“This is...”
After Noah pulled the cloth, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
“It's a magical stuffed beast?”
Just like ordinary stuffed animals, magical stuffed beasts became more valuable the rarer and more ferocious they were. Noah grew up collecting stuffed animals, and he developed a distinct taste – he wasn't satisfied with just any stuffed magical monster.
But the creature in front of him was extremely rare and of immense value.
classy.
“Griffon...”
The griffon, a combination of a lion and an eagle, was a magical beast with a minimal population. Despite its beauty, it was extremely ferocious and it was almost impossible to catch one. Even in the event of encountering one by chance, the wisest option was to flee for survival.
And yet, here he was – completely intact, stuffed, undismembered.
“Wonderful…”
Noah absentmindedly touched the griffon's elaborate form: the huge, solid beak that seemed ready to close, the icy eyes gleaming in the light, the neatly arranged feathers.
Based on his extensive experience, Noah could confidently say that this was the most valuable specimen he had ever seen.
“But who in the world...?”
As he was muttering to himself, a memory surfaced.
[“Magic beasts, you know. I heard they're starting to be mummified. Just thinking about it makes my heart beat fast. But they're so hard to find.”]
“…Grand Duke Fenric.”
Noah's lips curved into a sharp, satisfied smile.
“Despite his miserable origins, he seems to have a good outlook.”
It seemed that Fenric's talk of friendship wasn't just empty talk. How else could he have sent such a precious gift?
While Noah was looking in admiration at the stuffed magical beast, something fell with a muffled sound. This object was a small piece packed and hidden next to the sample.
“Scented candle?”
The hexagon candle looked luxurious even to look at. Noah sniffed it carefully and smiled contentedly.
“Unexpectedly sentimental, isn’t it?”
It was a really great gift. Although there was no card or note confirming the sender's identity, Noah was sure it was Fenrick.
“…”
Noah put the candle in his robe pocket and started pushing the cart with all his might, then headed straight to the antique room where his precious treasures were on display.
He already knew the perfect spot for the stuffed griffon.
[“The wall looks a bit empty, doesn't it? You should decorate it with the rarest piece of taxidermy you can find.”]
[“I thought so too. I've been saving this place, but nothing has caught my eye yet.”]
It wouldn't be hung on the wall, but the size of the griffon was enormous – large enough to cover the entire empty space.
Noah pulled the couch forward slightly, adjusted its orientation, and decided that the griffon would fit perfectly against the wall.
“Oh my God... If I had known, I wouldn't have given them a week off...”
Normally, he would have ordered his servants to handle this matter, but he had recently given them leave, as Fenric had advised them.
Noah sighed, muttering under his breath,
“They won't be back until next week, and I don't have the patience to wait.”
After much effort, and with sweat pouring down his forehead, Noah finally managed to move the griffon into place.
“As expected...”
It was perfect.
The stuffed griffon filled the empty wall beautifully. Noah smiled, clearly satisfied, and collapsed on the nearby couch.
He reached into his pocket and took out a candle and lit it, and as expected, the smell was amazing.
“…”
Noah stared at the dim, shimmering candlelight, then at the griffon, and settled into a state of contentment.
But this did not last long.
After a short while, Noah began to sleep. He wanted to enjoy this pleasant, quiet moment for a little longer, but his eyelids became unbearably heavy.
To be fair, he wasn't entirely to blame.
The candle contained substances that Noah knew nothing about—ingredients that were the cause of all the tragedies that came afterward.
“…”
The mysterious smoke from the burning candle rose steadily, casting an eerie light on Noah's face as he slept.
The candle burned faster and faster, releasing more smoke, which began to swirl around the huge griffon.
Under the soft moonlight filtering through the patchy curtains, the griffon's eyes, covered in strange smoke, sparkled with an evil light.
The glassy, lifeless gaze from before has disappeared.
Not long after...
The griffon's massive beak opened wide as it pounced on the sleeping Noah's neck.
***
It had been two days since Fenric's visit.
Surprisingly, Dietrich did not return.
