YDPBT Chapter 25

A sense of fear arose from the feeling of being cut off from the world. Perhaps because of that, my breathing gradually quickened, and my eyes moved involuntarily, making my head dizzy. I couldn’t control my gaze as I wished.

I’m scared. I open my small mouth to make a sound, but my ears still can’t hear anything, so I don’t even know if I’m speaking properly. I looked up at the man holding me in one hand, panting heavily. He was looking at me with a smile on his lips, as if he found something incredibly amusing.

When I barely managed to lift my head, feeling limp and powerless, he opened his mouth. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear his voice.

My body trembled as if having convulsions. My mouth opened and my eyes closed and opened repeatedly, regardless of my will. It also felt as if all the joints in my body were rattling, not fitting well together. The sensation of my body twisting made it impossible to maintain consciousness.

Please spare me. Something’s wrong. Even though my words wouldn’t be conveyed anyway, I tried mumbling softly. I think if my ears were functioning normally, they would be able to hear the breathless, gasping sounds escaping my mouth as I struggled in agony.

It seemed as if something viscous was flowing out of all my orifices, including my eyes and mouth. It felt like a liquid, but I was in too much pain to pay attention to it. I had an inkling of what it was, but I deliberately avoided that word and refrained from guessing. I poured all my strength into holding onto the thin breath that allowed me to exist in this world.

After struggling in agony for a while, just when I felt like I was alone in the world, the suffocating grip on my neck was released. I didn’t even have the luxury to feel the joy of finally being freed. Without anything to hold onto, I stretched out my trembling arms, and my body fell backward. Seeing the sky rapidly receding, I closed my eyes, thinking I would hit the ground like this, but something caught me from below.

Breathing heavily, I raised my eyes and looked up. I saw Doel, with black hair that suited the dark night. Doel. I opened my mouth and tried to utter the familiar pronunciation. I still couldn’t hear well, so I wasn’t sure if I pronounced it correctly.

Doel’s expression seemed somewhat flustered and utterly shocked. It appeared complex in many ways. Is my condition that serious? With that thought, I barely held onto my heavy eyelids and made eye contact with Doel. He opened his mouth and spoke, but I couldn’t hear him well. It seemed my ears were severely impaired.

I can’t hear well… I exhaled, my breath fluttering as if my windpipe would be cut off at any moment. Fortunately, he seemed to understand my words and slightly nodded his head. Then he raised his gaze and glared at the man in front. I also turned my head, trembling, away from Doel’s face and glowered at the wicked guy who had tormented us both. He was also looking at me as if he had done something commendable.

I wanted to curse him out, but just keeping my eyes open was draining my energy. With the man’s smiling face, his red eyes curved, being the last thing I saw, I couldn’t endure any longer and closed my eyes.

🐤

Doel was greatly startled by his body acting differently from his will, as if someone was controlling it with strings. It was as difficult as moving a single finger when sleep paralysis set in. All the strength drained from his body, and his two feet, which had barely been supporting him, started walking forward on their own.

One step, two steps, slowly and steadily approaching the man. This can’t go on, please stop. While desperately crying out in his mind, he saw the back of a small bird blocking his way.

A small, white, and round bird flapped its wings, blocking his path. Although Doel couldn’t even make a single facial expression of his own volition, his heart pounded loudly due to Peep standing in front of him.

The man, exuding a dangerous aura, shifted his attention away from Doel, who had stopped in his tracks, and looked at Peep. Then, as if he had thought of something, the man strode forward, and Peep clung tightly to Doel’s face, as if terrified. Doel could feel Peep’s body trembling as it touched his face. It was adorable yet pitiful that Peep was trying to protect him despite being so frightened.

Instantly caught by the man, Peep squirmed and struggled, making chirping sounds. Seeing Peep’s utterly terrified state, Doel thought he needed to act quickly, but his frustratingly immobile body still wouldn’t budge.

With only his mind alive, Doel had to watch the situation unfold in front of him, his eyes open in a daze. The platinum-blond man made a strange remark about the absence of mana in Peep’s body and began using something similar to the technique he had used on Doel. As he muttered something like an incantation, a distinctly different and ominous atmosphere was felt, unlike before.

A gentle breeze began to blow around them, and the situation suddenly changed. Peep’s body, which had been still, started twisting and turning, and a cracking sound of something being distorted was heard. At the eerie noise, Doel’s hand involuntarily twitched. While the man was absorbed in Peep, Doel’s control was gradually being released, starting from his fingertips.

The feathers of the white bird in the man’s hand began to turn red from the inside. At first, it seemed like only the color of the feathers was changing, but in an instant, its entire body turned red, and before long, droplets of blood gathered at the tip of its tail. They formed into spheres and fell to the ground with a plop.

At this rate, it will die. That was the only thought that came to mind. Doel focused his eyes and wiggled his fingers, thinking he needed to move quickly. Just as he barely managed to move, another unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.

