Reborn As Noble

Chapter 804: Wings, Stones, and Subterfuge ( 804 )

”Cuquaaawked!!”

Buddy squawked, chest puffed wide as he planted himself between the nobles and the scrambling townsfolk. His glare burned like a challenge, any man foolish enough to block the people would have to face him first.

He lowered his head slowly, snapped his beak inches from a noble’s face.

The man stumbled back, tripping over his own robe, his face slick with sweat.

”I–I remember this bird!” he stammered, pointing toward the pekko.

”This... this beast... I will bring word of this to Count Garius! To let such a foul creature, such as this grotesque brute, run wild in the capital! He will answer for this insult!”

Buddy let out a sharp, rolling cry. Half-squawk, half-laugh mocking sound that grated like a gull’s screech. He tilted his head sideways, one beady eye fixed on the nobles.

He puffed his chest and beat his wings, each flap sending a rush of air that rattled the nobles’ silks and made them stagger back in alarm.

Beside him, Pikko worked with calm persistence, kicking one crate after another into the street. Splinters scattered, lids split open, and goods spilled in every direction.

The murmurs of the crowd swelled into a roar as more people poured in from alleys and side streets. Mothers pulled children forward, hungry hands grabbed what they could, laughter and gasps rising as if the city itself had turned against the nobles.

The nobles’ eyes bulged at the sight of their plundered bounty vanishing into the hands of commoners. Their voices cracked between rage and disbelief, but their words drowned beneath the squawks of the Pekkos and the cheers of the swelling crowd.

After a moment.

The sound of disciplined hooves and talons cut through the chaos. The golden shimmer of Giddie came into view, leading Count Garius and his sons, their personal maids close at their sides.

Alf and Erinnette followed in their place, Hesbeirn at the flank with the elite knights forming a flawless escort.

The street hushed at once, the presence of Armand rolling in like a tide of authority.

Garius’s calm voice broke the silence.

”What is this commotion?”

The royal knights on patrol straightened sharply..

”Lord Garius,” The Royal Knight Captain speak.

Before he could continue, a chorus of frantic shouts burst from the nobles who had backed Duke Kimar.

”Lord Garius!” one of them cried, red-faced and shaking with indignation.

”Look at these beasts! these two monstrous birds! They’ve attacked us, destroyed our carriages, and torn through our possessions!”

Another noble jabbed a trembling hand toward Buddy and Pikko, who even now were tearing apart the last crates.

”We demand compensation for what we’ve lost! What sort of household unleashes such creatures into the capital?!”

A third sneered openly, his voice dripping with disdain.

”Truly, Count, for one of your stature to parade these grotesque brutes... it demeans you. Pekko, what noble would rely on such wild, uncultured beasts? Horses serve the realm with grace. Yet you insist on these... things.”

Garius turned his head slightly, his eyes drifting to Buddy and Pikko. The two Pekkos squawked and stomped, still scattering loot into the crowd. His lips curled faintly at the corner.

Garius kicked a signal toward Giddie.

Giddie’s snapped up. The great Pekko let out a thunderous squawk that made the ground tremble. Buddy and Pikko answered immediately, their cries ringing out, and even the other mounts in Armand’s escort raised their voices, feathers bristling as if stirred by fury.

”Giddie! Control yourself!” Garius’s voice cut across the uproar, sharp yet measured. He tilted his head slightly, glancing toward Alf beside him.

Alf inclined his head deeply, his tone formal, calm, as though keeping his own Pekko in line.

”My lord, I believe something has provoked them. With your permission, allow me to investigate these carriages. I fear... there may be a reason they are behaving so.”

The nobles’ faces drained of color, their bluster collapsing into uneasy silence.

”There’s nothing wrong with our carriages!” one of them shouted too quickly, voice cracking under the strain.

Alf said nothing. He descended with perfect composure, adjusting his gloves as he stepped toward the wreckage. Every move carried the weight of a butler trained to precision, polite, unhurried, yet sharp enough to make the nobles twitch.

He crouched near a shattered crate, brushing aside splinters with a gloved hand. For a long moment, he appeared to examine the mess. Then, with the smallest flick of his wrist, something slipped from his sleeve into the rubble.

”My lord,” Alf said at last, rising smoothly to his feet. He held a small gem in his palm, its surface glinting faintly.

Garius’s gaze sharpened. ”What is it, Alf?”

”I found this, my lord.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Alf offered the stone forward. Garius took it in hand, his expression hardening into a mask of stern authority. He turned toward the nobles, his eyes narrowing to slits.

”Do any of you,” Garius said slowly, his voice carrying across the street, ”have an idea what this is?” He raised the gem for all to see.

”I wonder... why it should be in your possession.”

The nobles froze. ”Wh–what...?” one stammered, his face pale as chalk.

”This stone,” Garius continued, his tone sharpening, ”is known to agitate Pekko. Used to provoke them into frenzy. Curious, isn’t it? That such an item should be found among your carriages.” He let the words linger, his glare like steel.

He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering but heavy with threat.

”Tell me... is this your way of inciting chaos in the capital? To frame the Armand household, and spread whispers before the council?”

”Th–that’s... not ours!!” one noble cried, his hand trembling.

Garius’s smirk vanished, replaced by a cold edge. His gaze cut across the group of nobles like a blade.

”Not yours?” His voice was calm.

”Then how curious it is that it was found among your carriages. Unless...”

He let the pause hang, the weight of his words pressing down like an executioner’s axe.

”...it was placed here with intent. A scheme, perhaps? To provoke beasts, to rattle the city streets, to stir disorder, and when chaos breaks, to point your fingers toward my household.”

The nobles faltered, their eyes darting between one another.

”Yes... a convenient tale, isn’t it?” Garius pressed on, his tone sharp as steel.

”The Pekko rage, the people panic, and suddenly the whispers begin.

’Look what trouble Count Armand’s beasts have caused.’ A false tale, born not from truth, but from your cowardice.”

His gaze hardened further.

”Tell me. How long have you all plotted to soil my family’s name before the council? Days? Weeks? Or is this nothing more than a desperate man’s trick, a way to drag us down to your level?”

( End Of Chapter )