The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 86

Karon kissed my cheek and left?

...Why?

No, seriously—why?

Elodie stood there, utterly bewildered, unable to grasp the context.

If it was meant as a gesture of gratitude, wasn’t that a bit excessive between friends?

...But wait. Is Karon even really my friend?

If she thought about it, their relationship was far from normal.

He hid the fact that he was a beastfolk and met her every day in the form of a snake. To be honest, Elodie had long since started thinking of him as a pet.

What a ridiculous mistake.

Right. He’s a person.

A human couldn’t become an animal.

Even she, once cursed into the form of a harvest mouse, had never truly become a harvest mouse.

She stood frozen in place for a long moment.

She had completely forgotten that Karon was a beastfolk and treated him like some kind of pet snake.

And then, all of a sudden, he went and did that.

It was only now that Elodie truly registered—Karon was a boy, four years older than her.

His human face surfaced in her mind.

A boy with eyes like crimson roses, his lips just as vividly red—brushing against her cheek in a fleeting touch.

What the hell...

He had pushed her away for so long, only to pull this kind of stunt on his own terms.

That’s not how this works!

That kind of thing required permission!

Ugh, he had zero social skills.

Well... considering he had lived his whole life alone, it would be weirder if he actually had any.

Should she go after him, grab his head and tail, and use him as a jump rope? Or maybe just stretch him out like a rubber band?

As Elodie fumed over these violent possibilities—

She realized, belatedly, that her heart was pounding harder than usual.

“......”

Why...?

Why didn’t she find it unpleasant? Why didn’t she hate it?

If it was just because Karon was so beautiful that she liked the idea of keeping him as a pet—then fine, that would be understandable.

But why was her heart racing even when she imagined him in his human form?

Elodie suddenly recalled that it had been nearly two years since she last saw Karon as a human.

Had he started thinking he was actually a snake by now?

If someone saw this, they’d think he was under some curse that turned him into a serpent or something.

She grumbled to herself.

And yet, almost without meaning to, her thoughts drifted—

What does he look like now?

***

“What’s with that face?”

“What do you mean...?”

Still dazed from the utterly shocking incident, Elodie wandered aimlessly into Eisen’s office, looking like someone who had just lost something important.

“Did you lose something?”

“......”

I did.

But there was no way Elodie could tell Eisen that Karon had just stolen a kiss from her cheek and then run off, effectively robbing her of its purity.

How was she even supposed to say something like that?!

He would definitely laugh his head off.

Letting out a low groan, Elodie shook her head furiously.

“I just... felt like being around you today, Grandpa.”

“You’ve been quite clingy lately.”

With a mischievous grin, Elodie moved closer and latched onto Eisen’s side.

“Do you hate it?”

“Did I say that?”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Of course, the real reason Elodie had been sticking to Eisen like glue lately was her fear that he might suddenly drop dead.

A sudden, unexplained heart failure.

But if she was there when it happened, she could save him immediately.

“I’ll just sit here and read.”

“Suit yourself.”

As Eisen busied himself with his paperwork, Elodie stole glances at him and thought—

Wouldn’t his cause of death just be overwork?

It honestly wouldn’t be surprising if he did drop dead from exhaustion. Work had practically consumed his life.

While quietly reading on the sofa, Elodie was suddenly startled by Eisen’s unexpected words.

“Karon.”

“Hmm?”

“That boy you’ve been meeting since you were five, despite my very generous warnings.”

“......”

He made it sound like he was casually bringing up a topic of conversation—when in reality, he was sneaking in a lecture.

Elodie averted her gaze.

By now, of course he had heard rumors that she was keeping a black mamba as a pet.

And he knew that that snake was Karon. He just hadn’t mentioned it outright.

“I was only trying to help him—”

“Obviously. You wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.”

So he did know that the snake was Karon.

Resting his chin on his hand, Eisen smirked.

Elodie shuddered at the sheer craftsmanship of his conversational trap—sneaking in a reprimand so naturally that it was impossible to refute.

Eisen had already figured everything out and was now getting to his main point.

“He hasn’t been looking well lately.”

What?

Elodie’s eyes widened in shock.

She had thought the exact opposite.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“To be honest, I hesitated for a long time before bringing this up...”

Eisen paused, which was unusual for him, as if choosing his words carefully.

Then he finally said—

“If he doesn’t make it... it’s not your fault.”

What?

No—Grandpa!

Elodie hastily protested.

“I don’t think that’s the case anymore! It’s been almost five years since we’ve been together, and he’s been getting much better at controlling his venom!”

She quickly began explaining just how often she had been by Karon’s side.

“I may not know how to completely neutralize his venom yet, but just by being around me, he’s built up resistance. His immunity lasts longer now, too!”

Pointing at the Magic Cottons bouncing above her head, she pressed on.

“Even these # Nоvеlight # guys have grown just by staying near me!”

Once no bigger than dandelion fluff, they were now the size of chubby chicks.

But Eisen’s expression remained unchanged throughout her passionate defense.

If anything, the wrinkles between his brows only deepened.

With a long inhale that ended in a sigh, the old man spoke.

“Have you seen him in human form recently?”

“...No.”

“Then you know. A beastfolk’s true form is human, but when their body is unstable, they instinctively remain in their animal shape.”

Of course Elodie knew that.

She herself was a beastfolk.

She nodded, but her eyes flickered uneasily.

“...And?”

“I saw him in human form recently.”

That alone was enough to make her stomach drop.

Eisen’s next words hit her like a sledgehammer.

“He didn’t look like someone who had his venom under control.”

It was a far greater shock than a stolen kiss.

Because it shattered everything she had believed up until now.

He was supposed to be fine.

Not just fine—he was supposed to be recovering.

She had thought that, over time, his condition would naturally heal without the need for detoxification, purification, or antivenom immunity treatments.

“What exactly did you see?”

Elodie demanded, her voice sharp with urgency.

Eisen hesitated.

For once, he looked genuinely uncertain about whether he should say it.

Sensing this, Elodie pressed on—

“Grandpa, I’m a physician. I’ve seen all kinds of conditions. Just tell me.”

She needed to know. If there was still time to fix this—

No—wait.

If Eisen had already written off Karon as a lost cause and was warning her to prepare herself—

Then his condition must be dire.

Elodie clenched the hem of her dress with trembling fingers.

Finally, Eisen spoke.

“His skin was cracked and blackened in places.”

Her breath hitched.

“If he had built up immunity, his skin should have returned to normal. But instead...”

He let out a heavy breath.

“He was coughing up blood.”

Coughing up... blood?

“...I assumed you already knew.”

Eisen’s voice was grim, regretful—like he hated being the one to say it out loud.

He was keeping his composure, but beneath the surface, he was anything but fine.

“He’s been forcing himself to hold on, taking some kind of medication. I thought you had given it to him—something to prolong his life, even just a little.”

Elodie’s eyes widened in alarm.

That was the first she had heard of it.

She had never given Karon any medicine.

And she had never seen him take anything, either.