A Stroll, Part 2

‘…Hm?’

Suddenly, at the far end of the flowerbed, Kuuga’s eyes caught sight of a small path, half-concealed by trees. At the entrance to this path floated about five green lights, bobbing in the air. They were the green counterpart to the red lights Kuuga had seen when Gadilas used magic.

Did it mean there was magic at work over there? Kuuga wondered, watching curiously. Beyond the path, he could make out an old, decrepit-looking tower.

He had never noticed a tower in that spot before. Unless one came out to the courtyard, it must have been invisible from within the castle.

When Kuuga stepped forward, drawn by the mysterious tower that seemed almost purposefully hidden, Louis quickly stepped between him and his destination, as if to block his way.

‘…Louis?’

Louis cast a glance toward the tower Kuuga had been watching, then turned to him with an uncharacteristically stern expression.

“You must not go near that tower.”

‘What?’

It was a look of clear rejection, sterner than any Louis had shown before.

The feeling wasn’t directed at Kuuga himself, but rather at the tower. Louis clearly disliked it, and his aversion was so strong he did not want Kuuga anywhere near it. That was the impression Kuuga received.

He tried to look again at the tower, wondering what could possibly be there, but Louis stepped directly into his line of sight, cutting off his view.

‘………’
“………”

As Kuuga looked on in disgruntlement, Louis countered with a fixed, forced smile. He evidently had no intention of explaining, nor was he going to allow Kuuga any freedom in this regard.

If he could speak, Kuuga could press for answers, but as things were, all he could do was glare. Louis, for his part, would surely pretend not to know what Kuuga wanted.

Conceding that he would get nowhere for now, Kuuga looked away from Louis and turned back to leave the courtyard.

Louis, sensing Kuuga had given up, allowed himself a faint, rueful smile, but said nothing and quietly followed after him.

“Oh, it’s the Honored Divine Beast.”

Upon re-entering the castle, a large man clad in well-worn armor came walking toward them, greeting Kuuga with a casual friendliness more fitting to a friend than a retainer.

Most people were timid around him, so Kuuga was surprised. He looked up at the man, and thought the face seemed familiar. …Where had he seen him before?

‘I remember now—he was at the ritual… Royalty, I think.’

He recalled that this was the man who had seemed visibly relieved not to have been chosen. He understood the reason, now. This man, with a physique seemingly born for battle, likely wanted nothing to do with court politics.

“Lord Aizel, it’s rare to see you at the castle.”

“Yeah, I just came to make a report. I’ll be headed back out in a bit.”

‘Louis, introduce us! Introduce us!’

Kuuga patted Louis’s leg insistently, and Louis smiled wryly, as if to say he understood.

“Master Kuuga, this is Lord Aizel Ria Idios, captain of the Blue Knights. He’s usually away on magical beast hunts.”

‘So that’s why he’s rarely at the castle.’

“Kuuga? …Wait, did Gadilas give you that name? Gadilas himself?”

“No, Master Kuuga has had his own name since the beginning.”

“Huh, I’ve never heard of that before. I wonder if the previous Divine Beasts had names too.”

Aizel reacted just like everyone else upon learning Kuuga had a name, then voiced the same question as before, looking over at Kuuga. Louis also glanced expectantly in Kuuga’s direction, sure he knew the answer.

But Kuuga, who knew nothing about previous Divine Beasts, could only tilt his head helplessly.

‘No idea. Maybe so?’

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I think I get it. You just made that up, didn’t you?”

Aizel regarded Kuuga with a doubtful stare, having caught on that he’d just offered a careless, half-hearted reply. Kuuga did not deny it, but instead looked away.

Watching Kuuga’s expression and body language, Aizel chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Y’know, you’re a lot more human than I expected… Oh yeah, I heard rumors about you sitting at a desk studying.”

“Yes. Master Kuuga can read as well, and he’s able to hold conversations using books.”

Louis, for some reason, announced this proudly. Aizel murmured, “So he’s that intelligent,” scratching his head with a look of mixed emotions.

Kuuga cocked his head, wondering if there was an issue.

Aizel, seeing the confusion, prefaced his next comment with a disclaimer—it wasn’t his own opinion.

“There are people who mock Gadilas… His Majesty, I should say, behind his back. Saying, ‘Does the king not even know how to train a dog?’”

“…In other words, they think showing him books and teaching him is pointless? …I thought I’d properly explained that Master Kuuga possesses intelligence on par with a person…”

Louis’s face twisted with genuine irritation, but Kuuga, despite being the subject of such talk, didn’t feel much shock anymore. Perhaps he’d simply gotten used to it.

Still, he wondered just how rigid people could be. Even with repeated official announcements, their evaluations hadn’t changed. Certainly, the palace guards who spent time near Kuuga had shifted their views, but those with little contact did not believe it at all.

Perhaps disbelief was natural, but Kuuga had thought there would be at least some who, deep down, might consider it possible.

“…It’s probably because of your appearance.”

‘Huh?’

“You look like a Laines, so people automatically equate you with magical beasts.”

“But it’s just the shape, right? Master Kuuga’s far larger, and Laines are dingier in color…”

“That’s just it. He even looks like the king of the Laines.”

Laines—Kuuga had only just learned of them. They were wolf-type magical beasts that appeared frequently in the mountains, often attacking people in packs.

Many people had seen them, and when the word “magical beast” was mentioned, the first image that came to mind was a Laines. They were the most well-known magical beasts.

Aizel was pointing out that, because Kuuga was also a wolf-shaped beast, people inevitably saw him as equivalent to a magical beast.

So that was why people’s fear was so excessive.

He’d always thought his size alone was the cause, but now realized that this similarity contributed even more. Worse yet, it meant Gadilas was being ridiculed behind his back.

“Ah—Master Kuuga, you mustn’t let it bother you! …Lord Aizel!”

“Huh? How is this my fault!?”

Seeing Kuuga’s ears and tail droop in dejection, Louis glared sharply at Aizel. It was the first time Aizel had ever seen Kuuga so visibly despondent, and he hurried to comfort him, tentatively reaching out to pat his head.

“S-sorry, alright? I’ll make sure to properly explain it to my men.”

“Please do. And tell the other captains as well. Master Kuuga is an admirable being.”

“…Louis, I’ve never seen you so invested outside of Edalion…”

“Say what you like.”

Kuuga noted, with a quiet impression, that neither Aizel nor Edalion acted particularly high and mighty. He’d always assumed the knight order would be more severe and stiff—perhaps things were more easygoing than he’d imagined.