I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 86

Noticing the tiger’s demeanor had changed a bit since earlier, I carefully took another step forward.

 

“Kyuuung.”

 

‘Excuse me… I’ll apply some medicine.’

 

It didn’t seem like it understood my words, but surprisingly, it worked.

 

Not only did the atmosphere settle again, but the tiger even turned its body slightly toward me to make it easier for me to apply the medicine.

 

“Uh… hmm?”

 

Even Yohan seemed unable to believe this situation.

 

As I scurried up and applied the medicine in a thin layer, I thought I heard it purring?

 

It must have stung quite a bit, but the tiger stayed still and quiet.

 

Even after applying the medicine, it even gently rubbed its forehead against me.

 

It seemed like the one the tiger had been hostile toward wasn’t me, but Yohan.

 

“Grrr…”

 

When I tried to leave, it even gave me a pitiful look.

 

It was an expression that seemed to tell me not to go.

 

“Kyuung?”

 

Hmm, maybe I could take it with me now?

 

‘It looked like there was a secret passage that led outside, and if it was big enough for the tiger to pass through…’

 

‘Even if it’s not, Yohan could widen it, right? Like he said before.’

 

I stared at the tiger, pointed outside the bars with my paw, and asked.

 

“Kyuuung?”

 

‘Would you like to follow me out now?’

 

Then, incredibly, the tiger slowly nodded its head.

 

‘Wait, are we… understanding each other?’

 

However, I couldn’t really understand the meaning of the tiger’s growl, so it was a bit of a stretch to say that we could communicate.

 

Yohan stared blankly at the sight, then immediately used his magic to bend the iron bars.

 

In an instant, a big enough gap was created for the tiger to come and go freely.

 

“Kyuuung!”

 

‘Thank you for using magic!’

 

Right then, I placed my paw on Yohan’s forehead.

 

“Grrrrrr!”

 

The tiger that had been quietly standing behind me suddenly became very angry again.

 

‘What, it was fine earlier! You were nice!’

 

Startled, I immediately jumped back from Yohan.

 

Only after I moved away from him and came down to the ground did the tiger look calm again.

 

In the end, I had no choice but to wave at the tiger with a trembling expression.

 

“Kyuung.”

 

‘L-let’s go…’

 

“Kyu-uuuung.”

 

Let’s head to our home first.

 

“Kyuuuung.”

 

I’ve been away for quite some time due to various issues.

 

“Kyuuung.”

 

Though it seems like it’s been even longer for Father.

 

* * *

 

In the end, we got out of the temple safely.

 

The place we’d predicted to be an exit from earlier turned out to lead straight outside.

 

In fact, it was a passageway that was just big enough for a person to sneak through, but Yohan made it so that even a tiger could pass through.

 

‘The temple was destroyed.’

 

Anyway, following that path led us to the back of the temple.

 

As the outside came into view, Yohan spoke to me calmly.

 

“I’d like to leave with you now, but I can’t just disappear from the temple like this. I don’t like it, but I still have to consider the Crown Prince.”

 

I nodded to show I agreed.

 

This whole event was being held under Yohan’s name, so he couldn’t just leave now.

 

‘Of course… It’s already starting to get a bit boring.’

 

“But it’s not a good idea for both of us to stay here either….”

 

Yohan made a strange expression as he looked at me, who was now riding on top of the tiger’s head.

 

Of course, you can’t just let a tiger and a squirrel wander into the street and say, ‘Okay, go home now.’

 

The tiger would draw too much attention just by showing up.

 

“Wait here for a moment.”

 

Yohan muttered, lost in thought.

 

“I’ll step out for a bit and have the Duke of Hyrad’s carriage brought here.”

 

“Kyuung!”

 

‘Ah, that was a good idea.’

 

Duke Hyrad’s carriage was larger than the others, so much so that it seemed like a tiger could fit in it.

 

And if we closed the curtains while moving, no one in the capital would even know.

 

As I nodded enthusiastically, Yohan smiled and said.

 

“Head to the Hyrad estate for now. I’ll wrap things up and follow you soon.”

 

At those words, the tiger bared its teeth and showed its displeasure.

 

“Grrrrr…”

 

Even its claws sparkled—Yohan’s words clearly didn’t sit well.

 

This tiger—whom I was starting to suspect might actually be my father—had been consistent all along.

 

It obeyed me, who was smaller than even its paw, but growled and glared at Yohan for every little thing.

 

Especially when Yohan and I stood close to each other—it couldn’t stand that.

