Chapter 2
“That’s her? The new recruit assigned to Lord Kallian?”
“My goodness…”
“She looks like she won’t even last a month before running away.”
“A month? I give her a week.”
All of that whispering was about me.
Ignoring the murmurs, I sat blankly in a chair in the infirmary.
“To have an accident like this on your very first day…”
The healer, looking at me pitifully, opened a bottle of medicine. Red liquid stained a white cotton ball.
“That made quite a deep hole…”
Kallian’s tiny fangs looked cute, but their power was no joke.
One moment there was a crunch, and somehow there was now a hole in my forehead.
“Does it hurt?”
“…It does.”
“Oh dear.”
Despite the sympathetic tone, the healer’s hands were merciless, smearing red medicine all over my forehead. Before the stinging had even faded, white gauze was slapped over it.
“Don’t let water touch it, so don’t wash your face for a while.”
“…Okay.”
“How unfortunate that you ended up assigned to Lord Kallian…”
The healer clicked their tongue.
Up until then, I had actually thought being thrown into this strange world and starting a new life might be a good thing.
For one, this place called the Divine Beast Management Office was somewhat like an animal hospital.
And it had pulled me away from a reality where no matter how much I struggled, nothing improved.
But the one who completely shattered my optimistic thinking was the talkative healer.
“Have you heard what kind of divine beast Lord Kallian is?”
“No.”
“Well… actually…”
They hesitated.
“No. I shouldn’t say it.”
Then they leaned in anyway.
“But Lord Kallian is the only divine beast in this management office with an S-rank.”
The healer carefully told me facts I really did not want to know.
Divine beasts were animals with special powers.
Some used fire, ice, or wind.
Some specialized in attack, healing, or defense.
Their abilities determined their ranking, and the highest-ranked beasts were managed by the imperial palace.
“Then why… why was an S-rank beast assigned to me? A beginner?”
If Kallian was S-rank, shouldn’t the office be giving him elite care instead of handing him to a complete novice?
The healer pushed up slipping glasses and said gravely,
“Because Lord Kallian…”
“…?”
“…is the worst divine beast.”
Shockingly, despite his high rank, Kallian was infamous as the “worst divine beast.”
“W-Why is he the worst…?”
“Listen carefully.”
The healer kindly began listing Kallian’s past crimes.
Threatening other divine beasts while licking his lips and saying they looked delicious.
Scratching healing-type beasts, then mocking them to heal themselves.
Kidnapping other beasts, abandoning them in high places, and watching for amusement.
And much more.
Apparently, there were too many incidents to tell in one day.
“If Lord Kallian were human, our empire would have fallen already…”
The healer shuddered.
Now I understood why people had been whispering when they saw me.
The angelic face Kallian had while sleeping flashed before my eyes.
“You asked why you were assigned Lord Kallian, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“There is no one in this office who can handle him.”
The healer looked mournful.
“That means…”
“They leave him with clueless new recruits and pretend not to know anything.”
Now I finally understood why I had been scammed into this place.
They simply needed innocent new employees who knew nothing.
Since every existing handler had already gone through Kallian once, this was apparently the only choice.
Ridiculous.
“Anything else you want to ask?”
As I rose blankly from my seat, the healer smiled kindly.
“…Can divine beasts talk?”
“Hm?”
The healer widened their eyes.
Then burst out laughing.
“What nonsense. Even divine beasts can’t talk.”
“But Kallian definitely spoke…”
“I have heard Lord Kallian’s cry sounds cute like a baby’s. Maybe you misunderstood?”
“No, he definitely spoke…”
“Haha, impossible. If someone could talk to divine beasts, the emperor would shower them with rewards and make them something like a ‘Guardian of Divine Beasts,’ granting them wealth and power.”
The healer laughed as if I had told a joke.
…Then what did I hear?
* * *
When I returned after treatment, chaos had already erupted.
“Lorelia, where have you been?!”
My senior grabbed me, face pale.
