Chapter 92

Whether Rekka or Woodbaum came, the fortress was supposed to remain peaceful as always.

However, today, Tina seems to be acting strange. She has a troubled look on her face, as if she is worrying about something. The day before yesterday, when she went to the spring, she was her usual bright self.

She is heading towards the gate, presumably to change guard duty, but she is walking slowly outside the fortress, her expression dark and tense. I wonder what’s wrong with her.

I tried to talk to Tina right away, but...

"Hey, Kugaru, wait a moment."

Unfortunately, Kugaru is grooming me and won’t let go.

Kugaru appeared while I was lying on the ground with Woodbaum, and after greeting Woodbaum with a "Hello," Kugaru glared at him and said, "You’re still here?" Then, Kugaru suddenly wrapped his front paws around my neck and started licking my head from behind, holding me in place to prevent me from escaping.

"It’s a bit painful... my neck..."

Kugaru seems to be ignoring my complaints and continues grooming me. I don’t have bedhead today, so there’s no need to be so thorough.

Ah, Tina is leaving...

"When we went to the spring, I thought you two were really close. It’s cute, but fire and snow don’t really go well together, do they?"

"Not true!"

Kugaru says this almost aggressively.

"Really? Well, it’s good that you’re close despite your different natures. But, Kugaru, if you stick together too much, Milfia might start to feel hot. You should loosen your grip a bit."

Woodbaum says this with concern.

However, Kugaru ignores this helpful advice and continues to lick my head. When he licks from behind, my fur stands on end.

Finally, when I thought the grooming was over, Kugaru started digging through my chest fur and found the necklace buried there, showing the red stone on the pendant to Woodbaum.

"The same color as my eyes."

"Ah, really. It’s red."

"I gave it to Milfia."

"Really? That’s nice. A gift, huh?"

Maybe Kugaru is trying to intimidate Woodbaum. However, Woodbaum, who is a bit naive and insensitive, doesn’t notice Kugaru’s jealousy and is just smiling and complimenting the red stone necklace.

Eventually, Kugaru seems to realize that Woodbaum isn’t a rival and starts grooming himself, looking relieved.

Hey, can you fix the fur on my head that’s standing up...

When Kugaru left, I went to the gate to talk to Tina. But no one is standing there now. The guard, Ani, seems to be on a different duty today.

I thought Tina might be in the small guardhouse next to the gate, so I sat in front of the door and called out loudly.

"Tina-san!"

The door opened immediately, and Tina came out.

"Mil, what’s wrong?"

She smiled when she saw me, but I could tell she wasn’t her usual bright self.

Tina squatted in front of me, and I carefully observed her expression before asking directly.

"Tina-san, you don’t seem happy. I came to check on you. Did something happen?"

"Me... was it that obvious?"

Tina covered her cheeks with her hands and lowered her eyebrows.

"Are you worried about something?"

"Yeah, a bit..."

I licked Tina’s hand to encourage her and then looked up at her.

"If you want to talk, I’m here to listen!"

"Mil..."

A normal human might think it’s strange to confide in a small fox like me, but that’s what makes Tina so pure and sincere.

"Well, actually..."

Tina started speaking in a sad voice.

"Yesterday, I overheard Rekka talking to the deputy. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard my name and couldn’t help but listen..."

"What was Rekka talking about with the deputy?"

"She was asking the deputy for a single room. She doesn’t seem to want to share a room with me..."

When she finished speaking and looked at me, Tina had tears in her eyes. They were more serious than the teary eyes I get when I beg for something.

I was so taken aback that I started pacing around aimlessly before placing my front paws on Tina’s knee and standing up.

I licked the corners of her eyes to catch the tears before they fell. I don’t know what to do if Tina starts crying.

"She doesn’t want to... Rekka said she doesn’t want to share a room with you?"

"No, she didn’t say she didn’t want to. She just asked if she could have a single room instead of sharing with me. Maybe I’ve done something to upset her without realizing it."

"I don’t know. There might be a reason that has nothing to do with you. Right?"

I said this nervously.

"Maybe..."

While trying to think of a way to cheer Tina up, Rekka appeared from the direction of the fortress. It was a bit of a coincidence, and I was surprised to see the person we were just talking about.

"Rekka, what’s going on?"

Tina stood up and asked awkwardly.

On the other hand, Rekka seemed her usual self, showing no particular feelings towards Tina, and said with a wry smile,

"I’m changing guard duty with Orkus. He has a stomachache. Apparently, he slept with his stomach exposed and got cold last night."

Rekka seems to be on good terms with the other knights, which is nice, but...

"Yes, it’s quite cold at night now."

Tina seems to be overly cautious around Rekka, probably because she’s worried about being disliked.

However, Rekka doesn’t seem to dislike Tina. I think there must be a different reason for her request for a single room.

I thought about leaving to avoid interfering with their work, but Tina gave me a pleading look, so I stayed and kept them company.

Even though I was just loitering around the gate, looking bored, Rekka seemed suspicious and asked,

"Are you waiting for the deputy to return from his patrol?"

I panicked and tried to come up with an excuse.

"No, I’m waiting for... Kicks."

I initially thought of saying the captain, but since he’s usually in the fortress, I mentioned Kicks instead.

However, Rekka, looking confused, pointed to the fortress.

"Kicks is inside."

"Ah, what about Jild?"

"Yes."

"Gregorio?"

"Inside."

I kept mentioning the names of the knights, but I couldn’t hit the right one. Tina was watching me nervously. Just a moment, I’ll get it right this time.

"Then, Enno?"

"Yes, Enno is on patrol at this time."

"Yes!"

...No, that’s not the point.

"I’m waiting for Enno."

I said confidently. It’s easier to lie convincingly when you’re sure of yourself.

"Really? That’s surprising. I haven’t seen you and Enno talking since I came to the fortress."

Enno is a blonde knight with a scar on his chin. Compared to the one-eyed knights, my interactions with Enno are indeed less frequent.

When was the last time we talked? It was probably when I was playing alone in the fortress and was suddenly kidnapped, then kept in Enno’s room for ten minutes and petted the whole time.

"I have something to talk to Enno about."

"I see."

Rekka, who seems to be quite pure and naive, nodded without doubting my lie. Maybe she thinks spirits don’t lie. Sorry.

Just as I was mentally apologizing, Enno and the other knights on patrol returned.

They’re back so soon!

"Welcome back."

Tina, glancing at me, opened the iron gate to let Enno and the others through on their horses.

It’s okay, I understand. Being alone with Rekka is awkward. In this situation, I’ll just say I don’t have anything to talk to Enno about—

"Enno, Mil has something to talk to you about."

"Huh, me?"

But Rekka, being helpful, told Enno, and I couldn’t retract my statement. Enno looks excited.

"What is it? What’s up?"

He dismounted, holding the reins in one hand and picking me up with the other. Then, he walked towards the stables, moving away from Tina and the others. Tina looked worried and glanced at me.

As we moved away from the gate, I was wondering what to do when I ran into Woodbaum, who was taking a leisurely walk.

"Woodbaum! You’re just in time!"

I asked Woodbaum to go to the gate.

"The gate? Sure, but what should I do there?"

"Just sit there and relax."

Woodbaum, who didn’t know what was going on, tilted his head in confusion but trotted over to the gate.

Now Tina will be fine.

"So, what do you need?"

Enno asked, looking excited.

I quickly thought of something to say.

"Um... do you have any jerky?"