Korn
“Meow~n.”
Man, Korn’s lap is warm…
I could totally fall asleep like this… wait, whoa!?
I got carried away rolling around on his lap and nearly lost my balance, almost tumbling off.
But the instant I slipped, something scooped me right up.
Korn’s hand.
“H-hey, what’re you doing!? That’s dangerous!”
“Miya, miyau…”
I hurriedly clung tight to his palm.
Korn wrapped both hands around me and lifted me up like he was cradling me.
“Seriously… you’re such a clumsy little guy. And I’ve been saying over and over I’m gonna kill you… yet here you come, strolling right up to me alone. Don’t you have any sense of danger?”
“Meowrr~”
Korn glared at me with a scowl.
But I just rubbed my head against his palm with a soft, needy meow, putting all my thanks into it.
He stared at me for a while, then suddenly his expression loosened.
A snort escaped him, and he broke into laughter.
“Ahaha! What are you even doing, seriously?”
“Nya~a.”
“Well… maybe the captain’s right. A clumsy little fluffball like you doesn’t look like much of a threat, even if you’re left alone.”
Korn chuckled softly as he said it.
But then. his expression suddenly darkened.
“… Though, I guess I can’t really talk. I’m clumsy too, always messing things up… instead of being useful to the captain, I just…”
“Miya~o…?”
It was the same pained look he’d had back in the hall.
His words trailed off, and he tilted his head back again, looking up.
Above him, in the steadily falling snow, the moon shone cold and clear.
“… Nya~o.”
In the still silence, only the sound of snow and the pale moonlight filled the world.
After hesitating a bit, I gently licked Korn’s hand with the tip of my tongue.
“…!?”
His shoulders jerked.
He stared at me wide-eyed, and I pressed my head insistently into his palm.
“W-what is it… seriously, you’ve got zero sense of danger…”
Despite his words, his fingers slowly began to move.
Awkwardly but gently, he started stroking my head.
“… You’re so warm…”
In a quiet murmur, he used his fingertips to part my soft fur, slowly stroking from my forehead up to the top of my head.
As I was cradled in his large hands, he scratched behind my ears, and I couldn’t help narrowing my eyes in bliss.
For a while, he just kept petting me in silence.
And then, suddenly, he spoke.
“… I’m thinking of leaving the Black Iron Claws.”
“Meow!?”
At my startled cry, Korn lowered his gaze.
He gently stroked my back and let out a heavy sigh.
“… Lately… I’ve just been screwing up, over and over.”
His face twisted like he’d bitten into something bitter, lips pressed tight.
Under the pale light of the snow, his expression looked exhausted, painfully so.
“I mess up even as a scout, and in fights I’m always the one getting saved. And yet… I’m the only one who hasn’t accomplished anything…”
His words fell one by one, like snow piling up, heavy, settling deep inside me too.
“So this time… I thought I had to prove myself, so I pushed to the front lines. But it didn’t work.”
Korn let out a dry laugh.
But it quickly twisted into something bitter.
“What I did just backfired. I pushed too far forward without noticing the enemy’s trap… and before I knew it, I was surrounded by several of them. One of them was even the enemy captain. I knew I couldn’t win.”
His arms tensed, tightening around me.
Even I could feel the frustration in that grip, it hurt.
“But… Captain Valdo saved me. Because of that, though, he ended up with a bad leg injury. Well… what’s amazing about him is that he still took them all down in that state.”
“Nyao…”
“But… after that fight, the captain got cut off from our forces. Everyone else was busy holding their own fronts, so they couldn’t get to him. And me…”
Korn’s face twisted again.
“… I was the one who got saved, and in the end, I didn’t do anything to help.”
The regret in his eyes lingered as he looked back up at the moon.
His gaze felt distant, like he was remembering something far away.
“… I’m from a farming village. The Black Iron Claws protected it from monsters. Back then, the kingdom and the lord didn’t have the manpower to send troops to our village, they were too busy dealing with the stampede that hit this town.”
Like he was recalling a childhood dream, Korn spoke in a softer, almost boyish tone.
“… When I saw Captain Valdo back then, I thought, ‘I want to be like him.’ No one was coming to save us, or so we thought, and then he showed up… like some kind of hero out of a fairy tale.”
But his tone quickly turned bitter again.
“I admired Captain Valdo from that day on… and I finally managed to join the Black Iron Claws. But instead of being useful, I just dragged him down…”
“Meow…”
The last words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
After that, for a while, Korn said nothing, just kept stroking my back.
His hands felt uncertain, but still gentle… and that warmth made something ache deep in my chest.
“Haha, what am I even doing, talking like this to a tiny thing like you…”
After petting me for a while longer, Korn let out a faint, lonely chuckle.
“But saying it out loud… somehow makes me feel a little better. I’m thinking of leaving here at dawn tomorrow.”
“Miya!?”
I yelped in surprise.
H-hey, hold on!
Isn’t that a bit too hasty!?
Everyone messes up at work sometimes!
And from what I’ve heard, you haven’t even been in this mercenary band that long, right?
From how things looked today, Valdo didn’t seem that bothered… and that injury of his probably wasn’t as bad as it looked, right?
Actually, the guy himself is in the hall right now, stuffing himself with food and booze and making a huge racket!
Anyway, leaving without talking to anyone first is way too soon!
At least try telling Valdo what you’re thinking!
Or if not him, then someone else, anyone in the group, just talk to them!
“Nya~! Myao, meow!”
“What, you trying to comfort me? Heh… thanks.”
Korn gave a lonely smile, stood up with me still in his arms, and walked back inside the priest’s residence.
Then he gently set me down on the floor.
“Alright, go on. Get back to the captain. He’s probably looking for you.”
“Miya, miya~!”
Damn it… this mouth that can’t speak is so frustrating…!
I kept meowing desperately…
But Korn turned his back on me… and walked away.
What do you think about this chapter?
