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~~((The National Puppy Day Special -- page 4 of 14))~~
"I am a Wrobel," said Hanton, still speaking from the illusion's mouth while the bird merely observed him. "The few of you who already know of my kind also call us Sparrows. I find that term acceptable, if you prefer it."

"...You're not a servant," Hector surmised.

"No. I am not."

"Are you a descendant of one, though? An ancient mutation user, maybe?"

The bird's giant head twitched at that question. Its darkly red-and-brown plumage bristled slightly, and it stood up fully, briefly revealing talons the size of Hector's entire body.

'A common and very crude question,' came another voice.

And Hector was bewildered, because that had definitely been in his mind, and Hanton's mouth hadn't moved at all.

But then, Hanton's human body wasn't actually real, was it? Therefore, the "voice" that Hector thought he had been hearing with his ears--that hadn't been real, either.

That huge Sparrow there was the real Hanton Gaolanet. Hector understood that, and yet it was still somehow difficult to come to terms with.

Perhaps Hanton could tell that Hector was confused even through his armor, because the human illusion vanished into thin air, and only the Sparrow remained.

'Why is it that servants always wish to trace the origins of our noble race back to themselves?' said Hanton.

Sounded like he'd touched a sore spot. "That wasn't my intention," said Hector. "I'm just trying to understand why there's a giant, talking bird in front of me."

'Hmph.' Hanton's plumage flared up again, and he looked away from Hector.

Was he... pouting?

Maybe it was just a result of the Sparrow's head shape. A trick of the eyes, in some sense. Despite being so large and probably having a wingspan comparable to that of a commercial airplane, Hanton didn't actually look like a bird of prey.

Rather, he really did look like a plump, little sparrow that had just been scaled up to gargantuan proportions. His beady eyes, short beak, and fat head made him look... oddly cute, honestly.

Hector didn't let that distract him, however, from the fact that this guy was dangerous as shit.