Chapter 16

Episode 16 — Experiment (1)

Looking around at the tree branches and leaves covering the sky, I flew in between the willow branches whose stems hung down like curtains.

When I closed my eyes and focused, my hearing, which had improved compared to when I was human, let me hear faint sounds.

The sound of the wind, the sound of leaves brushing against each other, and the sound of animals’ footsteps.

Good, there are no people.

Reassured, I returned to human form.

Soon, my field of vision became higher, and my eyesight slightly worsened again as I pushed aside the branches and slowly looked around.

Large trees blocked the surrounding view, but traces of small animal footprints or things that seemed to be homes remained here and there.

This was the small-animal region of the imperial forest, where the hunting competition had been held not long ago.

Unlike the day when tragedy occurred, today there was only me here, and there was no one who knew I was here.

Ah, one person knows.

The 1st Prince, Rasia Abiran.

Because it was the 1st Prince who had cleared the people out of this place.

Though he showed an extremely displeased attitude about it.

—You want me to clear the imperial forest? And make it look like I’m the one entering? Why should I?

At his voice, which was lowered in volume but sounded full of dissatisfaction, I answered as if it were only natural.

Because I have to enter.

—That’s why I’m asking why you’re making it look like I’m entering!! …..I mean.

He had been about to raise his voice again, but while watching my reaction, he whispered the rest in a small voice.

—I would prefer no one to know that I go in and out of that place.

—Why?

—Because I will be going in and out for your treatment. It would not be good to draw people’s attention, would it?

The 1st Prince pressed his mouth shut again.

—Ah, and abandon any thought of attaching someone to follow me, just in case. I am as good at reading presences as I am at erasing my own.

The 1st Prince, who looked as if he had been struck where it hurt, loudly insisted that there was no way he would do that.

—You had better not. If you attach someone to me, I will simply wander around the forest in circles. Then the treatment will only be delayed.

The 1st Prince glared at me after hearing those words, but he did not say anything in particular.

Even if he strains his eyes like that, at most he will only be able to secretly search my room or release people into the forest around the day after tomorrow.

But there is nothing in my room that can be called mine, and even if he releases people, they will not be able to gather every stone in the vast forest.

And since the forest belongs to the imperial family, he, who is still only a prince, cannot overturn it as he pleases.

Of course, saying I came to the forest because of the treatment method was only half true.

Half of it was a lie.

Because today’s true purpose lay elsewhere.

I followed the traces of small animals that could be found throughout the forest.

Herbivore droppings hidden among the moss, small footprints, or tree nuts that had been gnawed on and abandoned.

Today, I intended to investigate my ability.

Because the previous black horse incident had allowed me to form the hypothesis that perhaps I could transform into animals other than crows.

If I had thought I could only turn into a crow, but the ability was actually better than that, I needed to learn how far I could use it and how to use it.

That is, if my ability truly is transforming into animals.

I found damp ground around an oak tree and placed a small, long cylindrical container nearby.

Then I filled the inside a little with the tree nuts I had prepared.

If a stupid one was lucky enough to get caught, I planned to experiment with it.

It was good for repeated experiments, and above all, I did not think I could catch a large animal without getting hurt.

Even if I tried starting with a wolf right away, I would probably be torn apart the moment I approached it.

I planned to start with something small.

Something very small.

So, something like a squirrel.

Peek.

A small shape suddenly popped out from a hole covered with slightly rotten leaves and moss.

A small head, a striped tail, and a barley-colored body.

It was unmistakably a squirrel.

“.......”

“……”

The squirrel and I both awkwardly looked at each other.

The squirrel was surprised because it had encountered some dark-looking human guarding the front of its house, and I was surprised because I had suddenly met my target before I was ready.

"Well, come here for now."

Flustered, I slowly hid the trap I had been trying to set off to the side and slowly reached out my hand toward it.

Even I thought it was ridiculous.

There was no way a wild animal would approach me just because I did that….

Scurry.

...There was.

Contrary to my expectation that it would immediately run away, the creature climbed onto my hand with a blank expression.

It even met my eyes and twitched its small brown nose.

Is the 7th Prince really popular with animals?

"If you listen to people that well, you’ll get caught someday."

Even at my dumbfounded mutter, the creature tilted its head and pattered around on top of my hand.

Fine, during next year’s hunting competition, just stay inside your burrow.

* * *

Originally, my plan was to catch any small animal with the trap I had prepared, keep it confined, and test the conditions for transformation.

