Chapter 41
Ivi quietly crept up behind Kalik, who was sitting cross-legged and plopping down onto the floor.
“Ugh, it’s so dusty here.”
What could he possibly be doing in a place like this?
But Kalik wasn’t alone.
He was gently stroking something in front of him.
“That’s it, good job. Take your time eating.”
Ivi’s ears perked up at the shockingly gentle voice.
Who on earth was he talking to?
Curious, Ivi tried to get closer.
“Beep!”
Thud! Shiver…
A dagger vibrated in front of Ivi’s feet.
Startled, Ivi jumped and clutched his pounding heart.
Kalik, who had thrown the dagger without even looking, slowly turned his head. He raised one eyebrow crookedly.
“You dodged it. Tch.”
“…?”
“W-what?!”
Ivi, feeling a surge of irritation, clenched his fist.
I’ll get you next time. Not today, but next time.
Kalik looked at Ivi dismissively, but he lightly moved his hand to cover something with a roughly made curtain, as if trying to hide it.
“…Huh?”
Ivi, puzzled, moved closer, and Kalik scowled.
“Go away.”
At the same time, pheromones radiated threateningly from Kalik.
“…!”
Sniff sniff. Ivi’s nose twitched as he inhaled the long-missed, pleasant pheromones.
Immediately, his body filled with a healthy energy!
Feeling almost addicted, Ivi’s eyes rolled back.
“Chuu!”
Boing!
“Ah?!”
Kalik panicked as Ivi suddenly climbed up his leg.
“Hey, aren’t you going to let go?”
He tried to grab Ivi, but the normally calm little creature moved with surprising speed.
In the blink of an eye, Ivi dashed across Kalik’s knees, stomach, chest, back—even the top of his head.
Every time Kalik tried to catch him, Ivi narrowly avoided his grasp.
“What the—? When I was being nice— pfft. Hahaha.”
Because the tiny one was darting all over his body, Kalik even started tickling.
Realizing he laughed without meaning to, Kalik’s face turned red. He struggled fiercely to grab Ivi.
“This is—really killing me!?”
“Chuu-chuch!”
At that moment, Kalik’s hand caught the curtain.
The poorly hanging curtain immediately fell.
“Ah!”
Startled, Kalik frantically used his body to cover whatever was behind it.
But Ivi easily clung to Kalik’s back and could see what he was trying to hide.
“Chut?”
That tall, long-necked animal—
“A horse?”
Why was he so desperately trying to hide it instead of keeping it in the stable?
“Wait, that’s…”
Ivi’s eyes widened.
“Beep!?”
W-why does the horse have six eyes?!
And unlike a normal horse, its body was purple.
“Could it be a monster?!”
As Ivi froze, Kalik, who had been desperately hiding it, messed up his hair in frustration.
He growled and grabbed Ivi, who had stopped in shock.
“If you tell anyone what you just saw, you’re dead.”
“Chuu, chuch.”
Nodding repeatedly, promising to keep the secret, Kalik’s sharp gaze finally softened.
“Pfft…? (Can I let go now…?)”
“…”
Ivi tapped Kalik’s hand.
Kalik looked at the tiny Ivi in his hand in amazement, then gently squeezed him.
Each time, Ivi’s plump cheeks squished from side to side.
“Beep. …Try misbehaving again.”
Feeling triumphant, Kalik let Ivi go.
“Ugh, my fur.”
Ivi quickly turned his head and fluffed his fur.
Watching him, Kalik plopped down, then grabbed a handful of nuts from Ivi’s snack jar and offered them to the horse-monster.
The horse-shaped creature began nibbling on the nuts in Kalik’s hand.
“…Do you know what this is?”
“Chuuu.”
“This is a monster called Nebula.”
“Chuu! (I knew it!)”
“Not an ordinary horse—you could say he’s a real gentleman. And his danger level is Class 1.”
“…!”
Class 1 danger?
Is it really okay to hide such a monster like this?
“Now that you know, you have to help me hide him too. That makes you an accomplice.”
“Chuch?!”
W-what kind of thing is that?
“Don’t want to?”
Kalik smirked, dagger in hand.
It seemed playful, but if Ivi said no, he might actually strike.
“…Chuu!”
No, I love being an accomplice!
Ivi gave a fake smile and thumbed up, though her lips twitched in annoyance.
Kalik snorted and looked at Nebula.
“Eat more, okay?”
“Purr.”
Nebula turned away from the nuts in Kalik’s hand, barely touching them.
“Doesn’t look like he has an appetite.”
Ivi cautiously observed Nebula.
Despite his scary appearance, his face and limbs were thin, though his belly was oddly round.
“…Chuu?”
Is he sick, maybe?
Ivi tilted her head in curiosity, and Kalik frowned.
“None of your business.”
