Chapter 73

Chapter 73: As long as it is not me (3)

“Just now……”

I couldn’t call that sensation a delusion.

I looked down at the chimney bird that was seated at the center of the circle tilting its body side to side.

The Holy Domain was in the shape of a full circle as if it never shook.

However, I was certain that I saw it.

The golden circle shook like a broken TV screen as soon as the bird sat on it.

“Little kid. Are you really a divine beast?”

– Pipipipi

The little bird nonchalantly chirped.

The three red pandas had rushed over and were hiding behind my legs.

‘Are they scared? Or are they still just shy around the bird?’

– Screeeeech

Demy bravely stepped forward and stood in front of me.

He then opened and closed his small mouth while trying to look threatening.

He was the smallest of the trio but he seemed to be acting like the leader I claimed him to be.

I couldn’t help but laugh because I was proud of him and because he looked cute.

“Demy, it’s okay.”

I calmed him down.

I had no proof but I had an odd feeling that this chimney bird was not trying to harm me.

I was sure that it was no ordinary animal.

I felt more curiosity than uncertainty in my mind.

[Should I give you some ether?]

My voice sounded as if I was speaking into a microphone. The bird was not shocked at all.

Demy made a palm leaf the size of my body appear at the tip of his foot.

I guess he was planning on using it as a shield if necessary.

I quietly took a deep breath before slowly releasing some ether to deliver to the chimney bird.

I was able to control the amount leaving my body while imagining myself giving it a half spoon of cough syrup.

However…

“……It’s not eating it.”

To be more specific, my ether was not being absorbed into the bird’s body at all.

I became a bit flustered and pushed even more ether toward the chimney bird.

However, the ether simply came back to me.

“It shouldn’t be like this.”

This bird had caused a disturbance on the Holy Domain even if it was only for a moment. However, it was not reacting to the ether as if it was a regular person or animal.

I sat down cross-legged on top of the circle and reached out my hand.

“Come to big bro, good job.”

– Piruuuuu, pipi

The chimney bird jumped about two times toward me and tilted its head side to side before flapping its wings a few times.

It looked extremely relaxed getting onto my palm and situating itself. ‘Are you moving in or something?’

Demy, Rhea, and Perry finally seemed relieved as they crawled through my legs and sprawled out.

A handful of chimney bird and a bucketful of red pandas.

“You don’t like ttukbaegi or ttukttak either, right?”

– Pipi! Pipipi!

It responded quite loudly. It must loathe the names that Christelle suggested.

The bird surprisingly understood what I was saying and seemed to enjoy being in my hand unlike normal birds.

I even wondered if it was the baby of a divine beast.

That might explain why it was bad at absorbing ether.

Of course, I didn’t know whether divine beasts could reproduce or if the Almighty God sent this one in this not fully grown state.

Unlike the red pandas who usually stayed with me in my room, the chimney bird flew around quite a lot of places the last three days.

It was sitting on Christelle’s shoulder two days ago and I thought it was gone all day yesterday and it seemed to have spent the day in the Imperial Prince’s room.

It was a free spirit.

It didn’t seem interested when I offered it some food and water too.

I thought that it must have been eating some bugs outside, but…

“Christelle seems focused on having ‘gul’ or ‘ttuk’ in your name.” (TL: Chimney bird is gulttuksae in Korean)

– Piiiii

The bird seemed sad.

Christelle even came up with names like gulbi when I saw her at the dining room this morning. (TL: Gulbi is Korean for yellow corvina)

She might even come up with something like guldari tomorrow if we couldn’t settle it for something with ttuk. (TL: guldari is underpass in Korean)

[What about ttukshim?] (TL: Ttukshim is perseverance in Korean. Henceforth the bird’s name will be Percy as a short for perseverance and to go with the rest of the Greek names.)

I cautiously asked in a Divine Oracle.

This seemed to be the best name I could come up with that had ttuk in it.

I thought that Sylphie might be decent because we met this little kid at the windy cliff and I even considered calling it ‘Nan’ so that it would become a great bird, but… (TL: Nan or Luan in Chinese is a mythological bird in East Asian mythology)

Christelle was trying hard at it so I couldn’t ignore her efforts.

[It’s not bad, right? Your name is Percy so that you live with perseverance wherever you go.]

The bird’s black eyes blinked rapidly. ‘Sorry, I know that this isn’t the best.’

– Pipipiruuuuuuut!

The bird opened its yellow beak to energetically respond.

It seemed to not hate it since it wasn’t pecking at my palm.

Was it saying something like, ‘I will accept it because your efforts were praiseworthy?’

– Flutter

Percy’s short wings flapped as he flew down.

