But that was only for a moment. Formo hurriedly opened the door to chase away Serdin’s breath that continued to linger by his ear. Why would he deliberately whisper right by his ear! It wasn’t even to tease him. Formo narrowed his brow.
“Huh, huk!”
The large door opened right in front of Kert’s nose this time too. If he hadn’t stepped back, he would have surely been hit by the opening door. Kert checked his nose tip to make sure nothing was wrong with it, then cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem! It feels like it’s been a while, Pipi-nim.”
“Kert.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Move aside.”
“……Yes.”
Serdin looked at Kert, who was trying to exchange greetings with Formo, with displeased eyes and dismissed him. When Kert stepped back a few steps at the words to get lost, Serdin took Formo and descended the stairs. Formo, who carefully descended the stairs with Serdin, stared blankly at the carriage placed in front of the Detached Palace.
“What’s this?”
Formo couldn’t take his eyes off the carriage he was seeing for the first time in his life. He examined the carriage from all angles in admiration—it was as large as Arancha’s castle and even lavishly decorated. His already round eyes opened even wider.
“It’s a carriage. If you ride this, you can go anywhere you want without flying or running.”
Serdin answered in a kind tone as if teaching a child. Formo, who was ignorant about things used by beastmen in human form for convenience, chewed on the word ‘carriage’ in his mind. Formo’s gaze, which had been examining the carriage’s exterior, reached the driver’s seat.
There was nothing in front of the driver’s seat. Formo, who didn’t know what principle the carriage moved by, looked at Serdin as if demanding an explanation.
“A carriage is a means of transportation that moves by magic, Pipi. Anyone can drive it as long as a magic stone containing magical power is inserted.”
At the rather kind explanation, Formo nodded and asked back with expectant eyes.
“Then I can drive a carriage too?”
“Pipi drives a carriage?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think you can?”
Serdin looked at Formo with a smooth smile.
“You said anyone can drive it. There’s no reason I can’t.”
“Yeah. But Pipi can’t.”
“……What? Why?”
Formo asked with his round eyes squinting. His expression showed he couldn’t understand Serdin’s answer. Since he had definitely said anyone could drive it but then said he couldn’t, he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
“Because you’re small.”
“Wh-what?”
“Pipi is too small, so your feet won’t reach the pedals.”
“Th…… That’s ridiculous!”
Formo let out a sound close to a scream.
“There are no beastmen as small as Pipi in Tersium. So unfortunately, there are no carriages that small beastmen can drive.”
Serdin kindly added an explanation. While inserting the words ‘small beastman’ twice. It was the moment Formo’s expectations were shattered to pieces.
“It’s okay, Pipi. You’ll at least be able to watch me drive from the seat next to me. Or there’s also the method of driving the carriage while being held in my arms.”
This is what he says as consolation. At the words that weren’t consoling at all, Formo, whose shoulders drooped gloomily, moved his wobbling steps away from Serdin.
“Your Highness, Pipi-nim. What are you doing without boarding the carriage?”
Kert, who had meticulously gathered the documents and luggage to take to the capital, asked in a bewildered voice. How long ago did they leave, yet they were still arguing in front of the carriage?
“Don’t tell me Pipi-nim is refusing to board……”
Kert asked while reading Formo’s mood. Having confirmed in Arancha how sensitive and fearful a species long-tailed tits were, he thought there was a possibility of refusing to board. However, contrary to Kert’s concerns, Formo was viewing the carriage positively.
Rather, it was almost as if he was captivated. That’s because it was a useful thing that could take you where you wanted to go without directly moving your wings or legs. Formo looked at the carriage again with sparkling eyes, then was led by Serdin’s hand and boarded the carriage.
The interior of the carriage was spacious. A soft carpet was laid on the floor and plush cushions were placed on the seats. Formo leaned against the backrest and looked around the carriage interior.
“Pipi, since it’s your first time, I think you’ll be scared.”
“Scared?”
“You might be so scared you’ll say you want to throw up. If Pipi doesn’t mind, you can be held in my arms in advance.”
When Serdin spread his arms and spoke, Formo snorted.
“No thanks!”
Formo, who primly refused, looked out the carriage window. Two large servants were loading luggage onto the carriage. Formo, who had been counting until ten luggage bags were loaded, lost interest and turned his gaze away.
“Is all the luggage loaded?”
“Yes, Adjutant-nim. We’ve loaded everything without missing a single item.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Then we’ll head to the capital first.”
With Kert’s greeting concluded, the carriage was about to depart. Formo moistened his lips and looked out the carriage window again. Soon, the carriage that had been stopped began to move with a jolt. That sensation was indescribably fascinating and also…….
