~Chapter 21~
“Do you want something in return? What do you want…?”
I asked cautiously, and the owl replied without hesitation.
[Let me fly.]
“Fly? Do you mean… you want to be set free?”
I glanced at Anton as I clarified with the owl. Anton’s face stiffened, and he shook his head.
“That’s impossible. We have to return it before the Grand Temple notices the switch.”
Apparently, Anton had swapped this owl with another to cover up the theft.
[That’s not what I meant! I want to see if I can fly. To know if I’m a bird capable of flying at all!]
The owl flared its wings in indignation inside the cage.
I hadn’t noticed earlier, but its wings were tattered. Most of the feathers had been cut short—like the bare bones of a lady’s fan after all the plumes had been plucked.
[This room has a high ceiling. It’s enough to test if I can fly.]
It looked up at the ceiling, which was indeed higher than a typical two-story building.
Seeing those pitiful wings made my chest ache.
I remembered the parrots in the Iote royal palace. Even their trainers never clipped the feathers this severely—they still needed to fly, even just a little, to feel free.
Maybe… this owl had never flown in its life. It must have been raised and trained in captivity at the Grand Temple.
Anton seemed a little flustered too.
“…I don’t know how you expect to fly with fan-bone wings like those. I can cast levitation magic for you.”
[No! I want to fly with my wings. What’s the point of flying with someone else’s power? Aren’t you supposed to be amazing mages? Don’t you even know how to restore my wings?]
The owl shouted, glancing back and forth between Anton and me.
I was just a translator, not a mage. This was beyond me.
“Anton… is it even possible? To regrow feathers with magic?”
I asked, doubtful.
Anton thought for a moment, then replied.
“…It’s not impossible.”
He left the room and gave an order to someone.
A moment later, there was a sharp knock at the door.
“Don’t be alarmed, even if it’s someone you recognize.”
Anton gave a bitter smile and told them to come in.
The person who walked in was…
“Huh? You’re…?”
It was Kallen, my room attendant from the Fernandez Hotel. Why was she here?
She looked shocked to see me too—like she had no idea I’d be here.
Her outfit was also different. No longer the black maid uniform of hotel staff, she now wore combat gear with metal pauldrons—like a soldier.
She glanced nervously at Anton, then bowed deeply to me.
“Princess, I… It’s a long story…”
Were she and Anton already acquainted? Was that why she seemed so wary when he visited my hotel room before?
“I’ll explain it to Josephine myself.”
Anton lifted the owl from the cage and placed it on his forearm, gently raising one of its wings.
“As you can see, the priests butchered its feathers like this.”
“What the hell?! Aren’t owls supposed to be divine messengers in the Empire?”
“I didn’t expect them to be treated this way. Anyway, the owl wants its feathers restored. Didn’t you grow hair back on Nathan’s bald head? Think you can do something similar?”
He turned to Kallen. Somehow, his way of requesting things from her seemed… practiced.
“…Anton, who’s Nathan?”
He had suddenly mentioned someone I didn’t know.
“Bald guy. He’s in my knight order.”
“…Ah.”
So Nathan was part of Anton’s order, and Kallen had regrown hair on his head.
I had no idea Kallen could do something like that.
While I stood stunned, Kallen approached Anton and closely examined the owl’s wings.
“You mean temporary regeneration magic, right? I’m not sure how well it will work on a non-human, but like with Nathan, the effect won’t last more than an hour.”
“Owl. It’ll only last for an hour, tops. Is that enough for you?”
[No problem. Like I said, I just want to know if I can fly.]
The owl blinked its pink eyes innocently, clearly excited at the prospect of finally flying.
“It’s fine with it. Can you do it now, Kallen?”
I translated quickly. Kallen nodded eagerly.
“Of course! Just give me a moment to focus.”
She placed both hands gently on the owl’s wings and closed her eyes. Her lips moved, silently chanting.
Soon, a faint green glow emanated from her palms.
The weak light gradually solidified and began to sprout feather-like growths.
Because the magic was green, it resembled tender shoots emerging from a branch.
The sprouts grew larger—leaf-sized at first—then finally formed real feather shapes.
“It worked.”
Kallen smiled, eyes crinkling. She removed her hands.
The green glow faded, replaced by a full set of soft, snow-white feathers.
[Ohh! Ohhh! So this is what my wings are supposed to look like?!]
The owl spread both wings wide, hooting with joy.
It was probably the first time it had ever seen itself with full wings. The priests had likely always clipped them before they had a chance to grow.
“Looks like it’s happy. I wish this could be permanent, but it’s just emergency magic—normally used for wounds.”
Kallen scratched the back of her neck.
I had thought she was capable, but now I was in awe. I hadn’t known she could perform healing magic.
Clapping in admiration, I set aside my curiosity about her relationship with Anton for now.
“Alright, Owl. If you haven’t flown before, your wing muscles might be weak. But give it a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Anton stretched out his right arm for the owl to take off.
[Okay!]
With a powerful flap of its wings, the owl took to the air.
Flap-flap.
It rose higher and higher with energetic flutters.
The owl aimed for the far end of the room, trying to keep its altitude—but soon dropped and thump—landed on the floor.
I rushed to check on it.
[Don’t come near me! You’ll just get in the way. I’m going again!]
It stood up determinedly and launched into the air once more.
Flap-flap. The sound of feathers slicing through air echoed in the room.
The owl flew, fell, flew again—repeating the cycle.
Anton had been right. Its wings were still underdeveloped, so it couldn’t glide far.
But it poured every ounce of effort into pushing past its limits.
After maybe twenty cycles of gliding and crashing, it began flying higher—almost reaching the ceiling.
[Ohh… It’s working! I’m really doing it!]
The owl soared from one end of the room to the other.
It still wasn’t like Luna, soaring freely outside—but it flew like a strong wild rooster, fast and agile.
[Wahoo! I’m flying! I really am flying!]
Completely immersed, it flitted around like nothing else existed.
It looked… free.
Eventually, it perched on a golden frame above the closet, catching its breath. Its gleaming pink eyes looked down at us.
[Thank you, humans! They said mages could do anything, and it’s true!]
For nearly an hour, the owl enjoyed its newfound freedom, soaring without rest.
Anton watched silently, then sighed deeply.
“It really is like it’s flying for the first time in its life… Maybe the Temple shouldn’t be allowed to keep owls. Calling them divine messengers, but clipping their wings since birth? It’s wrong.”
“Yeah… I always thought they lived comfortably, but in truth, they’re not even allowed to live like owls.”
I gently touched the birdcage. It was made of gold, adorned with jewels—a luxurious prison. But I doubted that owl had ever been satisfied inside it.
[Oh! Oh no!]
The owl, which had been circling near the chandelier, suddenly fell. Its feathers vanished. The spell had worn off.
Anton rushed to catch it mid-air.
“Satisfied now, Owl? You proved you can fly.”
[…Yes. This is enough. I’ll tell you the prophecy now.]
Cradled in Anton’s arms, the owl answered at last.
