Chapter 7: Chapter 6 – Adventure! The Start Of Her New Journey

The Kingdom of Holo was in turmoil as its knights and spellcasters scoured towns and villages near the borders of the Holy Empire Gaia, leaving the citizens confused. Rumors began to spread like wildfire, but no one knew exactly what they were searching for.

"It was said that the king ordered his men to search for someone, but kept the wanted person's identity a secret," whispered one villager to another.

Amid the confusion, a young maiden named Amara found herself at the center of it all. She had heard the rumors but had never seen the knights or spellcasters with her own eyes in the village. Yet, she knew something was amiss.

Hidden deep within her own room in the inn, Amara sheltered an odd figure, the white fox girl, Aoh, a famed mythical creature from the neighboring empire of Gaia. Amara had taken Aoh in, caring for her and keeping her true identity hidden as an outcast member of a demihuman tribe. She knew that Aoh's presence would likely draw the attention of the kingdom and that possibility worried her deeply.

Amara's loyalty lay solely with Aoh, and she would do whatever it takes to protect her, regardless of the kingdom or her village. She thought this as she trained with Aoh every night.

As the national search intensifies, Amara's world is turned upside down. She must make a fateful choice: will she let Aoh free to save her village or risk everything to keep her safe?

As the kingdom's search reaches her village, Amara's fate and that of Aoh hang in the balance. The choices she makes will determine the fate of Aoh and all those involved.

—

“Haaaa!!”

The girl with white hair and fox ears raised her wooden sword overhead and swung it down on Amara. Her footwork, while also leaping using her four limbs, was impressive. She practically glided along the floor as she aimed for a gap in Amara's defenses.

However, Amara nimbly dodged her opponent's attack, striking with her own weapon at the girl's head. The white fox girl yelped and fell to her knees.

“You’re falling for obvious feints,” Amara said, tapping her wood sword against her shoulder. Her beauty shines more with the radiance of the sun behind her. Aoh was appalled by this momentous sight.

“Indeed you are very agile. Forget the conspicuous openings. Try to predict what your opponent is going to do instead.”

“Aaooh... You seriously hit me...” She looked up at Amara with teary eyes.

“Huh?” She winced. “Well, I mean, Aoh you told me to take it seriously...”

She held out her flawless arms, a sullen look on her cute face. “Carry me.”

“...You’ll always be a baby, Aoh.”

As Amara lifted her, the white fox girl gleefully hugged her back.

Two and a half years had elapsed since she discovered the white fox girl in the nearby forest. Aoh had blossomed into a beautiful fox girl with white hair and ears symbolizing her innocence. Despite the villagers' racial discrimination towards non-humans, Aoh possessed the unique ability to shorten her tail, as it was merely strands of hair bundled together. At first, Amara was worried when she noticed Aoh's tail disappeared, but after Aoh explained her ability to shorten it, Amara breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems a long time since Aoh had been raised by a former adventurer, she ultimately came to admire adventurers herself. Before Amara knew it, she found herself standing beside Aoh, mimicking the practice swings she saw her doing every day.

Aoh's bipedal form improved rapidly, she had the talent for swordsmanship and learned various hunting strategies and techniques from the animals in her ancient forest, sometimes using animalistic quadruped movements like that of a lion and fox.

In that case, Amara thought, why not? And so, she taught her the sword for self-defense. By this point, even the village adults were no match for her. Though of course, Aoh had never managed to land a strike on her friend and master.

Aoh nuzzled her head against Amara’s chest.

“You smell nice, Amara...”

“The things you say these days... It was night already huh… How about we have dinner Aoh?”

“Yeah. Aaohh!”

Amara entered the house, despite being a maiden she still carried Aoh. It was almost dusk.

She was on the cusp of nineteen. The youthfulness had vanished from her face little by little as she trained Aoh, her charm as a young lady seemed fading away, and stateliness befitting her matured mind had begun to set in.

Despite being nearly twenty, however, she was still in good shape as a beautiful maiden adored by anyone. She still entered the mountains and fought off wild beasts and monstrosities. Her inexperience during her retirement was hardly a problem anymore all because of the arrival of Aoh, her movements stronger and even more refined than in her life in the capital of Holo.

Her simple and honest work earned her more and more trust, and she was now one of the pillars supporting the community. Everybody knows the past of the person herself as a pretty strong and reliable adventurer. However, due to this no one has ever dared to court her shamelessly as they need to prove themselves more useful and competent enough to the eyes of the villagers.

