Chapter 63

The next morning, I, Tina, Hyliris, and Mother's fairy were all sleeping on the lower bunk of a simple two-tier bed.

Tina was lying on her side, looking cute, the fairy was balled up in the corner, and Hyliris and I had abandoned our guard, sprawling out with our bellies up.

... I don’t know about me, but isn’t it strange that the bird Hyliris is lying on its back with its wings spread out?

“Tina, it’s morning.”

I pressed my wet nose against the cheek of Tina, who had her milk tea-colored hair down, to wake her up.

“Mm, it’s cold…”

Tina, who wakes up easily, opened her eyes right away.

“Miri… Oh, right, we were sleeping together. Good morning.”

Hearing our voices, Hyliris also woke up.

“Ugh, I slept well. Beds are great. …Hey, can you help me get up?”

Hyliris, with Tina’s help, got up from her back.

Then, moving to the back of a chair placed in the room, she lifted her wings and began to preen deftly with her beak.

While Tina was getting hot water from downstairs to wipe her face and body, I, who lack femininity, didn’t even bother to fix my bedhead and was lounging on the bed with the fairy.

The necklace was still on, but the shawl, which I had taken off carelessly last night, was crumpled up at the edge of the bed.

While thinking about going back to sleep, I waited for Tina to get ready, and suddenly the next room became noisy.

“Ahh, he escaped!”

Through the thin walls, I could hear Kicks’ sleepy voice.

Almost simultaneously, Kugalug used a teleportation spell to move into our room.

He looked exhausted, as if he couldn’t believe what had happened to him.

“Good morning, Kugalug. What’s wrong?”

“Milfee! …When I woke up, that golden human was sleeping with me. Milfee wasn’t there, and that golden one was hugging me…”

It seems he slept in the same bed as Kicks last night.

But he didn’t need to be so shocked.

For Kugalug, waking up with a man next to him must have been a shock. He had fallen asleep in the luggage last night.

Seeing Kugalug shivering, I felt sorry for him and did something I rarely do—preened his feathers.

Cheer up.

After everyone was ready, the one-eyed knights gathered in our two-person room to plan today’s journey.

We could have planned to stay in this town for a while and reach the capital in the afternoon, but we couldn’t relax because there were enemies targeting us.

The inn could serve breakfast if we asked, but the one-eyed knights, being cautious, were eating the food they brought while looking at the map spread on the floor.

They were discussing how to counter the attack in the forest ahead, with the squad leader leading the discussion.

I was sitting on the bed, having Tina put the shawl on me, and my tail was hanging down, lacking energy.

I was worried that the one-eyed knights might get hurt.

The men in black seemed to be quite strong, and there were more of them today.

Yet, they didn’t seem to want to rely much on Hyliris or Father’s snake’s power, and instead asked to stay close to me and Kugalug rather than fight alongside us.

Even if we captured the enemies and interrogated them, would they speak honestly?

Would we be able to corner the mastermind—probably Captain Sarell?

“Hey, I thought of something…”

I stood up on the bed, bracing myself for opposition.

“What about this plan? I’ll let myself be kidnapped. Then everyone won’t have to fight, and we’ll know who the mastermind is.”

After a two-second pause, Kicks’ “Are you stupid?” was followed by “What are you thinking?”, “No way”, “It’s dangerous”, and “Just stay put” from the other four.

But I didn’t back down from their gazes and raised my voice.

I felt that if I spoke loudly, I could somehow make it work.

“But! I think it’s a good plan!”

“Miri”

The one-eyed knight looked scary, but I wasn’t going to be intimidated by that…

“Please! I can do it! Let’s catch the mastermind!”

Interrupting the one-eyed knight who was about to reject it, the squad leader raised his hand, seemingly thinking about something.

“No… wait. It might be an effective plan to reveal the mastermind.”

“But it’s dangerous…”

“It shouldn’t be too dangerous for Milfee. The enemy knows she’s a fairy, so they won’t treat her roughly. They won’t keep her for long either, as they don’t want her parents to come out.”

The squad leader paused and continued.

“If Sarell is the mastermind, and I put myself in his shoes, I wouldn’t hurt the kidnapped fairy or keep her for days. After kidnapping, I’d return her unharmed before her parents come out. Then I’d pretend to have discovered and rescued her by chance. This way, I could lower Cromwell’s credibility and raise my own.”

“Captain Sarell would think that far, I guess.”

Kicks nodded in agreement.

