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While I was uncharacteristically speechless, a heated debate broke out among the knights.
“Idiot, it’s not a tiger’s tail!”
“Ah, is that so?”
“I know. I saw it in a picture book. Tigers have longer tails than that!”
“Yeah, that guy’s right.”
While I was still unable to speak, the ‘child = tiger beast-man’ theory died down among the knights.
However, as no one could come up with another idea, one of the knights raised his hand.
He flinched when he made eye contact with me, but realizing I wasn’t a threat, he cautiously opened his mouth.
“I know.”
I held my breath.
“That’s a squirrel beast-man.”
Yes, a squirrel beast-man. I wanted to shout, ‘Did you just figure that out, you idiots!’ but.
I was still in a state of disbelief. Besides…….
“A squirrel? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?”
“Really?”
Originally, they were ordinary, small animals responsible for cuteness and loveliness among herbivores, along with rabbits.
But in this world, there were no more beast-men in this form.
Just like Whale in the carriage.
‘The only beast-man left in the world.’
In other words, the only cute and lovely child even if you searched every corner of this continent.
That child was the protagonist of this world. The female lead of the original story.
I finally opened my mouth in astonishment.
‘……Why are you here?’
If I could speak, that’s what I would have said. Definitely.
Meanwhile, the knights cautiously narrowed the distance, watching my reaction.
It seemed they were very interested in the child their comrade was holding.
After all, a beast-man who was said to have disappeared from this world was right in front of them, so it was only natural to be curious, putting aside any hostility.
Was that why? The deep-seated hatred they usually showed towards land animals had vanished for now.
I’m amazed, so amazed.
The amazement I felt was different from what they felt.
“The fur looks so soft?”
“Wow, do land animal guys have tails this fluffy?”
If there was a common trait among aquatic beast-men, it was that their hair was generally very good.
And it reflected light well.
This was a characteristic inherited from scales. On the other hand, land animal beast-men generally had soft-feeling hair.
Just like that child’s hair.
I stared intently, deep in thought.
“Calypso.”
Dad, who had come to my side unnoticed, called me.
“Do you know the child?”
“Huh?”
I was startled inside.
What, how did he know?
Was I that obvious? No, more than that, no matter what kind of reaction I had, wouldn’t it be strange to ask if I knew them?
“Are you asking me, who has lived in Aquasieldel my whole life, if I know a land animal child? You know that’s a really weird thing to say, Dad, right?”
“It was a joke.”
“Ah.”
I seemed to have overreacted.
Dad continued with a calm expression.
“Your face certainly looks like you’ve found your younger sister after 30 years.”
“……What’s with that strangely specific description.”
“So, I’m telling you to smile.”
Dad stroked my head. This father really makes strange jokes.
I laughed, dumbfounded.
“So, is that why you were staring so intently?”
“No…….”
I glanced sideways. How could I not stare?
I said seriously.
“She’s incredibly cute, isn’t she?”
“Cute?”
“Huh? Isn’t she cute? She’s totally adorable. Like a doll.”
“You don’t look in the mirror, do you.”
“…….”
I cleared my throat.
The knights, who had been busy looking at the child, were now staring at us with blank expressions.
Yeah, amazing, right? I’m amazed too.
……To be making a fuss with that expression.
‘If she’s the female lead of that age…….’
No matter how I looked at it, she was at the age of the early part of the novel.
‘Why is the squirrel, who should be getting adopted into the Black Panther family and being overprotected, here?’
I had changed many things, so there were definitely parts of the future that had changed.
Nevertheless, there was one thing that didn’t change.
That was the part about the original female lead.
No matter what changed, the female lead was loved, raised in affection, and grew into a pure and innocent child.
“Sis!”
Sometimes, she would even show warmth to a poor orca that everyone else cursed and hated for smelling fishy.
I chuckled softly.
“She’s the prettiest and cutest kid I know.”
“That’s unusual. You rarely talk about appearances.”
“I have an eye for it too.”
I just don’t usually say it out loud.
Somehow, the female lead didn’t wake up despite all the commotion around her.
“Levi, bring Whale from the carriage.”
“Yes.”
After some thought, I had Whale brought over.
‘Hmm, is her outfit a bit disheveled?’
Whale’s clothes seemed subtly different from when I got out of the carriage, but.
“Whale, did something happen?”
“No?”
Since she said no, I let it go for now.
“Princess, this child is showing signs of dehydration and exhaustion. If I’m right, I can treat her with the ingredients I have.”
“Really?”
Levi’s observation was correct, and soon Whale treated the child with her power, but.
She still didn’t open her eyes.
“Why isn’t she opening her eyes?”
“She’s just fallen asleep this time.”
Whale looked at the female lead with a pitiful expression.
“It seems like she hasn’t slept well in a long time and has been running, this child.”
Only after rolling up her sleeves and taking off her shoes could we see her messed-up feet, and she needed to be treated once more.
