It was unmistakably the carriage Serdin was riding in. Formo inwardly thought that Serdin, who didn’t usually look out the carriage window, wouldn’t notice him and would pass by. However, the splendid carriage defied that expectation and stopped precisely in front of Formo.
Before Williot the cheetah beastman could even open the door, Serdin opened it himself and stepped out to greet Formo.
“Pipi, where are you headed?”
Serdin’s face as he asked with a subtle smile looked extremely pleased. As if something good had happened, his upturned lips showed no sign of coming back down. Formo looked at him with puzzled eyes, then instead of answering, introduced Serdin to Bléar who was beside him.
“Bléar, he’s um… a jaguar beastman who lives with me.”
At that brief introduction, Bléar scratched the back of his head and asked back.
“A jaguar?”
“Yeah. He’s a predator, but he’s not the type who acts violently.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter. I’ve rolled around plenty in Chaimb, so I’ve become an expert at dealing with predators. Anyway, that jaguar is your friend, Pipi?”
“Yeah. His name is Serdin.”
“Serdin? Ah, so he must be the Crown Prince of Tersium.”
Bléar didn’t seem particularly surprised even after figuring out Serdin’s status. It was because he never imagined just anyone would be riding around in such a large and splendid carriage within the castle grounds. Besides, wasn’t Bléar himself traveling with Kaien, the Crown Prince of Chaimb?
“I’ve been here a few times from here on, so I know the way, so I can go by myself. You should ride back in the carriage with your friend, Pipi.”
“But…”
“It’s okay. I originally like going around alone. Just like a wolf that’s become independent from the pack, right?”
Bléar, who had opened his heart to Formo while sharing his story about Kaien, joked like that and burst into laughter. After hesitating for a moment, Formo slowly nodded his head. Bléar was right. Since Serdin had spotted him and even stopped the carriage, it would be impossible to send him away and escort Bléar to his lodgings.
In any case, this wretched jaguar is of no help to me whatsoever.
“Well then, I’ll be going, Pipi. It was nice meeting you.”
“Yeah. Be careful, Bléar.”
Formo waved his hand to see Bléar off. Bléar also waved his hand at Formo, then turned around and walked away with long strides. Just as Bléar had said, it was quite a dignified figure, like a wolf that had become independent from the pack.
For Formo, who was sick and tired of sparrows, meeting Bléar was a very refreshing experience. He had never met a sparrow as taciturn and calm as Bléar in his life. All the sparrows he had met or passed by until now had been chatterboxes and even rude, but Bléar was completely different from them. Moreover, he was also the first friend he’d made at Sotes Palace.
Thanks to that, it seemed he too had opened the door of his heart wide. Formo watched Bléar’s retreating figure, then turned his head to look at Serdin. The wretched jaguar met his gaze with a face that had hardened stiffly for some reason.
“Pipi.”
At Serdin’s low and ominous call, Formo flinched. He couldn’t understand why Serdin, who had looked so pleased just moments ago, was suddenly acting like this. Formo read Serdin’s expression, then slyly averted his gaze.
“Where did you get hurt?”
Formo, who had been looking into the distance, was startled by Serdin’s question and looked at him. Before he knew it, Serdin was kneeling on one knee in front of Formo, examining the area around his calf. Through the tattered cloth torn by the fence, the wound was faintly visible.
Formo, who had completely forgotten that he had injured his calf, realized that Serdin had ultimately discovered his wound and became greatly flustered.
“Wh-what!”
“Stay still for a moment, Pipi.”
In broad daylight, and in the middle of a road where other beastmen and carriages were passing by at that, Formo’s calf was suddenly grabbed by Serdin’s hand, and he flailed his arms with a bewildered expression.
“Why, why are you doing this?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Serdin raised his head and asked coolly. At his attitude that seemed somewhat angry, Formo pressed his lips tightly together and looked around the roadside with an anxious gaze.
“Pipi, just how did you get hurt?”
At that question, Formo rolled his eyes for a moment, then answered quietly. It seemed the only way to quickly escape this situation was to confess the truth and go to the palace to receive treatment.
“I climbed over a fence earlier… I think I got hurt then.”
Along with Formo’s answer, a crack formed in Serdin’s brow. Spotting this, Formo startled and quickly urged Serdin to return to the palace. Serdin looked up at Formo with completely unsatisfied eyes, then stood up from his spot and took him into the carriage.
