Chapter 17

I still don't like fire. I try to avoid it as much as possible.

While thinking this, I glared at the flames in the fireplace from the corner of the parlor.

Right now, the parlor in the dormitory is filled with knights who have finished their dinner, enjoying their free time before bed.

However, even though they usually read books, play games with their friends, or engage in silly conversations during this time, today they are not focused on any of these activities.

That's because I am here today!

No, I'm not being conceited. I'm just stating the truth. Everyone is paying close attention to my every move... Every time I move, their gazes follow me. Well, if there were an animal in the room, you'd notice it too. Especially if you're not used to this kind of situation.

After dinner, the one-eyed knight tried to take me back to the room, but Tina, Kicks, and the intimidating group stopped him. They pleaded for more time to interact with the little fox.

Everyone must be tired from work and wants to find comfort in interacting with animals.

So, I was willing to oblige, and the one-eyed knight, who was going to take a bath, left me in the parlor, saying he would check on me while he was in the bath.

He seems worried about leaving me alone, not because I might mess up the room, but because he's afraid I might get hurt.

There were many knights in the parlor, but since they were all in relaxed attire, the usual intimidating presence of their uniform and swords was not there.

Moreover, there were many familiar faces, like Tina, Kicks, the intimidating group, and the big brothers who helped me with the snowballs earlier. Even without the one-eyed knight, I felt surprisingly fine. The person sitting on the sofa over there is someone I saw in the morning cafeteria, and the people by the fireplace are ones I've passed in the hallway.

There might not be as many knights in this fortress as I thought. It doesn't seem like there are hundreds of people working here, so I might be able to remember everyone's faces eventually.

By the way, the bath is a large communal bath within the dormitory, and they use it at different times. Tina probably uses it when it's free.

From a Japanese perspective, taking a bath every day is normal, but it seems that's not the case here. It might be because it's cold and they don't sweat much unless they do intense training.

At least for now, my sensitive nose hasn't picked up any bad odors, so I believe they must be washing themselves before they get too dirty. I'll have to trust that.

This morning, the one-eyed knight fetched water after training and wiped his body in the room, but he seems to take a proper bath every night. Kicks had commented, "Isn't it a hassle to take a bath every day?"

From the knights' conversations, it seems the bath here is a hot spring. However, it doesn't have the characteristic smells often described as "rotten eggs" or "iron." Maybe those components aren't present. I wasn't interested in hot springs in my previous life, so I'm not sure.

"Give me your paw!"

As I was thinking about the hot spring, a palm suddenly appeared in front of me. It was Kicks.

"Give me your paw!"

I looked at his hand with a flat expression.

I can do it if I want to. I was human in my previous life.

But Kicks doesn't know that. Asking a not-yet-tamed little fox to "give me your paw" without any prior training is a bit much.

I ignored Kicks and scratched my head with my hind legs.

"Doesn't work, huh..."

No, it doesn't. I won't do it. It would be strange if I could.

The people around us were telling Kicks, "There's no way he'll do it without any training." Kicks, slightly pouting, countered:

"I thought he could. Mil seems pretty smart, you know."

"Is that so? He's still young, so he doesn't seem very smart... or maybe he's not thinking much..."

"Yeah, yeah, he seems a bit silly. But that's what makes him cute."

"Ah, I get it. He has a peaceful face despite living in the wild."

...What?

I might not fully understand the harshness of the wild. There were no enemies on the mountain, and as a spirit, I never felt hunger or cold.

But what do you mean by "silly"! I didn't realize I was seen as not very smart by people other than Kicks. Even Tina is laughing.

Kicks's stock in my mind went up a bit. He has a good eye for recognizing my intelligence.

However, his occasional childish actions are still unacceptable. He suddenly reached out to pick me up, so I hurriedly escaped.

"Aah, don't run away."

"Kicks, haven't you learned your lesson? Trying to pick him up so forcefully will just make him dislike you."

Tina advised him.

"Is that so? I've never had a dog before, so I don't know how to interact with them. I've always wanted one since I was a kid."