The sun finally set in. Dinner consisted of a vegetable-and-salt soup with some small bits of meat, hard bread, green cheese and several different fruits reserved for one person, with an abundant platter of Aoh’s favorite dragonian spike plums and blood berries. After harvesting blood berries in the fall, they would usually nibble on them sparingly. However, this was the last dinner they would be eating together. What harm would a little indulgence do?

The mountain wildlife had been growing livelier as of late, and Amara would often take Aoh along to hunt. Though they would partake in a portion of the meat, a majority was shared with the villagers. Possibly because of that, the villagers were better nourished than before, and despite the meager livestock they kept, they looked quite healthy as they worked their fields and they started to like Aoh little by little.

On top of getting meat, hunting served as Aoh’s special training. If she was ever going to become an adventurer, she would need experience fighting non-human opponents in the hills and valleys.

Amara watched Aoh merrily munching down on her blood berries across the table, her teeth and fangs were dyed in red. Whenever she wasn’t swinging a sword, she could see nothing more than a wild cute canine.

She was disapproving when she first heard Aoh wanted to become an adventurer due to her secret identity possibly exposed. However, she had once been an adventurer herself and he understood her desire to take her chances out in the world and put her skills to the test, rather than wasting them in the middle of nowhere. She wasn’t senseless enough to crush the white fox girl’s dreams—that would be tantamount to denying her past adventurous self.

Even so, to be perfectly honest, she found her odd friend adorable and didn’t want her to face any danger. Amara wanted to keep her close enough to dote on.

After doing her share of thinking including the arriving inspection team from the capital, she ultimately reached her answer. Amara would help her properly make it as an adventurer however she could. There was no keeping an adventurer out of danger, so Amara’s best bet was to give her as many useful skills as possible and ensure she was never treading on thin ice. Additionally, Amara took care that she didn’t get conceited with her strength, ignoring the struggles of the weak while also cultivating the moral compass of the white fox girl.

However, while she managed to impart her skills, Aoh was still a child in mind sometimes. Amara was somewhat worried over whether or not she could make it as an adventurer like that, though she did not mind being depended on as a big sister. When Aoh badgered Amara to carry her, she would always end up doing it, Amara’s stern facade of a master giving way to warm smiles.

Her spirit as master always conflicted with her maternal love, but the love generally won out. Amara was human, and an independent adult, after all.

“Thank you for the meal. Aaoh!”

“Yeah...”

She piled up the tableware, brought it to the sink, and was about to pour a pot of water over it when Aoh tugged on her sleeve.

“Amara… aaooh…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll do it...”

“No, it’s no trouble at all. I can do it...”

Aoh shook her head. “I’ll be going to the capital tomorrow... I won’t be able to help out anymore.”

After a pause, she relented. “Ha ha, I see. Then have at it.”

Amara ruffled her hair, and Aoh could feel her eyes narrowing in delight. Then she took Amara’s place and began washing dishes, her bushy tail wagging behind her as she hummed.

“Hmmm~ hmm~”

“She grew up to be a good person," Amara thought, admiringly. Despite not having any prior experience with raising children or a husband to rely on, Amara was proud of the person she had become. Initially, Amara had been anxious over whether she could properly take care of her, but now, looking at her, Amara reassured herself that she wasn't mistaken.

Aoh would set off for the capital tomorrow. She had prepared for it bit by bit until there was nothing left to do. Neither of them intended for this to be a lifelong parting, but it would be a parting nonetheless. There would be no getting around the loneliness, however, if they lingered on it too long, it would only make them sadder. Both Amara and Aoh acted as if it was just any other day. The abundance of fresh fruits on the table was the only special thing about it, after all Aoh couldn’t eat anything aside from fruits.

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“Time flies… Aoh will outlive me” Amara muttered, her heart ache in pain as she watched Aoh clean her dishes. She had been living with her for nearly three years. Aoh’s hair was cut short to waist-length, but her fox features were girly, pure and cute. She would have surely made for a good wife for someone who will accept her if she didn’t become an adventurer and live like a normal human, Amara thought, then shook her head.

“I don’t know when to give up, do I,” she said, smiling bitterly.

Once the dishes were done, Aoh pounced on her.

“Whoa.”

“Amara... Hug me...”

“Your hands are still wet... Good grief.”

Amara melted into her embrace.

