Episode 4: What my father left… (父が残したもの)

「This is pretty bad…」

Kuu and I were hiding among the many trees, separated from the Firefox village we watched its state from afar. The village was in a state of desolation.
There is no resemblance of buildings, just burned ash and small blown away pieces.

No… the building’s stone and grit have melted into hard lumps that gave off light.
For that to happen to the village…
Empire tents are sporadically setup here and there with soldiers coming and going.

Elves have good eyesight, but honestly the range is too far to see. But with the binoculars I made while I was in my dwarf form, Kuiro, I could clearly see it.
Since we are separated from the village by a fair distance we won’t be noticed.

If you want to ma.s.s produce binoculars you do need to make super high precision lens. The craftsmanship as well as the lens arrangement requires a level of skill that is difficult to obtain.

「Kuu, is the Firefox village really here?」

I ask Kuu just to be sure.
Because I am finding it difficult to believe that the rubble that I am looking at is the village.
I had the wrong impression of this just being a empire soldiers night encampment.

「……. There is no mistake, this is the village I grew up and lived in with everyone for 14 years.」

Kuu murmured it with a ghastly pale face.

I was antic.i.p.ating this, but regardless I still felt sick to my stomach .
If I was feeling like this, it must be like a nightmare for Kuu.

「I see, why did you want to ask how it became like this? If you saw the situation you would have expected this to happen.」
「I tried, and I just couldn’t understand it, but Cyril-sama would know from seeing, right?」
「These sort of things I am use to after all…」

In my past lives I had many memories of war. I had enough to fill the sky if each memory of battle was a star.
Of course, within those memories were those of being defeated and searching deeper, suddenly were those of genocidal warfare that was carried out.

「Are you ok with me telling you what I see?」

Kuu turned pure white and clenched her fists.
To entreat Kuu, I frankly start to tell her what happened based on my conjecture.

「The men who stayed behind in the village, I think they couldn’t win on equal ground.」

With countless arrows raining upon them from afar and their flames being blown away by wind, even with a place with an open view they couldn’t win.
If they were to fight in the forest, it might cause a forest fire.

「So, they decided to fight in the village. There is countless places to duck and cover from arrows. Also with it being close quarters even wind wouldn’t be able to scatter the flames in time.」

Usually, invading a village would be considered a loss.
But, everyone made that choice so that they would be able to retaliate.
With the soldiers efforts aimed at obtaining the Firefox’s magic stones, they had to enter the village. Of course doing so raised the opportunity of them encountering surprise attacks.

「At the beginning, the Firefoxes used Guerilla-tactics. Hiding behind buildings and behind cover sometimes burning down houses. However, there is a limit to that. The differences in number the soldiers while some of their comrades were getting torched from the front, they would come and cut you from behind.」

Now that I think about it, there is a a lot of places for cover. But the downside is that the possibility of being attacked from all sides also rises with the the surroundings being flammable buildings. That kind of environment would become shackles when they caught fire.
Even if you could endure the flames, the smoke that gets produced would cause the surroundings to lose oxygen. Even Firefoxes can’t survive suffocation.

「Even in blind alleys, with soldiers rapidly entering the village and the situation getting even more dire…. This was what the Firefoxes were aiming for.」

With more and more of the Firefox’s resistance wavering, the empire would let their guard down and start to be more daring and invest more of their forces.

The village was completely inundated with empire soldiers, this was the Firefox’s trap that was unknown to the empire.

「When the village was filled to the brim with soldiers, they activated their final trap. With magic stones gather from their fallen friends, and using their own magic stones they triggered it to go out of control, producing a large-scale explosive flame.  Dozens of Firefoxes took part to activate it… Destroying the village as well as all the soldiers who were in the midst of it.」

Elves and Firefoxes from the start each have their attribute affinities. Races that have over 90 when they have their hearts taken out while they are alive, turns into magic stones.

