“Good morning, Ivelia-chan~”
In the dimly lit room, Lin Ling was awakened by the chiming of the clock tower, feeling the still-warm touch beside her.
Did the Demon King wake up late today?
Usually, by the time Miss Saintess heard the bells, the Demon King would have already been out of bed.
In that case, Miss Saintess would be the pioneer of waking up early today!
Thinking this, Lin Ling gently pushed away the Demon King who was holding her and stood up from the bed.
Just as she was about to get out of bed, she felt her hand being pulled, and her entire body tumbled back toward the mattress.
“Eh? Again?!”
Miss Saintess immediately lost her balance and fell onto the soft bed.
“Why did my dear Miss Saintess choose not to rest a bit longer today?”
“Ehehe, so you were already awake, Your Majesty?”
Feeling herself being held in Ivelia's arms like a body pillow once again, Lin Ling returned to the warmth of the bed.
“Without the warm Miss Saintess in my arms, I feel completely freezing.”
“So, Miss Saintess, why don't you stay and rest a bit longer with this poor little thing who can't adjust her own temperature?”
Lin Ling gave a gentle push against Ivelia's chest. After confirming that she couldn't budge her at all, Miss Saintess chose to give up once more.
“Well then, Miss Saintess will reluctantly sleep a little longer~”
Having said that, Lin Ling snuggled into Ivelia's chest, finding a comfortable position for herself.
Well, since I've already seen everything, I'm not losing out anyway! If anything, I'm the one getting the better end of the deal. Yes, exactly!
With those thoughts in mind, Lin Ling closed her eyes once more, breathing in the rich scent of violets beside her.
...
“Achoo!”
“Why is the route Lady Furni gave me so remote?”
Ichikawa walked through a dense forest, rustling sounds constantly echoing around him.
“I-it couldn't be a magical beast or something, right?”
Looking at the map in his hands, Ichikawa couldn't help but grip it tighter.
Right then, the rustling in the bushes began to grow louder, accompanied by bursts of growling.
However, the growling didn't seem to be directed at him.
Having already prepared to draw his sword, Ichikawa noticed that nothing was emerging from the bushes.
Keeping his hand on his hilt, ready to draw at any moment, he slowly approached the bushes.
Suddenly, a massive dark shadow flew out of the bushes, slamming straight into the tree behind Ichikawa.
Was that... a black wolf?
And did it have a tiny fist imprint on its face?
“What on earth is going on?”
While Ichikawa was still processing this, several more black wolves came flying in his direction.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Seeing this, the urge to flee immediately welled up inside Ichikawa.
Since whatever it was could easily send such massive wolves flying, dealing with him would probably be child's play. He couldn't stay here any longer.
Ichikawa immediately ran in the opposite direction of the bushes.
But was his trouser leg caught on a branch?
No! What he wore on his legs was clearly armor!
Ichikawa looked down at his caught leg in panic.
“Eh?”
When he saw the creature holding onto his leg, he froze.
“Yo! Big brother!”
“Are you all by yourself?”
A boy who only came up to his shins was grabbing onto his trouser leg.
“Ah, y-yes.”
Seeing the child with scales on his face, Ichikawa immediately became nervous.
“Haha, big brother, the way you talk is kind of funny.”
“Oh no, Mommy said I shouldn't talk to people like that. I'm sorry.”
The child in front of him muttered to himself before bowing to apologize.
“I-it's fine.”
“But are you in this forest all alone, big brother?”
“Y-yes. The map someone gave me requires me to pass through this forest.”
Looking at the child who seemed quite familiar with the forest, Ichikawa pulled the map Furni had given him from his pocket and handed it over.
“Oh, oh! Big brother, are you coming to our place?”
“Is that where you live?”
The child in front of him showed a surprised expression upon seeing the map.
“Ah, in that case, I'll go ask Uncle Baroque in a bit. But why are you going there, big brother?”
“If humans go there, they'll die.”
“S-someone told me that my companion is there, so I have to go.”
“Eh~ Big brother, you talk a bit like that person.”
“Oh well, give me a hand, big brother.”
After returning the map to Ichikawa, the child ran over to the pile of giant wolf carcasses that had been sent flying.
He had his back turned. Judging by his movements, he was probably butchering them. Did a child this small already have to hunt?
[Dashi, that guy should be the new guest the Demon King mentioned. Double-check to be sure.]
[If he has other intentions, send a signal immediately. Don't push yourself.]
[I'm nearby.]
[Understood, Uncle Baroque.]
Just as Dashi closed the magic transmission with Baroque, he heard Ichikawa's footsteps behind him.
“D-do you usually come here to hunt?”
“Of course not. Usually, Uncle Baroque hunts and brings back food for us.”
“Then why today...”
“Hmm... actually, I snuck out behind Mommy's back and asked Uncle Baroque to bring me along.”
“I should take you back... to that Mr. Baroque.”
Watching Dashi, who was still butchering, Ichikawa pulled out a small knife from the inner side of his armor and squatted down next to another giant wolf.
Although his butchering movements were a bit clumsy at first, after watching for a bit, his actions began to grow increasingly smooth.
The two of them worked like this for a while.
“Thank you, thank you! You've been a huge help, big brother.”
“It's already lunchtime in the blink of an eye. Do you want to try my cooking, big brother?”
Without waiting for Ichikawa's reply, Dashi began to start a fire on his own.
“But if it gets late, your parents will worry.”
“It's fine, it's fine! Uncle Baroque will take me back tonight.”
Seeing that Dashi, who had already begun roasting meat, didn't seem to care, Ichikawa had no choice but to sit down beside him.
“Once we're done eating, I must take you back. Your f-family will worry.”
“Ah, alright, alright.”
Just as Ichikawa was about to speak again, Dashi offered a piece of meat to him.
“Have a taste, big brother. I'll head back obediently this afternoon.”
“N-no, you shouldn't make your family worry.”
“My name is Dashi. What about you, big brother?”
“I-Ichikawa.”
“Big brother Ichikawa, come with me to find Uncle Baroque in a bit.”
“Okay.”
The two of them sat in the forest like that, eating the roasted giant wolf meat.
Ichikawa? It seems he really is that Hero from another world.
From the moment this Hero stepped into the forest, Baroque had been watching him.
Baroque observed them from a nearby mountain range.
At least for now, this Hero had not shown any murderous intent toward Dashi, who was of the demon race.
Rate on N.U.
