Chapter 73

　When we returned with Miriya, who seemed tense after having run away in a fit of emotion, not only Daon but also Ellie and her mother were standing in front of the campsite for some reason.

　The moment Ellie noticed us, she waved energetically and came running over. …Why were the two of them here?

「Nice to meet you, cat lady! I’m Ellie! What’s your name?」

「I’m Miriya…」

「Nice to meet you, Miriya-oneechan!」

「Y-Yeah… Nice to meet you too.」

　This girl was incredibly cheerful and friendly. She was close with Noel as well, and surely did not discriminate against beastmen in the slightest. Perhaps because I had been watching the abusive adventurers earlier, the sight filled me with warmth and relief.

　Miriya also seemed somewhat bewildered by the girl’s cheerfulness, but she did not appear displeased. If she had endured discrimination all her life, it was only natural she would react that way.

「Ellie. The adventurer-san needs to speak with Daon-san, so wait a little longer.」

「Okaaay! Miriya-oneechan, talk to me too after you finish discussing work! I want to hear stories about adventurers!」

「Yeah, all right. Later.」

　Apparently, Ellie had come here because she was interested in adventurers. Her mother had probably followed because she was worried about her. Still, thanks to the young girl speaking to her so brightly, Miriya seemed to relax a little.

　Muttering a quiet 「All right」 as if psyching herself up, she stood in front of Daon and bowed her head.

「I’m sorry I startled you. You saved me a long time ago… and I volunteered because I wanted to repay you and be useful to you. I’ll work properly as an adventurer, so could you please allow me to stay here?」

「No, I am sorry as well for failing to recognize you. …You have grown into a splendid young woman. To be honest, we are in a situation where we would gladly accept even a cat’s paw. It would help us greatly if you fought alongside us.」

「! …Yes!」

　Beastmen were said to be a race whose emotions were easy to read, because their feelings appeared involuntarily in their ears and tails and could not be hidden. Noel had been embarrassed by that, so Miriya’s emotions must also have been visible in her animal features.

　Her tail stood straight up and appeared to tremble slightly. I wondered what emotion that expressed. I had learned to understand Noel’s tail fairly well, but apparently even among beastmen, expressions differed depending on the kind of animal.

「That’s good. Miriya-san is really happy.」

(Oh, so that means she’s happy. Maybe it’s the cat version of Noel wagging his tail…)

　For the moment, the misunderstanding between Daon and Miriya had been resolved. The remaining problem was where she would live. There were no vacant houses in the village, and having her stay at Daon’s house would probably be inappropriate unless both of them intended to marry. Miriya aside, Daon did not appear to have any such intention.

　Should I make her somewhere to live after all? One woman would not need much space, and it would not require much effort. Just as I was thinking I could do it immediately, Ellie ran toward the two of them while they were considering the matter.

　
「Miriya-oneechan, if you’re looking for somewhere to live, come live with us! Mama said it’s okay too!」

　That was unexpected. When I looked at Ellie’s mother in surprise, she smiled and nodded. Apparently, she had truly given her permission.

「…I’m a beastman. Is that really okay?」

「Of course! It’s only me and Mama at our house, so I’d be happy if it were livelier.」

　Her words reminded me that Ellie’s father was not around. No one ever mentioned it, so I did not know the details, but the mortality rate in this world, with all its ferocious monsters, seemed fairly high. It was probably something along those lines.

　What a terrifying world, filled entirely with dangerous monsters and countless threats to humans. In a world overrun by vicious monsters, weak beings could do nothing but live in fear. …I wish it would become a world where neither humans nor I had to feel threatened, and everyone could live peacefully.

「And our house is right next door to Uncle Daon’s too!」

「I’ll be in your care from now on.」

　At that innocent statement, which was probably made entirely out of goodwill, Miriya bowed deeply, while Daon looked completely taken aback.

　The girl was sincerely supporting someone else’s romance and might not understand or even sense the barrier between races at all. …Perhaps this was what it meant for discrimination not to exist.

