MTFBMP Chapter 47

“I told him to just drop you off, but that’s kind of my thing, isn’t it?”

 

Rhodon’s lips parted in a grin. The deep straight scar above the bridge of his nose twitched grotesquely as it was shaded.

 

“Liar! You blew up the ship! Why did you do this?”

 

“Of course. You know I did it.”

 

Rhodon’s smile deepened. My teeth rattled with the terror that washed over me. I gritted my teeth to keep from looking weak.

 

“The ship was supposed to be blown up. I just delayed its fate a little.”

 

It was meant to be. Did Duke Noir want to kill Adele with this ship? The new information hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

“Open the door to the basement, kid.”

 

Rhodon snarled at me.

 

“No! Did you think you could get away from this ship so easily?”

 

Rhodon, too, was thinking of taking advantage of the flying beasts down here.

 

“Smart kid, too smart to kill. Surely worth more.”

 

Rhodon’s eyes narrowed, still scanning me up and down.

 

“It’s a shame you’re still a kid, but you’ll have a lot of use for your looks.”

 

It was ominous. It was a scene I’d seen somewhere, a line I’d heard before.

 

“I’m abandoning this ship, and I’m leaving with my people. I’ll take you with me.”

 

In my vision, I didn’t know who to call, so I called out for anyone to come and save me.

 

— Call on me, master.

 

But now I knew exactly who to call. I squeezed my stomach and called out loud.

 

“Adele!”

 

Bleep!

 

A flying beast’s roar rang out from the bottom of the ocean, like a mermaid’s cry from the depths.

 

“Hurry and save me!”

 

Bam!

 

The sound of the hallway split in two was even louder than the explosion I had just heard.

 

✨

 

There was an explosion, and I was lifted and into a firm embrace.

 

It was Adele.

 

“Shhh. It’s okay, Master. I’m here.”

 

Adele had risen from beast form to human form.

 

Picking me up, my legs too weak to stand, he patted me on the back and pressed his lips to my forehead. I realized I was crying.

 

“Adele!”

 

For some reason, the tears wouldn’t stop. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him.

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

His voice was soothing. It wasn’t the voice of a man who was going to kill me, nor was it the voice of a numbly cold man. He didn’t lunge for my heart.

 

It didn’t apologize to me. It was my pet Adele.

 

Finally, my true voice rose and looked nearby.

 

“Ugh, ouch. Urgh.”

 

Rhodon was curled up in a ball, clutching his face and whimpering in pain.

 

“What the…!”

 

His eyes flashed between his fingers. Beneath his eyes, a gaping wound was visible. Blood from the freshly opened wound soaked his hand.

 

A large X-shaped scar now covered his face.

 

“Master, lean your head on my shoulder.”

 

Adele’s words meant what I realized they meant: to protect me, to keep me from seeing whatever was about to happen. I buried my face in the nape of his neck.

 

“Argh!”

 

Bam—

 

A sound like something breaking rang out, followed by another of Rhodon’s screams.

 

“You dare to covet my Master’s hair.”

 

“My arm! My arm!”

 

That was the last time I heard Rhodon’s voice. I was terrified.

 

I kept my eyes closed for a long time, then managed to open one eye and look around. He was nowhere to be seen, and the surrounding landscape was changing.

 

Finally, I calmed myself and moved away from Adele to check on him.

 

His gaze was not on me but on my hand.

 

“Adele?”

 

As I followed his gaze, I saw what looked like a strand of thread shimmering in the light. It was my hair.

 

“This is mine.”

 

The hair, shimmering silver, caught a spark from somewhere and burned quickly.

 

Still, Adele hugged me tightly, showing no sign of regret.

 

“Adele?”

 

“I guess we can get ready to leave now.”

 

Adele locked eyes with me and smiled weakly. It was the Adele I knew, but somehow it was a smile that held emotion I couldn’t understand.

 

Flap—-

 

Adele spread his wings wide. They glowed with the brilliance of wings he’d never been able to fully stretch in the prison cell, and their size was a marvel. 

 

They were magnificent, in a way that the small space in the basement could never contain.

 

“Can you replenish my strength?”

 

It didn’t take me long to figure out what it meant.

 

Without further ado, I kissed him.

 

Unlike me, whose eyes were tightly shut, Adele’s were wide open, staring at the burning ship.

 

With a snap of a finger, he tapped me on the back, and in time to the beat, every beast that lurked underground leaped to life.

 

It was a moment of liberation.

 

✨

 

The ship was loaded with explosives from the start.

 

Jade had only wanted to bring the little runaway home safely so that he could use it for its intended purpose.

 

But the little owner suddenly announced his intention to go to Whitegold Beach, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, he brought an unwanted guest aboard.

 

It was best to nip any potentially disruptive shoots in the bud as quickly as possible.

 

The little master tried to turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation simply because they were of different genders. But rumors are inherently inaccurate. If there’s even the slightest possibility, it’s better to be careful.

 

The stranger had even opened a door that shouldn’t have been opened.

 

As if the stranger already knew the ship’s course, he casually opened the door to the basement. 

 

As he entered the basement, he saw a flash of golden light through the doorway.

 

Something that should never have happened had occurred. It was Rhodon who approached him. He had already learned from his research that he was an imperial mole.

 

“So, you’re saying she’s a girl?”

 

“I’m pretty sure I heard a conversation.”

 

It was clear from the conversations he had with the little master. A small possibility had grown into a big one. I had to do something about it before it got any bigger.

 

So I decided to do it in the middle of a noisy party on board.

 

“A girl, and pink eyes. Have you seen her hair color?”

 

“Silver hair.”

 

Rhodon gave him the information he’d promised, but he didn’t care. Jade answered curtly, jabbing a finger at the deck.

 

“She should be on deck by now, so please clean up as promised.”

 

Jade, who had allowed the Rhodon to move the birch casks without permission, could not help but be offended.

 

“You’re a butler who knows one thing and doesn’t know another.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“That you hear the combination and can’t think of anything?”

 

The good-natured smile that had greeted me when I first boarded this ship was gone. 

 

A wicked grin has replaced it. His long, straight scar was distorted into an odd shape as he grinned in an expression of uncontrollable amusement. I felt a chill run down my spine.

 

“Two of the Empire’s highest bounties are aboard this ship.”

 

Until he heard the words, Jade hadn’t realized what was happening.

 

“Things have changed.”

 

Those were the last words Jade heard before he lost consciousness. Jade was struck from behind by a blow.

 

And when I finally opened my eyes. The ship was already engulfed in flames.

 

✨

 

Swoosh!

 

The evening sky was littered with the cries of flying beasts.

 

My eyes followed the beasts of the sky as I was carried by Adele. They were all animals I had cared for. None of them seemed to be injured.

 

“There was no damage from the explosion in the basement?”

 

“They couldn’t hurt me that badly.”

 

Adele must have protected everyone. 

 

At least, no beasts were injured. Having the air was a great advantage in a night battle.

 

“Thanks to my master’s help.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Didn’t you clear a path for us?”

 

Was he referring to the barrels I’d cleared out of the way? If so, it was barely more than a finger. 

 

It wasn’t even worthy of a big credit.

 

“Huh?”

 

For a moment, I followed the trajectory of the blue light that flashed before my eyes.

 

“That bird…”

 

The ghost bird, clearly a chick, had grown. And it was flying under its power.