Chapter 88

"Woodbaum, Kugarugu is..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Woodbaum tilted his head and looked at me the moment the black leopard landed on his back.

"Whoa!?"

Not having noticed Kugarugu's presence, Woodbaum was startled by the sudden object on his back and reared up, lifting his front legs and neighing.

In the process, Kugarugu tumbled to the ground, and for some reason, my body—

"Eh, what's happening…!?"

Suddenly, the ground seemed to rise, and it kept ascending.

"Mil!"

Rising above the one-eyed knight, we stopped at a height of about three to four meters. However, I was surrounded by dense green leaves, making it impossible to see the surroundings. Thin branches supported my feet and stomach.

...Is this a tree?

It seemed that a tree had grown from my feet the moment Woodbaum was startled.

Looking down gently, I saw that the tree was growing straight from the ground, but three trunks were intertwined in a spiral. It was a rather unusual tree.

"High..."

My footing was unstable as I wasn't standing on a thick branch, and moving too much would have made me fall.

"Milfee!"

Kugarugu, who had been distracted by meeting Woodbaum for the first time, quickly climbed up when he realized I was on the tree. As always, he was skilled at climbing trees.

However, even though he managed to reach me by shaking the branches, it was difficult for him to rescue me alone. He tried to pull me by the back of my neck, but it didn't work well because we were about the same size.

"Wait, Kugarugu. My hind legs are caught on a branch."

Despite this, Kugarugu tried to pull me with all his might.

However, as the leaves rustled and the leopard and the fox struggled, the branch finally snapped with a crack.

"Ah..."

By the time I realized I was falling, I was already plummeting with Kugarugu, scattering leaves and slipping through the gaps between the branches, heading straight for the ground.

"Mil!"

But as we emerged from the dense foliage, the knights were waiting to catch us.

The one-eyed knight, who had accurately predicted where we would land, caught us before we hit the ground.

"Whoa, over here!"

Woodbaum also seemed to be trying to catch us on his back, but he was waiting in the wrong spot and hurried over. Maybe he's a bit air-headed.

"Sorry, I think I used my power out of surprise. Are you okay?"

Woodbaum, in the form of a deer, peered into the one-eyed knight's arms where Kugarugu and I were. He used his mouth to remove the leaves from our fur and ate them as he went.

"Yep, I'm fine."

I answered while he ate the leaves from my head. Hey, don't put my fur in your mouth.

Looking around, I saw that Tiana and Rekka were also relieved. Then, Rekka took out a small, folded piece of paper from her pocket and, looking at Kugarugu, said,

"Is this the child of the Fire Spirit? The precaution is to 'separate Mil if she seems too hot after being attached for a long time.'"

She was reviewing how to handle Kugarugu. That must be the spirit information from the leader.

At that moment, the leader, who had received the news, arrived.

"A deer..."

The leader, wearing an ice mask, blushed slightly as she looked at Woodbaum. Her joy at the addition of an animal was evident.

I introduced Woodbaum to the leader and Kugarugu again and explained the situation.

In the end, the leader nodded and allowed Woodbaum to stay. It's not a bad thing for humans to be kind to spirits.

"That's good. Please take care of me. Don't worry about me, just do your usual work."

I thought to myself, "If there's a deer lounging around the grounds, it would be quite noticeable," as I heard Woodbaum's words. Especially the leader would probably have restless days.

"Is your messy fur also due to your illness?"

Kugarugu, who had been circling Woodbaum cautiously, asked. Kugarugu is a neat freak and is strict about fur messiness and dirt.

Indeed, Woodbaum's short fur was dirty in some places, lacked luster, and was frizzy, much like my hair when I wake up. Considering his human form, it seemed his bangs were naturally curly.

"Yeah. My fur used to be much nicer."

Woodbaum said dejectedly. Rekka, who had been listening to the conversation, offered hesitantly,

"Um, Spirit, would you like me to clean your body?"

"I can brush you too."

Tiana added. Woodbaum's brown eyes widened slightly as he replied,

"Thank you. I don't know if it will make me look better, but I'll let you try."

"Please wait a moment."

Rekka bowed politely and then went with Tiana to get towels, water, and a brush.

Once everything was ready, the other knights helped clean Woodbaum.

"Whoa, that tickles, hehehe."

At first, Woodbaum kicked his legs and twitched his short tail, but he seemed to get used to it.

"It feels pretty good."

"Right?"

Tiana said as she brushed Woodbaum's fur with a large brush designed for horses. I took the opportunity to have the one-eyed knight brush my fur with a personal brush.

Being brushed on the head and back made me stretch out on the grass, extending all four legs and melting like mochi. After my back, I was flipped over for the belly course.

Kugarugu, who didn't like being touched by others, was grooming himself.

The leader had been watching us with envy, but she knew that if she tried to be brushed, her rationality would break down. She clenched her teeth and couldn't move from her spot.

While everyone pretended not to notice the leader's dark aura, Rekka, who was diligently wiping Woodbaum's body with a wet towel, wiped her sweat and said,

"The dirt isn't coming off easily."

No matter how much everyone wiped and brushed Woodbaum's fur, it remained messy and dull.

"Yeah, I guess I need to regain my strength to look better."

Woodbaum said regretfully, then smiled and continued,

"But it felt good to be cleaned. Thank you very much."

Somehow, his fur seemed a little less messy. Maybe he felt better after everyone's kindness?

The exhausted atmosphere was gone, and although he still looked tired, his expression was brighter.

"That's good. If you stay here for a while, you'll surely feel better."

I said lazily while the one-eyed knight brushed my belly.

Woodbaum nodded and said,

"…But, Milfee, you might be a bit too trusting of humans."

And he laughed.