Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
Inside Gantz-san’s cabin, which was kept clean beyond expectations, there was a room with beautiful wildflowers and herbs arranged here and there, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
Aini-san was listening with a serious look on her face as she placed her stethoscope on the belly of the Sirius cub, who stayed calm in my arms despite someone touching it directly.
The expressions of everyone watching the scene were stiff, and the surrounding area was filled with a tense silence.
Then, Aini-san took the stethoscope out of her ears and took a deep breath.
“…It’s done. To be honest, I’ve never seen a Phantasmal Beast cub before, so I’m not very confident…”
“You’re not confident…?”
Seeing all of us gasping in shock, Aini-san suddenly smiled.
“There’re no particular abnormalities in the internal organs, and no visible damage to the digestive system. I think it should be able eat and drink again now.”
At her giving the stamp of approval, all five of us watching… Reiji-san, Saul-niisama, Lenny-san, even Gantz-san, and I, that is… let out a collective sigh and patted ourselves on the chest.
“However, there still remain many external injuries, so it must rest until Iris-chan recovers and heals it. For the time being, I’ve treated all the bleeding and infection. Its right wing has a slight fracture, but again, let’s leave it to Iris-chan once she recovers.”
“Yes, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule.”
“Don’t mention it… Besides, I’m glad to see that you’ve become a bit livelier than before.”
“Am I…?”
“Yes. You seem to be the kind of person who finds joy when helping others in need.”
I couldn’t deny that.
Since I had always been in a position where I received help from others, I often felt guilty about it, and my desire to help others might have come from that accumulated feeling in my heart.
“So here, I borrowed some water and meat from the kitchen.”
“I appreciate that, Reiji-san. Though, it doesn’t look like it has any appetite at the moment.”
Like Aini-san said, the Sirius cub didn’t even look at the meat that Reiji-san’d cut into bite-sized pieces, nor the water he’d placed in a bowl, but rather dozed off in my arms.
“Iris-chan, I was going to ask you to go back to your room and rest… but it looks like you don’t have any intention of doing that.”
“Ehehe… Yes, I’m sorry about that.”
Aini-san sighed softly as I gently lowered the Sirius cub onto the bed that Lenny-san and Gantz-san had prepared, and secured a seat next to the bed.
“Well, I’ll allow you to nurse it. But only until dinnertime, okay?”
“…Yes, I understand.”
I obediently nodded, resigning myself to the fact that I couldn’t make any more concessions.
“But still, where could this cub have come from? Sirius is the largest and rarest species of Phantasmal Beast after all…”
Everyone sank into silence after Lenny-san’s question.
Judging by the location where the cub was found, it must have been somewhere in the mountains behind the castle… but it seems strange that there would be no rumors if such a high-ranking Phantasmal Beast lived so close to a large human city.
“I think I know the answer for that.”
Suddenly, a new voice emerged from the entrance.
It was the Count, who was supposed to be busy.
“Really? I’ve never heard about it before…”
“There’s one such Phantasmal Beast living in the mountains behind this castle. For generations, our ancestors have had an agreement with her. In exchange for keeping her existence a secret, not allowing people to enter her home, and providing a peaceful living environment, she has been protecting the mountains and the back side of this city. This cub of hers must have come from there.”
The Count answered Aini-san’s question.
On that note, if I recalled correctly, some of the mountains behind this castle were off-limits. I thought it was probably for defensive reasons, but this was probably the true reason.
“…Can you really tell us that?”
“Actually, I received a telepathic message from that Sirius the other day. It seems that she’s heard of your existence and wants to meet you. The reason why her cub’s here is unknown, but…”
“She wants to see me?”
“Yes. It’s unusual of her, but perhaps those things on your back have something to do with it.”
…In other words, she’d recognized my race.
When I saw “her” in my dream, “she” seemed really close with that Phantasmal Beast. Could it be that the beast in my dream and the beast on the mountains are one and the same?
“Uh, are we going to be in danger if we go there? Isn’t she like, super ferocious?”
“You all will be fine. She seems to be a relatively old individual, and while she has a foul tongue, she’s pretty gentle.”
The Count reassured Reiji-san’s worries.
In that case, I’d like to meet her. After all, if she was the parent of this Sirius cub, then we should definitely return the cub to her parent.
“Um… Once I’m feel better, I’d like to take this child home.”
“That’s fine by me. I’ll send a pigeon to inform her in advance, so you can meet her even without going deep inside. However, be sure to bring your companions along.”
“…Thank you very much!”
“Mhm. Be sure to prepare well for the trip. Now, if you excuse me, I have official duties to return to.”
That was what the Count said before leaving.
“Heh… We’ll be leaving in three days, then. Be a good pup and wait, okay?”
Said Reiji-san, who reached out his hand to the Sirius cub who was being stroked by me.
The next moment.
CHOMP
“”“Ah.”””
Nii-sama’s, Lenny-san and my voice were perfectly in sync.
Not just Reiji-san, but Nii-sama and Lenny-san had tried stroking the Sirius cub. However, for some reason, only Reiji-san got bitten.
“It hurtsssssss! Why me?!”
Reiji-san quickly pulled his hand out of her mouth.
Aini-san, who was watching the scene with a somewhat calm expression, quickly took out some disinfectant from her bag full of medical supplies and examined the wound quickly.
“I-I-Is he alright?!”
I didn’t expect her to bite Reiji-san, because she’d been such a good girl until now.
Seeing the red liquid flowing from Reiji-san’s hand, I half-panicked and asked Aini-san.
“Well, there’s concerns of tetanus… but fortunately, according to legend, Sirius’ saliva has healing powers. I’ve already cleaned the wound, so you just have to check on it later, Iris-chan.”
As she said that, a relieved air flowed through the surroundings again.
“Thank goodness… Don’t bite someone for no reason, okay?”
I lightly tapped the Sirius cub’s head and spoke sternly.
She looked down again, so I gently patted her head. Even though she was still a child, and couldn’t speak human language, she clearly understood our words. I guess that’s Phantasmal Beast for you.
“Dammit… This is the first time I got bitten by a dog… W-Wait, I’m sorry, okay?!”
Apparently, the Sirius cub didn’t like the word “dog”, and she growled at Reiji-san again, making him hurriedly move away.
In our old world, Reiji-san was usually well-liked by dogs that he met for the first time, which is why I was surprised to see him getting the bite treatment.
In the meantime, the Sirius cub…
“Hmph.”
Yes, she let out a single snort, turned away from Reiji-san and snuggled against my hand.
Even though she’s so cute, she’s got quite an attitude… Reiji-san stared at her, his veins popping out of his temple.
“…This bastard…”
Reiji-san was trembling with anger.
However, what he just said was something I had to correct.
“Please don’t refer to her like that. She’s a girl, you know?”
“Uh… yeah.”
I felt bad for Reiji-san a little, but I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
APM - Translation 