Chapter 3: Forest Exploration and a New Friend

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Forest Exploration and a New Friend

 

ON the morning of the forest expedition, I got dressed, shaved, and left the room. Tilura didn’t come to visit me, oddly enough, but when Leo and I arrived in the dining hall, I learned that she’d just overslept. She made it in time for breakfast, but only barely.

After we finished eating, Leo and I headed back to our room to grab my sack. I stopped to stuff a few changes of clothes, a spare set of shoes, and a few other essentials in before shouldering the bag.

Sebastian was right. These things really are useful.

“All right. Are you ready, girl?”

“Ruff!”

With that, we left the room.

As we headed to the entrance hall, however, I saw a familiar figure in a chef’s hat.

“Mr. Hirooka?”

“Oh, Helena. Is everything alright?”

“Ruff?”

“I hate to stop you at a time like this, but there’s something I simply have to ask you. Sebastian said you knew of that York pudding I made?”

“Oh, yeah. I had it once, back home.”

“Is that so?” She seemed almost depressed. “And here I was sure I’d made something that nobody had ever seen before…”

“O-Oh.”

She probably wanted to surprise us all. No wonder she was feeling so upset about it.

“You see, I’ve devoted my entire life to cooking. That means creating dishes that people enjoy, of course, as well as crafting entirely new cuisines.”

“So…you want to make brand-new dishes?”

“In a sense, yes. I want to become skilled enough one day to make anything taste delicious.”

At first, I thought she was exaggerating, but I could tell from the way she talked that she really cared about her craft. It was as though she was just one big ball of passion, always rolling toward better and better cooking.

No wonder she’s the villa’s head chef at her age, then.

You probably had to be extremely talented and devoted in order to work for a duke’s family.

And she’s so pretty, too. It’s almost a shame she spends all her time cooped up in the kitchen…

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything with my unnecessary knowledge.”

“No, please, don’t worry about it. If I’m going to craft something new, I’ll need to know everything that’s currently out there first. All you did was affirm that I’ve still got a long way to go.”

“Uh… I’m not sure I’d go that far.”

My knowledge of my past world was basically cheating, after all. For all I knew, she might really have invented York pudding in this world. I could tell I’d lit a fire under her, though, so I didn’t say anything.

“I likely won’t be done by the time you return from the forest, but I swear…one day, I’ll make something the likes of which nobody has ever seen!”

“Um… I’m looking forward to it?” Her determination was a little overwhelming.

“And, of course, I’ll create a dish for Miss Leo so amazing that she’ll never again think of sausages!”

“Ruff?! Ruff, ruff!”

I could practically see the flames of passion burning around her. I certainly wasn’t going to refuse good food, though, so I decided it’d be best to cheer her on. My only concern was that Leo had already begun whimpering with excitement, but she would probably stop soon enough…I hoped.

“If you don’t mind, then,” she continued, “I’d love to pick your brain from time to time.”

“Why me?”

“If you knew about York pudding, then you must’ve been something of a gourmand in your world. If you have any ideas, then please, come to me with them post-haste.”

“Oh, okay. Makes sense. If I were you, I’d try not to get my hopes up too high, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Yes, please do!”

With that, we both went our separate ways.

I don’t think I’ll end up helping much, though. I can’t even cook and it was just dumb luck I knew anything about York pudding.

If she was handling the cooking, though, I might be able to come up with an idea or two. That being said, it seemed like ages since I’d eaten anything not from a convenience store, so I still wasn’t too confident.

I really hope she doesn’t get her hopes up…

As we walked, though, I realized Leo’s tail was still wagging like crazy.

It’s not ready yet, Leo. You’ll probably have to wait a while for that new dish.

🐾🐾🐾

WHEN we arrived at the entrance hall, I noticed that there were about twenty servants assembled to see us off. Even Helena was there, to my surprise. Claire, Sebastian, and Laila were all dressed in simpler traveling clothes, as well as something like leather armor. I also saw Phillip, Johanna, and two other guards in gleaming metal armor.

Wait, they’re all coming with us?

I walked up to Sebastian. “I didn’t know you or Laila were coming…or any of the guards, actually.”

“But of course. I would never dream of sending milady into the wilderness underprepared, as reliable a companion as you may be. Laila and I will take care of her mundane needs and the guards shall ensure that she is protected at all times.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “He refused to listen no matter how many times I told him we’d be fine.”

I laughed politely. “I bet he’s just trying to do what’s best for you.”

I couldn’t imagine he liked the idea of her going off into a dangerous forest alone with some guy and his big dog for a few days.

Wait, where’s Tilura? I was so sure she’d want to see Leo off.

Just at that moment, though, she popped her head out from among the crowd of servants.

“Goodbye, Miss Leo, Sister, Takumi! Be careful and come back soon!”

“Make sure you study while we’re gone,” Claire told her.

“Don’t worry, Tilura,” I added. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Ruff, ruff, ruff.” Leo nuzzled Tilura’s face and gave her a big lick.

The smile on Tilura’s face brightened a little. “See you soon, Miss Leo!”

I could tell she wanted to come with us, but none of us wanted to expose her to danger if we could help it. Claire probably spent quite some time yesterday convincing her.

“Well then, Takumi, shall we be off?” Claire asked.

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Ruff.”

All the servants bowed or curtsied in unison. “Farewell, milady, Mr. Hirooka, Miss Leo. We wish you pleasant travels!”

“Bye-bye, Sister, Takumi, Miss Leo!” Tilura chimed in.

We left the mansion with my ears still ringing from how loud the servants’ goodbye was. There was a carriage and four horses waiting outside the front door. Sebastian climbed into the driver’s seat again, and Claire, Laila, and I piled inside it. I sat on the far right, followed by Laila in the middle, and Claire on the left side. Given the carriage’s size, though, we were packed in pretty tightly.

“L-Laila? Can you try to give me a little more room?”

My voice was too small to be heard, though, as I pushed myself against the carriage wall. I could feel my face growing hot, so I turned toward the window. Leo met my gaze.

“Ruhuff,” she said with a disbelieving shake of her head.

Don’t give me that look. I’ve never been in a situation like this before, okay?

Claire was beautiful, of course, but Laila was also quite attractive. It was also worth mentioning that Laila had decidedly thicker—

Nope, that’s enough of that! I wouldn’t be able to hide my thoughts if I kept going down that rabbit hole and Laila deserves better.

“Well then,” Sebastian called from his seat outside, “let us be off!”

“Wooooo!”

With a snap of the reins, the horses broke into a trot. Leo kept pace beside the carriage with ease. The guards took up their positions—one in each quadrant around the carriage. If there was any danger on the road, one of them would be sure to spot it.

“By the way, Sebastian, how long will it take to get there?” I asked.

“About three hours, I’d imagine.”

“Any specific reason you’re asking?” Claire questioned me.

“No, not really. I was just a little worried I might not make it there in one go, since I’m still not used to carriages.”

The real reason was to do with how close I was crammed in with the ladies, but there was some truth in what I’d said. I saw a horse for the first time only a few days ago, after all.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” Claire continued. “You said that Miss Leo was tiny in your old world, didn’t you? How did you get around, then?”

“Oof, how do I explain this? Well…we technically do have carriages, but not many people ride them. Instead, we have these big, steel boxes that move on their own.”

How do I even describe a car? It’s not alive, but I can’t imagine they have any vehicles beyond carriages here.

“A metal box?!” Claire blinked with disbelief. “So…these boxes can move without any horses to draw them? I thought you said your world didn’t have magic.”

She seemed a lot more interested than I thought she’d be. Even Laila was leaning in curiously.

Um…that’s a little too close!

Even Sebastian was casting an occasional glance through the window behind him into the carriage.

Where do I even start, though?

“Well, instead of magic, we use a kind of…flammable liquid to power them.”

“You mean the firewood in your world is liquid?”

“Not quite. We still use firewood for when we want to stay warm. Liquid fuel burns a lot better, though, and we can turn that heat into energy.”

“Heat into energy? How does that move around the steel boxes, though? They sound incredibly heavy.”

“I don’t know how it works, exactly. All I know is that it does.”

“It sounds like your world can do some amazing things!”

“Well, without magic, our only real option is science and technology, right?”

I remember reading in a book once that sufficiently advanced science was indistinguishable from magic. To my untrained eyes, TVs and the Internet might as well have been crystal balls and telepathy.

I continued telling them about my world as we rode on toward the forest. I even managed to forget how closely Laila’s body was squished against mine. It required all my concentration to explain science I barely understood, after all.

🐾🐾🐾

AFTER some time, we pulled up beside a lone tree by the roadside.

“I believe this is an ideal place for a short rest,” Sebastian called out as he dismounted.

I was glad for a slight change of pace. The ride was uncomfortable enough that we would likely have all been worn out before we arrived if we didn’t take a proper break now and then. Leo, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine, despite having run all the way there.

Sebastian watered the horses as Claire, Laila, and I left the carriage and we all took a moment to stretch our stiff limbs.

“It turned out to be a little too cramped in there, huh?” I asked Claire.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt so squished before.”She stretched, but I could tell as she cast a sidelong glance at me that she was holding back out of shyness.

Laila, meanwhile, took a bottle of milk out of the back of the coach and poured some into a small tub for Leo. Leo wasted no time in gulping it down with gusto.

Just don’t overdo it, girl. You don’t want to drink so much you can’t run.

“How much longer to the forest, Sebastian?” I asked.

“We’re presently just off the town road closest to the forest. I should imagine we’re a little past halfway there. The condition of the roads shan’t be as nice from here on out, but we should arrive in no more than an hour.”

“We’re that close? Is it all right if I ride Leo the rest of the way, then?”

“Ride Miss Leo?”

“Yes. I, uh…” I stepped closer until I was right up to his ear.

“Is something the matter?” he whispered.

“The carriage is a little too cramped,” I whispered back. “I can’t ride without pressing right up against either Claire or Laila.”

He chuckled. “Well, Mr. Hirooka, I believe that is what they call ‘good fortune.’”

Wait, what did he just say? Doesn’t he realize how embarrassing it is to be in a situation like that?! Did he see how close I was to Laila?!

That wasn’t to say that I was unhappy with the arrangement, per se. If anything, I felt the opposite, but also felt I couldn’t hide my embarrassment any longer than I already had.

“I’m riding Leo the rest of the way and that’s final,” I returned.

“If you insist. I would hate to bring your pleasure to such an early end, but I shan’t defy you.”

He didn’t get replaced by his evil twin or anything, right?

After we finished talking, he went to have a word with Claire and Laila. We decided that the most likely excuse would be that Leo wanted to give me a ride.

“Sorry, Leo. I hate to push the blame on you like this.”

“Wruff.” She gave me a pitying shake of her head.

Once we started going again, however, she was so excited that she could barely run in a straight line, and I had to make her stop multiple times so that we didn’t totally leave the carriage behind.

“Can you try to calm down a little, Leo?”

“Woooo.” She seemed sorry, but I could tell she still had energy to burn.

Since she wouldn’t have enough space to run all-out inside the forest, I thought of a different way to give her some exercise.

“All right, Leo, I have an idea of how you can get all nice and tuckered out.”

“Ruff?! Ruff-ruff!”

With that, I told her to start running circles around the carriage’s guards. Since we were circling a moving object, it took a lot more energy than it might seem at first glance. The only catch was, I could see Laila shooting me jealous looks every time we got close enough to the carriage to peek in.

I’ll give you a turn later, I promise. Just stop looking at me like that!

I gave her an apologetic nod but, just as I was about to pull away, I could see that Claire looked just as put out.

Et tu, Claire?!

I gave her an apologetic look as well but, just as I finished, I noticed even Sebastian was looking at me.

“What, you think I would want a ride as well?” He grinned jokingly. “I’m afraid I’m a bit too old for that! Hahaha!”

And here I thought he was a serious, composed gentleman… First impressions sure can be deceiving.

The hour seemed to pass in a flash, however, and we reached the edge of the Fenrir Forest. Sebastian stopped the carriage there and Claire and Laila got out. I climbed off Leo’s back.

“How’re you holding up, Leo?”

“Ruff? Ruff, ruff!” She raised her foreleg. I bet she’d have given me a thumbs up if she had thumbs.

Is it just me or is she starting to act more and more human? And wait, how is she not tired after all that running?

