God of Assassination, Become the Strongest Healer - chapter 10

Nom.

The first thing the little guy did after hearing my question was to stick out his pink tongue and lick his damp nose.

“They say dogs stick out their tongues when they’re flustered…”

—I’m not a dog!

“Right. You’re not a dog. And obviously, you’re not a winged bread roll, either. So, if you’re neither a dog nor bread, you must know the reason why all this happened today, right?”

Sniff, sniff.

He made a cute sound and flared his nostrils a bit. I’d also heard that dogs do that when they’re embarrassed, but I didn’t feel the need to bring it up.

—Why do you think I’d know?

“I don’t know. I just have a feeling you might.”

His eyes rolled back and forth.

The third sign of a flustered dog.

I quickly added a word before he had a chance to think it over.

“Thing is, my gut instincts usually end up being right about stuff like this.”

—…

“If you don’t want to say, then you don’t have to. I’ll try to figure it out on my own. But I’d rather you not lie and pretend you don’t know, okay?”

—Who… who’s lying…?

“Lying would be betraying all the chocolate and snacks we’ve shared together, right? So, if there’s a reason you can’t tell me, just say there’s a reason. Or don’t say anything at all.”

—Ugh…

“If you do that, I promise I won’t bug you about this anymore.”

I loosened the buttons on my jacket and got a towel ready to put under his belly, leaving the  flustered guy behind me. If he  didn’t want to tell me, the only thing I could do tonight was sleep.

—Don’t… don’t take that off.

His eyes moved around a lot, a sign he was nervous. I quickly said something before he could hesitate. I mentioned that my instincts are usually correct about things like this. If he didn’t want to share, that was fine; I would figure it out myself.

 However, I preferred if he wouldn’t lie or pretend not to know. He seemed confused, asking who was lying. I reminded him that lying would be like betraying all the treats we’ve enjoyed together. So, if he had a reason for not telling me, he could just say that, or he could stay quiet.

Ugh… 

If you do that, I promise I won’t bother you about this again. 

I unbuttoned my jacket and got a towel to put under him, leaving the visibly flustered guy behind me. If he didn’t want to share, all I could do tonight was sleep. 

Please don’t take that off.

“Don’t… don’t take that off.” 

As I finished rolling up a silk bundle for his pillow, I heard him speak seriously. He tended to be particular about formalities, so it was best to keep my outfit as it was, since first impressions matter. I was dressed up in formal clothes because of a big event earlier that day. He jumped onto my shoulder and landed on the gold embroidery. 

“There’s someone I want you to meet tonight.”

Claudius manages a very large area of land. A big part of his estate consists of islands, but even with that, his territory is huge. It’s probably the biggest estate among all the noble families on the continent, larger than many royal lands. People commonly call his entire territory “Espetara,” but that name  belongs to the main island where Claudius’s family lives. His domain is made up of many islands spread out around the central island of Espetara.

Only about a fifth of these islands are inhabited by Espetara’s residents, while two-fifths are used for training grounds, farmland, or facilities like labs for medicine production. The remaining two-fifths are untouched, kept as pristine wilderness.

There’s a minimal level of maintenance, including regular patrols, but there’s still a big difference between inhabited islands, which see people often, and the uninhabited islands, which rarely do.

Check out that island over there in the distance! When the sun sets and it gets dark, sea fairies come out to play. They hang out at the peak, where no humans have ever stepped, and dance all night long. 

Even a kid who’s usually not into fairy tales could get lost in the magical vibe of the moonlight and the nighttime sea. 

Kreee! 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We’ve got loads of time, so no hurry.” 

I was riding on Gianni, the orca king of the Espetaran seas, gliding through the enchanted waves. 

“So, how’s it feel to ride a spirit beast for the first time?” 

“It’s awesome! Way more comfy than I thought it would be. Now I get why my dad rides on Velderush instead of taking our family’s ships when he goes to other islands.”

The night outing on Gianni, the orca spirit beast, was fun. Gianni was excited and made happy sounds while we sped through the water. Riding him felt fast, smooth, and cozy. He navigated expertly, and it was nice to feel his shiny skin in the moonlight and see the waves behind us.

“But as a member of the Claudius family, I can’t help but feel the night guards could use a little more attention. Sure, I have the advantage of knowing the area well, but I managed to slip out of the mansion in the middle of the night, all the way down to the dock, and not a single guard noticed.”

―“What are you going on about now?”

“It’s not just nonsense. As someone responsible for protecting the residents from potential threats, it’s actually kind of important.”

