"Gyaa, gyaa!"
The owl whose injuries had been treated let out a cry that sounded almost cheerful.
There had been a bit of a commotion when they first set out to treat its wounds, but the owl, which had initially thrashed about, seemed to realize that Bistol was trying to help it. By the end, it sat quietly through the treatment.
Now that it was patched up, however, the question of what to do with it remained.
"Given its injuries, wouldn't it be dangerous to release it right now?" Bistol asked, stroking the owl as he spoke.
The owl accepted Bistol's touch so readily that one had to wonder what all the earlier fuss had been about.
"But we can't exactly take it with us, can we?"
At Rei's words, Bistol hesitated.
An owl that had taken such a liking to him was incredibly endearing. For Bistol as a merchant, however, bringing the bird along would be problematic for a number of reasons. A trading partner might dislike birds, or the owl might even attack someone, depending on the circumstances.
Weighing it all up, no matter how adorable the creature was, taking it along simply wasn't an option.
For Bistol, who had a soft spot for cute things, this was a bitter pill to swallow.
"I suppose you're right. ...Well then, at the very least, could it stay with us until we depart?"
Despite having only treated its wounds, Bistol had clearly grown fond of the owl. The bird, for its part, seemed to have decided Bistol was no threat and remained perfectly docile. Of course, it was equally possible it made no attempt to escape Bistol's grasp because it knew Set was just outside the Magic Tent.
"Still... I wonder what kind of creature attacked that owl."
Elena voiced the question as she watched the bird nestled in Bistol's arms.
(So it really is an owl.)
Rei had been fairly certain from its appearance, but Elena's words finally confirmed it.
"Thinking about it logically, it would most likely be a larger bird of prey... or perhaps even a monster?" Vihera murmured, gazing at the owl in Bistol's hands with a spark of curiosity.
Perhaps sensing something in Vihera's stare, the owl stiffened for a moment. Since it was in his arms, Bistol naturally noticed this too and immediately shot Vihera a reproachful look.
"Hey, Vihera-chan. Could you try not to frighten the poor thing?"
"...I wasn't trying to do anything like that."
Vihera had only been mildly curious about the owl, not plotting anything. Even so, being feared so openly was naturally irritating.
Then again, perhaps the owl had sensed the danger Vihera posed purely on instinct.
"Gyaa... gyaa."
Hearing the soft, pitiful cries, Vihera found she couldn't press the matter further. Once she backed away, the owl narrowed its eyes in relief.
"Aren't owls nocturnal?"
"My, Rei. It's not as if nocturnal animals never act during the day, you know. Take us, for instance. We generally sleep at night, which makes us diurnal rather than nocturnal. But we sometimes stay active at night too, don't we? It's the same sort of thing."
Marina's knowledge of owl behavior likely came from growing up immersed in nature as a Dark Elf. That background was what gave her such insight.
Rei, who had always assumed owls slept by day and were active only at night, was genuinely surprised to hear this.
As they tended to the owl and waited out the rain, the downpour gradually began to weaken.
"Looks like the rain is letting up. What do you think? Should we head out?"
"...If you feel up to it, Rei, I don't see why not. You're the one who has the hardest time when it rains," Vihera said.
"I can't say I disagree with Vihera, but... yes. If you'd like, I could try to keep the rain off us with Spirit Magic. Wind Spirit Magic should manage it well enough," Marina offered.
Rei considered this for a moment, glanced briefly at the owl in Bistol's arms, and shook his head.
"No, let's not."
"Oh my, to think you'd go that far for me... I'm so tou-ched."
There was no mistaking that Rei had spoken with the owl's well-being in mind, which was exactly why Bistol felt so grateful. Though his gratitude didn't seem to quite reach its intended target.
"If you really feel that way, at least nurse that owl properly until the rain stops," Rei said, averting his gaze from Bistol's face.
Part of it was probably embarrassment at being openly thanked. But at the same time, having Bistol's expressive, charm-laden face right in front of him was a bit much to handle.
At any rate, Rei and the others ended up sheltering from the rain for the rest of the day.
"It's already nightfall. ...You probably wanted to make a bit more progress today, didn't you?"
"I won't deny that."
Rei nodded openly, catching the teasing lilt in Marina's voice.
In truth, just when the rain seemed to ease, it would pick up again, and just when it seemed to pick up, it would ease off once more. Yet through it all, the rain never actually stopped.
If Rei had seriously intended to travel through this weather, he could have pushed forward regardless. Neither he nor Set would have had any trouble managing that much.
Getting soaked was certainly unpleasant, though. Even so, the main reason they hadn't braved the elements was concern for the owl.
Under normal circumstances, Rei would have dismissed the weak falling prey to the strong as simply the natural order of things. He never would have gone so far out of his way for an injured bird.
"Can I ask what made you so interested in that owl?"
"There wasn't any special reason, really."