“Well,” said Sebastian as he tied the carriage to a nearby tree, “this marks the end of our ride.”

He then proceeded to tie up the horses, first the ones that’d pulled the carriage, then the guards’.

“What will happen to them while we’re in the forest?” I asked.

“They should be safe here,” Sebastian replied.

One of the guards gave me a crisp salute. “And I shall remain here to watch over them!”

Considering Claire’s horse bolted when it saw an orc, it’s probably for the best.

“Is it so the horses don’t get spooked by monsters?” I asked.

“That’s part of it, certainly,” the butler replied. “The larger reason, however, is that it can be rather difficult to navigate a forest on horseback.”

“Yeah, you have a point there. But wait, wasn’t Claire on horseback when she came here before?”

“I was,” Claire cut in as she helped Laila unload the carriage, “but I stayed by the river the entire time. I didn’t need to go further than the riverbank then.”

“Oh…makes sense.”

The area by the river had had far less vegetation and provided enough room for a horse to get by.

Wait, I’d better help, too.

“Would you mind helping the guards gather branches, Mr. Hirooka?” Laila asked.

“Branches?”

“Yes. Try to find thick, dry ones. We’ll need fuel for a fire.”

“’Tis nearly noon, after all,” Sebastian added. “It’s high time for lunch.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll see what I can find. C’mon, Leo!”

“Ruff!”

After about ten minutes, we had enough branches to start a fire.

“Allow me to light it,” Sebastian said with a bow.

Claire nodded. “Please do.”

Sebastian stretched his hand out to light it and I paid close attention to what I hoped would be another chance to see magic. At that moment, however, Leo plodded up beside him.

“Woo-woo-woo.”

“Hm? What’s up, Leo? Don’t get in Sebastian’s way, now.”

“Ruff! Woo-woo-woo-woooooo.” She gave me a pointed look then looked down at the pile of branches.

“Oh. Sorry, Sebastian, but do you mind if Leo starts the fire?”

“Why, of course not. I’ve never witnessed a silver fenrir’s magic before!” He stepped aside to make room for her. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”

Even Claire was peering over at us with great interest.

Leo pointed her snout right at the branches.

“Grr… Bark!”

Flames gushed out of Leo’s mouth, enveloping the pile of firewood.

Come to think of it, she did the same thing back when we had to cook that orc. I almost forgot about that.

“So that was a silver fenrir’s magic,” Sebastian said with a hint of awe in his voice. “I’d heard that they breathed fire, but I must admit that wasn’t what I had envisioned.”

“It seemed far more natural than holding out her paw or something,” Claire added, a surprised look on her face.

It looked less like she was breathing fire in the traditional sense and more like she formed flames in her mouth and spat them out. I could tell from the looks on their faces, though, that they were moved all the same. Most of the guards, however, were frozen with shock, especially the ones who hadn’t properly met Leo before.

It’s not surprising, considering they’ve never actually seen a silver fenrir in the flesh.

“Allow me to prepare lunch, then,” said Laila as she brought a pot and a sack of what were probably ingredients to the fireside. “Please step back, Miss Leo.”

Leo obediently came over to sit beside me. She was smirking with pride.

“Good job, girl!”

“Ruff, ruff!”

She readily lowered her head so I could scratch it. As I was complimenting her, though, a second pair of hands reached out toward her.

“She’s awfully fluffy, isn’t she?” Claire remarked.

“Claire…?”

“I-I only wanted to pet her.”

“Ruff!”

“Haha, she says ‘Go ahead!’”

“I will, then!”

I could tell from the way she was stroking Leo that she’d wanted to do it for a long time. She moved slowly and nervously at first, but gradually, her stroking became more natural. Leo nuzzled her head closer, encouraging her to keep going.

It’s times like this I can really tell she’s Tilura’s sister.

After a little while, a delicious smell began to rise from the pot.

“Lunch is served,” Laila announced. “Please, enjoy.”

Sebastian handed out wooden bowls from the luggage and we all began eating together.

“And these are for you, Miss Leo,” Laila said as she placed the sausages she’d been grilling beside the pot on a plate.

“Ruff, ruff!”

Laila giggled. “Please help yourself.”

With that, Leo started scarfing down her food.

I’d better eat, too, before my stomach starts growling in front of everyone.

“This is really good, Laila,” I said.

“Oh, no. I’m afraid it’s nowhere near as good as Helena’s cooking.”

“That’s because Helena’s a professional chef. Your food has a nice, homey feel to it, though. I really like it.”

She blushed slightly. “Well… Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Hirooka.”

I should really be the one thanking her, though.

As I started shyly scratching my cheek, Sebastian leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “I fancy Laila would make a fine wife for a strapping young lad such as yourself.”

No sooner had he spoken than he went to sit back down.

It feels like everything I knew about Sebastian up until yesterday is shriveling up and dying. He’s enjoying this, isn’t he? You’re a slippery one, Sebastian.

“I guess he’s more than just a grampsplainer,” I muttered to myself.

After everyone finished their respective meals, we set about breaking camp. I assumed at first that we’d be dousing the fire, but since one of the guards was going to be staying behind, we left it going. I watched with amazement as Sebastian rinsed the bowls and pot with magic.

I didn’t know magic could do that.

“Ruff?” Leo opened her mouth and a large sphere of water formed in front of her snout.

“You’d like to help, Miss Leo? Why, I’d be honored to have your assistance.”

I’m glad the water didn’t come right out of her mouth…that would’ve been hard to stomach. Thanks for that, Leo.

Claire shook her head in amazement. “I never thought I’d get to see a silver fenrir use magic twice in one day.”

While Sebastian used the water Leo made to wash the dishes, I asked him a few more things about magic. Apparently, the water had come from the surrounding atmosphere. Because of that, however, magically-created water was often full of airborne dirt and dust, so it wasn’t the best for drinking.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t pack any drinking water or anything, did I?”

It was times like this that I was really glad for Sebastian and Laila. I was never the outdoorsy type, so I thought that just grabbing some clothes and the like would be enough.

Apparently, the river was totally safe to drink from, so the plan was to head straight into the forest and establish a base camp as soon as we hit the river. We did have a few canteens just in case, but we’d be able to take only the bare minimum with us on any given trip.

“I guess it makes sense to secure fresh water first, huh.”

I wouldn’t have thought to prioritize drinking water. There was almost nowhere you could go in Japan without easy access to water, after all. I made a mental note of it just in case. I wasn’t planning on taking any more wilderness trips soon, but it couldn’t hurt to keep in mind.

After everything was washed, we double-checked our bags. I even checked the sack I was carrying, just in case. Then, after our loads were fairly divvied up among us, we were ready to go.

“Mr. Hirooka, Lady Claire.” Sebastian called out to us. “You’d best take these with you.”

He reached into a bag and pulled out two bladed weapons—longer than daggers but shorter than proper swords—and handed one to each of us. They looked like the short swords those thugs had had. It was light enough to swing one-handed. Not that I could imagine myself doing so—I’d never even held a wooden kendo sword before.

“These are to be your last resorts,” he explained. “Should the worst happen, I bid you, do not hesitate to use them. They’re also rather handy for cutting through shrubbery.”

I nodded. “Makes sense. Thank you very much. I don’t know how much use I’d be in a fight either way, but I’ll make sure not to lose it.”

“Thank you, Sebastian.”

After fiddling with the scabbard a moment, I found a way to attach it to my belt.

“*Snuffle, snuffle*?” Leo gave my short sword a few inquisitive sniffs. Then, after a moment, she turned away.

Was she just curious, or just trying to memorize its smell?

---

---

Sebastian turned to address the group. “Well, then. Everyone is ready to depart, I trust?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Ruff!”

“I’m ready,” Claire said.

“Please lead the way,” Laila chimed in.

“We shall ensure no harm befalls you!” three of the guards—Phillip, Johanna, and one other—called out in unison.

Claire should’ve technically led our expedition, but Sebastian took command with ease. It wasn’t surprising, though, considering that he was more experienced and seemed to know just about everything.

The last guard waved to us as we filed into the woods with Sebastian at our head. Right behind him came Phillip and Laila, then Claire and Johanna behind them. Leo and I came after that. Taking up the rear was the guard whose name I still didn’t know.

“We’ll head straight across the forest until we hit the river,” Sebastian called back.

“All right,” Claire said with a nod.

From there, we’d be able to cover as much of the deepest part of the forest as possible over several trips. Not only that, but it served as a handy landmark in case anyone got lost—not that we were counting on that happening, but it paid to be prepared. Otherwise, things would start unfolding like a survival movie really fast.

“Wooooo-woooo-woooo!” Leo was barking to herself almost rhythmically, as though she were humming.

“What’s up, Leo? Are you that happy to be back here?”

“Ruff, ruff! Rooooo!” This place feels so nostalgic and comfy! It’s like hugging an old friend!

“Huh… But you’d never been here before we woke up here, right? It’s only been a few days.”

She continued nimbly prancing around trees as she walked. “Woo, roo, ruff, yawp!” I don’t know why, but it feels kinda like home to me… or something like that.

It’s a lot harder to understand her when we’re walking.

“Huh… Maybe that’s part of the reason why this place’s called the Fenrir Forest?”

“Ruff?” She gave me a curious look. She was so tall, though, that she needed to look down a bit in order to meet my eyes. It felt like we’d switched places compared to how things were in our old world.

“This is just a thought, but Claire’s ancestor met a silver fenrir here, right? Maybe that’s part of the reason you’re feeling like that?”

“Ruff, ruff, ruff.”

Leo didn’t seem to know why herself, but it was enough that she was feeling super happy. Her tail was swishing back and forth in a shallow wag, and she went back to “humming.”

I just know there’s something about this place…

Our walk was uneventful for the next hour, at which point the sound of water finally reached my ears.

“It seems we’re approaching the river!” Sebastian called back so we could all hear. “Not much longer now, milady. We’ll rest as soon as we’ve arrived.”

Claire’s chest heaved with every breath. “O-Okay…I-I understand… I can hold out…until then…”

“Are you alright, milady?” Johanna asked worriedly.

“I-I’ll be fine…”

She’s probably not used to walking this much.

Fortunately, Sebastian and Phillip were making short work of the tangled vines and twisting branches in the path with short swords that looked very similar to the one he gave me. The ground was still covered in gnarled roots and shrubs, though, making for an unpleasant hike. Given Claire’s sheltered noble life, I wasn’t surprised she was struggling.

I wasn’t having an easy time of it myself, though I wasn’t panting like Claire was. Countless hours of overtime and running to and fro from dawn to dusk in the summer heat had given me more stamina than I cared to admit. I was still feeling dizzy from dehydration, though.

Leo, of course, was faring best out of us all. Her sheer size let her push any remaining branches out of the way with ease. There was still a spring in her step, too.

Must be nice, being a silver fenrir.

Even when she was smaller, though, I’d tire out on our walks well before she would. It seemed she’d always had a lot of energy.

“Just a bit longer now, milady,” Sebastian urged.

Claire was too out-of-breath to respond that time.

Slowly but surely, though, the sound of rushing water grew louder. We were probably ten minutes away from the river at most.

Just then, Leo’s tail suddenly stuck out straight behind her.

“What’s wrong, girl?”

“Bark! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!”

“Is something there?”

She didn’t respond. She simply continued growling.

“Sebastian! Stop a moment! Leo says something’s wrong!”

“What could be the matter, Miss Leo?” he asked.

Everyone stopped to look at her.

“Bark! Bark!”

“Oh. Really?”

Claire struggled to regain her breath. “Wh-What is…she saying…?”

“There are orcs up ahead,” I called out loud enough for everyone to hear.

“O-Orcs…?” Claire looked up at Leo in shock, hands still on her knees.

Sebastian’s expression turned grave. “Phillip!”

“Understood!” Phillip called back. “Johanna, Nicola! With me!”

“I won’t let them lay a finger on milady!” Johanna shouted back.

The last guard—Nicola—nodded gravely. “Yea.”

All at once, the three of them took their positions in front of us. Behind them, Sebastian and Laila flanked Claire, ready to shield her with their lives if need be.

Leo hadn’t stopped growling the entire time. A moment later, we saw why—the shrubbery in front of us rustled as several figures worked their way toward us.

