You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 66
I turned my head to look up at Arthur. His violet eyes, meeting mine, wavered uneasily. Seeing him like this made me feel a bit soft-hearted.
My eyes, which had been narrowed sharply, gradually relaxed. Maybe biting them was too much for kids. As I turned my gaze away with an uneasy feeling, an angry voice was heard from the front.
“That hurts!”
The yellow-haired boy who I had bitten clenched his fist and glared at me and Arthur, gritting his teeth. His fiercely curved eyebrows showed how angry he was.Come on, for such a big guy, why are you making such a fuss over a little pain?My head tilted involuntarily.
“Did you even train it properly?”
“Sorry, it’s usually well-behaved… I think it was just startled.”
The thoroughly angered child kept his mouth shut, but when Arthur apologized, he smirked, raising one corner of his mouth. It looked familiar, so I narrowed my eyes and stared at him.
“It’s even bleeding. How are you going to take responsibility?”
Ah. This guy looked just like those malicious consumers who would use a product halfway and then demand a refund with an air of self-righteousness. It was a type I’d often seen when working part-time jobs. This kid, who looked no older than a teenager, was already acting like this? I couldn’t hide my astonishment, though for a different reason than usual.
He had an expression that suggested he wanted something, but Arthur, perhaps feeling guilty about causing harm, couldn’t catch the hidden meaning.
“I’m sorry. What should I do…”
Seeing Arthur busy apologizing, the annoying boy sneered and said:
“Is it really your brother’s? Did you just secretly bring it again this time?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem very well-trained either.”
As the children’s whispers grew louder, Arthur’s fingers holding me began to tremble slightly. This seemed like an overreaction for someone who had just told a lie, so I looked up at Arthur and saw him slightly bowing his head and biting his lip lightly. His whitened lips somehow looked desperate.
As Arthur stood silently, unable to say anything, the troublemaker in front spoke with an even more triumphant voice:
“Hey. If you’re sorry, give it to me.”
“Peep?”
Now the situation had become incomprehensible to me. The guy who had grimaced in pain earlier now extended his hand towards me with shining eyes. He wiggled his outstretched palm. It looked like a signal to hand me over quickly. Arthur, who had been watching silently, opened his mouth.
“No. This belongs to my brother, I said.”
“My brother gives me whatever I want.”
This bastard speaks with an annoyingly raised eyebrow. Judging by his words and actions, it seems he’s probably gotten everything he wanted at home.
I don’t understand why Arthur, who always appeared strong and confident at the mansion, shows such a weak side in front of his friends—no, in front of this troublemaker. I could feel my feathers gradually getting damp, probably because Arthur’s palm holding me was sweating from nervousness.
Displeased with the uncomfortable situation, I clacked my beak. Anyone could see he was making unreasonable demands, but Arthur couldn’t say anything. And then I understood why Arthur couldn’t stand up for himself when I heard what was said next.
“Is it because you’re adopted that your brother won’t even give you this?”
That guy was a real bastard. I opened my eyes wide, looking at his face to confirm if I had heard correctly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His face showed no guilt, making me wonder if I had heard wrong, but seeing the strength in Arthur’s hand holding me, I knew I hadn’t misheard.
“Peep.”
Even though Arthur and I weren’t on good terms, this was going too far. I waited for Arthur to get angry, but he just stood there without taking any action. He was just looking down at the floor. From below, I could see Arthur’s face with his eyebrows terribly furrowed.
“Peep.”
Now I understood why he had desperately asked to borrow me. I could also guess what he couldn’t say because I was there. This guy in front was poking at Arthur’s weak spot. And in a very low and nasty way.
“Peep.”
I won’t let this slide. Without hesitation, I pecked Arthur’s fingers holding me with my hard beak. Startled, Arthur, who had been looking down, opened his hand. Freed from the damp spot, I flew high into the sky. My target was the annoying yellow-head laughing loudly below.
“Haha! Look at that! Even the bird he brought is attacking him. Huh…?”
“Pee-eep!”
I, who had been floating high in the sky, charged straight at the yellow-head. The guy who had been laughing joyfully froze, not knowing what to do as I rapidly descended without any sign of stopping.
“Peep peep!”
Charge!
“Argh!”
I grabbed his flowing yellow hair with my sharp claws extended. At this moment, I was on par with an eagle. Then I opened my beak wide and pecked roughly at his scalp. As I repeatedly pecked the same spot at high speed, droplets of blood started to form.
Screams of pain could be heard from below as his body rolled around, but I didn’t loosen my grip on his hair, determined to pluck out chunks of it. I shook my head up and down vigorously, like pounding rice.
“Ah, ouch! It stings! Let go! Let go, someone get this thing off me! You crazy bird!”
