HEO 72

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣ ⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠“Damn it.”

Wolf threw his cup into the sea.

“Hey.”

〔What?〕

“Open it.”

〔Executing.〕

Flea never got angry, even if it received the same request 600 times. It was the only redeeming quality of that evil spirit, which parasitized his body like a poisonous mushroom.

A translucent window appeared before Wolf’s eyes. He already knew what it said. He’d seen it at least 600 times.

〔Accessing Mirror Document……〕

〔Connection Complete–Document Viewing Begins〕

〔Target: You〕

:: Granted: 〔Right to Self-Defense〕

:: Remaining Uses: Unlimited (Always Active)

:: Activation Conditions:

– Upon accumulation of 5 instances of clear intent to kill or attempted murder by the same individual or group

– Upon detection of 1 or more lethal attacks

:: Activation Method:

– Reconfigures the body and nervous system to enhance combat capabilities

– Dramatically increases physical output and reaction speed

– Combat Output Increase: +90 Kalden

– Blade formation originating from the right palm: Immediate engagement possible. Optimized for eliminating close-range threats

:: Restrictions:

– One right of refusal granted

– This ability is limited to a combat support role

– Unconditional survival is not guaranteed

:: Side Effects:

– Potential loss of emotional control due to nervous system restructuring

– Possibility of instincts, previously suppressed by social pressure, reverting to their natural state

– Increased probability of irreversible escalation in defensive and offensive instincts

〔Progress Log〕

:: Phase 1

– Target: ……|……|……|……|……

– Activation conditions met

– Individual Protection Protocol activated ⇒ Target neutralization confirmed

Wolf stared at a single spot. Symbols lined up like fish bones instead of names. ‘…|…|…|…|…’.

“I can’t see it again.”

〔Re-explaining. This is not a processing result from <Our Domain>. It is presumed to be a block from <This World>.〕

〔The target’s name remains in the repository.〕

〔It is #@!%#@.〕

“More noise.”

〔Re-confirming. My speech is being blocked solely regarding information related to this target. Presumed to be interference from <This World>, unrelated to <Our Domain>.〕

Just like the day before yesterday and yesterday, he repeated the conversation he’d had with Flea again today. Just as Stall warriors inspect their axes as soon as they wake up, this pointless pursuit was a daily ritual for Wolf. As always, he gazed at the reward details, lost in thought. He clung to the shitty hope that he might find a clue on the 601st try.

It was two years ago that he discovered the problematic fishbone. Wolf didn’t have the sickening habit of checking the list of people he’d killed. But alcohol can turn even a sane person into a dog. One night, drunk to the point of having a crooked nose, Wolf impulsively opened the reward records. The drunkenness vanished the moment he saw the first entry.

‘Fog-Walking Fox.’ Wolf’s first target. A fishbone was lodged where that name should have been, and ever since, whenever Flea mentioned the name, only static followed. Amidst this, another mystery came to light.

‘Is This World interfering? Does that mean one of Stoll’s gods is stopping you evil spirits?’

〔Query exceeded. Observation results can be provided. However, the entity responsible for the interference and its operating principles are classified.〕

〔Summary. I do not have the authority to explain the overall structure of This World’s interference.〕

What exactly is “This World”? It can’t refers to the world itself.

Why is This World blocking information related to Fog-Walking Fox? Could it be because he was the child of a human woman and one of the gods of Stoll? No, that can’t be it.

Fog-Walking Fox was a warrior aligned with Bronze-Billed Hawk. Immediately after it was revealed that Wolf was White Deer’s biological son, Fox attempted to assassinate him but was struck down by the Right to Self-Defense. It was confirmed that the assassination was ordered by one of Wolf’s half-siblings, so the incident was swept under the rug. That’s the end of it.

If he were a child of a god, he wouldn’t have died at the hands of a lowly brat like me.

There’s something there. I just don’t know what it is.

At this point, Wolf halted the session. The 601st session ended just like the others, no progress, just repeating the same thoughts over and over. He would probably just go through the same nonsense again tomorrow. Fuck.

“Wolf! Wolf!”

Suddenly, Red Eagle dove down from the mast. The white parrot landed and clutched the railing with his hook-like talons.

“Starboard ahead! Big ship spotted! One ship!”

“Wow, what a shock. A ship on the ocean.”

Wolf replied nonchalantly.

