Even though I said I dislike it and try to run away, with the Temple and the Imperial Family chasing after me one after another, perhaps it's only natural that a peaceful journey is impossible.
"Ah, Lady Anelli!"
Lost in thought as I walked, I soon arrived at the cave entrance. Anelli, who had been surrounded by Dullahans, spotted Xenon and waved her hand perfunctorily.
At her words, the Dullahans stepped back a few paces.
"It seems the paladin hasn't arrived yet."
Xenon looked around listlessly and turned to Anelli, intending to suggest they just leave on their own.
However, he forgot what he was about to say and hesitated.
"What is this?"
"Huh?"
"Who did you fight with? Why is this melted here?"
Only after Xenon's pointed remark did Anelli look down at her own arm. Through the holes dotting her clothes, her skin was visible. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be injured.
Anelli inspected the damaged parts matter-of-factly and shrugged.
"Ah, I suppose some splashed on me."
"Splashed? What splashed?"
"The village chief came to reinforce the barrier. When I blocked it, he threw something at me."
At Anelli's calm words, Xenon's eyes went wide.
"That bastard did this?"
"Yes. But thanks to you breaking the barrier at just the right moment, I subdued him without any major problems."
"Ha, that crazy old man, really."
If clothes melted to this extent, it meant he had attacked with serious intent.
"By the way, the magic tool used for the barrier must have been an illegal one. Considering how easily it broke."
"Huh?"
Illegal magic tool? Even though Xenon had broken it easily, this magic tool was an officially distributed one made by someone quite skilled.
It was to the point where one would wonder why such a village chief was using it.
"That village chief blustered that only the Magic Tower Lord or his disciple could break it."
There was not a single trace of suspicion toward Xenon anywhere in her nonchalant voice. Though he had never specifically mentioned who his master was, he didn't expect her to not entertain even a sliver of possibility.
Xenon, who had been silently contemplating with an awkward expression, was about to speak when Anelli first handed something to him.
"This is the second barrier magic tool the village chief was trying to install. I took it for now, but will it be useful?"
"You stole it?"
"Call it medical expenses and damages."
So she did steal it.
Xenon first examined the magic tool slowly. Like the medium he had broken earlier, this too was a type of officially distributed magic tool.
"As you said, it's a barrier. It seems to be the type that completely conceals one's appearance... but with just this, it can't be used. Like the previous one, there's probably another medium."
"Then there's no point in taking it with us. Can you break it?"
"Of course."
To the outward eye it was a solid rod, but to Xenon's eyes, the magical formulas wrapping around the rod were visible. When he pressed several spots firmly, cracks appeared on the rod.
"How on earth does he have such a magic tool?"
"He said he received it as a gift."
"Who on earth would give something like this as a gift..."
"Exactly. I can't understand it either."
A sneer spread across Anelli's profile as she muttered thus. Perhaps because she smiled in her original form, she looked even colder and more frigid. Of course, that also suited her remarkably well.
Whether due to the traces of daily life or the fight she had with the village chief moments ago, her clothes were tattered.
Moreover, her disheveled silver hair hung loosely, and her face looked pale, with barely any color let alone makeup.
Honestly, anyone in such a state would find it difficult to receive the modifier "beautiful."
But Anelli was accomplishing that difficult feat. Xenon realized anew just how harmful her appearance was.
"Ah, Samuel is coming."
At Anelli's quiet muttering, Xenon came to his senses.
Samuel, revealing himself from the deep darkness, was seen coming this way.
Xenon, who had been watching Samuel without much thought, frowned. Behind him, something seemed to be wriggling.
"What is that?"
Was he seeing things because it was dim?
"Something's moving."
Something was following behind Samuel. What first appeared as only a shadow gradually revealed a concrete form as it drew closer.
Something of short stature was wobbling along behind Samuel.
"Surely that's not..."
Instead of Xenon, who couldn't finish his sentence, Anelli muttered in an exasperated voice.
"I said to let it go, not to bring it along."
With a green outer skin and eyes that were purely black without whites, it was dragging its long tail as it walked, bearing a resemblance to a lizard in form.
Xenon opened his mouth, then decided to say nothing.
Well, it was an indifferent judgment that adding one baby lizardman to their company while already traveling with Dullahans wouldn't cause any problems.
Or it could simply be escapism.
* * *
[Kyu....]
This baby lizardman doesn't communicate. It wasn't that my ability had suddenly developed problems. It was just....
[Captain, it's too young.]
[It's a newborn, a newborn.]
[There's a reason Ganik couldn't pass by it.]
[Tch, has it been eating properly?]
[It's gotten thinner since we last saw it.]
As the Dullahans chattered one by one, the baby lizardman made fearful sounds and clung tightly to Samuel's leg.
