(EP-246.2) Caged #1

246 – A Caged Bird #1

「Theo-kun, I will contact you soon. If possible, gather trustworthy allies.」

The note Stella handed me read just that. It took me a while to decipher the smudged letters since she had written it hastily with lipstick.

Back at the dormitory, I set aside my various thoughts and decided to get some rest. I hadn’t slept well the previous night, and I was mentally exhausted.

As I lay in bed for a while.

Dalgak, dalgak-.

━Keongkeong!

Then my pet dog squirrel, Keongkeong, started scratching at the glass wall and barking. Wondering why since I had fed him enough, I slowly opened my eyes.

Knock, knock-.

Someone was knocking on my door.

Who was it?

A sense of tension washed over me. It was because I had just heard about the taboo secret of the Bellhawk family.

Who knew, maybe I’d open the door and be greeted by masked fairy assasins brandishing giant daggers, shouting ─You know too much!

━Sir Theo, are you there?

I relaxed when I heard the familiar, bright voice from outside. It was Lady Mirna.

Click, giiiik-.

As I opened the door, a woman in a red beret hat met my eyes. Momentarily lost in her crimson eyes, she spoke first.

“Sir Theo, is it true?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Lady Narmi, could you stop pretending to be your sister?”

“Eh, how did you know?”

Narmi trembled slightly, surprised that I had recognized her. She then took a moon-shaped earring from her pocket and attached it to her earlobe.

That was a bit more like Narmi now.

I said.

“The subtle atmosphere between the two of you is different. I can tell them apart.”

“Really? You’re the first person to tell us apart besides our dad… That’s amazing!”

“Please come inside. The hallway is hot.”

After ushering Narmi Draco into the room, I fetched a cold lemonade from the fridge.

It must have been exhausting to come all the way to my room in this heat. Having something cool and refreshing would definitely help regain some of that energy.

━Keongkeong!

However, instead of taking the lemonade, Narmi took out Keongkeong from the glass box and played with it.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still amazing. How did you train a dog squirrel to follow people so well? It’s the first time I’ve seen one like this.”

━Keong!

“I don’t think there was any training involved…”

He was clever from the start. I just fed him occasionally.

“Did you come to see Keongkeong?”

“No. Actually Theo, I wanted to ask you something. I heard that you had dinner with Professor Stella yesterday? I heard all about it! They said you two met alone at a very expensive fancy restaurant?”

“…….”

Where did she even hear that from?

Predictably, someone at the store has spread the word. I couldn’t lie about something that was already known, so it was best to just admit the truth.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Theo, you’re such a player…!”

“…….”

I had no words. But it seemed like it would be good to clear up Narmi’s misunderstanding. So I emphasized that it was more of a professional and business meeting rather than a romantic encounter.

“We were negotiating the budget for the martial festival.”

“Is that really all?”

“There’s a bit more, but it might be a bit different from what you’re thinking, Lady Narmi.”

“Hmm… I see. Actually, I thought so too. But Unnie didn’t think so and raged. Hehe.”

“Lady Mirna?”

“Yes! It’s better to explain in detail.”

Then… hahm-hahm—Narmi let out a big yawn. She covered her mouth with a fan and said shyly, “Pretend you didn’t see that…!”

“You look sleepy.”

“Yeah, I was working outside Ark last night. Someone rented all the carriages, so I had to walk around everywhere. I’m sleepy.”

“Then let me offer you the bed.”

“Sure!”

She didn’t refuse.

My room was cool, thanks to the ice flower regulating the temperature, making it perfect for a nap.

Finally, Narmi burrowed under the thin summer blanket and fell asleep. As I looked at her face to check if she was asleep, her ruby-like eyes flashed open.

“Sir Theo, is it true?”

I was startled.

Did they switch places? Narmi must have fallen asleep deep in her inner world, and now her sister Mirna had awakened.

Thanks to this, I had to repeat the explanation I just gave to Narmi all over again for Mirna. After listening to the story, Mirna nodded.

“So it was a business meeting. But it seems like there’s more you’re hiding from me…?”

“It’s confidential under contract…”

My lips paused as I was about to finish my story.

I wondered what would happen if I told the Young Ladies of the other families like Mirna, Aira, or Elga, that Opal was alive.

Opal was a great hero who had directly faced the Demon King.

Even if Stella and I teamed up to take him on, it would be like throwing eggs at a rock. Didn’t Professor Stella say to gather trustworthy allies?

So, I decided to probe Mirna.

“It was the four heroes who defeated Solomon, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right. Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

Mirna’s eyes narrowed in confusion, but I continued without explaining.

“At that time, the head of the Draco family was Judas Draco, right? I heard he was a powerful dragon warrior who wielded all kinds of sorcery.”

“That’s correct. Known as Judas the Executioner, he was feared among the black army.”

Mirna looked quite proud as she talked about her grandfather. It was understandable since he was a meritorious war hero who participated in the war to protect humanity and history.

“So, what would you do if you had to fight Judas Draco?”

“That won’t happen.”

“But if you had to?”

Mirna chuckled at my question.

“Then running away would be the best option. They weren’t called champions among warriors and the hero of heroes for nothing. To face a man that’s like a spearhead sharpened through countless battles, you’d need an army.”

“I see…”

“Sir Theo wouldn’t bring this up lightly. Something is going on, right? Related to the Bellhawk family, and perhaps, Opal.”

Mirna was sharp. I was genuinely surprised at how close she got to the truth just from what I had said so far.

“Is that why you asked about logs?”

“No, it’s unrelated… but if you hear the story, Lady Mirna might not be able to walk away. It’s a dangerous story.”

“What are you saying now? Sir Theo and I are already in the same boat, aren’t we? Literally and otherwise…”

Swoosh-.

Mirna unfolded her fan and covered half of her face, embarrassed. Still, her willingness to take the risk was touching…

I gave Mirna an extra 10 points for her sincerity!

As I calculated the points in my head, I said, “Do you know Opal Bellhawk?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t.”

“What if, for some reason, he’s still active behind the shadows?”