“Chuch? (You said we’re accomplices?)”
Ivi pointed back and forth between Kalik and herself.
Kalik, realizing her meaning, reluctantly softened his expression.
“…Tch, he’s been sick for a while.”
His black curly hair drooped.
“I should have left the academy sooner.”
“…Chuu?”
Left? Wasn’t he suspended?
‘I thought he blew up the academy buildings.’
Ivi gasped.
“Did he purposely get suspended?!”
Seeing Ivi’s shocked face, Kalik’s eyes gleamed cunningly.
“It’s hard to hide a monster in a place so strict. And since he was sick and refusing food, I had no choice. But I couldn’t return to the castle during the term, could I?”
Kalik chuckled smugly.
“So I destroyed a few buildings and came home. Also crushed some annoying people in the process. Seeing them panic like ants was hilarious.”
“…!”
So that’s why his nickname was the “violent bastard”!
Ivi, whose courage had hardened from the supplements, now felt it crumbling.
She slowly moved away from Kalik.
Kalik stopped grinning devilishly and sadly stroked Nebula.
“I thought he’d eat better at home… but he still won’t eat. He’s going to starve, damn it…”
“Purr.”
Nebula licked Kalik’s hand as if comforting him.
A faint smile appeared on Kalik’s face, kind and gentle, without any hint of annoyance.
‘So he can make that face too.’
Before the time rewind, people had talked about Kalik.
“They say he doesn’t ride horses and goes around as a wolf? Like a beast,” the servants had laughed.
Ivi had thought they were exaggerating.
‘But now… it really seems that way.’
If Nebula died, Kalik would struggle to control his pheromones, and could become violent.
He had actually gone berserk before, she heard.
‘This might be more stressful than I thought. It’s better for the duke to handle this.’
Ivi wanted to stay on Kalik’s good side for her own safety, but if she got caught hiding a monster from the duke, it would be worse.
‘Yeah. Sorry, but this isn’t something kids can handle.’
Deciding this, Ivi saw Kalik stroking Nebula while smiling.
What a fool. He doesn’t know it’s a dying monster yet he’s caring for it so devotedly.
Why is he getting so worked up over something no one else would even bother with?
“….”
Ivi washed her face in frustration and lifted her head.
“Chupit!”
She ran to Kalik and stood proudly on her two feet, tapping her chest.
“Chuch-chut!”
Let’s be accomplices!
Looking down at Ivi standing firmly, Kalik squinted one eye.
“What? Challenging me?”
“Chuch.”
No, you idiot!
Ivi glared with her eyes, then pretended to eat and pointed at Nebula.
“…You mean you can feed Nebula?”
“Chut!”
“How? We’ve already tried all the ingredients in the storage.”
Ivi jumped and started writing on Kalik’s palm.
“What… what is this…”
Startled, Kalik tried to pull his hand away but realized she was writing and held firm, his ears turning red.
[Have you ever made nutritional food before?]
“…No. I don’t know how. Monsters usually eat raw.”
So he’d been feeding it raw ingredients all along.
‘But if he has no appetite, maybe we should try making food a monster would like.’
Including medicine if possible.
[I’ll help with medicine and nutritional food.]
“…You, how?”
Ivi expected him to sneer, but Kalik surprisingly asked sincerely, like grabbing at a straw.
“Can you make medicine? Cook? …With that body?”
“Chuch.”
Ivi tapped her chest again.
Don’t worry, just follow me!
“Chuu… (For now…)”
Ivi looked around the dusty barn where Nebula was.
With furniture piled carelessly, being here could cause new illnesses.
Seeing Ivi silent, Kalik explained nervously.
“I-I got suspended and was warned by my father. I can’t skip training at the knight order, so I don’t have time to come here often.”
“Chuu.”
So someone would need to care for Nebula while Kalik was away—someone knowledgeable about monsters or at least horses.
Maybe the chief stablehand at the duke’s workshop?
But she couldn’t just ask for help. Hiding a dangerous monster recklessly could get her in trouble with the duke.
‘Bribes won’t work either.’
Previously, the Marquis Gallion’s gang sent hush money, but it all went to the Noctis ducal family.
All Ivi had was a significant amount of gold and the Richet Plains the duke had given her.
‘Not exactly a small fortune!’
Even that was managed by the duke’s family for her, so she couldn’t spend it freely.
Meaning, there’s nothing to really bribe someone with.
“Chuch.”
Then…
‘We’ll make it so they have no choice but to help!’
Ivi scampered back onto Kalik’s hand and started writing.
Kalik almost laughed at the ticklish sensation but quickly pretended not to.
When Ivi finished writing, Kalik’s expression was stunned.
“…The little one is clever, huh?”
“Chuuung!”
This should work, right?
Ivi’s eyes shone brightly, delighted at the praise.