If it really did not work, I would transform into a crow, snatch one, and trap it.

That was the plan.

"Stay still. Stay still for a bit."

Because this restless creature came into my hand far too easily, I had to flounder because I could not even trap this little thing.

While I was rummaging through my bag with my other hand, the creature, perhaps now completely recognizing me as its friend, climbed up and down my body here and there.

It was clear that climbing onto my hand just now had simply been a coincidence.

This small squirrel could not stay still at all.

"Now, now, look at this."

I took out my trump card.

The creature finally stopped moving and fixed its gaze as if enchanted on the acorn in my hand.

It was the one I had chosen from among the tree nuts I prepared, the glossiest and plumpest of them all.

The squirrel could not take its black eyes off the nut.

"Shh. Stay still.”

I placed the acorn in its tiny hands.

Its eyes widened a little, and those eyes soon looked at me as if moved.

When I only looked at it without saying anything, the squirrel seemed to read my intention that it was okay to accept the gift, examined the plump acorn this way and that, then opened its mouth and tried to put it into its cheek pouch.

It was perfect timing.

I quickly snatched the acorn from the squirrel’s hands while its mouth was open.

The creature, which had bitten at empty air, looked back and forth between its empty hands and the acorn in my hand in confusion for a moment.

Its small eyes, turned toward me, filled with bewilderment and deep betrayal.

Yes, this was it.

I calmly retraced the things I had done right before my two previous transformations.

The crow whose neck had been grabbed on the first day of possession, and the black horse that had abandoned me and run away during the hunting competition.

The common denominator between the two seemed obvious.

Betrayal.

The emotion that had filled their eyes was clearly the driving force and condition that allowed me to transform.

And nothing makes one feel more betrayed than having something given and then taken away.

"Squeak! Squeak! Kkwek!”

As if proving that my thought was correct, the squirrel became thoroughly irritated with me and began making mouse-like sounds while hitting various parts of my body with its little hands.

"Yes, yes, I’m sorry."

I gave the acorn back to it.

The small black-eyed friend seemed dissatisfied about something, but still unable to refuse the tempting gift, it accepted the acorn while glaring at me, then quickly put it in its mouth as if afraid I would steal it again.

Though the angry squeaking did not stop.

With the now-calmed creature beside me, I slowly closed my eyes.

Now the conditions seemed to have been met.

Since it had trembled with betrayal toward me like the others, if my hypothesis was correct, this time I should be able to transform into a squirrel.

Like when I turned into a crow...

Hmm, what can a squirrel do?

I thought of the creature that had climbed up and down me.

'I want to climb trees freely.'

As always, I waited for the warm energy to wrap around me.

“.....?”

But nothing happened.

When I opened my eyes, I was still a large human, and the squirrel was merely looking up at me with an expression that seemed to ask what I was doing.

* * *

"I’m pissed, I’m pissed, I’m pissed!"

Rasia Abiran could not control his anger and lay in his bedroom, beating his pillow.

Unable to withstand the force, the goose feathers inside burst out and flew around, but even that did not relieve his anger.

Recently, there was only one thing making him angry.

His damn seventh younger brother.

That insect bastard whose name he had not even remembered.

He was the reason Rasia was now undergoing self-confinement in this room, something that did not suit him at all.

- The 1st Prince is supposed to be out hunting right now, so you must not leave the bedroom during that time.

When he remembered the face of the guy who had arrogantly given him orders, the 1st Prince once again felt rage surge up and drove his fist into the innocent bed.

It was a loss that commoners would not be able to cover with a year’s worth of living expenses, but Rasia did not care about such things.

Was he not originally a guy who lived flat on his stomach according to his station?

No, in truth, he did not remember well.

For as long as Rasia could remember, he had always been the one destined to be appointed crown prince.

There was no need to remember each and every lower being beneath him.

He vaguely remembered the imperial family being noisy when some black-haired prince was born just before his Manis was measured as a child.

When he grew a little older, he had also heard people say that, as expected, the boy was a half-baked one who possessed no power at all.

But before long, the guy gradually faded from his memory.

This was partly because the emperor thoroughly ignored him, but also because the relationships among the imperial family were completely ruled by survival of the fittest.

The higher ones had no interest in him, and the other siblings with little Manis despised him for having no Manis despite carrying the name of the imperial family.

