Chapter 61

「Uu~…」

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of my own small groan.

In my dream, Kugarugu had climbed onto my back, and I was angry, but in reality, Kugarugu was still on my back, snoring.

「Uu~…」

This time, I groaned like a human and wriggled out from under Kugarugu's warm body.

Next to me, the one-eyed knight was lying on the ground, resting, and behind him, the campfire was burning brightly.

The leader, Kicks, Tina, and the others, including Ailax and the other leaders, seemed to be sleeping as well.

Mother's fairy was flattened like a mochi on a branch away from the campfire and Kugarugu. I wonder if it's sleeping.

On the other hand, the sub-leader seemed to be on guard duty at this hour. He was throwing small branches into the campfire to keep it from going out, but when he noticed I was awake, he beckoned to me.

Maybe he was lonely by himself, so I approached and was placed on his crossed legs.

The heat from the campfire was intense.

He stroked my head as if trying to get me to go back to sleep, but I wasn't sleepy, so I turned over and gently bit his hand.

Next to the sub-leader, the thin blue snake, Father's fairy, was coiled up. It didn't move at all, but its eyes were open, and it didn't seem to be sleeping.

Perhaps it was keeping watch to protect the knights as Father had instructed, or maybe it was just spacing out.

Considering it was Father's fairy, the latter seemed more likely.

After satisfying myself by biting the sub-leader's hand for a while, I spoke in a low voice so as not to wake the others.

"Heiris, you haven't come back yet."

"Yeah."

I wonder if the black-clad men haven't been found yet.

Mother and Heiris have been fighting for a long time, so I hope she's not pushing herself too hard.

"Or maybe she's already defeated Captain Sarell."

Heiris might be the type to charge ahead and go after the mastermind right away.

The sub-leader gently scolded me as I lay on my back, talking about such things nonchalantly.

"Mil, Captain Sarell hasn't been proven to be the culprit yet."

That's true. I had already decided in my mind that Captain Sarell was the bad guy, even though there was no definitive evidence.

But I could sense from the sub-leader's tone that he was trying to defend Captain Sarell.

I sat back on the sub-leader's crossed legs to avoid losing the tension.

"Sub-leader, you hope Captain Sarell isn't the culprit, don't you?"

"…Maybe."

The sub-leader, while playing with my tail, thought seriously.

"I don't particularly get along with Captain Sarell, nor do I trust him especially. But he and I have similar positions within the knights, and we are perceived similarly by others."

The sub-leader was probably referring to the fact that both he and Captain Sarell were from ducal families, and as a result, they were often avoided or given unwanted favor, and even envied.

Just as commoners have their own struggles, nobles have their own as well.

"So I can understand how much Captain Sarell has struggled within the knights. Neither of us is blessed with a physique like Grail's or the charisma to attract people like the leader. We don't have any special talents."

He stated the facts matter-of-factly, without any hint of self-pity in his voice.

"Moreover, Captain Sarell seems to have had a difficult time at home. I heard that he was often compared to his healthy older brother and neglected because he was weak as a child. However, I think it's because of these experiences at home and within the knights that he has strong ambitions. He wants to rise higher and higher, so that no one looks down on him, and to make others recognize him."

While the sub-leader tries to gain strength and confidence to not care about others' opinions, Captain Sarell seems to be focused on gaining status and power.

"I can only pray that he hasn't lost sight of justice in his ambition."

The sub-leader sighed and petted my cheeks.

---

"I'm back! I'm home!"

In the morning, Heiris returned. She was no longer transparent but had returned to her original colorful form.

She landed on my stomach while I was sleeping and asked coolly, "Were you still sleeping?"

"My claws… are digging in…"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Heiris is as light as air, but her claws are painful.

She moved to my Usagi Rucksack and, flapping her wings, tried to wake me up. A pleasant breeze blew.

"Good morning, Mil."

The sub-leader, who was already dressed, seemed to have taken over the night watch at some point. I had fallen asleep and didn't notice when.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Of course."

The sub-leader answered without showing any signs of fatigue from the journey. The snake from last night was still in the same position, having not moved at all.

"Good morning, Mil."

"Are you not tired, Mil?"

"It's a good morning."

Tina, the one-eyed knight, and the leader were already awake, so I ran to each of them to get my head petted.

It was wonderful.

The one-eyed knight's uniform and cloak were still torn from the back, but he had skillfully adjusted the cloak to cover his bare skin.

I was relieved that he was unharmed, so I got more head pets from the one-eyed knight than from the others.

This hand is warm and makes me happy today.

Now, the only ones still asleep are Kugarugu and Kicks.

Heiris is waking up Kugarugu, so I launched myself at Kicks, who was sleeping wrapped in a dirty cloth.

I ran up to him and jumped onto his chest, and Kicks woke up, coughing violently.

Hmm? Maybe I've gained a little weight.

---

"Alright, I'll report the results of my reconnaissance!"

Heiris puffed out her chest on the Usagi Rucksack.