Both hands of the baby lizardman, much smaller than my palm, desperately grasped Samuel's leg.
"As you can see, it wouldn't let go, so I had no choice."
"I'm impressed you didn't kill it."
"Wasn't enduring all this trouble precisely because we intended not to kill it?"
"That is true."
I cautiously knelt down to match eye level with the baby lizardman. The baby lizardman, clinging to Samuel's leg, poked its head out and looked at me.
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
[Kyu?]
"Seeing as you followed Sir Samuel, you recognized him as the person who saved you, right?"
[Kyuu....]
"Isn't that right?"
[Kyu.]
"Why did you follow us?"
[Kyu kyu!]
Wrong. I can't understand it at all.
I was about to stand up without any results when Xenon asked in a small voice.
"What did it say?"
"I don't know."
"Huh?"
"It's too young, so we can't communicate."
[Kyu kyu kyu!]
With an incomprehensible cry, the baby lizardman suddenly leaped. Samuel reached for his sword hilt in surprise, and Xenon tried to swing the broken rod he was holding. Of course, the Dullahans also reacted immediately.
However, they couldn't take any further action. The baby lizardman that came scurrying up to me was completely harmless.
The baby lizardman, having neatly snipped off the end of its own tail, held it out respectfully with both hands.
To me.
"Lady Anelli, what kind of threat exactly did you make?"
And I even earned an unjust misunderstanding.
"I didn't make any threats."
No matter how bad my personality is, I don't threaten children I can't communicate with.
"...."
After firmly denying it, I looked down at the baby lizardman. Perhaps because I didn't accept its tail, the baby lizardman's expression increasingly turned tearful.
The creature, fiddling with the piece of flesh with its small webbed hands, mumbled.
[Kyuu....]
Its large eyes gradually became moist. Xenon looked at me as if viewing a shameless person.
"Now you're making a child cry!"
No, I didn't do anything, I tell you?
"It seems it wasn't just blood that was used as bait."
Fortunately, Samuel calmly and rationally assessed the current situation.
"The act of cutting off its tail seems to have been learned."
"I thought it was a monster that only looked like a lizard in appearance, but to think it also shares the characteristic of cutting off its own tail in danger..."
Trailing off, Xenon knelt down to match eye level with the baby lizardman. Seeing his smiling face full of warmth, he must have been feeling pity.
"You don't need to cut this off. You're free now."
[Kyu?]
"Oh, it seems to have understood me. Don't cry!"
[Kyu!]
"Indeed, what's important is the heart..."
The baby lizardman held out the piece of flesh it was carrying to Xenon. At the sight of the creature looking up at him with big eyes, Xenon couldn't finish his sentence and fell silent.
Having lost his words and looking at the piece of flesh, Xenon reluctantly accepted it.
"W-well then."
[Kyu kyu!]
The baby lizardman, having given its tail to Xenon, cried out in joy. Then it held out its now empty two hands.
As if demanding something.
Eventually, Xenon gave up on communicating with the baby lizardman and asked me for help.
"...Lady Anelli, don't just watch, please help."
I, who had been crossing my arms and leisurely watching his plight, replied with a bright smile.
"Why? You said what matters is the heart. Give it your heart."
"Are you really going to be like this?"
Xenon looked up at me with eyes full of injustice and embarrassment.
But it wasn't as if I had any other solution either. First of all, we couldn't communicate.
[U-um, Captain...?]
From among the Dullahans who, like me, had stepped back to watch this spectacle, Ganik cautiously stepped forward.
As the large-framed Dullahan approached, the baby lizardman jumped in fright and clung to Samuel's leg.
Ganik, who had fought monsters for the baby lizardman's freedom, seemed inwardly hurt. After coughing awkwardly, Ganik carefully offered his opinion.
[I think we need to give it food.]
"Food?"
[Yes, since it's still a child. The possibility that it was tamed with food is highest.]
At Ganik's words, Palides quickly interjected.
[Come to think of it, Ganik is the only one among us who has children!]
[Ah! Right, Ganik was a father!]
[Ganik has raised kids, so he'll know best!]
Jigor and Tristan also chimed in. Ganik clicked his tongue at the Dullahans and replied.
[Raising children and handling baby monsters are completely different matters.]
[They both have in common that they're children! Ganik, it's your time to shine!]
Ganik, receiving the Dullahans' support, sighed.
[Anyway, Captain, for now it would be best to feed it something.]
I stared at the baby lizardman clinging to Samuel's leg. The creature was glaring at us, fortifying its guard even more than before.
Samuel, unable to push it away and standing awkwardly, swallowed nervously. Fixing my gaze on that sight, I answered.
"That creature does follow Sir Samuel around, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then let's move to a different location first."
Whether to feed it or do something else, getting away from this place was the priority.