My morning training finished, I returned to the clearing in front of the house and began slowly stretching out my body. I was becoming faster and faster with every passing day, and I knew the reason—power. Under Master’s divine protection, the power the Magic Eye had stolen from me was returning bit by bit.
“It’s all because of him.”
I finished my stretches and returned inside, checking on the golems working in the fields as I did. Just inside the cave, I encountered a small group of the one-eyed golems.
What are they holding? Is that cloth? It’s quite an unusual shape—it doesn’t look anything like the garments Master usually wears.
“Is something the matter?”
“Hmm?” I replied. “Ah, Shion. No, I was just thinking that the cloth they’re holding looks odd, don’t you think? They look rather disheartened too.”
“Master’s golems, you mean? You’re right, they do seem a little out of sorts. Hmm...” He trailed off for a moment, thinking. “Aren’t those clothes the sort worn by females?”
“Female clothing? But Master is male.”
“Indeed. So why are they holding clothes for females?”
“I haven’t a clue. They were already here when I came in.”
Shion and I peered at the golems curiously, but no answers were forthcoming.
“Where were you off to anyway?” He’d been on his way out when we’d crossed paths.
“We were heading out to hunt for a couple of killeragus.”
Killeragus? Oh, the monster Master cooked for us last night. I remembered the strange dish. It had been crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and remarkably tasty. My mouth watered.
“Secure as many as you can. There’s little point asking Master to make more without a more suitable stockpile of the meat.”
“Of course,” Shion nodded as he padded past, Kurou and Hio close behind.
Excellent. They’re three of our best hunters. Hopefully we’ll have another feast tonight—I didn’t eat nearly enough yesterday. Master needs to use more than one killeragus next time... Oh, this is unbecoming. I’m drooling at the mere thought— Master!
“Master!”
I rushed over to him, soaking up the gentle flow of his mana. Master’s side was my favorite place to be. It felt so warm and comforting—
Hm? Chai? I eyed the dire wolf, amused. It’s rude to interrupt, you know. What’s that, Master? You want to pat me more? Of course! Ah... This might be the best feeling in the world...
“Chai! Don’t shove Master. You’re bothering him.”
“My apologies,” replied the dire wolf, after a pause. “It’s just...”
“What is it? Speak clearly.”
He paused again. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Chai.”
“What?”
“Master will think you’re jealous of him, you know.”
“What?!”
Oh, he’s flustered, the silly thing. How cute. Of course, I wasn’t so foolish as to not realize Chai’s feelings for me; they were as obvious as the sun.
“Koa, er...”
However, for some reason, Chai remained oblivious to my own feelings. If he would just calm himself and think clearly for a moment, surely he’d figure it out. After all, I’d allowed him to walk beside me and hunt alongside me; I’d let him draw closer than even the other Fenrir dared to. Everyone else was likely aware of my fondness for the dire wolf.
“Yes?”
I can’t make myself any more obvious, really. Hurry up and notice, won’t you? I’m beginning to run out of patience.
“Hmm? What’s Master saying?”
Forest? He wants to go to the forest... He wants us to go with him?
“Of course I’ll join you, Master. What about you, Chai?”
“I’m coming too, obviously.”
“Good, you can guard Master’s right side, then.”
“Huh?”
Chai seemed surprised. Clearly, he’d expected to run by my side, as always. However, my duty to protect Master took priority over all else.
A moment later, Chai nodded. “Sure... I understand,” he continued, still seeming a little upset.
Oh, don’t be so glum. Do you think I care for Master in that way? Good grief, I never expected my future spouse would require so much hand-holding. Alas, it can’t be helped.
“When we return from the forest,” I said slowly, “I’ll need you to groom me.”
“Really?” Chai replied, fur bristling.
“Well, it appears Master is ready. Let’s be off.”
“Koa, you didn’t answer me!”
I hadn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to repeat such an embarrassing request. It was the first time I’d felt this way about anyone. I felt hot and itchy all over. Hopefully a run through the forest would clear my head.
I furtively examined Master as we ran.
Where are we going?
When I focused, I could hear the voices of my kin in the distance.
The hunters... Are we headed into their path? Will Master be in danger?
“Chai, I assume you’ve noticed too?”
“The hunters nearby? Yeah. What are they up to?”
“Hopefully, they’ve found some killeragus.”
Chai let out a low, excited growl in response, probably remembering the previous day’s meal. “I hope so too,” he replied, licking his lips in anticipation.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d enjoyed yesterday’s dinner.
“Do you think Master came all the way out here because he’s worried about them?”
Chai’s suggestion wasn’t particularly implausible. Master had an incredibly nervous temperament. He’d even gone so far as to place the same wards around me—a monarch of the forest—as he had the others. A ward powerful enough to withstand even a lightning bolt from the heavens, at that.
“What should we do? Should we stop him?”
I hesitated. Should I interfere with Master’s plans? After all, what if there’s a problem, and he’s going to help the hunters?
“Hm?”
Killeragus... Ah, Shion and the others are chasing them down. Something’s odd, though. They’re too fast... Mutants.
They’d started appearing after the curse had spread through the forest—mutated versions of monsters, far more powerful than the rest of their kind. Even I had to be on my guard when mutants were around.
“They’re coming this way— Koa, watch out! They’re mutants!” called Chai, dropping into a battle stance. I, too, prepared to attack.
They’re aiming for Master... How foolish. They’ll see what happens to those who dare—
Crash. Crash. Boom.
Huh?
I thought I’d heard Master say something, and then all of a sudden, the killeragus had appeared to turn into a wall. I quickly glanced around, confirming my suspicions. A wall had appeared out of nowhere, separating us from the killeragus.
Did... Did Master summon this wall? It’s well within his powers, I suppose.
Indeed, he didn’t seem surprised at the sudden change in scenery; it must have been him.
“Still, summoning something this magnificent in mere seconds...” I glanced over at Master. He approached the wall and rested his hand upon it, closing his eyes in apparent contemplation.
“What is he doing, do you think?” I asked. Chai simply tilted his head, puzzled. A moment later, Master gestured for us to retreat, and shouted something. The wall crumbled, shaking the ground beneath our feet.
“He’s astounding...”
A second later, Master began scrambling over the wreckage of the ruined wall, and I rushed to follow. Shion and the others stood safely on the other side, but the killeragus were nowhere to be seen...
“Oh.” I followed Shion’s gaze, turning back to the destruction behind me. “Apparently, the killeragus are underneath.”
They must have been crushed... What a waste.
The next moment, the chunks of solid earth began to float into the air, gliding to the edges of the clearing.
Is there anything he can’t do?
Before long, I could make out the monsters that had been trapped beneath. Fortunately, all four were still relatively whole.
“Master always seems to know just how much force to use,” Chai said.
“My thoughts exactly.” When you’re as powerful as he is, you need to be able to control your magic precisely, lest every spell end in chaos. “Shion, finish them off.”
Shion responded to my command at once. Master started to walk away as Shion made the first kill, obviously wishing to avoid getting in the way. I heard him call my name, and looked to see him pointing farther into the forest.
Perhaps there’s more he wishes to check on?
“I trust you’ll handle everything here?”
There’ll be killeragus waiting when we get home... I’ll definitely get Master to make more of yesterday’s fare.
“Of course,” replied Shion, as he and the others nodded assertively.
I followed after Master.
He’ll need to cook a lot more tonight, though... I’ll have to make sure we start heading back soon.