“Ruff! Rrrr-hrrrr-mrrrrr… Bark! Bark! Bark!”

That first Ruff meant “orc,” and three barks…

“Leo says there are three of them! Be careful!”

“Understood!” called out Phillip and Johanna.

“Verily,” called out Nicola a half-beat behind.

That third guard, Nicola… How come he’s the only one who sounds like he’s actually from a few hundred years ago?

I had more important things to worry about than that, though. The guards had their swords drawn, and Leo had lowered her haunches, ready to pounce. Just in case, I drew my short sword.

This thing is pretty heavy…

I’d never held a real sword before. I could feel uncertainty welling up inside me.

At that moment, the orcs broke through the underbrush. A wave of tension rippled through the air. They were every bit as fat as the first orc I’d encountered, and their faces no less piglike. Their grunts and calls, however, were nothing like any pig I knew. There were three of them, just as Leo had said, and their footsteps were sluggish under their massive bulk. I shuddered to think what something so massive could do to a human.

Just as Phillip and the others were about to charge at them, however, Leo bolted around them and leapt at the monsters.

“Leo?!”

She was moving almost too fast for me to follow, and she had one of her forelegs held low and wide. As soon as she was in range, she swiped. The first orc was cut clean in half from hip to shoulder and it fell to the ground with a pair of heavy thuds. Leo wasted no time in unleashing her second swipe with her other forepaw, and the second orc fell the same as the first. The third orc’s eyes bulged wide with terror as it turned around to flee, but it was far too slow.

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooh!”

Leo was atop it in an instant, sinking her fangs deep into its fat neck. It let out a squeal unlike anything I’d ever heard before.

With that, all three orcs had been defeated. The battle had lasted only an instant, and without most of us even moving a muscle.

Wow, Leo’s strong! I could more or less follow what she was doing with my eyes, but there’s no way any human could move that fast.

“Ruff, ruff!”

Leo returned to my side with a spring in her step. She didn’t seem the least bit fazed.

I sheathed my sword. I was glad I didn’t have to use it.

“Ruuuuuff?” She lowered her head so I could easily pet her.

“Yeah, you did good, girl.” I gave her a good scratch behind the ears.

“Woooooo!”

Phillip was still frozen with disbelief. “W-We didn’t have time to do a thing…”

“Why are we even here?” Johanna shook her head.

Nicola narrowed his eyes. “I hath much yet to learn.”

Don’t worry, guys! I’m sure we might need you later!

“What speed! What power!” Sebastian mused. “No wonder they’re hailed as the strongest of monsters.”

“And Miss Leo is usually so cute…”

“She certainly doesn’t seem to have any issue with orcs,” Claire said. “It ended just as quickly the last time she saved my life.”

“Ruff? Woo-woo! Roo-roo!”

Leo’s eyes were fixed on her orcs as she licked her lips.

I guess orcs are just food to her. That was probably just like going hunting.

Claire turned back to look at me. “What did Miss Leo say?”

“She says that orcs are just like pork chops with legs.”

Leo nodded.

She looked up at Leo in shock. “B-But… I’ve heard that even the most seasoned warriors struggle with orcs…”

The guards were all utterly baffled.

“Why don’t we focus on getting to the river now? We can rest there.”

Leo looked down at the orcs, then us with a puzzled look. “Ruff?! Ruff, ruff?” We ate the orcs last time, but we’re not eating them this time? Why?!

“Sorry, Leo. I don’t think we can carry that much with us.” I turned to Sebastian. “Hey, Leo says she wants to eat them. What do you think?”

He stroked his chin in thought. “Do you suppose we could take them with us, Phillip?”

Phillip shrugged. “We could probably carry the ones she cut in half.”

“In that case, we’ll drag them along with us. I imagine it’ll be easier than carrying them, and we haven’t long before the river.”

“Got it. Johanna, Nicola, let’s go!”

“Understood.”

“This shalt be worthy training indeed.”

With that, the guards moved to secure the orc bodies.

“Ruff, Ruff?”

“You want to carry one, too, Leo?”

“Ruff!”

She trotted over to them, grabbing the one she’d bitten in her massive jaws. Despite how heavy it must’ve been, Leo didn’t seem to be having any trouble at all.

Sebastian chuckled. “You’d help us, Miss Leo? How very generous of you.”

“We’ll take the other two, then,” Phillip added.

Phillip grabbed the two top pieces by the arms, and Johanna and Nicola started dragging one piece each. Considering they each had metal armor and their bags to worry about as well, it looked like it’d be hard work.

Oh, right! I almost forgot!

“Just a moment, Phillip!”

“Is something wrong?” He stopped and turned back as I rummaged through my bag.

After a few seconds, I finally found it.

“Here, eat this plant. It won’t hurt you or anything, honest.” I handed each of the guards a leaf—the fruit of my Herb Cultivation experiments the other day.

“What is this?” Phillip asked.

“Just eat them. I think it’ll make carrying those orcs a whole lot easier.”

He gave me a dubious look. “Really?”

“Thank you,” Johanna said curtly.

Nicola looked over the leaf carefully. “’Tis quite a curious hue.”

The leaves were a vibrant purple. Even knowing it was medicinal, it’d take a lot of guts to eat it. All three of them seemed to trust me more than they doubted the plant, though, and ate it readily.

“Hey, this isn’t half bad.”

“It’s quite tasty.”

“Verily, a flavor unbecoming its queer visage.”

Glad they like it.

I’d tried it myself back when I’d first grown them. It tasted a lot like soda. I’d no idea how or why, though. There were some parts of Herb Cultivation that’d probably always be a mystery.

“What the heck?” Phillip muttered. “My body feels so light now!”

“But how?”

“I say, I can hoist this half an orc with such ease!”

The herb had started working already. Johanna and Nicola could now lift their orc-halves with ease, and while Phillip still couldn’t lift both of his, he seemed to have a lot less trouble dragging them.

I’m glad it worked. It kind of feels like I’m experimenting on them. But at least I knew the leaves were safe enough beforehand. I tried one when I cultivated them, after all.

Claire seemed baffled. “What exactly did you give them, Takumi?”

“Just something I made yesterday. That’s one of the things I was looking into during all those experiments.”

“You mean you wanted to test out that herb?”

“That and others, yeah. I made the first one totally by accident, so yesterday, I wanted to see if I could mass-produce them on purpose.”

“What other herbs did you try, then?”

“I’ll have plenty of time to show you later. For now, we should get to the river.”

“You have a point, but…” She hesitated. “Fine. We’ll make for the river first, but promise me you’ll tell me everything, won’t you?”

With that, Sebastian once again led us toward the river.

I didn’t have any problem telling Claire everything I learned. But, between the orcs and our being in the middle of a hike, it didn’t seem the right time. We can chat plenty after we reach the river.

After about ten minutes, we finally caught glimpses of water through the trees.

“Look, milady,” said Laila. “We’ve arrived.”

“Oh… Finally…” Claire panted, her expression brightening somewhat.

Forest hiking sure is a workout…

“Ruff!”

Leo sprung ahead of us, the orc still dangling from her mouth. As soon as she reached the riverbank, she spat the orc out and leaped into the water with a gigantic splash. She started splashing and swimming around, occasionally stopping for a quick drink.

Leo reacted the exact same way the last time we were here… How come she loves the river so much but hates baths?

I guess even silver fenrir do the doggy paddle, huh?

We reached the bank while she played. Claire sat down on a nearby boulder to take a short rest. Sebastian wasted no time in searching for a place for the tents and Laila had already started gathering branches for a fire.

Man, they’re such hard workers.

Phillip and the others dropped their orcs by Leo’s, then started draining the blood out of all three corpses.

I’m not as tired as Claire, so I guess I should pitch in.

I started picking up branches with Laila. I didn’t know what made a good campsite, after all, nor did I know how to drain something’s blood. It didn’t feel fair to start playing with Leo, either. After all, the sooner we got camp set up, the better.

“Is this enough, Laila?” I asked.

“I believe so.” She nodded. “Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Hirooka.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I’ll be using the fire as much as anyone else, after all.”

“You could be resting with milady instead.”

“I’ve got energy to spare, though, so I may as well put it to good use.”

As Laila and I prepared the fire, Sebastian came back.

“I’ve found the ideal spot for our campsite,” he announced.

“So we’re going there now?” I asked.

He nodded. “By all means. Laila and I shall inform Phillip and the others.”

“Okay. I’ll let Claire know, then.”

“Please do.”

With that, I walked over to where Claire was resting.

“Sebastian found a good campsite. We’re heading there now.”

“All right… Let’s go.” She still looked a little pale.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’ve rested plenty, don’t worry. I can walk.”

She slowly stood up, giving me a weak smile.

I knew it. She needs more rest, probably for the rest of the day.

“Oh, look,” I noticed. “Everyone’s coming this way.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

Sebastian and Laila were now accompanied by the three guards. The only one missing now was Leo.

“Hey, Leo! We’re going, so come over here!”

“Ruff, ruff!”

As soon as she heard me, she made a flying leap out of the water and landed squarely on the dry bank. She shook herself dry with enough force to spray us from where we stood some distance away.

That’s what she hit me with point-blank in the bath, huh…? No wonder I got soaked.

After drying off a little, she came bounding up to me, easily outpacing Sebastian and the others.

“Ruff!”

“Good girl!”

I gave her a quick scratch while we waited for the others.

“Mr. Hirooka, milady,” Sebastian said as he reached us. “My apologies for making you wait. Let us make for the campsite.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“Lead the way.”

“Ruff.”

With that, Sebastian led us on. It was only about a ten minutes’ walk away, an area that had even fewer trees than the section of bank we’d been at and had more exposed ground than rock underfoot. Laila and I started carrying the branches we’d found there and, after the orcs were bled dry, Leo and the guards hauled them over. The bank was tree-free, so Claire had no problems making it there.

“We’ll make this our base camp,” Sebastian announced.

“Sounds good,” Claire nodded.

“We’ll get the tents ready, then,” Phillip said.

He and the other guards laid out the luggage they’d been carrying and prepared to pitch the tents. Laila and I piled up the branches for the fire while Claire and Leo looked on with rapt interest.

“Does this look okay?” I asked Laila.

“Almost. If you create a space like this, you see, the air flow will improve and the fire will burn better.”

“Thank you.”

So…it’s more than just putting sticks in a pile… I’m glad Laila’s willing to teach me.

“Ruff, ruff!” Leo sauntered up to the pile of firewood, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“What’s that, girl? You want to start the fire again?”

“Ruff!”

“Do you mind, Laila?”

“No, by all means. I was thinking of asking her to, in fact.”

“Well, you heard her, Leo. Go on.”

“Bark!”

She spewed a ball of fire at the pile of firewood. It was just the right amount at the right angle, igniting the branches in the middle before quickly spreading to the whole pile.

“That’s the campfire done, then.”

Laila smiled. “Thank you very much for your assistance, both of you.”

“Ruff. Ruff, ruff!”

Leo puffed herself up with pride, evidently expecting to be pet. Claire was quick to give her a scratch.

Leo sure seems happy. I’m glad they get along so well.

“I’ll begin preparing the orc, then,” Laila said. “We’ve plenty of daylight left, but the sooner I get it cleaned and readied, the better.”

“All right, sounds good. Can I help?” I asked.

“Well, there are three of them… Yes, I would be grateful for the assistance.”

“Just tell me what to do.”

“Ruff!” Leo readily lined up right beside me.

“You wanna help, too, Leo?” I glanced back at Claire and noticed that she seemed a little disappointed. “You can hang back with Claire, y’know.”

“Ruff!”

She raised her foreleg and flexed her mighty claws.

Right… Leo butchered that first orc, too. I hate to leave Claire alone, but we won’t be going far.

“Why don’t you rest by the fire a spell, milady?” Laila suggested. “It’s rather chilly by the river, and you don’t want to risk catching a cold. It should help relieve your fatigue somewhat as well.”

Claire looked a little disappointed. “I wanted to watch you work, but…all right. I suppose I can watch from here.”

With that, we left to where the orc bodies were. Just in case, we let Johanna know that Claire was on her own and, after she exchanged words with Phillip, she left to sit with Claire. The tents looked like they were almost ready, after all, so they’d probably be finished by the time we were done with the orcs.

“Have you ever butchered an orc before?” I asked.

