<Chapter 3>
#1. This Contract Is Somehow Wrong (3)
“Ah, n-no. My, um, legs are… too short.”
“I think it would be good for you to wet your throat and rest a bit before meeting the master.”
“Um… would that be okay? But then you’ll have to wait…”
“Of course. It’s my fault for not being considerate. The master will surely understand that much.”
Melty’s eyes sparkled at the gentle response and he nodded emphatically. Thanks to Angel slowing his pace unlike before, following him wasn’t too difficult. This allowed Melty to look around the interior of the building.
The long corridor stretched so far that the end wasn’t visible. Above all, the carpet on the floor was soft and plush, and everything from the wallpaper to the paintings and ceiling was uniformly luxurious.
‘…Someone who lives in such a luxurious house probably isn’t a human trafficker…?’
Reassured by the appearance of the house that suppressed his anxiety, Melty followed Angel to a very small kitchen.
“This kitchen is close to the master’s study, so it’s a bit small. But it has everything you need.”
Angel explained with a gentle smile as he poured and handed over a drink. Melty politely said “Thank you” and held the cup with both hands. The drink that went down his throat with a gulp was sweet and cool. After emptying one cup cleanly, his mood improved considerably.
“The study is directly across. He should be there at this time.”
“Yes!”
Melty nodded vigorously and took a deep breath while smoothing his hair. Angel looked at him with satisfaction as he cleaned up the empty cup and then moved his hand again to point at the still open door.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Melty nodded enthusiastically at his words. Angel was secretly relieved to see the once-trembling baby hamster now walking with shoulders straight. Angel took position in front of a large door not far away and knocked lightly.
“I’ve brought him.”
“Come in.”
Melty’s ears perked up at the young man’s voice heard from inside the door.
“Let’s go in.”
“Y-yes, yes.”
Melty nodded vigorously and took his final deep breath. As soon as Angel opened the door, Melty’s mouth opened slightly at the scene that unfolded before his eyes. He had thought the corridor was sufficiently magnificent, but the room was even more incredible. Melty, who had unconsciously stepped inside, belatedly noticed the presence from the shadow cast over his face and hurriedly bowed his head.
“P-pleased to meet you.”
“…A minor…?”
“I-I’m an adult!”
At the same remark as Angel had made, Melty clenched his fists and shouted as he raised his head. And at the same time, he couldn’t help but hesitate. The person who approached him was taller than anyone Melty had ever seen. As Melty slowly raised his head, he finally took in the man’s appearance.
The first thing that caught his eye were those golden-tinted pupils. Thanks to his long, flowing navy blue hair and slender face, he gave off a cold impression. Above all, what terrified Melty was the man’s species.
“…S-snake clan…?”
“I’m Calix Kuse Padrian. And you are?”
“Pa-Padrian……”
The ruler of the snake clan. The master of the greenery who led the snake clan. It was no exaggeration to say that all medicinal herbs and poisonous plants in the continent came from them. Of course, medicinal herbs and poisonous plants existed elsewhere, but no place possessed the quantity and quality that the Padrians controlled.
Melty’s mouth fell open as he recalled the string of titles that modified the Padrian family name. He also remembered his family’s advice to avoid the snake clan at all costs.
“Are you not going to introduce yourself?”
“…My name is Melty Crosel…”
Still in shock, Melty introduced himself in a small voice. There wasn’t any particular problem between people of the snake clan and hamster clan. The issue was that snake clan members were known to be greedy and ruthless, becoming endlessly cruel when pursuing their goals.
Unable to show his dismay in front of his future boss, Melty tried hard to relax his expression. As much as he wanted to confront Angel about how a bird clan member could serve someone from the snake clan, it was more his own fault for not verifying who he would be working under.
Even while realizing his mistake, Melty cautiously observed the other man. He was scrutinizing Melty from head to toe with sharp eyes.
Gulp. Melty barely swallowed a precarious dry spit and took a small deep breath. Snake and hamster—it was a mismatched combination given their species characteristics, but the contract was already concluded. And anyway, Melty had no other path to choose.
‘W-well, it’s not like he’s going to eat me, right?’
Stories about using people as test subjects for poisonous plants or eating them were common tales associated with the snake clan. Trying to deny those stories, Melty took a deep breath while clasping his hands tightly together. Perhaps due to the surprising situation, his heart kept pounding loudly.
“I-I look forward to working with you.”
Calix’s lips curled into a faint smile as he watched Melty bow his head deeply.
“Ah, yes.”
With a casual response, Calix extended his hand not toward Melty but toward Angel. At his gesture, as if he had been waiting, Angel handed him what looked like a stack of documents with both hands. Receiving it and flipping through the pages one by one, Calix asked in an indifferent tone.
“Are you a Gift holder?”
Melty quietly nodded at his question. There was no point in hiding it, and he was his employer anyway. It wasn’t a dangerous job, and his duties would be complete just by ensuring the man before him had his meals on time. He swallowed hard, thinking of the enormous salary.
“I see. How do you use it? Your Gift?”
“Just… please hold my hand once. That’s enough.”
“I’d like to see it.”
Calix’s eyes were full of curiosity as he spoke with a smile in his voice. Melty, not even thinking of looking the other man in the face, was busy wiping his hands—damp from nervousness—on his clothes.
“Um… then, if I could have your hand…”
“Ah.”
