TBF 09

Chapter 9

“So.”

Pallas finally turned his eyes away from the rabbit outside the window and looked at Theodore.

“Is there anything you want to ask me?”

He waited for a moment.

Theodore remained silent.

“You really are a quiet one. Even for a bear, you’re a hopeless case.”

Pallas snorted as if it were nothing unusual before getting to the point.

“You saw it too, didn’t you? The Power of Spring that rabbit carries.”

Only then did Theodore’s brow twitch.

Pallas was right.

He really had seen it.

Inside the tiny rabbit that had been threatened by the wolves…

…there had been a warm light, like sunlight.

“You’ve probably guessed why. I made a small adjustment to your eyes. Do you know what’s most necessary when you’re trying to find something?”

He smiled faintly.

“Desperation.”

Desperation.

As he spoke the word, the corners of Pallas’s lips curved upward.

“And you had it. The you I met that day… and the you standing before me now.”

“……”

The golden light in Theodore’s eyes darkened.

His wife had returned home covered in blood.

Holding their daughter’s cold, lifeless body in her arms.

Whether he accepted it as reality…

Or refused to accept it…

Theodore drew his sword.

Never before had he felt such overwhelming killing intent toward another person.

He knew it was something the head of a great family should never do.

That was why, deep in the middle of the night, he went to that castle alone.

He slaughtered the retainers with his sword.

He tore the knights apart with his claws.

The last one left was a man trembling in terror.

Theodore cut off the baron’s head.

When he returned after finishing that meaningless revenge…

…the first person he saw was Pallas.

Pallas said nothing.

Wearing the same faint smile he always did, he simply walked over and reached out.

He gently wiped the blood from the corner of Theodore’s eye…

…then quietly disappeared.

That was probably when he had cast the spell on Theodore’s eyes.

Pallas turned to the window once more.

His yellow eyes were filled with deep curiosity.

Looking into the wise mage’s eyes, Theodore finally spoke.

“I can’t see the light anymore.”

A few days earlier, during dinner, he had carefully observed the rabbit sitting on the table.

Not even the faintest trace of light remained.

“Was it still real?”

“The spell I placed on your eyes disappeared the moment you looked directly at that light. It’s a power that ordinary magic can’t perceive or even detect.”

“……”

“I wasn’t completely certain myself. But now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I know.”

“Eostre truly existed.”

“To think such an enormous power is contained inside that tiny body.”

Without taking his eyes off the rabbit playing in the snowy garden, Pallas continued,

“You did well bringing it here. If you’d left it in the White Wolves’ hands, no one would know where it would have ended up.”

Theodore frowned deeply.

“You knew?”

“Yes.”

“It seems the White Wolves have been gathering Eostre candidates and sending them away.”

Only then did Pallas finally look away from the window.

He slowly turned toward Theodore.

“To the Central Region.”

“……”

Theodore’s expression darkened.

He knew Pallas’s habit of speaking indirectly.

So he immediately understood what “the Central Region” referred to.

“Why such a serious face? This isn’t what you should be worrying about.”

“You actually let Eostre’s manifestation run around freely.”

“How foolish can you possibly be?”

Pallas laughed in disbelief.

“Shall I help you?”

With those mysterious words, he smiled.

“The White Wolves are unbelievable idiots.”

“They actually believe they’ll absorb the Power of Spring if they eat Eostre’s manifestation.”

“But only Eostre’s manifestation can use the Power of Spring.”

“……”

“But in its current state, it can’t use that power.”

“The only choices are to wait until it awakens on its own… or until its power goes out of control someday.”

“But by then…”

He declared without blinking.

“Your wife will die.”

Silence filled the room.

Theodore said nothing.

“You know better than anyone.”

“The only thing capable of destroying that… is the Power of Spring.”

“……”

“Surely you didn’t bring that rabbit here out of nothing more than pity?”

Theodore quietly met Pallas’s eyes.

As though he had already known exactly what Pallas was going to say.

***

Carried in Ferdi’s arms, Nabom finally stepped outside the inner castle’s main gate.

First I left my room… then we passed the dining hall…

She traced the route through the air with one paw, trying to memorize every turn.

Then suddenly—

A dazzling light filled her vision.

Snow.

The snow covering the garden reflected the sunlight from the clear sky like countless sparkling jewels.

“Hm. With weather like this, it probably won’t snow again until this afternoon.”

“Then we can walk through the garden too.”

After Heinz looked up at the sky with his golden eyes, Ferdi nodded.

“Wow! Nobody’s stepped on it yet!”

“Hehe! I’ll be the first!”

Louis ran across the untouched snow, leaving footprints behind him.

The soft crunch of snow echoed all the way to Nabom.

Without thinking, she reached one paw toward it.

“Ah, wait—you’ll fall—”

Before Ferdi could stop her…

…the tiny white rabbit leaped into the air.

Ferdi and Heinz both reached out in surprise.

But Nabom landed safely.

Her front paws touched down first, followed by her bandaged hind leg.

Snow…

Ever since becoming an Arctic rabbit, she had seen snow every day.

Yet…

It still felt new.

Back in her previous life, she’d only ever seen snow on television…

…through YouTube videos…

…or from the window of her hospital room.

She had watched children run outside holding their parents’ hands, laughing as they stomped through thick snow.

