The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella

"The Ratson family is facing a massive crisis?"

Seraphina gasped in shock and repeated the words.

Elodie’s expression hardened as well.

"Right now?"

Her heart sank as she recalled the events of the future.

If it was a crisis worse than the curse that had turned their entire domain into harvest mice, then surely...

But the child quickly regained her composure.

'If it were true, there’s no way Grandfather would relay it so plainly.'

Especially not with such a casual attitude.

If it were an actual crisis, he would have discreetly arranged for her to be taken somewhere safe without a word.

Elodie narrowed her eyes with suspicion as she turned to Duke Valkyrisen’s aide, Eagles.

"Yes, it's a life-or-death crisis."

"......."

Golden eagle beastfolk, Eagles.

His heavy brow ridges cast deep shadows over his eyes, making him look alarmingly serious no matter what he said.

'He looks like the entire Ratson family has already collapsed.'

Elodie wavered again.

"From retainers to the entire domain’s citizens, they’re all trapped in the Great Cathedral, unable to move."

"What? Did a war break out or something?"

"Well, you could say that. The enemy has completely surrounded the fortress walls."

What?!

Elodie's dark pupils trembled violently.

If the enemy had already reached the gates, wasn’t that just one step away from the stronghold falling?

No—more importantly...

"Just how small is the enemy supposed to be?"

Elodie couldn’t help but nitpick at the old man’s statement.

Why hadn’t the enemy just climbed over the walls already?!

Were they ants? Had an army of soldier ants invaded?!

Instead of answering the very obvious question, Eisen simply extended his hand and asked:

"Would you like to come along?"

"......."

If he was inviting her along, then it must not be a serious situation after all.

Elodie caught the playful glint in Eisen’s eyes and puffed out her cheeks.

"If this turns out to be a lie, I’ll be very disappointed."

"I never lied."

Then something really was happening to the Ratson family.

"I’m coming too," Seraphina suddenly interjected after observing the conversation.

"Sera too?"

"Yeah, I had business there anyway."

"At the Ratson estate?"

What kind of business?

Elodie frowned in curiosity, but unexpectedly, Seraphina didn’t answer right away.

"I need to check for myself first. I’ll tell you once I’m sure."

If that was the case...

If Seraphina said so, then she must have a good reason.

She would explain when the time was right.

Elodie swallowed her curiosity and simply nodded.

At that moment, Karon, who had been silently watching her, quietly grasped the hem of her sleeve.

'What is this...?'

A massive figure, acting all cute...

"Why?"

"I heard that you need to be touching an artifact to move to the Ratson estate."

In other words, that’s why he was holding on to Elodie.

Since they had to be physically connected to teleport together.

'Unbelievable.'

Normally, wouldn’t he just ask to hold hands? Instead, he was subtly clinging to her sleeve to express his desire to go along.

For some reason, she found it amusing.

"If my sleeve gets torn or you lose your grip while we’re moving, what are you going to do? If you want to come with me, you should just hold my ha—"

Elodie didn’t get to finish her sentence.

Seraphina suddenly clasped both of Elodie’s hands tightly, making her look straight at her.

Seraphina’s light blue eyes curved like a crescent moon as she smiled.

"Haha, Third Young Master. Why don’t you hold your grandfather’s hand instead? I’m sure he’d be delighted."

"......."

Ah, right!

Elodie only realized it after hearing those words.

Because of the poison, Karon must never have even held his grandfather’s hand before.

"You don’t have to worry about the poison. I received preservation treatment before graduation, so it won’t affect Grandfather at all."

Elodie stepped aside to be considerate.

When she turned to Eisen, the old man had an odd expression, as if he was suppressing a chuckle, while he extended his large, calloused hand toward Karon.

"Come now, let’s see how my grandson’s hand feels."

"......."

Karon, with an expressionless face, placed his hand atop the old man’s.

***

Animallia was a completely different continent from Terranolia.

Naturally, its seasons and weather were entirely different as well.

The Ratson domain, located in Animallia, was currently submerged in water due to an ongoing monsoon.

About ankle-deep.

"......."

So, he really wasn’t lying.

