Theo savors that short word for a long time, then smiles brightly. The anxiety that had been fleetingly passing by just moments ago vanishes in an instant. Before I can even question it, Theo presses his lips to my forehead, just like he always did when he was an eagle.
"Yes, Shuian. You're always my Shuian."
It was the same greeting he always gave, but receiving it on bare skin instead of feathers felt awkward, so I changed the subject. There wasn't even time to ask what the words he'd just spoken meant.
"Why am I a person? No, a per…."
My voice, though masculine and almost instrumentally beautiful, was slurred and awkward. Frustrated by my inability to control it, I furrowed my brow, and Theo spoke soothingly.
"Birds and humans have different vocal organs. The fact that you can speak at all from the start is quite extraordinary. You'll get used to it soon enough."
That wasn't what I was wondering about. If I had really turned from a bird into a human, maybe, but I had lived as a human for 26 years before waking up as an eagle the moment I died.
When you think about it, the only time I hadn't spoken was during the few months I was an eagle, yet the problem was that I felt as awkward as someone who hadn't spoken in a very long time.
No, I adapted quickly even though I had never lived as an eagle before, so I'll adapt to this quickly too.
"Is this the first time you've become human?"
“…Yes.”
Well, it's the first time since I became an eagle. Theo looked pleased at my answer and gently hugged me.
"There's nothing to be anxious about. Nothing will change. Whatever it is, I'll help you, and I'll always be by your side."
I was a little surprised earlier, but as Theo said, I wasn't that anxious. I adapted well to becoming an eagle from a human, so becoming a human again from an eagle shouldn't be a problem.
However, I was a little concerned about my appearance. Seeing that I had the same silver hair and eyes as when I was an eagle, it meant that I hadn't become a completely different being, but had only changed my appearance from an eagle to a human. An eagle turning into a human. I really wasn't an ordinary eagle, I guess.
I was quietly nestled in his arms, lost in thought, and Theo seemed even happier than before. Anyway… I'm wearing clothes too. Does that mean if I transform like a magical girl, clothes appear automatically?
"But my clothes…."
"I dressed you. Are they uncomfortable?"
What?! Then, I was naked?! The clothes weren't uncomfortable, but I was embarrassed to think that Theo had seen my whole body. I pretended to adjust my clothes and subtly checked, and sure enough, there was the proof of my manhood, my alter ego. I'm glad I'm a man… No, that's not the point right now….
My gaze suddenly fell on the mirror. Perhaps it was because my face still felt unfamiliar, but my snow-white skin with cheeks flushed red with embarrassment looked lovely. Huh, lovely. Am I crazy? What's with the self-love?! Startled, I looked up at Theo, and the corners of his mouth were loosening into a smile, as if he was thinking something similar.
"Lord Shuian, are you in any pain or discomfort?"
Ah, Orca was here too. I wiggled around here and there, but there was nothing particularly wrong, so I shook my head from side to side. At that moment.
Growl-
Wait, was that sound from my stomach? Surprised, I grabbed my stomach. Did I have a beggar living inside me…?
"I'm… hungry…."
"Now that you mention it, you must be very hungry. You've been asleep for three days without moving."
Three days?! Now that I thought about it, my tired and sluggish body had recovered completely. Were those symptoms of heavy eyelids trying to become human? But why did I suddenly become human?
"First, I'll prepare a meal."
Orca, who was about to leave the bedroom, stopped and turned back.
"But what kind of meal should I prepare…."
None of us could answer. Regardless of what I was, I was human in appearance, so there was no need to eat the same food I ate when I was an eagle, right? Longing for something spicy, I quickly replied.
"What Theo eats."
After a moment of consideration, Theo allowed it, and Orca soon brought Theo's and my meals into the bedroom. It seemed they were still trying to keep my identity a secret, as no servants came in.
I stared blankly at the several forks and knives placed in front of me. When I was an eagle, I just used my beak to pick up the finely chopped food, but now I had to eat according to etiquette.
The problem was that I didn't know the proper table manners for Western food. Do I use the outermost one first? Or the innermost one?
I was about to watch Theo and follow his lead, but Theo left only one set of utensils for himself and me and cleared away the rest.