“So if the fairy is kidnapped, we’ll meet Sarell soon. Hyliris has heard similar things. Even if the mastermind has a different purpose—like, say, a fool who wants to get the fairy’s power—they would still show up. Nothing would start without contact with the fairy.”

The squad leader seemed to be re-evaluating my plan.

He sat in the only chair in the room, touched his chin beard for a while, and then spoke.

“We need to know who the mastermind is and what their purpose is. If we don’t, the same thing will happen again. Just capturing the men is not enough.”

The squad leader and the one-eyed knights seemed to be predicting what he would say next, and their expressions were not enthusiastic.

“But if Milfee becomes the bait, the mastermind is more likely to appear. The best scenario would be to catch the mastermind when they make contact with Milfee and obtain evidence. …Since none of you would suggest such a plan because you care too much for this child, I will. The plan is to let the fairy be kidnapped on purpose, follow them, and capture them at the right moment. It seems to be a foolproof method.”

While saying this, the squad leader looked at me with a worried expression.

As the leader of the knights, he had to take a firm stance to capture evil, but he seemed to be conflicted.

He probably didn’t want to use me as bait.

“But what if we lose track of Milfee during the pursuit?”

“You’re being pessimistic, Cromwell. You sound like you’ve gone back to the you before the northern fortress. Say you can do it.”

The squad leader’s words made the sub-leader fall silent, and Hyliris, not reading the room, said brightly.

“I can handle the pursuit! I won’t lose sight of her from the sky. The plan to let Milfee be kidnapped on purpose is a good one!”

Hyliris seemed excited and eager.

But I’m not going to be outdone by her enthusiasm, and neither is Kugalug.

“That’s right, with Hyliris’ help, it’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be kidnapped with Milfee!”

He said it as if it were a picnic.

The one-eyed knight kept frowning.

“Milfee, Kugalug, it’s dangerous. What if you get hurt?”

“We’ll run away.”

“You won’t be able to run that easily. You’ll probably be restrained.”

“We can run away. We can use the teleportation spell.”

It doesn’t matter if we’re put in a cage or tied up. We can use the teleportation spell to disappear when it gets dangerous.

“We can return to the one-eyed knights immediately.”

Or to Mother’s or Father’s place.

“Yeah… that’s true.”

Kicks muttered in agreement.

“Kicks…”

Tina, looking worried, tried to dissuade him.

Kicks continued.

“Because, you know. Milfee and Kugalug can escape at any time. Besides, as the squad leader said, I don’t want to let the mastermind escape. They’re trying to kidnap Milfee and Kugalug and might be trying to tarnish the sub-leader’s reputation. Whether it’s Captain Sarell or not, I want to catch them with solid evidence. …Using Milfee and Kugalug as bait is indeed a tough call, but if there’s no danger, I think it’s worth a try.”

“That’s right! I don’t want the mastermind to escape either. If they escape, we might be targeted again.”

Now, with Hyliris and Father’s snake, and with our resolve, I think it’s better than being caught unprepared.

“Who agrees with the plan to use Milfee and Kugalug as bait?”

At the squad leader’s words, I raised my hand enthusiastically.

“Hi! I’ll be the bait!”

“If Milfee does it, I’ll do it too!”

“I agree with the plan.”

Kugalug and Hyliris agreed, and Kicks and the squad leader also raised their hands quietly.

“I’m against it.”

“Me too…”

The one-eyed knight was resolute, and Tina spoke hesitantly.

The final decision was up to the sub-leader.

The sub-leader, as the commander of this group—though the squad leader is the highest authority, he is only accompanying the northern fortress members. The sub-leader knows the personalities and abilities of Kicks, Tina, me, and Kugalug better, so it’s better for him to lead—ultimately, everything depends on the sub-leader’s decision.

Everyone looked at the silent sub-leader.

After a deep breath, the sub-leader said in a commanding tone.

“…Milfee and Kugalug will be the bait. However, the water fairy will go as a guard, Hyliris will never take her eyes off them, and they must run away immediately if they feel any danger. They must follow these rules.”

The sub-leader looked at me and Kugalug and continued.

“Especially the last condition is absolute. If you can’t swear to follow it, we won’t execute the plan. Understand? Run away immediately if you feel any danger. It’s too late if you’re hurt even a little.”

“I understand. I swear.”

I nodded repeatedly.

The sub-leader, still looking uncertain, said, “Do you really understand?”

“Then… let’s plan the details.”