Return
After that, once Valdo and the others made it out of the forest, they mounted the animals they had waiting outside and set off.
That said, calling them “horses” feels a bit off, they weren’t like anything I’d ever seen in Japan. Two twisted horns grew from their foreheads, and their faces looked more like donkeys than horses.
I rode along on Valdo’s shoulder, wrapped up in his cloak as the mount carried us forward.
After riding for a while, beyond a hill, a snow-buried church came into view.
“We’re here, Al.”
Valdo stopped his mount in front of the church and called out to me.
From his shoulder, I looked up at the old gray stone church standing before us.
Its spire had collapsed at the tip, parts of the walls were cracked, and through the broken doors, I could faintly see a headless statue.
It was obvious at a glance that it had been abandoned for a long time.
It must’ve once been a grand church… what on earth happened here?
Tilting my head as I stared up at the ruined church, Valdo spoke.
“There used to be a big town here… but ten years ago, a monster stampede wiped it out. Over a hundred of them came rushing in as a pack and crushed the town beneath their feet until dawn.”
With a wry smile, Valdo looked up at the church spire just like I was.
“The town, the fields, the people… everything’s gone. But somehow, only this church and the priest’s residence were left standing. Funny, isn’t it? The one place meant to save people is the only thing that remains.”
“Captain… don’t tell me you’re talking to that fluffball?”
“It’s not a fluffball. It’s Al.”
Valdo nodded calmly and ran a finger along my forehead, stroking with the grain of my fur.
Ahh, right there~ this is the good stuff.
“Captain, something’s definitely wrong with you! There’s no way that fluffball can understand what you’re saying!”
“No, actually, this guy seems to understand human language pretty well. Right, Al?”
“Miya!”
I gave a cheerful reply, then rubbed my head against Valdo’s cheek.
Seeing that, Korn let out a small groan.
“Ugh… it really is cute… no, get a grip, me! With the captain clearly bewitched by that fluffball monster, I’ve gotta stay sharp…!”
“Quit talking nonsense and get moving. I’m starving.”
“Ah! W-wait up, Captain!”
With that, Valdo strode off toward the building next to the church, me still perched on his shoulder.
From what he said earlier about a “priest’s residence,” this must’ve been where the priests used to live.
Looking closer, smoke was rising from the chimney, and wooden boards had been nailed over the windows from the outside. There was even a small field beside the building, and despite the winter cold, it was clearly being well maintained.
Compared to the ruined church next to it, this residence had been repaired quite a bit, and there were clear signs of people living here.
Looks like this is the base of the mercenary group Valdo leads.
Without a word, Valdo grabbed the wooden door and pushed it open forcefully.
Korn and the others followed behind him.
The moment they stepped inside, the men in the room all turned toward them at once.
A brief silence fell over the place.
Then… after a beat, cheers exploded.
“Captain Valdo, welcome back!”
“Everyone, the captain’s back~!”
The men rushed toward Valdo all at once.
In no time, he was surrounded, rough hands slapping his shoulders and back one after another.
“Man, I’m so glad you made it back alive…!”
“Hey, what happened to your leg injury?”
“Seriously, it’s a relief you’re safe!”
Their loud voices and laughter were all filled with relief.
Valdo took it in with a grin, occasionally smacking them back on the shoulder as he replied.
“Sorry to worry you, you bastards! But as you can see, I’m still kicking!”
That one line sparked another wave of cheers, and the air in the room heated up all at once.
… But then.
Someone suddenly noticed me sitting on Valdo’s shoulder.
“… Huh? Captain, there’s something fluffy on your shoulder.”
“A forest rat…? No, that’s too small for one.”
“H-hey. Captain, isn’t that a monster!?”
In an instant, everyone’s gaze locked onto me.
The lively atmosphere shifted into uneasy murmurs.
Some even reached for the weapons at their waists, stepping back half a pace.
It was Valdo’s firm voice that cut through the tension.
“Relax. I’ve decided to keep him starting today.”
The moment he declared that, the air froze.
The men’s eyes widened, mouths hanging open as they looked back and forth between me and Valdo like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
But the very next moment, voices of confusion burst out all at once.
“C-Captain!? Keep it…? That’s a monster!”
“Even if it’s small for a monster, it’s still dangerous!”
“If it grows up, it might start attacking people, we should kill it now while we can!”
Man, people in this world are seriously intense!
Don’t jump straight to “kill it” when you’re looking at such a cute, fluffy little kitten!
… Well, to be fair, I do get it.
Like Valdo said earlier, there used to be a town here, but it was wiped out by monsters.
An entire town erased without a trace… just imagining it makes my fur stand on end.
To the people of this world, monsters must be truly terrifying.
So it makes sense they’d show hostility and caution toward something unknown like me.
… Thinking about it that way, the fact that I’m here on Valdo’s shoulder right now might be nothing short of a miracle.
If it had been anyone else, instead of being kept, I might’ve been cut down the moment we met.
Man, I really need to be even more grateful for the luck of meeting Valdo!
With that in mind, I rubbed my forehead against his neck.
A natural, affectionate “meooowr” slipped out.
… The moment I did, the air in the room froze again.
“… Was that sound just now… from that fluffball?”
“I mean… that was a pretty cute voice…”
“Now that I look at it, its face is kinda round… it’s actually kind of charming…”
All the men stared at me intently.
Oh? This might be my chance!
I rubbed my cheek against Valdo’s neck again and let out another sweet “nyan~”.
“… I-it’s so adorable…!”
“Man, it’s really attached to Captain Valdo… I’m jealous… no, I mean!”
“C-Captain… umm, mind if I touch it? I-I think we need to confirm whether it’s actually dangerous or not!”
The rough-looking mercenaries were all staring at me with shining eyes.
Some fidgeted their big hands awkwardly, others were even breathing heavily.
… What do I do?
Honestly, this is way scarier than when they were talking about killing me!
But Valdo didn’t waver at all in the face of their excited mood. He lifted me off his shoulder and held me in his arms instead.
Then he looked around at everyone and spoke in a low voice.
“As you can see, for a monster, he’s pretty friendly. If I train him, he might be useful as a scout someday. I’ll keep him for a while and see how it goes.”
“… Captain… but monsters are still…”
“If anything happens, I’ll handle it. That good enough?”
His voice echoed clearly through the now-silent room.
After a moment of silence, the men looked at each other and slowly nodded.
“… Alright. If you’re going that far, Captain.”
“But Captain… we might accept it, but… what’s Vice-Captain Carion gonna say?”
“I’ll deal with him when he gets back. Not something you need to worry about.”
With that, Valdo grinned, as if to break the tension.
“More importantly, your captain just made it back safe and sound, didn’t he? Not one of you’s gonna bring out some drinks and celebrate?”
That line set off a burst of laughter.
“Get the drinks! Tonight’s a feast!”
“Yeah! The captain made it back, we’ve gotta celebrate!”
Voices flew back and forth, and the mood brightened in an instant.
Laughter and cheers filled the priest’s residence once more.
And joining in with the voices celebrating the captain’s return, I let out a cheerful “Meooowr~” of my own.
What do you think about this chapter?
