This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 77

“What is this?”

Elaina’s eyes were entirely fixed on the bird perched on Lyle’s arm as she asked the question.

The only bird Elaina had ever seen up close was the homing pigeon Diane used for sending letters. Compared to that, this bird looked fierce. Its body seemed petite when its wings were folded, but when spread, it was quite impressive.

“Haven’t you ever seen falconry before?”

At Lyle’s response, Elaina realized the bird was a falcon. She had heard about such hunting methods but had never seen them in person, and she looked at the bird with awe.

Sensing her gaze, the bird tilted its head smoothly from side to side, seemingly showing off, before giving a sharp clack with its beak.

“Do you intend to hunt with it? Can such a small bird really hunt a fox?”

Elaina had heard that large falcons could capture not only animals like foxes but even large sheep. But the falcon in front of her seemed too small for such feats.

“If I were going to hunt, I would’ve found a larger bird. That would’ve been easy. The challenge was finding one of a smaller size,” Lyle replied, and Elaina frowned, puzzled by his cryptic words.

Didn’t he just ask if she had seen falconry? So why go to the trouble of finding a smaller bird?

“This bird does seem a bit small. But why go to the trouble?”

“Because it had to be a size you could handle.”

“…What?”

Lyle’s unexpected response left Elaina stunned. Seeing her bewilderment, Lyle’s smile deepened.

“It’s a gift for you.”

Since coming to Mabel for the monster subjugation, Lyle and Elaina had exchanged many letters. Unlike Diane, who could use homing pigeons, Lyle could only rely on human couriers for his letters. That’s when he came up with the idea of the falcon.

“The winters in the north are harsh, making traditional hunting methods difficult. That’s why we tame falcons for hunting. They’re incredibly fast and can fly high.”

Elaina nodded, recalling how high the bird had flown earlier, almost disappearing into a dot in the sky, unlike the homing pigeons she was used to seeing.

“Nathan told me that falcons can also be trained like homing pigeons. If trained properly, this bird could be faster and more durable than the Hennet homing pigeons.”

Finally, Elaina understood Lyle’s intention.

In one of her letters, she had casually mentioned how much faster and more convenient it was to communicate with Diane using homing pigeons. She never expected Lyle to remember that and prepare such a thoughtful gift.

“Oh…”

“Since I know how delicate your wrists are, I had to find the smallest one possible.”

Lyle fitted Elaina’s wrist with a thick leather glove, reminiscent of an oven mitt from the kitchen. After securing it firmly around her slender arm, he stepped back, and the falcon gently flew from Lyle’s arm to Elaina’s.

The bird’s weight was significant, and Elaina adjusted her arm to maintain the balance. If the bird had been larger, as Lyle mentioned, she might have lost her balance the moment it landed.

The falcon’s plumage was golden with dark brown spots scattered like ink splashes, and the tail feathers had a beautiful wave-like pattern. Its eyes were deep hazelnut, and its beak was yellow at the base, fading to black at the tip, similar to its talons, which looked like those of a well-groomed lady—elegantly black against golden legs.

The falcon, with its overall resplendent appearance, seemed to share some qualities with Elaina. As if approving of its new owner, it looked around her, shaking its head slightly on Elaina’s thick glove.

Before her arm grew tired, Lyle retrieved the falcon from Elaina. He glanced at her with an indifferent expression.

“Do you like it?”

“Do I like it? Oh, Lyle, how could you even ask that?” Her voice was filled with excitement. “Of course, I love it. It’s an amazing gift.”

A blush crept onto Elaina’s cheeks as she spoke. The fact that he remembered her words and went through the trouble of preparing such a gift made her oddly thrilled.

“I’m glad.”

Watching Elaina’s unbroken gaze at the falcon, Lyle felt that all the effort he’d put in was worth it. That alone was enough. He found himself smiling at the thought.

“…Shall we head inside for now?”

Lyle spoke in his usual reserved tone, then released the falcon. The trained bird knew to return to its perch on its own, flying skillfully through an open window of the mansion.

But unlike the well-trained falcon, the unfamiliar emotions swirling in Lyle Grant’s chest found no easy perch and remained fluttering about uneasily.

***

After settling in, Elaina went to meet Kyst. It wasn’t just the landscape of Mabel that had changed—Kyst himself seemed entirely different compared to when she had seen him before. Back then, he had looked gaunt, like someone near death, but now his complexion had returned, and he appeared much healthier.

“[I heard Nathan’s medicine is almost complete. How are you feeling?]”

“[Thanks to him, I’ve improved greatly. The herbs he taught me about really do grow abundantly in this region.]”

With this much stock, there would be no risk of running out of herbs to make sachets.

“[You seem much better.]”

“[Ah, yes. Now, until my final moments, I won’t have to endure that wretched pain again.]”

Kyst’s pain had clung to him like a shadow, never leaving except in sleep. With time, most beings grow indifferent to the world, especially those like Kyst who have lived for countless years. After Propheta’s death, the unrelenting pain had worn down Kyst’s nerves, but at his core, he was a surprisingly gentle being.

“[Do you like the gift?]”

“[Did you know about it too?]” Elaina asked, and Kyst chuckled as if she had asked something absurd.

“[There’s nothing that happens in these mountains that I don’t know about. This land is imbued with my magic.]”

Kyst’s magic, once pooled like stagnant water around his lair, had now spread throughout the Mabel mountain range, seeping into every corner like rain soaking the earth.

With a mischievous smile, Kyst rested his chin on his hand.

“[He was very determined—spent entire days in the mountains to get you that gift.]”

Kyst told Elaina about the time Lyle spent searching for and training the falcon. Lyle had spent four whole days in the mountains alone to find one of the right size. Hearing this, Elaina blinked in surprise.

“[Four days? He stayed alone in the forest for four days?]”

“[Indeed. He camped in the cold night dew with no one for company until he caught the bird. He’s quite the stubborn one.]”

“What are you two talking about?”

Lyle frowned, interrupting the conversation between Elaina and Kyst. Seeing Lyle’s reaction, Kyst raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

“[This one always reacts this way when I talk to you. He had no such interest in the persistent merchant. I wonder why that is.]”

“[I suppose it’s because your attitude changes depending on who you’re speaking with.]”

Even if they couldn’t communicate with words, there were still things that could be felt. Elaina hadn’t seen Kyst’s interactions with Drane, but she was certain that Kyst didn’t take the same teasing tone with him. Somehow, Kyst seemed to take delight in Lyle’s irritated responses.

Elaina shook her head and turned to Lyle. “We were just exchanging pleasantries. He told me to thank you for the gift. He mentioned you spent days in the mountains to catch it.”

For a brief moment, Lyle’s expression froze before quickly returning to normal—so quickly that Elaina didn’t even notice.

“Days, you say? That’s an exaggeration.”

“Oh? Really? Kyst said you spent three nights there. Was he exaggerating? He said he knows everything happening in this land imbued with magic, but maybe that was a lie.”

Thanks to his conversations with Drane, Kyst now understood much of the human language. Resting his chin on his hand, Kyst watched the two of them with an intrigued expression, clearly curious about how Lyle would respond.

“If you’re finished talking, we should leave now.”

Lyle stared at Kyst for a long moment before abruptly standing up. Surprised by his sudden movement, Elaina hurriedly bid Kyst farewell and followed Lyle out of the room.

Before the door even closed, Kyst’s mocking laughter echoed loudly through the hallway.