“What have you done?”
At Ian’s question, Bernaba, who was sitting on the sofa, answered.
“Nothing much.”
“Then why such a reaction?”
“Beastfolk are a race with strong instincts. That wolf pup instinctively recognized a predator.”
Ian nodded as if he understood.
“If it’s because of fear of the dragon, then what can we do?”
Ian, pouring tea for Bernaba, spoke.
“We’ve found the one who sees the ‘Flow.’”
“Oh, did they fall into the trap?”
“Technically, they walked into it themselves.”
“Oh dear.”
Bernaba clicked his tongue and sipped the tea.
“So, what will you do now?”
Ian clasped his hands together and rested them on his knees as he spoke.
“Before I make a move, it seems they’ll act first.”
“What? Are you planning to just let that happen?”
“Of course not. This time, I intend to remove it completely.”
Bernaba nodded.
“That’s a wise choice. If you tolerate those who challenge you, it becomes a hassle. It’s best to cut off their breathing at the start.”
“Exactly.”
Ian nodded and called Fenrex.
“Fenrex, you’re coming with me.”
“Woof?”
Fenrex, who was in the form of a wolf pup, tilted his head, tears streaming down his face.
“There’s no need for you to transform; you’ll stay as you are.”
At Ian’s words, Edelmar asked,
“Can he even understand that?”
Ian responded as if it were a ridiculous question,
“I’m just saying what I want to say.”
***
Ian, dressed in formal attire after a long time, headed to the annex with Edelmar and Fenrex, who was still in his wolf pup form.
As Ian repeatedly adjusted his cravat while walking, Edelmar remarked,
“Is the cravat too tight?”
“Yes.”
“Tsk. Come here. I’ll fix it for you.”
When Ian stopped walking and turned around, Edelmar reached out and adjusted the size. Breathing immediately became easier.
“Thank you.”
“Why the formal attire all of a sudden? You didn’t even dress up like this for the first-day banquet.”
“Oh, just in case, I wore it as preparation.”
“Preparation? For what?”
Instead of answering, Ian merely smiled and resumed walking.
As they entered the annex, guarded by knights with solemn expressions, it was not Sebastian but the chamberlain who bowed his head.
“Grand Duke. My lord. The Crown Prince is waiting in the dining hall.”
“Lead the way.”
The chamberlain, lifting his head, gestured to the wolf pup with the red ribbon.
“Will this puppy be accompanying you as well?”
“Oh, it’s not a puppy but Prince Fenrex of the Beastfolk.”
“Ah… but why in this form…?”
The chamberlain trailed off upon learning Fenrex’s identity.
“He mentioned feeling more comfortable in this form, perhaps because of his youth. He’ll be attending the banquet in this form, so please seek the Crown Prince’s understanding.”
“Woof, woof!”
Fenrex grumbled as if dissatisfied with Ian’s comment.
“…Understood.”
The chamberlain turned with precise movements.
Following him, they arrived at the dining hall, where Yekhaterina and the Crown Prince were seated.
“Uncle!”
The Crown Prince, overjoyed, stood up abruptly and approached Edelmar with a beaming face.
“I didn’t expect you to attend again today.”
“That’s enough. Take your seat.”
“Yes!”
Smiling brightly, the Crown Prince sat down.
When the Grand Duke Edelmar sat, Ian knelt slightly and greeted the Crown Prince.
“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Well met, Duke. Thank you for joining us for the banquet. And… what’s with the dog?”
With a hand on Fenrex’s back, Ian replied,
“He is not a dog but Prince Fenrex of the Beastfolk. He arrived at the ducal estate today and, being weary, could only attend in his wolf form. I ask for your understanding, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. Prince Fenrex is royalty of an allied nation, and just having him here in his wolf form is a delight. Have him take a seat.”
“Yes.”
Ian seated Fenrex next to the Grand Duke and then sat beside Yekhaterina himself.
“Serve the meal,”
The Crown Prince commanded, and the banquet began.
The courses, starting with appetizers, were all exquisite. The perfect portions and sweet wine complemented the atmosphere of the banquet well.
“Hm?”
Unlike the previous dishes, which were served in individual portions, the main course was brought out as a whole and placed in the center of the table.
The Crown Prince seemed puzzled by the unexpected scene, and Yekhaterina stood up with a smile.
“In our territory, there is a tradition during banquets to place the food in the center for everyone to share. I wanted to introduce this tradition to you, so I made a special request to the chef.”
Speaking gently, Yekhaterina picked up a pair of tongs.
“I’ll serve everyone myself.”
Yekhaterina placed a slice of meat on the Crown Prince’s plate.
“Enjoy, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
Next was Edelmar.
“Please enjoy, Grand Duke.”
Despite Edelmar’s suspicious gaze, Yekhaterina maintained a serene smile.
After briskly returning, Yekhaterina placed meat on Ian’s plate. From her ring, black mana began to creep out. Suppressing the corners of her mouth from curling up, she reached out and placed her hand over Ian’s palm.
“Enjoy—”
Fenrex, who had been sitting quietly throughout the banquet, suddenly lunged at Yekhaterina.
“Eek!”
Fenrex knocked Yekhaterina down and snarled ferociously, baring his teeth.
Knights drew their swords and rushed into the banquet hall as the Crown Prince stood abruptly and shouted.
