Chapter 22
My trembling hand reached for the cloak and pushed it aside.
Even at that moment, I was lost in deep thought.
Rendering those thoughts meaningless, Tete was visible inside the cloak, fast asleep.
“Ugh…”
My legs gave way, and I slumped to the floor. I really thought I had lost Tete. Because of a single moment of my carelessness.
‘Just like before.’
“Ugh.”
Perhaps because the tension had drained away. As I regained my senses, my head began to ache as if it would split open.
Through the pain, memories from my early childhood in my previous life came creeping back.
‘… died…!’
‘It’s all your fault.’
They were memories I had buried, telling myself I had forgotten them. But facing a similar situation, I was helplessly swept away by them.
‘Like a fool.’
Trying to push the memories back beneath the surface, I buried my face in my hands and took a deep breath.
I was grateful that Arte, seeing me like this, didn’t open a status window. If I had heard even the ‘ding, ding’ sound, it would have been more agonizing.
‘It’s hard. It hurts.’
But I know there’s no other way. Just as always, I have no choice but to endure this pain alone—
“Meow.”
“Uh…”
At that moment, Tete placed a paw on my arm.
Strangely, with this insignificant force, the hands covering my face dropped to the floor with a soft thud.
“Meow.”
I saw red eyes staring straight at me. For some reason, those eyes seemed to hold concern for me.
***
Rewinding time a bit, after Pieta, transformed into a tiger, appeared before the conman William.
*Thud!*
Pieta looked down at William, who had collapsed before him, with cold eyes.
Fainting just from a bite on the shoulder. How pathetic.
*Swish—*
In an instant, Pieta transformed back into human form and began dragging William somewhere.
It was District 26.
*Scrape, scrape—*
William’s clothes swept through the streets of District 26, the slums filled with garbage.
A few residents with sharp ears came out at the sound but promptly scurried away.
Even though Pieta was no longer in the form of a giant tiger.
*Step, step.*
He wiped the area around his jaw, which was dripping with blood, with his arm and frowned.
When he was a beast, anything was fine, but as a human, it felt strangely unsettling.
After flexing his hand a couple of times, now uncomfortable with the dried blood, he reached a dumpster and threw William inside.
*Thump!*
“Ugh…”
As if his back had hit the dull wall, William let out a pained groan.
Pieta looked down quietly at William. He slowly ran his thumb over his blood-stained lips, his eyes flashing momentarily as if wondering if William might wake up.
“……”
“……”
The surroundings instantly fell into silence. The slums, known to be filled only with violent and mad people.
Yet, even though it was located in the deepest part, not even the sound of an ant could be heard.
It couldn’t be helped.
A man in a black suit, eerily drenched in blood only around his lips.
His red eyes shone particularly brightly in the dimly lit inner slums. His pupils were not human.
The teeth glimpsed between his lips also had sharp fangs, like a beast’s.
As if he might tear William, thrown onto the garbage pile, to pieces at any moment.
How long had it been?
*Step, step.*
Realizing William wouldn’t wake up for at least a day, Pieta turned his steps away.
*Ding.*
[Is it okay to leave him like that?]
Arte, who had been quietly observing him, finally spoke after everything was over.
Pieta stopped and tilted his head slightly.
Through his slowly blinking eyelids, he could see the status window floating about.
“Who knows.”
He answered in a languid tone after a long silence. Arte didn’t particularly make a fuss.
Asking about it was not out of concern for the future, but to sound Pieta out.
It seemed he was still worried that Pieta might change his mind and mercilessly crush William at any moment.
Pieta, well aware of that, calmly suppressed his rising anger.
Simultaneously, his demeanor noticeably relaxed. *Haaam*, he let out a small yawn and wiped the tear forming at the corner of his eye.
Because of that, the not-yet-dry human blood smeared around his eye, but he didn’t care.
However, at Arte’s next words, he stopped dead in his tracks again.
*Ding.*
[If you go like that, Ciela might be horrified…]
“……”
Pieta finally looked at the blood plastered on his hands and around his neck.