A transformation occurred in Peep’s body as it twisted in the man’s hand.

The tail that had peeked out from under the tightly grasped hand gradually disappeared, and the short legs also began to take on a human shape. Peep’s round and small head also grew long, forming human-like strands of hair. The only clue indicating that Peep had been a bird until a moment ago was the small wings attached to its back.

What is this…? Doel widened his eyes and took in the entire scene. Even the man who had held Peep in one hand seemed somewhat surprised, his eyes wide open. In his hand, it was no longer the body of a small bird but a human neck being grasped.

“A beastman?”

Beastmen.

A race that can take the form of animals as well as humans. Among the widely known species to humans were the Feline tribe, who could transform into cats; the Canine tribe, who could transform into dogs; and there were also the Vulpine tribe, the Avian tribe, the Leporine tribe, and others. However, in the current era, they were only known through records.

It was said that there were once various species, but they had disappeared from sight several hundred years ago. Beastmen were a fascinating race that could take on human form while being animals, so they were often sold as slaves. When rumors spread about their usefulness, collective hunting led to the disappearance of many lives.

As a result, there was a possibility that the species had become extinct, while some speculated that they had hidden themselves in secret areas to protect their bodies, disappearing from the public eye. The certain fact was that humans could no longer see beastmen.

Doel widened his eyes at the sight of an Avian tribesman, which he had never seen before in his life. The body hanging limply with its neck grasped was covered in blood. The hair, thoroughly soaked in blood, was so red that its original color could not be guessed. The faint, thin breathing sound raised alarm bells in his mind.

I have to protect… The image of Peep blocking his way with a body the size of a fist to protect him came to mind. With that small and precious form, Doel frantically moved his arms, desperately trying to move his body.

Perhaps due to his earnest desire, his body gradually began to loosen, and he was finally able to draw his sword. Quickly turning his hand, he pulled out the sword from the scabbard at his waist. Swinging it sharply, cutting through the air, he aimed at the hand grasping the delicate neck.

With a swoosh, the hand gripping the neck was severed. Then, the body of the newly transformed Peep staggered and collapsed to the ground. Just before the head hit the ground, Doel bent his knees and reached out his hand.

Fortunately, the light weight landed on his swiftly extended hand. Feeling relieved by the body that had fallen into his arms, Doel lowered his head. Then, he saw the round, unfathomably deep, jet-black eyes that he had often encountered when Peep was a bird.

“Ah…”

Doel stared at those eyes in a daze, his mouth clamped shut, too stiff to even think of closing it. His own reflection was mirrored in the lifeless black eyes. When his brain failed to function, not knowing what to do, the small mouth opened and closed. Although the voice was weak, perhaps due to lack of energy, it seemed to have called his name based on the shape of the mouth.

“Are you okay? Ah, no, there’s no way you’re okay. Does it hurt a lot? Of course it would hurt, but…”

He rambled incoherently, unlike his usual self, amidst the utterly incomprehensible situation. Peep opened and closed its mouth again as if trying to say something. The faint, thin breathing sound overlapped with a small voice. It seemed to be saying that it couldn’t hear well. Doel gently shook his head, indicating that it was okay and didn’t need to speak further.

Holding Peep, whose eyes were slowly closing, in his arms, he raised his sword high with one hand. The warmth that had briefly lingered in his eyes had vanished without a trace. The sword, reflecting the moonlight with a sharp glint, was pointed at the man. He was smiling again, as if he found something amusing.

When Doel glared at him with furrowed brows, the man stroked his chin with his index finger and thumb, as if pondering something. His red eyes gleamed dangerously as he looked at the two of them. Then, smiling with his eyes narrowed, he said, “This is more interesting.”

“What do you find interesting?”

Doel asked through gritted teeth. The delicate body cradled in his arms had lost so much blood that it would be in danger if they didn’t hurry to a physician. How could he utter the word “interesting” after causing this? Doel unconsciously put strength into his words, enunciating each syllable as if chewing them.

“What have you done to this child?”

With his sword pointed at the man, Doel laid the fragile body on the ground and covered it with the robe he had been wearing. Perhaps because of the transformation from a bird to a human, Peep was completely naked and seemed cold. Doel was worried that Peep’s body temperature would drop, considering the significant blood loss.

Despite the sharp sword directed at him, the man’s expression was the epitome of tranquility. Doel slowly rose from his spot, brimming with tension. Although he didn’t know the identity of the man in front of him, one thing was certain: he possessed a dangerous ability.

The ability to control Doel’s body at will and instantly reduce Peep to this state. He was someone Doel could never let his guard down around. If the man were to use that ability on him again, Doel wasn’t confident he could properly resist.

A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead due to the tension. The platinum-blond man smiled, his eyes curved.

“I didn’t do anything particularly strange.”