Chapter 36
Jacquette was watching the water fountain spraying up into the sky. She reached out and touched the rippling water at the bottom.
There were no fountains in Himonas.
Even if someone built one, it would just freeze and become a useless problem.
In Himonas, people often called someone useless a “fountain person.”
It was fun to look at the fountain, but she couldn’t really play in it, so Jacquette quickly got bored and looked around.
There weren’t any kids her age nearby, and maybe because the sun was setting, there were fewer people than before.
She was about to go back to Daphne when she looked up at the sky and suddenly stopped walking.
“Huh? That bird…”
A fluffy white bird flew past in the sky.
Jacquette thought if she ran quickly, she might be able to catch it.
‘If I show it to Mom later, she’ll be happy!’
Thinking about being praised, she ran after the bird.
But the bird was faster than she thought, so she ran harder.
Just when she reached out her hand—
FLASH!
“Ouch!”
“Ah!”
Jacquette bumped heads with someone and fell to the ground, holding her forehead.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She rubbed her forehead and looked up.
A boy about her age was also rubbing his forehead.
“Hey! Why didn’t you look where you were going?!”
The boy shouted angrily.
Jacquette was already in pain, and now being scolded made her cry.
Tears started falling silently down her cheeks.
“W-why are you crying…?”
The boy stopped rubbing his forehead and came closer, looking nervous.
Jacquette just cried with her lips turned down. She didn’t sob, but the tears kept falling.
Finally, she opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry…”
She apologized in a tearful voice.
The boy let out a small sigh.
“I’m sorry too. I just got surprised and yelled.”
He talked very well for someone their age.
Hearing his calm voice made Jacquette stop crying a little.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Jacquette shook her head while rubbing her forehead.
“I’m okay…”
“That’s a lie. I’m hurting too. Let me see.”
The boy came closer and looked at her forehead.
He looked surprised—it was redder than he expected.
“I’m fine. I just need some medicine.”
Jacquette wiped her tears away with her sleeve and spoke clearly.
“Alright then,” the boy nodded and stood up.
He held out his hand.
Jacquette looked at the hand for a moment, unsure what it meant.
“Here. Take my hand and stand up.”
“O-oh… okay!”
She grabbed his hand and slowly stood up.
Once standing, she realized he was taller than she thought.
She looked at him and asked,
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I’m Jacquette.”
“I’m Emil.”
“Hi, Emil!”
Jacquette smiled and shook his hand up and down.
“So how old are you?”
Jacquette answered like it was no big deal.
“Me? I’m six.”
“I’m nine.”
“Huh? So?”
“Then why are you speaking so casually?”
“Am I not supposed to…?”
“Of course not. And I…”
Emil suddenly stopped himself and went quiet.
“What? What is it?”
“Nothing. You can keep talking casually.”
“Okay!”
Jacquette smiled brightly, and Emil let out a small sigh.
“So, Jacquette, why are you here alone?”
“Oh, I was chasing that bird…”
“Bird?”
“Yeah! I saw the same kind of bird where I used to live. I thought if I caught it, Mom would be happy. What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, why are you here?”
“Oh, I went out with my older brother but I got lost.”
Just then, the bird flapped its wings nearby.
A fluffy white bird was sitting on a nearby box.
“Ah! Omongnooni!”
“Omong… what?”
“That’s the bird I was chasing!”
Jacquette let go of Emil’s hand and walked toward the bird.
StrangEmily, the bird didn’t fly away.
Instead, it hopped onto Jacquette’s outstretched hand.
“Look—”
She walked over with the bird in her hand.
“This is Omongnooni?”
“Yeah. Cute, right? I thought it only lived where I used to live.”
“It’s only found in your hometown? Then why is it here?”
“Yeah, I wonder…”
As she trailed off, the bird chirped loudly.
“What? You came looking for someone?”
Emil’s eyes widened.
“Wait… you can talk to the bird?!”
“Huh?”
Jacquette tilted her head.
Then she opened her mouth in shock.
“Oh my gosh! I can! How?!”
Chirp chirp!
The bird fluffed its wings.
“What’s it saying?”
“It says it’s a ‘divine beast,’ so that’s why I can understand it.”
“Divine beast?”
“Yep.”
Emil suddenly looked very serious.
He rubbed his chin and asked,
“Only a Transcendent can talk to a divine beast. Are you a Transcendent?”
“A Transcendent…? I don’t think so…”
“What about your parents?”
Jacquette thought seriously, then shook her head.
“I don’t know. But aren’t Transcendents supposed to be super amazing? Like from old stories?”
“You’ve only seen them in storybooks, huh? But they’re real.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen one.”
Emil stood proudly, hands on his hips.
Chirp chirp!
The bird copied his pose and chirped.
Emil seemed slightly annoyed.
“What’s it saying now…?”
“Oh, it says it saw me too! But I don’t remember seeing it!”
“What? Seriously?”
“What is it, tell me too! Don’t leave me out!”
“Okay, so…”
As Emil tugged Jacquette’s sleeve, she laughed.
Just then—
“Well, well. Are these little kids dating now?”
A stranger’s voice made both of them turn their heads.
“Huh?”
Jacquette looked at the men coming from the alley. Something about them seemed familiar.
“Do you know them?”
“Yeah… they’re the ones who cut in line earlier. One of them told me to ‘shut… something.’”
“You mean ‘shut up’?”
“Yeah! That’s it! My mom got really mad at them. She usually never gets angry.”
“That was a bad thing for them to say.”
“Yeah, Mom said it was a bad word.”
The men laughed like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“These little brats are rude, huh? Calling adults ‘those guys’?”
One man frowned.
Emil smirked and copied the way they laughed earlier.
“They cut in line and said bad words. My brother said you should only speak politely to people who deserve it.”
“Sounds like your brother taught you wrong.”
The men started walking toward them.
“The girl’s parents seemed rich. She paid with gold coins.”
“Then we can squeeze money from her. What about the boy?”
“Let’s sell him.”
“Sounds good.”
Emil grabbed Jacquette’s arm and stepped back.
“Sell me? Can people be sold and eaten?”
“Jacquette, just wait.”
She followed Emil, confused about what was going on.
“Still joking, huh?!”
One man shouted angrily. Jacquette flinched and closed her mouth.
She instinctively felt danger.
“Emil…”
She grabbed onto Emil’s clothes tightly.
But Emil was still just a kid. He didn’t know what to do either.
Behind them was a wall—no escape.
Then, suddenly, the bird in Jacquette’s hand flew up and attacked the men, pecking them hard.
“Ugh! Stupid bird!”
The bird could only hold them off for a moment.
But even a moment was enough.
“Jacquette, run!”
Emil grabbed her hand, and they started to run.
