ITBFL | Chapter 39

Episode 39

Near the Knights’ Order, where he was last encountered.

And between the village where the one with the sword was found and the Knights’ Order.

Near the Duke of Baltaire’s residence.

And this forest, where people first turned to stone when Cassium came searching for Lagon’s heart.

Among them, the first place to step into was this forest, as it was the best place to start looking for clues from where he had first departed.

‘If someone else had Cassium’s sword, it means they must have picked it up when he turned to stone.’

As Yannis said, taking the sword from Cassium while he was in good condition was nearly impossible.

So, he must have dropped the sword here when he became powerless.

‘Even if it’s just to find that sword—or even if not the sword, at least something else—he will surely return here at some point.’

If he comes back, he will leave some trace.

This was a rule commonly used in catching criminals, but it was also quite effective in searching for Cassium.

‘Should I have stopped by the Knights’ Order and brought the Black Panther Knights?’

That would have helped pinpoint the exact location where Cassium disappeared.

But in my haste, I came here recklessly without properly preparing.

“Where are you, Cassium?”

Golden Bunny turned to look at me.

Come to think of it, Golden Bunny was moving somewhere swiftly.

Since animals often have keener instincts than humans, I decided to follow it for now.

Golden Bunny stopped at a certain spot.

At the edge of the forest, filled with a chilling aura, where the grass had turned to ashes in several places.

‘This place…….’

It was near the cave where Luxkar had been defeated before.

I had also come here with Golden Bunny back then.

‘So that’s why it came here. Because it remembered that time.’

After briefly scanning the surroundings, I took a signal detector from my pocket.

‘Let’s try it here first.’

If Cassium had dropped the signal detector, it would sound from where it was left.

‘Of course, I won’t find it right away…….’

Beep, beep.

The sound rang out immediately.

“Golden Bunny, do you hear that?”

“Beep.”

Confirming it wasn’t just my imagination, I immediately ran toward the source of the sound.

Cassium’s signal detector lay on the ground.

“……”

For some reason, I felt nervous.

Finding the signal detector didn’t mean I had found Cassium, nor did it mean I knew exactly where he had been.

But somehow, I could feel it. The presence of Cassium—very close.

“Beep.”

It felt like he was watching me from nearby……

I crouched down and began inspecting the stones among the bushes.

‘They say stones develop red markings.’

Baron Selberdin had said so.

The moment I heard it, I immediately knew what kind of markings he meant.

The same red patterns that had appeared on the golden rabbit’s ears.

The markings that appeared on those afflicted with dark magic.

My eyes meticulously scanned the ground.

This was a different path from the one the Black Panther Knights had taken when they returned after searching for Lagon’s heart.

The fact that Cassium’s signal detector was dropped here meant that he had been in this area after that day.

Then, the possibility of Cassium still being nearby was high.

My eyes moved rapidly.

I sharpened all my concentration and observation skills to the maximum.

Carefully, yet swiftly, I examined the ground, starting from the signal detector and expanding outward.

Then—

“……!”

I spotted a stone with a red marking.

I rushed over immediately.

Had I seen wrong? But no—it was real.

A stone engraved with a red marking. The same red diamond pattern as the golden rabbit.

And even—

‘It looks like him…….’

N/ How could a stone looked like HIM!

I carefully picked up the stone.

Its surface was smooth yet slightly sharp and elongated.

It looked exactly like Cassium.

“Cassium.”

I called out his name with a trembling voice.

At that moment, the stone quivered faintly.

“……!”

My pupils dilated.

“Cassium, Cassium! Can you hear me? Cassium!!!”

I called out desperately.

Meanwhile, Golden Bunny watched me.

“So he really turned to stone. How could this happen…….”

Golden Bunny lifted a front paw and pressed it to its forehead, its eyes filled with bewilderment.

“……Beep!”

The real Cassium is me, Lize!

How could I describe this feeling……?

Confusion?

