After the immediate use of the『Transfer』 character, Hiiro, Camus and Tenn arrived at the heart of the Beast kingdom, 【Pa.s.sion】
And in that instant, the scenery that greeted them was obviously different from the time Hiiro last came to this place. It seemed a fight had occurred in this place based on the surmisable cuts that remained on the trees.
He somehow understood based on the cut that the enemy was quite skillful with the usage of the blade.
His colleague once told him that the trees used by the people in here have a considerable degree of hardness and flexibility so a half-baked attack won’t manage to damage the trees.
And yet, the cut that was evident in the trees was too clean as if the blade smoothly cut without much resistance from the tree’s surface. The cause could be a skill of the enemy or the weapon wielded, or maybe both.
If the weapon was dull, it won’t be able to cut even a tofu. And even if it was a fine weapon, it was impossible to execute such stunning cuts present.
“The person who did is…strong.”
Camus seemed to have arrived the same answer as his. Incidentally, Camus appearance right now was a beast man using the 『Transform』 character.
He also changed his appearance to his former beast man look in accordance to Eveam’s advice of not causing any reckless provocations. His appearance was the same as Muir in the past, a silver-haired beast man, and similarly, Camus had the same traits as well. At first glance, they seem like brothers—no, brother and sister.
“I agree. But the most surprising of all is…”
Hiiro turned his gaze in the direction of the big tree towering over the center of the city. The 《Aragorn》, the reigning symbol of the country. It was the biggest and most unusual change of them all.
The tree that was supposed to be overflowing with life, now only felt as if it was abandoned for several hundred of years, only a shadow of it’s past was left for them to see.
The warm greenery he usually so was gone and the roots scattered all over were so fragile that it could break any moment.
“I see. So this is the trouble she was talking about.”
All of them were staring at cruel depiction of the big tree when,
“Hiiro-san?”
Being called by his name, he could only react to it. Among the people he saw, the people he hadn’t met in a long while, his former travel companions were there.
“Long time no see, Chibi.”
“Hiiro-san!”
Muir Casteir. The lovely silver haired human beast. She was his first travel companion.
“Eh!? W-why are you here Hiiro-san? I-is this a dream? Am I dreaming…auu!”
Because she was getting carried away again, Hiiro poked her forehead lightly.
“Uuu… so it really is Hiiro-san.”
“Naturally. Who did you think I was?”
“…ehehe, that manner of talking, I guess I wasn’t mistaken.”
But her bright expression soon turned into a serious expression again.
“B-by the way, why did you come here in 【Pa.s.sion】?”
“Ah, about that…wait, you aren’t with that old man?”
“If you are looking for Oji-san, he is at 《Ouki》”
“《Ouki》? Ah, the large tree where that king resides.”
“Yes. Do you perhaps have some business with Ojisan?”
“And also to you.”
“Eh? Me too?”
Muir had a puzzled expression. She was probably recalling anything that serves the reason for his arrival.
“Anyway, I’ll tell it to you later. For now, bring me to that old man.”
“I-I understand!”
And so, Muir guided them to their destination, 《Ouki》. While they were en route, Muir faced Camus who was always behind Hiiro.
“Is, err, Camus-san fine to call you?”
“Un… Camus is fine.”
“Let me introduce myself again, I’m Muir Casteir.”
“Yeah…best regards.”
Though Camus responded with his emotionless expression, Muir, however, felt relieved for being able to properly introduce herself.
And then, her eyes wandered on the animal on Hiiro’s shoulder. She was fidgeting, hesitating how to ask about it.
“Little miss, if you are anxious, just ask so. I don’t mind”
“Fuwa!?”
Well, for an animal to begin talking like that, of course, anyone would be surprised. Muir closed and opened her mouth, lost in her own confusion as she hardened stand still.
Then, while in that trance, Tenn jumped lightly aiming towards Muir which the latter caught him in a panic with her hands.
“Oh! Nice catch!”
“Um, thanks. I guess.”
Muir looked at Hiiro with upturned eyes, gesturing him for an explanation.
“If you want an explanation, that guy can do it.“
As he said so, he began to walk ahead of them.
“Then, you don’t mind me being your partner, for now, little miss?”
“Um, I’m fine with it.”
《Ouki》 was a large complex that consisted of overlapping big trees renovated as a residential area. Being able to see this place once again, Hiiro could only sigh once again.
They were immediately stopped by a soldier who seems to be the gatekeeper of 《Ouki》. However, they were soon granted permission inside due to Muir’s help.
《Ouki》 wasn’t entirely damaged as compared to the scene before outside. According to Muir, the trees of 《Ouki》 had a self-restoration ability which was why the damage on this place was less visible and more rejuvenated to its former glory.
