011. Orlan Scopa
They say that when an osprey spots its prey, it can dive at speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour.
That was seriously terrifying.
But why was that osprey using such a terrifying speed to dive straight at us?
“Uh...”
What the heck is going on?
Peet-peep!!
“Whoa!?”
While I was staring blankly at the osprey, Daldal shoved me hard.
The terrifyingly sharp, enormous talons of the bird of prey barely swept past Daldal and me...!
We barely survived!
That was what I thought, but...?
Peep! Peep-peep!
Ah.
It seemed that I had not been the target.
The osprey had been aiming for Daldal.
Its talons had enough grip strength to carry away a fish as large as its own body.
Daldal had been completely caught in those powerful talons!
“Daldal!”
I hurriedly ran after the osprey, trying to stop it from carrying Daldal into the sky.
But as if mocking me, it spread its huge wings wide and began soaring upward.
“No.”
What do I do?
What can I do to save Daldal?
What can I do to save my Partner...?!
“Right! The Command Window!”
The Command Window was given to Awakened who awakened as Tamers.
Through it, I could also check skills that I, the Tamer, could use directly.
“What can I do right now...? This. Partner Energy Amplification!”
[Command Window Information: Skill activation confirmed.]
Flash!
A yellow light shot out from inside me, twisting like lightning before reaching Daldal.
After receiving energy from me, Daldal wrapped himself in powerful energy and began struggling wildly!
PEEEP!!
Daldal turned into a gray whirlwind.
In an instant, he overpowered the osprey and bit down on its neck.
The bird lost its balance and staggered in midair.
No matter how strong a bird of prey was, if it lost control while flying, there was not much it could do.
But wait.
Daldal and the osprey were still tangled together.
Now, as one mass, they were falling straight toward me.
At this rate, Daldal was in danger!
“What do I do!? Is there another skill? Another skill... This one!”
[Command Window Information: Tamer Skill activation confirmed.]
Cushion of Salvation!
A skill that comfortably wraps around a Partner who has become unable to fight and prevents injuries!
Poof!
A huge cushion appeared in midair and wrapped around Daldal and the osprey.
Then the whole thing fell straight toward me!
“Hya! Hup! Cha! G, got you...!”
My body moved almost miraculously, and I managed to catch the tangled pair.
That shaved ten years off my life.
“Daldal!”
Peet-peep...!
[Translation: I survived thanks to you...!]
Daldal trembled in my arms.
He must have been terrified.
I removed the osprey’s talons, which were still stubbornly gripping Daldal’s body, then stroked him gently.
Still, what a strange incident.
I had never heard of an osprey attacking an otter before.
Why in the world...
Peep...
“Hm?”
The osprey, which had been lying weakly inside the cushion created by my Tamer Skill, shakily lifted its head.
What should I do?
It had suddenly attacked Daldal, which was why things had ended up like this.
But I could not just hurt it because I was angry.
Peep... peep.
This was troublesome.
There was no mobile data or phone signal, so I could not immediately contact a wildlife rescue center.
“How long has it been since I filed a complaint about the communication outage? Why has no one come yet?”
Nothing I could do.
For now, I wrapped its beak and talons with towels and cloth.
Then I covered its eyes.
Peep!?
“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m going to treat your injuries before returning you to nature.”
It would have been serious if its wings or tail feathers had been damaged.
Fortunately, they seemed fine.
Instead, it was still disoriented from the impact earlier.
Grrrrumble...
“Good grief. You too?”
It looked hungry.
If I was going to put it in the car and take it to a hospital later, maybe I should help it recover some strength first.
What did ospreys eat?
I knew they mainly ate fish.
“Right. Maybe I can give it some Fairy Croaker snacks.”
I remembered that I still had some dried Fairy Croaker snacks left, the ones Daldal loved.
I quickly headed to the farm cabin.
It would probably be better to soften the dried fish rather than give it as it was.
Like soaking dried yellow croaker in rice water, I soaked the Fairy Croaker snack in lukewarm water until it became soft.
“Here. Try eating this. No matter how hungry you were, you can’t just try to carry off an otter.”
I held the softened Fairy Croaker snack in front of the osprey’s beak.
High water temperatures.
Environmental destruction.
The marine ecosystem was getting worse every day.
Fish were not the only creatures suffering.
Every creature living from the sea must have been suffering too.
I had heard quite a few stories about ospreys getting caught in fishing nets while hunting or starving because they could no longer catch enough fish.
I was still angry that it had attacked Daldal.
But I also felt a little sorry for it.
Maybe it had become desperate.
Peeeeep!
[Translation: That’s mine!]
Apparently no longer afraid of the osprey that had tried to carry him away, Daldal approached and began complaining.
“I’ll make more later. Just share today, okay?”
Peeeeep...
[Translation: Full of complaints.]
The osprey was still dazed.
Even with food right in front of it, it did not seem to notice.
Only after I carefully opened its beak and placed the food inside...
“Oh. It’s eating.”
It finally noticed the snack and swallowed it in one bite.
Jump.
Oh?
Maybe the snack restored its strength immediately.
The osprey suddenly stood up.
As expected of a bird of prey.
Even though its face was covered by a towel and it looked a little silly, I could still feel the dignity of a ruler of the sky.
Elegant dark gray wings.
Pure white feathers covering its body.
Flap!
It spread its wings wide.
I had not realized it while looking from below, but it was quite large.
Maybe around the size of a lower elementary school child.
The osprey kept looking around.
Then...
Whoosh!
It shook its neck and flung away the towel covering its head.
Oh.
Those sharp yellow eyes made it look quite handsome.