Magic stones have two uses. As a catalyst it can raise the attribute affinity, and when smashed and allowed to run wild it can allow unbelievable magic power to be used.
If you think about it, a person can use the magic stone within them if they take their own heart out.

Races with strong magical power also have stronger a life force. Even after having their hearts taken out they can live for dozens of seconds. While they are still alive, if they pour in magic power into their hearts that were changed into magic stones, and allow it to destabilize…

To do such an unthinkable thing, would have required extraordinary willpower and spirit…
Such valiant acts were not just carried out by a few, but dozens of Firefoxes.
To use magic that caused destruction that left the ground melted and turned the village buildings into ash.

I pay my respects to the Firefox men who accomplished their mission. Even though I knew it was necessary for them to have done it, to actually go through with it must have been horrifying for them… I am sure they must have also wanted to escape with everyone else. But for their friends and family who were trying to escape, they gathered what courage they could and executed their task gallantly. It was a show of valor and sacrifice that left an impression on me that I could not forget…

For their efforts, only a few dozen empire soldiers remained. The Firefoxes should have won, but their facial expressions were still sunken heavily.

「what is this, that.」

After listening to me finish the story, Kuu’s eyes were soaked with tears. What was there was just a girl sitting on sunken on the ground.

She strikes the ground with both hands.

「My father said it while fighting until the end, even allowing people to escape, and doing their
best to drive the empire soldiers away, you will recall it someday he said, regain our livelihood up to now.」
「….. that, will happen.」
「My father was a liar! To want to do such a thing, from the beginning wasn’t he just wanting to die?! Dad and the others, I knew they were going to die. Why up until now did they!? Even though we could have escaped together it would have been ok. If that happened we would have been together with one another, laughing. But their lives and memories, no matter what to go to the extent of blowing away the village! How could he do such a thing?!」

Even if Kuu’s mind was made up. Somewhere deep down, the men who were left behind in the village must have also wanted to live.
The situation was just completely destroyed and messed up beyond recognition.

「My father was a fool, talking about the Firefox’s Pride… To fuss over cheap pride and to get everyone caught up on it. Even to kill themselves to buy us enough time. They only had to go far enough for our escape to be nearly done and it would have been ok! Then we would have been reunited with everyone and n.o.body else would have had die, they wouldn’t have had to die a meaningless death!」
「Kuu, Don’t you dare say such things!!」

I hit Kuu on the cheek.

Of course I went easy on her. The sound was loud and was just for show, so there shouldn’t have been any pain.
It made a good snapping sound, Kuu’s white cheek is dyed red.

I couldn’t forgive Kuu saying it was meaningless. To not understand why they fought and for whom those people had traded their lives away…

「Kuu if you’re saying that as just an angry little girl then such things are understandable. But, you’re more than that now! You’re the Firefox family head right? You came and accepted training, use your head and think! Don’t just decide on your own that all this was just for cheap pride. To disgrace and speak ill of the dead and worse to not understand the degree of what they felt, that is what would make their sacrifice truly meaningless!!」
「Cy, ri,l-Kun?」

Kuu is wide-eyed, the heat still coming off her cheek from where I had struck her.
I couldn’t believe I hit her.

「Kuu, for the women who are not used to traveling, do you really think they could outrun the empire forces? Much less for you to say that when all the firefox men were cornered and rounded up.」
「…… I did not think.」
「What do you think, Kuu? If the buildings were still standing and the empire soldiers captured the village and made it into a base of operations. It would make it more efficient to more easily chase down the escaping Firefoxes, right?」
「…. I also have the same opinion.」

The disastrous state of the village is not enough to change the situation that the empire is using it as a night encampment. But regardless, the village can’t really be utilized by the empire though.

