*
[Copycat Parrot Doll (B)]
It mimics actions in the target’s form.
Geuru took out the parrot doll and seated it on the closed toilet.
“Geuru, are you done yet?”
“Yee-s—”
The parrot doll answered in his stead.
Geuru patted the parrot doll’s head, then climbed onto the water tank and wriggled his way through the ventilation duct.
At the fork in the path, Geuru checked both ways before moving along the right one.
‘It’s here.’
Gently opening the vent and peeking his face out—
“We’re heading out for support right now!”
He saw a man with a tattoo on the back of his hand hurrying out of the room.
‘Oh!’
After making sure the man closed the door, Geuru dropped onto the plush bed.
“Ee-cha!”
Boing! Boi-oing! Boing!
Geuru bounced on the bed a few times before landing on the floor.
‘This seems to be the place.’
Checking the map, the blinking dot was definitely pointing to this room.
‘Where is Geuru’s subordinate?’
Hm, as Geuru looked around, the sound of clanging metal came from a large structure covered by a white cloth.
Clank!
“……?”
That startled him.
After double-checking that no one was in the room, Geuru slowly approached it.
‘It’s huge….’
Clank!
‘Is it inside?’
Carefully, Geuru lifted the cloth.
Flap!
What appeared was a cage used to confine large animals.
But what was trapped inside wasn’t an animal—it was a person.
A little boy who looked about Geuru’s age, at that.
From beyond the long, draped shadows, the boy revealed himself and gripped the iron bars.
Dark bangs draped over his snow-white face bore a deep indigo hue like the night sky.
The small child looked as though he was wrapped in a scroll inscribed with a red-lettered seal.
Unique irises, visible like stars through his bangs, stared at Geuru.
Thump!
For an instant, fear crept in, but—
[‘Fear’ has been neutralized by ‘Mephisto’.]
‘Hm? The thumping, it’s gone.’
Blinking his eyes wide, Geuru froze.
“……?”
For some reason, the child scrunched his face with a suspicious expression before—
“……Ahh.”
—fixing his gaze on Mephisto.
“You are the parricide who ripped out your father’s heart and sealed it away.”
The child’s mouth tore open to the sides, revealing sharp, jutting teeth like a shark’s.
‘Hiiiik—!’
Geuru’s shoulders twitched at the terrifying face.
“Usurper.”
The child pressed his forehead against the iron bars and grinned a bizarre smile, while Geuru clutched his bag straps tight and quivered at the corners of his mouth.
‘…W-what is he saying?’
The words were far too difficult for a child his age.
Geuru asked back in a trembling voice.
“Ch… chachacha?”
The child hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly and clearly again.
“……Usurper.”
“Chacha…?”
“Usurper.”
Even so….
“I don’t know!”
“Peep!”
Geuru put his hands on his hips and replied confidently.
At the same time, Mephisto, perched atop Geuru’s head, also stuck his wings on his hips and raised his head high.
Teacher had said that a child should be honest and say so when they don’t know something.
“Hmph!”
“Peep!”
“…….”
Seeing the child who was confident even in his ignorance and the baby bird, ‘Beillakeu’ felt his motivation deflate like a popped balloon.
“It seems the Monarch has lost much in being reincarnated as an insignificant creature….”
To become such a chubby little baby bird.
Unlike himself, whose true body was sealed within a vessel of flesh, the true body itself had been reconstructed based on his soul.
Though it didn’t obey him, Mephisto was undoubtedly a monarch.
What manner of deranged ability user would do such a terrible thing to a monarch…….
It was terrifying even to imagine.
No, even so, did it have to become such a fool?
Shuddering, Beillakeu closed his mouth and suddenly sniffed—sniffed Geuru’s scent.
“You… inherited the Monarch’s power?”
“……!”
Geuru solemnly placed his hands back on his hips as if to say, ‘So that’s what you’re talking about.’
“I don’t know!”
“Peep!”
Beillakeu waved his hand as if tired of Geuru’s pattern.
“Enough.”
With fools before his eyes, he lost all fighting spirit.
He had been looking forward to a rare meal after so long.
A small child’s energy would have been but a single bite even in this body.
“Since it’s come to this, be gone, yellow bean.”
“C-, bean?!”
PTSD from chickpeas washed over Geuru as he scrunched his eyes and clutched his chest.
‘Gurk!’
The child before his eyes looked his age, but knew many difficult words and was more mature than the universe itself.
He definitely didn’t look ordinary; it seemed he really was a ‘vassal’…….