As if he had never acted arrogantly, the yellow-head sat on the ground, flailing his hands. That’s right, this is your level! He tried to grab me, who was attached to his head, but I quickly raised my head and bit his fingers, causing him to fail repeatedly.
“Peep! Peep!”
Who told you to talk like that! Hurry up and apologize!
I bit furiously, my eyes wide open. The surrounding kids approached slowly, hesitating at the unbearable screaming. They cautiously reached out to try and catch me, but my rough movements made it difficult for them to approach.
“Hurry! What are you doing, ow! It hurts!”
“S-someone try to stop it.”
“How can we catch that thing…?”
While engaged in intense combat, I glanced back and saw Arthur standing there, staring blankly at me. At that moment, someone grabbed my body firmly.
“Peep!”
I was caught in a moment of distraction. It couldn’t be helped, but it seems my battle ends here. Huh, I let out a small sigh and looked down at the guy collapsed on the floor. His pretty yellow hair was stained red in several places. Panting heavily, probably frustrated at being suddenly attacked, he glared at me fiercely.
“Y-you…”
The guy’s face gradually turned bright red.
“Peep!”
What! I raised my head high and cried out loudly. At that, he gritted his teeth and quickly got up, snatching me from his friend’s hand. His grip was so rough that I couldn’t escape in time.
In the confusion, he held me tightly and looked around. Then, as if he had found something he liked, he looked down at me with the corners of his mouth raised fiercely.
“You insolent animal.”
“Pee-eep!”
You started it first. As I talked back without backing down, the child’s eyes trembled. As I stared back without blinking, he distorted his face angrily and said:
“We’ll see how long you can keep this up.”
Saying that, he untied a thin string that was hanging around his waist. He let the string hang long and started wrapping it around my legs. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but it didn’t feel good, so I struggled and pecked fiercely with my beak.
“Hey! Everyone, grab its wings!”
As this guy seemed to be the leader of the group, the surrounding kids, although looking scared, quietly approached and followed his orders. Only Arthur was standing far away, staring blankly at this scene. What are you just watching for? My breathing involuntarily became rough.
With my limbs restrained, I could no longer bite their fingers with my beak. In the end, after futile resistance, a thin string was tied around my legs. The other end of the short string was tied to the leg of the table I had been on earlier. Not sure what he was planning to do, the yellow-head stepped a few paces away from me and picked up a stone.
“If you succeed in hitting it, I’ll give you the animal I brought before.”
He laughed as if enjoying himself and handed stones to each of his friends standing nearby. I see. So that’s his plan, to tie me up like this and take revenge. The stones in their hands were about the size of my body. For me, who was quite small in size, they were sufficiently threatening weapons.
I couldn’t escape anywhere because of the string tied to my feet. I tried to lower my head to break the string, but it was made of tightly woven fabric mixed with some rubber, making it difficult. Probably before I could break this completely, I would be hit and killed by the stones they were holding. This is crazy!
This isn’t that guy’s house, it’s Karhan’s house. My friend Karhan! Although I was scared, I felt that if I showed fear here, that guy would become even more triumphant, so I barked with fierce eyes.
“Peep! Peep!”
“Hmph! I’ll start first.”
That guy, seemingly intent on fully avenging what he had suffered, picked up the largest stone and raised his hand high. Then, like a baseball player, he bent his body backward and swung quickly. Knowing where the stone was aimed, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Peep.”
I tensed my body in anticipation of the imminent impact, but I didn’t feel or hear anything. Sensing something strange, I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyelids to see Arthur holding that yellow-head’s hand.
“Peep…”
I opened my eyes wide at the touching scene. My eyes became moist.
“Peep!”
Arthur! I shouted loudly. As if he had heard me call his name, Arthur turned his head and met my eyes. His eyes, like mine, had turned bright red. Although I couldn’t see clearly from a distance, they seemed a bit watery, reflecting the sunlight and sparkling.
You brat… Alright, if you just stand there watching, you’re not Karhan’s brother.
I lowered my head at this touching scene. Perhaps mistaking my reaction for fear, Arthur quickly ran over and knelt down. Then, in a somewhat urgent voice, he said:
“You must have been scared. I’ll untie you.”
“Peep.”
I think you’re the one who’s scared, not me. Arthur’s hands untying the string on my legs were visibly shaking, enough to be noticed at a glance. Unlike his bold appearance when he had grabbed the yellow-head’s hand, he looked very frightened now.
Arthur gritted his teeth hard and hurriedly untied the string. Just as I thought the situation might be quietly resolved, a chilling shadow fell over Arthur’s back.
Feeling a chill from the human-shaped shadow on the ground, Arthur and I raised our heads simultaneously, and we saw the guy with his face crumpled in anger.
