The Butler's Hunt and the Mysterious Letter
"Kyaung! Chomp, chomp!"
I tore into the meat like I was going to war and swallowed. For so long my teeth hadn't fully come in, so I hadn't been able to chew properly at all. Today, at last, I was settling that old grudge.
"Kyau!"
More meat! Not rare—give me medium-rare!
I climbed onto the table and drummed my empty plate with my front paws. A tower of already-cleaned dishes had stacked up in front of me. Not a drop of sauce, not a single crumb of meat remained.
"At last… at last… His Divine Beast-ship is… actually eating a proper meal… khp."
The Head Chef, who had been watching the whole scene, clapped a hand over his mouth and wiped away tears of emotion. The cooks lined up beside him clutched one another's shoulders and let out silent cheers.
Until just a few days ago, the kitchen had felt like a house in mourning. Watching the Divine Beast who carried the imperial palace's very vitality survive on stew for days on end had sunk the kitchen's mood into the floor. They had boiled stew every day, and it had felt as if their chests were burning away. Today, at last, they could be repaid for all that patience.
"Stoke the fire! The food must not stop even for a moment!"
"Trim the tenderloin! Not a scrap of fascia left on it! Don't put any strain on His Divine Beast-ship's gums!"
The kitchen filled with life again. I welcomed the steaks the cooks offered with open delight.
A thick steak, steam still rising from it. When my teeth had fallen out, I wouldn't even have dared attempt it—but I was different now.
I rolled a chill through my mouth. Cool frost filled the empty gaps where teeth were missing and hardened firm. In an instant, transparent, razor-sharp ice teeth formed and sheared through the meat's fibers without mercy. The savory richness and juices swirled over my tongue and set my tail swaying.
Khh. This is what I live for… Meat's meant to be chewed.
I chewed and swallowed, tail swishing. Of course, the ice teeth weren't permanent. Once the meal was over, I melted them away. If I wanted to avoid putting strain on the real teeth coming in, keeping them formed all the time except when I needed them could burden my gums.
"Blanc, eat slowly. You'll get a stomachache. Nobody's going to steal it from you."
Kailian, wiping my mouth at my side, looked at me with a contented smile. Affection dripped from her gaze.
"Kyau."
You eat some too, Butler. The meat's in good shape today.
I was being generous. I gave the grilled asparagus on my plate a little nudge and sent it sliding toward Kailian.
"Blanc… you're not giving that to me because you don't want to eat it, are you?"
"Kyau?"
Of course… not?
When I quietly averted my eyes, Kailian patted my rump.
"I'll let you fool me. Just this once."
Only after I had cleaned the last plate did I let out a satisfied belch.
"Kyauk."
Now that my belly's stuffed, I can finally live a little.
I licked my chops and looked at Kailian. A full stomach made my body itch to move, and an itchy body made me want to go outside. If you've eaten, you ought to move. Besides, I had energy to spare these days—growth spurt, apparently.
I hopped down from the table, caught Kailian's skirt in my teeth, and tugged.
"Kyau! Kyaang!"
Let's go outside and play!
"Blanc, weren't you full? You're not going to take your usual nap?"
A smile hung at the corner of Kailian's mouth. She seemed thoroughly delighted that I had my vitality back. Before I knew it, she had changed into clothes easy to move in and gathered a book, a picnic mat, and a simple snack basket in one hand.
"Kyau!"
I'm bored! Let's go play outside.
"All right. Let's take a walk and help it digest. Not too far, okay? You understand."
We entered a small forest near the Princess's Palace. It was managed directly by the imperial household, so there wasn't a trace of Magical Beasts or monsters. Kailian had mentioned earlier that wild boars showed up now and then, at most.
Kailian spread a plush picnic mat in the shade of a great oak.
"Here, Blanc. Play nicely right here. I'll be reading. Don't go anywhere dangerous, all right?"
She lay down on the mat, crossed her legs, and opened her book. She seemed to think I'd roll around in the grass chasing butterflies—but today's me was different.
Today, I wanted to hunt.
"Kyau."
I'll be back.
I let Kailian's warning slide in one ear and out the other, and slipped silently into the woods.
Sniff, sniff.
I tasted the forest's scents, searching for traces of prey. Grass, earth, rotting leaves… and, riding faintly on the wind, the gamey smell of a beast.
Found you.
I bristled my fur, dropped my body low, and moved carefully through the brush. Advancing a little at a time, I spotted a sizable wild boar rooting in the dirt, digging up tree roots to eat. The distance was a bit far—but I had a secret weapon.
I drew the forest in with a deep breath. I condensed a cold force in my mouth, opened wide toward the boar, and fired the compressed frost.
"Kyau!"
Kzzzt-crack! High-density compressed frost blasted from my mouth. Pabat! The boar's wild instincts caught the chill and it lifted its head—but it was already too late. White frost engulfed its entire body in an instant.
"Kwek…?"
The boar never even managed a proper scream. It froze solid in the exact posture of trying to flee. The frost that had seeped down into the deep muscle stole its life in an instant.
