That day, Lefi had ventured alone into the Demonic Forest to visit Rir’s wife.
“Hello, hello. I am here to visit.”
“Grr.”
His wife welcomed her warmly. She and Lefi got along well. Though they’d only known each other for a short time, they had already opened up to each other quite a bit.
Lefi valued her family deeply and loved them from the bottom of her heart. If she were to find herself in a situation where she had to choose between the world and her family, she would choose the latter without hesitation. That was the irrevocable truth in her heart.
However, the reality was that she had lived for a much, much longer time than any of them. For better or for worse, she had lived her life bound by the laws of nature for millennia before being heavily influenced by her demon lord’s family. While Yuki’s impact on her had been especially strong, the values ingrained in her by her long years prior to knowing him and the others would never completely disappear.
Not that it mattered much, of course, but perhaps that was why she felt an affinity with Rir’s wife. She, too, was a member of a strong race at the top of the ecosystem and had spent her days alone. Their circumstances were similar. Rir’s wife also possessed an abundance of life experience, in her case, as a wolf. As such, she saw the other adults in the dungeon—Yuki, Nell, Lew, and Leila—as young ones. Conversely, she considered Lefi to be a sort of equal, despite not having lived nearly as long as her. Moreover, both Rir’s wife and Lefi were older than their respective husbands. So, from her perspective, Lefi was the easiest person to talk to because they had the most similar values, much in common, and lived relatively long lives.
There were some things you could talk about because you were family, and there were some things you didn’t want to talk about for the same reason. Whether you got along or not wasn’t the issue. That was just how life was for everyone. Thus, each viewed the other as a sort of confidante to talk about things they couldn’t with their families, lending to a comfortable friendship.
“Grr?”
“We are both hale and hearty. Trust that I am taking the utmost care. And what of you? How are you getting on with Rir?”
“Grr...”
Rir’s wife sighed, and Lefi let out a peal of laughter.
“Gah ha ha! I see. I can just picture the sorry look on his face. He is surprisingly easy to read.”
“Grr.”
“I know, I know. He is quite the reliable fellow. However, perhaps he no longer thinks of recklessness as recklessness and charges ahead like it is nothing because he is always with Yuki. That said, compared to my imbecile, Rir is leagues more clever and more levelheaded.”
Lefi sighed this time, and Rir’s wife rumbled in commiseration.
“Grr, grr.”
“It is as you say. So long as we are in the Demonic Forest, fighting is inevitable and likely to continue for a long time to come... But my husband has a few screws loose, so I must admit to feeling a tad uneasy whenever they go to the western area...”
“Grr...”
Looking toward where Lefi was pointing, Rir’s wife had said “Ah...” with an understanding look on her face. She, too, had a strong sense of the unique nature of the Demonic Forest. Even now, she could detect countless powerful beings coming from one direction in particular—the western area. She knew from experience that strong monsters generally didn’t leave places with high concentrations of mana, so she knew it was relatively safe here. Still, it must have been extremely difficult to secure a safe zone like this. Her former home was also considered a hidden location, but this place was far more remote. Even a fenrir like her could easily die if she accidentally wandered into the western area. Frankly, she still couldn’t believe she was living in a place like this.
“Grr.”
“Is that so? Perhaps that is simply the way of things.”
“Grr?”
“Well, my imbecile, the biggest of them all, is much too stubborn. Even though he knows I can finish a fight quickly, he never relies on me for that. He only asks for my help when things are truly hopeless and there is a risk of harm to our family. He has even challenged other dragons in the past and won.”
“Grr...”
“Gah ha! That is why I call him an imbecile. Though it annoys me to no end, he simply refuses to give in at such times. He will not even listen to a thing I say.”
Rir’s wife answered with another rumble, an amused smile on her face because of both Lefi’s obvious exasperation and the happiness she couldn’t hide.
“Grr.”
“Hmph! H-He was merely playing a jest on me then. More importantly, what of you? Has Rir demonstrated his resourcefulness to you?”
“Grr...grr...”
“Yes, well, Rir does have that side to him. He is what Yuki calls the ‘cool’ type. Not to mention his strong sense of responsibility.”
“Grr?”
“Mine? More often than not, he whines all the time. He is quite pathetic, you see. However, when it truly matters, he is ever the calm one. I suppose that is just how men are.”
“Grr.”
Even when wives were of different races, they could talk forever about their husbands, the good and the bad.