Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Scented Trap
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Suddenly, an ashen wildcat burst in, scowling as he opened his mouth.
"...Why are you here? Rian—no, perfect. Follow me."
Sir Evan stared blankly at him for a moment. The snow-white hair had turned a dull gray, and the wildcat boy was covered head to toe in dirt.
Nihil paused just before stepping into the bedroom with his mud-caked shoes, then kicked them off and scampered over to Evan, grabbing his sleeve with both hands.
"...? Hey, where are you—!"
Having latched onto Evan, Nihil dragged him straight out of Lianus's bedroom and into his own. The king and his guards, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, followed in a line, each clutching bundles of herbs.
Nihil flung open the terrace window and handed something to Evan.
"This is a tracking scent only I can detect. There's an outsider snooping around the first-floor bedrooms—probably looking for me. Spray it on him and chase him off."
"Outsider? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Evan was utterly bewildered, but Nihil patted his thigh insistently, urging him to hurry down.
"Go, quick. No need to kill—just drive him away."
"Ugh, seriously!"
Grousing under his breath, Evan couldn't delay any longer and leaped down from the terrace.
The intruder bolted the moment he spotted Evan, but as the wildcat had asked, Evan pretended to give chase, sprayed the tracking scent, and returned to the bedroom.
But the one who should have been there—the wildcat—was gone. All that remained were the herb bundles and the porters... no, the king and his guards disguised as porters, huddled together.
"...? Where did he go?"
At Evan's question, King Sedes nodded toward the bathroom.
"He went into the bath."
"......"
Evan's expression turned subtly strained at the wildcat's habit of doing exactly as he pleased, strangers or no.
Of course, staying like that would have been even stranger. Whatever he'd been up to, he was filthy with dirt.
'No way he went and buried gold coins in the ground for emergencies, did he?'
Evan wondered if the boy was hiding emergency funds in case he got kicked out, but he felt he'd shown an unseemly sight before His Majesty. With a deep sigh, he bowed to Sedes.
"My apologies."
"What do you have to apologize for? You didn't expect the child to be in that state either. Still, what a whirlwind life he leads."
"......"
Evan bowed his head even lower in silence. How had things come to this?
At that moment, the bathroom door flew open.
Having apparently rushed through his bath, a snow-white wildcat emerged, water still dripping from his hair.
"...White hair, no less. And eyes of such an enigmatic hue."
Sedes muttered softly, eyes widening slightly at the sight of Nihil emerging from the bath. The shadow knights disguised as coachmen and porters gawked, entranced by Nihil's unexpected beauty.
They'd heard talk of dolls, beastkin, divine beasts—expecting something pretty, sure. But this surpassed imagination. Not merely cute, but beautiful, ethereal.
Yet the words from that beautiful child's mouth were anything but.
"Didn't expect the kid's dad to show up in person so soon."
"......"
"......"
The bedroom fell deathly silent.
The source of the silence, Nihil, didn't even glance at Sedes as he tossed his soaked towel into the laundry bin and grabbed a dry one to vigorously rub his hair.
Water flew everywhere, but no one spoke first.
Evan shot looks at the king's entourage, wondering when they'd been made, but the king and his guards merely stared at the boy in stunned silence.
Nihil fixed his gaze squarely on Sedes and spoke.
"So, what had you so curious that you'd come all the way here, mmpf!"
Evan, unable to watch any longer, clapped a hand over Nihil's mouth. At this rate, his own heart would give out first.
"If you knew it was His Majesty, at least pretend to show some respect!"
"......"
With his mouth covered, Nihil blinked a few times, glanced at Evan, then at Sedes, and lowered his eyes.
Seeing Nihil settle down, Evan removed his hand—only for the wildcat to blurt out more insolence.
"...If you've brought all the luggage, send the porters packing."
Too stubborn for polite speech, Nihil feigned ignorance to shoo away the king and his guards—or rather, the porters.
"You little...!"
"...Enough. They came as my porters, so I won't hold his lack of decorum against him. But how did you know? The magic tool makes detection difficult."
Sedes raised a hand to halt the advancing Evan and dispelled his magic. The tool blurred their presence, but it hadn't fooled the boy.
Freed from Evan's grip, Nihil continued drying his hair, replying nonchalantly.
"Smells like Rian."
"......"
"......"
A real beast, huh?
That thought filled everyone's minds in the moment.
Nihil carried on as if it were nothing.
"Plus, you brought four guards trailing behind you. Hard to miss."
"You spotted them as guards too. But you can't count. Sir Evan isn't one of mine, so it's three."
"Three?"
"Yes."
Nihil said nothing, merely draping the towel over his shoulder and staring intently at Sedes. It was highly irreverent, but Sedes met his gaze with gleaming golden eyes, utterly intrigued.
Nihil blinked a few times, then slowly shifted toward the wall. He reached out toward the shadow there, delicately grasping at something invisible.
Raising his gaze slightly, Nihil flashed a bright smile.
"Hey, bro? Looks like you got cut from guard duty. Wanna be mine?"
