This new trick is immediately useful, I put the book and the bag of coins there as well.
I decided to put up with laziness and come to deliver everything to the castle. Even if it's night, it's not that late, I feel in the mood to go talk to the sisters, if they are home, so I hope Nicole doesn't worry. There is good security and we live in a good neighborhood, but... You never know what kind of creeps are out there at night.
When I arrive at the castle, I don't have to say anything, a man in a suit with an unknown occupation greets me and leads me to a room.
Although he doesn't say anything or show any signs, I can almost smell his disappointment when he sees that I don't have anything with me. But I'm in a good mood, so today I won't worry about how the strangers see me.
I arrive at the same time as Ilona.
"Seina... You didn't find anything?"
"Good evening. I found a lot, listen, I found a way to carry a lot of stuff with me! Look..."
I think about that smelly underground room and everything that was in it... The shadows seep up from under the floor, and when they recede, they leave the entire contents of the room behind.
Everything is still exactly as it was when I found it.
THUD! CLATTER! BANG!
... Except for the trunks, which, unable to bear their weight, fall noisily to the floor behind the tables. Some release their contents.
"..."
"..."
"G-great, isn't it?"
Come to think of it... Kari took things out of the chests and then presented them to me. I mean, there might be things in these chests and trunks that I shouldn't take...
Oh well, if there was something important, she would have told me, right?
"Before you ask." I say to Ilona and the other unknown person. "I have no idea what's in there, I'll leave it up to you"
"We'll leave it to you." Ilona says to the man next to her. His complexion changes for the first time as he realizes the mountains of papers he will have to go through.
'Hey, it's better to be busy than disappointed, isn't it?'
I ask Ilona for some time to talk, so we are now in a bay window with a view of... A wall... I understand that the castle is called like that and all, but sometimes less is more.
"So... you want to forgive Lance?" Ilona asks.
"Yes, but first... shouldn't you be at home? How many hours are you working?"
"Unfortunately, I'm going to take a long vacation soon, so I'm working overtime every day to make up for it"
"That doesn't sound very healthy"
"Basically, I will be living in the castle for a while, so I sleep and eat properly, don't worry"
"If you say so..."
"Go on"
"Mm?"
"About Lance"
"Oh yeah, um... To sum it up, he is a good guy who did some stupid things, but now he is fine. Actually, he, or rather one of his maids, showed me where everything was"
"Huh..." For some reason, she looks behind me for a moment.
"I also put a contract on him, so he can't hurt any innocent"
"Those things are not infallible, you know?"
"Even if so... He promised that he would not commit any crime again"
"And you trust him?"
"No"
"..."
"Oh, uh... Wait, wait. I mean, I haven't known him for a long time, so I don't really trust him"
"You don't know him well, but do you think he will keep his promise?"
"Yes. He will." Huh, that 'yes' came out quite naturally. Queer.
"Mmm... Well, okay, it should be fine." She says, looking behind me again, but there is no one behind me...
"... Thank you, but wasn't it too easy? Why do you trust me so much?"
"Heh. I wonder..." She comes a little closer and, huh, strokes my head, just between my ears, touching them a little... Not that it bothers me, but...
"I'm not a little girl"
"I know, I just wanted to do it, don't worry about it"
"... And why do you keep looking at my tail?"
"It looks cute, so fluffy"
Mmm, she's not exactly lying, but I think she's hiding something from me... Oh well, I'm glad she agreed.
"It's not a big deal, but here, take this"
From the shadows I pull out some turkey skewers I bought on the way here. I think I scared the vendor quite a bit when I came out from behind a thin tree, but he should have calmed down when he saw me pulling money out of the shadows and putting the food in it.
"Oh turkey, thank you very much... I don't think I'll get used to seeing that anytime soon, the closest I've seen before are the bags with the space extended, but they're garbage"
"Better get used to it, it's too useful, I'll be using it all the time from now on"
"Okay... You're leaving already?"
"Yes. I'm still a little bloated from eating so much in the afternoon, but I could get something to drink. I'm going to make a quick visit to the elf sisters and then go home to sleep for about 30 hours"
"Oh? You made friends with them, congratulations!"
Her unusually cheerful and smiling expression reminds me that I hadn't told her that I finally have friends after such a long time... It's kind of embarrassing to be congratulated for something like that, but I welcome it with open arms.