What Rei said wasn't wrong. He hadn't done what he did for any particular purpose. If anything, he could chalk the whole thing up to a simple whim.
"Fair enough. I'll let it be that, for now."
Whether she actually believed him or not, Marina let the matter rest.
From Rei's perspective, pushing the point further would be pointless. He simply endured her teasing gaze in silence.
"Rei-chan, should we think about dinner? If you want me to prepare something..."
"No, cooking in these conditions is out of the question. I'll handle it."
Eager to escape Marina's ribbing, Rei began producing dishes one after another from his Misty Ring.
A hearty vegetable soup, a stir-fry, a simmered dish, and freshly baked bread. Each one was far too elaborate for the setting, the kind of fare that seemed almost absurd to be eating in a place like this.
"Gyaa! Gyaa!"
The owl, resting a short distance away wrapped in cloth, apparently caught the scent of the food emerging from the Misty Ring and began crying out, asserting itself.
The sight drew smiles not just from Rei but from everyone in the Magic Tent.
To the onlookers, it seemed like a remarkably opportunistic display. From the owl's perspective, however, it simply needed food to recover from its injuries. There was no way it would let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
Moreover, to the owl, Bistol—the person who had taken it in—was clearly a kind soul. Given that, it wasn't unreasonable for the bird to conclude that making a fuss would get it fed.
"Alright, alright. I'll give you plenty to eat too, so settle down. Should I toss it some raw Orc meat?"
"That should work. They usually eat mice and things like that in the wild."
"Gruu!"
Perhaps catching the words "Orc meat," Set's cry rang out from outside the Magic Tent. And it wasn't just a cry—the griffon stuck its head right through the entrance.
At the sight of Set, the owl panicked, screeching as it tried to burrow behind Bistol. It clearly understood who its protector was.
"Set."
Rei called the name in a single clipped word, and that alone was enough. Set understood exactly what Rei meant and pulled its head back out of the Magic Tent.
Once Set vanished from view, the owl settled down again.
(It's really taken to him.)
As far as Rei knew, wild animals didn't grow tame so easily. Yet here was this owl, thoroughly attached to Bistol.
...Though from where Rei stood, the biggest reason for that attachment seemed less about Bistol and more about the terrifying griffon waiting just outside.
(Could Bistol actually have a Tamer's aptitude?)
Tamers were generally thought of as people who tamed monsters, but that didn't mean they couldn't tame wild animals or birds. In fact, non-monsters were easier to tame. The trade-off, of course, was that wild animals and birds were far weaker than monsters, making them all but useless in combat.
Conversely, that meant they could be quite handy for everything else. For someone in Bistol's position as a merchant, taming an owl would be incredibly convenient. Night watch duty, carrying messages to distant parties—a bird like that would be a valuable asset for a trader.
Naturally, if the owl were attacked by another bird of prey or a monster while carrying a letter, it would almost certainly die.
Setting that aside, watching Bistol dote on the creature, Rei voiced what came to mind.
"Hey, Bistol. Could it be that you have a talent for being a Tamer?"
"...Hm?"
Bistol, who had been watching Rei pull food from the Misty Ring, initially had no idea what he was talking about. But after a few seconds of silence, his eyes went wide.
"Wait. Hold on, Rei-chan. Is that true? Can I really become a Tamer?"
Rei eyed Bistol's obvious enthusiasm and pulled out some skewers before answering.
"Let me be clear—this isn't a sure thing. I just thought it might be possible from watching how that owl behaves around you. I don't actually know for certain."
"Oh? Why not? You're a Tamer yourself, aren't you, Rei-chan?"
"...My situation is unique in a lot of ways. Besides, being a Tamer isn't some rigid process where you do X and then Y. The methods vary wildly from person to person."
"Really? ...Hey, you. Would you be interested in being tamed by me?"
Perhaps sensing a glimmer of hope in Rei's words, Bistol tried asking the owl in his arms. But the bird completely ignored him, its eyes locked onto the freshly produced skewers in Rei's hand. It was so intensely focused that, had Bistol not been holding it, it would have lunged for the food without hesitation.
"Hey, Rei-chan. Do I really have what it takes to be a Tamer?"
Clearly stung by the bird's magnificent display of indifference, Bistol turned to Rei with a pleading look.
"Like I said, I can't really tell you that. Tamers are all different. You just have to experiment and find your own approach."
His words implied that, under the right circumstances, anyone might be able to become a Tamer. And that was, in fact, Rei's honest opinion. With enough genuine motivation, most people could probably manage it.
Taming rare animals or monsters, of course, was another matter entirely.
"...Really? I see. ...So that's how it is."
Bistol murmured, repeating the word as if tasting it, and stared down at the owl in his hands. They had only just met, yet his attachment to the creature was obvious to Rei—and to everyone else watching.
What kind of decision Bistol would ultimately make wasn't difficult for Rei to predict.