‘What could have happened to this small child to make her suffer so much alone…….’
The only decision I could make while looking at the child who wouldn’t wake up was this.
“Let’s start again for now.”
“Um, Princess. What should we do with this child?”
“Take her with us.”
“Yes?”
“Are we just going to abandon her here, then?”
When I gave him a cold look, the knight awkwardly lowered his gaze.
I turned my head and gestured to the knight holding the female lead.
“Pass her to the second one.”
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
“What? Hey! Why me…….”
“Our carriage is over capacity. But there’s room in your carriage, right?”
“Then leave her to your maids.”
“Who’s going to subdue her if she wakes up and causes a ruckus?”
“…….”
Our female lead bites better than you think. How do I know?
There’s a scene where she bites the male lead of the original story. On the ankle, hard enough to draw blood!
‘That was so satisfying.’
Anyway, I can’t leave her to the herring maids and Misa for these reasons.
Even if she’s a baby, in cases like this, with ears and a tail, they’re usually stronger than ordinary people.
“Then there’s that dolphin guy too!”
“Second, open your eyes and look. Is that guy the type to use his brain or his strength?”
“……He uses his brain, right?”
“……If I may, am I supposed to be offended here?”
“Alright, alright, stop complaining and hurry up and take care of her.”
Atlant seemed to be somewhat convinced, and he ended up taking care of the female lead, but…….
He just reached out and grabbed the back of her neck, like a cat mother carrying her kitten, and I scolded him severely.
“……Geez, just holding her is enough. What’s so important about it?”
“Didn’t you see her suffocating? Look at her eyes. Should I dangle you by the scruff of your neck too?”
“……Okay, I’ll do it properly, I will!”
The female lead coughed for a moment, as if she had been suffocating, but soon settled comfortably in Atlant’s arms and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Atlant was as awkward as someone holding a baby animal for the first time.
I held back my laughter. No, I tried to hold it back…… but it burst out.
“Don’t laugh!”
“Wow, Second, you should learn these things in advance. That’s how you’ll be loved later.”
“Funny. Why don’t you figure out how to deal with your laughter?”
As the situation calmed down a bit and everyone was returning to their places.
Levi cautiously approached me.
“Princess.”
“Yeah?”
“This is a cautious thing to say, but I don’t know if you know…… that child.”
“That she’s a squirrel?”
“No. That too, but.”
The knights seemed to have just been amazed and moved on, but Levi seemed to have recognized her.
That she was thought to be extinct like Whale among the aquatic beast-men, but in fact, she was the only surviving individual.
And that these individuals usually have special abilities.
“About those ears and tail…….”
“I know too. That’s the symbol of an incomplete beast-man.”
Incomplete beast-man.
As explained earlier, it refers to a beast-man born between beast-men of different species who either has no special abilities or has incredibly outstanding abilities.
And in fact, there is another meaning to this word…….
“If their special ability is too great, they may undergo beast transformation.”
“Do you think that’s the case?”
“Yeah. Besides, there’s one more possibility, right? That they undergo beast transformation because they are completely purebred.”
Among the beast-men who have maintained their blood well since ancient times, there are cases where beast-men with these ears and tails appear.
The female lead fell into this category.
“Well, it’s rare among land animals, but there are guys with tails and ears, right? Let’s just think of it like that.”
“That’s true.”
“We’re beasts that live in the water, so we don’t have cases like that. I know it exists among land animals.”
“Yes…….”
Levi nodded slowly with a complicated look.
“Anyway, the only ones who completely turn into animals are in the Imperial Family, right?”
Yes. Only the lion or black panther beast-men, who are the male leads of the original story, can completely transform into animals.
This was also a device to protect the female lead, and there was also the setting that only the female lead could make them return to human form.
“Yes, that’s true, but……. Aren’t you considering other dangers?”
“Dangers?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t anything unknown be accompanied by danger?”
“…….”
“There are too many strange things about that child.”
He probably wanted to ask.
If she was a beast-man of that much value, there would surely be forces that coveted or chased after her.
And that she might have ended up here while running away.
“Anyway, we won’t know any of this until she opens her eyes.”
Levi bowed neatly.
* * *
That evening, we inevitably had to camp out.
No sooner had we arrived at a suitable place than Atlant came running like crazy.
‘Oh my gosh, I thought we were under attack.’
I almost attacked him.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!!”
“What’s wrong?”
Atlant, not content with running, handed me something with a pale face.
“It’s shrunk!”
“What shrunk?”
“It shrunk!”
“Speak, speak.”
Atlant, frustrated, held out his hand even more roughly.
“……What do I do with this? Hey, I’m telling you in advance, I didn’t do it!”
And what Atlant handed me was a bundle of cloth, and when I opened the cloth…….
‘Huh?’
Maybe it was about the size of a palm.
A small squirrel was breathing softly in its sleep.
……Huh?