 

‘I think it showed hostility toward Yohan from the start just because I was with him…’

 

Every time I tried to calm Yohan down, the tiger’s eyes went wide, baring its teeth like it was about to roar.

 

And Yohan had treated the tiger with utmost respect from the beginning, too.

 

“Don’t worry too much. The temple business is over now.”

 

And Yohan consistently had difficulty understanding the beasts’ intentions.

 

He seemed to think that the tiger’s aggression toward him was simply its wariness toward humans.

 

“All the priests, including the High Priest, have been arrested.”

 

“Grrrrr……”

 

Of course, the tiger only growled with a very unpleasant expression in response.

 

Still, judging from everything, the tiger didn’t seem to have human-level consciousness.

 

Unlike me in the past—who had full rational thought—this was different.

 

Even so, we couldn’t leave it in the temple.

 

Yohan had risked his life earlier to briefly interact with the tiger, and then concluded that it wasn’t a divine beast.

 

But just like I turned back into a human, there might be a way for my father to return too.

 

‘Mariel can’t transform into a beast. But I can.’

 

I stared down at my tiny paw, deep in thought.

 

‘The temple must know how to maximize the beast bloodline running through our family.’

 

Then, it could explain why only my father and I, who were entangled in the temple, turned into beasts.

 

If so, there must be a way to turn back into a human too—and I had to find it.

 

“Hm… Duke, but…”

 

Watching Yohan struggle with the tiger, I—standing on the tiger’s head—lifted my paw and pointed in the direction of the Duke of Medes’s estate.

 

‘Not Hyrad’s, but Medes’s. That’s where I wanted to go.’

 

Yohan nodded, sighing as if he had no choice.

 

“Hm… If that’s what you think, then there’s nothing I can do.”

 

I was already planning to head back to the Medes estate soon anyway.

 

I just hadn’t expected it to be this sudden.

 

Still, once I met Mariel—even in my squirrel form—I could use her magic to become human again.

 

“Then just wait a moment. I’ll go get the carriage.”

 

Yohan, who had disappeared for a moment, returned with a carriage from the main gate and brought some surprising news.

 

* * *

 

The coachman of Duke Hyrad had a truly bizarre experience today.

 

The fact that Duke Yohan Hyrad was attending the temple’s ceremony—was fine.

 

He had his personal doubts about whether such a visit was really necessary at this time, but it wasn’t anything worth fussing over.

 

Yohan had been particularly sensitive today, even giving warnings whenever the carriage so much as swayed slightly, but the coachman had just chalked it up to the Duke being in a bad mood.

 

The salary given by the Hyrad was so high that such a thing would not be a problem at all.

 

Everything still felt normal when they arrived at the temple and he waited quietly.

 

But then, long before the event was scheduled to end, Duke Yohan suddenly came out through the back way and called out to her secretly. That was when the fear began.

 

‘Why would the Duke… personally speak to someone like me, a mere coachman…?’

 

It was even more ominous because the Duke was a man who looked extremely creepy to anyone who saw him.

 

“Come with me for a moment. Then go straight to the Medes estate. You’ll be escorting some very important guests, so handle it with utmost care.”

 

Yohan gave the order in a very serious voice.

 

Caught off guard, the coachman instinctively bent at the waist in a deep bow and replied that he understood.

 

“Once you arrive in front of the Duke of Medes’s house, insist that you must speak to Lady Mariel Medes alone. They will definitely not let you in, but hand over this letter.”

 

Yohan wrote it in his own handwriting right there on the spot.

 

At first glance, it seemed to say, ‘Please listen to the coachman. I ask you in the name of Duke Hyrad.’

 

From then on, the coachman began to tremble, for he realized that this was a very secret matter between high-ranking officials.

 

“And only open the carriage door after you’ve confirmed that no one else is present besides Lady Mariel Medes.”

 

Yohan emphasized that several times with his purple eyes flashing.

 

“Take care of them. Make sure they are not uncomfortable. These are important people.”

 

The adjutant who discovered them then quickly approached them.

 

“Master? You’re supposed to be inside the temple—what are you doing out here…?”

 

“I’m going back in. I was just out for a moment.”

 

“Oh, I have something to report to you.”

 

The adjutant spoke in a serious tone.

 

“That… The assassin in the underground prison has finally confessed.”

 

At those words, Yohan clicked his tongue as if he wasn’t particularly surprised.

 

“Took them long enough.”

 

His face was blunt, cold.

 

In truth, this was how he always looked whenever Yurika wasn’t visiting the estate.

 

“But I thought you could tell me by now. Who is behind this?”

 

* * *