"Veylora?"
Draven glanced upward toward Lyriana.
"Isn't that the place you said there's someone who would be able to get rid of the brand?"
Lyriana nodded.
"Yes."
"In the city of Noctharis."
Draven raised his right arm.
His gaze fell upon the golden symbol glowing against his skin.
The brand.
Pythia stared at it for a moment.
"So..."
"That's the brand of the Holy Church?"
Draven continued staring at the golden symbol.
"I don't know why..."
"But I don't think this thing works."
Lyriana nodded.
"Yes."
"I've also come to the same conclusion."
"The Holy Empire doesn't seem to be actively hunting you through the brand."
"It's more like they're no different from those hunting for the bounty."
"They're simply following whatever information they've gathered."
Vaelith's expression became thoughtful.
"It seems..."
"For some reason, the Church is unable to locate the brand."
Silence filled the vehicle.
Everyone stared at Draven's arm.
Then—
a voice suddenly spoke.
"I did that."
Draven's eyes flickered.
His head slowly turned.
The voice continued.
"I sensed someone was trying to spy on Papa..."
"So I blocked it."
Draven raised his head.
His eyes moved around the vehicle.
Everyone else simply stared at him.
Draven frowned.
"Who said that?"
The others looked at him in confusion.
Lyriana spoke first.
"Highness?"
Pythia followed.
"My Lord?"
Aldric frowned.
"Huh?"
"What is it?"
"Who said what?"
Draven stared at them.
For a moment—
he said nothing.
*What the hell?*
*They didn't hear that?*
Then—
the voice came again.
"Papa."
Draven's eyes widened slightly.
"There."
He looked around.
"You didn't hear that?"
Aldric stared at him.
"What the hell, brat?"
"You sure you're okay?"
The voice continued.
"Papa."
"Papa."
"Can you hear me?"
Draven's expression became increasingly confused.
The voice continued repeating itself.
"Papa..."
"Papa..."
"Can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
Draven suddenly looked toward the front.
Then—
his gaze shifted upward.
The black cat that had been sitting on top of the backrest suddenly leapt down.
**FWUMP!**
It landed directly on Draven's head.
Then—
it jumped down onto his body.
Draven froze.
His gaze slowly lowered.
He stared at the cat.
The cat stared back.
Its purple eyes glowed faintly.
The voice sounded again.
"Papa."
"Can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
Draven's expression slowly changed.
He stared down at the cat as it turned around on his body.
Then—
he finally spoke.
"What the fuck..."
"Are you the one?"
The cat suddenly stopped.
It slowly looked upward.
Its purple eyes met Draven's.
Then—
the voice came again.
"Yes, Papa."
"It's me."
Draven's eyes widened.
"You can hear me now, can't you, Papa?"
The cat rubbed its body against Draven.
"Papa."
"Papa."
Draven stared down at it in complete shock.
The cat continued rubbing against him.
Draven's mouth twitched.
"What the fuck?"
Vaelith immediately looked toward him.
"My Lord..."
"Are you alright?"
Aldric stared at Draven.
Then—
he slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Damn."
"Did he snap or something?"
Draven stared at Aldric.
Then—
he slowly looked back down at the cat.
"Screw you."
"I'm okay."
He paused.
"It's just..."
"I can hear it."
Pythia tilted her head.
"Hear what?"
Draven pointed toward the cat.
"The cat."
"It can talk."
"I can hear its voice."
Silence.
Aldric stared at him.
"You can hear it?"
"So this thing can talk?"
He looked toward the cat.
"But I, for one, didn't hear anything."
He glanced around.
"None of us did."
Pythia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So..."
"Only my Lord can hear it?"
Vaelith looked at the cat thoughtfully.
"Though it looks like an ordinary cat..."
"It is a creature born from a Spirit Egg."
She paused.
"So both souls are connected."
Lyriana nodded.
"And as a contracted creature..."
"It's only natural that it should be able to communicate with its master."
Draven continued staring at the cat.
"Then why hasn't it ever spoken before?"
The cat's voice suddenly sounded again.
"I did speak."
"So many times."
"But Papa couldn't hear me."
Draven froze.
He slowly looked at the cat.
*So it has been able to speak this entire time?*
His expression twitched.
*That's damn creepy.*
The cat's ears suddenly drooped.
"Papa doesn't like me."
Draven blinked.
"What?"
The cat looked down.
"Papa doesn't like me."
"I'm creepy."
Draven stared at it.
"What?"
"Wait."
"What the fuck?"
"I didn't say that."
"I only thought about it."
His expression suddenly changed.
"Don't tell me..."
"You can hear my thoughts?"
The cat looked up at him.
"Yes."
"And Papa can also hear mine."
Draven stared.
For several moments—
he said nothing.
"So..."
"I can hear your thoughts."
"And you can hear mine."
The cat nodded.
Draven's expression became even more complicated.
"So you aren't actually speaking."
"That's even more fucking creepy."
The cat let out a small meow.
"I'm creepy."
"Papa doesn't like me."
"I'm creepy."
Draven's eye twitched.
"Shut up."
"I didn't call you creepy."
He pointed at the cat.
"Just the fact that you can hear my thoughts."
He paused.
"And why the hell are you calling me that?"
Aldric stared at him.
"This is damn weird."
He looked toward the others.
"Now you just look insane."
"Like you're talking to yourself."
Kaelira leaned forward slightly.
"So that cat can actually talk..."
"And only Master can hear it speak?"
She laughed.
"That's weird."
Draven ignored them.
The cat's voice suddenly sounded again.
"Papa..."
"What do you mean, Papa?"
Draven looked down at it.
"That's what I mean."
"Why the hell are you calling me that?"
The cat stared at him.
"Papa..."
"You're my father."
Draven froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
*Father?*
*What the hell?*
The cat continued.
"You're my Papa."
"I can sense it."
"Papa."
Draven simply stared at the cat.
His expression remained completely blank.
*Damn this...*