While it was a fairly common occurrence when he lived as a beast, it wouldn’t be when he was human.
Moreover, he couldn’t show blood to Ciela, of all people.
“Hmm.”
He blinked his sleepy eyes a couple of times and looked at the status window again.
“Nearby fountain.”
*Ding.*
[If you walk for about 30 minutes in the 8 o’clock direction, there is one.]
Pieta nodded and moved his steps.
*Step, step, step.*
The sound of his shoes squelching against moisture of unknown origin echoed.
By the time the fountain came into view, he had transformed into a small cat.
*Bustle, bustle.*
The streets were crowded with people. However, no one looked at Pieta. He had made himself invisible to humans.
If he hadn’t, the fountain would have turned bloody, and screams would have erupted everywhere.
“……”
He absolutely hated troublesome situations. Pieta plunged *splash* into the fountain and washed off the blood.
It was only a temporary measure, but this much should prevent Ciela from noticing.
*Haaam.*
After roughly shaking off the water, Pieta hopped into Ciela’s carriage.
He didn’t like being wet, so he tried to burrow into the pile of cloaks but fell *thud* to the floor, lacking the energy to climb back up.
Yes. That’s all. He just dozed off for a moment.
“Ugh…”
In his sleep, he heard Ciela’s sigh. His hazy mind snapped to attention in an instant.
“Ugh.”
She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook. Was she crying? Or had the pain started again?
Whatever it was, he had to heal Ciela. The wound on her hand, glimpsed briefly, bothered him.
“Meow.”
He immediately placed a paw on her arm and let a trickle of divine power flow, just enough for her not to notice.
Fortunately, she lowered her arms immediately at his touch. There was no moisture around her eyes. Yet, they were flushed red as if she was about to cry.
He raised his head, intending to rub his face against her cheek and gently pet her like before.
But at that moment.
“……”
“……”
When his eyes met Ciela’s, Pieta couldn’t understand anything.
‘Eyes.’
The eyes, contorted with pain, were still the same, but they were different in nature from before.
Yes. This wasn’t just about physical pain. The emotion clouding her pupils was similar to a wound.
‘From what?’
What on earth had made her suffer so much?
The question was short-lived.
“Tete… as expected, you’re the only one!”
As if it never happened, Ciela’s eyes curved softly as she reached out and pulled Tete into a tight hug.
Her complexion had brightened in an instant. Pieta glanced at Ciela, who was rubbing her cheek against him, and then slowly closed his eyes.
He didn’t know why she had made such a sad face.
“As expected, Tete is the strongest. You’re the best at healing.”
“Meow.”
If you’re okay because of me, then that’s all that matters.
The warm body heat touching his fur. Unconsciously, the corners of Pieta’s mouth twitched upward.
***
Perhaps because we had rushed from District 22 on the outskirts of the capital, by the time we arrived home, it was already dawn, with stars barely twinkling.
After telling Randel he had worked hard, I entered the mansion as quietly as possible.
It was too late, and considering the heap of trouble I caused today, I couldn’t just barge in arrogantly.
‘Can I hide today’s events…’
Hmm, of course not.
At best, it’s already reached my family’s ears, and at worst, they’ll know everything I did by tomorrow.
‘At this rate, won’t I lose everything except Tete again?’
Climbing the stairs stealthily, I recalled my life in the mansion over the past week.
The long-awaited rest was peaceful… but extremely boring.
‘Even the books are mostly uninteresting.’
I thought I’d try to do the things I had planned, but that also ended in glorious failure.
‘All I got was suspicion.’
The things I asked for were just a pen and some letter paper.
‘Did they think I was going to write a complaint accusing the Ducal family of imprisoning me?’
…Well, it’s a guess I came up with myself, but I can’t deny it.
Considering my past self, it’s a very plausible scenario.
So, for the past week, aside from playing with Tete, I couldn’t do anything.
‘But it’s a good thing I got the pen and paper today.’
It’s something I must do for the peaceful days ahead of me.
‘It’s also the first step in settling the debts of my past.’
