Chapter 10

As the second blizzard cleared, Kurahito found the hunters.

Behind the unfamiliar hunters, there was a black-haired girl.

After the summoner from his hometown left without any trouble, Kurahito stayed in the cave, taking care of the baby demon beast. He fed it with the portable food he had melted, encouraged it to defecate, and washed its body. His solitary life suddenly became busy.

He had enough portable food for a year, but due to frequent fainting during his 180 days in the cave, more than half of it remained. However, an equal amount had been consumed by the baby demon beast. Kurahito himself ate the meat and harmless wild herbs left by the parent demon beast. He had grown tired of the portable food.

Around this time, Kurahito thought it would be inconvenient for the baby demon beast to remain nameless. He lifted it up with both hands and, rather impudently, checked its gender. It didn't seem to have anything hanging out, but he couldn't tell if it was supposed to have something hanging out or if it was inside. He tried flipping it over and peering inside, but Kurahito, who had never kept a mammal on Earth, couldn't determine its gender.

At this point, the baby demon beast's mood slightly worsened. In the end, Kurahito named it "Yukishiro," thinking it would be fine whether it was male or female. Initially, he tried to name it "Shiro" or "Shirokuro," but he was slapped in the face with Yukishiro's tail, which was a result of his insensitivity despite knowing the baby demon beast was intelligent.

Yukishiro, now named, turned away from Kurahito with a huff.

Time passed quickly amidst such commotion, and the snow finally melted completely, with occasional warm breezes mixed in the cold air. Yukishiro, with its long black and white tail, was leaping from one rocky slope to another and from one rugged mountain face to another. After about 90 days, Yukishiro had grown to the size of a medium-sized dog, looking almost identical to its parent demon beast in every other aspect.

Its personality seemed similar as well. Indeed, it was looking at Kurahito with a pitying gaze, just like its parent demon beast had done when Kurahito stumbled and fell over the plants on the slope.

It was understandable. Yukishiro had quickly adapted to distinguishing edible wild herbs from poisonous ones, hunting small animals, and escaping from predators. Kurahito was guided by Yukishiro's tail when he tried to pick poisonous plants, pitied when he was detected by small animals, and protested by Yukishiro's tail after they managed to escape from a large, spiky spider's web. Without Yukishiro, Kurahito would have surely become prey.

According to the magic textbook, demon beasts could see spirits and magic by nature. Yukishiro's ability to forage, hunt, and escape without learning from its parent was due to the power that accompanied all its senses.

Amidst the low-growing plants and small animals, Kurahito adapted to mountain life.

While repeating such activities, another blizzard arrived. The knife had 400 notches, and Kurahito provisionally considered this a year, making him 26 years old. He assumed that the seasons cycled every 400 days: 180 days of severe blizzards, 90 days of alternating melting and freezing, 40 days of warm weather when plants and animals were active, and 90 days of gradually cooling down to the severe winter.

While listening to the howling wind, Kurahito was brushing Yukishiro with a brush made from the tail of a three-horned deer. He had made the brush from the tail after using the rest of the skin for food, and Yukishiro had grown quite fond of it.

For Kurahito, the severe winter meant staying in the cave, but for Yukishiro, it was different. It went out almost every day and sometimes brought back prey. When it returned, it would jump into the bathtub Kurahito had dug into the cave floor, and after finishing, it would lie down in front of Kurahito, urging him to dry and brush it. Bringing snow from outside to boil water with a fire spirit and drying and brushing Yukishiro after its bath were naturally Kurahito's responsibilities. Having not been able to hunt or forage properly this season, Kurahito had no complaints, but he wondered if he had been entrusted with or protected by Yukishiro.

An additional room had been added. It was Kurahito's workshop and exercise area, located behind the deepest room. It was slightly wider than the span of his outstretched arms and was long, with various mysterious objects scattered near the entrance and enough depth at the back to shoot an arrow.

Kurahito used this room to work on useful parts of the prey left by the parent demon beast and items he had foraged, practice magic, and do strength training. He was somewhat dexterous, considering he had thought about being a janitor, but his skills were at best comparable to a Sunday DIY project. The brush he made, though somewhat awkward, was still usable, and he was quite optimistic about it.

As he continued his somewhat fulfilling life in the snowy mountains, the second severe winter ended. It was indeed about 180 days, and Kurahito first carved a mark in the cave. Then, Kurahito and Yukishiro rushed out of the cave at dawn.

Yukishiro had grown to be almost the size of a snow leopard on Earth and was now jumping up to a rock about 10 meters high to survey the surroundings. It was checking for hunters.

During the severe winter, Kurahito had explained to Yukishiro about the night the parent demon beast was slain and discussed what to do on the next hunting day. The discussion was mostly Kurahito talking, with Yukishiro nodding or showing reluctance.

Neither Kurahito nor Yukishiro had any intention of seeking revenge. They would hide and run to avoid being found. It was a game of hide-and-seek, but they must never be found.

They could have fled from this place, but Yukishiro was against it. For Yukishiro, fleeing from this mountain and not being found were different. Perhaps it was a matter of territory. Kurahito would follow Yukishiro's fate. It was a once-a-year event, and they just had to run. Kurahito thought that if they could avoid the hunters for three days after the severe winter, they would give up. A large, spiky spider would start roaming the mountain after three days. The silk Kurahito had once caught was from this spider, and its appearance was something he never wanted to see again. If there were hunters capable of defeating such a large spider, they would have to run, but a competent hunter would likely avoid it. The three-day limit was set accordingly.

If there were no irregularities, Yukishiro wouldn't be found. Kurahito couldn't find Yukishiro when it was hiding seriously, and it seemed to remain undetected even at close range. The target was Yukishiro. Kurahito could be found; he was just a human, and even if he aroused suspicion, he could handle it.

Kurahito's eyes suddenly narrowed. Far below the rock ledge, he spotted a group of hunters. Among them was a black-haired girl named Akari. Kurahito had noticed her before Yukishiro, but there was no sign of joy on his face.

The group was in a rugged valley. There were 15 of them, each dressed differently, which was perhaps a relief. They were clearly heading in the direction of Yukishiro and would likely arrive in a day. Kurahito frowned, realizing the situation had become very complicated. The summoner from his hometown seemed to have advanced detection abilities. They would undoubtedly be found. If their location was always known, even Yukishiro would be in trouble.