IBDFSML Chapter 11

 

 

Clatter, clatter—

 

The carriage of Noel, the head of the merchant guild, swiftly exited the Grand Duke’s estate.

 

Before long, the carriage entered the heart of Lafren, the central city of the grand duchy.

 

The merchant guild head, who had anxiously watched through the window the entire time they were leaving the estate, finally let out a sigh of relief and spoke.

 

“Whew, looks like I was just being paranoid.”

 

“It seems the Grand Duchess and the Northerners were more gullible than we thought. I was honestly worried we’d end up kidnapped and tortured in some underground prison…”

 

“It’s too soon to relax. There could still be someone tailing us. Let’s linger in the city for a bit before moving on. We’ll need to stock up on food for the journey anyway.”

 

“Good idea. I was planning to buy that famous anti-wrinkle ice cream from the North. Sonya, want to go shopping with Mom and Dad?”

 

“Mmm, no! Sonya’s going to stay here and play with the fairy~!”

 

Sonya hugged the birdcage that I was inside and hummed a cheerful tune.

 

“…Dear, are you sure it’s okay to leave the cage with Sonya? Didn’t you say that expensive bird cost as much as a house?”

 

“That’s right. Perdicaius has been specially trained to return to this cage no matter the situation—even in unexpected emergencies or bad weather. As long as the cage isn’t damaged, he’ll find his way back.”

 

“That’s a relief, then. Sonya, did you hear what Daddy said? It’s wrapped in a blanket, but it’s still a very expensive item, so you must handle it with extra care.”

 

“Okay! Sonya will protect it with all her might!”

 

Shortly afterward, the merchant guild head and his wife left the carriage together, looking every bit the loving couple.

 

I murmured in disbelief.

 

“They just pulled off a massive scam on the North, and now they’re going off shopping like it’s no big deal? Are they serious?”

 

I couldn’t tell if they were incredibly bold or just plain reckless.

 

‘If it’s that Grand Duchess, there’s no way she was fooled by such a shallow trick.’

 

I knew full well from the original story how cunning and shrewd the Grand Duchess was, so I could say with confidence.

 

Even at the dinner party last night, the cold smile and piercing gaze she gave didn’t look like someone who was buying into their story.

 

‘Like the guild head said, there’s probably at least one or two people tailing us right now.’

 

It was likely that the Northerners were only pretending to believe the scam, quietly tracking them to find out where the stolen supplies were hidden and planning to intercept them.

 

Since the merchant guild had been the ones to start this scheme, even if the Northerners ended up openly snatching the goods right from under their noses, they wouldn’t be able to say a word. And if they succeeded, the North would essentially get half the supplies at a bargain—so it’d be a massive win for them.

 

‘In the end, whoever retrieves the smuggled goods first wins.’

 

It was a game of pretending not to see while watching everything.

 

“Well, whatever. It’s not like it has anything to do with me or Sion anyway.”

 

I shrugged off the thought.

 

The real urgent issue was me. Stuck in this birdcage, captured by a little snot-nosed kid, with no way out—yeah, that was the real problem here.

 

“Hmm, what do I do?”

 

I lifted the cloak draped over the cage and took a peek outside the carriage.

 

Though it was temporarily stopped, once the merchant couple returned, it would continue moving further and further away from the Grand Duke’s estate.

 

I had to come up with a plan—fast.

 

“There’s gotta be something I can do…”

 

Just then, I heard vendors shouting outside the carriage.

 

“Iced coffee on sale! True Northerners beat the cold with cold! If you’re a real ‘ice-lover,’ this is for you!”

 

“Frozen treats! So cold it’ll break your molars if you’re not careful! You’ve got to try this!”

 

“Farm-fresh eggs, delivered straight from the source~! Three silver coins per tray! Can’t beat these prices!”

 

At that moment, Sonya’s stomach gave a loud growl.

 

“Ugh… Sonya’s hungry…”

 

My eyes lit up.

 

I quickly pressed my face between the bars of the cage and called out to her.

 

“Hey, kid.”

 

Sonya jumped in surprise and looked down at me.

 

“F-Fairy!?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Did… did you just call Sonya?”

 

“Yep.”

 

Looking down at the trembling little girl, overwhelmed with emotion, I put on my most serious, dignified expression and said.

 

“Kid, you’re hungry right now, aren’t you?”

 

“Y-yeah… but it’s okay. Mom and Dad will be back with lots of yummy stuff.”

 

I snorted.

 

“Pfft, seriously? Depending on your mommy for food? Pathetic. I mean, can a kid who can’t even feed herself really be worthy of taking care of this fairy?”

 

Sonya looked shocked, eyes wide. Her lips trembled as she replied,

 

“N-no! Sonya stayed behind to protect the fairy…”

 

“Liar.”

 

“I’m not lying…!”

 

“Then prove it.”

 

“H-How?”

 

“Go out with me and get some food.”

 

“With the fairy?”

 

“Yep. But first, let me out of here. I’ll come with you.”

 

Sonya puffed up her cheeks like a toad.

 

“…No.”

 

“Ugh, why not?”

 

“If I let you out, you’ll run away.”

 

“I won’t. Why would I run?”

