As Edelmar had said, the Pipi bird grew rapidly over the course of a week.
Its small beak became as sharp as an eagle’s, and its once tiny body grew large enough to occupy the seat next to Rose.
When its fluffy down started filling the carriage and began to scatter, the Pipi bird flew out of the carriage.
It flew freely through the sky as if it had never been attached to Rose, but returned to her whenever the carriage stopped.
Contrary to Ian’s concerns, just as Napharoa had predicted, the bird remained obedient and loyal to Rose.
It was the same with Ian.
Since Pipi birds are carnivores, Ian had to feed it during mealtimes, and perhaps because of that, the bird became quite compliant with him.
But it was different with Hamil and Edelmar.
It acted like it couldn’t even hear them—completely ignoring anything they said.
Still, they were better off than others.
“Hey! You damn bird!”
Fenrex shouted furiously after getting his tail pecked again, but the Pipi bird didn’t even flinch and continued preening its feathers with its beak.
“Did it bite you again, Fenrex?”
Rose, noticing Fenrex’s reddened ears, looked up at the Pipi bird in the tree.
“Pipi.”
The Pipi Bird chirped and stared at Rose with wide, innocent eyes.
Its gaze seemed to say, “I didn’t do anything.”
Even though it hadn’t been that long, Rose had raised the bird from when it was just a chick, and her affection for it was quite special.
Unable to scold it, Rose instead gently stroked Fenrex’s ears.
“You okay?”
Fenrex’s face immediately turned red.
For beastfolk, ears were a sensitive spot—something he had learned from Kura—and touching them was something only lovers were supposed to do.
But here Rose was, touching his ears.
‘I should tell her not to do that…’
Now that their bond had been broken, Rose was no longer his lover.
So technically, he should’ve pulled away.
But…
He didn’t want to.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”
“Rose.”
Ian, who had been looking at Fenrex’s red face with disapproval, called Rose over.
“Yes!”
Rose ran over with quick little steps, and Ian scooped her up into his arms and placed his hand on her forehead.
“You still have a bit of a fever.”
“Huh?”
Rose tilted her head, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Though Ian had tried to slow down the travel schedule for Rose’s sake, it seemed it was still too much for her childlike body.
She had started running a slight fever three days ago.
She wasn’t coughing or visibly tired, but oddly, the fever wouldn’t go away.
“I think I’ll need to use healing magic.”
He had waited, thinking it wasn’t serious since she wasn’t in pain, but after four days with no improvement, he couldn’t wait any longer.
“You’re planning to use magic?”
“Yes.”
Edelmar frowned.
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to use magic?”
“I’d rather be the one suffering than let the child be in pain.”
To Ian, it was better to damage his own soul and vomit a few times than to see Rose sick.
“You understand what it means for a soul to be cracked, don’t you?”
“A single use of healing magic won’t destroy my soul. Besides, after receiving divine power that day, my condition has significantly improved.”
Despite Edelmar’s objection, Ian placed his hand on Rose’s head to cast healing magic.
“Ian.”
Bernaba had just gotten down from the carriage and called out to him.
“Lord Bernaba.”
“It’s not good to use magic on a child too frequently.”
With a gentle motion, Bernaba took Rose from Ian’s arms.
He pressed his forehead to Rose’s and checked her condition.
“She’s still okay for now.”
“But if the fever continues—”
“Children build stronger immunity by enduring things on their own. If you keep using healing magic, she’ll lose her natural resilience. That’s not a good thing.”
His firm words made Ian sigh.
Bernaba wasn’t wrong.
Even his sister back on Earth, while raising Yoori, refused to give medicine for a low fever, saying children needed to overcome it themselves.
But just like back then, it was painful for Ian to watch a child suffer from a fever.
“We should go to the lord’s manor today.”
Edelmar raised a brow.
“You mean we’re turning back?”
Since Ian had chosen a route away from any towns or settlements to avoid the tainted energy, camping outdoors had been necessary.
That’s why they brought along knights, a chef, and servants—because there were no proper inns or restaurants along the way. It made camping more comfortable.
“If we let her sleep comfortably for just one night, her condition might improve.”
No matter how well-built the carriage was, it was still a carriage—not a proper bed. The strain on the body was unavoidable.
So for tonight, Ian planned to let her rest somewhere truly comfortable.
“Alright.”
As the knights and servants quickly finished packing up and prepared to depart, the Pipi bird let out a loud cry and soared into the sky.
“Sweetheart, it’s time to get back in the carriage.”
“Uncle.”
Rose, resting in Bernaba’s arms, looked over at Ian.
“Yes?”
“Can I ride with you?”
Moved by her pleading eyes, Ian took her from Bernaba’s arms, gave her a gentle forehead bump, and cradled her in his embrace.
“You want to ride with me?”
Rose nodded.
“Then of course, we’ll ride together.”
Ian handed the reins to a knight and boarded the carriage.
As soon as Ian stepped in, Hamil lit up with excitement.
“Oh? Duke, are you going to ride the carriage?”
“Yes.”
“Then can I ride your horse? My whole body aches.”
Whether it was in the kingdom or traveling with the Sage, Hamil had always traveled on horseback, and riding in a carriage was uncomfortable for her.
“Yes, go ahead.”
With Ian’s permission, Hamil cheered and leapt out of the carriage.
“Tsk tsk, so careless.”
Bernaba muttered as he climbed aboard the carriage.
As Ian settled into his seat, Fenrex quickly sat beside him and reached out to Rose.