“Beep……”

“Cassium……! You turned to stone……!”

“Beep……!”

Seeing himself as a stone in Lize’s perception gave him an indescribable sense of wrongness.

“It must be uncomfortable, but stay in here for now, Cassium.”

Lize carefully placed the stone in her pocket.

It was the very pocket he used to go into.

‘That’s my spot.’

Cassium hurried toward Lize.

Then, instinctively, he tried to slip into the pocket himself.

“Hey, Golden Bunny!”

Lize stopped him immediately.

“No. If you go in together and step on the stone, wouldn’t it get hurt?”

“Beep.”

“No.”

Lize was firm.

She wouldn’t even allow him the chance to coexist with this unknown stone.

He tried a few more times, but Lize gently yet firmly blocked him with a warm expression.

‘What is happening?’

What even is that stone?

“……”

Lize patted his drooping ears.

Then, she turned her gaze back to the stone in her pocket.

Wait—

Cassium observed Lize’s expression.

‘It’s not cold.’

Lize’s gaze toward the stone wasn’t cold.

It was warm—the way she looked at the Golden Bunny.

A look she had never given him when he was human.

‘But right now, Lize believes that stone is me, and that’s why she’s making that face.’

She had been searching for him, and she mourned his misfortune.

Allowing her to continue the misunderstanding…… somehow, it didn’t feel so bad.

“Golden Bunny? Are you okay?”

“Beep beep.”

He answered nonchalantly.

Ah. Did I sound too generous?

Lize reached out to him.

“Come here instead, Golden Bunny.”

Relaxing his body, he quietly nestled into Lize’s arms.

No matter how much time passed, he never got used to being held, but if asked whether he disliked it, the answer would be no.

“Let’s go now!”

Lize’s voice carried a mix of emotions.

Anxiety, but also a slight sense of relief. And a heart filled with concern.

Hearing that voice so close—he didn’t dislike it at all.

“Sit on the blanket, Cassium. Or rather, are you lying down? After sleeping on a hard surface as a stone, how does it feel to rest on something so soft? Is it touching? Well, you were on grass before, so I suppose that was soft too.”

Back home, Lize had become somewhat chatty.

She kept talking to the stone in front of her, but there was no response.

Of course, since it was a stone, that was expected.

It seemed Baron Selberdin had mistaken the potion that turned him into a rabbit for one that would turn him into a stone.

Fortunately, he had become a rabbit, not an actual stone.

“Beep.”

“Hm? Golden Bunny, did you call me?”

He could talk to Lize like this.

“High five? Sure.”

And he could even match hands with her like this.

A stone couldn’t do any of that.

Even as Lize conversed with him, her gaze kept flickering toward the stone.

All day after returning home, she had been paying attention to it.

“Hmm…….”

After some deliberation, Lize picked up the stone with both hands.

“You sleep here.”

Then, she put it inside the wardrobe.

“Wait, no, putting it in the wardrobe feels a bit wrong, doesn’t it?”

She took it out again.

Cassium nodded.

Yes, Lize, keeping it in the wardrobe would be a bit much.

Lize stared at the stone, now placed back on the blanket.

Then, as if giving up, she exclaimed, “I don’t know!” and dove into bed.

The lights went out.

Cassium also settled himself on the sofa, preparing to sleep.

‘It was a long day.’

A day filled with many emotions.

But thanks to that stone, he had been able to see various expressions from Lize.

‘A rather helpful stone…….’

At that moment, a sound was heard.

His ears perked up. The sound was coming from the stone.

Cassium cautiously approached it.

[Ugh… my head…….]

The stone was complaining about a headache……

“……Beep.”

[Wait, you—can you hear me?]

“Beep……?”

[I am Julius. We’ve met a few times before. Still, I’m relieved that it was Lady Lize who picked me up…….]

Cassium immediately threw the blanket over the stone.

He had to tell Lize to throw it away right away.