"T-thanks... um, well, I'll tell you later, see you later!"
"Take care~ you should be fine, but be careful walking around at night"
"I will!" I tell her without stopping walking.
I want to get into the ground to travel faster, but... Is it okay to do that inside the castle? I feel like it should be something illegal... But no one has told me anything, so it should be okay. They might already know about me after the show I did this afternoon.
But come to think of it... I'm in a good mood today, even though it's been a long and tiring day... I'll walk over there, and try to learn the way in the process.
...
I've been missing a lot...
The atmosphere in the city at night is completely different from the early morning and the daytime. In the early morning it tends to give off a deserted vibe, except mostly for a few guards, elderly early risers and some animals.
During the day, it is usually an endless and annoying hustle and bustle, with all kinds of sounds coming from everywhere, literally unbearable in some areas of the city.
But at night... It's like a combination of both, there are areas like squares, main streets or parks that are as noisy as ever, only it's a noise full of relaxation and fun. Quiet people having dinner at some stall, kids playing with fireworks... Of course, it's also ruined by the occasional drunk guy fighting outside a bar, but for the most part it's a good vibe.
On the other hand, it's also much more common to find a street completely devoid of life, with a few street lamps lighting the way, plus the lights on inside almost every building, magic lights in the larger neighborhoods, and lights produced by flames in the smaller houses...
You can also hear the cheerful voices of people in the distance... I like this atmosphere, maybe more than the early morning.
There are also more animals, starting with dogs, mostly medium and small sized breeds, with an occasional large one, maybe they catch the more potentially dangerous ones, eh? There are more cats, I can more or less identify the breeds of the dogs, but the cats I can mostly only distinguish by color... Although I like them a bit more than dogs, there are mostly oranges, whites, blacks and combinations of those colors. The most unusual cat I have seen today is a cute Siamese.
In even higher numbers are squirrels, although they can be found everywhere, I will never get tired of seeing their fluffy tails. And what I see in even higher numbers are pigeons and birds resting on trees and roofs, some of them being fed by people... Along the way I also see some more unusual animals, like a rabbit, lizards, spiders...
And the best one I saw today. An extremely adorable baby corsac fox... Maybe I'm biased, but it doesn't matter. Unfortunately, some people are talking a bit too loudly, which makes him run away... Oh well.
Wait... Those foxes aren't from around here, if I remember correctly, they live near the desert or something. It could be someone's lost pet... It's out of sight now, but his scent is still in the air. You know what? I'll go look for him, it might make his owner's day, assuming it's not some noble, soulless animal collector.
I follow the little fox for a few minutes, until I finally find him running away from a dog, who actually just seems to want to play, but is bigger than the little fox. He's already very scared, so there's no point in approaching him slowly. I pick him up with darkness and bring him closer to me. In this case, it's probably better to take him by force and let him calm down slowly.
It takes quite a while, but eventually he starts to calm down, the skewers are very useful now. Once he has calmed down... So fluffy~ He smells a little dirty, but not as much as a wild fox would smell, so he's someone's pet, even though he doesn't have a collar.
Mmm... I don't know where you turn in a stray, maybe to the guards or a vet, but I don't know where they are. I guess I'll take care of him for now and bring him to some station later~.
For the first time in more than six years, without realizing it, my steps turn into happy little hops, my tail dances gently from side to side, in tandem with my ears, as I softly sing a melody that comes to mind.
"Tooi sekai... no koto dato... omotteita~"
I don't pay attention to the lyrics, but suddenly I'm thinking about how someone's life suddenly changes thanks to someone who appears in it... Oh well, I don't know how to describe it, but it's a very nice and warm feeling.
"Ashita wa nani ni naru?~"
I'm definitely singing out loud now, but I'll worry about that when I finish the song.
Muffin POV
Life has been hard for my poor squirrel tail lately...
"Big sister, I'm hungry..."
"I'm cold"
"I'm hungry and cold, I won"
"What? What did you win?"
"By being the most miserable squirrel"
"That's not winning"
"Yes, you actually lost"
"No, you lost for being so ugly!"
"Our faces are almost the same!"
"Not true! My eyes are more pretty!"
"What did you say!?"
Damn, they started fighting again.
