Chapter 4

"Hey, Mau, Meala, why is there a human in your house?"

The beastfolk were surprised at the sight of me. Upon closer inspection, I could see that this village was home to various ages of beastfolk, from strong adults to elderly individuals. They all had dog-like ears on their heads... probably a race of beastfolk based on wolves.

"Wait! Mako isn't a suspicious human! He's a good person! He's a mage and made our house strong enough to withstand a storm!"

Mau, who had burst out of the house, stood between me and the others and shouted.

"Mako is a good person! He's a mage and made our house strong enough to withstand a storm!"

"What, a mage!?"

At Mau's words, the villagers raised their voices even more. A mage... am I? I'm probably a "home center store employee" by profession...

"Look, this."

Mau held up one of the "angle brackets" I had created through "alchemy" yesterday—specifically, one of the extras I hadn't used. Last night, Mau had asked for it, and since I didn't need it, I gave it to him. He had clutched it happily and slept with it.

"Mako made this with magic and strengthened our house."

"What is this...?"

"Is it iron? I've never seen anything like it."

"However, I've never seen such smooth and well-shaped iron before."

The beastfolk murmured and exchanged words among themselves.

"Hey, look at this!"

One of the beastfolk who had peeked into the twins' house shouted. The others followed and looked inside.

"What is this...?"

In their eyes, they must have seen the shabby-looking hut's interior—angle brackets nailed to the pillars, wall panels, and roof in various places.

"Is this a magical blessing? Did it make the house strong?"

Hmm... there's a misunderstanding. It might look like the house is covered in talismans to ward off evil spirits.

I'm not sure if the analogy is appropriate, but...

"No, it's not magic. I just reinforced the wood with brackets..."

As I tried to explain, the beastfolk had already started talking among themselves.

"Can we really trust him?"

"But he's a human... maybe he's trying to trick us again..."

"That's right. Mages are rare beings with royal or noble blood. Even if he is a mage, it's hard to believe he would use magic for beastfolk."

"Is he a fraudster?"

...Hmm, this is getting a bit suspicious. Sensing the atmosphere turning hostile, I quickly made a decision. I turned to Mau and Meala and met their gazes.

"Hey, Mau, Meala, thank you for last night. Thanks to you, I was saved. I'll be going now."

There's no point in giving a bad impression to the beastfolk who don't have a good impression of humans. It might even affect Mau and Meala negatively. I decided to quickly say goodbye and leave the scene. However—

"No way!"

Mau shouted, as if reading my thoughts.

"Mako is an important guest, so from now on, we will properly entertain him!"

What a good kid... Mau.

No, that's not the point.

"Sorry, Mau. But if I stay here..."

"Everyone! Stop doubting Mako! Mako isn't a bad person! He's different from other humans who would deceive us or say bad things about us!"

Mau shouted desperately, trying to prove my innocence. Honestly, it's a bit worrying how this kid is so pure to defend a human he just met yesterday. I think Meala, who didn't raise her voice in caution, is probably the smarter one. However, Mau's actions seemed to slightly improve the beastfolk's impression of me.

"...Hey, you."

One of the beastfolk men called out to me.

"Can you really make a house strong? My house has holes in the walls from yesterday's storm."

"Mine too, a tree flew and pierced the roof, causing a bad leak."

"Me too."

As one of them spoke up, others gradually began to seek my help. Mau's affection might have changed the skeptical atmosphere among the beastfolk. However...

(...Ugh... what should I do, my MP hasn't recovered yet...)

The status window in my head showed that my MP, while somewhat recovered since last night, was still only around 2/100. I know I should respond to their requests to leave a good impression, but...

"Um, it's very difficult to say this, but..."

"No way! Mako is tired!"

Mau stood in front of me again and raised his voice.

"He used up all his magic power to protect our house! He needs to rest now, so everyone, go home!"

Mau... you'll make a great husband someday...

I was a bit moved by the kindness of this young boy.

---

"Mako, wait here, I'll make breakfast soon."

After driving the village beastfolk away, we returned to the house. I was seated, and Mau started cooking in the simple kitchen.

"......"

"......Huh?"

I noticed Meala standing next to me, staring at me intently.

"Are you really just helping us out of kindness?"

"Yes."

"Really? You're not going to ask for money later?"

...Hey, people of this world.

You're not being very trusting. It's one thing if it's just the adult beastfolk, but to be doubted even by these kids...

"I won't do that. Why do you think that?"

"......It's hard to believe a human would help us without expecting something in return."

Meala said, looking down a bit. I sighed.

"You see, if the house had blown away last night, I would have been in danger too. So, of course, I had to help."

I explained calmly. Well, that wasn't the original reason, but...

"Is it that hard to trust humans?"

"Humans look down on beastfolk... we are considered equal to animals."

Meala clenched her teeth tightly.

"That's why, when our parents were involved in a carriage accident, the humans prioritized treating other humans... and our parents died."

"......"

Heavy!

I didn't know they had such a heavy past...

I was careless. I felt ashamed for making this little kid talk about such a past. I stood up and approached Mau, who was putting ingredients into a pot by the hearth. Peeking into the pot, I saw a light-colored liquid with chopped vegetables.

"Wow, soup?"

"It's mushrooms we picked in the forest. And I added some dried meat specially for Mako."

"I'll help too."

"Eh!? No way! Mako is a guest!"

"It's okay, okay. Are these dishes?"

After that, we ate the meal Mau had prepared. For me, who had only thought about sleeping in as late as possible in the mornings until yesterday, it was a very fresh taste.

"Hmm?"

Checking the status window in my head, I saw my MP had recovered to 20. Good.

"It's been a while since I've eaten a meal with others besides the two of us."

Mau said happily to Meala.

"......"

On the other hand, Meala still had a complicated expression.

---

After finishing breakfast, we did the dishes and took a short break before I left the house. It was time to help people. I had recovered some MP from the break and could use the "alchemy" skill again. I created an "angle bracket" in my hand, along with some extra "nails" and a "hammer" I hadn't used yesterday, and said to the beastfolk gathered in the square.

"Alright, which house should I start with?"