Chapter 11
Clatter, clatter
The carriage of Noel’s merchant guild hurriedly left the Grand Duke’s castle.
Before long, it entered the very center of the Grand Duchy—the city of Lafren.
The guild master, who had been anxiously peering out the window the entire time they left the castle, finally let out a sigh of relief and said,
“Whew… I suppose it was just needless worry.”
“It seems the Grand Duchess and the northerners believed us more easily than expected, right? I was worried we’d get kidnapped and tortured in some underground dungeon….”
“It’s too early to relax. We might be being followed, so let’s linger in the city for a bit. We also need to buy some food for the journey.”
“That’s a good idea. I was actually planning to buy that wrinkle-improving ice cream that’s a northern specialty. Sonya, want to go shopping with Mom and Dad?”
“Mmm, no! Sonya’s going to stay here and play with the fairy~!”
Sonya hugged the birdcage I was in and hummed to herself.
“…Dear, is it really okay to keep leaving that birdcage with Sonya? You said it’s related to that expensive bird you bought for the price of a house, right?”
“That’s right. Ferdikeus has been specially trained to return to that cage under any sudden situation or bad weather. As long as the cage isn’t broken, it’ll find its way back.”
“That’s a relief. Sonya, you heard your father, right? It’s wrapped in a blanket, but it’s something valuable, so be very careful.”
“Okay! Sonya will protect it!”
Soon after, the merchant couple left the carriage together.
I muttered in disbelief,
“They pulled off such a massive scam against the North, and now they’re casually going shopping? Seriously?”
I couldn’t tell whether they were bold or just reckless.
‘If it were that Grand Duchess, she would’ve seen through such a shallow trick like the back of her hand.’
Having read the original story, I knew exactly how cunning and scheming the Grand Duchess was.
If anything, that cold smile and gaze she showed at yesterday’s banquet definitely didn’t look like someone who believed them.
‘Just like the guild master said, there’s probably at least one or two people tailing them.’
They were probably pretending to believe the scam, quietly tracking them to locate the stolen goods and seize them.
Since the merchant guild initiated the scam, even if the goods were taken right in front of them, they wouldn’t dare protest to the North. And if the North succeeded, they’d get all the goods at half price—huge profit.
‘In the end, whoever recovers the stolen goods first wins.’
It was a farcical, blindfolded game.
“Well, whatever. It’s none of my business or Sion’s.”
I shrugged, pushing the thought aside.
My immediate problem was me—trapped in this cage, caught by a snot-nosed kid in a hopeless situation.
“Hmm… what should I do?”
I slightly lifted the coat covering the cage and peeked outside.
The carriage had stopped briefly, but once the merchant couple returned, it would steadily move farther from the Grand Duke’s castle.
I needed to think of a solution quickly.
“Isn’t there some good idea…?”
At that moment, I heard vendors shouting outside.
“Iced coffee on sale! A true northerner drinks cold even in midwinter! Ice Americano is the best!”
“Ice pops for sale! So cold you won’t even notice if your tooth breaks while eating! You have to try it!”
“Fresh free-range eggs~ one tray for three coins~! So cheap, so cheap!”
Right then, Sonya’s stomach growled.
“Ugh… Sonya’s hungry.”
My eyes lit up.
I quickly shoved my face between the bars and called out,
“Hey, kid.”
As I spoke for the first time, Sonya jumped in surprise and looked down at me.
“F-fairy!?”
“Yep.”
“You called Sonya?”
“Yep.”
I put on a serious expression and said,
“Kid, you’re hungry right now, aren’t you?”
“Y-yeah… but it’s okay. Mom and Dad will bring lots of tasty food.”
I snorted.
“Hmph, what’s this? Just a helpless kid relying on your mom for food? Do you really think someone like you deserves to raise this great fairy?”
Sonya’s eyes widened in shock.
“N-no! Sonya stayed to protect the fairy…!”
“Yeah, right.”
“That’s not true…!”
“Then prove it.”
“H-how?”