"Girls, girls!" They stop and look at me. "I know you're upset, but you're not helping me by fighting..." I allow myself at least one sigh. Maybe they saw something in my face, but all three of them apologize and hug me.
I'm kind of lost... A week ago, I returned to my hometown in Castelmar after spending some time adventuring around the country. I didn't expect to find my parents very sick when I returned.
Rashes and disgusting spots all over their skin, they were almost boiling with fever, with constant vomiting and diarrhea. It hurts just to remember... Fortunately, they are slowing down the disease, but they are prioritizing children and elderly people in hospitals, so people who are still well enough to walk, like my parents, are left out until it may be too late...
But I didn't have much money saved... That's why I canceled my vacation and came as soon as possible to the capital, where there is more work.
Experienced adventurers get discounts or even free passage on passenger trains, but I wanted to collect as much as I could, so I decided to come by road instead of train, escorting a merchant.
We traveled at a brisk, steady, smooth pace, in a carriage that... It looks almost like a train car, but smaller, and has a second cart attached to the back, more like a wagon. I would have worried about the poor animal or animals that have to pull such a thing, until I saw them... Calling them horses would be like... Calling 'Pomeranian dog' to a gray wolf.
They look like a combination of a heavy pack horse and a rhino. Thick, muscular limbs and bodies, with a row of horns jutting from their heads to their backs.
No matter how much you travel and explore the world, there are still things that surprise you close to home, right?
So, just when I thought it was going to be easy money... Almost six hours after we left, while we were taking a break, my three little sisters came out of the wagon screaming "Surprise!" They scared the merchant and me to death, for different reasons.
After questioning them, it seems that they missed me so much and were so frightened by my parents' appearance and 'abandonment' that they decided to follow me secretly... I'll talk to them about that later, but... They are eight, ten and fourteen years old, how come I didn't notice them? Maybe my parents' situation had stressed me out more than I thought...
Unfortunately, the merchant was not willing to back down, as he had perishable supplies that he carried to the many villages along the way.
Normally I would abandon the mission without worrying about the consequences, but since returning home I have heard rumors of strange bandits and suspicious people in this area... If I leave knowing this and this guy dies, it will be my fault. Of course, if they are too much for me, I will take my sisters and abandon him.
All was quiet for a few more hours until my fears were confirmed. We were mugged.
Luckily, I managed to intimidate them enough that a fight didn't break out, but they wouldn't just leave, so I disconnected the second wagon and gave it to them in exchange for letting us go.
I don't know what kind of bandits they are, but they accepted without a problem, strange, they must be here for another reason besides money then. Either they're idiots or they're not bandits at all, they didn't even ask for one of the horses or check the first wagon... They just accepted the offer and sent us on our way. Suspicious...
"Sister"
Unfortunately, I forgot that I was resting in that cart, so all my equipment and money was there... The merchant was obviously not happy. I'm sure he'll ruin my reputation when we get back.
Not that I can worry about that, I am now responsible for four mouths to feed and I have nothing but my clothes and my dagger to do it with. We'll make it until we get there, as the employer is required to feed his guards, but it's going to be a big problem...
"Sister"
"Big Sister"
"Muf"
My only consolation is that my parents won't worry, I sent a letter explaining everything to someone we met, going in the opposite direction.
"Muffin!"
"What?!"
"You'll get wrinkles in your tail if you frown that much!"
... Whose fault is that?
A few days later, almost at night, we arrived in the capital. After parting ways with the unfriendly merchant, we wandered the city looking for help. I can make money, but I need a place to leave the girls...
I don't know if it's my paranoia or if my guts are more alert than ever. But everyone we ask for help and they don't turn us away, I feel like they have ulterior motives... I want to believe I'm imagining things, but I can't risk it.
Several hours later, already at night, we continue our search without any luck. In the worst case, we could go to a hostel or the train station. We could sleep there, but it would be full of homeless people and who knows what else. I'm not going to let the girls stay there, as long as I can help it.
"Sister Muffin! I'm tired!"
A cry tears me out of my thoughts. Ugh... Yeah, no use complaining about my bad luck, let's keep looking, but first...
"Sorry, let's get some rest... You three must be tired, right?"
""Yes!""
"What do you think?"
"Let's sit over there." I point to a round wooden table in front of a park.
I sit down while my three sisters magically revive themselves and start playing on the grass... Didn't they say they were tired? Where do children get so much energy? I feel that they are stronger than me.
