At breakfast, I added some mint tea to my usual menu. I put mint (a plant something like that) in boiling water. It tastes a bit grassy but it’s refreshing to the palate. It might be a good substitute for tea. Well, I’ll think about it a little more.
“We’re going to the town today to wholesale our items. What about you, Liddy-san? You can come with us if you want.”
There’s probably nothing to do if we leave her alone here. One man and four women, moreover, three of them is a beastman, a dwarf and an elf. It’s a bit eye-catching, but I don’t think it’ll be a big deal as long as the Count is doing his best. What I’m worried about is the mithril sword. I’m not sure if it’s safe to leave it behind. If Liddy-san wants to stay here to protect it, that will also be fine. There is nothing in particular here that would be a problem if it’s stolen. I can earn gold coins again. If I am to say it, the only thing I’d like to avoid being stolen are the pots and pans. Well, that’s because we will have trouble eating if they were taken away.
“I’ll go with you. The sword should be safe here.”
“Okay, then please get ready.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Liddy-san nodded and disappeared into the guest room. Surprisingly, she readily accepted to accompany us. I think there’s still more to this place that I don’t know but Liddy-san knows….. Hmm, I guess we’ll find out more about that in due course. I went into my room and began to prepare to leave.
It’s my and Rike’s job to pull the cart. I can’t just ask Liddy-san to do it either. She appeared to have good eyesight so I decided to ask her to keep an eye on the surrounding area along with Samia and Diana.
However, it might not be a good idea to continue pulling the cart by hand. I think we’ll be carrying more luggages soon, and more importantly, since we stand out, it’s better to have a little more mobility. So, although there is the problem on food, we should consider getting horses at some point. But, that’s a story for later.
At the center of the greenish light, there’s a dark vertical line―we proceed through the towering tree trunks. The leaves make some rustling noise and a pleasant breeze flows through the trees. I wonder if Liddy-san hears the voices of the trees like this. As one would expect from an elf race, they have too many visions.
As usual, Diana is restlessly looking around. Well, I do understand her feelings. Then, Samia suddenly stopped in her track.
“Is it a dangerous one?”
I also stopped walking and asked Samia.
“No… Hmm…”
Samia’s ears are twitching and her nose made a sniffing movement. She’s trying to focus her mind and discern what’s out there.
“Ah―, it’s that huh.”
Samia’s ears stop twitching and her nose also stopped sniffing. Then Samia rummages around her purse. She quickly took something out and threw it near a bush some distance away. When I looked closely, it was a dried meat.
Immediately after, with rustling sounds, the bush shakes and a small shadow jumps out. It’s a beast that looks like a brown puppy, ―a wolf cub in short.
Diana cries out “Kyaa”, but she quickly covered her mouth for it not to be startled. She’s quite nimble. But now I understand, this one is indeed adorable. It’s almost like a puppy. It is wagging its tail while it’s eating the dried meat. Certainly, this is pretty cute. I too can’t help but feel “aww”. Slap! Slap!, before I knew it, Diana was now next to me and she’s hitting my shoulder. Of course, it hurts in general.
I know how you feel, but please calm down.
Eventually, the puppy, no, the wolf cub that has just finished eating, wags its tail and headed toward us.
“Wau!”
It made a sound. Then, another Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!, came, and shock runs over my shoulder.Oi, Calm down.
The little wolf was coming over here, but at the point when it is approaching near us, a big wolf appeared. Given the situation, I suppose that it is the mother. Then, the little wolf rushes toward the mother wolf and begins to play with her. It’s a very gentle sight. Like it’s calming it, the mother wolf nudges the wolf cub with her nose, and then the mother and cub went behind the bushes.
“I see… As Samia had said before, that one is definitely cute.”
“R~ight?!!!!”
Diana shouts so loudly that she’s almost roaring. I feel that my ears hurt.
“It’s definitely cute enough that I understand why you want to look for it.”
“R~ight?! Told you!”
“But it would be a pity if we separate it from its mother you know.”
“Oh… that’s…yeah”
Diana’s shoulders slumped a little.
“Sometimes―, there are those who have been abandoned by its parents or the ones who strayed from the group. If that is the case, it should be fine.”
Uh, Samia let it out.
Diana, who did not miss that, becomes lively again with a great momentum.
“That’s right! Yosh, if there is a cub that is like that, I have to help it right away!”
Her nasal breathing becomes heavy and she starts clenching her fists as she hardens her resolve.
Me, Rike and Liddy-san look at each other and sighed involuntarily.