Arthur finished untying the string and stood up, holding me in his hand. I could still feel slight tremors in his body.
“Arthur Barthes.”
“…Geld Andrew.”
So the yellow-head’s name is Geld. Arthur didn’t avert his gaze, as if determined not to back down.
“Just let me play with it for a moment, hand it over.”
“No.”
Geld’s expression looked fierce, but Arthur stood his ground, frowning just as intensely. Unlike before, he spoke firmly while maintaining eye contact, causing Geld to grit his teeth and clench his fists.
Just as I thought he wouldn’t, the guy threw a punch at Arthur. Arthur, probably because he was holding me, couldn’t block it with his hand and instead ducked down and rolled. Then he extended his leg and kicked Geld’s knee.
“Ow!”
Geld once again ended up rolling ungracefully on the ground. The kicked knee must have hurt, as he groaned and clutched it with both hands.
Both Arthur and Geld breathed heavily, then, as if receiving some signal, they simultaneously sprang up like coiled springs and lunged at each other. Arthur quickly put me down and grabbed Geld’s hair, while Geld, not wanting to lose, pulled at Arthur’s collar.
“Let go of this, you crazy!”
“You, bastard!”
They rolled on the ground, hurling insults at each other. Dust rose around them, while the other kids stood hesitantly, unable to intervene, watching each other’s reactions.
Thinking I should help Arthur, I quickly flew over and grabbed Geld’s hair. Take this beating and never come to our mansion again! Thus, our fight turned into a chaotic mess that no one could stop.
While we were fighting frantically, unknown people quickly approached and forcefully pulled apart Arthur and Geld’s arms. The two, pulled backward, let out a grunt as they separated from each other.
“Peep!”
Of course, I was still busy pecking Geld’s head vigorously. You bad son of a…! As I shook my body frantically, a large hand grabbed me too. As the yellow mess of hair grew more distant, I huffed and raised my head to see Karhan with his mouth slightly open.
In all the time we had spent together, this was the first time I had seen such a dumbfounded look on his face. To see such a clearly bewildered expression on a face that had only ever shown slight smiles or stiffness – it was truly a sight to behold.
I only calmed down after settling into Karhan’s hand. I heard a deep sigh from above my head.
“Peep peep.”
Ptooey ptooey. I spat out the hair that had gotten into my mouth from fighting so hard. It was evidence of my victory, pulled out right from the roots.
As the situation somewhat calmed down, Karhan opened his mouth.
“What on earth are you all doing?”
“…Brother.”
“Peep! Peep! Pee-eep!”
He started it by insulting Arthur and trying to hit me too! I cried out in an angry voice. But as if he couldn’t hear my voice, Karhan lightly ignored me and looked at Geld.
“You’re the youngest son of Viscount Andrew.”
“Yes. I’m Geld Andrew.”
Geld answered with his head held high, as if he was so great. Karhan looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“I’ll look into the situation and contact the Viscount’s family. You may leave now.”
“Your Grace, that guy…!”
Geld’s mouth, which was about to say more in anger, clamped shut at Karhan’s cold gaze. The guy who had been playing the boss so well in front of his friends seemed quick to read the situation and lowered his gaze. After mumbling for a bit, he bowed his head and quickly left with his friends, almost as if fleeing.
After looking at the chaotic garden for a moment, Karhan headed to his office with the two of us.
I, still in bird form, and Arthur sat on the sofa in front of the table. Karhan, seated at the head, remained silent, crossing his legs without saying a word. He swept us with a cold gaze before asking softly:
“What happened?”
“…It’s nothing. Just a fight between friends.”
Arthur stubbornly closed his mouth and didn’t explain the reason for the fight. It was clear how he had been treated by Geld until now, but he didn’t voice the reason. He quietly lowered his gaze and just glared at his tightly clenched fists.
I looked at him and let out a small sigh.
“Peep.”
After a meaningless silence, Karhan spoke in a voice full of fatigue.
“Stay in your room and reflect.”
“…Yes.”
Arthur stood up and bowed his head. Although his back looked weak, his stride was confident. I nodded slightly at the sight. Well done, Arthur! You were brave! As I flapped my wings in encouragement, Arthur saw it and left the office with a faint smile on his face.
After Arthur left, I glanced around cautiously and transformed into my human form. Karhan skillfully grabbed a blanket from inside the office and covered my suddenly naked body. I accepted it naturally and wrapped myself.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. Is there blood on me?”
“Yes.”
Karhan pulled out a tissue from the table and dabbed at my lips. The tissue quickly absorbed the blood and turned red. I raised my hand in confusion and pressed my lips. There’s no pain. I see.
“That’s not my blood. It’s that nasty guy’s blood.”
