Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Turned Into a Sheep
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A chilling silence descended.
I froze, clutching the feather caught in my hair.
Honestly... there were so many magic items among them that could spark anyone's curiosity! Even adults would lose their minds over the stuff scattered everywhere! And yet, to that tiny child, I, I…!
The feather trembled in my shaking hand, swaying as if caught in a gentle breeze. It looked utterly carefree, in stark contrast to my heart, which was burning to ashes.
Everyone's gazes pierced right through me.
The mage who had dumped the entire box of magic items on me, Nick who had been explaining the intriguing ones to Ed, and even Billy who had declared he'd buy them all.
That brief moment felt unbearably long.
'Before possession, when time seemed to fly by too fast, they said to try doing planks, right?'
But there was an even more effective method.
Spewing unfiltered venomous words amid a pack of beasts.
That's when you'd truly realize how slowly time could crawl. And that's exactly what I was experiencing now.
In this terrifying silence, only Ed managed to keep his usual expression.
Was it because he'd heard stuff like this from me so often that he was used to it? After a brief moment of wide-eyed surprise as he glanced around, Ed soon flashed a bright smile and replied.
"Yeah, I'm still just a baby! Lami, you should check them out too. There's so many cool things."
His innocent cheer instantly lightened the mood.
'Ed...!'
I love you!
The moment the Choice System released its grip, I bolted straight to Ed and desperately pretended to marvel at the contents of the box.
"R-right! Wow, there are so many amazing things here. Totally mind-blowing, huh?"
My voice shook like I was sitting in a vibrating massage chair.
Magic scrolls, communication orbs, one-use spell brooches, and more—I grabbed whatever I could, widening my eyes in feigned wonder as I examined them.
"Ed's just a kid, so everything's new to him, right? Ha, ha..."
With Nick and Billy still staring at me with inscrutable expressions, my voice grew smaller and smaller. I wanted nothing more than to turn to dust and blow away right then and there.
"Haha!"
I whipped my head around at the sudden laughter. Nick was chuckling heartily, a familiar smile playing on his lips as he looked at me.
"I've never heard such a uniquely colorful way of speaking in my life."
"Ah, haha..."
My fear-fried brain couldn't muster a quick response. I just grinned like an idiot.
Thank goodness he saw it as just a 'unique way of speaking'!
I wanted to shout that out, but seeing Billy's face harden menacingly beside Nick shut my mouth tight.
Was this what it felt like to shower in cold sweat? My hands, rummaging through the box, were soon slick with moisture.
Instinctively averting my eyes before the predator, I missed the way Billy's lips twitched. Only after his laughter rang out did I realize he'd been holding it back.
He must have stifled it out of consideration when he saw my face flush red. But honestly, it would have been better if he'd just laughed.
The face Billy made just moments ago—lips pressed thin in stern silence—was downright terrifying.
That was when it happened. While pretending to examine random items, my hand closed around something soft.
I pulled it out purely to escape the situation. In my lowered field of vision, a fluffy, cotton-ball-like magic item came into view.
Its texture was so irresistibly squishy that I kept kneading it absentmindedly, curiosity pulling my head up just as I wondered what it was.
"W-wait a second. That's—!"
The mage, who had been silently gaping at me, suddenly shouted. And as if on cue, the cotton ball began to wriggle faintly.
"Huh?"
It suddenly ballooned, its mouth gaping wide. In a split second, it chomped down on my finger.
"Aaah!"
Pop—.
My startled hand flung it away, accompanied by a bursting sound. When I opened my eyes, I instantly knew something had gone terribly wrong.
I wasn't that tall to begin with, but I'd never had to crane my neck this much to look up at Billy and Nick. And...
"L-Lami?"
Ed, uncharacteristically flustered, peered down at me with his huge eyes. Yes, peered down.
What the—?
"Baa-."
Huh?
"Baaa-."
Huhh?
"Did you... just voluntarily transform into your animal form?"
I shook my head vigorously at Billy's bewildered question. Why the hell would I turn into an animal here? One wrong move and I'd be perfect sheep meat!
My legs quivered at the vivid vision of skewered lamb.