“No,” she admitted, “but I’ve cleaned and skinned plenty of other animals.”

“Oh, okay.”

That’s kind of worrying. I never thought this would be her first time, too…
“Ruff, euff!”

Just as I was lost in thought, though, Leo flexed her claws again.

“Wait… Can you handle all three, though?”

“Ruff!”

I turned to Laila. “I guess we can just leave it to her, then.”

“I suppose that would be for the best. My apologies, Miss Leo, for leaving the work to you.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. After all you’ve done for us, this is the least we can do. Besides, Leo’s volunteering.”

“Rooooo!”

It’s best to leave stuff like this to the best person—er, dog—for the job.

“All right, girl. Work your magic.”

“Thank you again for your most generous offer, Miss Leo.”

“Ruff, ruff!”

Leo gave us a curt nod, then strolled over to the orcs and got to work. There weren’t any spurts of blood or anything, but seeing Leo cutting through them with such accuracy and ease was honestly kind of chilling. After about a minute, she plodded back over to us, her work complete.

Wow… that was too fast!

“How does the meat look, Laila?”

Laila was too shocked to reply for a long moment. “I… Only a professional chef could cut meat with such precision and ease. You’re amazing, Miss Leo!”

“Ruuuuff!”

It was the kind of cut you might find in a high-class butcher’s shop. Since it was on the ground, we’d have to wash it before doing anything with it. But otherwise, it looked ready to cook.

“She even divided the meat into different cuts,” Laila gaped.

“Yeah, looks like it. I don’t think any human could’ve done it this well, this fast, actually.”

Even the organs were organized.

It’s unbelievable how she did this with her claws… I mean, a professional butcher would have a way harder time and take way longer.

“Silver fenrir sure are something else.”

“Ruff, ruff!”

I decided to stop sweating the details and just give Leo the petting she was asking for.

After that, we divided the meat into what we’d be saving and what we’d be cooking right away. Then Laila brought the latter cuts back to the fire and started cooking it with a few vegetables she’d brought from the villa.

She must be tired after all that walking, too… Thanks, Laila…

I realized now how foolish it’d sounded for Claire and I to come here alone. We wouldn’t have been able to set up camp properly, let alone cook anything. We’d probably have turned back well before now if we were alone.

Claire was affectionately patting Leo on the head. She’d probably been watching the butchering from afar. Johanna was watching them contentedly, but I noticed that she occasionally reached out to stroke Leo before reconsidering and withdrawing her hand.

You can pet her if you want, y’know, I thought as I hauled a bucket of water from the river and placed it over the fire.

Just as the sun began to set, Sebastian, Phillip, and Nicola joined us by the fire.

“We’ve finished pitching the tents,” Sebastian said.

“Thank you,” I replied with a nod as I threw another branch into the crackling flames.

Phillip and Nicola let out exhausted grunts as they sat down. Between carrying the luggage, hauling the orc bodies, and pitching the tents, they had to be tired. Even Sebastian looked fatigued, but he retained his perfect composure.

One of these days, I’ve gotta ask him how he’s so capable. Is he really just a butler?

Laila peered down into the pot. “Dinner will be ready soon, so feel free to relax a while.”

When I’d made orc before, it was just grilled skewers. This looked like a proper meal, though, and I knew just how nice Laila’s homemade meals could be. She might not have been a professional chef, but I couldn’t stop salivating.

“In that case,” Sebastian said, “why don’t we decide the order of the watch tonight?”

“The watch? What watch?”

“This forest is rife with monsters, you see, not to mention wild animals. We will need someone awake to alert the group to possible dangers. We want to avoid being attacked in our sleep, after all.”

“That makes sense. Sorry, I’ve never had to do anything like that before.”

“Never?” Claire looked at me in surprise.

“Nope. We don’t have any monsters where I come from, and wild animals rarely attack people. Besides, people generally only camped in places they knew were totally safe.”

“Is that so?”

They all seemed to be interested in how safe camping was in my world, but that was in a place like Japan. It was nothing like this true wilderness camping we were doing now, with man-eating monsters on the prowl in the area around us.

This world really is so different.

“I would love to hear more about this ‘safe camping’ later, but first, we need to determine the watch,” Sebastian said.

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I propose we take turns. Having one person stay up all night would make them unable to walk in the morning, after all.”

“I can take the first shift,” Phillip volunteered.

“Phillip will be first, then. After that, how about we have Johanna and Laila?”

“Understood,” replied Johanna.

“Gladly,” Laila nodded.

“In that case, Nicola and I shall take the last shift.”

Hold on a second. I can understand Claire not taking a shift because she’s so tired and the lady of the house, but what about me?

“When do I go, Sebastian?”

“You, Mr. Hirooka? Did you not just say you were unused to keeping watch?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

I’d barely gone camping even back in Japan, let alone keep watch for anything. It didn’t feel right to stay tucked away in bed while everyone else was up working, though.

“Please, let me keep watch, too. I’m not used to it, sure, but I can’t let you do all the work.”

“I see.” He stroked his chin in thought. “What to do, then…”

“Ruff, ruff!” Leo suddenly started getting excited.

“Hm? What’s up, Leo? Do you want to keep watch, too?”

“Roooooo!” She nodded.

That’s a relief. At least now I won’t have to do it alone.

“Very well,” Sebastian said. “In that case, Mr. Hirooka and Miss Leo shall take the first watch. Is that all right with you, Phillip?”

“Fine by me.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Now, as it will be your first time, don’t hesitate to wake someone if you feel something is amiss. With Miss Leo at your side, however, I don’t imagine you’ll have much to worry about.”

“You’re okay with leaving it to just me and Leo?” I asked.

“You remember how she picked up on the orcs’ presence before any of us did, yes? I imagine that should any monsters attempt to sneak up on us, she will detect their presence long before anyone else can.”

Leo nodded enthusiastically. “Ruff!”

Come to think of it, she does have a knack for that. Can she smell them or does she just sense that something’s there somehow?

I suddenly felt like I’d be next to useless, but it’d be a good learning experience at any rate.

“In that case,” Sebastian said as he pulled out his pocket watch, “we’ll proceed in the order of Mr. Hirooka and Miss Leo, Phillip, Johanna and Laila, and finally Nicola and myself. We’ll begin at ten o’clock. Each shift will be three hours. Understood?”

“Yes!” everyone called out.

“Ruff!” barked Leo.

That means I’ll be going from ten o’clock to thirteen o’clock, I guess. This world’s time is still so weird, but I guess that means from about eleven to two.

“Hold on a moment,” Claire said. She’d been deep in thought the entire time, only speaking up now. “I’d like to keep watch as well.”

She probably felt just as uneasy about being left out as I did.

“You’ve already done plenty today, milady. Please leave such trivial manners to us and get some rest.”

“But—”

“You realize that if you’re still tired tomorrow morning, we’ll have to return to the mansion.”

Claire froze at his words.

I knew exactly how she felt, but anyone could tell how exhausted she was. She wanted to explore the forest more than anyone but, if she couldn’t even walk in the morning, we wouldn’t be able to keep exploring. Sebastian was probably just trying to do what was best for her.

“All right, fine.” There was a hint of displeasure in her voice. “I’ll make sure to be ready for tomorrow morning.”

“Please do,” Sebastian said with a curt bow.

Maybe I should talk to Claire about this later? I’d hate for things to get awkward between them because of this.

I could tell that Sebastian was only trying to act in her best interests. But it must hurt to be refused so bluntly after coming so far…

What do I even say to her, though? Jeez, what a mess.

“Dinner is ready,” Laila said. “Please help yourselves.”

It looked like pork pot-au-feu, but I knew it wasn’t pork. It was incredibly tasty, though, and brought a warmth back to my core that was more than welcome in the chilly evening air. The dish had all the trappings of a home-cooked meal and that was more than enough for me.

“You’re a really good cook, Laila,” I said.

“Yes, indeed,” echoed Claire.

It seemed that everyone greatly enjoyed her cooking, and as they all gave her their respective compliments, she smiled just a little.

🐾🐾🐾

SEVERAL hours later, everyone started retreating into the tents—men into one, women into another.

“I could never sleep in the same tent as you, milady!” Laila insisted.

“Oh, enough of that,” Claire said with a roll of her eyes. “Come on in.”

Johanna nodded. “Yes. Besides I’ll be accompanying you both. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Laila was hesitant at first, but considering how rare the opportunity was, Claire and Johanna dragged her inside regardless. From the look on Claire’s face, I assumed they’d get wrapped up in the slumber-party mood, but it was none of my business either way.

“It’s not like a guy could join in, anyways,” I muttered to myself as I watched Laila disappear into the tent.

With that, Leo and I were alone. Our watch had officially begun.

For a little while, I heard rustling and muted chatter from the tents. But in time, they were replaced by the crackling of the fire and the babbling of the river. In the distance, I could hear the chirping of insects. Leo and I were totally alone for what felt like the first time since the day we’d arrived.

“It sure has been a while, huh?”

I’d spent a lot of time trying out Herb Cultivation and when we were in our room, we’d either play a little or go right to sleep. We hadn’t had much time to kick back and relax.

I may as well chat with Leo a bit.

“Leo, I’ve been wondering. Are you really glad we came here? Sure, you were small in our old world, but it was a peaceful enough life.”

“Ruff?” She cocked her head to the side. “Woo-woo, ruff, rooo.” We get to spend more time together now, so I like this world better.

So that’s what really matters to her, huh? I’m kinda glad to hear that.

“What do you think about being big, then? Isn’t it kind of a pain sometimes?”

“Ruff, ruff. Wuff, fruff, mruff.” It’s much easier to run around like this! And now I can protect you more easily!

If she was human, she’d probably have all sorts of growing pains, but she seemed perfectly fine. She hadn’t grown by natural means, after all. I felt a little hurt that she felt she had to protect me. But I was also genuinely happy.

“You can cast magic now, too. Must be nice.”

She nodded. “Ruff. Roooo?” Wanna see?

“No, that’s okay. Save it for if more monsters come.”

“Herf…” Her tail drooped.

I bet she wanted to show off.

I didn’t want to risk waking up the others, though, and Sebastian had described mana as being like lifeblood. The last thing I wanted was for Leo to go wasting it. I didn’t know how much mana she had, exactly, but now wasn’t the time to find out.

Sebastian never did finish teaching me about magic, did he? I’d love to cast some myself.

“So…what other kinds of magic can you use?”

“Wooo… Roo, ruff, mroo?”

“I said not now. Just tell me what you can do.”

She seemed determined to show me. I wasn’t too surprised, come to think of it. I know I’d want to show off if I were in her shoes.

Her ears drooped. “Ruff… Mrrr… Woo-woo, uff, mruff, hrumm, ruff.” I’m really good at fire, but I can do water, air, and earth, too. And some other stuff.

The more we talked, the easier it was to understand her. I had no idea why. But I wasn’t complaining.

“What do you mean by ‘other stuff’? Can you be more specific?”

“Ruff, wuff, wuff.”

Apparently, she’d only a general idea of her power. The only way to really know was to try it out.

Not that I’m surprised. We’ve only been here a few days, after all.

Her expression rapidly turned from proud to sorry. I ruffled her fur affectionately.

“C’mon, no need to feel bad about what you don’t know. It’s not like I know everything about Herb Cultivation, either.”

“Ruff, ruff!”

She leaned in closer and I affectionately scratched her cheeks. Fortunately, that was enough to put her back in high spirits. She started wagging, her big, bushy tail sweeping back and forth through the air above the fire.

I hope her fur doesn’t get too ashy… That’d be a real pain to clean.

After we spent about two hours chatting and having some quality time, I heard a rustling sound from by the tents.

“Is that you, Phillip?”

Isn’t it way too early for him to get up, though?

As I turned to look, however, I realized that the sound was coming from the women’s tent. I watched as Claire emerged.

Does she need to use the bathroom or something?

“Thank you for taking first watch, Takumi.”

“No problem. So…what’s up? Couldn’t fall asleep?”

“Nothing like that. Do you mind if I sit with you?”

“Be my guest.”

She sat beside me, opposite of Leo.

She really should go back to bed, though. If she can sleep, she should.

“I had something to talk to you about,” she said.

“To me?”

“Yes. Um…” Her cheeks looked a little red, but it had to be the light from the campfire.

