Chapter 29

As the night wind blew away the particles of the dismantled campsite, only the vast expanse of black earth and the holes where stakes had been driven to set up tents and watchtowers remained.

I had left behind the first soldier I had put to sleep with the spell, and I took him to where another soldier was unconscious.

"…Huh? Is it still night…?"

"Good to see you awake. Your comrades have all fled."

"Eh… wha, what…?"

It was impossible for him to immediately understand what had happened, but I found it troublesome to explain in detail, so I skipped it.

"Don't worry, everyone, including the commander, has fled, so you won't be held responsible for disobeying orders. You need to carry this guy and take him with you. He'll wake up eventually."

"Y-Yes… Oh, what is that mask!"

"There's no need to answer. If you understand, get going quickly. You might be caught by the tiger people in the village."

"Ah, ahh… Help meee!"

With a typical cry of fear, the soldier carried his unconscious comrade on his back and fled. I wasn't sure if he could make it down the mountain, so out of mercy, I cast 'Healing Light' on him.

We already had five captives, which was enough. Too many would burden the tiger people's village.

As for the enemy soldiers who had fled—after reorganizing their equipment, they wouldn't be able to return here. Miralca had sealed off the entrance to the military path with annihilation magic, and it would take considerable time to reopen it. During their retreat, they would be forced to advance through the mountains—whether they could survive the beasts and monsters in these mountains was up to them. It was necessary to give them this warning to prevent them from invading the mountain again without learning their lesson.

However, if they couldn't attack through the mountains, the Belvekia might focus on exploiting the gaps in Albein's border defense or even launch a frontal war. To keep track of Belvekia's movements, I had already asked Aileen to conduct reconnaissance. Currently, she is working with Kirsch, who is still in Vinsbruck's mansion, so infiltrating the mansion should be easy—just in case, I have attached my 'Eye' to Aileen to check the situation later.

"Well, let's head back to the tiger people's village… Hey, are you still doing this?"

The tiger people, who had been hiding in the forest, watched the collapse of the campsite and Miralca's surrender. When Miralca, having sealed off the military path, returned on a fire dragon, they had been kneeling on the ground the whole time.

"Please tell them to raise their masks; it's inconvenient for them to stay like this."

"When the tiger people are in crisis, a hero descends from the sky with a fire dragon and turns the evil army's stronghold into foam… This legend will long support the tiger people. I will report this great favor to the elder."

A middle-aged tiger man, with a fierce face and a body nearly two meters tall, looked at us with the eyes of a boy. Perhaps Miralca's appearance was too picturesque.

"Masked mage, oh, how beautiful…"

"Masked swordsman, your sword skills surpass the level of a master, and your magical power is first-class. Could you be a famous hero…?"

Rud, a young man, and his wife were still excited. Being praised is uncomfortable, but this time, I had to accept it.

"We only learned by chance that you were captured because the Tigran Riko was being chased by Belvekia soldiers. When you are in such a predicament, we, the 'Masked Rescuers,' will come to your aid. Keep that in mind."

"Masked Rescuers… Among humans who only think of exploiting beast people, to find those with such noble intentions. Humans are not all the same."

There are humans who do not view beast people as enemies, but unfortunately, in the kingdom as a whole, the majority of people are taught the mistaken belief that 'beast people are inferior to humans.'

I know this is not true. There are wise beast people with vast knowledge, and there are those who, using their superior physical abilities in combat, have become excellent mercenaries.

Why were they captured by the army? It's because beast people fear fire. Belvekia exploited this weakness to exploit the innocent people. This sin must be compensated for after the war—plans must be made for that.

"Don't feel too indebted to us. We guarantee your safety, so return to your village and live peacefully. We will try to ensure that Albein does not interfere with you."

This time, Miralca was particularly considerate, and I didn't have much to say. If she weren't so righteous, she wouldn't have volunteered for the demon king's extermination team.

Jeda, the man who introduced himself, raised his face while still kneeling.

"The tiger people have a rule to repay any favor. If you need to hurry, I won't force you. However, it's already late. Please accept our humble hospitality at our village nearby."

Then, they all touched the ground with their hands and bowed their heads—this made both Miralca and me feel weak.

Fortunately, there was no urgent need to return to the capital immediately.

I had Aileen draw magical characters on her skin and cast the 'Small Spirit' spell. I could assist in battle by sending my consciousness to her, but even without that, I could still receive information.

She was planning to infiltrate Vinsbruck's mansion, but her plans changed when she met Kirsch. The servants, acting on Vinsbruck's orders, were holding a meeting outside the mansion—Kirsch suspected that the participants were involved in a rebellion, so Aileen took on the reconnaissance mission.

She was now infiltrating the inn on the main street where the meeting was taking place, hiding outside the window and listening to the conversation. Occasionally, she would ask, "Hmm, hmm," or "Can I do it now?" and I would tell her to wait and listen to everything.

It seems the Belvekia army, if the mountain path became unusable, planned to break through the border in the southern plains. The 'Black Iron Cavalry,' the main force of the Belvekia army, could best utilize the mobility of horses on the plains, and the leader of the Belvekia Republic had absolute confidence in this power.

"I promised Riko, so let's visit the Tigran village, whether we stay overnight or not."

