Chapter 63

We immediately left the inn and went outside.

"…Ah, please hide for a moment."

However, just as we were about to turn the corner of the street, Cloa quickly slipped into the gap between two buildings. Laocles stood in front of the gap as if he knew what to do, subtly hiding Cloa.

…Then, a rather sinister-looking person came from the other side of the street, glanced at us, and then left.

Hmm, that person…

"…That was one of the thugs the Scheere family uses."

So, there are such people. I see, thugs…

"Let's go. We need to hurry, or they might come this way too."

Yeah. It's better to hurry. Cloa might get into trouble.

And so, we managed to get out of the capital.

In the end, we didn't encounter anyone looking for Cloa except for that thug, and we successfully escaped the capital.

Then, we walked until the capital was barely visible… and only then did we start flying with the Alicorn and the Red Dragon.

At first, we flew low. We didn't want to be spotted from the capital.

…Flying low gave a strange sensation. When flying high, it felt like floating in a dream, but flying low, you could see the ground rushing backward, giving a sense of speed.

After a while, when it was completely dark, we increased our altitude.

By this point, we were far enough from the capital that we wouldn't be seen, and there were forests and hills ahead. Flying low in the dark was a bit dangerous, so it was better to be in the open sky.

…As we ascended, the scenery almost disappeared into the night darkness. However, the bright moon illuminated the surroundings, and the terrain could be vaguely seen.

And most of all, the moon and stars were beautiful. While low-altitude flying was nice, this high-altitude flight, where it felt like being in the sky itself, was also something I enjoyed.

"…So? What do you mean by not having a smooth resignation, Cloa?"

Once the flight of the Alicorn and the Red Dragon stabilized, Fay started asking Cloa. The Alicorn, on which I and Laocles were riding, also listened and decided to fly closer to the Red Dragon.

"Resigning as a spy never goes smoothly. Scheere didn't want to let me go because they didn't want their secrets leaked. Well, I reported the mission as a failure. I said I couldn't charm the boy because we were too incompatible. I gave a vague report about the Red Dragon, so the Scheere family must be quite troubled."

I see. She's clever.

"There's no reward for a failed mission, but I got this painting as a gag order and some funds for the immediate future, and that was it. …However, inflicting private punishment on someone who is no longer an ally is their specialty. They chased me quite a bit."

…That's tough. They recognize the resignation but try to kill you. It's dangerous. It's almost like not recognizing the resignation at all. If there were labor laws in this world, it would definitely be illegal. Well, I don't know if such laws exist in this world…

"Anyway, I got delayed trying to shake them off. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you're safe."

"…If you can shake off Scheere's soldiers and the underworld, it means you're skilled."

"Oh, escaping from those was easy."

…Cloa looks calm, but she's amazing. She's even more impressive than I thought. She's not just beautiful and charming!

"But, don't worry. They're probably investigating the castle right now. They wouldn't think I'd end up working for Togo-kun."

Then, Cloa laughed, her hair fluttering in the night breeze.

"'Cloa got the information about the Red Dragon and took it somewhere more profitable than bringing it back to the Scheere family.' That sounds more plausible, doesn't it?"

"Meaning, you made them think that to avoid them knowing your actual destination is Togo's forest?"

"Yes. I'm confident I fooled them. …After all, they don't know I've become 'forest-like'!"

…Right. Not many people know that Cloa can laugh like this. It makes me feel a bit happy, a bit envious, and yet, still happy.

"Anyway, I'll probably be living in the forest for a while. Nice to meet you."

Yeah. Cloa will be living in the forest for a while, hiding from the Scheere family. …It's just as I wished!

Thus, we arrived at the forest late at night. Since it was late, Fay also stayed in the forest. My house, with me, Cloa, and Fay. Laocles finally got to return to his house. Yeah, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have prepared a guest house…

…And so, feeling happy that everything went well, I went to bed.

I felt like I had a good dream, and then…

In the morning, I woke up to a nice smell.

Huh? I went to the living room, and there…

"Good morning, Togo-kun."

Cloa was making breakfast. Fluffy omelets, vegetable soup, ham and cheese on the bread, and tea that Cloa was brewing, giving off a nice aroma.

…It's been a long time since I had a proper homemade breakfast.

I was so happy… and a bit slow to react.

"…Well, I'll be staying in this forest for a while. I'll do my part."

Then, Cloa said, looking a bit awkward and pouting. I want to draw this face.

"Thank you."

Just as I said thank you, the door opened. It seems Fay, who woke up before me, went to get Laocles. They both came in.

We all gathered for breakfast. …Eating with so many people is really rare. I haven't had a meal with more than three people in years. Usually, I ate alone.

…Breakfast was delicious. When I said it was delicious, Cloa smiled happily.

Yeah. I'm happy too.

It's… peaceful.

After breakfast, I started thinking about where to build the next house.

Cloa probably wouldn't want to live with me forever. I promised to build her a nice house.

"Where would be good?"

"Well, I don't have any particular preferences… but a place with lots of flowers would be nice."

"Got it. Then, Cloa's house will be in a place with lots of flowers… and where should the guest room be?"

The location of Cloa's house is important, but the guest house is also important. I need to ensure a place for unexpected guests or models.