It could be called a trophy. I looked at Karhan with a solemn expression. Karhan, holding the tissue, didn’t even look at me as he threw it away and said:
“It seems Arthur invaded your room while the servant was briefly called away. I’m not sure how he heard about it and entered your room, but there are many people in the mansion, so there must be a few servants who have seen you in your bird form in your room.”
So this is why Karhan told me to be careful. My wings, and the name Seol. Just because I was the Duke’s pet, someone could invade my room. If they discovered I was a beastkin, it could lead to bigger trouble. I nodded slightly with a worried expression.
“But why did you fight?”
“Well…”
Thinking that Arthur should be the one to talk about himself, I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.
“That guy tied a string to my feet and hung me from the table leg. He was about to throw stones too.”
“Stones?”
“Yeah. He’s a really bad guy. Arthur stopped him, and that’s how it turned into the fight you saw. Don’t scold Arthur. If he hadn’t stopped it, I might have been hit a few times and died already.”
If I were human-sized, a few stone hits wouldn’t kill me, but I was only as big as an adult’s fist. The stones were enormous weapons that could threaten my life. As I pulled down the corners of my lips, Karhan’s brow twitched.
“You weren’t hit, were you?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief. I’ll have to send a separate letter to Viscount Andrew. As for Arthur… I’ll have a talk with him separately.”
“Okay. But, pay a little more attention to Arthur. You’re his only brother. Even if you’re not blood-related, you’re the only person Arthur can rely on.”
When I lived at my aunt’s house without parents, the hardest thing was not having anyone to lean on. Even when I was upset or happy, I couldn’t open up to anyone. I thought Arthur’s case might be similar to mine, so I started to feel a bit concerned.
There’s a different feeling between not being able to open up because there’s no one around and not being able to open up even though there is someone, so I can’t fully empathize, but I’d like Karhan to pay attention to Arthur from a somewhat understanding position.
I quietly met Karhan’s eyes. His transparent, silvery-gray eyes took in my appearance.
“Be kind to Arthur like you are to me. He’s still a child. If you don’t teach him little by little, he won’t know things.”
I reached out and covered the back of Karhan’s hand. I could feel his hot body temperature and the high, mountain-like knuckles. Gently stroking it, I opened my mouth.
“Every single action of yours will remain in Arthur’s memory and could become a wound.”
According to Geld, Arthur was adopted. Although I hadn’t spent an extremely long time with Karhan, I didn’t think he would treat Arthur coldly just because he was adopted. Judging from his usual behavior, Karhan wasn’t a bad-natured person.
“Praise him, pat his head, things like that. Okay?”
As I smiled with curved eyes, Karhan slowly nodded. I thought it might be a bit much to keep touching the back of his hand, so I was about to lift it when Karhan flipped his hand and held mine. His large hand enveloped me like a wrapping cloth.
“What’s wrong?”
Do you have something to do? I looked at him with wide eyes, and Karhan opened his mouth.
“I’ll take you to your room.”
“No need, you’re busy. I can just go in bird form.”
“No. You must be tired, there’s no need for that.”
Saying that, he wrapped me tightly in the blanket, then put his hands under my back and knees and lifted me up. Suddenly lifted into the air, I looked at Karhan with a slightly worried face.
I had decided not to treat him like a character from a book, but… Doel and Karhan were destined to become lovers someday, so I wondered if it was okay to be held like this. Karhan and I are close friends, so he’ll understand everything, right?
In the end, we left the office in this state, and oddly enough, there weren’t many people in the corridors Karhan walked through. Fortunately, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any rumors.
When we arrived in front of my room door, we could see a servant lingering there. It was a servant I hadn’t seen before.
“What are you doing here?”
At Karhan’s frosty voice, the servant jumped in surprise and froze. He slowly turned around, bowing his head repeatedly.
“I’m, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Your Grace! I just started working recently and forgot to bring the water jug…”
His ears were bright red, probably from embarrassment. His words seemed true, as we could see a water jug in the corner.
The servant picked up the water jug without straightening his bent back and hurriedly left the corridor. It was common to make such mistakes when starting a new job. It was a bit unfortunate that he was caught by Karhan, though.
After taking me to my room, Karhan took out a few clothes and handed them to me. It was something a servant could easily do, but him doing it personally made me feel strange yet oddly proud. Perhaps because I hadn’t made many friends I could confide in, I wondered if this kind of relationship with Karhan was what true friendship was like.
Being there for each other in both hard times and happy times, that’s what friends are, right? I smiled slightly, raising the corners of my mouth. Then, as I took off the blanket and started putting on clothes, I felt a gaze boring into my body and tilted my head slightly.
Slowly raising my head and looking to the side, I could see Karhan staring intently at me as I was putting my arms through the sleeves of my top.
