Chapter 48

Could it be that I’m about to be kidnapped right now?

Is this uncle a dangerous person who likes little kids? Or does he plan to sell us somewhere, or does he know our true identities and their value?

The blood drained from my body.

“Kugaru…!”

I tried to run away with him, but Kugaru just stared at the uncle without showing any signs of danger.

In this situation, he should protect me, but maybe he hasn’t realized that the uncle is a bad person.

“Kugaru!”

“Got you.”

The uncle picked me up and laughed with a low growl.

“…!”

I struggled hard, but I couldn’t escape his thick arms.

“Kugaru, help! I’m going to be killed!”

In response to my scream, Kugaru tilted his head and calmly replied.

“Killed? But he’s one of their group, right?”

“Huh?”

Not understanding what he meant, I tilted my head this time.

“Are you satisfied, Captain? You shouldn’t scare them too much.”

From behind Kugaru, the sub-captain appeared quietly.

He put one side of his sleek black hair behind his ear and looked at the uncle with a disappointed face.

“Sub-captain…? It’s the sub-captain!!”

Forgetting that I was being carried by a suspicious uncle, I wagged my tail under my poncho.

Eh!? Why is he here!? What a coincidence! I’m so happy!

Stretching my neck towards the sub-captain, I tried to sniff him even though he was in human form.

“Myl, you shouldn’t follow strangers. This person is someone we know, but there are many bad people in the world.”

The sub-captain’s words made me turn around in shock.

This bear-like uncle wasn’t a kidnapper but someone the sub-captain knew?

“He’s the captain of the knights.”

As if reading my mind, the sub-captain informed me.

So, this person is the one who leads the knights! When I first came to the northern fortress, I had imagined what the sub-captain looked like, and he resembles that image.

“I didn’t expect you to follow so easily. I’m Gauss, nice to meet you!”

Captain Gauss laughed heartily and patted my head forcefully with his large hand.

My hood fell off, and I felt like my head was going to be rubbed bald, and my neck was about to break. He’s stronger than the one-eyed knight.

Taking advantage of the moment when his grip loosened, I hurriedly got down to the ground. My vision was spinning.

The sub-captain knelt in front of me and Kugaru and said,

“As expected, you two suit each other well.”

Is he talking about this poncho?

As expected… So, this was chosen by the sub-captain and put in my backpack last night?

“Sub-captain, when did you…?”

My question was cut off.

The one-eyed knight and Tina were running down the narrow alley towards us, and Kicks was with them.

The moment I saw the one-eyed knight, I knew my eyes had widened and sparkled.

“Knight!”

“Myl”

I ran up and clung to the one-eyed knight’s leg.

“Why? Why are you here?”

My tail wagged so fast that my poncho flapped up. I touched the one-eyed knight’s face to make sure he wasn’t a hallucination, but he was real.

Wow, I’m so happy! To meet you here! What a touching reunion!

If I were in my fox form, I’d be so excited that I’d lick his face and cover it in saliva.

After three years of reincarnation, I’ve become less resistant to the act of licking.

Then, I saw Tina and Kicks watching the alley behind the one-eyed knight with caution.

At the same time, the sub-captain asked the one-eyed knight,

“Did they escape?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. They got away.”

The serious tone of the two and Kicks’ usual lack of joking made me feel uneasy.

“Did something happen?”

The one-eyed knight hesitated for a moment before explaining.

“There were some suspicious men watching Myl and Kugaru from a distance. I left them to the captain and sub-captain and tried to chase them, but they got away.”

“They were watching us? But we were dressed to stand out, so maybe that’s why.”

I pulled my hood back on.

A child wearing a poncho with ears would naturally attract attention from passersby.

However, the one-eyed knight shook his head.

“Their eyes were different from other people’s. They might have thought of kidnapping children or realized that Myl and Kugaru are spirits…”

He muttered the last part to himself.

“Anyway, your journey together ends here. From now on, you’ll travel to the capital with us.”

“Eh!? Yay!”

I raised both hands in a victory sign, then realized something.

“…But, don’t the knights have other jobs to do?”

I wondered if it was okay for the knights to leave their duties to travel with us to the capital.

Tina answered my question.

“Hehe, our destination is also the capital. The sub-captain has some business there, and Myl’s mother asked us to travel with her.”

“Mother…?”

I blinked in surprise. When did Mother ask the knights to do this?

(But wait. If they were going to the capital from the beginning, why didn’t they tell me when I went to the fortress?)

If they had told me from the start, I wouldn’t have felt so lonely…

Noticing the distrust in my expression, Kicks said lightly,

“I thought it would be fun to secretly follow you. It was quite entertaining. But you should be more aware of your surroundings. You never know who might be following you. And use your ears and eyes more.”

“Wait… How long have you all been following us?”

“Since you were playing with the horse.”

That was pretty early on!

You should have told me! If I had known you were watching, I would have been more serious and moved forward instead of playing with the horse!

I pouted.

It’s so mean to follow us secretly! It must have been Kicks’ idea!

