I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 19: The Master of the Divine Beast >

I shivered as a warm sensation spread throughout my body.

‘What is this?’

「‘Blessed Pearl of the Sea’ uses [Communion Lv.3]!」

It seemed that Cordelia Beatrice’s name meant “Blessed Pearl of the Sea.”

When Lia used her skill, I could somehow feel her emotions more clearly.

The emotion and excitement she felt were conveyed directly to me, and I realized that Lia genuinely wanted to help us.

My goodness, can magicians use magic like this?

Realizing her sincerity, I felt slightly guilty.

「You have rejected ‘Communion’.」

Because I couldn’t convey my true feelings in return.

‘Oh, dear.’

Are all the children here this pure?

In fact, I had been ready to launch a surprise attack if Lia showed any impure intentions.

The reason I had waited for her to be alone was precisely because of that.

If she developed any greedy thoughts upon seeing Brother Beak? Then it would be an eternal goodbye scenario.

Of course, it was understood that only one of us would survive such a parting.

Hmm… It seemed better not to commune for now.

It was an act of protecting her pure heart, and surely, she would understand that.

“Oh? Lu-deus! Are you trying to talk to me like it’s written here? Convey your emotions with mana!”

“Gyarung?”

I tilted my head with a clueless expression.

Fortunately, Lia seemed to think of me as a genius cat who had learned the human language at the age of one.

“Oh dear, are you too young to respond to magic yet…?”

“Grr?”

Thank goodness.

Not only could I continue to be cuddled in comfort, but I could also protect her innocence.

Does something seem odd? No way! For reference, I’m a male tiger!

“By the way, is this why you were looking for me?”

Lia spoke with a hint of disappointment, but she diligently examined Brother Beak.

As expected of a magician from the Tower of Knowledge.

She examined the egg as if she were a veterinarian and then began to move busily.

She even precisely understood what we were worried about.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone!”

Swoosh! She drew the curtains and locked the door, observing Brother Beak carefully.

However, Brother Beak’s condition was worse than I thought.

“Oh no! If we had been any later, it would have been a disaster. Why is the phoenix in this state? Magic is continuously leaking out… It seems it can’t control it.”

What? Was that why the red aura was swirling around?

I nodded while watching Lia, who was deep in thought.

“Grr!”

Maybe that was the reason. Hoping to be of help, I shared what I knew.

[Immature Essence]

The essence of the sky evolved while still immature. Could that be the problem?

Fortunately, it seemed my hint was helpful, as Lia clapped her hands and quickly moved somewhere.

“Just a moment! Watch the egg for me!”

“Growl!”

It was a tense moment.

I checked on Big Beak’s condition.

In addition to having a cold and a high fever, [Mana Deficiency] was added, and his HP bar dropped to below half.

“Fer…”

“Growl!”

In a state of extreme worry, there was a loud crash! Lia rushed into the room, and someone knocked on the door, pleading earnestly.

“Y-Young Lady! You really can’t do that! If the Count finds out, I’ll be dead!”

“I’ll pay it back with my allowance next month!”

“Young Lady, your allowance is nowhere near enough!”

What on earth was going on?

I turned my bewildered gaze to the suspicious liquid in Lia’s hand.

【Salamander’s Tear】

Even at a glance, it looked like an expensive ingredient.

Goodness, can she just use that so recklessly?

Lia mixed the Salamander’s Tear with the root of a plant called Flame Grass and water from Yunia’s Spring, then added a few drops of her own blood. Gathering her magic, she heated the liquid.

【Crude Salamander’s Flame Essence】

Amazingly, the Salamander’s Tear transformed into an essence.

My goodness! An essence!

So does that mean it’s an elixir?

Lia poured the Flame Essence onto the egg, wrapped the egg in Flame Grass, and set it on fire.

“Please, please!”

“Growl!”

“Ferurur!”

What followed was a desperate prayer.

We clasped our hands earnestly before the blazing phoenix egg, as if performing a ritual.

After some time passed,

Fwoosh!

The flames enveloping Big Beak converged, then took the form of a small firebird and soared into the air.

-Screeech!

Compared to that time, it was an insignificant and small ascension.

However, we could fully grasp the meaning of the firebird that soared above the Phoenix’s egg.

The aura emanating from the egg before us was distinctly different from before.

Whoosh!

The egg, absorbing the surrounding flames, lay quietly in a healthy state. The fiery energy that once encased the egg no longer spilled out but was subtly contained. Despite this minor difference, the egg radiated an inexplicable sanctity.

I looked at Brother Beak with an emotional expression.

【Unquenchable Crimson Savage Beak Lv.15】

He had grown. Even all the status ailments had disappeared. Seeing that the HP bar that once hovered above the egg was gone, it was clear that Brother Beak had truly become a Phoenix.

“Is it… alive? Did I really succeed…?”

Lia, also emotional, stared at the egg. At that moment, a message filled with a gentle warmth appeared.

「‘Crimson Savage Beak’ remembers your help.」

It wasn’t just me who saw the message, as Lia and Eryllion also gasped.

“Ah…!”

“Fer!”

We looked at each other silently. Then,

“I did it!”

“Grrng!!”

“Fer, Fer!”

We hugged each other with joy. Well, Lia used her hands.

Anyway!

Brother Beak! Treatment complete!!

.

.

.

Meanwhile, in front of Lia’s room, Count Friedrich and the knight commander Albert were staring at each other with intense eyes. Swallowing hard, the Count dismissed the surrounding servants and spoke.