“U-uaaah!”
Very intense.
The carriage that had run at high speed stopped in front of Arancha’s barrier. Formo, who staggered off the carriage, held onto Serdin who was beside him. His legs trembled. A carriage was convenient, but it was certainly a very violent means of transportation. Formo looked at Kert with a haggard face, remembering the scenery that had passed by at an excessively fast speed outside the carriage window and the incident where he had almost hit his head on the carriage ceiling.
“Ah, Pipi-nim. Are you alright?”
Kert, who got down from the driver’s seat with a fine face, asked with a bright smile. At that innocent question, Formo shook his head.
“Oh my. I drove carefully thinking of Pipi-nim, but it seems it wasn’t enough. I was fairly confident in driving a carriage…… I shouldn’t be complacent here and should strive harder.”
Kert scratched his nose tip, perhaps embarrassed by Formo’s firmness. Carriages that moved by magical power contained in magic stones had vastly different speeds and ride comfort depending on the driver’s discretion. Of course, the feline beastmen of Tersium drove carriages at a level where it was fortunate if no part of the carriage broke.
Among them, Kert belonged to the rather gentle driving side. The problem was that even that was too much for Formo, who was unfamiliar with carriages. Formo wanted to transform into an animal right away, but soothed his tumultuous heart by recalling that there was no proper place to change clothes and that the next destination was Tersium.
“Pipi, is it very hard? Do you want to get on my palm?”
Serdin asked casually, seeing Formo’s pale face.
“……What?”
Formo looked at Serdin, who was showing his spread palm and asking, with pitiful eyes, then sighed softly. This wretched jaguar seemed to want to tease him even in such a moment. How could he get on that palm when he wasn’t even in animal form?
When Formo showed a lukewarm reaction by shaking his head, the corners of Serdin’s mouth twitched.
“I’m joking, Pipi. I’ll just hold your hand.”
Serdin, who said so, took Formo’s hand and walked toward the barrier. The barrier, which had been showing the surroundings in a distorted way, felt the energy of those approaching and opened the way without resistance. Formo stepped inside with Serdin. Kert hurriedly followed behind them.
The interior of Arancha was exactly the same as when they came before. The only thing that had changed was the barrier. Inside the barrier that looked slightly opaque on the outside due to multiple overlapping magic formulas, a landscape that seemed like it would be peaceful forever unfolded. Formo, who was seeing Arancha for the first time since becoming a beastman, opened his eyes wide. It was strange that the castle windows of Arancha, which had looked so high when he was a long-tailed tit, were similar to his line of sight.
It wasn’t just because he had stayed at the large Detached Palace. As his body grew larger, what he naturally perceived had changed. Formo had a dazed look in his eyes at the thought that Arancha was such a small place.
“Chirp!”
[Formo!]
A very familiar being suddenly appeared before Formo’s eyes as he was walking toward the depths of Arancha.
The being that flew over with its round eyes sharply opened was Formo’s older sister, Armo. Formo called out to Armo in a loud voice, feeling so happy.
“Armo!”
“Chi-chirp?”
[H-how do you know my name?]
Armo was flustered when some foolish-looking human called her name. But that was only for a moment. Soon she sent a wary look. After all, Formo could have taught him her name. Armo, who had been examining the surroundings with sharp eyes for a long time, opened her eyes wide when she realized Formo was not by Serdin’s side.
“Chirrrp……”
[Where on earth is Formo……]
There’s no way those jaguars would have come without bringing Formo. She thoroughly searched in case they had brought him hidden, but no matter how much she looked, Formo was nowhere to be seen. Armo narrowed her eyes and looked at Serdin.
“Chi-chirp?”
[Where is Formo?]
Serdin, as if understanding Armo’s question, muttered “Aha,” then glanced at Formo beside him.
“Pipi, it seems she doesn’t recognize Pipi.”
Formo felt displeased when Serdin deliberately whispered into his ear a fact he had been vaguely aware of. He turned his head sharply and glared at Serdin.
“It’s the first time seeing me in human form, so naturally she might not recognize me!”
Formo took Armo’s side and glanced at her. He knew well that it was truly unavoidable that Armo couldn’t recognize him after he returned as a beastman, so he wasn’t disappointed.
“……Chirp?”
[……Formo?]
Armo’s eyes widened at hearing the conversation between Serdin and Formo. She was startled to discover that the unfamiliar human before her was Formo. To think the human she had judged as looking foolish was Formo. Armo gaped her beak, unable to contain her bewilderment.
