ITBFL | Chapter 41

Episode 41

“Cassium?”

It was sometime in the afternoon.

I called out to Cassium, trying hard to hide the way my heart was pounding in surprise.

“If you don’t come back soon, the world will forget that a knight named Cassium ever existed! People will just remember you as a smooth rock!”

“……”

“That would actually be better, wouldn’t it? A rock with no personality is much better than a Cassium with a bad personality, right?”

Hope surged within me as I provoked him even more, hoping he would return to his original form.

“Beep……”

“Huh? Golden Bunny? What’s wrong?”

Why was Golden Bunny making that face when I was insulting Cassium?

‘You can do this. He has to come back today.’

Determined, I wandered around, trying to figure out what might trigger his return.

I took him to the training grounds where he used to practice and showed him a sword. I even brought him to his favorite restaurant, letting him take in the delicious aromas.

‘Come back, Cassium.’

But Cassium only moved briefly in the afternoon.

By the time night fell, he was completely still again.

In the end, I returned home.

“Golden Bunny, you had a rough day too, didn’t you?”

Golden Bunny had spent the entire day working out like he was obsessed with avoiding muscle loss.

He hadn’t just done push-ups in the morning—he had been doing them all day.

Not only that, but he had jumped higher than I’d ever seen before and even sprinted 500 meters away in an instant, only to come back just as fast.

‘Could another entity under dark magic have stimulated him?’

“Golden Bunny, come here for a second.”

I called him over and tied a violet handkerchief around his neck.

He had been running around outside all day, and I was worried he might catch a cold.

“I bought this when I first entered the swordsmanship academy. It’s old, but I cherish it.”

“Beep?”

Golden Bunny gazed at the handkerchief around his neck with joy, looking up at me as if asking something.

It seemed like he was wondering if it was a gift for him.

‘Oh, I was just lending it to him…’

But he looked so happy that I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

“Yes, it’s a gift, Golden Bunny!”

“Beep!”

Golden Bunny seemed even more energized, moving with even greater enthusiasm than usual.

But Cassium, on the other hand…

‘He hasn’t moved at all since then.’

That night, I returned to my room and placed Cassium back on the sofa.

I turned on the light in the dim room.

He lay on the soft cushions, simply glistening under the lamp.

“Are you ever going to come back?”

Silence.

“Actually, don’t. All you ever do is look down on me and my division. Things are much easier without you around.”

“……”

Cassium remained motionless.

I thought back to the time we spent together.

Back in the academy, when he broke my sword during a sparring match. The times we went to war together, got stranded together, and survived together.

Joining the same knight order, constantly clashing—but still, under Erne’s name, looking toward the same direction.

Memories flowed both painfully slow and all too quickly.

I let out a quiet breath.

“Hey, Cassium.”

“……”

“Honestly, I can’t say I want you to come back.”

You always make me angry. You always provoke me.

We’re neither good for each other nor necessary to each other.

“And yet…”

I pressed my lips together, then opened them again.

“For some reason, I’m scared. That you’ll never come back.”

I knew he couldn’t respond. That’s why I could say this.

It felt like whispering into a diary or confessing to some unknown bamboo forest.

“So, Cassium, come back.”

I stared at him for a long time.

Even though I called out to him over and over, he never answered.

***

At dawn, a faint red glow began seeping through the window.

Lize had fallen asleep, leaning against the sofa. Golden Bunny was nowhere in sight.

In that quiet moment, the stone trembled slightly.

Julius gazed out at the distant sky beyond the window.

‘So this is what it feels like to have dark magic flowing through my body.’

He thought of Golden Bunny, who had been exercising relentlessly all afternoon.

‘It’s almost time.’

Even Julius could tell that Golden Bunny had almost fully recovered his strength.

He just hadn’t figured out how to return to his true form yet. But once he made up his mind, he would be able to turn back into a person at any moment.

Before the next full moon, he would almost certainly return.

‘But if he comes back, will I, as a stone, still have a place here?’

Julius considered the thought and came to the conclusion that he wouldn’t.

Lize was desperately holding onto the stone, caring for it so tenderly, only because she believed it to be Cassium Ruden Balteire.

Once the real Cassium returned, there would be no reason for her to keep a mere stone around.

‘If I’m not here by the next full moon, then staying as a stone is meaningless.’

Julius hesitated for a moment before beginning to manipulate the energy within him.

Different forces swirled inside his body. The energy that swept through his entire being wrapped around the dark magic, which had been lingering inside him like a foreign presence.

The dark magic, which had filled every corner of his body, began to shrink.

Then, with a cold surge of energy, the stone moved.

