The Seventh Prince Wants to Bail — Chapter 9

WHAT WILL YOU DO? ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP RUNNING?

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT ALL THE WAY HERE...

BUT THIS ISN'T A PLACE FOR YOU TO LIVE.

AND I HAVE NO INTENTION OF KEEPING YOU.

I'LL AT LEAST HELP YOU RETURN TO THE FOREST.

SO WON'T YOU JUST LET YOURSELF BE CAUGHT QUIETLY?

IF YOU DON'T, THINGS MIGHT GET ROUGH FOR YOU.

EVEN IF IT'S JUST A SQUIRREL, A RODENT WANDERING AROUND A HUMAN'S ROOM...

LET ALONE IN THE PALACE, MAKES NO SENSE.

BESIDES, IT REMINDS ME OF WHEN I LIVED IN THAT SEMI-BASEMENT APARTMENT...

LYING AWAKE AT NIGHT BECAUSE RATS WERE SCRATCHING INSIDE THE WALLS.

THE PLOT IS ALREADY DIVERGING SLIGHTLY FROM THE ORIGINAL WORK, WHICH IS GETTING ON MY NERVES.

WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE ARE YOU TRYING TO CAUSE HERE?!

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK!!!

WHEW, I FINALLY CAUGHT YOU.

NOW, BE A GOOD SQUIRREL AND GET IN THE BAG...

SQUEAK!!!

HEY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!

HOW DARE A TINY THING LIKE YOU BITE THE HAND OF ROYALTY?!

SQUEAK, SQUEAK!

...YOU REALLY CLIMBED UP HIGH.

IF I TRY TO CLIMB UP AFTER IT, IT'LL JUST RUN AWAY SOMEWHERE ELSE...

AT TIMES LIKE THIS...

IT MIGHT BE EASIER IF I TRANSFORMED INTO A SQUIRREL...?

HAA... EVEN IF I THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS...

...?

W-WAIT A MINUTE!

THIS FEELING... COULD IT BE...?!

...IT REALLY IS?!?!

I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT.

THE CONDITION FOR TRANSFORMING INTO A SPECIFIC ANIMAL!

PSHH...

SNIRK.

WAIT! WHY ARE YOU FALLING NOW?!

EVEN FOR A SQUIRREL, FALLING FROM THAT HEIGHT...

P-PRINCESS...!

TH-THIS IS THE SEVENTH PRINCE'S BEDROOM... SO I-I SHOULD ASK FIRST...

ARE YOU TELLING ME TO WALK ON EGGSHELLS AROUND MY LITTLE BROTHER RIGHT NOW?

THE SERVANTS HERE ARE ALL SO UNLIKABLE...

WHAT IS THIS...

...A SQUIRREL?

EVEN IF HE'S A CHILD TREATED POORLY BY THE IMPERIAL FAMILY...

TO THINK WILD BEASTS ARE ROAMING AROUND A ROYAL'S RESIDENCE!

D-DOUBLE THE CUTENESS...!!

SERIOUSLY...

IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY.

THE NEXT DAY

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS GUY?

IT HASN'T LEFT MY SIDE SINCE LAST NIGHT.

IS IT DOING THIS BECAUSE IT KNOWS I SAVED IT?

IT'S A HASSLE TO TAKE YOU BACK TO THE FOREST.

SO MAKE SURE YOU STAY OUT OF SIGHT ON YOUR OWN.

ANYWAY, I'VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO TRANSFORM INTO ANIMALS.

TO THINK IT WAS SUCH A RIDICULOUS CONDITION...

COME TO THINK OF IT, THE CROW I TRANSFORMED INTO FIRST,

AND LATER THE BLACK HORSE AND THE SQUIRREL TOO,

THEY ALL SHARED ONE THING IN COMMON BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION.

IT WASN'T JUST SIMPLE CONTACT; I HAD TO PRECISELY TOUCH THE NAPE...

THE ACTIVATION CONDITION IS RIDICULOUSLY SPECIFIC FOR SOMETHING THIS USELESS.

WELL, I FIGURED OUT THE TRANSFORMATION CONDITION ANYWAY, SO MOVING ON.

THE REAL PROBLEM IS THE FIRST PRINCESS, MENTIL ABIRAN...

I COULDN'T QUITE IMAGINE IT JUST FROM THE DESCRIPTIONS IN THE NOVEL...

BUT I DIDN'T THINK SHE WOULD BE A CHARACTER WITH SUCH A TERRIFYING EXPRESSION.

