Chapter 40

I will now live on my own, standing tall without relying on Mother or the One-Eyed Knights.

Sometimes I forget, but since I was human in my previous life, I think I'm pretty solid and can certainly manage on my own!

I don’t know if the One-Eyed Knights will say they feel lonely later, but I won’t let them pet my belly again!

I’ll show them I can be independent at the age of three!

With such determination in my head, I walked down the deserted road.

A fairy flew a little ahead, guiding me, but when I fell behind, it would stop and wait for me.

Looking back, the northern fortress and the relaxed town a little further away were still in sight.

I thought I had walked quite a bit, but it seemed I hadn’t left my hometown yet.

The neighboring town is just a small village, so there was no one to be seen on the road leading there.

It would probably get busier as I approached larger towns or the capital, but for now, all I could see were potato fields.

The weather was good, but it was quiet and lonely...

I found a small clump of snow stubbornly surviving by the roadside and mashed it up out of frustration, but it didn’t improve my mood.

The fairy spun around, saying "Don’t take detours," so I reluctantly continued forward.

"Let’s chat a bit!"

Thinking the solo journey was boring, I spoke to the fairy, but it only blinked in confusion.

"Hey, look! Over there!"

I pointed my nose to the grassland spreading to the left front.

I had been there a few times, so I recognized it. It was the pasture for the fortress’s warhorses.

In the vast area, the horses were grazing or running around happily.

Although Ailax and the leader weren’t there, I was familiar with the other horses and got along well with them.

For a moment, I forgot my loneliness and ran towards the pasture with a "Yay!" The fairy tried to guide me back to the road, but I ignored it.

I had plenty of time, so I decided to wait a little.

The fence was too high for me to climb, so I easily slipped under it to join the horses.

I chirped a greeting, and the horses responded by nudging their noses. Even the horses far away came over, curious about what was happening.

For about thirty minutes, I played to my heart's content with them. We rolled on the ground together, and I lost the races by a large margin.

Ailax usually let me win in races because of my short legs, but since he wasn’t there today, I lost every time.

I had a quick start, but was quickly overtaken. Moreover, they weren’t even trying their best, running gracefully and effortlessly.

Watching them run happily, I thought, "I wish I could just stay here casually and blend in."

I even considered pretending to run an errand and hiding in the stables for a while, but the letter entrusted to me by Mother must be important, so I had to go to the capital.

I sighed softly and said goodbye to the horses.

"I’m leaving now."

I hoped one of them would follow, but none did.

It was sad...

As I was about to leave the pasture, the fairy was sitting on the fence like a daifuku, apparently having given up on bringing me back and waiting for me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The fairy, as if saying "Finally, you came," turned into a perfect circle and started leading me again.

I walked on the hard ground, my paws thudding, with my rabbit backpack swaying.

After walking quietly for a while, I couldn’t stand the fairy fluttering in front of me and finally snapped, biting it.

It was the perfect size to bite, and its movement was so tempting that I couldn’t control myself. I felt a cool sensation on my tongue.

The fairy started to vibrate angrily, so I opened my mouth and let it go.

"Sorry, sorry."

While interacting with the light orb that couldn’t speak, I suddenly felt a sense of fire and looked up.

A small flame appeared in the empty air.

I was already used to this scene, so I stepped back and waited for his arrival.

The flame swirled and grew, turning black when it reached my height, and then quickly transformed into a small leopard, which landed gracefully on the ground.

Being a feline, it was softer and more agile than a canine.

"Good morning, Kugarug."

The black leopard with a bad temper saw me, raised its long tail, and came towards me.

It lowered its head and butted my fluffy chest.

"Oof..."

The impact was strong, and I always ended up sitting down, but I endured it because it was a sign of affection.

Kugarug then rubbed its head against me and, satisfied, returned to its original position.

"Milfuria. Hmm? ...Where are we?"

After calling my name happily, Kugarug finally looked around. Blinking at the unfamiliar scenery, different from the Snowlea Mountains or the fortress, he noticed the fairy and looked puzzled.

"I’ve been waiting for you, Kugarug!"

I also raised my tail to welcome him. This might be the first time I’ve been so excited for his arrival.

I was certain.

Kugarug would! Kugarug would surely come with me to the capital!

"Waiting for me?"

Kugarug’s red eyes sparkled.

I explained to him that I was going on an errand to the capital and asked him to come with me.

"I’m lonely on my own, so let’s go together! 'A journey is better with a companion'!"

He tilted his head at the Japanese proverb, but Kugarug nodded immediately to my request, saying, "Okay, I’ll go."

Kugarug, as expected!

"Yay! I’m so happy!"

This eased my loneliness.

Expressing my joy with a big smile, Kugarug turned away, blushing.

"But, the fire on your tail might need to be hidden."

Kugarug’s long, thin tail always had a red flame at the tip. Anyone who saw it would be surprised.

I was thinking about how to hide it, but Kugarug casually replied,

"Okay, I’ll put it out."

"How do you put it out?"

While I was tilting my head, Kugarug swung his tail to the right.

Surprisingly, the red flame at the tip went out.

"Eh? You can put it out? Is it okay to put it out?"

I asked, surprised. I had assumed the flame would only go out when Kugarug died.

However, the flame on Kugarug’s tail wasn’t a sign of life. After reviving the flame by swinging his tail to the left and then putting it out again by swinging it to the right, Kugarug said nonchalantly,

"It’s fine to put it out."

So that’s how it is. I was surprised.

Then, I asked him to keep it out during the journey to avoid drawing attention.

"Can you keep it out, please?"

"Okay."

"Great, let’s go! Let’s do our best to reach the capital! ...Yeah!"

Since Kugarug didn’t respond to my cheer, I answered for myself.

Kugarug is still a child, so I have the feeling that "I have to protect him if something happens," and I can’t relax as much as when I’m with Mother or the One-Eyed Knights.

However, my steps were much lighter than before. It’s nice to have a travel companion besides the fairy.

I might even be a bit excited.