“Prince Fenrex! What are you doing? Stand down at once!”
Ian wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from his seat.
“Fenrex, transform into your human form.”
Yekhaterina’s tear-filled eyes widened. Fenrex, who was growling with his front paws on her shoulders, transformed into his human form.
And then he shouted loudly.
“I smell something from the ring!”
Yekhaterina, flustered, struggled to escape, but she couldn’t move because Fenrex was pinning her down.
“Stay still!”
Fenrex gripped Yekhaterina’s neck. Ian knelt on one knee and grabbed Yekhaterina’s right hand.
“D-Duke, there must be some misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding, you say.”
When Ian’s hand touched the green ring on her stubby finger, Yekhaterina tried to pull her hand away with all her strength. However, she couldn’t overcome Ian’s strength.
As the ring was about to come off, Yekhaterina gritted her teeth.
‘If it’s come to this, I’ll make sure to kill at least you.’
Yekhaterina activated the black mana. The black mana from the ring began crawling toward Ian’s hand.
But unlike with Katrina, it didn’t seep into Ian’s hand. Instead, it lingered over the back of his hand.
‘What… what is this?’
Ian showed his hand to the Crown Prince, displaying the black mana. The Crown Prince’s eyes widened at the sight.
“Your Highness, the culprit behind the Spring Banquet incident in the Imperial Palace and the one caught in the act of attempting to assassinate the Duke is here.”
“This… can’t be.”
The Crown Prince staggered and took a step back.
No matter how mature he was, the truth was too heavy for an eight-year-old Crown Prince to bear.
“No! That’s not true! Your Highness!”
Yekhaterina struggled and shouted in a desperate attempt to escape the situation.
Ian easily subdued her and removed the ring.
As soon as the ring was taken off, the black mana swirling on the back of Ian’s hand turned into dust and disappeared.
“So, the ring was the problem.”
Ian stared at the ring, and Edelmar frowned.
“It’s dangerous. Get rid of it quickly.”
“Yes.”
Ian stored the ring in his inventory.
It was too risky to put a ring emitting black mana in a pocket or elsewhere. Since he didn’t know how it activated, storing it in his inventory was the safest option.
“Guards!”
The knights restrained Yekhaterina.
“I did well, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
Ian praised Fenrex for the first time.
“It’s not true! Your Highness! Please believe me! I didn’t know anything about it!”
“Take her away.”
A knight gagged Yekhaterina, who was frantically pleading, and dragged her out of the banquet hall.
“What a world…”
The Crown Prince staggered.
“Your Highness.”
Edelmar sighed deeply and held the Crown Prince.
Then, turning to Ian, he said,
“You go on ahead. I’ll stay with His Highness.”
“Yes.”
Edelmar turned away. Ian left the annex with Fenrex.
“All I wanted was some meat, but then I smelled something foul. So I just went, bam! Took her down! Like this!”
All the way back, Fenrex recounted his heroic tale. Once they arrived at the main building, he looked at Ian, twisting his body awkwardly.
“You said I did well today.”
“Yes.”
“So, can I spend time with Rose—”
“No.”
Ian rejected him firmly.
“Why not!”
“Men and women should not sit together after dark.”
Fenrex stomped his foot.
“That stupid rule about men and women!”
“Go eat your dinner. You must not have eaten properly.”
Fenrex drooped his ears and tail, sulking as he trudged toward the dining hall.
Ian chuckled as he watched Fenrex’s retreating figure.
He had taken Fenrex along just in case, but he hadn’t expected him to play such an important role.
“They say there are no bad dogs in the world.”
Fenrex, too, was a dog that could repay kindness.
“Ermenia.”
– Errr!
Hearing only a voice with no appearance, Ian smiled and said,
“You can release it now.”
– Errr!
Ian’s hands, which had been slightly larger, returned to their normal size. As a result, the previously snug sleeves became loose.
Loosening his tight cravat, Ian headed to Bernaba’s room.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
When Ian opened the door, he saw Bernaba sitting on a chair, reading a book. His long hair still trailed on the floor.
The sight of the hair constantly brushing the ground had been bothering Ian, so as he sat down in front of Bernaba, he offered,
“Would you like me to tie your hair?”
Bernaba’s face lit up with delight.
“Do you know how to do that?”
“Yes.”
“Then, please go ahead.”
Ian moved behind Bernaba and began combing his hair. The silvery-white strands were as fine as thread and as smooth as silk, with no tangles at all.
Taking a blue ribbon from his inventory, Ian tied the hair up high, lifting it off the floor.
“It’s done.”
“Oh, that feels comfortable.”
As if it was his first time having his hair tied, Bernaba tilted his head curiously.
“Do you usually leave it untied?”
“Yes, because I don’t know how to tie it.”
Ian suggested,
“In that case, why not cut it short or make it shorter when you polymorph?”
“That’s a hassle.”
Ian was at a loss for words.
“…Then I’ll tie it for you from now on. To undo it, just pull on this ribbon.”
“Like this?”
As Bernaba pulled on the ribbon, the tied hair came loose.
“That’s fascinating.”
Ian chuckled as he tied Bernaba’s hair again.
Shaking his head lightly to feel the movement of his tied-up hair, Bernaba asked,
“So, why did you come to see me?”
