Chapter 1580: Before the Dock ( 1580 )

Javier kept plucking the glowing fruit from the branches, his movements steady and practiced, dropping each one into the basket.

He tossed another toward Buddy, who caught it mid-air with his beak and swallowed it with an audible gulp of satisfaction.

I wonder how I should tell Buddy about my mission...

He paused, glancing down at Buddy, who tilted his head in confusion at the sudden silence.

I really can’t bring him, even if I want to.

If I bring Buddy on this mission, everyone will notice. Pekkos are special mount birds that only exist in Armand. They’re not found anywhere else on this continent, let alone the other continent. A pekko walking around there would draw attention immediately.

If the mission were somewhere on this continent, I wouldn’t have to worry at all. Everyone here knows about pekkos. They’re rare, yes, but not unknown. I could walk into a town with Buddy beside me and no one would think twice.

But the other continent? No. If they saw a pekko, they would know. And if they knew, the entire mission would be over before it even started.

Javier snapped his fingers, his dimensional storage shimmering open beside him, hovering in mid-air. He pushed the full basket inside and pulled out a fresh one, then continued plucking the fruits.

"Buddy?"

"Cuquawked?" (What?)

Javier smiled and glanced down at the huge pekko, who kept glancing around nervously, checking the trees and the path, then glancing up at him again. Javier went back to plucking, and as he reached for another cluster, he climbed higher, scaling the trunk with practiced ease.

Should I tell him now?

No...

That will ruin everything.

He’ll throw a tantrum. He’ll sulk. He won’t eat. He’ll pester me the whole vacation, follow me everywhere, sleep outside my door, refuse to leave me alone until we get back to the estate. And worse, he might follow me to the docks on the day I leave.

Buddy glanced up from the ground, watching Javier climb higher to reach for another fruit.

"Cuquawked?" (Master? What were you going to say?)

"Nothing, Buddy... nothing..."

Buddy narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side.

"Cuquawked!" (You’re being weird! You’ve been staring at me like you want to say something, then not saying it! What is it?)

Javier let out a soft laugh and shook his head. He plucked another fruit and dropped it into the basket before glancing down at him.

"How many rare fruits have we gathered so far?"

Buddy blinked, tilting his head the other way.

"Cuquawked?" (That’s what you wanted to ask? That’s it? You’ve been acting weird for the past ten minutes just to ask me that?)

Javier just smiled and shrugged, plucking another fruit.

Buddy let out a low, grumbling squawk, his feathers ruffling slightly.

"Cuquawked? Cuquawked." (Hmm? I don’t know... rainbow fruits, errr... wait... three? Four? I don’t know, Master. I’m a pekko. I don’t count how many.)

He puffed his chest out with pride, his beak curling into a smug smirk.

"Cuquawked~" (All I know is that every rare fruit we find goes straight into your dimensional storage. So it stays fresh. Fresh for years. Fresh forever. That’s all that matters~)

Buddy kept glancing up at Javier, who jumped from one branch to another, moving deeper into the tree’s canopy. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Cuquawked..." (Master... you’re being weird...)

"What? No~ I’m just being the usual me~"

"Cuquawked Cuquawked." (No, you’re not. You’re being suspicious. You’re hiding something from me. I can feel it. I’ve been with you for years. I know when you’re keeping a secret.)

Javier grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, plucking another fruit and dropping it into the basket below.

"You better keep watch, or your father might show up and take all your rare fruits for himself~"

Buddy flinched, his head snapping around to scan the trees and the surrounding area. He squawked in panic, flapping his wings once.

"Cuquawked!?" (What!? Don’t say things like that!)

Just as Javier was about to say something, they both paused. Their heads snapped toward the distance. Footsteps. Rushed. Coming closer.

Javier squinted through the leaves and spotted his father walking quickly down the path, Alf following a step behind him, and Giddie trailing behind them both.

Ah, crap...

Buddy panicked. He paced left and right, his head swiveling in every direction, before he dropped onto the ground, folded his wings neatly, and forced his body into a relaxed pose, pretending to be sunbathing.

Javier pressed himself deeper into the thick leaves, hiding himself completely.

"Ugh! Alf..."

Alf let out a quiet chuckle, keeping pace with Garius’s hurried steps.

"Your Majesty, you should try to calm yourself. Panicking will not change the situation. And truly, there is no need for such alarm. Even if she arrives before we reach the dock, there will be no great trouble. She is a guest. We will receive her with proper hospitality. Everything will proceed with dignity."

"You don’t know about her, Alf. She looks silent. Shy. Soft-spoken. But when she’s furious... ugh..."

Alf kept following a step behind, his hands clasped behind his back. He glanced briefly at the tree where Javier was hiding, then at Buddy, who sat frozen on the sand, pretending to be deeply interested in the horizon. A faint smile touched Alf’s lips, but he said nothing. He continued walking, his voice calm and even.

"Your Majesty, I believe a proper greeting and a warm welcome would be the most graceful approach." He adjusted his glasses. "I will think of something to distract her. A tour of the island, perhaps. Or a formal dinner in her honor. Something to keep her occupied while you... consider your options."

Garius let out a long, weary exhale.

"I already know why she’s here. Ugh! Veldrac always made sure she was..."

Garius’s voice faded as he walked past, his footsteps carrying him further down the path.

Javier kept his eyes fixed on his father and Alf as they disappeared down the path. Then he heard it. A regal squawk from below. He glanced down.

Giddie had stopped. He stood beside Buddy, his golden feathers gleaming under the afternoon sun. Buddy was standing rigid, his head lowered, his body frozen in place.

Giddie slowly raised his head and looked up at Javier, a smirk curling on his beak.

"Cuquawked." (That fruit looks delicious. Ripe. Freshly plucked. Perfectly glowing. The kind of fruit that only appears once in a hundred years.)

Javier gulped, his eyes locked on the massive golden pekko.

Ah... Father’s golden pekko.

The King of All Pekko.

Damn.

Why does he always look so scary?

Giddie’s smirk widened.

"Cuquawked." (I will take the ripe fruits from that basket. Thank you for preparing this special fruit for me.)

The huge basket, nearly full of glowing fruit, floated gently down from the tree. It drifted across the air and settled beside Giddie, hovering at his side.

He turned and continued walking down the trail, following the path where Garius and Alf had gone. One of the glowing fruits floated up toward his beak. He opened his beak and swallowed it whole before continuing on, leaving the area.

( End Of Chapter )