"…By the way, are you building a house here? Are you going to call a carpenter?"

"Yeah, something like that."

…I haven't told Cloa yet that I can materialize drawings. I haven't found the right opportunity.

What should I do? I trust Cloa, but she was a spy, and there's a possibility that the trouble in the capital was staged, and she's still working as a spy.

…Hmm, what should I do.

Anyway, we decided to start building Cloa's house that day.

Cloa stayed at home, and I called many horses to create a situation where it wasn't clear what I was doing or if I was even there… and drew the house.

I thought I could draw a small house without running out of magic, but making Cloa's house small would go against the promise.

I wanted to make it a nice house, so I decided to start with the foundation.

The forest ground is uneven, so I made it a raised floor to level it. I planned to build the house on a raised floor supported by pillars.

…I think my magic has increased a bit since I drew my house, and I'm more confident in controlling it. So, I won't draw it in pieces like before. I decided to divide it into three parts: the foundation, the frame and walls, and the roof. This way, I can build the house with more ease.

However, it's not finished here. I want to furnish the rooms with items that suit Cloa and add functional features.

I designed the kitchen to be more user-friendly than my house, with lights powered by magic stones. And a bath. Yeah, the bath is especially important. There's only one woman in this forest… I think she wouldn't want to share a bath with a man. Yeah, I'm sorry.

So, with the interior and other facilities, it took more than a week.

I think it would have been better to go to a furniture store with Cloa to choose the furniture, but taking her to town now would be troublesome… so, for now, I'll have to make do with the furniture I drew.

…But, I'm satisfied with the interior.

The furniture is a calm, elegant dark brown. Furniture with legs mostly has cat feet. I think the curves match Cloa's image. Yeah, Cloa is an Art Nouveau person.

The flooring is also dark brown wood, with a deep green rug on top.

The curtains are lace and light green, with antique gold vine patterns woven into the light green ones. The rugs and carpets also have the same pattern.

The walls are ivory, with vine patterns featuring curves. The ceiling lamp is shaped like a lily of the valley made of milky glass.

The bed… I hesitated about making it, but she would need it, so I drew a large bed with fluffy bedding and smooth blankets. I also added a canopy with deep green and light green fabric. …Yeah, I think a canopy bed suits Cloa's image.

…I kept the color palette simple and calm, with the furniture matching and a touch of gold inlay. The design is not too ornate.

And everything is curved. The patterns on the curtains, wallpaper, and rugs are floral. The shapes of the furniture and lighting fixtures are also curved. …I think curved designs suit Cloa better than straight, sharp designs.

"How is it?"

"…When did you prepare all this?"

For the past few days, I've been drawing the house and furniture, and during that time, Cloa was being shown around the forest by some of the horses, so we didn't see each other much. But today, with the house mostly complete, I finally invited Cloa to see the house that will be hers.

"It's a beautiful room. You don't see such beautiful rooms often. …Wow, this lamp is perfect for me!"

Cloa walked around the house for a while, then got excited, her eyes shining, as she looked at every room.

After seeing all the rooms, I got a bit worried and asked just in case.

"If you prefer a different house, we can use this one as a guest room…"

…Then,

"No way! I'm definitely living here!"

Cloa said, smiling happily. I'm glad she likes it.

"However…"

But then, Cloa made a slightly troubled face and looked around the room…

"Where should I hang that painting?"

…Yeah. I forgot to think about where to hang that painting.

Then, with Laocles' help, we made some minor adjustments and successfully hung the painting in an empty space. We left a large wall open, so maybe we can hang a few smaller paintings.

"How is it?"

"Yep. It's good."

The watercolor painting in a simple, dark frame was now hanging on the wall, and with that, Cloa's house was finally complete. I'm glad.

"Thank you for the beautiful house."

"No, it's only right since I decided to hire you."

"I didn't expect to get such a beautiful house. …You really are a treat, Togo-kun. Hey, you must be getting treated like this by Togo-kun too, right?"

"…I don't know if it's a treat, but I am being dragged around."

On the way back from Cloa's new house, we had this conversation. Yeah, I'm dragging you around. Sorry, Laocles.

"Well… if you like living here, don't run away or betray us."

"No way. I wouldn't betray you. Is there a better job with such good conditions? Even if I were hired by the castle, I wouldn't get such good terms."

Laocles said something to be cautious, but Cloa responded that there was no benefit in betraying us. I'm glad.

"Besides, if I were to betray, I'd do it after getting more. And… I think I'll become more and more greedy while living in this forest. It's endless, I think."

Cloa said, laughing, and then looked at me.

"My heart, maybe because it hasn't been fed for a long time, is a bit of a glutton."

…Yeah. I see. Then, I'll make sure you eat a lot of different things. Even if it's not right, I'll try to tame you with heart food.

Yeah, it might not be a good idea, but…

…That's when it happened.

The sky suddenly darkened.

The sun was quickly obscured.

…And then.

"Togo-kun!"

At the same moment Cloa's scream was heard,

Thud. With a force that would make a sound like that, but not painful, I was firmly grabbed…

…And then, we took off.

The giant Komatsu Gumi, which had been using the spring and making me incubate eggs, had grabbed me and taken off.

…Yeah. What should I do now?