman?”

“What? Getting cold feet? You should stand by your words.”

“Boooring. Duels aren’t fun. If you’re curious, want to see how I catch a bird?” Kyle jumped in cheerfully between them.

“What?”

Ignoring Rishian’s stunned face, Kyle impulsively tossed the Elka into the air.

“Fly, my bird!”

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

Rishian shouted, but it was too late.

The Elka was already screeching and flying through the study at light speed.

“Chirp! Rrrr! Rishian hyung, you fool!”

It zoomed across the ceiling, making bizarre noises.

“What have you been saying to it, Kyle?” Rishian gave Kyle a playful thump, but Kyle was already distracted.

“Oh, right! It doesn’t like Iris noona. She gave it a bitter medicine last time.”

“What?”

Rishian’s eyes sharpened as Kyle scratched his head.

“SKREEE!”

As soon as their conversation ended, the Elka perched briefly between the bookshelves and then screeched as it spotted me.

“Now that I think about it, it might actually be dangerous if it attacks seriously…”

Sure enough, the Elka began flapping violently, producing a sound like a rushing waterfall.

Naturally, its target was me.

Whoosh—

It darted toward me with immense speed, and I had no time to dodge.

Karsiel drew a dagger and prepared to throw it. Ruten, protecting his flank, gripped his sword.

But Rishian had already leapt in front of me.

“Goddamn—”

Swoosh! Screech! SQUAWK!

The Elka didn’t fly in a straight line. As if to confuse its path, it darted side to side like a rubber ball bouncing between walls.

And Rishian, as if reading its every move, stepped forward and swung his wooden sword.

Smack—

“Squawk!”

Struck in the head, the Elka momentarily retreated before diving straight at me again from above.

“Damn it!”

Rishian’s eyes shifted momentarily to the right—where a tense Ruten was standing.

Then, as if making up his mind, Rishian ran toward Ruten while keeping his eyes locked on the Elka.

Whish—Smack.

Using Ruten’s shoulder as a springboard, he soared into the air.

At the same time, he discarded his sword and reached out toward the Elka.

“Squawk! Oh no—!”

Just as the Elka tried to change direction again, it was firmly caught in Rishian’s hand.

He landed heavily on the carpet.

The Elka, squirming furiously in his grip like a defeated enemy, glared.

“Kyle! Think before you act!”

“S-sorry! I thought if I let it loose, you’d catch it like always…”

“I’m confiscating this! No—I’m roasting it and eating it!”

“Noooo! Give me back my Lulu!”

Rishian’s fierce glare made Kyle tear up and reach out for the bird.

Karsiel simply stood still, eyes fixed on Rishian.

He seemed calm, but his dilated pupils betrayed his surprise.

Ruten was dumbfounded, massaging the shoulder Rishian had stepped on.

“So this is what it means to fight anything that moves,” Karsiel said with a chuckle of disbelief.

“Speed, directional changes, rapid judgment, bold movement… If he weren’t yours, I would’ve wanted him for myself.”

“Everyone who sees Rishian wants him,” I replied, nodding.

“But I saw him first.”

“I thought the duke was an odd person at first,” Karsiel muttered softly so only I could hear.

“But it seems people like you attract others like you. I suppose that means you have an extraordinary eye for talent.”

He shook his head, still in disbelief.

“I can’t help but be impressed. By you.”

“They’re all people who align with me well. They’re very dear to me,” I said, smiling proudly at my three little geniuses.

Meanwhile, Kyle had taken the Elka back from Rishian and was pushing something into its mouth.

“Here, here. Eat this and behave, okay?”

“Squawk… squa—ack.”

The Elka struggled at first, but its eyes soon became dazed and it gradually calmed down.

“Good. It’s working.”

“…What did you feed it?” Karsiel asked.

“Uh… you could call it medicine, or poison. It was originally a cough remedy. It keeps squawking because of a chronic cough.”

Kyle explained brightly.

“Cough medicine? You give that to animals too?”

“Yup. And it helps with training too… but I can’t use too much. Since it’s made from poison, there are side effects.”

“Side effects?”

“If you use it long-term, it becomes stupid. So obedient that it can’t do anything by itself. The cough returns even worse, and it messes up the brain. That’s why I manage the dosage.”

“…What did you just say?”

Karsiel, who had been smiling faintly, suddenly turned stern.

“Huh? I said it clouds judgment if you give too much—”

“That drug—or poison,” Karsiel interrupted, now towering over Kyle, voice cold.

“Is it used on humans too? What’s the exact composition?”

When Kyle hesitated, Karsiel took out a small paper packet from his coat and unfolded it.

Inside was a fine black powder—unclear whether it was tea or medicine.

“Does it contain the same ingredients you just mentioned?”