“Let us go!” Lord Reineke ordered, once more leading the way.
As soon as he stepped past the boulder, his appearance shifted into that of a beautiful young man clad in ancient, mystical-looking attire. His long silver hair swayed behind him, and his violet eyes were the same shade as mine.
He turned back around and knelt in front of me.
“Come here, Lune.”
I jumped into his arms. He grinned and hugged me.
“Aww, lucky!” Bal said.
“Nice, eh?” Lord Reineke looked smug for some reason, then poked my cheek. “So soft and moist. Your cheeks are like freshly picked peaches.”
The spirit was in a good mood, but Liam shot him a displeased look.
“Let’s keep going,” he said curtly, causing me to frown slightly. His voice sounded colder than usual.
Maybe it’s because Lord Reineke hugged only me?
I trembled in the spirit’s arms.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I was thinking, maybe it’s a bit unfair if you only hug me,” I replied.
“Unfair? Of course not! You are my favorite and my contractor! My partner!”
“Still...” I trailed off, glancing at my brother.
Lord Reineke smirked.
“Ah, so you’re worried about Liam.”
I flinched because he’d hit the bull’s-eye.
“He’s just jealous of how close we are,” Lord Reineke said, casting Liam a teasing look.
“No! Th-That’s not true!” Liam retorted, turning bright red.
Lord Reineke cackled.
“Exactly! My brother can’t possibly be jealous!” I added.
Liam was cool, intelligent, and always composed. There was no way he’d be jealous over such a trivial thing.
“Oh? I’m wrong, am I? Very well. Then I don’t need to hold back,” Lord Reineke said, then buried his face between my fox ears. “Ah... You smell so good, Lune. Reminds me of the scent of rich, mellow grapes. I could just eat you up.”
His adoring voice tickled my ears. I felt my cheeks grow hot.
“Ah... Lord Reineke, don’t sniff me...”
“Why not? Your scent heals me, you know?”
Bal glanced aside with distaste while Lord Reineke audibly sniffed me.
“What happened to divine majesty?” he murmured, which made me smile awkwardly.
Liam turned away with a huff and stormed off.
“Lord Reineke! Is this the right way?” he raised his voice, causing startled birds to scatter.
“Wait, brother! Don’t leave me behind!” I called out on the verge of tears, reaching out my hands toward him while still in Lord Reineke’s arms.
Liam stopped, then quickly walked back to us.
“Never mind. I didn’t mean to scare you, Lune,” he said, taking my hand.
“You should just be honest. You’re simply upset that I’m hugging her, yes?” Lord Reineke asked mockingly.
Liam bit his lip. “I’m being childish, aren’t I?” he murmured and sighed. “Sorry, Lune. I was just jealous over you and Lord Reineke. Please don’t be mad at me.”
His words made me blush. He’s jealous? I don’t know why, but that makes me so happy! My ears twitched, my tail wagged, and I couldn’t fight back a grin.
“It’s okay! I’m not mad at all! Actually, I’m glad!” I said.
Liam breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ugh! Stop your flirting and let’s get going!” Bal said, commanding us with the wave of a stick he’d picked up.
Liam smiled slightly, while Lord Reineke nodded.
“Yes, let us proceed.”
We began walking down a small path leading further into the forbidden zone. The place was full of animals and monsters I’d never seen before.
“There are wounded creatures here,” I said in surprise, looking at Lord Reineke.
“Indeed. Weak beings that cannot survive in the outside world rest here. That goes for both animals and monsters.”
Lord Reineke surveyed his surroundings with a note of affection in his gaze.
The air in this pleasant, peaceful land was pure. Sunlight filtered down through the trees, and the shadows seemed to glow gold, as if they were a sign of Lord Reineke’s power.
As we walked further, I spotted sawtooth and konara oak trees, their acorns rolling around by our feet.
“Look. It’s the cocoon of a monster called a yama moth,” said Lord Reineke.
The massive cocoon was almost one hundred centimeters long and sixty centimeters wide. It was turquoise, like a mix between the blue sky and the green sawtooth oak leaves. But as I looked around, I realized there were more of them—three in total, spread across different branches.
“Wooow!” Bal and I said in unison.
“Cool! Just how big is the moth?” Bal asked excitedly.
“Look up.”
At Lord Reineke’s instructions, we tilted our heads up. Above us was a gigantic, dark yellow moth. It looked fluffy and cute.
“So those beautiful cocoons are from that moth,” Liam said, also sounding interested as he stepped closer. “They have holes... Does that mean they’ve all finished emerging?”
“Yes. These empty cocoons will just rot here, so let’s take them.”
Liam, Bal, and I each picked up a cocoon. They were very light and exuded a pleasant, woodsy aroma.
“Thank you, Mr. Yama Moth!” I said, addressing the moth resting in the branches.
It flapped its wings in response, which I took as a sign of approval.
