Of course, from the moment I was born as Pagan Claudius, there was already a connection between us.
But that connection was fleeting—so brief that I considered our first real meeting to have taken place six years ago.
"At first, it looked like a blazing fire..."
That was four years ago—around the second year after I first met it. That's when it stopped appearing as a flame and started showing up in its current form.
[You should feel honored. I've decided that you, of all people, are worthy of seeing my true form.]
One rainy autumn day, it showed up claiming that this was its "real" appearance. And from that day on, it started visiting me much more frequently.
At first, it used to come by once a week. Then every three days. Three days became two, and before I knew it, daily visits became the norm.
And now, six years later, the creature has practically moved in, occupying my space as if it were its own—without the slightest hint of guilt.
"Ahh! Only three left now. I should lick up the crumbs first."
Its soft, pink tongue glided over the silk-wrapped bundle.
Six years of what could be considered a semi-cohabitation.
Through all that time spent together, and through its increasingly frequent visits, I've managed to uncover a few facts about this miniature tiger.
"Crunch, crunch... Ugh, now there are only two left..."
First, it has an unbelievably beautiful golden coat. I can confidently say that no silk in this world shines as brilliantly as its fur.
Just looking at it is dazzling, and when I touch it, it's unbelievably soft and fluffy.
And thankfully, it doesn't shed, meaning my bedroom never gets littered with stray hairs.
"Crunch... Sniff... Now, just one left."
Second, it's incredibly talkative, loves snacks, and is full of itself.
From the stories it's shared, I've gathered that it has lived in Espetara for quite some time.
In fact, considering the timeline, it was probably already here back when I was making a name for myself as the God of Assassination in my past life.
But what's amusing is that it never acts like a creature burdened by the weight of centuries.
Every time it grumbles, I can't help but think:
"You only get away with this because you look cute. If you had the appearance of a weathered old creature and still acted like this, it would be unbearable."
"Gulp... Ah, it's a shame, but at least I'm happy. Alright! Since I had a good meal, I'll properly evaluate your progress today!"
After stuffing itself full, it fluttered toward me with its round belly on full display. I reached out and placed my hand atop its head—its tiny, fluffy body completely lacking any sense of majesty.
And this led me to the third fact I had uncovered.
"Alright, let's begin. I'll properly assess your progress from today's training!"
This little thing knows more about Angelus than anyone else—and it has a deep connection to Orpheus Claudius, the founder of my family line.
"Hmm, hmm. I can tell you haven't been slacking off. Your mana flow has become much more natural lately."
As its whiskers twitched, a crisp, cool energy seeped into my body.
It had injected a minute amount of mana into me to check my condition.
Ever since we first met six years ago, it has regularly assessed my physical state and the progress of my Angelus training.
"You've noticed that your mana flow is skewing to the left, right? You need to consciously balance it out. It's not a big issue now since the mana isn't flowing in large amounts, but if you leave it unchecked, it'll cause problems in the future."
"Remember—the key is forming a circle. As long as your mana flow maintains a circular form, there's no need to worry too much. That means the overall structure is intact."
Unlike its usual grumbling and obsession with snacks, it was dead serious when assessing my training.
And its advice? Always spot-on.
I can say with certainty that I wouldn't have mastered Angelus at this speed without its constant guidance.
At first, it made a few mistakes because it didn't fully grasp my learning speed. But once it realized how quickly I picked things up, it never gave me incorrect advice again.
"Hmm… But something feels off."
"What do you mean?"
"Your flow seems fine, and I don't see any obvious problems. But I keep sensing this chilling presence… What is it?"
"Chilling presence?"
It tilted its head, puzzled. I, on the other hand, kept a straight face and pretended not to understand.
The source of that cold energy was undoubtedly Arkail—a power so different from conventional mana that most people couldn't even perceive it.
But this little thing, with its sharp instincts, had picked up on the faint chill left behind by Arkail's influence on my mana ring.
"Weird, weird, weird. This is really weird."
As it twitched its whiskers in suspicion, I casually shrugged and muttered,
"Maybe my body temperature is just lower than most people's."
"Hmm… Is that so? Well, whatever. It's not causing any problems, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Besides, you do have a rather cold-hearted personality, heh."
Luckily, despite its keen senses, it was hopelessly carefree. It never pursued its suspicions too deeply.
"Ahh, I'm stuffed. And now I'm sleepy again."
Having finished both its meal and my assessment, the little creature flopped onto my bed, rubbing its round belly with its tiny wings.
"...It really must be a spirit beast native to this island."
Normally, I would have tossed it a silk handkerchief to use as a blanket and returned to my work.
But after my conversation with Lana earlier today about spirit beasts, I suddenly found myself curious about it.
Even after years of living together, I still didn't fully understand what it was.
For some reason, I had always found it too much of a hassle to ask.
Of course, considering its love for boasting, it might actually answer me if I seriously questioned it.
"Ahh… This is nice. A full belly, a warm bed… Life is good, hehe."
But in the end, I chose not to ask.
Because if I did, I was sure it would respond with something like:
"Heh, I knew it! You pretended not to care, but you were curious all along! Well then, since you're so desperate to know, I'll grant you the honor of learning my identity!"
And honestly?
That was the last thing I wanted.
Living with a little bit of curiosity was far better than dealing with its inflated ego.
That being said, I did have some clues about its identity.
Despite claiming it would never reveal itself until I "begged" for the truth, it had let plenty of hints slip through.
For example:
["Even Orpheus himself acknowledged this! It's true! Your ancestor said so!"]
["Even Orpheus found this difficult—do you really think you can manage it? Hah!"]
Time and time again, it mentioned Orpheus Claudius, the founder of my family line.
From that, I could guess—
This creature must be a spirit beast that has been by Orpheus' side since he claimed this island for the Claudius family.
The problem was… Unlike the other spirit beasts, this one was unique.
And I had yet to understand just how different it truly was.