He then buried his body in the three red pandas’ chubby tails as if it was a nest.

Demy, who was getting sleepy, grumbled at that moment.

“Go night night first. Big bro is going to sleep after running my ether for 50 rounds.”

I whispered to him.

I knew that my legs would go numb soon because of the divine beasts but I decided to treat this as a form of training as well.

Taking care of myself was part of it, but it was only right to become a strong priest in order to take care of these little kiddos.

My gold ether spread to the corners of the Holy Domain with a paaat noise.

*

May 31st was a day with a nice breeze and bright sunshine.

“Happy birthday, Prince Jesse!”

“Thank you very much.”

“Happy birthday, your highness. May the glory of the Almighty God be with you always.”

“Thank you very much. Please have a nice day.”

No matter where I went in the Summer Palace, attendants and royal servants rushed over to greet me.

I received each and every one of their birthday greetings with a bright expression on my face.

Everybody I met today was saying such nice things that I felt bad and sorry that the real Prince Jesse could not hear any of this.

The busy Empress sent a card and a bouquet through the Chief of Staff.

Cardinal Boutier came to my room on her way to work and gave me a kiss on my cheeks and left.

“Your highness, these are some canelés we personally baked early this morning. We made about 100 of them because we heard that you like them.”

“Oh my, that’s so many……. I will enjoy them very much. Thank you very much.”

“Yes, your highness! We will deliver them to your room soon.”

Some of the kitchen royal servants lowered their heads so far that it almost reached the floor and walked away.

Everybody was so generous that I wondered if people in the north were all this generous.

I received a birthday breakfast so vast that the dining table legs looked as if they would break and it took close to two and a half hours to eat it all even with Benjamin and Ganael’s help.

“Your highness, I think you have received enough food today to eat for a year.”

Ganael laughed in awe while following behind me.

I nodded my head and received another attendant’s greeting.

Although I didn’t have a bad relationship with Empress Frédérique, I couldn’t have an official birthday party because I was a Diplomatic hostage.

And as usual, gifts of value were not possible either.

I didn’t like anything flashy or burdensome anyway so I thought that was good.

But then it ended up like this.

People I didn’t know gave me a ton of food they personally made wherever I went and I tried every bread and dessert I received as I was taught that you don’t reject sincerity.

Everything was delicious but I probably won’t even be able to have a late lunch because I’ll be so full.

‘How wildly did the incident at the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts get exaggerated?’

“Happy birthday, your highness! You’re wearing some fancy clothes to match the occasion.”

I heard a familiar voice at that moment.

I could see Christelle quickly approaching from the other side of the corridor.

Her hair was up as usual but it was rare to see her wearing a dress.

She smiled like an angel and handed me a small package.

“It’s a book. To be honest with you, I had prepared a pirate ship to give to you, your highness, but…….”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just joking! Anyway, I’m sure that you will like this book because I heard that it is the best selling book in the Imperial Capital right now. I asked her Eminence and she said that books were always allowed as presents.”

Her blue-gray eyes were sparkling cheerfully. I smiled and thanked her.

I ended up receiving a present from Christelle in the end.

“Thank you very much, young lady Sarnez. I will have fun reading it.”

“It was nothing, your highness. Did you receive a gift from the esteemed Duke as well?”

“No.”

Forget a present, I had not even run into him today.

It must not be easy to pay no attention to the birthday of someone living in the same house.

Well, I wasn’t upset since there wasn’t anything I was looking forward to getting from that Imperial Prince bastard anyway.

Christelle’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“That’s weird. I thought that he would prepare an amazing gift that met the standards of an Imperial family member.”

“It’s not like we are very close, young lady Sarnez.”

“Oh come on, your highness. You know everything you need to know about him.”

Christelle winked with her left eye and then her right eye.

‘This is amazing every time I see it, but wait a minute. Why are you phrasing it like that?’

“That’s something you know as well, young lady Sarnez. To be more specific, that is a secret between you and me.”

“That is true, your highness. Where are you headed?”

Christelle laughed as if she couldn’t win against me and changed the topic.

I responded that I was going to receive some confessions and she said that she would escort me. ‘It’s a service to the main character for today!’ She sounded happy as she said that.

I slowly started walking with her and Benjamin and Ganael seemed oddly happy.

“By the way, I gave the chimney bird a name. It’s name is Percy.”

“Oh my, that’s totally my style! That is a great name.”

It was pretty nice seeing other people happier than me on my birthday.

*

[Please relax and confess once you are ready.]

“Yes, yes, your highness……”

The man standing outside the Confessional took some short breaths with a shaky voice.

I quietly waited for the penitent to start speaking.

In my hand was the travel book Christell gifted me,