Bal stuck his head into the cocoon. “Look, I’ve got a hat!”
Liam put the cocoon on his head as well, since it was easier to carry that way.
“You could make fifty dresses out of a single cocoon,” Lord Reineke explained.
“So with these three, that’s a hundred and fifty!” Bal said.
Liam pondered briefly.
“It’s a decent amount, but we’d need even more if we hope to export them to the capital,” he whispered, glancing around in search of other trees.
“There are others, but they still have larvae inside,” Lord Reineke said. “What will you do, Liam?”
Lord Reineke is testing him! I was getting goose bumps.
“L-Lord Reineke!”
“Be quiet for now, Lune,” Lord Reineke responded in a way only I could hear. He pressed his index finger against my lips and winked at me.
After looking around the area, Liam closed his eyes to think. When he opened his eyes again, he looked straight at Lord Reineke.
“Can we collect them after the moths emerge?”
The spirit nodded. “Very good. I was wondering how to respond if you’d suggested we kill the larvae,” he said with a grin.
I shuddered and my fur bristled at the spirit’s ominous words.
“No need to be so afraid, Lune.”
Lord Reineke was obviously enjoying himself, but to me this was no laughing matter.
“In the past, it was the yama moth’s silk that people referred to as the cloth of the gods. But the beautiful cocoons were overharvested, and so the moths could not survive outside of here. Before long, the green cloth turned into legend, and now nobody even knows these moths exist.” Lord Reineke gazed at the yama moth affectionately as he spoke.
“But what if we don’t have enough silk? We can’t let that Paris green fabric get popular,” Bal pointed out.
I deliberated for a while before speaking up.
“What if instead of weaving everything with the moth silk, we use different warp and weft yarns?”
My idea was based on my past-life memories. I recalled that by changing the warp and weft yarn colors from a foreign fabric, a lovely iridescent cloth was produced. It was rare, but its beauty made it very popular.
Liam’s eyes grew wide. “Yes! If we do that, we could double the amount of clothes we’d make!” he said, then patted my head in approval.
“Besides, humans like rare objects, so they sell for more,” Lord Reineke added.
Liam nodded.
Indeed, the iridescent cloth from my previous life had to be imported from abroad, so it was in scarce supply and therefore very expensive. His Highness Hodr always proudly ordered matching outfits for us made from that cloth.
“I really hope yama moth silk gets popular,” I said.
“Me too! Now let’s get started!” Bal said.
“We’ll need a large pot,” Liam said.
That was when my stomach growled loudly. The word “pot” made me remember the curry soup that was waiting for us by the river. I felt like I could already smell its sweet aroma.
“I’m pretty hungry,” I said with a bashful smile.
Bal grinned. “So am I! I can practically taste the curry in the air!” he said, sniffing.
Lord Reineke and I wagged our tails.
“Then let’s get back to the river and have our lunch,” Liam suggested.
“Okay!” I said happily.
Bal dashed ahead, still wearing the cocoon over his head, and we chased after him. As we stepped outside of the boundary of the forbidden zone, Lord Reineke changed back into his giant fox form.
“Get on, Lune. And Liam, you may place your cocoon on my back as well.”
I took him up on his offer and climbed atop his fluffy back. I put the cocoon down next to me, holding onto it so it wouldn’t fall. Lord Reineke carefully stood up and began walking. We descended the mountain trail, following the scent of curry.
“Whoa! Y-You there! Who are you?!” Bal yelled from up ahead.
Alarmed, we rushed to the shore of the river. Bal was the illegitimate son of the king, so I was worried that the queen had sent someone to dispatch him again.
“Bal, are you okay?!” Liam shouted, drawing his sword.
When we arrived, Bal was facing an older man dressed in dirty traveler’s garb. The man was helping himself to our pot of curry. He must’ve been on some kind of long journey; his skin was tanned by the sun, and his salt-and-pepper hair and beard looked grizzled. Scars on his left eyebrow and the nape of his neck suggested that he was a seasoned adventurer. Around his left wrist was a silver bangle, stylized to look like a sword.
However, the man had a kind look in his gray eyes, and he smiled at us amicably. Though his clothes were messy, they were vibrantly colored.
Lord Reineke shot him a scrutinizing look. Liam stared the man down with a tense expression.
“That pot belongs to us. What do you think you’re doing?”
The man’s expression turned serious as he looked back at Liam. His eyes fixated on the shining silver rapier Liam was wielding—the magic sword known as the Eclipse Blade, and House Renard’s family heirloom. And it was within that very blade that Liam had sealed Nott, the Lord of Darkness he had made a contract with.
The old man seemed to appraise the Eclipse Blade for a moment. Suddenly, he smiled, set the pot down, and bowed.
“Ah, my apologies. It smelled so good that I couldn’t help myself. And it tastes great!” he said with a bright, pleasant expression. He had a rich voice that carried well.