The startled gazes of Billy and Ed turned to the mage who'd just yelled. Pale-faced, he wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve and finally spoke.
"Uh, that is..."
"It's a spell that forces a bitten beastkin into their animal form."
"What?"
Nick cut in, looking troubled as he gazed down at me and continued.
"I made it for fun before becoming Magic Tower Lord... Didn't expect it'd still be in this warehouse."
Why the hell would you make something like this?!
"Baa— baaa!"
I wanted to argue, but only sheep bleats came out. Here... in the Magic Tower crawling with Carnivore Beastkin. And surrounded entirely by wolves, no less—why here of all places!
Tears welled up in my eyes. Who would've thought I'd live to see the day I cried as an actual sheep.
But he's the Magic Tower Lord, so there must be a way to dispel it. I snapped to attention and clung to that reasonable hope.
Please, there has to be a way. With desperate, pleading eyes, I gazed up. Seeming to catch on, Nick reassured me.
"It's fine. The effect lasts a day. You'll be back to normal tomorrow."
Tomorrow...?
Spend a full day as a sheep? Even in Sheep Territory, I'd never lived like that...!
"Well, that's a relief then. What a ridiculous contraption."
"You'll really be back tomorrow, right?"
"Of course."
No, why are you two so casually reassuring each other? I'm not okay with this at all!
"Baaack!"
Forgetting my plight for a moment, a furious bleat burst out.
Ed approached, stroking my back with a pure smile.
"Lami, he said you'll be back tomorrow! I'll take good care of you until then."
"Hm, you'd definitely be inconvenienced alone, so assigning a servant makes sense."
"Baaack!"
Nooo!
Click—.
The door opened, and I padded into my bedroom on all fours. Mimo, who had been enjoying the empty room freely, turned his gaze toward me.
...?
For the first time, Mimo's ever-relaxed eyes filled with bewilderment. No wonder—his owner, who always stayed in human form, had shown up as a sheep.
I let out a deep sigh and slowly walked further in. Ed, who had held the door open behind me, followed.
"Lami, I'll brush you."
Ed scanned around familiarly for the brush used on sheep wool. Back in the Morton Family, they'd assigned him the easy task of brushing Mimo exclusively to give him something simple to do.
As if recalling those times, Ed innocently picked up the brush and approached.
"Baa, baa!"
No, it's fine!
"I'm really good at it. Right, Mimo?"
Thinking I didn't trust him, Ed asked Mimo, who stared intently from afar. Mimo nodded as if agreeing.
With a 'See? Just trust me!' expression, Ed beamed radiantly. The midday sun streaming into the well-lit room glinted off one of his fangs.
Maybe because he was missing one fang, it came off as... adorably endearing.
After surrendering to Ed's brushing, a strange mix of embarrassment and languid comfort washed over me.
'Does getting your fur brushed feel this refreshing and nice?'
Glancing at Mimo, he nodded with one front hoof slightly raised, like giving a thumbs-up.
Whether from pride at my relaxation or satisfaction at helping me, I wasn't sure.
Favorability ticked up slightly. An unexpected gain.
Next came a walk. Recalling how I'd strolled with Mimo, Ed led me out to the garden.
Unlike the Morton estate with its vast meadows where sheep frolicked, the Rub mansion boasted lavish gardens.
I frequented a secluded corner of the garden that servants rarely visited, so naturally, that's where we headed. In this state, bumping into a bunch of full-grown adult wolves—let alone young ones—was a hard pass.
As we walked slowly, Ed shared fascinating stories about Wolf Territory, things he was learning lately.
I smiled proudly, listening intently, just as we rounded the corner.
"Huh? Who's that?"
At the exact same moment, a wolf rounding the corner from the opposite side locked eyes with me. Not a Wolf Beastkin—a real wolf.
Its fur was an eerie mix of gray and blue, ears sharply perked, muzzle protruding...!
"Baaack!"
"Wha—whoa? Lami!"
Startled, I bolted without a second thought, legs pumping furiously. Ed's hand swiped at empty air as he tried to grab me in surprise.
'Save the sheep!'
Whether Ed chased hastily behind or not, I didn't look back and ran for dear life.