THANKFULLY, ANNA COVERED FOR ME BY SAYING IT WAS MY PET,

WHICH GAVE ME THE CHANCE TO ESCAPE OUT THE WINDOW.

THAT WAS A REALLY CLOSE CALL.

I RETURNED TO MY HUMAN FORM AND CAME BACK TO THE ROOM...

I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO END WELL...

WILD BEASTS INSIDE THE PALACE... YOU CERTAINLY HAVE UNUSUAL TASTES.

IT'S LATE, SO I'LL LEAVE FOR NOW.

YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. NEXT TIME, PLEASE COME WHEN—

TOMORROW.

COME FIND ME WHERE I'M STAYING.

WE HAVE MATTERS TO DISCUSS.

DID MENTIL FIGURE IT OUT AFTER ALL?

WHAT ON EARTH DOES SHE WANT TO TALK ABOUT...

DID SHE DISCOVER MY TRUE IDENTITY...?

NO WAY...

WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE? IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN REFUSE TO GO.

RIGHT, SQUIRREL?!

WELCOME, SEVENTH PRINCE.

HER HIGHNESS, THE FIRST PRINCESS, IS WAITING IN HER CHAMBERS.

I REMEMBERED THE DESCRIPTION SAYING IT WAS GRAND... BUT THESE ARE TRULY MASSIVE DOORS.

YOU MUST HAVE HAD A LONG JOURNEY.

YOUR LEGS MUST BE TIRED, SO PLEASE, HAVE A SEAT.

IT WASN'T THAT FAR, SO I AM FINE.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOR WHAT REASON DID YOU—

DID YOU NOT HEAR ME

WHEN I TOLD YOU TO SIT?

I APOLOGIZE. PLEASE FORGIVE MY RUDENESS.

HOHO, IT'S FINE. YOUR CURIOSITY MUST HAVE GOTTEN THE BETTER OF YOU.

YOU ALWAYS WERE THE IMPATIENT SORT.

SINCE WHEN DID THAT CHILD BECOME A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON?

VENTURING ALONE INTO THE IMPERIAL FOREST, A PLACE HE NEVER ONCE VISITED BEFORE...

...THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO FACE THE FIRST PRINCESS.

MANIS ALWAYS MANIFESTS AS ABILITIES RELATED TO NATURE.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE EMPEROR WIELDS THE FIRE MANIS, AND THE FIRST PRINCE WIELDS THE WATER MANIS.

AND THE ABILITY OF THE FIRST PRINCESS, MENTIL...

IN A SENSE, IT STANDS ABOVE ALL OTHERS.

HER MANIS IS "HUMAN."

THE ABILITY TO READ AND MANIPULATE PEOPLE'S MINDS.

I HOPE YOU'LL TELL ME HONESTLY.

BECAUSE IT MAKES ME VERY SAD WHEN MY LOVELY FAMILY TRIES TO DECEIVE ME.

STAY CALM... KEEP CALM. ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE IS...

MENTIL'S ABILITY DOESN'T WORK ON ME!

IF IT DID, SHE WOULD HAVE JUST CONTROLLED ME TO GET THE ANSWERS SHE WANTED.

SHE MUST HAVE SUDDENLY REALIZED ONE DAY THAT HER ABILITY WASN'T WORKING ON ME.

THANKS TO THE NOVEL, I ALSO KNOW THE TWO CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH HER ABILITY FAILS TO ACTIVATE.

FIRST, THE TARGET MUST BE RELATED TO MENTIL BY BLOOD.

SECOND, THE TARGET MUST GENUINELY LOVE MENTIL ABIRAN AS FAMILY.

THE PROBLEM IS THIS SECOND CONDITION.

FEELING FAMILIAL LOVE FOR MENTIL...

THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD EVER FEEL SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR THIS WOMAN!!!

WON'T YOU HURRY AND ANSWER ME?

THEN WHY ON EARTH...

DOESN'T MENTIL'S ABILITY WORK ON ME?!

UGH, URGH...

UGH, ARGH...!!

I-IS THIS PLACE... TERIRUM?

OR COULD IT BE HODIE?!

YOU SURVIVED.

... - ?!

WH-WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS THIS PLACE...?

AM I REALLY STILL ALIVE?!

YOU DIDN'T OPEN YOUR EYES FOR A LONG TIME, SO I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD.

THEN I SHALL BEGIN ASKING MY QUESTIONS.

ARE YOU A PERSON LOYAL TO THE ABIRAN EMPIRE

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!!!

YES, OR NO. YOUR ANSWER WILL DETERMINE

HOW I PROCEED.