What does it actually feel like?

Unable to move very well back then, she had only pressed her weak feet against the hospital bedsheets, imagining it.

She was never allowed outside during winter.

The dry hospital air.

The mist rising from the humidifier beside her bed.

That was all winter had ever been to her.

She had been so careful every winter…

Yet the cold that finally took her life came during summer.

A summer cold had worsened into pneumonia.

With weak respiratory muscles, she had quickly fallen into a coma.

The last thing she had seen…

…was her mother’s face.

“Snowball!”

Louis’s loud voice pulled her back to reality.

Standing in the middle of the snow-covered garden, he waved both arms enthusiastically.

“Over here! I left this part untouched for you!”

Whatever she’d been thinking about…

…she forgot it instantly.

She stepped into the snow.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Slowly feeling every step beneath her paws.

Soon she reached the untouched path Louis had carefully left for her.

He looked at her expectantly.

Nabom slowly raised one tiny paw.

And pressed it gently into the snow.

Crunch…

Crunch…

“…!”

A pleasant shiver ran from the pads of her feet all the way to the tips of her ears.

Snow really is the best!

No matter how many times you step on it.

Her black eyes widened with delight.

Unable to resist any longer…

She threw herself forward.

She dove into the bushes covered in snow and rolled around happily.

Fresh white snow clung to her equally white fur.

“I want to try too!”

Louis laughed and threw himself into the snow beside her.

Hearing his cheerful laughter, Ferdi hurried over.

“Louis! Snowball!”

He looked down sternly at the boy and rabbit rolling around.

“What are you two doing? You’ll get all dirty—”

Before he could finish…

Nabom suddenly sprang to her feet.

Poof!

Her tiny body disappeared straight into a snowdrift beneath a tree.

The pile of snow collapsed.

Two little ears suddenly popped out.

Then her face emerged.

Her fluffy white fur was covered with sparkling snowflakes.

“……”

Neither Louis nor Ferdi could look away.

The excitement in Louis’s eyes…

The stern line of Ferdi’s lips…

Both melted away like snow under the sun.

“Snowball really loves snow.”

“She really is Snowball.”

Only after noticing the two of them standing nearby did Nabom suddenly come back to her senses.

Wait!

This isn’t what I came out here for!

I was supposed to find an escape route!

She quickly stood up to inspect the garden.

Just then…

A new predator’s scent reached her nose.

She froze.

Turning toward the castle gate, she saw Anna approaching, waving.

Walking behind her was a familiar man.

The middle-aged man with the beard.

The one who had somehow looked delighted after she’d smacked his arm with her tiny paws.

His icy expression instantly melted into a strange smile the moment he saw her.

Because of that, Nabom had secretly given him a nickname.

That weird old man.

He had been terrifying when they’d first met in the dining hall.

But now…

His funny expressions and the delicious hay he always brought made him seem much nicer.

Even if he was definitely another predator.

“Lady Snowball, today Sir Nuke will be serving as your escort.”

The strange man—Sir Nuke—bowed politely with the same melting smile.

“This is our first proper greeting!”

“I am Nuke Greenland, commander of the Grizzly family’s Sled Dog Knights, and I have the honor of serving as your escort.”

As the confident introduction echoed across the garden, Heinz quietly shook his head.

He definitely volunteered for this.

Everyone relaxed beneath the rare winter sunshine.

Everyone…

Except Nabom.

She stood frozen.

…No way.

How could I forget?

The Grizzly family’s knight order.

The knights who had sworn eternal loyalty to the count.

The knights famous for their endless stamina.

Their name was…

The Sled Dog Knights.

Sled dogs.

What animal could possibly fit the description of endless stamina better than dogs?

Dogs were already loyal to their owners by nature.

These ones had pledged lifelong loyalty.

But more importantly—

Dogs.

She had never once heard of sled dogs hibernating.

Which meant…

If she wanted to escape this mansion…

She had to avoid two different predators.

The hibernating brown bears…

And the sled dogs that never hibernated.

…I’ll have to change my plan.

Surrounded by predators…

There was only one possible strategy.

Team up with someone who isn’t a predator.

Nabom turned with determination.

“Lady Snowball?”

I’ll recruit Anna!

Someone this pretty and kind can’t possibly be a predator!

Maybe she was a bird beastfolk.

Or perhaps an arctic fox.

Well… foxes were predators too.

But at least they weren’t dogs like wolves!

Looking up hopefully, Nabom met Anna’s bright smile.

“As you guessed, I used to be a member of the Sled Dog Knights too.”

“After I was injured and retired, His Lordship kindly took me in.”

“That’s why I was able to become your personal maid.”

“Hm. His Lordship would never abandon a knight who pledged lifelong loyalty.”

The knight commander called her by name.

“Anna Samoyed.”

Anna immediately straightened her posture and gave him a perfect salute.

The hope vanished from Nabom’s face.

She slowly collapsed onto the ground.

“Lady Snowball?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Did you get tired from playing?”

“Does your foot hurt?”

Anna and the two brothers hurried over, examining her with worried expressions.

Just then…

A tiny shadow peeked out from behind the knight commander.

“…?”

Hearing soft footsteps approaching, Nabom looked up.

Something warm and wet suddenly swept across her face.

What… was that?!