Even Atari, after choosing the glitch option, was acting so recklessly, right? So, Precipe was worried that Dietrich might do the same, but instead he kept quiet.
But Precipe knew better than anyone that this uneasy silence would not last long.
The event where she would be locked in the Ice Prison was fast approaching.
To be precise, it was only two days away.
After this event, the game will progress quickly, and more male characters will appear. In other words, the small window of time in which he could move freely, such as the past few days, would disappear.
So before that, she had to go to the newly discovered location, no matter what excuse she might give.
“Mrs. Presby, are you coming out?”
Ella, who was clearly surprised by Precipe's unexpected behavior, asked with a puzzled expression.
“You know that, right? If you want to leave the tower, you need permission from His Majesty the Emperor first!”
“I'm not leaving the palace, I'm just going to the church inside it. It's not even a 10-minute walk away.”
“Even if it's less than a 10-minute walk, it's still out! Who are you planning to punish this time?!”
Ella's reaction was cold and aloof. Well, that was her usual behavior, so it wasn't particularly surprising.
“I will go to church for His Majesty. I want to pray for his safety. Did you hear? Prince Atari...”
Ella hesitated.
“His Majesty will understand.”
Prisippi knew she was making excuses, but there was no other choice. The atmosphere was tense due to the death of Prince Atari, and with the time for the Ice Prison approaching, there was no time to waste.
“Do you understand? Do you think His Majesty will sit idly by and let you go? If you really want to go, get his permission first.”
"No, I have to go now. If you stop me, I'll go alone."
“…”
"Or you could come with me. Wouldn't that be better for you too?"
Hearing Presibe's words, Ella's face stiffened slightly.
If they go together, she will be punished because she did not stop Prisippi, and if she stays, she will be punished because she let her go alone.
She was likely comparing which of the two punishments would be worse.
The answer has already been determined.
“You can pray and come back again. Do you understand?”
Instead of answering, Prisippi shrugged her shoulders, and Ella, looking upset, began preparing to leave.
Mmm, it was clear that she didn't think of her as superior at all.
But it didn't matter that much.
“…”
Presibe watched Ella silently as she prepared her outer coat, then unconsciously turned her gaze to the empty vase on the table.
“Ella, did you or one of the maids put that vase there?”
“Huh?”
Ella kept looking at the vase, looking dissatisfied.
“I thought this came with His Majesty when he moved to the tower. Was I wrong?”
“Well, I think it was brought in then. I was just confused, sorry for asking.”
So it wasn't like that.
Given the bugs in this game, it wasn't surprising that something that was only put in place once ended up like this.
Prisippi sighed and looked at the vase before putting on the coat that Ella had carelessly thrown over her.
As the tour guide mentioned, the church was not far from the Pressepe Tower, as it would only take a 10-minute walk to reach it.
All the buildings in the Imperial Palace of Atiluia were extremely luxurious, except for the abandoned Presipe Tower.
The church was one of the largest and most extravagant buildings in the palace, easily among the five largest.
It was great, really great.
Because of Siegfried, Prisippi expected that Prisippi's caged world—specifically the Atiluia Empire—would have a close connection to the Church, but she did not expect it to be this luxurious.
However, Ella seemed deeply dissatisfied with Preseppe's reckless behavior.
It was understandable. Until now, Prisippi had been calmly following orders, and suddenly she insisted on going out. Ella must have been upset, worried that trouble would follow.
But honestly, Precipe didn't feel sorry for Ella at all.
“Wait here, Ella.”
“Are you going alone?”
Ella, still visibly annoyed, asked in response.
“Do you think I'll run away just because I'm here? I just want to pray quietly by myself.”
Ella sighed and reluctantly agreed. Honestly, it was exhausting to keep complaining at this point, especially since she was praying for Emperor Dietrich's safety.
Prisippi carefully opened the closed door without looking back.
As soon as he entered the church, he collided violently with someone and fell to the ground.
“Damn…”
Since the game was not active, her impolite words came out.
What happened? Presibe looked with a wry smile at the person who pushed her.
Then a somewhat astonished expression appeared on her face.