 

“But yesterday you tried to fly away—whoosh~! I saw it! That’s why I caught you! So now you’re mine. I’m gonna raise you! Hmph!”

 

‘…Great.’

 

Just as expected, this kid wasn’t dumb—and she was stubborn.

 

I quickly switched tactics.

 

“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll stay right here and behave.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Yup. But in exchange, you go by yourself.”

 

“…By myself?”

 

I flopped dramatically across the bottom of the cage and groaned.

 

“Yeah. You’re not the only one who’s hungry. I’ve been stuck in here since yesterday without a single bite, thanks to you. Go get some food—for me.”

 

“…Fairy, are you hungry?”

 

I repeated the food items I’d heard vendors shouting earlier.

 

“Go get iced coffee, a frozen treat, and a tray of eggs. Not the old stuff, either—fresh ones, just made.”

 

“…Ice… pee? Ice snack? Sonya doesn’t know those…”

 

“Tsk. There’s no way you don’t know.”

 

“Really! Sonya doesn’t know!”

 

“So you’re okay with this fairy starving to death? Huh?”

 

I clutched my stomach and rolled around the cage, groaning dramatically.

 

“Ughhh! I can’t take it anymore! I’m so hungry I might disappear! If I don’t eat those foods right now, I’ll vanish into thin air! Ughhhh!”

 

“V-vanish?”

 

Sonya didn’t know what the word meant, so I hurried to explain.

 

“Vanish means I’ll disappear forever! Gone! Poof!”

 

“N-no way! Fairy!!!”

 

Panicked, Sonya turned pale and started to cry. Then she sprang to her feet.

 

“Fairy! Hold on! Sonya’s gonna go get you food right now!”

 

“Okay… but remember! Only the fresh stuff, not the ones that have been sitting out—”

 

“Got it!!”

 

“Don’t run! You might fall, so go sloooowly, super sloooowly.”

 

“Okay!!!”

 

Sonya flung the carriage door open.

 

Suddenly, this tiny girl leapt out of the carriage and took off running. The servants standing around were thrown into chaos.

 

“M-Miss Sonya!?”

 

“Wait! Where are you going!?”

 

“Everyone, after the young lady!”

 

“Coachman! You stay here and guard the carriage!”

 

And just like that, Sonya and the servants disappeared into the crowd.

 

Now, I was finally alone in the carriage.

 

“…Heh. Hehehe. Hehehehehe…”

 

I dusted myself off and stood up, chuckling with admiration at my own cleverness.

 

“Nice. I got rid of the baggage.”

 

Now I just needed to figure out how to escape from this birdcage.

 

I tried activating my fangirl skill just in case, but—just as I feared—my energy drained instantly, and nothing happened.

 

“Hmm… if that’s the case…”

 

I cautiously peeked out the window.

 

The streets were filled with passersby, but I couldn’t just recklessly call for help.

 

‘Because there’s something called the law of conservation of craziness.’*

 

There were plenty of lunatics in real life—there was no way this novel world would be any different.

 

If I made the mistake of calling out to the wrong person, I could end up in a genre shift disaster, just like Garen warned me.

 

“Which means… there’s only one option left.”

 

I fixed my eyes on the cage and took a deep breath. Then I backed up as far as I could—and hurled myself against the bars with all my might.

 

Thud—!

 

“Ack…!”

 

The cage didn’t budge.

 

“A-again!”

 

I flung myself again with all my strength.

 

Same result.

 

“Hah… hah… Damn it. What the hell is this thing made of!?”

 

All that talk about it being expensive and specially trained—seems the cage itself was made of some kind of reinforced alloy or magic metal.

 

“Damn it.”

 

I stamped my feet in frustration.

 

I had to escape before the little brat came back.

 

Climbing in desperation, I scrambled all the way to the top of the cage.

 

That’s when I saw it.

 

“Huh?”

 

Through the carriage window—on the other side of the main road—I spotted a tall, dark silhouette.

 

A man in a black robe, mounted on a horse.

 

“Is that… someone the Grand Duchess sent to follow them?”

 

His face was hidden beneath his hood, but he was clearly watching this carriage.

 

But then—

 

“…Wait.”

 

Something about that figure looked very familiar.

 

No way.

 

“Sion……?”

 

I mumbled blankly. Then I quickly shook my head.

 

“No way.”

 

Ridiculous.

 

There’s no way Sion—who couldn’t even leave the annex freely—would suddenly show up in the middle of the city like this.

 

It had to be a hallucination—my fan-craving delusion acting up again.

 

Besides, there was absolutely no reason Sion would go through the trouble and danger of looking for me himself.

 

If anything…

 

“He’s probably relieved I’m gone.”

 

I had been annoying him quite a lot these past few days.

 

I glanced back out the window—and the robed figure was already gone.

 

“…Thought so.”

 

Of course, I told myself, slumping back down to the floor.

 

I was just about to resume plotting my next move when—

 

Bang—!

 

“…..?!”

 

The carriage door suddenly burst open—and a dark silhouette stepped inside.

 

It was the same robed man from earlier.

 

 

🍓; *This line humorously refers to the idea that the total number of crazy (or weird) people in the world stays constant—if one disappears, another shows up to replace them.