We are interrupted by a beautiful voice that seems to be singing in an unknown language... When it gets close enough, we see a young fox woman, she looks about my age, although a little shorter than me.
A foxy woman, singing and shaking her body happily and without a care in the world... Alone in the city, in the middle of the night. It's kind of alarming... But girls have other priorities.
"It's a fluffy girl!"
"She's pretty!"
"Let's ask her to play with us!"
"She looks so soft!"
"But she's a grown up?"
"No, she's not!"
"And she's a fox!"
"She's got another little fox!"
"She's fluffy enough that she can be squirrel too!"
"True"
"Is she really an adult?"
"No way!"
"We could ask her to play with us anyway? "
"But she's tall like an adult?"
"She's not that tall"
"She doesn't feel like an adult"
"Even though she has boobs?"
"You're getting some too"
"She's only a little older than us, like Muf"
"I want to play with her!"
"Too late, she's walking away"
"Then let's hurry after her!"
They run after her and I run after them.
Hmm... Even with my guard up to the max, I don't sense any danger from her, so I guess there's no harm in asking her for help.
...
...~
... We were swept up in the happy aura around her and joined her. At first we were just listening to her song, but we quickly caught the rhythm, and a few seconds later, the girls were humming and clapping softly to the same beat. I joined them soon after.
"Chikakute.. mada~ tookute.. aah~"
The song turned into a slower beat, but still, we surprisingly managed to adapt to the rhythm.
"Mou sukoshi de todoku no ni!"
Oh~! There are some more incomprehensible but cute lines, then it slowly speeds up again, the chorus should follow!
"""""Ashita wa dare ni naru? Yagate kimi ni Naru~"""""
Some of the younger ones don't make it, but even they manage to at least pronounce the vowels well, keeping the song going.
"""Nozoite Mite~"""
I can almost hear instruments, as if the sound is coming from the darker parts of the street. But it must be my imagination~. I notice that we are approaching a park, next to a small square with a large fountain... There isn't much of a crowd, but there are still quite a few people...
"Kimi wa~ nigete~ shimau kana"
But neither the fox-kin nor the girls seem to care. Or, rather, the fox-kin doesn't even seem to notice, or us.
As they sing the chorus again, I feel a strong gaze on us... No, on the fox girl. I look for the source and find... Uh... I'm not sure, even though I'm a squirrel, I don't have very good eyesight. But it looks like a female knight, she has many weapons on and beside her. She's sitting on a bench with her helmet off to the side. I can just make out pointed ears, long pink hair and slightly tanned skin... I don't need good eyesight to know that she is incredibly beautiful.
She looks at the fox girl as she eats some meat... She doesn't seem to want to bother us, so it should be okay.
Several people approach... The party atmosphere is stronger at night, I guess.
Ignoring that, I have a good feeling, I hope my bad luck will end soon.
Seina POV
I come to as the song ends.
"Sister fox! That was fun! Sing something else!"
"..."
I look around. There are three squirrel young girls, followed closely by a squirrel woman who looks about my age.
... I need some time to come back to the present.
...
WHEN DID THEY GET THERE? No, more importantly, did they hear me sing!? I thought I was alone in the street... But looking around, we are next to a small square, on the edge, but still in sight of many people... And what's worse, the applause I heard in the background was to me!
Or rather, for us... Yes, now that I think about it, I also heard someone else singing, I didn't pay attention to it at the time, too distracted by getting the song right. The more I think about what's going on, the more my face feels hot... First of all, I need to get out of here as soon as possible.
Petting the cute little fox helps me to calm down, Oh? He fell asleep! How unusual for an animal to fall asleep with a stranger, well, he's a pup.
The squirrels follow me for some reason. As we walk away, remembering my destination, we head down the wide sidewalk of a street with only a few occasional carriages. Then the older squirrel speaks to me.
"Feeling better? Sorry to follow you, but we could use some help, if you don't mind"
"S-sure, no problem, sorry for ignoring you, I had to get out of there as fast as I could..."
"Why is sister fox shy? You were singing so loudly earlier!"
"Yes! How strange, she even danced and wagged her tail in front of so many people..."
"Right? We put on quite a show, hahaha!"
“You're cool sister fox!”
Please stop. My heart can't take it.