But those eyes were staring straight at Daldal.
Wait!
“Hold on!”
PEEEEP!!
Chaos erupted.
The osprey, which had been staring at Daldal, suddenly charged again and started smacking him with its huge wings!
But something about its behavior seemed strange.
It almost looked...
resentful?
[Information: Additional translation target discovered.]
[Information: Dubbing available for target.]
Hm?
Additional translation?
Flash!
[A contract with a noble Spirit Beast has been successfully established.]
[Due to successfully forming a contract with a high-ranking Partner, the Tamer’s level has increased!]
[Tamer Level: 27]
The Tamer-only Status Window suddenly appeared again.
A contract?
What was that supposed to mean?
With who this time?
No way.
I blinked and tried to look more carefully at the new Status Window.
But right then...
“Daldal, you little bastard!! PEEP!!”
The osprey screamed.
Through the Translator’s Dubbing function, I heard its voice clearly.
Daldal and I stared blankly into the osprey’s yellow eyes.
“You little bastard! You, peep! It wasn’t enough for you to laze around beside the Small Dragon King, you even assaulted someone with a much higher rank than you, peep!? If it were not for the Great Dragon King’s royal command, you would already have been torn apart by my talons! You little bastard, peep!!”
The osprey screamed with a voice full of resentment while repeatedly smacking Daldal with its large wings.
I could no longer watch and stepped between them.
“This is not a matter for the Small Dragon King to interfere with! Peep!”
Instead, I got scolded.
“Wait, wait. Calm down. First of all, this is my house. And Daldal is my precious Partner. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I’m not going to stand by while someone hits my Partner inside my own home.”
I blocked the angry osprey as it kept trying to charge at Daldal.
The osprey still wandered around Daldal while angrily chirping for quite some time.
Eventually, it had no choice but to back down.
Then it hid in one corner of the room, glaring at us while muttering.
“Treacherous little thing. Peep. While I suffered, you stayed in the new Small Dragon King’s arms, acting cute and living comfortably. Peep. I will never let this go. Peep. I’m telling the Great Dragon King everything. Peep.”
“...Um.”
I spoke to the osprey.
“I still don’t really understand what’s going on, but you’re also a Spirit Beast who came looking for me like Daldal, right? We can communicate naturally, and you’re calling me the Small Dragon King. So first, calm down and explain the situation.”
The osprey quietly listened to me.
Then it awkwardly walked over.
When it had been flying in the sky, it had looked so dignified.
But seeing it walk awkwardly inside the room...
It was strangely cute.
“Ahem.”
The osprey cleared its throat in front of me.
Unlike Daldal, it carried a certain dignity that fit the title of Spirit Beast.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, new Small Dragon King. Peep.”
But the moment it added ‘peep’ to the end of its sentence, all that dignity vanished.
This had to be another Translator problem, right?
“I am a Spirit Beast who protects the skies above the sea, an official granted rank by the Great Dragon King. And...”
Its clear, round yellow eyes looked straight at me.
“From this day forward, I am the proud osprey who will aid the Small Dragon King with all my strength. My name is Orlan Scopa. Peep. Please simply call me Orlan. Peep.”
The osprey, Orlan, lowered his head and greeted me.
Orlan Scopa.
“That’s an incredibly cool name.”
I gave him my sincere praise.
Orlan shyly twisted his body slightly from side to side.
Even while his body moved, his head and gaze stayed perfectly still.
He really was a bird of prey.
“Uh... But you said you came to help me, just like Daldal? Then does that mean you’re also my Partner?”
I asked Orlan.
“Yes, that is correct. Peep. A moment ago, I confirmed through the System that we officially entered into a Partner Contract. Peep.”
Orlan lightly flapped his left wing.
Then...
Flash!
The Tamer-only Status Window appeared again.
Partner Name: Orlan Scopa
Tamer Name: Yang Suho
Rank: Spirit Beast, SSR
Title: Military Officer of the Dragon King
Fame: 100/100
Affinity with Tamer Partner: 2 (+35 Bond Bonus)/100
Health: 70/70
Mana: 120/120
Affinity: 6/10
Luck: 6/10
Leadership: 10/10
Physical Attack: 9/10
Physical Defense: 3/10
Magic Attack: 9/10
Magic Defense: 4/10
Aerial Mobility: 10/10
Ultra-Precision Vision: 10/10
Unique Environment Bonus: +2 to all stats
Skills: Select to View
Items: Select to View
Good grief.
I had formed another contract with an SSR-Rank Spirit Beast Partner.
His stats were incredible, just like Daldal’s.
Especially his attack-related stats.
They were even higher than Daldal’s.
As expected of a bird of prey.
“From now on, I shall become the wings and talons of Small Dragon King Yang Suho and protect this place with all my strength. Peep.”
Orlan spread his large wings, lightly took off, and gently landed on my shoulder.
Unlike Daldal, who was simply adorable and then somehow even more adorable, Orlan had the spirit of a warrior.
“Now that introductions are finished, I should do what must be done. Peep.”
“Hm?”
Tap.
Orlan whispered something quietly, but I did not hear him properly.
Still, I had no chance to ask what he had said.
He slowly waddled toward Daldal.
“You bastard, peep!”
Peet-peep!? Peep-peep! Kyaa!
“Oh? You little...! How dare someone like you even think of...?! Peep! Peep-peep!”
PEETPEEPPEEPPEEP!!
“Hey, guys. No fighting.”
Orlan started smacking Daldal with his wings again.
Before long, another fight broke out.
Hmm...
It looked like today was going to be a little noisier than usual.