Geuru took a deep breath.
Then he couldn’t lose!
“……L-let’s go with Geuru. This is for you.”
Digging through his bag, Geuru took out a yogurt he had secretly stashed away.
“I’ll give this to you. So, b-be Geuru’s subordinate.”
“…….”
Beillakeu felt increasingly drained by the yellow bean’s words.
“I cannot leave.”
He explained with considerable patience to make even those fools understand.
“As you can see, I’ve been trapped in this vessel of flesh for a long time. I don’t know what you intend to do with me, but….”
“Hm?”
“W-what?”
Seeing the child’s face that clearly didn’t understand at all, Beillakeu pressed his lips shut.
‘Has the scent of my homeland weakened my heart?’
To think he was trying to ramble on in detail to the parricide who usurped the throne from his monarch, and the brat who inherited his power.
“……It was merely needless chatter, so be gone.”
“Is it because of this?”
Geuru shook the lock on the cage holding the boy.
Clank! Clank!
‘It’s sturdy.’
“Yes, so—”
Go away, just go.
Just as Beillakeu was about to chase out the annoying yellow bean—
Crash!
Geuru held up a fork and the broken lock.
“Did it!”
What?
“…H… how?”
Beillakeu stammered and pushed the cage door.
Screech—
The iron cage door that had imprisoned him all this time opened far too easily.
“Supreme after all!”
“Peeeep!”
Geuru and Mephisto puffed up proudly, huffing and puffing through their noses.
“……?”
Beillakeu gaped at the absurd situation.
No matter that he was sealed within the vessel of a human child, it was a material he couldn’t open even with his own power.
‘With such a dull toy……?’
So he truly wasn’t an ordinary child.
Even if he had become a fool, he was still the child chosen by Mephisto. He must possess a special ability.
Hiding his rising admiration, Beillakeu hesitantly took a step outside the cage.
A strange emotion suddenly washed over him.
How long had it been? Since he had come out of this narrow cage…….
He took a breath.
“Isn’t this uncomfortable?”
Then, Geuru gently scraped at the scroll with the fork and ripped it to pieces.
“……?!”
He tore the seal so easily? How is he doing that?
Beillakeu rolled his eyes, falling into confusion.
‘What in the world is this child?’
After tearing the scroll to shreds, Geuru smiled bashfully.
“Comfortable now?”
The flustered Beillakeu gave a slight nod.
“That’s a relief.”
*
“Careful, careful.”
Geuru carefully opened the room door and checked left and right.
Confused as to why he was following, Beillakeu nonetheless checked left and right with Geuru.
“I’m Geuru. What’s your name?”
“I am Beillakeu of Shadows.”
“Bei… hm.”
Afraid of mispronouncing it, Geuru deliberately trailed off and nodded.
Subordinates’ names are hard…….
Bei bei…….
“Shh! Sneak, sneak.”
After confirming the hallway was quiet, Geuru covered his mouth with his index finger, stood on his tiptoes, and scurried along.
“We gotta go to the bafwoom. Arin is waiting.”
Beillakeu watched the back of Geuru’s head with a peculiar expression as the boy gripped his hand tightly and moved.
This young creature was a fool who thought that if he couldn’t see anything right in front of him, then there was truly nothing there, despite all the presence around them.
When a room door beside them started to open, he forcefully stopped it with a thud.
Inside, humans trying to leave the room were pushing the door in bewilderment.
‘What to do with this.’
Blocking all the humans trying to come out like this would only cause a commotion.
He was currently trapped in a small human body, making it difficult to use his strength…… and guiding him was a tiny bean who knew nothing.
‘……Haah.’
There was no choice.
Beillakeu spoke to the child tiptoeing and shuffling along.
“Little Monarch, if you wish to make me your vassal, open the cradle.”
At Beillakeu’s words, Geuru’s mouth fell open.
“C-, chamber pot?”
Geuru knew what a chamber pot was. Grandmothers use them!
Huh? Geuru tilted his head.
“Shuh?”
“Cradle!”
“Hmph! You mean a yorang….”
Geuru nodded as if he understood perfectly.
“Got it!”
He actually had no idea!
He had been so ashamed of not knowing anything for a while that he ended up pretending he did.
‘Sorry, Teacher Jeongyuni. Geuru is a bad child.’
Holding back tears, Geuru glanced around and hesitated.
‘……What should I do?’
He’d just try it. Anything.
Like becoming the main character of an animation!
Hesitating, Geuru raised his index finger high.
“Open up, Yorang!”