FPLNC 18

Chapter 18

The winged cat, Neshu, was sent to Falcon House. While Neshu trained as a messenger cat, Ellen also began practicing horseback riding and archery.

But before that, under the pretext of building basic physical strength, she was made to run laps around the training yard.

“Ellen, three laps left!”

As a teacher, Gloria was terrifying. Ellen, who was usually treated like a precious jewel, was now drenched in sweat and gasping for breath—but Gloria didn’t even blink. The only one in distress was Gerald, who was secretly watching Ellen’s physical training from the second floor of the mansion.

“Lotz, what if Ellen collapses?”

“Lotz, shouldn’t we stop this?”

“Lotz, I think I was wrong. I shouldn’t have let her learn archery or anything like this.”

“Lotz, if I take it back now, both Ria and Ellen will glare at me, right?”

“Lotz, as a father, shouldn’t I endure the glares of my wife and daughter and put a stop to this for Ellen’s sake?”

His aide, Lotz, looked at his superior with a cold, deadpan expression. The same man who acted like a fire-breathing dragon when giving out tasks was now panicking because his daughter was sweating and breathing heavily.

Sure, he loved his daughter, but Lotz wished he’d also spare a glance at his subordinate, who had dark circles under his eyes from pulling all-nighters, sunken cheeks, and was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

Lotz sighed as he watched his boss, who hadn’t moved from the window for an hour.

“There’s a mountain of paperwork waiting for you.”

“Ah, just a little longer. I want to see her finish this last lap.”

His superior was immovable.

Unaware that Gerald had become a window-bound ghost every training session, Ellen and Gloria continued their training consistently.

Gloria was secretly impressed by Ellen’s persistence.

She had hoped her daughter would learn some combat skills, yet also wanted to spare her from hardship. So, Gloria deliberately made the training tough, expecting Ellen to give up sooner or later. But Ellen simply wouldn’t.

Gloria handed Ellen a bottle of water as she panted heavily.

“You want to shoot arrows already, don’t you?”

It was as if Gloria could see into her mind. Ellen nodded as she drank.

“Archery isn’t something you improve at just by shooting. You need full-body strength to shoot properly. And hitting the target accurately isn’t everything either.”

Ellen tilted her head.

“Then what else do you need?”

“Lethality.”

Ellen, not quite sure what that meant, closed the canteen and waited for more explanation.

“There are joints in the human body, which means even armor has gaps. Hitting those weak points is important, and that requires accuracy. But what if your opponent is wearing leather armor?”

“I should still aim carefully, right?”

Ellen replied as if that were obvious. Gloria nodded.

“That’s good too, but wouldn’t it be better if you could just shoot with enough force to pierce through it?”

Realization dawned on Ellen.

“Oh! That would make aiming easier. If I can pierce leather armor, then the whole body becomes the target!”

“Exactly. And while they’re rare now, there are still monsters out there. Their hides are thick and tough, so you need even more power.”

Ellen, who had been secretly frustrated by the slow progress, finally understood why Gloria was so focused on building her stamina.

Even if progress is slow, she’d get there eventually. She steeled herself again.

The physical training continued.

‘I’m seriously sick of this stamina training!’

As the days passed, Ellen grew increasingly irritated. Even with daily massages from the maids, her arms and legs were always sore.

‘Should I just say I can’t do it anymore?’

Just as Ellen was seriously starting to consider quitting while massaging her aching body at night, Gloria handed her a bow without arrows the next day.

They’re finally moving on!

Ellen, thrilled, ran her fingers along the bow.

“What about arrows?”

“First, you’ll just practice drawing the string.”

She had thought archery was just about shooting cool-looking arrows—but it wasn’t that simple.

Ellen twanged the bowstring with her fingers.

Neshu, despite behaving like a puppy, was actually quite smart—just as the caretaker had said.

“Oh my gosh, our baby is a genius!”

After visiting Falcon House and seeing Neshu train, Ellen became overly excited.

“Miss, messenger cats usually learn faster than messenger falcons.”

The trainer said something next to her, but Ellen wasn’t listening at all.

After just over a month of training, Ellen received a note from the trainer saying Neshu was now capable of delivering a message to Roilet.

As soon as she read it, Ellen grabbed the package she had prepared and ran to Falcon House, her dress fluttering.

The trainer greeted her with Neshu in his arms, as if expecting her to come rushing.

“Miss, Neshu can now fly back and forth to Karzelga.”

Ellen petted Neshu with one hand and grabbed his paw with the other.

“To Karzelga only? He can’t go farther?”

“He’s still young. Even the round trip to Karzelga will take him about two hours.”

“Huh? That means one hour one-way. That’s slower than using a courier! It takes me the same amount of time in a carriage.”

So what’s the point? Is it just to avoid using manpower? Ellen tilted her head.

“Once Neshu grows bigger and stronger, he’ll be much faster. Besides, he’s not meant to be a messenger—he’s your pet, right?”

“Oh, right. I forgot because it’s so cool that he can deliver messages too. He’s a pet.”

She smiled sheepishly. The trainer chuckled and handed her two small bottles.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a special catnip-based scent. One is for you, one for Lord Roilet. Just dab a bit on your body, anywhere. Neshu will use the scent to find you. It lasts about ten days, so applying it once a week is enough.”

Ellen froze at the word “catnip.”

“If it’s catnip, won’t every cat in town start chasing me?”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the bottles.

“Haha, no. It’s specially made—only Neshu can smell it.”

Only after that reassurance did Ellen open the bottle and sniff it.

“There’s no smell. Do I need to reapply after bathing?”

“Neshu is the only one who can smell it, and the scent won’t disappear until it naturally wears off.”

“Great. I’m sending it to Roy right now.”

Ellen scribbled a short note with Falcon House’s pen and paper.

Neshu’s Historic First Flight as a Messenger!
Don’t forget to apply this scent every week.
—From your lovely and beautiful Ellie ♡

She was about to tie the note to Neshu’s collar but hesitated and turned to the trainer.

“Roy hasn’t applied the scent yet, right? Then I can’t send this yet?”

“That’s right.”

“Ugh. You should’ve told me that earlier.”

Ellen paced in front of the table.

‘Would it be weird to send the bottle using a courier? But this is just for fun—no need to waste manpower.’

Just then, she spotted a large messenger falcon inside Falcon House. It was larger and swifter than the others.

“Um…”

Ellen realized she didn’t know the trainer’s name. Embarrassed, she hesitated. The trainer quickly spoke up.

“It’s Dick, miss.”

“Oh, Dick. Sorry, I should’ve asked.”

She apologized sincerely.

“Dick, could that messenger falcon deliver the note and this bottle to Karzelga?”

Dick glanced at the falcon and nodded.

“Even a smaller falcon could handle that much.”

“Really? Then let’s send the bottle with the falcon first, and then send Neshu!”

She was clearly determined to make Neshu’s delivery happen.

“Go ahead, miss.”

Ellen wrote a longer note this time, including instructions on using the scent, how Neshu was still young and needed two hours round-trip, and everything Dick had told her.

Apply the scent immediately, anywhere on your body.
Once the falcon returns, I’m sending Neshu right away.
Reply to both the falcon and Neshu.

Dick tied the note and the bottle to the falcon’s leg and released it. Ellen was impressed at how calmly the fierce-looking bird let him do it.

The falcon returned in under an hour. Ellen, who had been playing with Neshu and getting straw all over her dress, stood up the moment she heard its flapping wings.

While Dick rewarded the bird with food, she untied the note and opened it.