Everyone in the bedroom gaped at the cheerful words. They'd known of his presence but not his exact location—shock was inevitable.
Evan rubbed the goosebumps prickling his arms. The shadow's existence was startling enough, but the wildcat beaming and calling him "bro"? Infuriatingly cute.
A human figure gradually materialized from Nihil's palm. The magic tool aiding stealth had been undone. The shadow knight, hand in Nihil's grasp, shot his master a troubled look.
Nihil upped the ante, swinging the captured hand back and forth.
"Yeah? There's only one doggy in the 2nd Prince's Palace, so it's tough going solo. Be a doggy here too, bro."
"......"
"Bro, you got fired anyway. Tough break, but gotta find a new master."
"Y-You mad little bastard!!"
Evan, at his limit, clutched his head and yelled, snatching Nihil up swiftly. Nihil dangled from Evan's hand, still clutching the "fired guard-bro's" hand.
"What the hell's wrong with you today!"
"Jealous? Don't worry. Even with a new doggy, you're still number one."
"That's not the issue! And don't call me that in front of people!"
"Having an extra guard sounds great. His stealth is top-notch. And he just got fired. Right, bro?"
Nihil beamed at the dismissed guard again, giving his hand another shake.
Judging by the shifting atmosphere, the boy was mocking the king and his guards—while gleefully putting Evan in an awkward spot too.
Nihil grinned all the brighter, as if the king's lies and the knights' detection skills were beneath notice.
The hand-trapped guard couldn't bring himself to pull away, standing awkwardly and desperately eyeing his master.
Evan pried the hand loose by force, scooped up Nihil, and backed away from the shadow knight.
The dazed Sedes finally spoke.
"...How did you know?"
"Smell."
"...Truly remarkable. Now I see why the rumors fly."
Sedes let out a hollow chuckle, shaking his head at the absurdity.
"Are you really beastkin?"
"No. So, giving me that guard or not?"
Nihil pointed at the shadow knight.
Sedes answered awkwardly.
"...I admit I lied. Sorry, but he's my strongest shadow—I can't part with him. What about one of the others?"
The other shadows flinched. One wrong move, and they'd end up in the sly brat's clutches.
Thankfully, the sly brat Nihil shook his head.
"Don't need anything weaker than him."
"Ruthless."
"Never planned to steal him anyway. Now put me down, doggy."
Nihil patted Evan's arm. Evan felt uneasy but carefully set the wildcat down.
Nihil looked up at Evan and continued.
"And return those gold coins you picked up. They're for treasure hunt with Rian."
"So those were for a treasure hunt."
Sedes's eyes sparkled with interest. An odd kid, but diligently playing with the prince.
Evan sighed. No wonder he'd scampered about so frantically—it was for treasure hunting with His Highness. Hard to scold him now.
Ignoring the stares, Nihil turned to Sedes and nodded at the sofa.
"Have a seat, Dad. Can't offer tea looking like that. But since you're here, solve your curiosities before you go."
Sedes gazed wondrously at the boy who called a king "Dad" in an old man's tone.
Evan itched to grab Nihil and shut that damn mouth, but Sedes sat on the sofa first and gestured for Nihil to take the opposite one.
And naturally, Nihil hopped right onto it without hesitation.
The guards lined up behind Sedes. Despite the imposing pressure, the white-haired boy dangled his legs casually.
"The treasure hunt sounds intriguing. Do you always play like this with the 2nd Prince? You roamed the whole palace—that's a huge area."
"Big's better. Rian can find treasure anywhere he goes."
"...An unexpected perspective."
Sedes nodded, deeming it inefficient yet profoundly efficient.
"But what about the unclaimed coins?"
"I'll collect them later. If not, oh well."
"Heard you were a wandering orphan, but you're generous with money."
"I don't skimp when it's needed."
Evan grimaced. That's the prince's money, not yours! He wanted to snap, but couldn't interrupt the king, so he just glared at the white-haired nape.
"Should've hidden jewels instead. Easier to track—servants would return them. But gold? They'd pocket it. Short-sighted."
"Hid them where servants could see. They'll bring 'em back themselves."
"Naive thinking. Honest folk like that are rare."
Sedes felt a twinge of pity for the clever yet innocently pure child.
Nihil met the gaze with a crooked smile, then nodded at Evan.
"Not curious how I knew you picked up the gold?"
"......"
Sedes arched a brow.
Come to think of it, how did he know? He'd asked why Evan was there upon meeting—clearly unaware of the visit.
Sedes pondered long but found no answer. Then the 2nd Prince's guard spoke cautiously.
"...The scent."
Nihil grinned at Evan.
"Not bad on the uptake."
"...Your smiles make me uneasy. Stop."
"Worrying over nothing," Nihil shrugged, turning to Sedes.
"Just like you heard—I scented the coins. Whoever pockets their master's gold to fill their own purse? Out they go. Retirement bonus."
"......Treasure hunt was a pretext from the start."
Sedes's face hardened.