Chapter 89. Merlin Must Die – A Fact Accepted by All
Ian could swear.
In his entire life, he had never encountered a creature that made it so difficult for him to think of a single adjective to describe it, like the one before him.
It had soft, silky fur.
Its pristine whiteness was so pure that if it were thrown into a pile of snow, one would struggle to spot its body.
It also had long ears, with a smooth layer of fur covering the light pink edges.
Judging solely by these two features, one might immediately think: "It's definitely a rabbit!"
However, as soon as one noticed its limbs, adorned with tiny sharp claws, this impression would shift into confusion: "Could it be a cat?"
But if one looked away from those details and focused on its face, they might then realize: "Maybe it's a dog?"
The biggest conundrum, however, was that when all these thoughts were combined, one would notice it also had a tail curled like a fluffy cloud.
"Monster" seemed to be the most fitting term.
Did such a creature truly exist?
Ian began to doubt his own eyes.
However—
He had already experienced something as outrageous as transmigrating to another world.
The appearance of some bizarre creatures wasn't all that hard to accept.
Don't ask, don't look, don't touch.
As long as he adhered to these three principles, it wouldn't matter what the other party looked like.
Since he had something else to do, Ian decided to steer clear of the completely indescribable creature before him.
However—
To Ian's dismay, the creature didn't seem pleased with his avoidance.
Wherever Ian moved, it would immediately block his path, acting like a mobile barricade.
At this point, Ian could no longer tolerate it.
He wasn't the kind of person to get kicked and then offer his face for a slap.
"Don't push it!"
"Stop blocking my way! I have things to do!"
With that, Ian even tried putting on a fierce, scowling expression.
He was confident that if any child saw his face right now, they'd burst into tears on the spot.
Yet—
Faced with Ian's intimidation, the creature didn't show any fear. On the contrary, it seemed even more displeased.
"Fou fou fou! Fou fou fou!"
It expressed its discontent with an even more aggressive demeanor, even baring its tiny fangs, which looked surprisingly fierce.
Logically, this should have been the tensest moment.
But Ian's attention was caught by a new realization.
He felt like he could understand the meaning behind the series of "fou fou fou" sounds.
Was this an illusion?
Ian hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking:
"Could you repeat that?"
"..."
The creature seemed taken aback by Ian's question.
However, after a brief pause, the indescribable creature actually complied.
It even tried to speak slower.
"Fou——fou↘, fou——fou↗!"
"..."
Though it only uttered the sound "fou," Ian realized he could grasp a bit of its meaning.
He tried speaking again:
"Are you saying, 'Having met Fou, why not bow in greeting?'"
"Fou?!"
The creature's expression changed dramatically.
Not only did its ears perk up, but the look in its eyes also transformed completely.
If this were some sort of simulation, Ian thought there might be a message like this popping up:
[It is astonished by your words!]
Indeed, that was the case.
After Ian successfully "decoded" Fou's language, the creature began circling around him, occasionally tapping him with its claws, as though conducting some sort of study.
Finding this creature rather intriguing, Ian decided to temporarily give it some of his time.
He crouched down, trying not to look at it too condescendingly.
"So, Fou, that's your name, right?"
"..."
"Fou."
"Oh... so I can call you that."
Ian realized that the creature, which called itself Fou, wasn't that difficult to communicate with after all.
"Alright, Fou, why were you blocking my way?"
"I actually have something urgent to do."
"Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou, Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou-Fou!"
Looking up at the man in front of it, Fou rattled off a rapid string of sounds.
Ian frantically translated in his head and managed to get the gist of it.
"You're saying... this is the first time you've seen a man as pleasing to the eye as me?"
"Fou~"
The creature named Fou nodded.
It seemed quite delighted that someone could fully understand what it was saying.
As for Ian, he was left somewhat speechless.
The feeling was akin to your pet cat complimenting you for doing an excellent job as its "cleaning staff."
Forget it.
Arguing with a bizarre creature was meaningless anyway.
"Well, it's quite an honor to be overly favored by you like this—"
Ian said, attempting to sidestep the peculiar, aura-radiating creature.
"If fate allows, let's meet again!"
But Fou appeared to have anticipated Ian's move entirely.
It extended its paw to block his path directly.
"Fou Fou Fou."
"You're saying I still can't leave? Why?"
"Fou Fou Fou."
"You want to understand why you feel a special fondness for me?"
Ian placed his hands on his hips, feeling slightly exasperated.
"Fou, don't you think this is something you should ask yourself instead of me? How am I supposed to know why you like me?"
"Fou Fou Fou~"
"You're saying even you don't know, so you have to ask me? I..."
Ian felt a strong urge to dig a hole and bury this self-proclaimed Fou creature right then and there.
But he knew that if he actually did that, the people at Chaldea definitely wouldn't let him off the hook.
After all, any creature that could strut around here must hold a significant status.
Moreover, speaking of which—
Ian looked closely at the tiny Fou before him.
He had the strange sense that this creature seemed very familiar.
Having no other options, Ian resigned himself to being patient and explained again:
"Listen, Fou, I really don't know why you feel this way about me."
"But right now, I need to find a girl to resolve some issues that are bothering me. If, after that, you still have this question, I'd be happy to help you figure out what's going on."
Ian could sense that Fou was an intelligent creature and wasn't particularly hard to communicate with.
Given how much he had explained, surely it would understand his situation, right?
But once again, things took an unexpected turn.
After hearing Ian's explanation, Fou directly responded:
"Fou Fou Fou."
"Fou Fou Fou Fou, Fou Fou Fou Fou Fou Fou, Fou Fou Fou."
"Huh?"
Ian couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"Did you just say, 'It's just one girl. For you, every woman in Chaldea is already familiar anyway'?"