“Haha, Lia seems to be engrossed in her experiment again. Let’s not disturb her and leave her be. Oh, and.”

The Count met Albert’s eyes and spoke quietly.

“You, come see me.”

“Yes. Understood.”

* * *

A little later, Friedrich had a private conversation with Albert.

“…Are you certain about what I felt?”

“Yes. It was definitely the aura from that night.”

“In that case…”

Friedrich and Albert exchanged glances and nodded. They avoided mentioning the word “Phoenix” for fear of it being overheard. Friedrich stroked his chin with a bewildered expression.

‘How on earth…?’

The Phoenix egg that even Albert couldn’t find had now been detected in his daughter’s room. How had Lia managed to locate it? And why was she trying to keep it a secret?

“What should we do, Count?”

“Hmmm…”

After a moment of contemplation, the Count nodded.

“We wait.”

“Pardon?”

“She must have a reason. When the time comes, Lia will tell us.”

“But…”

Albert looked around and then lowered his voice.

“Eventually, the events of that night will leak. If the Magic Tower or the Church finds out, they won’t leave us alone.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“So, rather than…”

Friedrich looked at Albert.

The Phoenix egg was not a treasure that a mere ‘Count’s family’ could possess. Albert’s suggestion implied it might be better to hand it over to the royal family or the Church.

Friedrich fell into deep thought about why Lia might be hiding the egg. Was it because of that?

“Albert.”

“Yes, Count?”

“We still have some time, don’t we?”

“…What?”

Friedrich recalled the past. The year Lia was born, an elf had visited their domain by chance. Seeing Lia, the elf had remarked,

[This child is born with destiny.]

It was an ambiguous statement. What kind of destiny did it mean?

[That will be guided by fate.]

At the time, Friedrich thought, ‘Hmm, I could say the same thing.’ But as time passed and he realized Lia’s extraordinary talent, Friedrich reconsidered his thoughts on fate and destiny.

“They say a divine beast chooses its own master.”

“…”

“The fact that the Phoenix egg appeared to Lia and not us may not be mere coincidence.”

“…Please don’t say such things. I’m afraid the Church will hear.”

“That must not happen.”

The Count looked at Albert with a serene smile.

“It is our duty to prevent that. Isn’t that what we must do?”

“Hmm…!”

Albert, realizing something from his words, deeply bowed his head. Yes. When had he become so cautious? He was not only tasked with protecting the safety of Bloodmoon.

“Loyalty!”

Friedrich spoke to Albert, who was deeply moved and reaffirming his loyalty.

“Therefore, make sure this matter doesn’t leak. If rumors spread, we’ll be royally screwed.”

“…”

“Lia might even become the Phoenix’s master! Haha! I can already hear the filthy Pope grabbing his neck in anger! Hahaha!”

“…Ugh.”

Perhaps that was just Albert’s own misconception.

* * *

A few days later, Friedrich had some alone time with Lia at her request.

Friedrich was secretly looking forward to it.

Was she finally going to talk about the Phoenix egg?

However, the story that came out of Lia’s mouth was something he hadn’t anticipated at all.

“……Goblins?”

“Yes! Just to be safe, could you scout them out for me…!”

Friedrich tilted his head in confusion.

What on earth was she talking about all of a sudden?

Just then,

-Knock knock.

“Count! Urgent report!”

A soldier hurriedly ran in and handed the Count a crystal orb.

“The Darkluna Grove is under attack by goblins!”

“What?!”

Darkluna Grove was a small village within the Bloodmoon County.

Being close to the forest, monsters occasionally entered the village, but an attack?

There weren’t many troops stationed there, so the Count’s face hardened.

“The number of goblins is unusual, so we made this urgent report!”

“Damn it, what’s the damage?! Can they hold out until reinforcements arrive?!”

“Th-that, I’m not sure…”

The soldier bowed his head, seemingly unsure of the situation.

The Count quickly infused the crystal orb with magic and initiated communication.

Contrary to his expectations, no urgent sounds came through.

Rather,

[Loyalty! This is Robert, the head guard of Darkluna!]

The guard captain spoke calmly and absurdly.

“……So, you’re saying a monster emerged from the forest and slaughtered the goblins?”

[Yes! Without the help of that creature, we would have suffered great losses!]

What in the world…?

While Friedrich was staring blankly at the soldier, he heard Lia cheering next to him.

“Wow! So, it was true!”

“……Lia?”

“Ah? Uh, well…I-I saw it in a dream? Haha! Oh, my. Was it a revelation from Sol? Hahaha! Oh dear! I forgot to feed my babies! I’ll be going now!”

And at that time, the one who had blocked the goblins at Darkluna Grove,

“Growl?”

was tilting its head while looking at the status window that appeared before its eyes.

When did these traits appear?

-Traits: [Potential], [Spirituality], [■■ of ■■], [Special], [Instant Transformation], [Clue of Evolution], [Sensitivity].

What are these blacked-out parts!

I stared at the status window and then shook my head.

Such hidden parts meant that I couldn’t see them in my current state.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to worry about these mysterious blacked-out traits right now.

Because,

「You have reached level 20 and can ‘grow’.」

「Do you wish to grow? (Maximum growth potential applied)」

The long-awaited growth potential had exploded!

Yippee!!

With an excited heart, I checked the growth information.

“……!!”