It rolled once, emitting a faint glow.

The trembling stone fell soundlessly onto the carpet beneath the sofa, its vibrations intensifying.

And then—

The stone took the form of a man.

“For the past day, thank you, Lady Lize.”

Julius smiled at her before turning away.

The sound of his priestly shoes gradually faded into the distance.

“……!”

The morning sunlight forced its way through my half-opened eyes.

‘I fell asleep…’

I quickly lifted my head.

Before even stretching, I searched for Cassium.

A fragile hope pounded inside me—maybe he had turned back into a human.

“……!”

My eyes wavered as I looked toward the sofa.

The stone was still there. Cassium hadn’t returned to being human.

Not even on the day of the Elder Council meeting.

“You said it was a bet, Cassium. Are you okay with losing?”

Of course, there was no answer.

Only the sound of the clock’s second hand ticking through the silence.

There wasn’t much time left before the Elder Council meeting.

I stared at Cassium for a moment before getting up to prepare.

“Haa.”

I fastened my tie in front of the mirror and let out a long breath.

The green eyes reflected back at me were troubled, but I erased the hesitation and steeled my resolve.

‘It’s time to think about what to do next.’

Up until last night, I had only been focused on bringing Cassium back.

However, what I needed to think about from now on was different.

I had to figure out how to explain this situation to the elders who were ready to tear Erne apart and how to minimize their resistance.

I also needed to consider whether I could truly take charge of the Black Leopard division in Cassium’s absence.

I had to acknowledge that fact—accept the current reality. Not just rely on vague hope.

‘I have to leave now.’

I glanced around the room.

“Golden Bunny?”

It was my routine to always say goodbye to Gold Bunny before heading out.

Receiving a little cheer from its tiny paws and stroking its soft, fluffy black fur gave me three times more energy than usual.

“Golden Bunny!”

But Golden Bunny was nowhere in sight.

“Golden Bunny! I’m leaving!”

I could have let it sleep in a bit longer, or skipped our morning greeting just for today.

But I had a strange feeling.

Somehow, today, it felt like I absolutely had to say goodbye before leaving.

“Golden Bunny, where are you?”

Was it curled up somewhere, asleep?

I searched the places it might be—the back of the sofa, the carpet next to the bookshelf, under the bed.

But there was no sign of it. No round little tail, no long ears.

“Golden Bunny!”

I really had to leave soon. At this rate, I would be late for the elders’ meeting.

Yet, I couldn’t move.

My feet refused to turn toward the door, and instead, I kept pacing around the room.

‘Why am I feeling so uneasy? Like I might never see Golden Bunny again…’

At that moment—

A small paw suddenly hooked onto the open window frame.

“Beeep!”

With incredible strength, Golden Bunny pulled itself up.

“Golden Bunny…!”

“Beep?”

Golden Bunny, with its usual adorable expression, quickly scurried toward me.

I picked it up and hugged it tightly.

“Golden Bunny, what were you doing?”

“Beeep.”

“I’m heading out. I just really wanted to say goodbye before I left.”

Golden Bunny was as cute as ever, and it somehow looked even healthier than yesterday.

The violet handkerchief I had tied around its neck was still neatly in place, adding to its charm.

“Beep.”

“Today is an important day. I think I needed a little energy from you.”

Golden Bunny patted my back with its tiny paws—a gesture full of encouragement.

Feeling its support, I gained strength.

“Golden Bunny, do you want to come with me?”

Lifting it up high, I looked into its eyes.

Gold Bunny shook its head and gazed at me with calm, knowing eyes—eyes that seemed to have seen the world and reassured me that everything would be fine.

“Thank you.”

I hugged Golden Bunny tightly once more.

Then, I carefully placed Cassium’s stone form in my bag and turned to say goodbye again.

“I’ll be back.”

“Beep.”

Just as I was about to leave, Golden Bunny followed me to the door.

Then, it held out both front paws.

“Are you giving me a high-five?”

“Beep.”

I gently tapped its tiny paws with my hand. Even after that, Golden Bunny continued to look up at me with shining eyes.

Something felt strange. It seemed to be looking at me longer than usual.

“Beep.”

That sound… it felt like it was saying ‘Thank you.’ Or maybe… ‘Thank you for everything.’

“I’m always grateful for you too, Golden Bunny.”

Golden Bunny folded its ears slightly in response to my words.

Seeing it looking even healthier than yesterday, I left for the knights’ headquarters with a heart that felt just as strengthened.

After Lize left—

The rabbit let out a long breath.

“…….”

There was a slight strain in its breathing. A heat was rising within its body.

Instinctively, it knew.

There wasn’t much time left before it would return.