“I’ll do my best,” Aoh said, after a moment. Her golden eyes shone with determination.

“Yes.”

“Even if I’m on my own...I’ll do my best to become a splendid adventurer who can protect the weak. Aaooh..”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll land a hit on you one day. Aaaoh..”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Amara stroked Aoh’s head as she sat beside her.

“What do you do when you get lost in the woods?”

“Look for amethyst pine grass. The largest flower points east.”

“How do you find water?”

“Follow the scent of Holo’s wiggle flower. It only grows near clean water.”

“What do you need to be most careful about when fighting monsters?”

“You have to make sure there aren’t any other monsters around,” Aoh said, her voice firm and serious. She leaned in closer to Aoh, her gaze intense as she emphasized her next words, “Then make sure standing on advantageous terrain.”

“What do you do if you fight someone you can’t beat?” Amara asked, her eyes wide with seriousness.

“Run as soon as I can,” Aoh replied without hesitation. “If I can’t, keep running in mind. Secure an escape route, then catch the opponent off guard and run. Target their eyes and other senses if possible.”

“Good, Aoh,” Amara nodded, satisfied with Aoh's understanding. “Surviving is an adventurer’s top priority. Never go beyond your limits.”

Aoh returned the gesture with a hug, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Amara's chest. “I know... I got it.”

“Nice and smooth...” Aoh said, with a smile, as Amara ruffled her hair and caressed her fox ear.

“The things my fox gets up to... You have an early day tomorrow. How about we call it a night?”

“Amara...” Aoh said, her voice small and pleading.

Amara stood, and Aoh tugged on her sleeve.

“Can we sleep together today… Aaooh?”

“Hmm? Weren’t you training to sleep alone?” Amara asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“Meanie… Amara,” Aoh said, pouting playfully.

Seeing her stick out her lips, ears downed and pout, Amara cackled.

“Just kidding. Come on.” Amara said, taking Aoh's hand and leading her to the bedroom.

“Hooray...!” Aoh exclaimed gleefully, rubbing her cheek to Amara’s right shoulder.

As they settled into bed, Aoh snuggled up close to Amara, her head resting on her chest. Amara wrapped her arms around Aoh, feeling a sense of contentment wash over her. She had taken in Aoh as her own, and she couldn't be happier with the person she had become.

"Amara," Aoh said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?" Amara replied, already half asleep.

"Thank you," Aoh said, her voice filled with emotion. "Thank you for everything."

Amara smiled, running her fingers through Aoh's hair. "You're welcome, Aoh. I'm proud of the person you've become."

Aoh's breathing evened out as she drifted off to sleep, while Amara lay awake, watching over her and thinking of all the adventures she will have together in the future.

As the night went on, Amara couldn't help but think about Aoh's journey to the capital. She knew it would be difficult for her, a non-human, but she was confident that Aoh would make a name for herself as a strong and capable adventurer. She couldn't wait to see all that Aoh would accomplish and to be there to support her every step of the way.

As she finally closed her eyes, Amara knew that no matter what the future held, she and Aoh would remember each other as a family.

"I never ask her why she chose to go to the capital despite the dangers, why Aoh?," she asked while watching her sleeping..

Amara couldn't help but wonder why Aoh had decided to leave. She knew that Aoh wanted to become a strong adventurer, explore the world and make a name for herself, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.

In the morning, while they were preparing for Aoh's journey, Amara decided to ask her. "Aoh, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Amara," Aoh replied with a smile, looking up at her with her golden eyes.

"Why did you decide to go to the capital? Is there something you're not telling me?" Amara asked, her voice filled with concern.

Aoh hesitated for a moment before replying, "There is something I haven't told you, Amara. While you were working at your aunt’s store, I met a group of female adventurers from the capital when they tried to find lodging. They were kind to me and taught me a lot about being an adventurer. I promised myself that one day, I would go to the capital and join their company."

Amara's heart ached at the thought of Aoh leaving, but she understood why she wanted to go. "I see. I'm glad you have a goal, Aoh. And I promise you, I'll always be here to support you."

Aoh smiled and hugged Amara tightly. "Thank you, Amara. I'll make you proud."

And with that, Aoh set off to the capital, determined to fulfill her dream and become a respected adventurer. Amara watched her go, her heart heavy but filled with pride and love for the young fox girl she had taken in as her own. She knew that no matter what the future held, Aoh would always have a home with her,

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