CH 165

Words : 1100 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

We Arrived at Range Village “Hmm? What is it, Rosalie?” “…I was wondering if I could ride on Leo…” “Rosalie, This is no time to be asking such things.” She had been staring at me as I sat on Leo’s back, and so I asked her what was the matter. Apparently, she wanted to ride Leo as well. While she had ridden Leo back at the mansion, I suppose she wanted to know what it was like to ride on Leo when she was running outside with great speed. “Hahaha. It’s fine, Mr. Hannes. Don’t you agree, Leo?” “Wuff-wuff.” “Are you certain?” “Leo likes to carry other people. So you really don’t have to worry about it. Isn’t that right?” “Wuff!” “If you say so. Thank you.” As Mr. Hannes admonished Rosalie, I assured him that it was perfectly fine if she wanted to ride on Leo. Leo wagged her tail happily and lay low so that it would be easier to climb onto her. She was just as excited as Rosalie. Mr. Hannes bowed his head gratefully. “There, Rosalie. You can ride on Leo now.” “Wow! Thank you!” “Wuff! Wuff!” I stretched out my hand to Rosalie and pulled her up onto Leo’s back. She was so excited and had the biggest smile on her face. It really was nice to see children laugh. “Now, let’s go to the village. It is not too far now. We should be able to arrive before the sun sets completely. Good Leo, I will lead you there, so can you follow after me?” “Wuff.” Said Phillip, once he saw that Rosalie was sitting securely behind me. Leo nodded, and then the horses dashed off towards the village. I was glad that we would arrive at the village before it was completely dark. If it became dark, we would not be able to see, and might end up getting lost… Unless, Leo could see well in the dark…? Cats were able to see during the night, but dogs…well, she was more of a wolf…? I wasn’t quite sure, and would have to ask someone about that later. “So this is Range village…” “Yes. This is where I was born! It’s a place filled with friendly people!” After traveling for another two hours to the east, just as the sun was starting to set, and the sky darkened, we arrived at the village. Rosalie was clearly very fond of her birthplace, and was happy to be back. “It is very quiet.” “Indeed… As it’s not yet night, normally, there should be some people out and about…” Mr. Hannes and Phillip dismounted and tied their horses before entering the village to see what was happening. I helped Rosalie get down, and then unstrapped the baggage from Leo’s back as I looked at the village. There were rows of wooden houses. But I could hear no voices, and all was quiet. It almost felt like the place had been abandoned. Well, I could see what looked like candle light through cracks in some of the windows, so there were clearly still people living there. “…Ever since the illness started to spread, a once lively village has become quieter and quieter. It was like this right before I left, even during the day…” “Everyone is ill. Even the children I used to play with…” “The illness has really taken over, huh.” “There was nothing we could do. We did not know how to combat it. Many could not even move enough to leave their houses…” Chief Hannes and Rosalie looked at their village with grim expressions. Phillip was thinking about how the illness was affecting the village. If this really was just like a cold, like in Japan, it would have healed naturally. However, even though some of the symptoms were similar, it was likely different. An illness that did not heal just because you rested a little. Of course, I had not seen enough of it in order to come to any conclusions, but I had yet to hear of anyone recovering from it naturally. Though, Ramogi seemed to heal it very quickly… “Ah, chief! The chief has returned!” “Oh, it’s you, Rai.” As we walked through the entrance to the village, someone noticed us. The door of the nearest house opened, and a little boy poked out his head to look. He was about the same age as Rosalie. The chief called him Rai, and approached the house. “Rai. How are your parents?” “…Nothing has changed since you left, chief. They just cough painfully…and their fever hasn’t gone down either…” “I see…” From what I could hear, this child’s parents were sick. Even now, they were likely suffering from a fever and cough within the house. The boy had a grieving expression and was clearly troubled over this. “But…since you are back, chief, you must have bought the medicine? So my mother and father will get well again?” The chief had left the village in order to buy medicine for the spreading illness. As the boy knew this, he knew that the chief’s return meant that he should be carrying the medicine. “Aye, that’s right. Rai, this Mr. Takumi, a pharmacist. He was sent here by the duke’s own daughter.” “Nice to meet you, Rai.” “Nice to meet you! Does that mean you can heal my mother and father?” “Of course. I’m sure they’ll get well soon, so don’t worry.” “Wuff.” “Ahhh!” After being introduced to me, the boy’s eyes lit up. It was like he was seeing hope for his parents. Though, it did make me feel a little awkward. But that was when Leo, who liked children, came over and barked. Upon seeing Leo, Rai’s face contorted with fear and he let out a little scream. …Leo was so big, that she would scare most people… Even Rosalie had been scared at first… “Rai, this is Leo. Don’t worry, she won’t attack you.” “Good Leo is a Silver Fenrir… A monster who has helped us a lot.” “Leo is so cute! Don’t be scared, Rai!” “…Are you…sure?” I told Rai that he didn’t need to be afraid, and then Mr. Hannes and Rosalie also joined in. He didn’t look like he fully believed us, but as he was a boy, he seemed to be interested in Leo, who looked like a great wolf. Boys often liked wolves… Well, some of them, anyway.

CH 165

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