As he explained, he stared at me with sparkling eyes. I'm not a dog. Besides, I don't know what to do with his long-held desire. It's heavy.

However, Kicks listened to Tina's advice and calmed down, so I relaxed my guard and leisurely walked around the parlor.

I sniffed the floor, avoiding the fireplace. Various people's scents were left behind.

I found the one-eyed knight's lingering scent near the door and wagged my tail. Is he still not back from the bath?

I walked along the wall, sniffing the floor, feeling the curious gazes of the people around me. It's fun to gather information from scents.

Oh, what's this smell? It's like an animal, but a bit dusty...

I sniffed the intriguing scent, and my tail tensed. Is there another animal in this parlor?

Then, I noticed a small hole where the wall meets the floor. The intriguing smell was coming from there. I tried to get closer, and in the next moment—

"☆＊＃☆▲〜〜…!?"

I let out a silent scream and jumped back. My fur puffed up like a cat.

"Whoa, what's wrong, Mil?"

Kicks called out, surprised by my strange behavior.

But I couldn't pay attention to him. From the dark hole, a rat, a ra, a rat...

"Ah! A rat!"

Tina echoed my scream. A brown rat crawled out of the hole, making small squeaks.

"It's just a rat."

However, only I and Tina seemed to be scared. The men, including the intimidating group, reacted very calmly. Are they used to it?

The rat was surprisingly bold, standing confidently in the bright room despite the many people. It was larger and stronger than rats in Japan.

It showed off its impressive front teeth, chirped at me as if complaining about my approach to its "nest," and then calmly retreated into the hole.

"……"

I trembled and moved away from the wall. Rats are scary.

"That hole needs to be sealed..."

Tina, with a pale face, said with determination.

Behind her, the men were huddled together, whispering.

"Foxes eat rats, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

"But Mil was really scared."

"He jumped back, like 'boing!'"

"Foxes react like that when they're surprised... hahaha."

One of them laughed, and the parlor erupted in laughter.

My cheeks heated up. Don't laugh...!

I bit Kicks's pants and pulled them, protesting.

"What? Are you angry? Embarrassed?"

Kicks seemed happy to be pulled, his voice excited.

"See, Mil is smart! He feels embarrassed."

"Is that so?"

"He does seem embarrassed by the laughter. But that movement... hahaha."

"Stop, you're making me remember. Hahaha."

The laughter spread again. Waaan! Forget it! Everyone, forget it!

I yipped in protest.

"Be quiet."

—Suddenly, an extremely calm and icy voice cut through the parlor's excitement.

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached my ears and everyone else's. The room fell silent instantly.

I slowly turned to find the source of the voice. Standing in the hallway, opening the parlor door, was the black-haired beauty—no, the squad leader.

He frowned, looking coldly at his subordinates.

"Enjoying your free time is fine, but don't be too noisy."

The squad leader gave a short warning, glanced at me, and then closed the door with a frown.

I was scolded...?

The parlor remained silent until the sound of his footsteps faded away. I held my breath, maintaining the silence.

Eventually, a young knight exhaled, breaking the tension.

"That was scary... As expected, the Ice Squad Leader."

To this, the bearded knight of the intimidating group responded calmly.

"Well, we were a bit too noisy. Some are already sleeping in their rooms."

"Should we go apologize to the squad leader? He seemed really angry..."

"No, he wasn't angry... right?"

The bearded knight turned to a knight of similar age, who nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, he wasn't angry. He was envious."

The other knights nodded in agreement. However, some, like the young knight and Tina, tilted their heads in confusion. I had the same reaction.

Maybe the squad leader doesn't have any friends? Is he envious of us having fun together?

Thinking about this made me want to cry. Next time I see him, I'll be kind to him.

"Envious? The squad leader of us? Why?"

"Why? Don't you know the rumor about the squad leader?"

Rumor? Is it about him not having close friends?

"What rumor?"

"You see, the squad leader, despite appearances—"

"Mil, I'm back."

The one-eyed knight entered the parlor at a crucial moment, and I was taken back to the room. I didn't get to hear the important part of the rumor.

But I already know, don't I?

Someone, please be friends with the squad leader!