“Rose, want to play with me?”
“What do you want to play?”
“Hmm. How about a puzzle?”
Rose looked between Fenrex and Ian, who was holding her.
She didn’t want to leave Ian’s arms, but she clearly wanted to play too.
Smiling at the sight, Ian opened his inventory.
When they had departed from the fortress, Ian had packed everything he could possibly need for Rose.
Toys included.
As he pondered what to take out for her, his eyes fell on a vial of holy water.
One of the vials had been used to treat Rose’s shoulder and internal injuries, while the other he had stored in his secret vault—and brought along just in case.
Looking at it, Ian asked Bernaba.
“Lord Bernaba, what do you think about giving her some holy water?”
Bernaba, who had been smiling fondly at Rose like a doting grandfather, suddenly frowned deeply.
“Magic isn’t good for her, and neither is holy water. Right now, it’s best not to expose her to holy power at all. If we’re not careful, it might trigger her awakening prematurely.”
“I see… I’m sorry.”
Ian gave up on the idea of giving her the holy water.
He truly hoped Rose wouldn’t awaken too early.
Whether she awakened as a Saint or not, Ian simply wanted to help her choose her own life path.
But for the Empire and the Kingdom, Rose’s awakening would be anything but trivial.
The Saint was considered the daughter of the god who created this world. Her mere existence could unite entire congregations under her banner.
Whatever Rose said would be accepted as the will of God.
Naturally, that made her a treasure many would covet.
Ian had yet to gain full independence from the Empire and still lacked sufficient military power.
If Rose awakened now, they would try to take her—even if it meant trampling the Duchy.
So at the very least, he had to wait until they were fully recognized as an independent Principality.
By then, he would have gained enough strength to protect her.
But truthfully, he hoped she wouldn’t awaken until she was over twenty.
If she awakened at a young age, everyone would swarm around her, all claiming to revere the Saint.
And kind, naive Rose would accept them all without knowing any better.
‘If she’s at least twenty, she’ll have the judgment to fend off all those wolf-like bastards.’
“Uncle?”
Rose’s call snapped Ian out of his thoughts. He pulled out a ball of yarn from his inventory.
“Yarn? Duke, why are you taking that out?”
Without answering, Ian cut the yarn into suitable lengths and tied a knot.
“Let me show you how to play cat’s cradle.”
“Cat’s cradle?”
As the two children tilted their heads in curiosity, Ian gently demonstrated the game.
“Wow!”
“That’s amazing!”
Their eyes sparkled as the string patterns transformed from Ian’s hands to Rose’s small ones.
Ian showed them a few basic shapes, then unraveled the string and handed it to Rose.
“Now try it together. If you’re not sure about something, ask me.”
“Okay!”
“Great.”
It was a game they could enjoy even while sitting on Ian’s lap, and Rose nodded eagerly.
As the two kids sat close together, puzzling over the strings, Ian turned his gaze out the window.
They had left the Beastfolk territory and re-entered the Duchy, and the weather was still pleasant.
Blue skies and green trees filled the landscape—until a loud, piercing cry echoed that could shake the whole carriage.
‘Is something wrong?’
The Pipi bird, named Pipi, would usually fly alongside the carriage or scout ahead.
If everything was fine, it would keep flying until the carriage stopped.
But if something happened, it would let out a cry like that.
At first, Ian hadn’t understood the meaning, but after experiencing it several times, he finally learned what the cries signaled.
Just as Ian leaned out the window to call Pipi—
The bird flew low toward the carriage and dropped something it had been carrying in its beak.
Whoosh.
Ian quickly caught the object that Pipi bird had dropped, worried it might hit Rose.
It was covered in dirt as if freshly dug from the ground—an ore.
‘Why this?’
Just as Ian tilted his head in confusion, the sunlight revealed shimmering iridescent colors beneath the dirt.
‘No way…’
He pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping the grime off the surface.
Once it was fully cleaned, what appeared before him was exactly as he had suspected—a fist-sized mana stone gleaming with multicolored light.
‘Where on earth did this come from?’
No matter how large and capable of flight the Pipi bird was, it couldn’t have traveled to another region in such a short time.
That meant this mana stone had to have come from within the Duchy.
It’s not like it just happened to find it lying around.
Mana stones are rare ores mined from deep underground, where mana is densely concentrated.
They wouldn’t just be rolling around on the surface.
And if someone had dropped it, it wouldn’t be covered in such fresh earth.
Ian’s brow twitched.
‘Could there be a mana stone mine within the duchy?’
Since <Flow> showed only the events that took place within the capital and the ducal estate, it did not reveal the fact that there is a mana stone mine within the duchy.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have had to look for mana stone mines when he went to the capital.
‘But why hasn’t anyone reported it?’
The Duchy bordered the northern mountain ranges and covered a vast area.
Naturally, the Duke couldn’t manage it all alone, so he appointed lords to govern the different territories.
Those lords were required to submit reports every three months to the Duke.
And yet, Ian had never once received a report about a mana stone discovery.
He considered maybe it happened while he was away—but just last night, he had received updates from Sebastian via the communication orb.
‘Did the local lord hide it? Or did they not know?’
As Ian pondered which was more likely, he leaned his head out the carriage window.
“Grand Duke.”
Edelmar rode up alongside the carriage.
“It seems we now have another reason to visit the Lord’s manor.”
Ian looked down at the mana stone in his hand and smirked.
~~~
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