Chapter 11: The Cherished Little Bird (5)

From the day after they slept together, Zex seemed to have decided he never wanted to leave the little bird’s side, not even for a moment.

“I’m worried about leaving Snow alone, after all.”

Not only was she injured, but she’d also been having nightmares.

He must have thought it wouldn’t do to let her feel lonely.

Perched on Zex’s left shoulder, Sharon suddenly realized something.

‘Huh? Isn’t this situation actually worse than when I was in the birdcage…?’

She had hoped to have some quiet time in the room to think calmly about what to do next, but it didn’t look like she would get the chance.

Zex left the room with the little bird still on his shoulder.

That’s when the real trouble began.

Because—

“Lord Zex, may we see Lady Snow for a moment?”

Every knight and servant passing by wanted to get a look at the little bird on Zex’s shoulder.

The moment one person called out, others nearby gathered as well, and in the blink of an eye, they were surrounded.

“It can’t be helped. But just look—my Snow is adorable, after all.”

Zex sounded pleased as he snorted and stopped in place.

Surrounded by knights and servants who were clearly no ordinary people, Sharon was uneasy, not knowing what they might do, but all of them were utterly captivated by the little bird.

“She’s so tiny and cute…!”

“She’s white and fluffy—like a snow angel.”

Even the burly, intimidating knights, the rough-looking servants, and those who exuded a frightening aura all narrowed their eyes and smiled kindly.

‘Am I… being really warmly welcomed?’

Then, one reckless knight raised his hand.

“Um, could I pet her just for a moment? I’m actually good with animals!” Wearing a friendly, sociable smile, the black-haired knight asked.

At that instant, the atmosphere froze with a crack. 

It wasn’t a figure of speech—moisture in the air literally turned to ice.

It was Zex’s Ice Magic. 

As everyone began to tremble in fear, Zex announced: “Sorry. Snow only warms up to me.”

Taking the opportunity to assert himself, Zex gently stroked the little bird’s head.

‘Eh, this is so embarrassing, right in front of everyone…!’

If she rejected him here, Zex would lose face.

As Sharon endured her embarrassment, she heard a clapping sound.

“I understand Lady Snow is adorable, but everyone, it’s time to return to your posts!”

It was Glaque, the aide.

At his instruction, everyone reluctantly tore their eyes from the little bird and returned to work.

As the commotion faded, Sharon let out a relieved breath.

She wasn’t used to being the center of attention, and it made her nervous.

“Well then, I should get to work as well.”

They passed through the Gallery of Successive Heads and entered Zex’s office, which she hadn’t seen during yesterday’s tour.

As soon as they entered, Zex set the little bird down from his shoulder and began looking over papers at his desk.

Sharon, careful not to get in the way, looked around the room.

The office had a table and sofa for guests, bookshelves stuffed to the brim, and a desk buried in paperwork.

The furnishings were mostly dark, creating a calm and subdued atmosphere.

A stack of sealed letters was carelessly left at the edge of the desk.

They seemed to be invitations to evening parties. 

All of them were left unopened.

It probably wasn’t easy to attend parties in the royal capital from such a remote region.

‘Oh, it’s a map…!’

Next to catch her eye was a map of the Crusell Kingdom.

The Crusell Kingdom was at the northernmost edge of the continent, with its borders facing other countries concentrated to the south.

Guarding that border was the Margrave Halburgen Domain.

Forts were set up throughout the area, and it was likely that Zex commanded them all.

On the map, there were many notes pinned, detailing where Magical Beasts had appeared, what kinds had been seen, and so on.

Almost all the appearances were near the Forest of Evil.

‘It’s almost like the Margrave Halburgen Domain is being swallowed up by the Forest of Evil.’

The Forest of Evil was a Magical Beast habitat.

If the Magical Beasts’ influence grew, that territory would expand.

In the Foren Kingdom, the protection of the Divine Beast prevented the Forest of Evil from even existing.

However, in the Margrave Halburgen Domain, nearly the entire territory was covered by the Forest of Evil.

There might be more districts bordering the forest than not.

‘I need to remember this well for when I leave…’

Sharon stared intently at the map, considering where she’d go once she left here.

The Crusell Kingdom didn’t border only the Foren Kingdom.

‘If I go to the Millier Kingdom, there shouldn’t be anyone who knows me… And I might find out why I transformed into a little bird.’

Neighboring the Foren Kingdom was the Millier Kingdom.

Nicknamed the “Land of Wisdom,” it was famous for the world’s largest library, which gathered knowledge from across the globe, and for its educational research institutions studying every field.

If she wanted to avoid the Forest of Evil, there were limited routes to the Millier Kingdom.

However, if she flew through the sky, she could reach the Millier Kingdom both safely and quickly.

In that case, flying was the best option.

‘Once I’m healed, I’ll start practicing how to fly!’

Sharon spread her wings and steeled herself.

At that moment, there was a knock, and Glaque entered.

“Lord Zex. There’s a report from the patrol soldiers regarding Magical Beast subjugation. A Magical Beast apparently invaded the town and went on a rampage.”

“I see. Any casualties?”

Frowning, Zex listened to Glaque’s report.

“One soldier was injured, but his life isn’t in danger. Still, how many incidents is that this week alone… It seems even the subjugation squads are having a hard time.” Glaque sighed.

“That makes ten incidents now. I’m glad there were no fatalities, but the number of Magical Beasts is clearly increasing. Worse yet, they’re becoming more ferocious… I’ll report to His Majesty myself.” Zex replied, his tone grim.

Together, Zex and Glaque began discussing countermeasures against the Magical Beasts.

They would strengthen patrols and increase the frequency of Zex himself joining the subjugation squads.

‘Is Lord Zex going to go out to subjugate Magical Beasts too…?’

The reason the Marquis of Halbügen was known as the strongest in the Crusell Kingdom was due to his prowess in subjugating Magical Beasts.

Sharon, who had been rescued, knew just how strong Zex was.

Even so, she couldn’t help but worry.

“I’ll go inform the soldiers, then.”

Once their discussion ended, Glaque left the room.

Almost immediately, the maid Ella entered with tea and sweets.

“Why not take a break, now? I’ve also prepared a snack for Lady Snow.”

“Ah. Let’s do that.”

Nodding, Zex moved to a guest chair.

The atmosphere, heavy with worries about the Magical Beasts, shifted with Ella’s arrival.

Efficiently, Ella set cookies and nuts and more onto the table.

“Lady Snow, this way, please.”

Ella, her blue eyes gazing at the little bird, gestured to the Silver Perch she held in her hands.

Remembering how Ella had embarrassed her just the other day, Sharon tensed up.

‘Did she really go out of her way for me…? She’s not going to do anything weird today, right?’

Cautiously, Sharon grasped the perch with her slender legs.

“Snow, what would you like to eat?” Holding both cookies and nuts in his hands, Zex asked.

She’d felt awkward being fed, but Zex seemed to be having so much fun caring for her.

So Sharon decided to let herself be spoiled.

“So cute… Why is she so cute…?”

Watching the little bird eat nuts from his hand, Zex couldn’t hold back his heartfelt mutters.

Even when crumbs scattered across the table, neither Zex nor Ella got angry—they simply watched over her warmly.