The large carriage departed at a slow speed. Inside the carriage, a heavy silence flowed. Formo was busy glancing around to read Serdin’s expression as he furrowed his brow, and Serdin felt Formo’s gaze and let out a light sigh.
Being sensitive about Formo’s injuries when he couldn’t feel pain was a natural thing for Serdin. If he neglected the wound and it left a scar or festered into a bigger wound, it would be terrible. The person in question, Formo, didn’t seem to think such matters were particularly important though.
Before long, the moving carriage stopped in front of Sotes Palace. This time too, Serdin got out before Williot could even open the carriage door, and extended his hand to Formo. Formo, who had planned to get out by himself, discovered Serdin’s large hand extended to him and carefully grasped it.
Then Serdin pulled the hand he was holding with Formo’s and hoisted Formo onto his shoulder.
“U-uaak!”
As his body was suddenly lifted, a startled Formo struggled on Serdin’s shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing! P-put me down!”
“Your wound will open, Pipi. Stay still.”
Formo looked down at Serdin with stunned eyes as he responded and walked without much difficulty despite his fierce resistance, then let his body go limp. It was unfair, but it was self-inflicted. If he had returned to the palace and changed his clothes when Bléar pointed out his torn pants, this commotion wouldn’t be happening now. Formo let out a deep sigh with a gloomy face while being carried on Serdin’s shoulder.
While Formo was lamenting his pitiful situation, Serdin climbed the stairs with long strides and stood in front of the door. He opened the door, went inside, and set Formo down on the reception room sofa. Formo, whose position had suddenly changed, blinked and looked up at Serdin.
Serdin brought a box containing medical supplies that was placed on one side of the cabinet and set it down on the table. Then he knelt on one knee and grasped Formo’s calf where the wound was.
“Wh-what are you trying to do…?”
Formo, who had been watching Serdin’s actions, asked in a tense voice. That was because Serdin’s gaze was continuously directed at his pants, giving him an ominous feeling. Sure enough, Serdin glanced at Formo and then suddenly tore his pants.
“N-no!”
The already tattered cloth below the knee was mercilessly torn away along with Formo’s scream. Formo stared blankly at his now exposed calf. With the pants that had been covering the wound gone, the long wound caused by the fence was revealed for all the world to see. The wound, which even had scabs on it, looked quite serious at first glance.
Having witnessed the wound on his calf, Formo had nothing to say.
“Pipi.”
Serdin, who had furrowed his brow, called Formo in a coolly subdued voice.
“I didn’t know it would be this bad either! I-I only thought it was slightly scratched…”
Formo, who had been hesitating with only his lips moving, mumbled an explanation without even making eye contact. However, Serdin’s gaze didn’t soften at all. He let out a low sigh and took out clean cloth and ointment.
However, it was impossible to wipe away an already hardened wound with dry cloth. He would need to pour warm water on it to be able to wipe away the scabs. Serdin stood up from his spot to get warm water and left the room. Formo, who had suddenly become alone, blinked and looked at the spot where Serdin had been until just moments ago.
Not long after, Serdin returned with a basin containing warm water. Serdin, who approached with long strides toward Formo who was shrinking his body as much as possible, knelt again and grasped Formo’s calf. Then he dipped the clean cloth in the warm water, wrung out the moisture, and gently wiped away the wound on his calf.
Seeing Formo sitting there resolutely when in the past he would have whined about it stinging and shed tears made him feel completely twisted inside. It was actually better when he would cry and whine that it hurt even over the smallest scratch.
“Pipi.”
Serdin, who had been dropping stinging disinfectant on the wound and wiping it, met eyes with Formo to deliver some harsh words. However, seeing Formo so completely dejected, even the nagging he was about to let out went right back in. Serdin’s lips, which had been moving, closed powerlessly.
Right. He had no choice but to be more careful and watch over Formo even more than now. There was no way Formo, who hadn’t been a beastman for very long, could be careful about such detailed aspects.
The confusion he’d felt at not understanding why Serdin was getting angry as if he himself had been hurt when it was Formo who was injured was brief. Formo felt somehow sorry as he watched Serdin carefully treat his wound. He felt grateful too, but if he said thank you now, it seemed like Serdin, who was already angry, might get even angrier.
It would be better to apologize after all. After hesitating for a moment due to not being accustomed to apologizing to Serdin, Formo opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…S-sorry.”
When Formo offered his apology in a trembling voice, Serdin’s eyebrows twitched.
