Chapter 11

Hmm, it's so hot...

Why is it so hot? It's the middle of winter, right?

It's uncomfortable. Terribly uncomfortable.

Furrowing her brow, she slowly lifted her eyelids.

Huh? Was I sleeping?

The moment she regained consciousness, she tensed up.

She found herself in an unfamiliar room, like a parlor. The room was bathed in a warm orange hue from the flickering fireplace.

The heat and discomfort were due to the fireplace nearby.

However, her tension wasn't because of the fire.

It was because her body was resting on someone's lap on the sofa.

Her cold body was wrapped in a large towel, and she could barely move except for her neck. Even without lifting her head, she could tell by the smell that the person holding her was a stranger.

At least, it wasn't the one-eyed knight who had rescued her from the pond.

Feeling the stranger's body heat through the towel, she instinctively held her breath. She was scared because she didn't know who this person was. She didn't want to be discovered as awake.

However, her nose started to itch, and she couldn't ignore it, so she sneezed helplessly.

“...Achoo!”

“Ah, are you awake?”

The voice from above was unfamiliar, but it was a gentle woman's voice, which slightly eased her fear. The smell was also slightly sweet and pleasant.

She tilted her head and glanced up.

“Oh, no…! Looking up like that, you're so cute! What should I do!”

The person holding her was a female knight in a neatly worn uniform. She had long milk tea-colored hair tied in a ponytail, and her face combined a dignified beauty with a girlish cuteness.

This was the first time she had seen a female knight since arriving.

“Are you not cold?”

The woman gently stroked her back, but the touch through the towel made her hair stand on end. It wasn't because it felt bad, but out of caution and tension.

If she were human, she would have been delighted to be touched by a cute woman, but this fox body didn't feel the same way. The female knight seemed calm and gentle, but she was still a stranger, and it was hard to relax on her lap.

She felt an impulse to jump off the lap and hide in a corner of the room, but she lacked the courage and just stiffened on the lap.

Where was the one-eyed knight?

She moved only her eyes to search the room, but there was no one else in the parlor besides her and the female knight. The room still smelled of the many male knights who usually used it, but all the sofas were empty.

Her heart was pounding, and she prayed that the female knight would let her go, but the tension seemed to be transmitted to her.

“Please don't be so scared. Your heart is going to burst. I won't harm you.”

The hand on her back transmitted her rapid heartbeat to the woman.

The woman's soft voice was reassuring, and she understood the content of her words, but her instincts didn't easily trust people.

Unfamiliar voices, unfamiliar smells, and unfamiliar people were scary.

Her body tensed as her instincts urged her to remain cautious.

Moreover, the fire in the nearby fireplace was also a concern.

This was her first encounter with fire in this life, and it seemed to be incompatible with her current body. Even at a distance that would feel warm to a human, it was unbearably hot and slightly painful for her.

The female knight was trying to warm her cold body, but honestly, she would rather be back in the snow-covered pond. It was too hot!

Unable to bear it, she wriggled out of the towel's constraint and stood on the floor, quickly moving away from the fireplace.

“Ah...”

The female knight followed her with her eyes and then looked disappointedly at the empty towel on her lap.

“Come here. It must be cold over there, right?”

No, no, it's not cold.

Her body was still wet, but she didn't think a snow spirit would catch a cold from this.

She shivered like a dog, shaking her small body to air out the damp fur. However, the fur had developed some odd kinks from being wrapped in the towel. Her proud fluffy fur...!

But when it dried completely, it would surely return to its original fluffy state.

“Come here.”

Sitting on the old wooden floor, she diligently licked her front paws to groom herself. The female knight stood up and slowly approached her, perhaps to avoid frightening her. Her footsteps were very quiet, but the approach of such a large person was impossible to ignore.

The female knight wasn't particularly tall, but to a young fox, all humans were big.

She hurriedly fled to the dark corner of the room. The female knight looked troubled and shocked.

“Am I that scary?”

She felt a bit guilty seeing the sad look on the woman's face.

Sorry, sorry. It's not that you're scary, it's just that I'm scared of strangers.

Huddling against the wall, the female knight didn't come any closer.

“But you're a wild fox, right? It's normal to be unaccustomed to humans.”

She squatted a little distance away, lowering her gaze and saying, “It's not scary, I'll just pet you,” while moving her fingers to invite her.

But seeing that she was only stiffening and not moving, the female knight seemed to change her strategy.

“Maybe I need some tasty food to make you less wary.”

As she muttered this and stood up, the slightly heavy wooden door of the parlor opened, and a man entered the corridor.

He had short gray hair and a large scar running down the left side of his face.

The moment she recognized the man as the one-eyed knight, she felt a wave of relief that almost made her weak. She was surprised by how much she had been relieved.

Even though the woman was beautiful, being alone in an unfamiliar room with a stranger had made her more tense than she thought.

The female knight turned around and spoke to the one-eyed knight with a dejected look.

“Deputy, this little one seems to be afraid of humans. Even I can't get through to it.”

