I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 85

Anyway, the tiger was really big. It was so big that I couldn’t close my mouth easily.

 

It was no wonder that Rivena’s people couldn’t get rid of it or take it away. Just looking at it explained everything.

 

“Kyuuuuung!”

 

And then I immediately panicked.

 

I knew there were beasts there, but seeing it for real was a whole different story!

 

I felt my whole body freeze in real-time.

 

“Kyuuuung!”

 

‘Let’s run away! Quickly! Let’s run away for now!’

 

In front of a tiger, rational thinking stops and only the beast’s instinct remains.

 

In a moment filled with terror, I pulled Yohan’s hair as if to pull it out, but he didn’t move.

 

“Yurika, just wait a moment. I know you’re scared, but just a moment.”

 

Even when I tried to get down from Yohan’s head and run away, he grabbed me by the hand.

 

The tiger was quietly looking at us, its eyes sparkling, without moving.

 

But from the tightly tensed muscles, I could sense that the tiger wasn’t exactly feeling calm either.

 

Its teeth were clearly visible as it stared at us, signaling how annoyed it was.

 

Even though there were iron bars blocking the way, with that kind of pressure, it felt like it could attack any moment now.

 

While I was flailing my arms and legs in fear, Yohan looked at the tiger intently and spoke slowly.

 

“Actually, there’s a story I heard on the battlefield.”

 

“Kyuuuung!”

 

I trembled violently and glared at Yohan.

 

Of course, those words didn’t register in my ears properly.

 

‘Look at that tiger’s bright yellow eyes!’

 

‘Why is he bringing up the battlefield now?’

 

‘Can’t he tell me after we get out of here?’

 

Now the tiger that had been quietly staring at us was slowly getting up.

 

And my instincts screamed at me:

 

This tiger is in a very bad mood! It’s extremely upset!

 

While my legs were shaking with fear, Yohan continued with a serious expression.

 

“I just dismissed it as a baseless rumor and forgot about it until now.”

 

‘Do I really have to hear that ridiculous rumor now?’

 

It was when I was about to struggle again in Yohan’s grasp.

 

“On the day the Duke of Medes disappeared.”

 

‘Huh? Are you talking about my father?’

 

I slightly stopped my rebellious movements.

 

“They say that the unit was very distracted that day because relief supplies were coming from the temple.”

 

‘Ugh… the temple again?’

 

I didn’t know much about the day my father went missing.

 

It happened so long ago, on a distant battlefield.

 

Besides, the relief supplies coming from the temple were such a common event that they probably didn’t even bother to report to Duke Medes’s house in the capital.

 

Normally, it would’ve been a completely unremarkable day, but in this context, the temple being involved felt incredibly suspicious.

 

“And that day…”

 

Before we knew it, the tiger had fully raised its body and was glaring at Yohan.

 

Yohan spoke slowly, without avoiding its eyes.

 

“They said that there were soldiers who saw the Duke transform into a tiger.”

 

‘What?’

 

I, who had been avoiding the tiger’s gaze, was startled by those words.

 

No, does it make sense for a person to turn into a tiger?

 

But now I’ve turned into a squirrel too!

 

I was about to let out a bitter laugh, but seeing my own state, I immediately changed my attitude.

 

Maybe that’s not such an absurd story!

 

“His Highness the Crown Prince told me this—there’s a secret study belonging to His Majesty the Emperor. And apparently, it contains books detailing the weaknesses of various nobles…”

 

And if it’s about tigers, there was something that had been bothering me.

 

“One of the books said the Duke of Medes is cursed. And on that page… there were drawings of a squirrel and a tiger.”

 

I swallowed my saliva and looked calmly at the large tiger.

 

‘Right—there was a rumor that the founding head of the Medes Family was a beastkin.’

 

If there was a family closest to the beast, it was the Medes.

 

So, the idea that this tiger could be my father wasn’t completely absurd.

 

‘Everything is explained in its own way.’

 

When I overheard Rivena and Theodore talking on the day of the banquet, it was clear that they needed the Duke of Medes for their new experiment.

 

‘That’s why they kept him alive. But since he is a tiger, they couldn’t take him outside the temple.’

 

We lost the person Rivena sent, so we probably lost something important—but thanks to that person sneaking in, I was able to meet this tiger.

 

Yohan cleared his throat a few times and then spoke politely and with perfect manners.