Every estate had a security system to keep the inside safe, and Espetara was no exception. But here I was—the eldest son of the current lord—racing across the sea past midnight, and none of the guards had noticed. From a security standpoint, that was a serious problem.

“Now, of course, me sneaking out isn’t  an issue. But if someone with ill intent from outside the island tried to sneak in tonight along the same path I took and they also slipped by unnoticed… that’d be a big problem, wouldn’t it?”

―“Oh, come on, don’t be so dramatic! Look, you’re getting special treatment, so don’t go making trouble for the guards later. The family guards and the island’s spirit beasts are on top of their game, trust me. If anyone tried to get into the island following your route, they’d get spotted right away.”

“Special treatment?”

―“Yep. The guards didn’t spot you slipping out because the security system’s flawed; it’s just that they didn’t have much of a choice. Even if every guard stayed wide awake all night, they still wouldn’t catch you.”

“Why’s that?”

―“Why? Because the spirit beasts on night duty cooperated to let you slip out, of course. Hah, with our powers combined, that was nothing! You’re not seriously planning to blame the guards for not catching an escape plan that the island’s guardian spirits all pulled off together, are you?”

Furball laughed proudly, but I couldn’t join in. The guards and the sharp-eyed spirit beasts were the main part of Espetara’s nighttime security. Now, one of those guards had helped me escape, and I couldn’t ignore that.

“Why do you look so serious? Did you  think Tapoma, who is on night watch, didn’t see you sneaking out? Don’t worry, our clever owl friend made an illusion on your bed, so if the servants come in, they won’t notice you’re gone.”

“So you’re saying the spirit beasts are following someone’s orders?”

―“Yep. Though it’s more like they’re following someone’s will than taking direct orders.”

“Doesn’t matter how you phrase it. What matters is that these spirit beasts, who’ve honored their old pact with us, are now acting on someone else’s will. Honestly, it’s shocking.”

 Nothing is shocking about it. Our respect for the pact hasn’t changed a bit. But these spirit friends are simply following the will of a ‘co-master’ of the pact, so they’re not breaking their agreement with the Claudius family, you know?”

“Co-master?”

With every little movement of Furball’s tiny lips, a hidden history began pouring out—a history I’d never seen in any record.

Hearing Tapoma’s name made me even more worried. He was a trusted spirit beast, known for being careful and thorough. But he had helped distract the guards? This whole situation raised even more questions about what was really going on.

Claudius owns the island, but he doesn’t own all of it. There’s another person who shares ownership with him, and you guys don’t know about this co-owner. A gust of wind blew, moving the fur on Furball’s whiskers. 

Just like you didn’t know about me. 

So, the strange behavior of the spirit beasts today was because of this co-owner? 

Yeah, I think that person thought it would be easier to communicate with you that way. 

This is hard to believe. There is an ancient co-owner of Claudius’s land who can control the spirit beasts.

I thought this island had a lot of secrets, but this… this

 is how things are unfolding?’

For a moment, I was caught off guard by the sudden twist of events, my mind overwhelmed by the story the sea was telling instead of a history book. But as I gathered myself, Furball,, spoke up.

―“Look forward to it. That person wants to meet you.

If this island really felt like the kind of place where fairies would play, then it seemed like a perfect spot for my first meeting with the ancient co-owner.

“What’s with the weird behavior? Are you nervous?”

Furball, who had been watching me adjust my clothes, asked the question.

“Wouldn’t be honest if I said I wasn’t. After all, I’m about to meet someone who knows a ton of secrets about our family that I don’t.”

―“No need to be nervous. You’re all dressed up nice, and besides, I think that person already really likes you.”

Flap flap.

The sound of Furball’s wings landed softly on the quiet rocky island.

―“Hey! I’m here!”

Furball shouted toward a cave where the moss seemed to glow especially brightly.

―“Hey! I’m here! What are you doing just sitting there? Hurry up and come out! If you keep stalling, I’m leaving!”

‘So he’s not just harsh with me, huh?’

The overly casual tone was hard to believe, especially for a first meeting with the person we were here for.

―“Hey! I brought the kid like you asked. My job’s done. The rest is up to you!”

―“Hey! Do you wanna keep annoying me? If you don’t come out in the next minute, I’m  leaving! I’ll just say one word, and Gianni will come straight here. Then you’ll be wasting your time!”

Furball’s tone kept getting more and more casual.

I thought  I should step in and stop him from pushing it too far.

Thanks for your help. But why was Belzekiel so upset?  like the one we heard in the Eternal Forest, came from deep inside the rocky island.