If she’d something to say, then I was determined to hear her out. Leo laid down beside me, careful not to bother us. Her attention was trained on Claire and me.

“Well… Takumi?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for agreeing to take me out here.”

“Oh, uh, no problem. I wanted to go, anyways.”

There had to be something special about the forest, after all. Something that could explain our coming to this world and Leo’s transformation. Its name was as big a hint as any.

“Still, I owe you a proper thank-you,” she insisted. “I never would’ve been able to come here again without you by my side.”

“I guess so.”

“There’s one other thing, though. It’s, um…about when I invited you to come out here.”

“Oh…”

I still couldn’t forget the look of rage on her face back then. She was even more terrifying than my work manager at his worst.

“You see…Sebastian scolded me.”

“He did?”

I could easily envision him lecturing her, but he didn’t seem the scolding type.

“Well, being scolded itself wasn’t exactly anything new.”

“It wasn’t?”

Come to think of it, he was pretty harsh on her when she’d first returned from the Fenrir Forest with me. I wonder if it’s his job as butler to keep her in line?

Claire was more of a tomboy than I gave her credit for, after all. I could imagine her getting yelled at for that.

“The problem was, he scolded me saying that you wouldn’t be able to refuse a request from me.”

“Oh.”

“You’re a guest, after all, so it’d make sense that you’d want to return the favor somehow. Not only that, but even in the short time I’ve known you, you’ve never struck me as the type to refuse a request. I felt awful after hearing that.”

Yeah, she’s got me there.

I’d tried to fix my people-pleasing side so many times before, but I’d always ended up doing whatever others asked of me in the end. It was especially bad at work; I’d taken on so much work from my colleagues at times that I couldn’t finish my assigned duties.

“I didn’t even think about you. I’m so sorry, Takumi.”

“No, it’s no problem. I’ve been a people-pleaser all my life, after all—but more than that, I really was happy to go with you.”

“Even so, I was more forceful than I should’ve been. I’ve let down my entire house.”

“Wait, you have?”

That sounds like an exaggeration to me.

“You see, my family is one of the most powerful in the kingdom. Most people would be unable to refuse a request from me. I don’t believe that using my authority is wrong in and of itself, but my family has sworn against using said authority to manipulate or control others. And yet, I forced you to go with me.”

“I see…”

I still didn’t mind, however. I didn’t even consider her position when I made my decision. I wanted to wait for her to finish before I said anything, though.

“I’ve brought shame on my entire family. I’m an embarrassment of a noble. B-But more than that…”

“What?”

“I knew you were a soft touch and I used that against you. I manipulated you. I can never forgive myself for that.”

“I see.”

I don’t feel manipulated at all, though. I couldn’t have asked for better timing.

She hadn’t used me. In fact, she didn’t mention her power or her standing once. It didn’t feel like she was using her authority at all. But then again, I didn’t know how the class system worked in this world.

She’s carrying around a lot of baggage. So let’s see if I can lighten her load, one thing at a time. First things first…

“Leo?”

“Ruff?”

Leo cocked her head to the side curiously as I whispered my request into her ear. After a moment she nodded, stood up, and walked over to Claire. She then laid down, resting her giant head squarely on Claire’s lap.

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“Miss Leo? Takumi? What are you doing?”

“Just give Leo a few pets and relax.”

“…All right.”

She started stroking Leo’s head. In moments, her expression became notably softer.

“So, Claire…”

“Yes?” She stiffened up again.

I hope she doesn’t think I’m about to yell at her… I wish she’d just calm down a bit.

“Well, uh… You mentioned having used your authority against us, but I didn’t feel that way at all. It didn’t feel like you were waving your power around.”

She didn’t reply.

Good, good. Just keep petting Leo.

Leo and I exchanged looks. I hope she understood what I meant by that…

“When you were yelling, you were pretty scary. I can’t deny that. You weren’t yelling at me, though, and you apologized and took time to calm down immediately afterward. That was enough.”

“Takumi…”

“Besides, I don’t feel as though you used me in the slightest. I really did want to come here. And besides, uh…”

“Yes?”

“I-I think any guy would be happy to listen to a woman as beautiful as you.”

“O-Oh! Takumi!” She flushed bright red.

Oops. I hope I didn’t offend her…

It was too late to take back my words now, though, but she finally seemed to relax. She was so much prettier when she wasn’t looking so pensive.

“But are you sure, Takumi? You’re not just saying that?”

The look on her face told me that she still hadn’t forgiven herself.

“How about this, then? If you tell me why you wanted to come here so badly, then we’ll call it even.”

“All right. Though you realize that I was planning on telling you that either way, don’t you?”

“Come to think of it, you’re right.”

“We were planning on going alone back then, so I had thought that we’d have any number of chances to talk, just the three of us.”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “It feels so different with everyone else.”

“Sebastian just wouldn’t listen, no matter how many times I told him that we’d be fine alone. Fortunately, we have a prime opportunity now.”

“Luckily, yeah.”

I’d been dying to know why she wanted to come back here.

I was so worried, in fact, that I only got eight hours of sleep.

I smirked at my own poor joke.

“You see,” Claire started, “I’m not interested in these woods, but in the silver fenrir.”

“Not including Leo, you mean?”

“Yes. To use your words, the silver fenrir native to this world.”

“So…what’s got you so interested in them?”

“Well… Meeting Miss Leo was a big part of it, but…”

She stopped to think a moment as she stroked Leo. She’d a soft smile on her face now, her worries gone.

I never would’ve thought Leo’s fur had such power. Is this what they mean when they say silver fenrir are the strongest?

After a long moment, Claire finally opened her mouth. “When I was born, or at least, by the time I was old enough to care what others said about me, the servants were spreading some odd rumors about me.”

“Rumors? What kind of rumors?”

“They all seemed to think I was the reincarnation of the Libert family’s founder”

“Why would they think a thing like that?”

“It started from an old painting, you see.”

“A painting?”

“We had several of the founder, in fact, capturing her appearance at a number of ages. One of them was of her shortly after she was born. I looked just like her.”

“You did? Wait…the founder was a woman?”

“Yes. They say she stood on the frontlines as any man would and fought with twice the bravery.”

And here I got the impression the founder was a man, given the whole war thing and being a family head…

“As I matured,” Claire continued, “I never failed to match the paintings. I was nearly identical to them.”

“Like she’d walked out of the paintings herself.”

“Exactly. The servants all had such high hopes for me. They believed that I’d bring about a new golden age for the family.”

“Wow… What about your father?”

“He never trusted the rumors. He told me to ignore them and to never try to follow the founder’s path…that I was his daughter, and all I needed to do was live my own life.”

“He sounds like a pretty nice dad.”

“He is. He’s always treated Tilura and I with the utmost kindness and respect. Except, of course, when it comes to our future husbands.”

I chuckled. “I bet he has his reasons, though.”

“He’s never given me a chance to learn why. I was practically buried alive in suitors!”

To be honest, I couldn’t imagine why he wanted to marry off his daughters so badly, either. And I didn’t even have kids.

“Anyhow. Because of my father, I was raised without ever putting too much weight on the topic of reincarnation. One thing always bothered me, though…”

“What was that?”

“Whenever I heard about silver fenrir—in the founder’s legends or elsewhere—my pulse would start to race. It was though my heart was trying to burst out of my chest.”

Your chest…

My eyes threatened to drop about a foot but, by mustering every last bit of will I had, I stayed focused on her face.

C’mon! This is a serious conversation, so act like it.

“Even looking at Miss Leo sets my heart racing, though I’ve no idea why.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s why I felt I needed to come back here. The reason for this strange sensation might be in here somewhere.”

“But there’s no guarantee you’ll even find another silver fenrir, right? Besides, you’ve already met Leo.”

“If I don’t find one in these woods, then I’ll give up on trying to figure it out. As for Miss Leo, I simply don’t feel the same rush I do when I hear about other silver fenrir.”

“So that’s why you want to find another one.”

“Yes. All I know for certain now is that if I don’t find one on this expedition, I’ll be able to lay those worries to rest.”

“You will?”

“I’ve caused everyone so much trouble in coming here, after all—Sebastian, Laila, even you.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“I don’t know what the point would be in continuing to chase after them. This expedition will either give me the answer I’ve been looking for, or it’ll give me the reason I need to give up.”

“Okay… I think I get it.”

“I… I do wish I could tell Sebastian and the others about this, though.”

“Why can’t you? I bet Sebastian would understand.”

“If you’ll remember, it was the servants who started those reincarnation rumors in the first place. I wouldn’t want him to feel responsible for this.”

“That…makes sense, actually.”

The rumors might be the reason for her complicated feelings, after all. Given Sebastian’s age and how close he was to Claire, there was a chance that he’d been the Libert family butler since before she was born. He might’ve even helped spread the rumors…

“I’m so sorry for all of this, Takumi. I’m sure it must seem awfully selfish of me, wrapping up so many people in my personal issues.”

“No, I don’t mind. Actually, I’m just glad I finally know what’s been eating at you.”

“You’re far too kind. Oh!”

“What?”

“I forgot to mention but, please, don’t breathe a word of this to Sebastian.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I swear this’ll be our secret—yours, mine, and Leo’s. Isn’t that right, girl?”

“Ruff!”

“Thank you so much, both of you.”

We sat for some time in peaceful silence, all hints of tension totally gone. It felt great knowing what’d been bothering Claire. With time, I was sure we’d figure out the source of her worries and whether or not she really was the founder’s reincarnation. For now, though, I’d seen enough of her bashfulness and blushing to be sated.

“Mr. Hirooka, milady,” came a voice from the men’s tent. I turned to see Phillip there. “Thank you both for keeping watch. Enjoyed yourselves, did you?”

“Oh, Phillip.”

“You’ve done enough for tonight, Mr. Hirooka.” He had a slight smirk on his face as he came to sit by the fire. “I’ll handle the watch from here.”

“Thank you. I was just starting to get tired.”

“You should be getting some sleep, too, milady. If you don’t rest up while you can, Sebastian might chew you out again.”

“I know,” she replied.

With that, Claire and I stood up and, having lost her comfy lap, Leo followed suit.

“Oh, and milady?” Phillip continued, his smile growing. “I wouldn’t worry too much about the past if I were you. Sebastian and I are here for you. Not for the founder, but you.”

Claire shot him a hard look. “You were listening?”

He shrugged and looked away. He looked about ready to start whistling, like in those old cartoons. “Who can say?”

He heard everything, didn’t he? I didn’t say anything weird, right?

I figured that she felt more embarrassed about it than me. I couldn’t see her face clearly in the darkness, but I bet she was bright red.

“Well, um… Let’s get some sleep, Takumi.”

“Yeah. I’d love to know what Phillip’s grinning over, but I doubt he’s going to tell us anything.”

“Not likely. Have a good watch, Phillip.”

He nodded. “Leave it to me. Rest easy now.”

With that, Claire and I turned to go back to our respective tents.

“Oh, right! One last thing, Claire.”

She stopped with her hand on the tent flap. “Yes?”

I walked over to her and fished an herb out of the pouch at my belt. “You should eat this before you go to sleep.”

“What is it?”

It was dark enough there that I couldn’t make out any details, but I knew it was a dried black flower.

“It’s an herb that’ll help you sleep better,” I explained as I handed it to her. “If you eat that before bed, you’ll be fully refreshed in the morning.”

“Is it, now? Is this thanks to Herb Cultivation, too?”

“Yep. That was one of the things I made during my trials.”

“Trials? Promise me you’ll explain everything you’ve found out one of these days.”

“Don’t worry, I will. I don’t have any reason to hide it, after all. I’ll let you know everything as soon as we have the time.”

“All right. In that case, Takumi, good night.”

“Yep. Good night.”

I headed back to my own tent, but before I went in, I glanced back at the women’s tent. I watched her eat the flower I’d given her, then enter her tent.

I hope it works.

I’d based it off a supplement I’d take in my old world when I felt exhausted no matter how much I slept. I remember the slogan was a bottle a day keeps the fatigue away! I tried the herb myself the night before and I’d woken up in the morning feeling totally refreshed. I didn’t know how much the herb had actually helped, though, but it at least didn’t seem to be harmful.

I ate one of the black flowers myself, then gave Leo one last pet and crawled into the tent. Leo didn’t follow me inside, of course. She slept just outside on a blanket we’d laid out for her. Given her fur, she shouldn’t get too cold.

