Could It Be…
What appeared from beyond the trees were a group of men wrapped in thick cloaks.
Like Valdo, they all wore leather armor beneath their cloaks and were armed with swords, spears, and bows. Their gazes were sharp, but the moment they saw Valdo, their expressions loosened in relief.
“Captain Valdo, you’re safe!”
The man at the front called out.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His short-cropped red hair and malachite-like green eyes stood out. A longbow was slung across his back, and a shortsword hung at his waist.
Crunching through the snow as he ran up, he noticed the monster lying beside Valdo, and his eyes flew wide open.
“A R-Rock Bear!? Don’t tell me… you took this down by yourself, Captain!?”
“Yeah, Korn. Something like this is nothing.”
“No, no, no! You took a hit to the leg protecting me from the enemy mercenary captain, and then you went and killed an Iron Bear too!? Wait, your leg! Is it okay!?”
“Yeah. That’s nothing to worry about either. Just a scratch.”
“N-no way! That sword went straight through your leg, didn’t it!? How is that a scratch!? We need to treat it, now!”
… O-okay.
This red-haired guy, Korn… he’s kind of all over the place.
Still, he doesn’t seem like a bad person.
And from the sound of it, Valdo’s injury came from protecting him.
So, putting it all together…
During a battle between mercenary groups, Valdo got seriously injured while shielding Korn, and in the chaos, he got separated from his comrades.
After that, he must’ve taken shelter in that cave to hide.
While I was piecing that together, Korn came running up, kicking up snow.
Then he noticed me in Valdo’s arms and blinked in surprise.
“… Huh? Captain, what’s that?”
“This is Al.”
Saying that, Valdo lifted me up for everyone to see.
Korn, and the others, tilted their heads in confusion.
“Uh… is ‘Al’ the name of its species? Some kind of monster?”
“Al is the name I gave him.”
“Meow~”
“Oh~ it made a sound. Umm… what are you planning to do with that monster?”
“I’ve decided to keep him. I gave him some jerky I had, and looks like I ended up taming him. He won’t leave my side.”
Oh, so that’s how Valdo sees it?
I mean… that phrasing’s a little misleading.
You’re the one who said, “I’ll take you with me,” and hauled me out of the cave whether I liked it or not.
Well, whatever. No need to nitpick.
I was planning to stick with Valdo anyway.
More importantly, when he said “He won’t leave my side,” he had this smug look on his face. That part was hilarious.
But after hearing that, Korn’s face went pale as he shouted.
“No, no, no, no! We don’t even know what kind of monster that is! It might be small now, but it could grow bigger later!”
“Even if it grows, something this tiny isn’t gonna get that big.”
“No, no, no! Captain, that’s seriously not okay!”
Korn raised his voice, his expression deadly serious.
Then he marched right up to Valdo and glared sharply at me in his arms.
“No matter how small it is, a monster is still a monster! It might be quiet now, but there’s no telling when it’ll bare its fangs! We should just kill it now…”
“… Mii…”
I deliberately let out the most pitiful, needy little cry I could manage.
Flattening my ears, I looked up at Korn with watery eyes.
“…!?”
Instantly, Korn’s face twitched.
His malachite-colored eyes darted around, and his lips quivered.
“U-ugh… wh-what is that… don’t make that cute sound…!”
He muttered without thinking.
But then he snapped back to his senses and hurriedly cleared his throat.
“Ahem! …B-but no! It’s still dangerous, Captain!”
You say that, but your ears are bright red, you know.
And your voice isn’t nearly as forceful as before.
“If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
Noticing the shift in Korn, Valdo replied calmly.
Then he casually lifted me back onto his shoulder and glanced around at the other members.
“More importantly, we’re heading back. How long are you planning to stand around chatting in the middle of this snow?”
“… Fine. But the vice-captain’s definitely going to object!”
Glared at by Valdo’s sharp eyes and low voice, Korn shrugged and reluctantly nodded.
The other members still seemed a bit lost, but for now, they decided to follow Valdo’s lead.
And so, the group set off, crunching through the snow as they made their way out of the forest.
Swaying atop Valdo’s shoulder, I felt a suspicion that had been lingering in the back of my mind finally solidify into certainty.
Judging from how Valdo and Korn reacted…
Could it be… there aren’t any cats in this world?
What do you think about this chapter?