Calix, who had been staring intently at Melty’s ears and small head as he stood stiffly with tension, extended his hand. Melty stared at the hand right in front of him, then looked at his own hand. Though they were both adult men, there was quite a difference in hand size. As he alternately looked at both hands in amazement, the hand before him waved.
“Are you not going to do it?”
“Ah, n-no! I’ll do it!”
Startled, Melty’s shoulders jumped as he hurriedly grasped the other’s hand. For Melty, using his Gift wasn’t difficult. Just by holding hands like this and imagining…
“…?”
Melty’s eyes widened round. Usually when he did this, the food the other person wanted to eat would appear in his mind.
‘What they want to eat…, want to eat…’
The image, which had been blurry, gradually became clear. Brown hair and cute animal ears protruding above the hairline, a round face and familiar eyes.
‘M-me?’
Melty’s eyes widened at the unexpected situation. When he looked up at Calix, the man wore an expression of incomprehension. Melty tilted his head at that unchanged expression.
‘Even for the snake clan… Surely he wouldn’t eat a person.’
Perhaps due to his confusion, his heart was thumping loudly. Thinking he must have imagined it due to nerves, Melty took another deep breath. This time he closed his eyes and tried to focus more intently on what the other wanted to eat.
The image, which was initially a round mass, became clearer and turned into a face.
It was undoubtedly Melty’s face.
“Eek!”
Startled, Melty pulled his hand away and stared at Calix with a face that had gone deathly pale. Calix, whose hand had been suddenly rejected, slightly narrowed his brow as he looked at the frightened Melty. Under his gaze that demanded an answer, Melty retreated with hesitant steps. At first, he thought he had somehow been mistaken. But now for the second time, in response to the question about what food the other wanted, his own face had appeared.
“Hey.”
“I, I, I’m not d-delicious.”
“What?”
Melty’s shoulders tensed even more at the irritated query. Large tears welled up in his wide-open eyes. The relief that he wasn’t a human trafficker and the thought that not all snake clan members were bad lasted only briefly. He never dreamed he would end up being eaten by another beast-person like this.
“Melty Crosel.”
Calix, who called Melty’s name in a rigid tone, approached with long strides. His one step equaled five of Melty’s. Feeling a thump, Melty turned his head and discovered the wall behind him. As Melty trembled with a face gone white, his short life was already flashing before his eyes.
He didn’t want to die like this. But he felt like he was going to die. That person would definitely munch on him from head to toe. As his thoughts reached that point, his breathing became increasingly shallow.
“Hey.”
As if unwilling to let him escape any further, Calix’s hands firmly gripped both of Melty’s shoulders. Melty let out a muffled scream—”Eek!”—and his world turned completely black.
***
The hamster, who had been trembling, collapsed limply just from having his shoulders grabbed. Calix, who caught the unconscious Melty, was simply perplexed by the current situation.
He had just offered his hand because he wanted to see how the Gift was used, but Melty’s expression kept changing from white to blue. Ultimately, he ended up whimpering and then fainting. After checking Melty’s breathing and pulse by placing his hand under his nose and on his neck, Calix was at a loss for how to interpret the situation.
“As expected of master. Amazing. You’ve caught a hamster with just one glance.”
Calix glared daggers at Angel, who was even clapping his hands while offering insincere praise. First, he properly cradled Melty in his arms. Watching him breathe evenly with his head resting against Calix’s chest, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“Angel. Follow me and report.”
“What? Ah~ My shift is already over!”
He had many pointless complaints for someone who would quiet down with just one look. Calix turned around, supporting Melty’s body firmly. It felt strange to carry him like a princess when he wasn’t even a woman. The small ears on top of his head twitched and trembled.
“The contract you requested has been concluded without issue. I’ve also cleared all the debts in Melty-ssi’s name. The receipts related to the contract will arrive by tomorrow.”
Angel rattled off the day’s completed tasks while following behind Calix. Listening to those reports half-heartedly, Calix arrived at his bedroom and gestured with his chin toward the door. Angel, with slumped shoulders, mumbled “Yeah, yeah” carelessly as he opened the door.
Calix entered the room as if it were only natural and carefully placed Melty on the bed. As he brushed away the disheveled hair, a soft texture wrapped around his hand and disappeared. Angel, watching him with a sullen expression as he couldn’t hide his fascination, asked:
“So I brought him as you ordered, but is he the right one?”
“Without a doubt.”
His “Gift” had never been wrong. He had received the Gift of “eyes that can see connections.” And that ability had been used effectively until now. This Gift allowed him to distinguish between those who would help him and those who would stab him in the back. It was truly a coincidence that he noticed that shop while looking around the newly built establishments in his territory that day.
“You said to bring him no matter what… He didn’t look like much at all, but is he a good connection?”
“More special than that.”
It’s difficult to explain in words the feeling the Gift shows, but if he had to put it into words, it was a “connection that must not be missed.” Why this small and seemingly unremarkable fellow was such an important connection to him would be something to observe over time. A deep smile settled on Calix’s lips.
Angel, unaware of his expression, looked around his bedroom that he hadn’t entered in a long time. Then he looked at Melty, who had ended up occupying the manor owner’s bed. Even though Melty was unconscious, it would have been proper to take him to a guest room. Realizing that the current situation was highly exceptional, Angel shook his head.
“But why did he suddenly become so terrified?”