"Mil, here's your soup. It's hot, so wait a bit before eating it."

"Hot!"

"While you're saying that!? Why don't you eat the Regan first while it cools down?"

"But I'm already tired of Regan. Do you still have some?"

"You bought a mountain of it. Eat it with responsibility."

"Ah, Kicks! Let's trade your cheese for my Regan!"

"I'm tired of Regan too!"

"Hey! Are you listening!?"

While we were eating breakfast around the campfire, Heiris raised her voice.

She glared at Kicks and me, who were trying to pass the Regan to each other, and moved from the Usagi Rucksack to Kicks' head.

"I'll announce the results of my reconnaissance!"

"Ouch, don't dig your claws into my head."

Kicks grimaced and placed Heiris on his shoulder.

"Milfee, I'll give you my cheese."

"Thank you, Kugarugu."

"Do you like cheese?"

"Yes, I like it. But I like jerky, eggs, and fruits more. But when I say fruits, I don't mean Regan…"

"Kugarugu, Milfeeria! Eat and be quiet!"

Heiris, with her head feathers standing up, scolded us.

Since we weren't getting anywhere, she turned to the sub-leader, the one-eyed knight, and the leader.

"About the suspicious men, they were in a small town ahead. They were resting at an inn."

"Ahead…?"

The sub-leader checked the map.

"They must have known we were heading to the capital and are waiting for us."

Kicks, who was eating a piece of bread, said resentfully.

"Probably! But this morning, they seem to have left the town. They are still trying to capture Milfeeria and Kugarugu, but because of the injuries they sustained in the fight with you, they decided to move only at the last moment. Is there a town called Chedas near the capital?"

The one-eyed knight answered Heiris' question.

"Yes. It's the town next to the capital."

"In the uninhabited forest between Chedas and the capital, they plan to attack again. They say they will capture the spirits this time, and failure is not an option."

"They must be threatened by Captain Sarell."

Kicks, chewing the last piece of bread, muttered.

"We need to be careful because they are trying to increase their numbers. They thought five of them wouldn't be enough to defeat you, so they were trying to recruit some rough-looking men who happened to be staying at the same inn."

"They are trying to hire them with money."

The one-eyed knight nodded, and Heiris continued.

"Their numbers have doubled. But you know, both groups are scoundrels, but the hired men look… how do you say it, 'thugs,' while the original five look clean and well-groomed. They are probably knights, as you suspected."

The leader made a bitter face at Heiris' observation.

"We will catch them this time. Then we can find out their true identity and purpose."

The leader's voice was stern, perhaps because the possibility that the culprits are knights is high. Since all the knights are under the leader's command, he might feel responsible.

The other four nodded at the leader's words, but with the increase in the enemy's numbers, it might be difficult to capture them.

Even though Heiris is no longer an enemy, the possibility of injury remains high, and someone might suffer a near-fatal injury again.

Thinking of the one-eyed knight lying injured, my tail curled between my legs. I don't want to go through that again.

I know everyone is strong, and I believe the one-eyed knight would never lose to a human, but I can't help but worry.

---

"It's cramped…! Someone, move!"

"I want to be with Milfee. Heiris can fly, right!"

"I'm tired too! I worked hard on reconnaissance!"

"……"

After preparing for the morning, we left the forest and tried to mount the horses, but for some reason, everyone crowded on Leader's back.

I was worried about the one-eyed knight, so I rode with Leader, but then Kugarugu followed, and the noisy Heiris joined us, and for some reason, Father's snake came along too.

"I'm falling! Move a bit more to the side!"

"Is Milfee okay!?"

"Kugarugu! Do something about that long tail! It's hitting my face!"

"……"

In the cramped space, the three of us were moving around, and the fourth one was already calmly settled.

"Should one of us go with someone else? Except for the snake."

"Then I'll go with someone."

Tina and Kicks approached the one-eyed knight, but

"I'll take one."

The sub-leader, who was at the edge and about to fall, grabbed me by the neck with my Usagi Rucksack and placed me between his legs, looking satisfied.

"I'll go with you!"

"If you do, I'll go too!"

"Then we'll end up in the same situation again."

The one-eyed knight, seeing Kugarugu trying to fly to Ailax, caught him and pushed him to Kicks.

"Heiris, split up and ride with someone else."

"Hmm, what should I do?"

After flying and circling in the air, Heiris landed on the leader's shoulder. Maybe it felt stable.

Kugarugu, who didn't want to ride with Kicks, ended up with Tina.

The snake stayed with the one-eyed knight on Leader's back.

"I'm the only one left."

"If you lead the way, you can ride the snow fairy."

Kicks, who was told this by the sub-leader, went to the front.

Mother's fairy, who likes to be "in front," sat on Kicks' horse's nose.

"Don't touch me!"

"Kicks, let's go. Move faster."

The sub-leader, seeing Kicks trying to touch the fairy, said coldly.

Our group, consisting of five humans, three spirits, and two fairies, set off towards the capital again.