"Kyau."
Success. Heh heh.
I swished my tail and inspected the boar. I'd done it myself, and I still had to admire it. Not a drop of blood spilled, and the freshness preserved at its peak. This was how a Divine Beast hunted. If I brought it back like this, the cooks would be thrilled, wouldn't they? It hadn't even been salted, and the meat was perfectly fresh.
Flushed with the success of the hunt, I began ranging through the forest. A pheasant perched in a tree, a deer hidden in the grass—every one of them became a frozen statue in a single instant. Hunting was far too easy, and far too fun. After catching this and that, a fair pile of ice sculptures had stacked up behind me before I knew it. The problem was how to move them…
"Kyau…"
Should I just roll them down?
I set the frozen-solid boar on the ground like a sled, then stacked the deer, pheasant, rabbits, and the rest on top of it, one by one. I breathed frost over the pile to lock it firmly in place, then laid a sheet of ice on the ground to make it slick.
"Kyau!"
Let's go!
Humming under my breath, I shoved the enormous meat-sled and slid down the hill.
"Haaah… The weather's so nice. And the breeze is cool."
Kailian lay on the picnic mat, closed her book, and enjoyed the wind. A peaceful afternoon, with a gentle breeze tickling her face and nameless birdsong in her ears.
It's been about an hour since Blanc went into the woods, hasn't it? Maybe I should go look for him soon.
Then the ground trembled, and a roar rolled out of the forest.
Rrrumble… boom!
"Wh-what? An earthquake? Don't tell me it's a Magical Beast…?"
Kailian shot to her feet and grabbed her sword hilt on reflex. The next instant, an unbelievable sight unfolded before her eyes.
Parting the trees of the forest, a single white puff of fluff came walking out, tail swaying, looking thoroughly magnificent.
Krrrrumble! Boom! Crash!
Behind him, enormous chunks of ice came pouring down like an avalanche.
"What… is that…?"
It wasn't just ice. Beasts frozen white were tumbling down. They only came to a stop right in front of Kailian's picnic mat.
"……"
Kailian couldn't get a word out, her mouth hanging open. White vapor was still rising from the nostrils of the frozen boar that had rolled to her feet. Faced with an ice-terror that had erupted out of nowhere in the woods, Kailian had gone stiff as a board.
In front of that pile of ice, I planted my tail straight up and puffed out my chest.
"Kyau! Kyaaang!"
Butler, look at this! I caught them! Pretty amazing, right?
I swished my tail at Kailian, proud as anything. Honestly, I was hoping for praise. Maybe because I'd had such a hard time getting genuine compliments in my human life—now I loved being praised to bits. I planted a front paw on the biggest boar, struck a pose, and lifted my chin.
But.
"Ha… haha…"
What came out of Kailian's mouth wasn't the praise I'd been expecting, but a hollow, helpless laugh. She pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head. She'd been about to get angry, then seen my face waiting for compliments and the staggering quantity of spoils, and been so dumbfounded she couldn't speak.
"Blanc… you really…"
"Kya… kyau?"
I quietly lowered my tail and looked up at Kailian. She let out a deep sigh and looked around. Physically taking all of this was impossible. Even if she called people, it was enough that they'd have to make three or four trips.
"…Hah. We can't take all of this. Are you trying to blow up the kitchen?"
"Kyau?"
Why? The kitchen storeroom looked plenty big.
When I scratched at the boar with a front paw, looking reluctant, Kailian crouched in front of me and met my eyes.
"You can't be greedy. Let's just take what we need, okay? I'll have the forest keepers deal with the rest."
"Kyau…"
I want to take it all, though…
I was dying to show off my spoils to the butlers, but I didn't want to put Kailian in a tight spot for no reason. It was all such a waste—what should I take?
I examined the ice pile with care. First, the biggest, fattiest-looking boar. Then one deer with impressive antlers. That would be plenty for the main dishes.
"Kyau."
When I dragged over the boar and the deer, Kailian nodded.
"All right. And one more."
Kailian picked up a small, frozen-solid rabbit from a corner of the ice pile.
"We'll give this to Lumia. She likes meat too. We should pack something for your little sister, right?"
"Kyau!"
That's right!
I nodded readily. Kailian stroked my head and ears with affection.
"Come on, let's go. If we stay any longer, the animals in this forest will go extinct."
Kailian patted my rump and stood. I followed behind her with the rabbit in my mouth, tail wagging.
Today's hunt was a roaring success.
Once we were back at the Princess's Palace, we went straight to the kitchen and left the spoils. The Head Chef and the cooks praised me, saying the condition was excellent.
When we stepped into Kailian's office, the air in the room felt strangely heavy.
"Hm?"
Kailian's steps stopped in front of the desk. In the center of the neatly arranged desktop sat a letter envelope I had never seen before. Red sealing wax had hardened on a gold envelope. The moment Kailian saw the crest stamped into it, her expression went rigid.
"Kyau?"
What's wrong? What is that?