7. The girl who will become a count (1)
#7
Ronan turned the sack upside down. Something blue fell down. The boys’ eyes widened.
-Beep…?
“Um, what is that?”
“bird?”
It was a bird. A bird whose entire body, except for its beak, is covered in blue feathers. The size was at most a little larger than a pigeon. The blue bird was slowly tilting its head and looking around.
“Huh, what kind of bird is blue? that’s interesting.”
Ronan carefully picked up the bird. Even excluding the blue feathers, its appearance was very unusual.
If we had to compare it to a conventional bird, it resembled a crow, but its feathers were incredibly abundant.
-Beepee…?
“But why is this guy so stupid? “You can’t fly?”
The bird was curled up quietly in Ronan’s palm. Even when I touched it, it just drooped listlessly and showed no particular reaction. Asher lay down and opened her mouth.
“Ronan, there’s something on your new leg.”
“what?”
Ronan flipped the bird. As Asher said, there were silver-colored rings on its slender legs. When I looked closely, I saw something written on the surface of the ring.
“Ka···Rebol···Ro?”
Ronan slowly read along the letters. He frowned as he pondered his memories. Caribolo. Caribolo’s Lasso.
If I remember correctly, it was the name of one of the top five poaching organizations on the continent.
‘So those two were Caribolo’s poachers? It seemed too stupid to do that.’
Ronan knew something about Caribolo’s notoriety. It was because he had several comrades in the punishment unit who had been arrested for poaching.
They stayed up and talked about the strange animals they had caught.
“Then this ring…”
He soon remembered Gori’s identity. Tamer Ring. It was a type of shackles made to suppress mysterious animals commonly called phantom species. It is said that specially treated metal disturbs the mana of trapped phantom species.
“Tsk.”
A sword was pulled from Ronan’s waist. He placed his blade on the hook and pulled. The tamer ring, split in half, fell to the floor.
“The idiots have nothing better to do, so they are torturing the dumb beast.”
-Beep?!
Because the force control was delicate, no wounds were left on the legs. The bird’s eyes widened. Suddenly, the soft feathers began to harden.
“Hey, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
-Beepee…
The feathers were becoming more manly than simply hard. The bird curled up, burying its head under its chest.
Soon, when the feathers hardened, the bird took on the appearance of an egg.
“…is he dead?”
Ronan knocked as if knocking on an eggshell. She made a sound that sounded like she was hitting solid metal, but there was no response.
At that moment, a deep male voice rang in Ronan’s ears.
[Woah, connected! Are you the one protecting Marfez?!]
“Hey, I’m surprised. what?”
[Sorry. I am Marfez, the original guardian of the dream bird. [We are looking for someone who went missing early yesterday morning.]
When I listened carefully, I realized that the voice was echoing in my head, not in my ears. It was electromagnetic magic that I had experienced before. Only then did Ronan discover that an elaborate magic circle had been drawn on his egg.
Looking at the context, it seemed like a connection magic to prevent loss. Has the Tamer Ring been interfering with the activation of magic? He said, putting his mouth close to the egg.
“I don’t know what Marfez is, but I guess you’re right if you’re talking about a blue bird.”
[Blue bird! you’re right! Ah, what a relief…! Can I ask where you found it?]
“Two idiots were running away with it in a sack.”
[Yes?!]
The owner of the voice seemed quite surprised and began asking various questions. Ronan explained the current situation as concisely as possible and how he rescued the animal, which he was confused as to whether it was a bird or an egg.
[that···! She thought she had dropped it somewhere, but never expected it to have been stolen…! I really don’t know how to thank you for this.]
“That’s Okay. “Anyway, the bird suddenly turned into an egg. Is this okay?”
[Ah, turning into an egg is one of our Marfez’s abilities. Normally, it runs around quickly, but when it gets tired or injured, it turns into an egg and takes a rest.]
The blue bird’s name was Marfez. It doesn’t look like that at all, but since it is a ‘dream bird’ belonging to a fantastic species, it is said to have many talents other than changing its feathers into eggshells.
