If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 12
“…How do you know what I’m troubled by?”
Ruby responded in a somber tone to his disbelief. “Believe it or not, I understand now. I’ve never left the village, so I didn’t realize how hard proving my abilities to others would be.”
“And what exactly are your abilities?”
Though he had an inkling, not being able to witness it firsthand made it hard to believe. He waited with bated breath.
“There are numerous spirits attempting to approach His Grace, persistently trying to come close. But right now, they won’t be able to because of me.”
“…”
It was what he had expected to hear, yet when his own internal thoughts were verbalized, it felt like a weighty force.
“By nature, men are yang, and it’s inevitable that yin spirits will seek out yang spirits. But the Duke is…”
She trailed off vaguely, scanning the wide radius around Ivan. Then, she shook her head as if there was something she couldn’t quite understand.
Ivan remained silent, waiting for her to speak.
“But in His Grace’s case, it’s quite severe. Like a bunch of people who’ve flocked to a giant bonfire to warm their hands in the dead of winter, there are countless spirits drawn to the Duke’s yang. Seems like they’re all stubbornly persistent, as if they must consume His Grace’s energy,” Ruby remarked.
It was only now that Ruby realized that the rabbit-like beings she witnessed last night weren’t the only spirits here. Spirits of various species were hiding throughout the room, not just the ones she noticed near the wolf-like spirit earlier. She couldn’t fathom how she hadn’t noticed the staggering number of spirits in the room until now.
“You must have been really hungry not to have noticed this, stupid,” she chided herself.
If her mother or grandmother were there, they probably would have said that she still had a long way to go.
“Well, then, what about the carrot from yesterday?” she mumbled. Surely, there was a carrot that the bunny sisters had enjoyed, and she wondered what it was.
At her muttering, Ivan coughed loudly. His face flushed, and he hastily changed the subject.
“…You haven’t properly explained what your ability is.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Hmm, I’d like to hear about the ability first.”
“You sensed it, didn’t you?” Ruby gazed at him with narrowed eyes, dodging his question.
Ivan coughed once, then demanded again. “Your ability. If you don’t speak, neither will I.”
“…You’re being a little childish there.”
“Well… let’s just say I have my reasons.” Ivan grumbled to himself. She’s bitten his precious member, and he didn’t think he was in the wrong for not having any good feelings about that.
“My clan, the Pink Rabbit Tribe, deals with spiritual powers. There are things in the world that must flow in an orderly fashion, like the harmony of yin and yang, an unbroken circle, and my tribe seeks to keep the world flowing in a way that does not deviate from the natural order of things.”
“…So, does that mean your ability can obliterate the spirits?”
“I don’t usually obliterate them, because to extinguish their souls would mean a complete end to their existence. Hoo, this kind of conversation isn’t something everyone should hear. I suppose we should clear these out first and then get to the real negotiations, right?”
“Negotiation?”
“Yes, since you declined my request, we must negotiate.”
“Ha.”
She seems soft and pretty on the outside but fierce on the inside. Yet, despite this, Ivan didn’t dislike her at all. Could it be because she’s the only woman who can help him?
Ivan observed Ruby’s actions silently. She waved her left hand adorned with the bracelet as she looked around. Each time she lightly flicked her wrist, the ruby gem embedded in the bracelet sparkled.
“Eek!”
“W-What’s this!”
“It hurts! It hurts!”
“Geez, isn’t this too severe for a first meeting? Yikes!”
“Run! Don’t let that bracelet touch you!”
“Maybe it’s not the bracelet that’s the problem…?!”
The spirits were pushed away or bounced outside by some kind of force. Only after Ruby had sent them all away did she turn back to face Ivan. Her short stature meant that she had to lift her head as high as it would go to make eye contact with him.
“As long as I’m by Your Grace’s side, they cannot steal your yang.”