“Go out with me and get some food.”
“With the fairy?”
“Yeah. First, let me out. I’ll go with you.”
Sonya puffed her cheeks stubbornly.
“…No.”
“Why not?”
“If I let you out, you’ll run away.”
“I won’t. Why would I?”
“But yesterday you tried to fly away! Sonya saw it! That’s why I caught you! So you belong to Sonya now! Sonya will raise you! Waaah!”
‘…Figures.’
The kid was sharper and more stubborn than expected.
I quickly changed tactics.
“Okay, fine. I’ll stay here quietly.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. But you should go alone.”
“…Sonya alone?”
I flopped dramatically inside the cage.
“Yeah. You think you’re the only one hungry? I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday because you locked me up. Go get me some food.”
“…Fairy, you’re hungry?”
I listed the things I’d heard earlier.
“Go buy iced coffee, ice pops, and a tray of eggs. Not the old ones on display—freshly made ones.”
“…Ice… coffee? Ice pops? Sonya doesn’t know those.”
“Come on, how do you not know?”
“I really don’t know.”
“So you’re okay with this fairy starving to death?”
I clutched my stomach and groaned dramatically.
“Ugh! I must’ve starved too much! If I don’t eat what I want right now, I’ll disappear forever…!”
“D-disappear?”
Seeing she didn’t understand, I added,
“That means I’ll vanish forever. Ugh!”
“Nooo! Fairy!!!”
Sonya turned pale and teary-eyed, then suddenly stood up.
“Fairy! Wait! Sonya will go get food!”
“…Make sure it’s fresh, not the display ones…”
“Okay!!!”
“Don’t run—you’ll trip. Go slowly, very slowly.”
“Okay!!!”
Sonya flung open the carriage door.
As the small child jumped out and ran off, the servants guarding the carriage panicked and chased after her.
“M-Miss Sonya!?”
“Wait! Where are you going?!”
“Protect the young lady!”
“Driver, stay here and guard the carriage!”
Soon, Sonya and the servants disappeared into the crowd.
Now, I was alone in the carriage.
“…Heh. Hehehe.”
I stood up, brushing myself off, admiring my own cleverness.
“Nice. Got rid of the nuisance.”
Now I just needed to find a way out of the cage.
I tried using my fangirl skill, but as expected, my energy drained and nothing happened.
‘Hmm, then….’
I glanced outside.
There were many people passing by, but I couldn’t just ask for help recklessly.
‘There’s always a conservation of crazy people.’
Just because this was a novel world didn’t mean there weren’t plenty of lunatics.
If I asked the wrong person for help, I might end up in serious trouble—just like Garen warned.
“Then there’s only one option left.”
I took a deep breath and slammed my whole body against the cage.
Thud!
“Urgh…!”
The cage didn’t budge.
“Again!”
I slammed into it once more.
Same result.
“Damn it! What is this thing made of?!”
Given the talk of expensive birds and special training, it seemed the cage was made of some special metal.
“Damn…”
I paced anxiously.
I had to escape before the kid came back.
As I climbed to the top of the cage—
“Hmm?”
Through the window, I saw a dark silhouette across the street.
A man in a black robe, sitting on a horse.
‘A tail sent by the Grand Duchess?’
His face was hidden by the hood, but he seemed to be watching this way.
Then—
“…Huh?”
The silhouette felt strangely familiar.
“No way…”
“Sion…?”
I muttered blankly, then shook my head.
“No way.”
It had to be my imagination.
There was no way Sion—who couldn’t even move freely inside the annex—would suddenly appear in the middle of the city.
And there was even less reason for him to take such risks just to find me.
More likely…
‘He’s probably happy I’m gone.’
After all, I’d been quite a nuisance to him these past few days.
When I looked again, the robed man had already disappeared.
“…Figures.”
I sat back down.
Just as I was about to think of another plan—
Creak—
“…?!”
The carriage door suddenly opened.
And a dark figure stepped inside.
It was the same robed man from before.
