Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Side Story 4. The Dream-Drinking Bird (3)
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"It's a spell that polymorphes animals into humans."
"You're not thinking of using it right now, are you?"
Baren spoke in a confident voice. Balus, standing behind him, let out a bewildered remark. Ronan blinked in astonishment before speaking up.
"Um... Isn't polymorphed an animal into a human nothing particularly groundbreaking?"
"H-How can you say that! This is the spell every ecologist has dreamed of. Do you know how much hardship I went through to create it?!"
"No, I mean, aren't there already nasty wizards who turn people into frogs? Isn't this pretty much the same thing?"
It was less impressive than he'd expected, leaving him deflated. Spells that transformed targets into animals or objects were even part of the Phileon Academy's basic curriculum.
He'd built up so much anticipation, only for this. Reading Ronan's expression, Baren waved his hands dismissively.
"No, no. It's completely different. Think of it like the polymorph dragons love to use, but applied to animals. It's not just changing the appearance—it's reconstructing the body based on the subject's ego. They can even speak."
"Oh."
Ronan rounded his lips. This was genuinely intriguing news. The idea of hearing something other than "pyeh" from Sita's beak was wild.
"Seeing is believing, anyway. Mind if I do it right now?"
"Sounds fun to me."
Ronan nodded. Since the spell would wear off and return everything to normal, it seemed worth trying. He turned to Sita and asked,
"Sita. You okay with that?"
"Pyeh!"
Sita flapped its wings as if in reply. Its eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly eager. Baren, flashing a good-natured smile, unrolled his scroll.
"It's settled, then. Alright, Sita. Stay right there and don't move."
Things progressed quickly. Facing Sita, Baren murmured a few unintelligible phrases. Fwaaaa...! A burst of light from the geometric magic circle enveloped Sita's body.
"Pye?!"
Sita's eyes widened in shock. The light grew stronger until it was nearly blinding.
"Ugh."
Ronan and Balus shielded their eyes. It was far more spectacular than expected. Winds from the mana vortex whipped scattered papers around the office with rustling sounds.
"Damn, is this okay? This isn't some attack spell, is it?"
"Just a bit longer!"
Ronan irritably demanded an update. As Baren started to reply—Kwaaang! A shockwave erupted from the light's center, slamming into the three of them.
"Keurk!"
"Ugh!"
Baren and Balus fell flat on their asses. Ronan was the only one left standing. The light blinding their vision vanished in an instant. Ronan's brow furrowed.
"Huh?"
Sita was gone. In its place, by the wide-open window, stood a small child barely reaching Ronan's waist—looking no older than ten.
"Waa, waaaa...!"
The kid alternated between staring at its hands and feet, letting out exclamations of awe. Its tiny fingers wiggled. An innocent curse slipped from Ronan's mouth.
"Holy shit. Sita?"
No further explanation was needed for the child's identity. Though the species had changed, all its features remained intact.
The fluffy feathers had become thick, glossy black hair, and the four wings had transformed into a bizarre robe draped over its body. Ronan muttered unconsciously.
"...Rivals Asel."
With sharp features and porcelain skin, it was hard to tell the gender. If a boy, it'd be a formidable rival to Asel. Baren sprang up, cheering.
"Ooh, success! To think it even works on a Dream Bird!"
"No way, for real...!"
Balus gaped in admiration. Just then, Sita looked up from its palms toward Ronan. Ruby-red eyes sparkled beneath long, dark lashes.
"Uh... hi."
Ronan awkwardly waved, feeling strangely embarrassed. Better get to the point. Scratching his head, he spoke.
"G-Glad to meet you... Do you remember how you were born? I'd appreciate it if you told me."
But no answer came. Sita just stared at him silently.
The gaze was so intense it was unnerving. It chirped just fine usually—why the stare now? As Ronan tried to continue—
The office door burst open.
"Wh-What happened?! Was there an explosion?!"
"Miss Erzsebet? And the young lady beside you..."
Baren raised an eyebrow at the familiar faces. What caught the eye first was the beautiful cascade of deep purple hair.
It was Erzsebet, who happened to be in the building. Standing beside her more mature figure was a girl strikingly similar to Schlieffen.
"A-A lion..."
The girl hid behind Erzsebet upon spotting Baren. Her tiny face paled. It was Sion Sinivan de Grancia, Schlieffen's little sister.
Still close as ever, she clung to Erzsebet's hand. It felt like yesterday she was munching cookies on Erzsebet's lap at Adeshan's graduation—yet she'd shot up in height.
"Ah, Professor Baren...! I was showing Sion around Phileon. She's enrolling this year."
"Ah, yes. The principal mentioned it. So you're the young lady of House Grancia I've heard about."
"Yes. She finished the Dawn Tower apprenticeship three years early. Even Tower Lord Awn Pila acknowledged her talent. Hehe, impressive, right?"