The 1st Prince belonged to the side that had no interest. But now he had turned to the side that despised him.

Just you wait.

Once the treatment is over, I will peel that bastard’s skin off alive and hang it on the window of the 7th Prince’s palace.

No, before that, no matter what it takes, I will find out where that bastard brings the medicine from.

Imagining a hopeful future, the 1st Prince swallowed down his anger.

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Who is it? I told you not to let anyone inside!!"

"His Highness the 2nd Prince is looking for Your Highness."

When one knight spoke of his younger brother, who had come all the way to the front of the 1st Prince’s palace, the 1st Prince sprang upright.

If it was the 2nd Prince, was he not his true younger brother, the only one he trusted?

He had jumped up because he wanted to relieve his mood by seeing that cheerful guy, but the 1st Prince ended up lying back down.

—You must not meet anyone. Because His Highness the 1st Prince is at the hunting grounds. Even if His Highness the 2nd Prince comes looking for you, you must absolutely not meet him. If you violate this, there will be nothing more I can do to help you.

Because that unlucky face, speaking in such a manner, came to mind.

"Damn it, tell him I went to the hunting grounds and am not here."

In the end, Rasia delivered those words to the knight and began beating the pillow on the bed again.

* * *

"His Highness the 1st Prince has gone to the imperial forest to enjoy hunting right now."

"Oh dear, it seems I chose the wrong day. Understood."

The 2nd Prince, Dito Abiran, turned around with a regretful expression and left the 1st Prince’s palace.

At the smile hanging on the corners of his mouth, the gatekeeper bowed his head as if apologetic.

The 2nd Prince, who had not erased his smile the entire way out, stopped walking for a moment and turned back, casting his gaze toward the bedroom window of the 1st Prince’s palace.

He smiled even more deeply, turned his back, and walked down the road again.

"Who taught our foolish older brother how to choose people?"

He muttered pleasantly.

* * *

Today’s experiment ended in complete failure.

Thinking that perhaps I had not made the creature angry enough, I gave and took away the acorn a few more times, but I was only hit a few more times by its pebble-sized hands.

Because I had been somewhat certain that the hypothesis I had formed was correct, I was quite flustered.

I could not see any common point between the two besides this.

Moreover, the crow had been in the same space with me for less than five minutes, so there was nothing to compare it with against the horse.

I sighed and looked at the squirrel glaring at me.

And I changed my mind.

In the crow’s case, although I had spent only a short time with it, I also had not done much.

"Then it should be easy to reenact."

I took out an acorn again.

Today, this little creature would receive a great reward.

* * *

In conclusion, I ultimately could not transform into a squirrel by the time I returned to the 7th Prince’s palace.

Though I did fly back in the form of a crow.

Unfortunately, the squirrel was far more scatterbrained than either the crow or the horse.

I somehow succeeded in getting the creature to climb onto my shoulder and even stroked its head, but while I was testing whether I could transform by stroking its head, it disappeared with three acorns.

It was a squirrel with less ambition than expected.

Since it was almost time for the maid to bring dinner, I had no choice but to put the bag back on and fly back.

In any case, its home should be around that area, so as thanks for its hard work, I overturned the container I had planned to use as a trap and scattered the tree nuts.

Promising myself there would be a next time, I left the forest without lingering.

Although the bag, which should surely have been lighter than when I came to the forest, felt heavy, I did not think too deeply about it, assuming I was more disappointed than expected.

* * *

Knock, knock.

"Y-Your Highness, I have brought dinner."

"Come in."

After roughly throwing the bag near the desk and returning to human form, I was fortunately able to let the maid in on time.

So today’s meal attendant is Anna.

Although Anna had already helped prepare the 7th Prince’s meals several times, she still stumbled over her words once after knocking.

Following my instruction to keep dinner simple, the chef sent only three dishes: onion soup, salad, and smoked duck.

Anna placed the dishes on the desk with deft hands.

By the time Anna finished preparing everything, I closed my eyes for a moment and leaned my tired body toward the chair.

The reason for today’s failure was probably that I had not prepared a cage to confine the animal.

While I was resolving that next time I went, I should prepare an enclosure beside me before setting the trap, I noticed one strange thing.

Why is Anna not leaving?

Normally, after finishing the preparations, she should have asked my permission and left, but Anna had been quiet for a while.

The moment I sensed something strange and opened my eyes, Anna opened her mouth.

"C-Cute!!"

It was completely different from the words I had expected.