「I am already forty. I would hardly be a suitable match for someone as young as you. You should find someone more appropriate…」

「That’s not true. I’m a beastman, so the time we have left is about the same. …That means the end won’t be so different either. Even if you reject me, I won’t resent you or get angry, but I don’t intend to give up.」

　She said it in a firm voice filled with determination, and Daon seemed unable to argue back. Even when he looked toward us as though asking for help, there was nothing I could do.

　Noel headed over to them with a resigned expression, but Ellie took his hand and tried to pull him into her side, saying, 「Noel, let’s support them together!」 …Apparently, Daon had no allies.

「Witch-sama, thank you as always for everything you do for my daughter and me.」

(Oh, Ellie’s mother. …I don’t see her often, but I’m glad she seems well.)

　Perhaps because everyone else was making such a commotion, Ellie’s mother, who had remained outside the circle, came over and spoke to me. However, Noel, who would normally speak on my behalf, was over with the others, so all I could do was nod in response.

「Witch-sama, you must have found it strange that I offered to let a beastman woman stay in my home… I usually tell Ellie not to become too deeply involved with Noel after all. Though that girl hardly listens to me…」

(You did? I didn’t know…)

　Could she have been one of the people in the village who did not think well of beastmen? But she had never said anything directly to Noel or behaved coldly toward him, so I had not noticed. …Although now that I thought about it, she rarely appeared in front of us, so perhaps that had been the reason.

「Ellie… is probably in love with Noel.」

(What? She is…!?)

「That is why… I thought that if she spent time with a beastman and saw Miriya-san up close, she might come to understand what it means… I feel terrible toward Miriya-san for having such selfish motives.」

(That much should be forgiven as a parent’s concern… Most of what I do is motivated by selfish reasons anyway…)

　She looked worriedly at her daughter, who still held Noel’s hand and showed no sign of letting go. I did not understand the feeling of being separated by differences in lifespan. In my memories, the only human death was that of 「Misaki Hanazono」 and I had never experienced the death of someone close to me. …The closest and most vivid death to me was my own. Perhaps my wish to live peacefully had been born from that.

　But she was different. She understood all too painfully the sadness, suffering, and agony of losing someone she loved, which was why she worried about her daughter’s future.

「…She still cannot imagine what it means to live with different lifespans, or that an early farewell will almost certainly come… or how painful that will be…」

　Someday, without exception, every person faced a parting. Whatever the reason, it would inevitably come.

　I did not know how long a mandragora like me lived, but eventually I too would experience such a farewell. I did not know whether I would be the one to disappear or whether it would be someone else. But if it were someone else, perhaps it would be Noel, a beastman said to have a short lifespan.

(…It’s hard to imagine… a world without Noel…)

　I could survive alone. But that would be life as a plant. The reason I could live like a human, as though I truly were one, was because Noel strove to give me a rich, human life. If he were gone, then what would become of me?

「Witch-sama… how did you come to accept this kind of sorrow… Ah, I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking…」

　Come to think of it, I was supposed to have lost five hundred members of my own kind and lived while mourning them alone. But the real me was merely a mandragora that had been pulled from the earth and born into this world several months ago. I had no words to offer her. …Not that I could speak in the first place.

「In the end, we have no choice but to face what is directly in front of us, one thing at a time, and keep living. Witch-sama is able to smile and live like this too, after all.」

(Um… I’m really sorry I’m actually just an ordinary mandragora…)

「Thank you for listening to me. …Well then, I should take my daughter and Miriya-san back home soon.」

　For some reason, she left with a somewhat relieved expression on her face. Although it was based on a misunderstanding, perhaps my existence had encouraged her. …If so, then that was good.

　Living was an incredibly difficult thing, so if she had gained even a little hope or brightness from me, then my fabricated backstory had not been entirely useless. …The problem was that now that I had become a source of hope, I absolutely could not reveal my true identity.

　She called out to the girls and began walking toward the village, apparently to guide Miriya to their home. Daon watched them go with a troubled expression, while Noel waved to Ellie before returning to me.

「Witch-sama, what were you talking about with Ellie’s mother?」

(Hmm… I suppose it was the kind of conversation that made me realize I need to keep working hard to remain a benevolent witch…)

　

　Would I truly be able to hide the fact that I was a monster until the very end? …For that matter, how long was my lifespan? Nikolaus, who had cultivated me, might know, but I could not summon the courage to ask.