"Fou."
Fou flicked its "hair" (or rather, the fur on its head) with a proud gesture.
Clearly, it was affirming Ian's statement.
Though the vibe it gave off was much like a house cat bragging about knowing every female cat in the neighborhood, Ian couldn't deny a certain truth behind Fou's pride.
Fou genuinely seemed to know all the women in Chaldea, and it was this knowledge that gave it confidence when it spoke.
"Alright, Fou, can you answer my earlier question now?"
"Fou Fou Fou." Fou lightly wiggled its claws.
"Fou Fou Fou!"
"'No, because you've never suffered a loss to anyone?'" Ian repeated, looking puzzled.
Hearing this, Ian was momentarily confused.
After thinking it over, he decided to trust Fou for once—after all, there was this inexplicable sense of familiarity about it.
"Fine."
Ian stared intently at Fou.
"Let's figure out why you have this fondness for me, alright?"
Ian wasn't one to procrastinate.
Once he made a decision, his mind immediately began working at full speed.
Fondness wasn't something that appeared out of nowhere.
Cats liked fish, dogs liked meat—there was always a logical reason behind their behavior.
So—
Fou's fondness for him couldn't be purely coincidental.
Based on their earlier conversation, the possibility that it stemmed from Ian being "handsome" and thus attractive could be ruled out.
After all, this creature—let's assume for now that it's a cat—showed no signs of being in "heat."
With that in mind—
The most likely scenario was that Ian and Fou had some prior connection.
This connection could be related to his appearance, an event, or even just a name.
So, let's rule out the possibilities one by one.
"Fou, does my name, Ian, give you this feeling?"
"Fou." It shook its head.
"No."
So, it wasn't the name.
"Then, have you seen me somewhere before?"
"..."
Fou stared intently at Ian for a while, then shook its head again.
"Fou."
Not appearance either.
In that case, perhaps it was an interaction tied to some event.
"Have we ever done something together before?"
Although Ian was certain he had never met Fou, that didn't mean there couldn't be some connection between them. After all, it wasn't uncommon for only one side to know about the other.
"Fou."
The creature, currently assumed to be a cat, once again denied the possibility.
"This is..."
Seeing Ian struggling to figure it out, Fou hesitated for a moment before speaking again:
"Fou Fou Fou, Fou Fou Fou!"
"You're saying 'It feels like I helped you vent some anger somewhere'?"
"Fou!" Fou nodded vigorously.
"..."
Fou had no reason to lie about this.
Ian began to think along the lines Fou had suggested.
If it was about helping to vent anger, it certainly couldn't have happened before his transmigration or during his time in Chaldea.
After all, he hadn't had any connection with Fou back then, let alone helped it vent any anger.
So then—
Could it have been something that happened during the simulation sessions?
That must be it.
Speaking of which—
Ian glanced toward Fou in front of him.
From the first time he laid eyes on it, he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Thinking back, that feeling seemed connected to things he had witnessed in the simulation sessions.
Snow-white fur.
A cloak trimmed in blue, paired with a small red bow.
This combination was undoubtedly something he had seen somewhere before.
That's right!
It was Merlin!
"That's it! That guy's outfit had this exact color scheme, didn't it?!"
Mentioning Merlin, Ian's demeanor instantly grew darker, and the light in the hallway flickered as if responding to his anger.
It took him quite a while to reluctantly calm himself, suppressing his rage as he asked:
"Fou."
"You're not about to tell me you have any connection to that bastard Merlin, are you?!"
Ian admitted to himself that his grudge against Merlin ran so deep it couldn't be expressed in words.
But he hadn't expected that just mentioning the name would make Fou in front of him appear, in the blink of an eye, like a completely different being.
This shift was evident from the continuous flickering of the hallway lights, even more terrifying than Ian's earlier outburst.
"Fou! Fou Fou!"
The fur on Fou bristled, and the sound it made was low, like a threatening growl.
"You're saying, 'Don't associate me with that worthless thing; you'll make me angry'?"
With just one sentence, Ian could confirm that the bond between him and Fou undeniably originated from Merlin.
"That's right, he deserves to die!"
"That's why I've killed him over and over again, until he had no choice but to hide away, too scared to show his face!"
"Fou?"
Fou looked at Ian in utter astonishment.
"Fou Fou Fou?! Fou!"
"'How did you do that?! Speak now!'?"
Ian replied with a serious expression:
"Of course, by the simplest means."
"Grabbed my sword, stabbed his body, and stopped when he screamed in agony, giving him a chance to escape."
"When his wounds were nearly healed, I stabbed him again, cut deep into his flesh, made as many gashes as I could, and stopped again when his suffering was at its peak."
"Repeatedly, without end."
"I wanted him to understand what it means to have a 'fate you can never escape'!"
Ian gritted his teeth as he spoke, every word laced with genuine venom.
It was hatred from the depths of his soul, an anger that had never faded even until now.
Hearing this, Fou's expression lit up with undisguised glee.
"Fou! Fou Fou!"
"'Good job, that's truly satisfying!'?"
"Fou Fou Fou!"
"'As a reward, I'll seriously answer your question!'?"
"Fou Fou Fou! Fou Fou Fou! Fou Fou Fou——!"
"'Take ten steps forward, then extend your right hand and stay still, and you'll get an amazing answer——?'"
Though the response was full of doubt, Ian felt that Fou wasn't lying to him.
He stood up, followed Fou's instructions, and stepped forward.
One step, two steps… ten steps.
It was an intersection.
Ian stopped and extended his right hand forward.
Thud.
A soft sensation came into contact with him.
It was the exact same feeling as the incident when he first arrived at Chaldea.
"Ah——!" A startled cry came from a girl.
"Why is it you again?!"