Glug, glug, glug~ Glug~
In the living room of the luxury cabin, Lumière had his head buried in an open wine barrel, the sound of hearty swallowing coming from his throat.
The bottle of aged wine, which, according to the label, was from some magical vineyard in Burgundy, was disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Burp~~~
Finally, Lumière lifted his head and let out a long, satisfied burp. A few deep red wine stains clung to his silver mane.
He licked his lips and looked expectantly at Lynn. "Is there any more? This tastes really good!"
Lynn looked at his wine cabinet, where several spots had suddenly become empty, and his eye twitched violently.
He began to seriously consider whether this Abraxan... was perhaps not an absolute necessity to keep.
At this rate of drinking, he feared half of his savings—which were enough to squander over three lifetimes—would be drunk away by this horse first!
"You... are you really not drunk?"
Lynn asked with a final glimmer of hope, trying to find a shred of evidence of intoxication in those clear eyes.
"No! I'm perfectly sober!"
Lumière immediately held his head high. To prove himself, he began to spin in place. "Look, I'll spin for you! I can even walk in a straight line! I... Whoa, whoa, whoa~?"
He spun a bit too vigorously. His four long legs seemed to have minds of their own and began to trip over each other, his entire body swaying unsteadily.
Thud!
Ultimately, while trying to take the first step to prove his "sobriety," he successfully tripped himself and fell sideways onto the soft carpet with a dull thud.
Immediately afterward, a faint sound of snoring began to rise.
Ah, to be young—falling asleep the moment your head hits the ground.
Lynn looked at the instantly asleep Lumière and sighed helplessly.
Forget it. He had promised to keep him; he'd have to follow through even if it brought him to tears.
Lynn waved his wand, using a Levitation Charm to lift the unconscious foal and then opened the undetectable extension trunk once more...
The space inside the trunk was far more vast than it appeared from the outside.
Lynn had divided this place into several areas: a living area, a materials warehouse, a potion workshop, an alchemy lab, and even a large area simulating a natural environment.
Inside grew several magical plants that looked particularly vibrant under the influence of Abundance.
At this moment, Levi was perched on a tall parasol tree, leisurely preening her tail feathers.
Seeing Lynn enter, she immediately let out a crisp cry, fluttered down from the tree, and landed in front of him.
"Master, you're back... Hm?"
Levi stopped mid-sentence, her gaze fixed on the silver creature floating behind Lynn via the Levitation Charm.
"Master, is this... er, a 'new member'?"
Seemingly sensing an unfamiliar presence and the sound of conversation, the floating Lumière dizzily opened his eyes, shook his still-groggy head, and looked around blankly.
"Huh? Where is this now? Why is... everything spinning?"
"You certainly woke up at the right time."
Lynn placed Lumière on the grass. "Let me introduce you. This is Levi, a phoenix, and also mine. This is Lumière, an Abraxan... well, a newcomer. Get to know each other."
"It's late, so I'm going back to sleep first."
Lynn yawned, deciding to let them get acquainted on their own.
"Oh, right, Lumière. There's plenty of space here. Feel free to wander around and pick a spot you like for your nest."
With that, without waiting for the bird or the horse to respond, Lynn exited the trunk and closed the lid.
Quiet returned to the cabin.
Lynn threw himself onto the soft, large bed, thinking: I have to get off the ship early tomorrow. I hope they can... get along peacefully inside the trunk...
---
Lugging the trunk, Lynn finally returned to the front of his house.
He pressed his palm against an inconspicuous, tiny rune on the door.
"Beep! Identity authenticated. Welcome back!!"
A voice rang out, and the door lock made a soft "click" before automatically swinging inward.
Hmm, the reaction speed is still a bit slow—about a three-second delay.
Lynn mused to himself; it seemed the response circuit of the access control system needed optimization. He'd have to find time to upgrade it again.
He had just stepped into the living room with his trunk, and before he could even feel the warmth of "home," the sight before him froze him in place. The relaxed smile of returning home completely stiffened on his lips.
The originally tidy living room was currently a mess:
Cushions were scattered on the floor, seemingly stuck with several feathers of different colors.
The silver fruit tray on the coffee table was overturned, and the carefully arranged magical fluorites inside were rolling everywhere, emitting faint but chaotic light.
On his favorite wool rug, there were several stains that clearly looked like claw prints.
There was even a faint... well, avian scent lingering in the air.
A small cross-shaped vein instantly popped on Lynn's forehead.
He took a deep breath and set down the trunk.
"Old——White——!"
After a brief silence, accompanied by a flurry of flapping wings, Old White flew down from the second-floor railing and landed on the living room chandelier, tilting his head and letting out a, "Coo, coo, coo~ Coo, coo~"
Lynn crossed his arms and sneered.
"Damn it, stop playing dumb with me! I can understand what you're saying! Speak! What's going on here?! I've only been out for a few days, and you've turned the house into a pigsty?!"
Seeing that playing dumb was ineffective, Old White shifted his claws uneasily on the chandelier, his gaze starting to wander.
"Well... this stuff... cough cough, I was catching mice. You have no idea, the mice were so arrogant while you weren't home!"
"Pah!" Lynn spat unceremoniously. "Keep making things up! Do you think I wouldn't know if there were mice in my house?
I treated this house with layers of Repelling Charms and Scouring Charms before I went to school. Forget mice—even cockroaches would have to take a detour! Give me an honest account!"
His lie exposed, Old White hung his head, his wings tucking in sheepishly. His voice became much smaller, carrying a hint of guilt.
"...Well... I... I invited my girlfriend...s... over to hang out." He intentionally slurred and rushed through the "s" at the end.
"Girlfriend? And plural?"
Lynn was first stunned, then suddenly remembered a crucial question. "Wait... whose girlfriends?
I'm the only wizard living in this neighborhood. Where would you find so many owls to hook up with?"
Hearing this, Old White seemed a bit smug and puffed out his chest, though his voice was still weak.
"Hehe... they belong to your friends. That brown wood owl from Edgar's house, that barn owl from William's house, and Ollie's... er, I didn't ask about her specific breed!"
Hearing this, Lynn's head was filled with black lines.
"Good grief! Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its own burrow! You, on the other hand, specifically targeted the local grass and plucked the whole field! Are you trying to make sure everyone knows that the owl I, Lynn, raised is a philandering playboy?!"
Old White muttered softly, "Well... when feelings come, you can't stop them..."
Looking at Old White's "I know I was wrong" sheepish look, Lynn was both angry and amused.
Lynn rubbed the bridge of his nose and waved his hand helplessly.
"Fine, fine~ Stop acting pitiful! If you dare turn the house into a bird wholesale market again, I'll cut off your jerky for a month! This time, I'm cutting it for half a month!"
"I know, I know! I guarantee there won't be a next time!" Old White promised, flapping his wings.
What else could he do? He had raised the bird himself; he'd have to keep it even if it brought him to tears.
Lynn sighed resignedly, rolled up his sleeves, and began to clean up the battlefield devastated by "love" and "parties."
As Lynn cleaned, he wondered if he should give Old White some "neutering" or "emotional education"...
---
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