Armo, who had been blankly staring at the sky where the barrier had been completely restored, realized that the day was already passing. The time for Formo to leave was approaching. Though it was temporary, Arancha with its restored barrier would be safe for the time being under the jaguars’ protection.
Armo looked down at Formo while sitting on a tree branch. Her younger brother was sitting on Serdin’s hand, quietly listening to the conversation the jaguars were having. Sometimes when a funny story came up, Formo would scrunch up his round eyes and laugh.
“Pipi.”
“Pi.”
“You’re going to drill a hole in my face. Are you feeling newly grateful? Is that why you’re looking at me with those eyes?”
“……”
At Serdin’s words, Formo made a fed-up expression and turned his head sharply. Then he blinked his eyes innocently as if he hadn’t heard the previous conversation. At his quite natural manner even among the jaguars, Armo was inwardly impressed. When did her younger brother, whom she’d only known to be timid and delicate, change like this?
Just as Armo was about to become sentimental, Serdin broke the mood.
“Pipi, let’s go back now.”
When his cold eyes relaxed slightly, Serdin’s impression looked very slightly harmful. Formo let out a groan before nodding his head. Although it was a promise made arbitrarily by Serdin’s scribbling, he had to keep it since his footprint was stamped on it.
In the past, he would have felt suffocated and become irritated, but the current Formo was different. Not only had his wing improved a lot over the past few days, but he’d also learned that Serdin wasn’t such an utterly terrible beast.
And though he heard it later from Sara, the water he’d been drinking had nutritional supplement powder dissolved in it, which helped his wing recover. Though he was grateful, if his wing would improve after taking nutritional supplements a few times, why hadn’t Serdin given him nutritional supplements from the detached palace in the first place?
Wasn’t it a much better choice to feed him nutritional supplements so his wing would heal quickly rather than tirelessly telling him not to use his wing? Formo shrugged his shoulders while harboring such questions. Serdin stared at Formo with a smile before turning his head and signaling to Sara and Kert with his eyes.
Sara and Kert, who nodded back at Serdin, began preparing to return to the detached palace. Sara carefully gathered the small amount of luggage, and Kert carefully organized the papers piled high from writing down research processes and results, putting them into his bag one by one.
When the modest luggage was organized in an instant, the long-tailed tits who had been intoxicated with joy widened their eyes and exchanged glances with each other. Armo, who had been watching Formo from the tree branch, and his parents, who had been relieved by the temporary barrier, also became bitter-faced.
“Pipi, you need to say goodbye.”
Even though Serdin clearly knew the long-tailed tits felt regretful, he urged the farewell in a tone as if it didn’t matter. He thought there was no need to feel this regretful since Formo would come again after getting used to humanization anyway.
Though the next meeting was promised, Formo felt the same regret. He tried to appear resolute while holding back tears that were about to well up.
“Piii. Piit.”
[I’ll come back soon. For sure.]
Though it was a brief farewell, his voice trembled faintly. Moti roughly wiped her reddened eyes with her wing while soothing him.
“Piii, pi. Piiiik.”
“Piiiik, pi.”
[Take care, Formo. See you again.]
[Don’t overdo it, Formo.]
When Potun added a word, Formo’s beak twitched. It was because tears suddenly rushed in. As Formo held back his crying while moving his beak, Armo spoke.
“Piii. Piiiit. Piik.”
[Go safely. I’ll wait for you to come back soon. You have to contact us often.]
Though she felt deep regret for not properly informing Formo of the danger of beasts, she felt grateful that with the beasts’ help, they had safely even repaired the barrier. Now Armo decided to think of that annoying jaguar called Serdin as a beast with whom they’d formed a temporary alliance, at least.
“Pipi, let’s go.”
With those words, Serdin was about to turn around, but Armo suddenly flew up and blocked his way.
“Pii!”
[Wait a moment!]
Armo, who urgently stopped him, flew in front of Kert and signaled with her eyes. At her appearance as if she had more to say, Kert carefully took out a book and put it down on the ground. Armo, who sat in front of the book, pointed at each letter one by one, and Kert, as if familiar with it, wrote down the letters and made them into a sparse sentence.
“It says ‘Don’t overdo.’ It probably means to help Pipi-nim not overdo things.”
“Tell her not to worry because Pipi won’t have anything to overdo.”