“...I see. I thought a rough man might be more intimidating, but maybe gender doesn't matter to animals.”

They said this while looking at her in the corner of the room. She had been rescued by the one-eyed knight, but she wondered why she woke up being taken care of by an unfamiliar female knight. It might have been his consideration.

“I thought about keeping it until it could stand on its own, but it seems so scared. Maybe it's better to let it go outside.”

“But what if it gets attacked by stray dogs again...! Oh, right, Deputy, you gave this little one food, didn't you? It might trust you more than me, who just met it today.”

“...No, I don't think so. It was just attracted by the food, not because it trusted me.”

The one-eyed knight said this with a slightly sad expression, though his face didn't change much.

Indeed, she had been lured by the delicious smell of the food, and she hadn't fully trusted the one-eyed knight.

But now it was different.

She was certain that he wouldn't hurt her. After all, he had jumped into the cold pond to save her.

It felt contradictory and strange to suspect someone who had saved her life.

Originally, he didn't seem like a bad person, but this incident had significantly increased her trust in him. Her animal-like caution had almost disappeared when it came to the one-eyed knight.

She trotted over to the one-eyed knight, who was near the door, passing by the female knight. She felt him tense up for a moment, but she ignored it and approached his feet. He had probably changed after rescuing her from the pond, as his pants and boots were dry and didn't smell of water. The only scent was the familiar, comforting one.

Her tail wagged involuntarily.

“...You said it wasn't because it trusted you, but it's clearly attached to you! Deputy, that's unfair! I'm so jealous!”

The female knight's voice came from behind, sounding almost envious.

“No... I think it just expects food...”

The one-eyed knight said this, but he seemed surprised by her wagging tail. His voice was shaky. This was the first time she had approached him without food or treats.

The rough hands that had held her after rescuing her from the pond weren't scary anymore. Once touched, it was nothing.

The one-eyed knight's large hands wouldn't hurt her; they would protect her.

Wagging her tail, which was still damp and less fluffy, she looked up at his face, which was high above her. Her neck hurt a bit.

The one-eyed knight stared at her in surprise for a moment, then seemed to realize something and searched his trouser pocket.

He took out a piece of jerky wrapped in cloth and offered it to her, squatting down so his face was closer.

“So, you came over because of this smell, huh?”

He said this with a hint of a smile, but also a bit of disappointment.

However, the smell of the jerky didn't make her hungry. She wasn't hungry right now.

More importantly, she didn't want to be seen as only thinking about food. She hadn't come over because of the smell of the jerky.

She just felt safe by the one-eyed knight's side and wanted to thank him for saving her.

The one-eyed knight seemed puzzled by her lack of interest in the jerky. “What's wrong? You like this, don't you?” He brought the jerky to her nose several times to confirm.

Enough already! I know it's delicious!

She turned her head away each time and looked at the one-eyed knight instead of the jerky.

“Deputy... This little one isn't just after the food. It really does trust you.”

The female knight called out from behind.

That's right, explain it to this dense man properly.

“But it wasn't this close to me this morning. Why did it suddenly become so comfortable?”

“I think it understands that you saved it earlier. Maybe it's saying thank you.”

Thank you for explaining my feelings, female knight!

To express her gratitude for being saved, she licked the tips of the one-eyed knight's fingers.

I hope you can understand this! After licking his fingers, she licked her own nose to get rid of the kink and looked up at the one-eyed knight.

He remained frozen in surprise for a while, then covered his face with his palm, pretending to scratch his short hair.

But I saw it. Just before he covered his face, his expression had softened with happiness. It was a rare sight.

“Wow, I'm so jealous.”

The female knight said softly.

I don't think she's a bad person, and I believe I could trust her after meeting a few times. Let's take it slow and get to know each other. I hope you can wait until my animal-like caution fades.

“It's late now. You don't seem hungry, so it's better to let you sleep again.”

The one-eyed knight, regaining his composure and returning to his usual expression, said this while looking at her. She had been unconscious until just now, but now that he mentioned it, she was still sleepy.

“The outside is dangerous. Even within the knight branch facility, there are various dangers for you. Stray dogs often break in looking for food, as they did today.”

Although humans considered her just a young fox and not a talking spirit, the one-eyed knight spoke to her directly. This made her tail wag even more.

The two knights laughed at her reaction, saying things like, “What are you so happy about?” and “You're so cute. You shouldn't wag your tail when you're told about the dangers.”

“Anyway, I don't know if living under human protection is a happy life for a wild animal, but I can't just let a weak child like you become food for stray dogs. I'll take care of you until you're fully grown.”

The one-eyed knight's declaration made her happy. She was also afraid of the stray dogs that might return and preferred to be protected in a safe building.

But probably, she could only stay here for about ten more days. Her mother should return from the capital by then.

‘Until you're fully grown,’ I can't stay here.

I'm very happy that my mother will return, but it will be sad to say goodbye to the one-eyed knight, whom I've just become friends with.

But at least until then, I'll enjoy his kindness and the life here.

She thought this and wagged her tail again, more vigorously.