“Next time, please find some clouds in the sky for me. Or maybe some trees on land.”

“It could be a pirate ship! A pirate ship!”

“Oh, really? You want to see a pirate ship?”

“Take me seriously!”

Red Eagle spread his wings wide in protest.

“It’s the ship I saw earlier! One side of the flag was torn to shreds! The crew looked rough too! It’s suspicious! Very suspicious!”

“Keep your voice down. People are staring.”

Wolf just rolled his eyes and glanced around. Warriors were staring at them from all directions.

“They’re just staring because they’re jealous!”

Red Eagle puffed his white chest proudly.

“You’ve got a parrot as smart as a human as your friend. Plus, I’m super cute!”

It was true. Red Eagle’s current appearance was cute, and the people of Stoll loved rare insects and cute animals more than jewels. As for the number of people who had tried to steal Red Eagle… it had exceeded thirty-seven, at which point Wolf gave up counting. Among them was even his father, Bronze-Billed Hawk.

“A pirate ship! A pirate ship is approaching!”

Red Eagle took flight again. He skimmed over the warriors’ heads as he shouted. The warriors burst into laughter. Someone knelt on one knee before Red Eagle to pay their respects, while another tossed a piece of bread.

“Let’s fight! Wolf will win again! Victory!”

Human adaptability is astonishing. Red Eagle, who once trembled at the sight of a corpse, had transformed into a battle-crazed warrior after just three years of life in Stoll. Of course, this was limited to when he was just watching from the sky. Since his hobby of cheering in the arena during his human days has carried over to the present, he had been consistent in his own way.

Well, I’ve changed too.

Around the time Red Eagle was reborn as a parrot, Wolf also changed overnight. From a commoner boy in Atania who tried his best not to stand out in anything, he became a typical Stoll. The Wolf of today was a bad adult who would spew profanities at the drop of a hat, sleep soundly every night even after killing someone, and throw punches without hesitation at anyone who got on his nerves.

This change was a side effect of the Right to Self-Defense. A loss of emotional control. Or perhaps it was that his instincts, which had been suppressed by social pressure, had returned to their natural state. If the latter were true, then Wolf hadn’t changed, he had simply regained his true colors.

Wolf kicked the floor and turned around. As he descended below deck, Red Eagle flapped his wings and followed him.

“We need to get ready for battle! With winds like this, they’ll catch up to us before we can even flip the hourglass!”

“We’ve got plenty of time. Wake me up when the pirates come to cut off my head.”

Wolf slammed the cabin door shut with his heel. Red Eagle let his wings droop and perched on the mast. Wolf lay on the bed with his arm as a pillow. He glared at Red Eagle. From his increasingly adorable tone of voice to his behavior, which had adapted excessively well to the life of a bird, Wold found it extremely suspicious. That rascal, at this rate…

Mating with a bird… marrying a bird… laying eggs… Cheep, cheep…

A dull pain pulsed in the back of his head. Without thinking, Wolf opened his mouth.

“Your Highness!”

“Huh? What?”

Red Eagle, who had been dozing off, suddenly jolted awake and raised his head. Wolf glared at the parrot.

“Don’t forget my promise. I will turn you back into a human, Your Highness.”

Red Eagle stared at Wolf for a long moment. His raisin-black pupils looked strangely sad. The white parrot bowed his little head.

“It’s fine, Wolf. I’ve told you time and again, but I’m happy just the way I am. I mean it.”

“……Ugh. Fuck.”

Wolf cursed and covered his eyes with one arm. That’s the problem, you idiot. The problem is that you’re genuinely happy looking like that.

“I don’t regret accepting the reward. If I went back to that time, I’d make the same choice. What would I even do if I lived as a human…….”

Plenty. For starters, you could marry a human woman.

“Don’t call me ‘Your Highness’ either. Calling a parrot ‘Your Highness’ is weird. Just call me by my name.”

Isn’t ‘Red Eagle’ even weirder for a parrot?

“Just flying through the sky and exploring the world with you is enough to make me happy. Honestly, I’m living a life of luxury that’s beyond my station. I… I took what was yours…”

“Stop it.”

Wolf interrupted Red Eagle.

“What are you doing? Is this some melodrama?”

Red Eagle said nothing.

“Cut it out. It’s making me yawn.”

Wolf turned around and closed his eyes.