Hiiro only heard this information for the first time, as he once a.s.sumed that the cause of the trees br.i.m.m.i.n.g life was due to the favor of 《Aragorn》
Then they arrived at the wide open area inside the 《Ouki》. It seems to be the training ground for the soldiers of the country as he saw some familiar faces among them.
“Hm? You…why are you here!?”
One of those was the《Gabranth Three》Bard, the birdman with splendid wings who raised his voice the moment he noticed Hiiro.
Of course, Bard’s reaction to his appearance was natural. Hiiro was after all the one who overwhelmingly defeated him and his companions when they confronted in the duel. Naturally, so was his cautious stance against Hiiro.
“For what purpose did you come here!”
Before their hostility turned into a fight, Muir explained in a panic that Hiiro had come here in order to talk to his comrades.
“….you really are a liberal person who does as you pleases.”
Bard took the explanation so easily, he seems to be busy with a lot of things. Of course, those things was obviously the state of the country.
Then, Hiiro heard footsteps storming closer and closer to his location. And then gradually, the cause of it appeared.
“Hirooooooooooooo!”
The owner of that voice suddenly hurled her black body into the air falling towards Hiiro’s location.
“Uuuu! I wasn’t mistaken when I smelled that nostalgic scent! Hiiro! I missed you so much nya! “
And as that person landed, she rubbed her head against the other and clung to him hard. She slowly raised her face and,
“Nya!?”
“Crouch! You are hurting me!”
The face she saw was Bard. It was Bard instead of Hiiro that Crouch had clung to.
“H-how could this happen-ya!? Did you transform into Bard, Hiiro!?”
“I’m the real Bard you idiot!”
Crouch immediately took a distance from Bard.
“Eeeh!? Then that means Bard was all along that one I love nya!? That’s troubling!?”
“How did you arrive at that conclusion!”
“Unconscious love!?”
“Ah forget this! I don’t want to deal any more problem than this!”
While the two were having their noisy conversation, Hiiro’s group watched them with cold eyes.
“Hiiro-san, did you perhaps use magic?”
“Yup. I feel bad for the birdman, though, he became my scapegoat.”
Going back to that moment, Hiiro immediately used the character 『s.h.i.+ft | 交代』. It has the effect of arbitrarily choosing a partner to exchange places with him. Unfortunately, Bard was the victim chosen nearby, because of the magic’s range limitation.
“Hiroooooo!”
Once again, Crouch aimed for Hiiro again, her expression saying she won’t fail this time. Hiiro in response stretched his one hand towards her,
“Wait a minute cat girl.”
Crouch halted her a.s.sault when he heard Hiiro’s voice.
“Nya? What’s wrong nya?”
“Listen well cat girl, look over there. You will see something interesting.”
“Eh? Where is it nya? You are not planning to escape again nya?”
She removed her gaze from Hiiro and looked at her right. Then, her head swayed a bit, power seems to have left her eyes as it slowly closed quietly…
“Ku~”
Her body curled up and slept as it is.
(…..it’s a good thing this guy is a simpleton)
Hiiro used magic again, this time the effect of the character 『Drowsy | 眠』. Just looking at her, Hiiro couldn’t believe he once fought her intensely in a battle.
Though her original appearance that time was a black panther when he fought Crouch, her image right now was a lovely little girl who had a pure white hair that was as white as snow.
“H-Hiiro, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Bard gets up as he glared at Hiiro with a big vein on his forehead.
“Oh, so you were safe, birdman?”
“……….haa, I give up. There’s no hope convincing you of anything.”
He seemed to have understood Hiiro’s character and silently gave up without any objections.
“Well, greetings aside. You have it rough too huh? Being her relative.”
“……”
Bard had a worried expression. Crouch was certainly a beast man and one of the 《Gabranth Three》, so it might inevitable that Bard who is the leader of them all gets the responsibility of their mess.
When Bard looked at Crouch happily dozing off, he could only leak an amazed sigh.
“Anyway, you were looking for Arnold I remember. He’s in the garden.”
“Garden?”
“Ah Hiiro-san, it is the place where you first met Mimiru-chan”
Hiiro nods a little. He felt like wanting to see the flowers in there. It might surely be a place pleasant for reading a book.
“Let’s go then.”
Hiiro started to walk ahead of them when Bard called Muir.
“Muir.”
“Yes?”
“Mimiru should be in her room right now.”
Bard glanced at the small figure of Hiiro ahead.
“I’m sure she’d be delighted to know.”
“Ah! I understand!”
Bard faintly returned a smile and went back to his work.