Once inside the tent, I crawled inside the hemp sleeping bag they’d laid out for me and closed my eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Hirooka,” came Sebastian’s voice from beside me.

“I didn’t know you were still awake.”

“Of course.”

Don’t tell me Sebastian heard everything, too?

The tent was close enough to the fire that it seemed possible.

“How much did you hear?”

“Everything, I should imagine. I hadn’t realized those rumors had bothered her so.”

“But Sebastian, she doesn’t—”

“I know. She doesn’t wish for me to feel responsible for it. We’ll end the topic here. Besides, I ought to be thanking you for being such good counsel. I imagine you’ve lightened her burden a good deal.”

“I hope so.”

“Without further ado, then, I bid you good night. Sleep well.”

“Thank you. I hope you sleep well, too, until it’s time for your watch.”

“Yes, I’d best rest while I can. I’m not half as young as I used to be. I’ll be sore all over if I don’t get some sleep.”

I laughed. “You’ve got a few decades left in you, I think.”

He replied with a chuckle. “I certainly hope so!”

After laughing together for a moment, we both fell silent.

He might look old, but he doesn’t act it at all. Even after doing more work than most of us, he seems so full of energy…

With that, I drifted off to sleep.

🐾🐾🐾

WHEN I woke up in the morning, I felt totally energized. I’d slept perfectly soundly the whole night. That herb was certainly more effective than that fishy supplement ever was…

I think I’ll call that little flower a sleeping violet.

I crawled out of the tent and, after washing my face and getting ready, I returned to the fire. Claire was already sitting there.

“Good morning, Takumi.”

“Yeah, good morning, Claire.”

Johanna was sitting with Claire, and Laila was already preparing breakfast. Leo was sitting right by Laila’s side, watching the pot as she wagged away that big, floofy tail of hers. Phillip, Sebastian, and Nicola were discussing how we should go about the day’s exploration.

Looks like I woke up last.

I exchanged good mornings with everyone.

“By the way, Takumi, thank you for that herb last night,” Claire said. “I slept like a log and feel quite refreshed.”

“That’s good to hear. I only tried it out once before, so I’m glad it worked for you.”

Johanna gave us a curious look. “What herb, exactly?”

“Takumi gave me an herb that takes away your fatigue.”

“It basically just makes you sleep better,” I added. “Take one before you fall asleep and you won’t feel tired at all.”

“Really?” Johanna’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t know such a thing existed.”

Since everyone seemed to be interested, I gave them one each. I didn’t have much more than that on me, though, so I told them to only use it when they felt really tired.

Just then, Laila finished cooking breakfast. I handed her an herb as she handed me a bowl. Breakfast was nice and hearty and made ample use of the leftover orc. The meat wouldn’t last long without refrigeration, after all, and there was a lot to go through.

After we all finished, we finally started our exploration. It didn’t make sense to have all of us trudging through the woods together, so we decided to split up. Leo, Sebastian, Claire, and I would head upstream and into the forest’s depths, since Leo would be more than enough to handle any monsters. Phillip and Nicola would explore the area directly around the camp, taking out any monsters they saw and looking for any traces of silver fenrir in the process. Laila would stay in camp to tend the fire and Johanna would guard the camp with her.

“Well then, milady, Mr. Hirooka, Miss Leo. Let us depart.”

“All right.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“Ruff!”

Sebastian led our group, followed by Leo and I, and finally Claire. That way, we’d be able to clear as much growth as possible so that Claire would have an easier time of it.

I’m really glad Leo is big now.

After leaving the river’s bank, we walked a while in silence. After about an hour, we found that the trees around us were growing denser and the forest floor was darker than it had been.

I was the first to say something. “It’s getting pretty hard to see, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it is,” Sebastian nodded. “As is, we might not be able to notice potential threats unless we’re upon them. Are you still holding up all right, milady?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m nowhere near as tired as yesterday.”

She did seem to be having an easier time of it, between Leo ploughing vegetation out of the way and not having to carry any luggage.

Sebastian brought a hand to his chin. “At this rate, however, it may be especially easy to trip, and I doubt we would notice monster tracks should we come across them. I suppose this calls for a tad of magic, though I was hoping to conserve my mana.”

“Magic?”

“Yes. I’ll be utilizing some simple light magic.”

With that, he brandished his short sword.

“Light Elemental Shine.”

The sword’s blade started glowing so brightly, it hurt to look at directly. The forest floor was now well-lit, and we could see around us enough to tell if there was a monster coming, at least.

“There. It should be quite easy to see now.”

“That’s one useful spell.”

“Oh, it’s quite easy to use, I assure you. With a little practice, you could likely use it yourself.”

“Really? Would you mind teaching me when we get back to the mansion?”

“Not at all.”

Claire shot me a pouty look. “I know magic, too. I could teach you just as well.”

Sebastian chuckled. “And who was it that taught you, milady? No, I believe that I am the most suitable mentor.”

“I’ve been studying since then, though. I’d be a great teacher!”

“If you insist, milady, I suppose I can leave it to you.” He shot me a sly smile before continuing in a low voice, “I’m sure you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

What’s gotten into him lately? Why is he trying so hard to play matchmaker? Besides, should he really be doing that without Claire’s consent? And there was that time with Laila, too…

I puzzled over Sebastian’s newfound hobby as we walked.

🐾🐾🐾

BY the end of the day, we hadn’t found anything worth mentioning. We kept an eye on the time and made sure to start heading back well before twilight. On the way back, we talked over how we might be more successful tomorrow. Leo, of course, was happy just to go on such a long walk. It probably had something to do with how at home she felt in the woods.

Two days passed, but none of us found so much as a trace of a fenrir. Not even Leo had picked up on anything unusual. We’d encountered enough orcs to eat for a week, but we were running worryingly low on vegetables. Our expedition seemed to be nearing the end of its natural lifespan.

On the third day, we gathered around the campfire to discuss our plans after dinner.

“It seems we have yet to come across any results,” Sebastian announced.

Phillip nodded. “There’s nothing close to camp except a few orcs.”

“……”

“Maybe there aren’t any fenrir in these woods after all,” Johanna said.

“Ruff?”

I bet everyone thought the same way Johanna did. Even Leo seemed skeptical. We’d even explored deeper and longer than usual yesterday with no results. We wouldn’t be running out of food or water anytime soon, but I could tell we were all starting to get tired. Everyone had already eaten their sleeping violets, and spending night after night in a tent was starting to wear on us.

Eventually, Claire broke the silence, looking up from the embers. “Tomorrow will be our last day. If we don’t find anything, we’ll return to the mansion.”

“Are you quite certain, milady?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes. At this rate, we might never find what we’re looking for. Besides, the more tired we become, the greater likelihood someone will get hurt. We’d best leave before then.”

Sebastian’s face creased with worry. “You make a valid point, but please, won’t you reconsider?”

Looking around, I could see that everyone was worried. Apparently, what she’d told me on watch several nights ago had spread throughout the whole camp. She couldn’t know that for certain, but she probably suspected as much.

I didn’t breathe a word of it, though.

Most likely, Phillip had told the other guards and Johanna had passed it on to Laila. Almost everyone had come to ask me either while on watch or in the tent if what they’d heard was true, and they all felt guilty in some way. In the end, Sebastian had decided making this expedition a success was the best way to make amends, and not a soul there wanted to disappoint her.

They sure do love her, huh?

Claire shook her head, though. “I don’t want to bother you all with my childish fantasies any longer. If we don’t find something tomorrow, we’re returning home, and that’s final.”

Sebastian nodded hesitantly. “As you wish, milady.”

This just isn’t fair…and after all she told me about her past, too. If only we could find some clue.

I couldn’t wish a fenrir into existence, though, no matter how much I wanted to. After hashing out the details, we decided to go to sleep.

As an aside, we’d been changing the order of the watch every night but kept the pairings the same. We’d only had any trouble one night, when an orc tried to sneak up on us during Johanna and Laila’s watch. Fortunately, Leo snapped awake and killed it before it could do anything, and it’d become our breakfast the next morning.

After Leo and I finished our watch, I ate my last sleeping violet and crawled into my sleeping bag. It was the one I’d saved for myself when I was handing them out to everyone else.

I’d better be ready for tomorrow, after all. We’ve got to find something, no matter what!

🐾🐾🐾

THE next morning after breakfast, we left Laila and Johanna at camp and headed into the deepest part of the forest. Our plan was to return as late as possible to allow for more exploring. Laila even packed herb-roasted orc for us so we wouldn’t have to cook on the go.

We decided to investigate the far side of the river today, even though we hadn’t finished checking everywhere on our camp’s side. Phillip thought that exploring somewhere totally new might give us better results, though, and even Leo was really interested in the far side.

According to her, she’d caught a whiff of something strange and felt a weird presence coming from there since early that morning. It was apparently so faint that she doubted herself. But, whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t an orc. None of our noses were sensitive enough to pick up on it, of course, but it was worth a shot.

Claire and Sebastian rode across the river on Leo’s back while everyone else swam and with that, our final day of exploration began.

Several hours later, we’d entered a denser part of the forest. We’d been relying on Sebastian’s light magic for a while now.

“No sign of anything here,” Sebastian said with a frown.

“Oh… I see,” Claire said sadly.

He cast a glance at her. “Why don’t we rest a bit? I’m sure this adventure has been rather fatiguing on all of us.”

I didn’t feel tired from the past few days thanks to the herb, but my legs were starting to ache a little. Fatigue was starting to slowly spread among us all.

Seems like as good a time as any for lunch.

Since there weren’t any clearings nearby, we sat down where we were and pulled out our lunches.

“How’re you holding up, Claire?” I asked.

“Fine, I think. I’m tired, but I’m far more used to walking now than I was a few days ago.”

“Do you think you can keep going?”

“I’ll be okay. I want to find some trace of evidence that there were fenrir here in the past, at least.”

We hadn’t found so much as a footprint yet and I could tell that we couldn’t hold out much longer as we were. Even Sebastian was massaging his feet as he ate.

If he’s actually getting tired now, I can only imagine how rough Claire must be having it.

“What do you think, Leo?”

“Ruff?”

“At this rate, we’ll be going home empty-handed. I don’t want all the effort Claire and everyone else put into this to be a waste. We’ve gotta do something.”

“Wooooo… Ruff-ruff?!” She suddenly stood up from her sausages and stared right at me.

“Huh? What’s up, Leo? Do you smell a monster?”

Sebastian’s eyes widened. “Monsters?”

Everyone was instantly on high alert. Leo shook her head, though, and first Sebastian, then Phillip and the others relaxed.

“What is it, then?”

“Ruff, ruff, ruff!”

She licked my hand, then stuck her nose pointedly into the ground.

What’s she trying to say?

“Wooo! Ruff-ruff-ruff-ruff-rooooo.”

Herb Cultivation…? Oh!

“I totally forgot!”

Herb Cultivation didn’t run on mana. I didn’t even feel tired after using it, so there was no point in conserving it.

There’s so much I can do with it, too!

I noticed that the others were starting to look at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t have time for that.

How did I manage to forget that? I even gave them herbs I’d made!

With so much open ground around, there was no better place to use my Gift.

“Sorry, Claire, everyone. I made a huge mistake.” I bowed deeply to them.

Claire gave me a worried look. “What happened?”

“Is everything quite all right?”

“I forgot something really important. I have Herb Cultivation!”

Claire gave me a confused look. “What about it?”

“With it, our whole expedition could’ve been so much easier.”

“How so?”

“We don’t have much time to waste, so I’ll cut to the chase. First, I need to make sure I can use it here.”

“All right.”

They all stopped to watch me.

“Thanks, Leo. I might not have remembered if not for you.” I gave her an affectionate pat.

“Ruuuuuff!” You’re welcome.

Seriously, after all that time I spent working on my Herb Cultivation, how’d I forget about it?

I’d probably just gotten careless, but I’d have plenty of time to mull it over later. I put my hand to the ground, hoping that my Gift would work. After a moment’s concentration, a little loe plant popped out of the soil.

“Great, it works!”

Phillip stared in shock. “So that’s what a Gift’s like? Crazy.”

Nicola gaped. “Ne’er did I imagine such a thing possible.”

