Reborn As Noble

Chapter 1526: A Series of Rapid, Short Toots ( 1526 )

Liana smiled softly, her gaze shifting between Gloria and Felicia. She raised both hands in a calming gesture, her voice smooth and gentle.

”Now, now~ You know how Buddy is. He’s just excited about the food. Let’s let it go for now, shall we? We’re here to relax and enjoy ourselves. There’s no need to start a war on the beach.”

Gloria bit her lower lip, her grip tightening around the handle of her warhammer. She shot a hard glare at Buddy, her voice dropping into a low, bitter mumble.

”You’re lucky Liana is speaking for you. If she wasn’t here, I’d have already broken those legs of yours and used your feathers to stuff a pillow.”

Felicia narrowed her glare at Buddy, who was still peeking out from behind Liana. Her twin swords gleamed in the sunlight as she twirled them once before letting them vanish. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, her voice calm but carrying a sharp edge.

”Ugh! Annoying orange bird. If Big Sister Liana isn’t here, I would have plucked every feather from your body and made a pillow out of them.”

Buddy tilted his head to the left, then to the right, his tongue flopping out of his beak in an exaggerated, mocking display. He let out a series of smug, taunting squawks, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

”Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~” (Nye nye~ You can’t hit me~ The elf witch is here~ She covers for me~ So you can’t do anything~)

Gloria bit her lower lip, her eyes narrowing as she watched Buddy’s exaggerated, taunting movements. She grumbled under her breath, her voice carrying a mix of irritation and grudging amusement.

”That big orange menace... he’s clearly mocking us. I know he is.”

Felicia let out a long, weary exhale, dusting the sand from her arms and legs before crossing them beneath her chest. Her tail flicked with mild annoyance.

”It’s so frustrating... just because we can’t understand what any pekko are saying like Husband can. He’s probably making fun of us right now.”

Buddy continued his mocking display behind Liana, tilting his head from side to side, flapping his wings slightly, and letting out a series of smug, self-satisfied squawks. Liana reached back and gently patted his beak with the back of her hand.

”Now, now, Buddy. Stop it. It’s not nice to mock them like that. They’re your master’s wives, and they deserve your respect.” She turned her head slightly, glancing up at him with a warm but pointed look. ”Why don’t you go enjoy the sea while I roast the meat for you? Go on. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Buddy stopped immediately, his head tilting down to glance at her. His eyes lit up with excitement, his feathers ruffling with joy as he let out a loud, enthusiastic squawk.

”Cuquawked~” (That’s my elf witch~)

He turned and strutted toward the beach with slow, exaggerated steps, tilting his body left and right with each stride, clearly enjoying himself.

Gloria and Felicia exchanged a glance, sly smirks curling on their lips as they leaned toward each other, whispering in low, conspiratorial voices.

”Let’s put extra salt on his meat later~”

”Yes~ And I’ll add extra chili. I’ll make sure to rub plenty of chili into his portion~”

Buddy paused mid-step, his body going still for a moment. He slowly turned his head back toward Gloria and Felicia, a sly smirk curling on his beak. With his chest puffed out and his stride full of confidence, he walked directly toward them and stopped in front of the two women.

Gloria nudged her glasses up, crossing her arms beneath her breasts as she raised an eyebrow. ”What? Want to cause more trouble?”

Buddy remained silent, his beaked smile widening as his body glowed with a soft, radiant light. A gentle cleansing spell washed over Gloria and Felicia, lifting every grain of sand from their hair, skin, and swimsuits. The grit dissolved like dust in the wind, leaving them spotless.

Gloria blinked, glancing down at her now-clean body before glaring back up at him. ”Just because you cleaned us up doesn’t mean I forgive you yet.”

Buddy lowered his head, nuzzling his beak against Gloria’s shoulder with a low, gentle squawk.

”Cuquawked~”

Gloria’s glare softened slightly, her lips twitching as she let out a long, weary exhale. ”Hmph! Acting cute now, huh? You know that won’t get you out of trouble that easily, right?”

”Yeah,” Felicia added, her eyes still narrowed with suspicion. ”That’s suspicious. First you mock us, then you clean us up, and now you’re acting all sweet? I’m sure you’re up to something.”

”Cuquawked~”

Gloria pushed Buddy’s beak away, huffing softly. Her huge breasts bounced with the motion as she turned and walked toward their relaxing spot, with Felicia following close behind. Felicia kept glancing back over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on Buddy, who slowly followed behind them.

They both approached their parasol, their eyes scanning the area for a comfortable spot. Gloria glanced at the sandy beach chair, her brow furrowing slightly at the layer of fine grit coating its surface. Felicia tilted her head, her tail flicking with mild annoyance as she inspected her own chair.

Before either of them could brush the sand away, Buddy flapped his wing once. A gentle gust of wind swept across the chairs, lifting every grain of sand and leaving the fabric spotless and pristine.

Gloria and Felicia exchanged a glance, their suspicion deepening.

”You’re not planning something, are you?” Gloria said slowly, her eyes narrowing at Buddy. ”This isn’t like you. First the mocking, then the cleaning, and now this? What are you up to?”

Buddy said nothing. He simply settled onto the sand with a calm, casual air, lowering himself onto his belly and tucking his legs beneath him. He turned his head away, pretending to watch the other girls. Lyzia was splashing happily in the shallow water, Celine stood at the water’s edge enjoying the breeze, and Delya was helping Mimi put the finishing touches on a massive sand castle.

Gloria watched him for a long moment, her eyes still sharp with suspicion. She slowly lowered herself onto the beach chair, never taking her eyes off Buddy. After a moment, she let out a quiet sigh and lay back, closing her eyes.

Felicia remained seated on her own chair, her gaze fixed on Buddy.

”Buddy?”

Buddy turned his head, glancing at her before tilting it in confusion.

”Go get us drinks,” Gloria said from her chair, her eyes still closed, her voice calm and lazy as she lay back and relaxed. ”Since you ruined our mood earlier with all that sand, the least you can do is fetch us something cold to drink.”

Buddy’s beak curled into a slow, sly smirk. He stood up, stretching one leg forward in an exaggerated, leisurely motion. Then he turned, deliberately positioning his rear directly toward them.

Gloria’s eyes snapped open. ”W... what are you doing?”

Buddy let out a long, loud fart that echoed across the beach. The sound was followed by a series of rapid, short toots, each one punctuating the air like a mocking little song, before he bolted away with a laughing squawk in a rhythm that sounded exactly like a seagull’s mocking cackle.

( End Of Chapter )