“……Do I really have to relay words when the person in question is right in front of us?”
What came back to Kert, who asked back in a reluctant voice, was only Serdin’s cold gaze. He scratched his cheek before looking at Armo and relaying Serdin’s words.
“As you heard just now, that won’t happen. If something does come up that requires overdoing it, His Highness will step in……right?”
When Kert asked carefully, Serdin nodded his head roughly with an annoyed face.
“Yes. His Highness will step in to help Pipi-nim not overdo things. So don’t worry. And…… Euclid will also periodically check this barrier that was temporarily set up, so life here will become much more prosperous.”
Kert, who spoke with a bright smile, picked up the book again and stood up from his seat. Then he moved his steps following Serdin, who turned around without lingering. Armo’s eyes watching them were full of bewilderment.
“Piii, pi!”
“Pi! Piiiik!”
[Go safely, Formo-nim!]
[Formo-nim! You must return healthy!]
The long-tailed tits saw Formo off with regretful voices. Potun and Moti and Armo also stood watching Formo leave with eyes dripping with lingering attachment.
Formo, who left Arancha with Serdin, acted as if he was calm, but was immediately caught by Serdin.
“Pipi, you’ll see them again soon, do you already miss the long-tailed tits?”
Though there was a reason, it was practically a farewell for life, so he couldn’t help but miss them. Formo stayed silent, thinking that if he even moved his beak slightly, tears would burst out.
“It’s okay, Pipi. I’m here.”
Was he saying that as comfort now? Formo wanted to peck Serdin’s annoying cheek, but decided to let it go just this once. Formo, who only sighed with melancholy eyes, soon nodded his head drowsily before falling asleep smoothly.
Serdin quietly looked down at Formo, who was using his palm well like a bed, before moving his steps diligently. His movements were so brisk that his usual languid and lazy behavior couldn’t be found even if one tried.
* * *
Returning to the detached palace, Serdin placed Formo, who was still intoxicated with sleep, on the sleeping cushion. He quietly looked down at Formo, who was sleeping soundly while breathing heavily, before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Then, Kert knocked on the bedroom door.
“Your Highness, it’s me.”
“I know.”
“……Yes. I’m honored that you know.”
Kert, who responded in a bitter voice, let out a small sigh before continuing.
“I came because there’s something to discuss regarding Pipi-nim’s beastman transformation, do you have time?”
“Was there something to discuss?”
“Yes. There’s a lot to prepare, isn’t there?”
At Kert’s answer, Serdin seemed to ponder for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Alright. Let’s talk in the office tomorrow.”
“Understood. Then tomorrow morning, definitely! Without fail! No matter what! You must come to work at the office. You understand, right? Yes?”
Serdin ignored Kert’s voice that emphasized and emphasized again. Kert, who knew well that words pressing him were often ignored, left in front of the bedroom without much lingering. It wasn’t words he’d said expecting an answer anyway, and he had no time to linger as he was planning to organize what he’d recorded while staying in Arancha.
After Kert disappeared like that, Serdin poked the sleeping Formo’s cheek and observed the long-tailed tit’s reaction.
“Pi, ii……”
When his cheek was slightly squashed by the fingertip, Formo let out faint sleep talk while opening and closing his beak. Transparent saliva began to leak bit by bit through the slightly open beak. Serdin smiled while interestingly observing Formo’s saliva gradually wetting the cushion in spots.
Another thing to tease Formo about had occurred. Serdin, who burst into laughter with a small “pfft” sound, closed the beak using his index finger. Then Formo smacked his lips in his sleep and wrapped Serdin’s index finger tightly with his wing.
When the warm, soft, and savory-smelling wing wrapped around his index finger, he felt a strange sense of fulfillment. Serdin waited for Formo’s next action with slightly relaxed eyes.
“Pi, ii……”
Formo seemed to chirp softly, then rubbed his cheek against Serdin’s index finger wrapped in his wing. Serdin, who didn’t miss capturing in his eyes the soft cheek tickling his index finger, bent his upper body toward where Formo was.
Then he gently pressed his lips to Formo’s bandaged head.
“Good night, Pipi.”
As if responding to the low greeting, Formo’s tail feathers trembled slightly. Serdin closed his eyes while lying on his side next to him, thinking of the things to prepare for Formo’s beastman transformation.