“So how did you lose it?”
[So… I originally studied phantom species in a research lab…]
He said he believed he had been robbed while spending time in a nearby town on work. Mar… He somehow turns into an egg even when he sleeps, so I guessed that the crime was probably committed around that time.
[I was just about to report her missing to the National Police Agency… I’m so glad.]
“Well, I see. Anyway, how do I get this friend back? “I have no plans to go to the system right now.”
[Of course I have to find it. Please tell me the location and I will be there within two days.]
“Well… we have to keep moving around to wait two days. “If you are released, will you go straight to your home?”
[yes? Ah yes. For now, yes, but…]
Fortunately, this strange bird has a strong homing instinct, so no matter where it is left on the continent, it will find its own nest.
The only problem is that once the bird has turned into an egg, it usually takes about three to four days to recover and emerge from the egg.
Ronan thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“If I sprinkle some potion on it, will it come out a little faster?”
[yes? Potions? No, there is no need to do that…]
“that’s right? no?”
[Of course, Marfez’s feathers have the function of absorbing ingredients that are beneficial to them. But you really don’t need to do that. I will soon-]
Ronan was already holding out a potion bottle. It was the leftover potion that I used on Asher at dawn. He put a few drops of the potion on the eggshell.
“It’s small, so this should be enough. “I just sprayed it, so leave the cage door open.”
[Stop, teacher! Why do you have to do that…!]
“It’s not a big deal, I just don’t feel like carrying it around for three days.”
It was true that the potion was effective. Suddenly, cracks began to appear on the egg, and a red beak stuck out between the broken pieces.
He placed the egg that was turning into a bird on the floor. Marpe… After a few minutes, he returned to his full bird form.
The feathers were shiny and looked several times healthier than when they were first taken out of the bag.
Ronan said.
“Go home, man.”
-Beep?
The bird was blinking its clear eyes continuously with its gaze fixed on Ronan. She didn’t know how she knew that the bird was better, but a sound that sounded even more urgent than before rang in her head.
[oh my god! I really, really don’t know how to thank you…! No, it’s not like this. Go ahead and pluck a feather. He probably won’t resist because he knows he saved him.]
“feather?”
Although he was skeptical, Ronan did as he was told. As expected, the bird did not resist. In fact, he even nudged the tail feathers, which were particularly attractive.
The feathers had a mysterious blue color that no artist could steal. Ronan tilted her head. It’s pretty, but why are you choosing this?
Swish!
At that time, a feather fell out of my hand. The feather that flew away like an arrow got stuck in the blue bird’s body again and returned to its original place. Ronan muttered as if he was dumbfounded.
“···What kind of magic is this?”
[The feathers of all dream birds have the characteristic of returning to their owner. If you come to the islands, please follow the feather. I would definitely like to meet you and thank you.]
“I said it’s okay. “I have no intention of making a campaign just because I saved one animal.”
Ronan was sincere. He thought that although the more money the better, there was no need to make money by doing stupid things.
[Don’t do that. A beautiful heart deserves to be rewarded. ah! My introduction is late. My name is Professor Varen Panasir, and I am researching phantom species. Then… I’ll be looking forward to the day we meet…]
Suddenly the electric sound cut off. The cause seemed to be that all the eggshells with the magic circle on them had turned into feathers.
The bird did not move until Ronan plucked its feathers again. It was the moment when he reluctantly pulled out one of his tail feathers.
-Beep!
“Uh huh?! “Yumma!”
The bird suddenly roared and jumped into the river. Ronan, who was trying to rush away, stopped in place. An unbelievable scene was unfolding.
“Damn it, what is that?”
The bird was not flying, but was running across the river. The bird, which ran without paying attention to the strong current, disappeared beyond sight in an instant. The two boys stood blankly, looking in the direction where the bird had disappeared.
“.··After living so long, I see all kinds of things.”
“huh···.”
“Anyway, didn’t he say he was a professor?”
“Well… I didn’t hear anything.”