Erzsebet stroked Sion's head with a laugh, acting every bit the proud parent. Noticing the messy office, she continued.
"Right. By the way, what was that noise? Why's the office like this...?"
"Haha, nothing to worry about. Just a simple experiment. Sorry for the needless concern."
Baren grinned amiably. Erzsebet patted her chest in relief. Suddenly, Sion's eyes widened from behind her.
"Huh? It's Ronan."
"What?"
Erzsebet tilted her head. It had been ages since graduation since she'd heard that name. Stepping aside, she raised her eyebrows.
"It really is you? Why are you here...?"
There stood Ronan for real, hidden behind Baren until now. About to greet him warmly after the reunion—
"Huh? Who's that kid?"
Erzsebet's eyes narrowed. Ronan faced a child with upturned eyes and jet-black hair. Pretty and somehow resembling Ronan in features.
A relative? As Erzsebet pondered—Sita, who had been gazing at Ronan, beamed.
"Daddy!"
"...What?"
Ronan's face crumpled. Erzsebet clapped both hands over her mouth. Sita toddled over and hugged him.
"Hehe, Daddy."
"Hey, why am I your daddy?"
Ronan sputtered in shock. Talk about a bolt from the blue. He'd be a dad soon enough, but not like this. Suddenly, a familiar voice from behind.
"You... beast..."
"Huh? Erzsebet?"
Ronan turned. She glared with axe-like eyes, hostility plain. Trembling, she continued.
"I trusted you... The man my sister chose... Not content with cheating, now a kid too...!"
"N-No, you're totally misunderstanding. It's not like that at all."
"Don't play innocent! No kid of yours would look that much like you otherwise. Sion, don't even look at that scoundrel!"
"Waa! It h-hurts!"
Erzsebet covered Sion's eyes and pulled her close. Sion flailed blindly. Hearing he resembled it, Ronan glanced down at Sita.
'...Does look like me.'
Inspecting the face, Ronan chuckled in disbelief. No wonder the mix-up.
The upturned eyes, overall features—all like his. Maybe because it absorbed my influence in the egg?
"Daddy. Pet my head. Pleeease?"
Sita cooed cutely, nuzzling his chest as always. Is this what having a son... no, daughter feels like? Snapping out of it, Ronan petted its head and said,
"Hey, common sense: do I look like I have a kid this big? Calm down first..."
"Sob, my poor sister!"
But Erzsebet, too shocked to listen, teared up and fled sobbing.
"G-Goodbye!"
Sion managed a greeting even as she was dragged away. Ronan patted Balus's shoulder silently.
"...Balus. Do me a favor."
"A F-Favor?"
"I can't persuade her without force right now. You're a gentleman—go explain for me."
"B-But...!"
"She could burn a mountain if she wanted, but she's good at heart. Don't freak. I'll pay you well."
Each echoing footstep down the stairs throbbed in his head. Balus paled. Glancing between Ronan and the door, he bolted.
"L-Lady Erzsebet! It's all a misunderstanding!"
"Shut up!"
The footsteps faded. Ronan's biggest regret was quitting smoking yesterday. If only one day later. After a long daze, Baren spoke.
"S-Sorry. I was so flustered... Should've told Miss Erzsebet it was a misunderstanding."
"No, Baren. It's fine. Could happen to anyone."
He needed to calm down first. As he deep-breathed to compose himself—Sita, nuzzling his cheek, looked up.
"Daddy. Let's play tag."
"Tag?"
"Yeah. Always wanted to as a human. I'm big now, so I can't hide well... Can't we?"
Its round eyes sparkled hopefully. Infuriating yet destructively cute. Ronan sighed.
"Sita. No time for that now..."
"Catch me, and I'll tell you what you and Baren wanna know. How we Dream Birds are born, right?"
"What?"
Ronan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Sita to offer that.
"For real?"
"Yeah. I remember everything. Wanna play?"
Ronan and Baren exchanged glances. Normally, catching Sita—who flew faster than sound—was impossible. But human now, odds were good.
First time running on two legs? Might be easy. Those skinny legs wouldn't outrun much. Suppressing a grin, Ronan nodded.
"Alright. Let's play."
"Really? Really? Yay!"
"Yeah. I'll count to a minute then chase, right?"
"Yes!"
Sita beamed innocently. A vague chill prickled Ronan's neck. As he opened his mouth—Sita dashed to the window and leaped out.
"Hey, that's the window...!"
"Gasp! Sita!"
No time to stop it. As Baren bristled in horror—Shiiik! Sita reappeared briefly.
"One minute! No cheating!"
It shouted back at Ronan. Four wings had sprouted, flapping behind. Sleekly refined, even better for flight than its bird form.
Sita winked and turned. Fwaaaang—! With a wingbeat, it shot off.
It shrank to a black dot vanishing into the blue sky. Ronan, counting to fifteen seconds, muttered lowly.
"Fuck."