“What happened?”
“Kallian… Lord Kallian!”
Of course.
The infamous Lord Kallian had caused trouble again.
“He bit my divine beast and ran off!”
Since I had already heard about his crimes, I just looked at my senior like, So what do you expect me to do?
Even veteran handlers couldn’t control him.
“Go catch Lord Kallian right now. If you don’t…”
“…?”
“You’ll be thrown out without a penny in wages.”
Ah.
I had forgotten something important.
I had no house.
No family.
No friends.
I was a stranger in this world.
* * *
A black furball leaped mockingly and vanished.
“Kallian, get down here!”
Something yellow dangled from his mouth.
It hung limp, apparently unconscious from shock.
“Kallian!”
The staff could only crane their necks to stare at the tall tree.
Kallian swayed his tail as if mocking everyone below.
While everyone panicked helplessly—
one person stepped forward with grim determination.
“Move.”
It was the new employee of the Divine Beast Management Office.
Lorelia Leon.
Her reddish hair swayed in the spring breeze.
Small frame.
Baggy uniform.
Firmly pressed lips.
Truly…
She inspires zero confidence.
She didn’t look remotely athletic enough to catch a sleek black panther.
Though Lorelia stepped up boldly, no one expected her to succeed.
“Kallian, come down! The chick is hurting!”
It was an eagle chick, not a chicken.
“If you don’t come down, I’m coming up!”
As if she could even climb that tree.
But Lorelia remained stubborn.
Kallian continued mocking her.
“Hm. That isn’t working.”
Of course not.
Just when the last sliver of hope died—
Lorelia dug into her pocket.
And pulled something out.
A toy ball.
“You think you can resist this?”
The moment she held up the bright red ball, Kallian’s gaze moved instinctively.
Right.
Left.
Back and forth.
His head started following it.
“Yeah… you can’t resist.”
Everyone stared, stunned.
No one had ever seen a divine beast handled like this.
Especially not Kallian, the foul-tempered S-rank beast everyone addressed as “Lord Kallian” just to appease him.
“Well then…”
Lorelia suddenly took a strange stance.
“Fetch!”
The red ball flew through the air.
As everyone’s eyes followed its arc—
Whoosh!
Kallian, lounging in the tree, launched himself after it by pure instinct.
Kallian.
Who seemed like he would never come down.
Actually jumped.
But he was so agile he vanished into bushes where the ball landed.
Lorelia grinned triumphantly and ran after him.
“N-No!”
“If you go there—!”
The staff looked even more horrified than when Kallian caused trouble.
“That’s the Crown Prince’s rear garden…!”
* * *
“Got you, brat!”
I didn’t know how many times I rolled down a low hill past the bushes.
Sharp thorns and stiff leaves had ruined my uniform.
But it was worth it.
Because—
“You little…”
I had a tiny furball in my hands.
Kallian had dropped the chick somewhere and was chewing on the red ball.
The chick was still unconscious.
“How can you carry around such a weak chick like this?!”
I may look like this, but I used to do volunteer work with stray dogs and cats constantly.
Handling one cat was nothing.
[You’re annoying.]
Just as I started scolding him—
[Let go of me, stupid human.]
That voice.
Definitely that voice.
Sharp.
Irritated.
Full of annoyance.
[Humans are all such bothersome creatures.]
Even while complaining, his little paws kept playing with the red ball.
“You… can talk?”
It was definitely Kallian’s voice.
The chick was unconscious.
And in these bushes, it was only Kallian and me.
“You can really talk?”
His mouth stopped chewing the ball.
“But… divine beasts can’t talk?”
Hadn’t the healer said so?
No matter what, divine beasts couldn’t speak.
“How are you talking?”
When I stared directly at him and asked—
Kallian’s little triangular mouth opened slightly.
I could see the two tiny fangs that had pierced my forehead.
A long silence followed.
And then—
“AAAAAHHH!”
[AAAAAHHH!]
We screamed at each other at the same time.