 

“Hello.”

 

If anyone saw him, they would think he was crazy.

 

“My name is Yohan Hyrad. Are you, by any chance, the Duke of Medes?”

 

But the tiger did not react positively at all.

 

Instead, it growled louder and glared at Yohan with intense suspicion, like it might kill him.

 

‘Setting aside the fact that it’s a tiger… it doesn’t seem like it can understand human speech?’

 

In this situation, there was no way that the person sent by Rivena could have taken the tiger out of the temple.

 

“Your Highness, I fully understand that you’d be cautious under these circumstances. But I am not one of the temple’s people. I came here to help you.”

 

Yohan took a step closer to the iron bars and spoke softly.

 

“Well, I have a very close relationship with the Duke’s second daughter, Yurika….”

 

That was when.

 

The tiger raised its body completely and roared loudly.

 

It was so loud, the underground room shaking with the sound.

 

It was clear the tiger hated what Yohan just said.

 

Seeing that, I shook my head in disbelief.

 

“Kyuung.”

 

If I could speak right now, I’d say this: Nope, Yohan. Not right now.

 

There’s no way we’re escaping with a tiger in that state.

 

Sure, the procedures would be complicated, but maybe I could return later with an official request from the Duke Medes, or at least after making some preparations.

 

Besides, quite a bit of time had already passed.

 

Even if Roymond was stalling outside, the people at the temple would probably get suspicious if Yohan did not return soon.

 

Even if the key figures had been taken out, it would still be dangerous for Yohan to be caught acting strangely in the temple.

 

‘Rivena’s still free, and Patre hasn’t been sentenced yet.’

 

Looking at the empty space, it seemed that all the evidence and research documents regarding the divine beast had been destroyed a long time ago.

 

I mean, I would’ve done the same.

 

Even if there was anything left, the person Rivena sent probably took care of it.

 

Still, just discovering that the tiger here might be my father was a huge gain.

 

I sighed, thinking it was time to leave, and gave the tiger one last glance.

 

“Kyuuung?”

 

That’s when I noticed it—an injury near the tiger’s hind leg.

 

It wasn’t very big, but it looked like it had been there for a short time.

 

Yohan noticed it too and spoke with concern.

 

“I do have some ointment… but I don’t know if I’ll be able to apply it.”

 

Judging from how Johann kept using honorifics, he was convinced this tiger was the Duke of Medes.

 

“Kyuung?”

 

“You were hurt last time, remember? So I brought it just in case. It’s something effective for animals.”

 

In response to my silent question of why he was carrying ointment, Yohan answered gently, then pulled out a small jar from his pocket.

 

“Your Highness, until we return, just apply this so that the wound does not get worse.….”

 

“Grrrrrrr!”

 

As Yohan stepped forward, the tiger gave him a fierce glare and a growl that clearly said stay back.

 

‘That face says “get lost” loud and clear.’

 

Objectively speaking, it seemed impossible for Yohan to apply ointment to the tiger’s wounds.

 

‘Huh… So much for all that bragging about how animals obeyed him. What a fraud. Anyway, I had definitely won our bet.’

 

‘Although… I guess it doesn’t count since this isn’t actually an animal?’

 

Even so, I felt too bad about leaving it like that.

 

“Kyuung.”

 

I reached out a paw toward Yohan.

 

In squirrel form, I figured I could squeeze through the bars.

 

I was scared, of course, but still…

 

“Are you sure about this?” Yohan asked cautiously.

 

Then, as if he had read my mind, he smeared ointment all over my front paws.

 

“Kyuung.”

 

I nodded resolutely, took a deep breath, and got down from Yohan’s hand.

 

‘The tiger is scary, but… Wouldn’t it be okay to approach it carefully and run away if something seems strange?’

 

“Yurika,”

 

Yohan put his finger on my forehead and said,

 

“If you get into danger… I might not be able to hold back—I might attack your father. So please, be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

 

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

 

The tiger let out a growl full of irritation.

 

A chill ran down my spine, but the decision had already been made.

 

I gently left Yohan’s hand and cautiously stepped into the iron bars.

 

‘huh?’

 

The tiger, who had been baring its teeth at Yohan just moments ago, suddenly calmed down.

 

‘What?’

 

It was acting so docile now, as if it had never growled at all.

 

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