"Shuian, you don't need to worry about such trivial things. I'll teach you if you want, but if not, feel free to eat comfortably."
My cheeks flushed warmly at his consideration. They probably turned red like before, because Theo was smiling and staring at my cheeks as expected.
"Later, teach me. Not now."
Because I'm hungry now! I picked up the knife with determination. True to my carnivorous nature, I skipped the appetizer and reached for the steak, but the plate moved away. Without batting an eye, Theo slid the soup in front of me.
"Eat this first, or it might upset your stomach on an empty stomach."
This much won't upset my stomach! I tried to protest, but the words were still stuck in my throat, so I ended up pouting and picking up the spoon.
Only after I had completely finished the soup under Theo's watchful eye was I able to get my meat back. Afraid that it would be taken away again, I pulled the plate close and picked up the fork and knife, but just as I was about to finally eat, it didn't go as planned. It wasn't like using chopsticks, I just had to stab it with a fork and cut it, but I kept fumbling.
Annoying…. I frowned and wondered if I should just tear it off with my teeth, but Theo took my plate, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and placed it back in front of me.
"You have to chew it well."
“…Okay.”
I stabbed one of the steaks Theo had cut with my fork and put it in my mouth. I smiled without realizing it. It wasn't because of Theo, but because the sauce was so delicious.
After the meal, with my stomach full, we decided to discuss what to do next. The possibility that I was a divine beast rather than just an eagle had increased, so we had gained another trump card.
The reason I was convinced that I was a divine beast was simple. According to the original setting, only a divine beast could have this level of ability.
There were also spiritual creatures in this world, but they were just animals. I had the ability to transform into a human and distinguish poison, and according to the two of them, I also had strong divine power. In this situation, it would be stranger if I wasn't a divine beast.
Divine beasts were also children of gods, so they possessed divinity, but because they had fewer obligations, their powers were also less, so they were freer to leave the divine realm than the gods.
In other words, they were closer to spirits than gods. They weren't particularly friendly to humans, so they were as difficult to see as spirits, but it wasn't impossible.
However, there was no possibility that I was Dux. The fact that he was active with the ancient god Artes meant that Dux was born a long time ago, and considering the characteristics of strong gods who were born a long time ago, even if I was a divine beast, Dux's power would be at a level incomparable to other divine beasts. The power i possessed was too weak to be Dux.
Besides, there wasn't necessarily only one divine beast of the same form, so it wouldn't be strange if there was another divine beast in the form of an eagle besides Dux. There were more than five divine beasts in the form of tigers alone. Come to think of it, those guys' personalities were really terrible….
'Wait, was this in the original story too?'
Anyway. Orca and Theo didn't seem to think I was Dux either.
"First, we'll keep Shuian's current form a secret for a while until he gets used to it. We'll minimize the number of servants who come up to this floor."
In the current situation, I would clearly be the most powerful card, but Theo chose to keep me a secret for a while for my sake. It was an unlike choice for the final villain who had vowed to become emperor and take revenge on everyone, but on the other hand, I had expected it to some extent.
I had faith that he would never do anything that would harm me. Even if he was a villain who would one day burn the world, he was just my Theo right now.
"Achoo."
While I was smiling happily at Theo's choice, my nose suddenly tickled and a sneeze burst out. Could it be a real cold this time? I sniffled and opened my eyes, but everything was dark. What is this!
"Shuian!"
"Screech-!"
Oh my god. Did I turn back into an eagle?! Startled by the familiar cry, I shook my head wildly, and light streamed through the darkness. It turned out that the clothes I was wearing had piled up on my head as I transformed back into an eagle, making it dark. I hurriedly found a hole and squeezed through. Looking down at my body, I was indeed an eagle. No way!
"Screech…."
Seriously, is this some kind of limited-time skin…? Now that I had become human, there were so many things I wanted to do…. I hadn't even said everything I wanted to say to Theo yet! Give me back my body! As I was inwardly venting my frustration, my vision suddenly changed. Orca and Theo stared with wide eyes.
“…Huh?”
Ah, it wasn't limited-time, it was on and off?
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