CH 76

Words : 1165 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

We got out of the forest safely We surrounded the bonfire and ate the breakfast that Ms. Lyra had made. While the fenrir once again hungrily ate the orc meat, it became full without having to eat the same amount as it did yesterday. As I had thought, it had eaten so much in order to recover its strength. It seemed to have worked too, as it scampered around Ms. Claire. The two were now quite affectionate towards each other, which brought smiles to the faces of everyone who watched. Once we were finished eating, we started to take down the tents. Then the tents and other tools were packed together, and we put out the fire with water from the river. The plates and pot were also taken to the river to be washed before being put back into the bags. We had camped here for what seemed like a long time, and so I felt just a little sad now that we were leaving… Of course, we could not stay forever, and so it couldn’t be helped. After about an hour, we were ready to leave. Everyone was assigned baggage to carry, just like before, and then we went back down the path we had come. As always, Sebastian took the lead. Phillip followed after him, and then it was Ms. Claire and Lyra. And the fenrir. Then Johanna, me, and Leo. Nicholas was last. We should have all been more tired than we were when coming, but a week here had made the forest feel familiar, and if anything, we all walked at a much brisker pace. As we walked, the fenrir would alternate between running around and sticking close to Ms. Claire. Ms. Claire and Lyra watched with gentle expressions and chuckled. The sun was now high in the sky, and it was just a little past midday when we reached the entrance of the forest again. But Ms. Claire showed no signs of being tired, so that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been panting and having such difficulty. The forest really did change people. Or perhaps she was just too preoccupied with the fenrir? And while I mused on such things, I had also become quite used to walking in the forest. Once we arrived at the edge of the forest, there were about five people gathered there. “Welcome back.” “Sebastian. I’m glad to see that you are all well. Especially you, Lady Claire. Welcome back.” “Yes.” Now that I looked closely, they were all people that I had seen at the mansion before. And one of them was the guard who had stayed to watch the horses. Three of the people were wearing armor and looked like soldiers, and one was a butler. It seems like they had been waiting for our return. “You were much later than we were expecting. Did something happen?” The butler asked Sebastian, even though his eyes were on the fenrir at Ms. Claire’s feet. “Quite the opposite. It was less eventful than we had hoped. Still, we spent a lot of time exploring.” “I see… And so…” “Ah, do not worry about that fenrir. I will tell you about the details later.” “…Very well.” Sebastian said, and the butler took a step back. We then handed over our baggage so that they could be loaded into the carriage. In the meantime, Ms. Lyra was preparing lunch. In fact, the butler and the others had brought more food supplies for us. They said that had we taken any longer to return, they would have entered the forest in order to search for us, and so had brought extra supplies. If that was the case, then we could have stayed in the forest a little longer… I couldn’t help but think this, but there were likely other reasons that would make it difficult. Ms. Claire and Sebastian could not stay away from the mansion for that long without causing many people to become worried. And while I could always use Weed Cultivation to deal with physical fatigue, the mental exhaustion and stress that would build up was another thing. Even with tents, we were still living outside, which was very different from resting within a mansion. After that, we finished eating the food that Ms. Lyra had prepared, and then we cleaned up and got ready to leave. It was just as I was about to get into the carriage that I remembered something. …The carriage was so cramped that I would be pressed against either Ms. Claire or Ms. Lyra… “What is it? Mr. Takumi?” “Ah, um… Well…” As I hesitated to get in, Ms. Claire’s voice sounded from behind me. What should I do? I couldn’t tell her the real reason… “Ah… I just thought that I would prefer to ride on Leo. Please don’t mind me.” “You want to ride on Leo? But…” Ms. Claire looked down at the fenrir that she was holding and hesitated. Was her concern related to it then? “Mr. Takumi. I am a little worried about leaving the fenrir alone in such a space with Lady Claire and Lyra. Would you be so kind as to accompany them?” “Sebastian…” As Ms. Claire tried to think of something to say, Sebastian, who was already in the driver’s seat, answered for her. But why would you be worried about the fenrir… “Surely there is nothing to worry about with Ms. Claire and Ms. Lyra there? Just look at how much the fenrir adores Ms.. Claire.” “Kyu?” I patted the fenrir on the head as it sat quietly in Ms. Claire’s arms. It then looked up at me and tilted its head questioningly. That was another thing it did that was just like Leo… But as I thought this, it jumped out of Ms. Claire’s arms and onto me. “Woah!” “Kyuu!” It crashed into my chest and I had to catch it quickly so that it didn’t fall to the ground. While it wasn’t as heavy as it looked, it still hurt a little to have something of its size fly at you… “See? The fenrir wants to be with you, Mr. Takumi.” “…Really?” “Kyau.” “Wuff.” When I asked, the fenrir cried as if to confirm this. I could even hear Leo sighing as if to say that I should give up. Hmm… It’s not that I hated being squished in that carriage…but I was a man and…what if they were to notice things… “…Wuff.” As I tried to make up my mind, Leo barked with exasperation and then approached Ms. Lyra. “Wuff. Wuff-wuff.” “What? You want to carry me?” “Wou!” She stood so that her back faced Ms. Lyra and then barked. Ms. Lyra seemed a little surprised as she asked about Leo’s intent. And Leo nodded in reply.

CH 76

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