Where did that voice come from?

Lionel quickly looked around the room. His eyes landed on the bird that was flying wildly around the tent, trying to avoid Diana’s hands. As it chirped, he heard the same voice again.

For a second, Lionel froze, and slowly his eyes widened.

Oh... shit.

"Diana, stop!" Lionel suddenly pushed himself up from the bed. His voice came out rushed as he raised a hand.

Diana immediately halted when Lionel shouted. She was startled by his tone. She quickly turned back to him.

"My lord!" she rushed to his side. "Are you alright? You shouldn’t be moving so suddenly!" Her hands hovered near him, unsure where to check first. "I didn’t know how a bird got inside. I was j-just... No... stay still, I will chase it out—"

"Stop, Diana." Lionel quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Diana paused because of that.

"My lord? What do you mean?" she turned to him again, confused.

"It’s fine," Lionel let out a sigh. "You don’t have to chase it."

"What?"

Lionel glanced at the bird again. It had stopped flying wildly and was now staying on one of the wooden poles inside the tent, watching them.

"Tweet... tweet."

’Master... she’s scary...’

Lionel pressed his lips together at that. It was really the bird that he was hearing!

"I told you," he muttered under his breath.

"Huh?" Diana glanced back at him and the bird, clearly not understanding what was happening.

"It’s my pet." Lionel shook his head lightly before looking back at her.

"..." Diana’s expression slowly went blank. "...Huh?"

Lionel nodded at her. Even he was weirded out by what he said, but it was the only way.

"That bird is my pet," he repeated calmly.

Diana stared at him again, then at the bird.

"My lord..." she said slowly, "since when did you have... a pet bird?"

"Just recently," he muttered.

Diana’s brows slowly furrowed at that. It was clear how she was trying to process everything.

"But..." she pointed out weakly at the bird as if she was still in a state of confusion about it.

"Tweet tweet tweet!"

’Master! She’s looking at me again!’

Lionel let out a sigh because of that.

"Either way, just let that bird inside my tent. I saw that one in the forest while hunting. It’s a precious bird."

Diana will look more confused because of it.

"It’s a royal bird, Diana," Lionel informed her as if that would solve everything.

Diana’s eyes widened the moment those words left Lionel’s mouth.

"A... royal bird?" she repeated, her voice lowering as she got serious.

For a brief second, she just stared at the small creature that was standing on the wooden pole. Then something seemed to click in her mind. In an instant, the way she looked at the bird completely changed.

"My lord... you mean..." she swallowed, "that’s really a royal bird?"

"Yes," Lionel gave a small nod.

"That’s why we have to keep it," he said calmly. "It’s rare for them to get involved with people again."

Diana’s breath hitched slightly at that. The earlier panic in her eyes disappeared and was now replaced by careful understanding.

"I... understand, my lord," she said quickly, lowering her head.

"Good," Lionel replied. He now moved back to his bed, still feeling a bit sore, "Then inform the attendants. Tell them to prepare a proper cage once we return to the estate. Make it large enough."

"Yes, my lord," Diana nodded without hesitation.

After that, she slowly turned her attention back to the bird. This time, her movements were careful. She approached it step by step, making sure not to startle it again.

On the pole, the bird stayed still. It watched her closely, its small head tilting slightly to the side.

"Hello..." Diana spoke softly, almost like she was afraid to raise her voice. "Are you... hungry?"

"Tweet tweet tweet!"

’I’m hungry!’

Lionel pressed his lips together for a second before a soft laugh escaped him.

"You really are something..." he muttered under his breath.

Diana glanced back at him, confused. "My lord?"

"The bird is hungry," Lionel said simply.

Diana blinked then immediately nodded.

"I will prepare something at once," she said.

"Make it quick," Lionel added, leaning back slightly. "It looks like it won’t stay quiet otherwise." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Tweet!"

’Master is really a genius!’

Diana gave a small and respectful nod before turning and heading out of the tent.

The moment she left, silence filled the space again.

Lionel looked at the bird and the bird looked back at him.

"So," Lionel said slowly, "you can talk."

"Tweet."

’Yes, master.’

"How?"

The bird blinked at him, its small body moving slightly on the pole.

"Tweet."

’Because we’re connected now.’

"Connected?" Lionel’s brows furrowed at that.

The bird tilted its head again, as if thinking of how to explain it. For a moment, the bird didn’t answer. It only stared at him.

[Bond Progress: 100%]

[Status: Bonded]

"Oh..." His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the floating words in front of him. He didn’t know what happened while he was sleeping, but he guessed he should be thankful enough that it was finally done.

Lionel looked at the bird again.

"Unbelievable," he whispered.

"Tweet."

’That’s why you’re my master now.’

"I se—" Just as he was about to say something more, a sharp sound suddenly rang inside his head.

[Bond Mission Acquired!]

Lionel flinched slightly at that. The familiar presence of the system finally returned after days of silence.

[Mission: Nurture your Bond with your first acquired animal.]

[Objective: Feed your bonded creature with mana once every day.]

[Warning: Feeding mana will consume stamina and may cause physical fatigue.]

[Reward: Strengthened bond between you and your companion | The bird gains the ability to learn techniques from you]

Techniques? Lionel’s brows furrowed as he stared at the last line of the reward.

What does that even mean? He muttered.

[Through daily mana feeding, the host transfers small fragments of their mana to the bonded creature. These fragments carry the host’s mana attribute and element.]

[Over time, the bonded creature will assimilate these fragments and develop an affinity to the host and the same attribute.]

Lionel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

[Once bonded enough, the bonded creature can become a vessel capable of storing and channeling Light Element mana that may help the host in the future.]