Would it eat me out of house and home? Could I even afford to raise it? Aurelian couldn't help wondering.
"Wuya, wuya."
"What does it want?"
Aurelian's mouth twitched as he asked Jeanne.
Jeanne's expression remained blank. "It doesn't want me to feed it. It wants to do it itself."
"Holy crap, isn't it afraid it'll eat itself to death?!"
Aurelian put a hand to his forehead, looking utterly hopeless. He realized he was sprinting down the road to poverty.
It's 2020 already! Why am I still not out of poverty?!
"Wuya, wuya."
The white creature suddenly leaped into the pile of bread.
Jeanne spread her hands helplessly, but a long-missed smile appeared on her face. She really liked this round, spherical magical creature.
"You should give it a name. After all, you're the one who brought it out."
"A name? Well... I'm terrible at naming things. Little White? Big White? What do you think?"
The smile vanished from Jeanne's face. She looked at Aurelian, expressionless.
Aurelian froze. Had he said something wrong? Little White and Big White were perfectly good names.
"My lord, magical creatures are born noble. Wouldn't names like those be a little too careless?"
"Then how about Roundball? I think it suits it."
"..."
Jeanne could only shake her head. The lord was beyond saving.
"Then it's settled. We'll call it Roundball."
The white creature—no, Roundball—was still wolfing down the pile of bread. It had no idea its name had just been decided so carelessly.
His vision blurred, and the world warped.
Aurelian found himself back in that dim, yellow-black darkness. Only the faintly glowing Stone Book floated before him.
"Fate line connected. The mother tree, nurtured for hundreds of years, withers in the bitter wind. The Overlord with the blood of a barbarian god turns to dust. You have completed your inspection of Spruce Forest. Reward: Ice Darling."
His vision went black, and he returned to reality.
Aurelian raised an eyebrow. He couldn't afford to forget about the important matter at hand.
Winter would arrive in just a few months. If he still couldn't grow any crops by then, Aurelian figured he might as well take his people and run.
Otherwise, when winter came and the long night began...
With that sense of urgency, he reached out with his right hand and lifted Roundball, who was still gorging himself.
"Wuwu."
Its mouth was so full of food that it couldn't even make a proper sound. Tears welled up in its little eyes.
Deep down, it felt a sense of closeness toward the enormous creature holding it, and wanted to be near him.
"Little fellow, from now on, your name is Roundball."
"Wuwu."
"Objections overruled. It's settled. And I don't keep freeloaders around here. If you want food, you have to work for it. Otherwise, I'll lock you up and eat in front of you. How's that? Pretty cruel, huh?"
Aurelian grinned, putting on what he thought was a terrifying expression.
"Wuya."
Roundball swallowed all the bread in its mouth in one gulp.
"My lord, you've scared it."
"Uh."
Roundball looked pitiful, blinking its little eyes.
Aurelian's mouth crooked into a mocking smirk.
Hmph, women.
He carried Fuzzy Ball toward the door.
"Come on, let's go to the farm."
He jumped down from his horse, his foot landing on the cold, dark soil. Aurelian looked out over the fields.
The sun was setting, and the temperature was visibly dropping.
The serfs working on the farm had mostly returned to town.
The portly Hume followed behind him. Aurelian had summoned him here at short notice.
"Mr. Hume, I've found a way to solve the problem of the seeds not growing."
Aurelian lifted Roundball.
Roundball's little eyes looked utterly hopeless as it could only protest with wuya, wuya.
"What is that? How strange. Is it the lord's new pet?"
The portly Hume narrowed his eyes and leaned in for a closer look, asking curiously.
"It's called Roundball. A pet... well, I suppose you could call it that. But it's going to solve the problem with the seeds."
Aurelian wasn't sure what kind of relationship he had with this magical creature.
A pet? It wasn't that simple.
Aurelian looked at Roundball in his hand, and his face twitched.
This fellow was pretending to be pitiful.
He was sure of it. The little thing was definitely putting on an act.
Perhaps thanks to the nourishment of their bloodlines, Aurelian and Fuzzy Ball had formed an inexplicable connection. Aurelian could sense Fuzzy Ball's emotions and thoughts.
"Really? That's amazing. Can this little thing actually do it?"
Hume froze, speaking in disbelief.
"There's only one way to find out."
Aurelian smiled faintly and walked forward with Roundball in his hand.
The portly Hume hurried after him, wobbling along.
After walking a short distance, Aurelian chose a suitable field and finally stopped. He took a handful of wheat seeds from his pocket and waved them in front of Fuzzy Ball.
"Roundball, it's up to you. If you can really do it, I'll have the cook make you a whole pile of cookies."
Aurelian spoke to the Fuzzy Ball in his hand in a tone one might use to tempt a young girl.
"Wuya."
"A thousand won't do. A hundred, at most."
Aurelian haggled, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Watching this, the portly Hume looked doubtful. Was Lord Aurelian talking to his pet? How bizarre.
But then he remembered that this magical creature could solve the problem of the seeds sprouting, and decided that perhaps it made sense.
"Wuya."
"Fine, deal. Two hundred cookies, then."
Haggling with a glutton made Aurelian feel poorer than ever.
He had to get rich.
"Come on, Fuzzy Ball. Let's see if you're worth two hundred cookies!"
Aurelian dropped Roundball to the ground. It cried out wuya and rolled a few times.
Then Aurelian tossed down all the wheat seeds in his hand.
Behind him, Hume's eyes widened. Could this creature really do it?
The wheat seeds drifted down through the air. Roundball opened its mouth, and every last one floated into its gaping maw.
"Holy crap, Roundball, why did you eat them?!"
"Wuya."
Roundball chewed them in its mouth, then swallowed with a gulp.
Aurelian was completely dumbfounded. What was that supposed to be? It didn't even spare the wheat seeds?
"My lord, look."
The portly Hume hurriedly called out from behind him. He'd been watching Roundball without blinking.
"Hmm?"
Aurelian looked closely and saw that Roundball had closed its eyes. Its body was trembling nonstop.
"What is it doing?"
Aurelian was suddenly at a loss. The sight looked familiar, though. He felt like he'd seen it somewhere before.
Before you continue