“···Well, it doesn’t matter.”
The car was about to turn. Something round caught Ronan’s eye. There was a sphere lying where the bird was sitting.
“What is this again?”
Ronan picked it up. The pine cone-sized lump was oval and wide like a pebble.
“egg? Could it be that she just gave birth?”
Except in that case, there was no explanation. In fact, the surface of the sphere was as warm as a freshly laid egg.
However, Ronan wondered whether he should really call this ‘egg’. Asher, who was looking at her orb, opened her mouth.
“It looks a little… strange.”
Ronan also agreed with that opinion. To be honest, saying it was strange was somewhat polite. If it hadn’t been in the shape of a perfect sphere, I would have kicked it thinking it was shit.
The rough surface was as rough as if it had been covered in mud, and the color was very similar to that of brown.
“Damn, it’s not really poop, is it? Asher, take a lick.”
“I don’t like it.”
Fortunately, there was no smell. After contemplating for a while whether to throw it away or not, Ronan eventually put the sphere in his pocket. Regardless of whether it was poop or eggs, it was a by-product of a phantom species, and it might be sold at a high price later.
‘Do the merchants of Marbas know?’
Ronan picked up the paddle again. I threw the blue feather, which was constantly moving, into my backpack. Since I had to go to the institution sooner or later for the entrance exam anyway, I was planning to stop by Varen or something at that time.
****
The boys traveled around nearby villages and estates for four days and sold their loot. Even after filtering out what to pack and what to discard, it took quite a long time because there were so many items. After earning some money, Ronan bought two powerful mules.
“Relax your body! Hold the reins lightly! “You don’t want to be treated like an idiot who can’t even speak properly, do you?”
“Now, wait a minute! This is harder to balance than I thought… ugh! “Don’t hit me with a horsewhip!”
Ronan also taught Asher how to ride a horse. Fortunately, Asher was a quick learner. He wanted to buy a horse rather than a mule, but it was difficult to find a good horse in a place like this.
When there were about five sacks left, the boys moved to a large city called Marvas. This splendid city, built in front of the Roraima Mountain Road, was a commercial hub where markets were held every day.
“Two gold coins.”
“what?! “Just look at it again. Even though I haven’t learned much, I can see that it’s a real sapphire.”
“Hmm… three coins. no more.”
“The three pieces are Nimi. Like a greedy raccoon. “Let’s go, Asher.”
“What?! hey! “What did you just say?!”
The remaining five sacks were filled with expensive items that could not be sold elsewhere. They spent half a day just looking for a merchant who would pay the right price.
Fortunately, a place called Caravel Merchant bought most of the remaining items at a conscientious price.
“Hmm… it’s an item in very good condition. The workmanship is delicate… How about twenty-two gold coins?”
The leader at the top, a man named Duon Karabel, paid more than ten times the price for the same necklace as before. Asher was astonished, and Ronan nodded solemnly. It was just the right price.
“great. “You are a person with a conscience.”
“Hehe, that’s because a merchant’s life is credit.”
Duon bought all types of weapons, potions, and crafts. People who appeared to be employees carried goods between stalls and carts. Duon put the settlement money in a neat wooden box and handed it over.
Ronan liked him. I liked that he gave the right price, but I especially liked that he didn’t ask where the items came from. He said that if he had the chance, he would like to do business in the future.
“Thank you for your transaction. I hope your future will be full of luck.”
“By the way, can you take a look at this too?”
Ronan suddenly remembered what happened a few days ago and rummaged through his pockets. He took out a dark sphere and held it out to Duon. He had completely forgotten about it since he put it in his pocket that day.
“Why are you taking horse manure out of your pocket?”
“It’s not horse manure, it’s something that a bird gave birth to. Should I say I packed it up and left?”
“Is it a bird? “This?”
Duon carefully accepted the sphere. He carefully examined the sphere wearing a detector that looked like a monocle.
The feeling that I thought would end quickly took an hour. Duon tilted his head.
“This… is a bit strange.”