Oh, and I had made a resolution to be independent when we set out, but I ended up wagging my tail and being happy to see them.

I’m such an idiot.

I don’t want to be seen as a simple woman, so I’ll keep my angry aura on for a while.

I raised my chin haughtily and remained silent.

“Don’t be sulky. I’m sorry.”

The one-eyed knight lowered his eyebrows and stroked my hair.

I won’t forgive you just because you’re trying to cheer me up. I like being stroked, but I’m still angry… Ah, a bit closer to my ears… Yes, that’s it. So comfortable.

Alright, I forgive you.

Then I glared at Kicks, who said, “Sorry.”

The sub-captain also said, “I’m sorry,” with a wry smile, so I’ll forgive him too.

I’m scared to blame the captain, who is powerful and authoritative, so I’ll let it go, but Tina is guilty for putting the stuffed animal in my backpack.

When I looked at her, she said, “Sorry,” in a cute voice.

Oh well, I guess.

I forgive you, so let’s go to the capital together! For sure! Don’t leave me behind!

I cheered up and rubbed my forehead against the one-eyed knight’s cheek.

Maybe because they were watching from behind, they noticed the suspicious men, and I avoided danger.

“So, you all switched the contents of my backpack, right? …Sorry, I used up most of the money you gave me…”

I said apologetically, but the knights didn’t seem to mind.

“That was your allowance. You’re welcome to use it. I think Regan bought a bit too much, but we can all eat it.”

“Okay!”

Good. With five adults, I won’t have to worry about my stomach bursting from Regan’s food.

“Hey, did the sub-captain put this in?”

I pointed to my poncho, and Kicks followed.

“Yeah, we were surprised too. Bringing such things along. And even preparing one for Kugaru.”

“I anticipated that we might need them.”

The sub-captain acted like he was prepared, but was he really? I think he brought them just to make us wear them.

I’m worried that there might be more clothes and accessories for us in the sub-captain’s luggage.

“Let’s get going. If those men are local troublemakers, they won’t follow us out of town.”

The captain urged, and the one-eyed knight agreed, then asked me and Kugaru,

“Right. …Can you ride the horses in your current forms?”

It might be easier to ride in human form, but there’s a risk of the hood falling off while riding. If someone sees us, they might be surprised, and it’s less likely for us to be recognized as spirits if we stay in our animal forms.

After the one-eyed knight put me down, I turned back into a fox. Kugaru also transformed into a black panther.

As soon as the hood slipped off, my poncho covered my entire body.

“Eh? Where’s the exit?”

I panicked, and Kugaru, who couldn’t see either, bumped heads with me.

“Ouch!”

“Ow…!”

“Wait, wait.”

“Stay still.”

The one-eyed knight and Tina helped us take off our ponchos.

I shook my body to straighten my fur, keeping the shawl and rabbit backpack on. I reattached the necklace Kugaru had given me.

While we were doing this, the sub-captain was checking if any suspicious men were on the main street.

“It seems to be safe. We left Iralax and the others near the entrance of the town. Let’s go back there.”

The sub-captain turned to me and said this. The one-eyed knight picked up me, the spirit attached to me, and Kugaru, hiding us under his cloak.

Kicks, at the back, was holding Regan’s bag, being careful of the holes. He must have seen the contents for the first time and exclaimed, “So much!”

The knights started walking, but I decided to stay quiet under the cloak until we left the town.

I couldn’t see the surroundings, but it seemed that the knights retrieved their horses without any issues and left the town of Gorda.

Once we were back on the road and everyone was on their horses, Kugaru and I came out from under the cloak.

We were held with one hand to prevent us from falling off and placed in front of the one-eyed knight.

The sub-captain, who seemed envious of the animal paradise in the one-eyed knight’s arms, took the lead and said,

“Let’s go. Be aware of the back.”

He gave the order to start.

The sub-captain and the spirit sitting on Iralax’s nose were at the front—maybe the spirit was given the task by Mother, or maybe it’s in their nature to want to be at the front—followed by us and the one-eyed knight, with the captain next to us.

Kicks and Tina were at the back.

We didn’t ride too fast at first, but as we moved away from Gorda and the road became less crowded, the situation changed.

The trigger was Kicks’ signal.

“Here they come!”

Everyone turned around while holding the reins.

I peeked out from the one-eyed knight’s body to check behind us, careful not to fall off the horse.

“…!”

There were about five of them, a group in black riding horses, chasing us at full speed.

They had their faces mostly covered with cloth or cloaks.

The sharp eyes of the man in the lead seemed to pierce through me, making my heart thump.

Scared, I quickly hid behind the one-eyed knight.

“We’ll have to run a bit.”

The one-eyed knight said, holding me and Kugaru tightly.

“Okay.”

I clung to the one-eyed knight, sticking close to Kugaru.

The knights increased their speed, but the suspicious group was also following closely.

“They’re not just ordinary troublemakers.”

The captain, as expected, remained calm in this situation, which reassured me a bit.

I don’t know what the pursuers’ intentions are, but the knights are strong, so we’ll be okay… right?