Standing in front of the fortress gates, Elodie looked down at the rippling rainwater.

It was the exact kind of puddle that children would gleefully stomp around in on rainy days.

Thanks to the barrier, the rainwater hadn't reached the fortress itself, but...

"I apologize for the sudden summons. The flood damage has been severe," said Maximilian, the High Priest of Ratson, his expression grim.

A flood...

Elodie once again looked down at the water pooling around her ankles.

Then she turned her head toward the Great Cathedral.

Through the windows, a crowd of harvest mice was gathered, squeaking and waving.

They were flood refugees.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

'Well, I suppose at this level, any harvest mouse that didn’t evacuate would’ve drowned...'

Most of the houses were probably ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) submerged as well.

So, it really was a life-or-death crisis.

Meanwhile, the High Priest and Eisen continued their conversation with serious expressions.

"It seems this region is particularly low-lying," Eisen remarked.

"We move frequently, and this time we failed to take that into account," Maximilian admitted.

"You’ll have to relocate again."

"I already have a place in mind."

"I’ll summon the beastfolk of the family."

"My apologies for the trouble. I could ask His Majesty for assistance, but deploying imperial forces for personal matters risks exposing our location."

"I understand."

"Yes. You’re the only one I can call upon who can help us discreetly and safely. There’s no other reason for this."

...Then why does Father keep glancing at me as he says that?

He was still hopelessly bad at lying.

Elodie finally understood the situation.

She had been wondering why Grandfather had gone so far as to make an excuse about a crisis just to bring her here.

'Father must have begged him to find a way to bring me here.'

He could’ve just said he missed me.

The fact that he had to go this far... Was I really visiting the Ratson domain so rarely?

She felt a twinge of guilt.

I’ve just been... busy with everything else.

"Your Holiness, there’s no need to apologize. After all, you’ve entrusted your precious daughter to me, haven’t you?"

At those words, the 23rd High Priest, Maximilian, twitched.

His expression suddenly twisted into something unreadable.

"Give me back my daughter..."

He ground his teeth, muttering in a voice as tiny as a harvest mouse.

"Excuse me? What was that just now?"

"......Nothing."

Elodie looked at Maximilian with a sympathetic gaze.

It had been five years since he had left his daughter in House Valkyrisen’s care due to the curse.

And the curse was still in effect.

Not only that, but the crises that should have befallen Valkyrisen had all been prevented by Elodie, so it remained far safer than the Ratson domain.

'Father knows that, which is why he hasn’t been able to take me back.'

Anyway, so they had to relocate.

Should she even consider this a serious issue?

To her parents, of course, it was a dire problem, but she had been imagining something far worse.

'I thought Nyx Basilisk or some hidden mastermind had discovered their location and launched a full-scale attack.'

Or that they were under siege by monstrous beasts.

Just as her tension eased, she let out a quiet sigh.

At that moment, her gaze met that of a particular harvest mouse standing by a cathedral window.

"......!"

The dazed-looking mouse jolted violently in shock.

‘What’s this?’

Ever since she had arrived, she had felt an odd sensation, as if she were being watched.

Why was he staring at me?

‘Judging by his size and features... Probably a young male—’

No, not male.

It would be rude to use that term for someone who was only in mouse form due to the curse.

Elodie corrected herself.

‘A harvest mouse beastfolk boy around Karon’s age?’

That seemed about right.

Elodie observed him carefully, then slightly moved her lips.

A silent "Hello."

The moment she did, the harvest mouse, who had been frozen stiff, suddenly scurried away at full speed, vanishing in an instant.

Among all the harvest mice who had been joyfully waving and calling out, "Baby!" at her, this reaction stood out.

It made her even more curious.

Had they met before?

"...Do you know him?"

Apparently, Karon was thinking the same thing.

His eyes tracked the path where the young mouse had disappeared, his pupils tightening as if locking onto prey.

'Why is he staring at a harvest mouse like that...'

It’s kind of unsettling as a fellow beastfolk.

"Huh? Hey, your scales are showing."

Elodie gasped, quickly covering the iridescent scales that had begun to emerge from Karon’s neck to his cheek with her palm.