"Yeah, that's right. You guys don't like the smell of humans, right?"

"If you are our saviors, it's different. If you enter our village, you might shock the elders, so it's better to have the smell of tiger people. Hey, you guys…"

"No, no, Riko said she would do it, so that's not a problem. Asking your wife to do it feels a bit awkward, though."

"No, no, not at all… In fact, both my wife and I feel honored to do such a thing for the saviors."

Rud didn't seem to be speaking for his wife, as she was blushing while looking at us.

Looking at them, even though they are tiger people, they have more body hair on their arms and legs than humans. Their clothing is somewhat revealing, but their leather and fabric processing technology hasn't developed that much, and they don't have the same culture of covering their skin as humans do.

"Do you want to rub your tail against another woman's husband? Or do you just want to pet it for no reason? The tip of the tail looks so soft."

"True, but I haven't thought that far. It's also a question of whether Riko's tail is okay."

"There's a difference between an adult woman and an innocent child… but how old is Riko?"

"Riko is 13 years old. In the tiger people, 12 years old is considered an adult."

"Riko is the great-great-granddaughter of the elder, so all the younger generation admire her."

I didn't realize Riko herself was of the elder's bloodline. The Tigran tribe might gather around the elder's family. Since Riko is the great-great-granddaughter, there are likely many people of the elder's bloodline.

"Can I ask you something? Does a tiger person of marriageable age have any special meaning when they attach the smell of a human male?"

"Yes, it is a sign of friendship, but rest assured, it doesn't mean you have to marry. Riko wouldn't ask you to touch her tail. She is old enough to understand."

The four tiger women standing next to Jeda were smiling wryly.

I tilted my head, not understanding why, but Miralca seemed to have figured it out and was staring at me through her mask.

◆◇◆

Outside the Tigran village, there was a large tree with a scar, as Riko had mentioned. It seemed a giant boar or some other large beast had rammed into it, leaving a large, ancient scar on the trunk of the centuries-old tree.

After Jeda and the others returned to the village, Riko arrived. She had gone home to change and was now wearing decorations on her hands and ankles. Her yellow and black hair was neatly styled, and she looked completely different from when we met earlier—she even had red lipstick on her lips.

Miralca was holding her forehead and looking up at the sky, but it took me about five seconds to understand what it meant.

Jeda had said Riko was a mature adult woman. Her dressing up to greet me meant something.

"Um… Savior, before I attach the smell, there's one thing I want to ask…"

"Huh, huh?"

"What's with that, you're getting carried away," Miralca muttered, but I was aware that my voice sounded pitiful. I knew what Riko was going to say.

"…I want you to touch my tail. It feels so good… so, so. Savior, just a little, please touch it."

"Feeling good… in the open, it's kind of…"

"Riko, what does it mean to let someone touch your tail?"

When Miralca asked, Riko pressed her cheeks and ran away, crouching down.

"…I only let important people touch my tail. It's okay, you can be second."

"Second… wait, I'm not in a position to have multiple wives. We just met, and we don't understand each other yet. We should spend more time talking. Don't you think so?"

"What are you saying like a stick-in-the-mud, you drunk."

"I'm drunk, but I don't let alcohol control me. Riko, I can touch your tail, but it doesn't have any special meaning. Can you accept that?"

I wondered why I was being so submissive, but I didn't want to hurt the heart of this innocent girl. However, if I said I wouldn't touch her tail at all, it would also hurt her. I might be overthinking it.

After a while, Riko calmed down and returned, smiling.

"Masked person, you said you would talk to me a lot. When you come again, you can touch it."

"Sure. I'll be prepared then. I can't promise marriage, though."

"…You're refreshingly the worst. But I'll give you credit for not raising false expectations."

It seems letting someone touch your tail is a proposal from a tiger woman, and Riko's ears were red.

I was lightly traced by Riko's tail to camouflage the human smell. Next was Miralca's turn, so I folded my arms and watched.

"Raise your arms. It won't work if you don't do it properly. It's okay, I'm also wearing the tiger people's scent. It smells good."

"Sorry… I'm ticklish…"

I watched Miralca, who was ticklish and being traced by Riko's fluffy tail, without any impure thoughts, seeing it as an exchange between girls—until Miralca noticed and looked at me with a look of disdain, forcing me to look away.

At that moment, Aileen, who was on a mission in the capital, seemed to be getting impatient.

'Hey, can I do it now? It's okay, right? Dick, I'm going to do it!'

(Hold on, I'll shift about half of my consciousness over. It seems safe here.)

'Okay, I can tell from your voice that it went well. You and Miralca are the golden pair, after all. Alright, I can't lose either!'

"Both of you, I might be a bit absent-minded, but don't worry about it. If something happens, just chop me on the head or something to let me know."

"Um, um… You're going to 'that place,' right? I understand, don't worry about it."

"…? Where are you going on such a night?"

"No, I'll visit the village properly. I'll just be a bit slow in responding, but it's only for a while, so don't worry."

After getting the approval of Miralca and Riko, I activated 'Small Spirit.'

◆◇◆

From the magical characters on Aileen's chest, my doppelganger was born—meaning it emerged from the front of her clothes.

"Ah… I, I was surprised. It comes out like this?"

"Yes. I kept you waiting. They are