If they’re shocked now, then they’re in for a real surprise.

Giddy with excitement at my first chance to put my Gift to real use, I focused on growing more herbs. I’d been thinking of what kind of herbs might be useful the entire time we’d been in the forest, intending to grow them as soon as we got back to the mansion. So I had a full list in mind.

Why didn’t I think to grow them right away? Man, I’m stupid. I wish I could go back in time and slap myself until I remembered.

For now, though, all I could do was focus on growing the right herbs. I didn’t want to grow anything weird while I was distracted. One by one, three little patches of herbs started popping out of the ground.

“There, done.”

“That’s an awful lot of herbs,” Claire remarked.

Sebastian looked them over curiously. “What, exactly, are these?”

First things first, though. I had them help me harvest the plants. Then I prepared each one so that it’d have its maximum effect. I was glad I knew I could dry them so easily. I wouldn’t have thought to try if not for the capwort incident.

“All right, I’ve everyone’s shares. Make sure you eat them all.”

Claire’s brow furrowed as I handed her the first herb, a small pile of leaves. “You’re certain these are edible?”

Looking around, I could tell that Sebastian and the guards were equally unsure.

Yeah, I’m not surprised.

The leaves all had squiggly purple marks on them. They looked highly poisonous.

“They’re safe, I promise. Watch.”

I gulped them down. They didn’t taste very good, but Leo seemed eager for her share.

Seeing me eat them seemed to calm everyone’s nerves, and one by one, they ate their leaves, and their expressions changed.

“This is amazing! It’s as though all my fatigue faded away!”

“Truly a marvel… I never imagined your Gift would bear such fruit.”

“Whoa… This is awesome.”

“Verily, I feel ready for training!”

All four of them started hopping in place and stretching, looks of awe on their faces.

It’s good that you guys feel reenergized, but don’t tire yourselves out again.

“WOO-WOO-WOOOOOOO!”

Leo started running circuits around a pair of nearby trees at high speed.

Uh… Maybe you’ve got a little too much energy there, girl. Were you even tired before?

“Glad it’s working for everyone. All right, onto the next ones.”

“There’s more?” Claire said in surprise.

“Yep,” I nodded as I picked the next herbs. “This one’s to help with our search. Oh, but before that… Sebastian, Phillip, could you turn off your light spells?”

“I can,” Sebastian replied. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, please do.”

They doused their lights and the forest around us turned pitch black.

Good…looks like they trust these herbs work. This one’s definitely not something to take under bright light.

I handed everyone a pair of herbs. They both looked better than the last one, but they tasted far worse. All four of them ate them readily, but I could faintly tell that they were wincing.

Wait, I’d better eat mine.

“Takumi! How can I see so well now?!”

“Did the forest become brighter? No…it only seems brighter now, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “Technically, it just reduces the amount of light your eyes need to see.”

“Whoa…”

“Verily, most impressive.”

Phillip and Nicola were gaping at each other as if they couldn’t believe their eyes.

It’s too early to be shocked, everyone. Don’t forget, you just ate two different herbs.

“This should make things significantly easier,” Sebastian said.

Phillip nodded. “Yeah. Light magic can only show so much, after all.”

“I daresay we shan’t miss a single clue now.”

The guys were all still looking around in amazement, but Claire had a confused expression on her face.

I bet she noticed.

“Takumi?” she asked. “I’ve either gone mad or I can suddenly hear all sorts of animals that I couldn’t before. Why, I think I can even feel where they are.”

“You’re not crazy, Claire. That’s the third herb kicking in.”

Her eyes widened. “It is?”

The second of the herbs they’d eaten improved their eyesight. The third increased their hearing and sharpened their so-called “sixth senses” so that they could sense the presence of anything around them. Between the two of them, it should be a lot easier to find the fenrir now.

“Oh, and here’s your share, Leo.” I held out a pair of herbs for her as well.

“Ruff.” She lapped them up, then her ears drooped. “Urf.”

“They taste pretty bad, huh? Sorry.”

She continued giving me a sad look as she finished chewing them, then swallowed.

Good girl!

As Leo finished her herbs, I looked back at the others. Sebastian was looking around in awe.

“We can see everyone in front of the trees with such ease, and now, even that which is far away can be felt… Astounding.”

“Hey, Nicola?” Phillip poked Nicola. “Can you sense that over there? I think it’s an orc.”

“Verily, the ideal herb for such an expedition. Dare I believe we may succeed in our task?”

Even Claire was testing out the limits of her new senses, peering around excitedly as if expecting a fenrir to be waiting just around the corner.

“Ruff!”

I turned to see that Leo had finished her herbs.

I’d given Claire and the others herbs to help speed us up, but Leo had great senses to begin with. By enhancing them even further, our chances of finding something out there greatly increased.

“So? Can you pick up anything, girl?”

“Rooo… Ruff!”

She took a moment to glance around her, but she seemed to come up empty.

“Okay. Let me know as soon as you do, though.”

She nodded. “Ruff!”

Here’s hoping things go a lot more smoothly now.

“All right, everyone. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything around here. If you’re all done resting, then how about we get going?”

“Indeed,” Sebastian said. “I believe we’re all feeling quite rejuvenated. We’d best get underway.”

“Your Herb Cultivation truly is amazing, Takumi. I was surprised to see you grow loe, but I never imagined you’d outdo yourself so quickly.”

I laughed it off. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without such a great place to study.”

“Well, I hope you find even more ways to use it in the future.”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

Back when I first heard about my Gift, I was so afraid that it’d be useless. But it was already proving how invaluable it could be when used right. I resolved to experiment with it some more as soon as we got back to the mansion.

With that, we headed deeper into the forest. We encountered a few orcs along the way, but Phillip and Nicola had little trouble dispatching them. Apparently, their heightened senses made it easier for them to read the orcs’ moves. It was almost too easy to beat them now. Leo wanted to hunt them too, of course, but I had her heeling by my side the entire time. The guards wanted a proper chance to test the extent of their new senses, after all.

Even with the aid of our heightened senses and refreshed bodies, however, we still couldn’t seem to find anything noteworthy. The sun was beginning to set and soon, we’d have to turn back.

“Still nothing, huh?” I remarked.

Claire smiled sadly. “No…no, I suppose not.”

Sebastian looked at his pocket watch. “I’m afraid it’s getting late. We’d best turn—”

“Rrrrrrrrrr-grrrrrrrr… Bark, bark!!”

Before Sebastian could finish that dreaded sentence, Leo suddenly whipped her head to the left and started barking her head off. It wasn’t the kind of bark she used for orcs, either.

“What is it, girl? Is something there?!”

She turned back to me for just a moment. “Wooooh! Ruff! Bark!!”

“Sebastian? Leo says monsters are fighting over there.”

“Monsters, you say? Are they orcs? No… I can’t imagine they would target each other.”

“Ruff, ruff! Bark!” Definitely not orcs!

What other monsters are there, though? Is it that weird thing Leo picked up on this morning?

“Woooooh! HRRRRRR! Bark, bark, bark!”

Leo raised her paw. Then, she shook her head once, and finally pointed at Claire.

Okay, so something to do with her, but she shook her head, so not that. Then she pointed at Claire, so…

“Claire!”

She jumped. “Wh-What?”

“Leo says it’s a fenrir!”

“What…?!”

Sebastian’s eyes opened wide. “Is that true?!”

Phillip tensed up. “Are you sure?”

Claire looked up at Leo. “But I still don’t feel anything. How can Leo pick it up?”

“Her senses are really good to begin with,” I explained. “But that was before I gave her the same herb as the rest of you.”

“Which means…”

“Her senses got even better,” I explained. “That’s why she can pick up on things further away than any of us can.”

“I see,” Sebastian mused.

So there really are fenrir here… And just when we’d almost given up, too.

Claire and Sebastian seemed especially shocked.

“Is the fenrir hunting or something, Leo?” I asked.

Fenrir are pack monsters, though. So, if they’re in the middle of a hunt, we might want to avoid getting too close.

She shook her head no. “Ruff, ruff, fruff. Ruff, bark, bark!”

Wait…it’s getting attacked by something? What kind of monster could pull that off?

“Claire, Sebastian, it sounds like the fenrir’s getting attacked. What kind of monsters living in these woods would be strong enough to do that?”

Claire looked baffled. “Attacking a fenrir…?”

“There are a scant few,” Sebastian mused. “If there are several of them, and only a single fenrir, I imagine trolds might be so bold.”

“Trolds? What are those?”

“Horrific giant-like creatures that grow over ten feet tall. They have enough raw strength to uproot a tree single-handed. They’re generally considered weaker than fenrir, but in great enough numbers, I imagine they would stand a chance.”

“Okay, I think I see. So, Leo, can you tell what the attackers are like from here?”

“Ruff… Bark, bark, bark!”

“She says there’s five of them, and they’re big and walk on two legs…sounds like trolds.”

Sebastian nodded. “Ah, I see.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Claire shouted. “Let’s go help it!”

“Please wait, milady. We have no means of defeating five trolds! You must consider your own wellbeing!”

“But—!”

“Ruff.”

Leo raised a paw, cutting them both off.

“Miss Leo?”

“Is something amiss, Miss Leo?”

“Ruff, Ruff. Bark!” She brandished her scythe-like claws.

“Leo says she can take ’em,” I translated.

Sebastian didn’t seem convinced. “I doubt even you could handle so many of them, Miss Leo.”

C’mon, Sebastian, stop doubting her. Is she the strongest or isn’t she?

“Roo-roo-rooooo!”

“Leo says trolds are basically just big babies. She can take them down without breaking a sweat.”

Sebastian did a double take. “Even trolds, you say?”

“Can we ask for your aid, then, Miss Leo?”

Leo nodded firmly. “Ruff.”

“All right, then. Please show us the way.”

“Aroooooo!”

Leo nodded again then took Sebastian’s place at the head of the party as we headed toward the monsters. After a while, even we could sense the monsters some distance ahead.

“I guess that must be them.”

“So it seems,” Claire agreed with me.

“No, wait…it feels too one-sided to be a ‘fight.’”

One of the presences—probably the fenrir—was barely moving. The five bigger creatures were surrounding it, bobbing toward and away from it.

“It feels like the trolds have the fenrir surrounded and are just taking turns beating it up.”

“How awful!” Claire exclaimed.

“We’ve got to save it!” Phillip shouted.

Sebastian nodded. “We’d best make haste.”

Everyone seemed to feel for the fenrir, but I couldn’t tell for certain if it was because it was getting ganged up on or because they’d come to know Leo so well. Not that I’d complain either way, of course.

“Go on ahead, Leo! We’ll catch up!”

“Wooooooh!”

Leo bolted off into the woods ahead of us. She’d get there much faster without the five of us to slow her down. She quickly disappeared from sight, but I could still feel her presence as she ran like the wind toward the trolds. After only a moment, she’d clearly arrived there, as I could feel the trolds’ presences disappear one by one as she took them out.

“We’d best hurry too!” Claire called out to the rest of us.

“Yeah!”

With that, we all started running. We still had to swerve around trees and such, but it was still faster than walking. Not even Claire seemed to mind as we collided with branches and vines. I could practically feel her determination.

After a few minutes, we finally arrived at the scene of the fight. There was a small clearing there, and most of it was taken up by five giant corpses. Some were burned to almost unrecognizable crisps, a few were hacked apart, and one was frozen solid with one gigantic arm raised in the air. They were just as massive as Sebastian had described, and they had human-sized clubs. I could only imagine how devasting a strike from one of those would be, but Leo probably didn’t give them a chance to try. Leo herself, of course, was sitting under a tree, waiting for us.

“Mruff.” You’re all so slow.

We took a moment to calm our breathing and make sure the trolds were dead before heading over to her. She stayed sitting the whole time, however, not moving a muscle.

What’s gotten into her? I thought she’d want a pet for a job well done.

“You okay, Leo?”

Claire looked around for a moment. “Where’s the fenrir, Miss Leo?”

“Ruuuuff…”

I was the only one who seemed to find Leo’s behavior weird, though. The others seemed more worried about the fenrir.

Leo nudged a red patch of ground with her nose.

Wait…there’s something there.

“Leo… Don’t tell me that’s the fenrir.”

“*Whine*.”

Claire’s eyes opened wide. “That’s it?”

“To think they still lived in these woods,” Sebastian mused.

It looked wolflike, just like Leo, except that it was about the size of a Border Collie. Especially with Leo standing protectively over it, the fenrir seemed especially small.

Come to think of it, fenrir are supposed to be smaller.

Leo gave it another nudge with her nose.

“What’s up, girl?”

“Ruff… Woooo.” She sounded a lot quieter than usual.

Sebastian stepped forward as we squinted at the fenrir. “Allow me to take a look.”

I stepped forward with him until we were both right beside Leo. Claire followed closely behind us.

“Oh, my,” Sebastian gasped as he reached out to examine it. “What terrible wounds.”

“And here I thought it was just the same color as the ground…”

“How terrible.”

Leo pulled her head back, and for the first time, I could tell that the little creature’s fur was stained crimson with blood and dirt. The grass was stained the same reddish hue, which I’d thought was the ground’s natural color. I could faintly see patches of the fenrir’s snow-white fur here and there.

Leo gave Sebastian a pleading look. “*Whine*…”

---

---

Sebastian’s brow furrowed as he examined its wounds. “How terrible.”

“How is it, Sebastian?” Claire asked pensively.

“It appears as though we arrived too late. The poor creature is breathing, but only barely. I’m afraid it won’t last much longer.”

“How horrible… And here we finally found one…”

I didn’t know what to say. The trolds must’ve really done a number on it. Looking closely, I could tell that one of its hind legs was broken at an unnatural angle, no doubt the work of a massive club. It was probably unable to escape after that first devastating hit.

“Woo… Woo, woo, woo…” Leo gave me the same look she usually did when she was begging. I could tell she wanted to save the poor pup.

“Leo…”

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Claire asked.

Sebastian shook his head. “I have some medical knowledge, but this far surpasses my abilities. I doubt even the most skilled of doctors could do much for it, in this state.”

I could make out the shaky rise and fall of its chest. It didn’t even attempt to move nor make a sound.

Sebastian might be right.

Even though fenrir attacked humans just as any trold or orc might, it looked too similar to Leo for me to just sit by and do nothing. But I wasn’t a doctor either, much less a vet. I bit my lip in frustration.

Isn’t there anything I can do?

Claire turned to me. “Takumi? Isn’t there something you or Miss Leo can do?”

Sebastian shook his head, closing his eyes with a regretful expression. “I doubt it, milady. These wounds are most definitely fatal.”

“Ruff? *Whine*… *Whimper*.”

Leo’s eyes grew larger and more pleading. I bit my lip even harder.

Phillip shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do for it now.”

“’Tis the law of nature,” Nicola muttered sadly. “And yet, it eases not the heartache.”

Their heads all drooped sadly as they watched on in silence.

After a moment, though, I realized something. I relaxed my jaw. There was still the bitter taste of the herbs left in my mouth, since I hadn’t drunk anything since then. I had an idea.

“Sebastian?”

“What is it?”

“You said that loe could heal wounds in an instant, right?”

He nodded hesitantly. “Yes, but I’m afraid it has its limits. With such grave wounds, I’m afraid it wouldn’t help.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be using loe.”

I’ll make something new—something similar, but stronger! An herb that can bring the fenrir back from the brink of death!

Loe could be used as easily as rubbing the gooey inside bits on a wound. There had to be some herb with even stronger healing that worked the same way.

“Takumi?”

“Mr. Hirooka?”

I could hear Claire and Sebastian’s voices, but I didn’t have any time to waste. I carefully crafted a mental image of the herb I wanted, then stuck my hand to the ground. I didn’t breathe a word as I focused single-mindedly on it. The others could probably tell I was trying to use Herb Cultivation, as they didn’t try to interrupt me.

After a few long seconds, there was a glow from beneath my hand that I’d never seen before. The second I pulled it away, a white-leaved loe sprung up from the earth. I tore off a few fat, juicy leaves. Sebastian wordlessly handed me his short sword, and I carefully peeled the plant’s hard exterior away. Then, with the preparation all done, I edged forward.

“Takumi?” Claire asked.

“Ruff…”

“It’ll be okay, I swear!”

They all watched with bated breath as I laid the gooey, exposed parts of the leaves over the fenrir’s wounds. The second they touched, the leaves began to give off a brilliant glow, which rapidly covered the fenrir’s entire body. Then, as if time itself were rewinding, its wounds began to close up. By the time the light had dissipated, even its broken leg was back to normal.

Claire covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes growing moist. “Oh, Takumi!”

“Ruff! Ruff, ruff, ruff!”

Sebastian’s eyes were wide with disbelief. “An herb that can bring one back from the brink of death…?!”

I was honestly just as surprised as Sebastian was, though.

“You’re amazing, Takumi!”

“Ruff! Ruff!”

Claire and Leo were both giddy beyond words.

I laughed awkwardly. “It was just luck, honestly. I had no idea this was even possible.”

“Your Gift really is amazing, though!”

“Ruffarooo!”

Claire and Leo both looked at me as if I’d done the impossible.

This is kind of embarrassing…

“What was that? A miracle?” Phillip asked in disbelief.

“Verily,” said Nicola with a dazed nod. “’Tis not every day one sees a man flaunt death itself.”

Only Sebastian seemed to maintain his composure. He pulled a square of cloth about the size of a lap blanket out of his bag and gently wrapped the fenrir in it.

“Though its wounds have healed, it appears the poor thing is still exhausted.”

Whoops. First things first, we need to look after this little guy.

“Good idea. We’ve got to make sure it doesn’t get too cold.”

“Sebastian?” Claire asked hesitantly. “You don’t suppose I could touch it, do you?”

“I would advise against it, milady. Though its wounds have closed, it was still nearly on the brink of death mere moments ago. It would be best to let it rest for a spell.”

The smile dropped from her face. “Oh… Of course. I understand.”

Did she want to pet it that badly?

Leo leaned forward toward Claire, as if offering to be pet. “Ruff.”

“Oh. Thank you, Miss Leo.” She giggled, seemingly content.

Sebastian studied the fenrir with a contemplative expression. “It would appear that this fenrir is but a pup.”

“It is?”

At its size, I’d assumed it was fully grown. I thought that Leo was simply way too big to be any decent reference, and it seemed big enough to my eyes.

“My guess,” Sebastian continued, “is that this poor fellow was separated from his pack, and then had the misfortune to encounter those trolds.”

“Makes sense,” I nodded.

Claire took a look around the clearing and stopped. “Speaking of the trolds, where did they go? There’s only one now.”

Phillip stepped forward. “Nicola and I took the liberty of disposing of them while you were focused on the fenrir, Milady.”

Nicola nodded. “We were unable to move the frozen titan, but those that lay in pieces have been buried yonder.”

When did they have the time to do that?

I was glad that I wouldn’t have to see the bodies again. The frozen one was still rooted in place where Leo had killed it, though.

I hope it doesn’t thaw out anytime soon.

“It’s sleeping so peacefully,” Claire muttered beside me.

I turned back to find her watching the fenrir pup with a soft smile. It was snoozing away with a serene look on its face. Leo leaned protectively over the little sleeper, her head hanging right over it.

“Yeah… I’m glad.”

“It may take some time yet to recover from its fatigue,” Sebastian said. “The pain appears to be gone, at least, so a good night’s rest should restore its lost energy.”

The mystery herb I’d used could probably only heal wounds, but that was enough.

With that, we got ready to turn back to camp. It was well past the time we should’ve turned back home.

“Woo? Woo, woo, woo…” Leo didn’t seem eager to go, however.

“What’s up?”

“Roo-roo. Ruff?”

She leaned down to the little fenrir, then gently grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and made a lifting motion.

“You mean you want to take the fenrir with us?”

She nodded. “Ruff, ruff, ruff!”

I’m not sure that’s a good idea…we don’t know how it’ll take to people yet.

“Uh, Claire? Sebastian?”

“What is it?” Claire asked.

“Anything you need?”

They both stopped gathering their things to look at me.

“Leo says we should take the fenrir back with us.”

“She does?” Sebastian arched an eyebrow.

Claire thought for a moment. “I think we should, too.”

“Milady. You realize that fenrir, pup though it may be, is a dangerous wild animal? Who knows what havoc it could wreak when it wakes up?”

“But we can’t just leave it here alone to die. What if some other monster comes while it’s asleep?”

He hesitated. “Well…granted, but nonetheless.”

“Ruff, ruff. Fruff, roo-roo, woo-woo, ruff.”

I could tell from her gestures and the tone in her voice that she thought taking the fenrir was safe. She motioned to pick up the pup a few more times.

There’s no way those are things a dog could mime… I mean, I guess she’s not quite a dog, but still…it’s kind of funny how she can move like that.

“I think we should take the pup, too,” I added.

“Even you?” Sebastian asked in surprise.

“You remember what Leo said before we came here, right?”

“Yes…that no fenrir could pose a threat to her.”

“Exactly. Also, don’t forget that they obey silver fenrir on instinct. As long as Leo’s with us, it won’t hurt anyone, I promise.”

“Miss Leo said so, did she?” He stroked his chin.

I nodded.

Claire gave him a pleading look. “Please, Sebastian?”

“…I suppose we can take it back so that it may recover safely.”

“Oh, thank you, Sebastian!”

“But! Should it harm a soul in the mansion, I shall have it dispatched immediately. Not only that, but Miss Leo must watch over it at all times without fail. Do I make myself clear?”

“Clear enough,” I nodded.

Claire hesitated a moment before nodding. “I can agree to that.”

“Ruff!”

It made sense that he’d be nervous about it. All we had to go on was Leo’s word, and she didn’t have any experience raising a fenrir—not to mention they were known maneaters.

“All right, then. With that settled, I propose we move out.”

“Okay,” I nodded.

Claire smiled. “We did achieve our goal after all. I’d call this more than enough.”

Not only did we finish what we came there to do, but we’d decided to head home in the morning anyways. We’d only spent about a week there, but it felt so much longer and more tiring than that.

“In that case, I’ll carry the fenrir,” Claire said as she walked over to Leo. “Do you mind?”

“Ruff.” Leo obediently backed away.

She leaned down to lift up the fenrir, not batting an eye at the blood that got stuck to her clothes. “You’re lighter than you look, aren’t you?” she said softly.

“Are you sure you can take it back?” I asked her. “You’re not tired from all that running, are you?”

“Oh, no. I’ve gotten quite used to the forest now. Besides, between the herb you so kindly gave me and this little one, I’m quite all right.”

She didn’t seem that tired, either, but she could be putting on a brave front for all I knew.

“Ruff, ruff. Ruff!” Leo pointedly sat down with her back to Claire, as if offering her a ride if she felt tired later.

“Thank you for the offer, Miss Leo,” Claire smiled.

“Ruff!”

I wasn’t expecting Leo to be so protective of the fenrir, though. She kept saying how they were weak and such before we came, so I thought she didn’t care for them much.

Maybe it reminds her of the day I found her? It was so rainy and cold that day, and she felt so weak in my arms, I’d ended up running all the way home.

“All right, then,” Sebastian announced. “Let us be off.”

Whoops, this is no time to be thinking about the past.

I nodded in agreement, and we all headed back through the forest down the path we’d came.

It was a lot darker than before, but the herbs we’d eaten were still in full effect, so we’d no trouble seeing. If anything, we were able to move more quickly than we had earlier.

As we walked, Leo occasionally checked to see how Claire was holding up. Several times, I caught Claire peering into the blanket at the fenrir and smiling. She didn’t seem to tire once. I kept an eye on both of them from behind. It was almost like Claire was carrying a baby, and Leo looked like a big sister worried about her newborn sibling. Silver fenrir were supposedly a different species from fenrir altogether, but Leo didn’t seem to care—not that she was originally a silver fenrir herself.

By the time we eventually made it back to camp, night had long fallen. Despite the hour, Laila and Johanna were ready and waiting with a warm dinner…no, a midnight snack.

Man, it’s nice to come home to a warm meal…even if this isn’t home.

It was a long trip all in all, but with the young fenrir in tow, we were able to call it a job well done.

“First a silver fenrir, then Herb Cultivation, and now a fenrir pup…there’s never a dull moment in this world, is there? I hope I can relax a while when we get back,” I muttered to myself as I sat by the fire, watching as the smoke drifted up into the unfamiliar night sky.