「What is the empire’s purpose?」
「To obtain magic stones.」
「Yes, but in this exchange those guys did not obtain even one magic stone, your father and the other parents went up against the empire soldiers, but when the Firefoxes were cornered though, the soldiers conduct shows without mistake that they were still hesitating right?」

The empire’s objective was to subjugate the Firefox village not to exterminate it.
But, just wanting the fire magic stone only.
Even so, the Firefox race when cornered were understood to become suicide bombers.
Even if you attacked them, if you were not able to obtain the magic stones it would obviously be unprofitable.

Looking at the battle’s outcome it was the empire’s victory. But with the large amount of funds used on this expedition, the majority of the soldiers that were lost, and not obtaining anything. Looking at it from a total standpoint, the Firefoxes won against the empire.

「Your father, fought to reduce the number of the soldiers and to crush a future base that would serve as a platform for future raids. They gathered their courage fighting the fear of death for their friends who were escaping, no matter how you look at it, it had to be a painful decision. Don’t you get it?! If you had just thought about it just a little you would have understood rather than turn your eyes away from it, don’t just a.s.sume and step over their sacrifice.」

Kuu raises her face, and glares at me with a little hostility.

「My father didn’t tell me anything! For such a thing… I only watched my village burn, how could I have understood that?! My hometown is gone, it’s all nothing but ash and sadness, I… I… can’t even think straight…」

Kuu exposed her weakness. She was an adult in age but she suddenly became a little child.

「And anyway, I know what my father did was what he needed to do. I know that! Even so, even, I…… Everyone wanted to be together. I wanted to escape. Someday, I thought we would meet again, is that so bad..?!」

Her tears overflowing.
Kuu’s words were extreme. But everyone in the village, they all would have wanted to continue living happily, I mean who wouldn’t?
They shouldn’t have wanted to die. To be separated in such a way had to be excruciating.

Even so that is unforgivable.

「That is bad Kuu, right now you are in charge of fifty lives and must think calmly and a.n.a.lyze the situation! For you to act like a spoiled brat, your father and the other parents thought that with no Firefoxes left to be caught and also being made into Empire toys, they suppressed their emotions to the extreme, and because of that you and the others are still here.」
「I… I can’t find a clear solution just like that…. Cyril-kun are you able to do it?」

From earlier, she changed from calling me Cyril-sama to Cyril-kun.
Being stricken with grief and to smooth over things I will allow it.

Kuu’s question is very simple.
So I will answer it without hesitation…

「I can. That is why I was made Elucie’s chief. And also the one who is recognized as the Foxfire head is you Kuu.」
「I…. about me….」

Kuu looks at me with humble requesting eyes.
She wants to push it on my back…

「Kuu, I have already decided to help you if I can. But do what you can yourself and don’t rely on me. Of course, if you are that lost you can quit and throw away the family head t.i.tle. Are you okay with just being one of the normal Firefoxes?」
「but, If I am not there, everyone….」
「I will take take care of everyone…」

This is the last resort.

「It would be difficult for the Firefoxes to be recognized as equals, when it’s just as easy for them to be discriminated as just tools for elves. Such a thing happening can’t be helped, I mean when you think about it that is all they would become. Without a representative, their nothing but refugees and they will be treated as such.」

Without thinking of anything and while waiting for them to open their mouth, this is also an effective strategy. [No Idea]

「Well you don’t have to think about the other Firefoxes, as long as they do all the instructions given to them from A to Z. I will also use you well in the battle against the empire giving you the minimum amount of compensation for it. Also I wonder how we should keep the Firefox’s bloodline going? Respecting Firefoxes is just troublesome when thinking of methods to best serve elves. We’ll just use a brothel and we just stop all this talk about minimum compensation. In exchange for embracing elf customers how does giving food for that sound? We’ll let them have s.e.x with you guys and you can eat until you’re full. And the ones who do not we can feed them enough so you guys don’t die. It would just be a line of Elves and Firefoxes since there would be a lot of beauties to pick from. Since Elve’s hold the idea of purity and chast.i.ty highly, there is undoubtedly going to be a lot of requests for cheap s.e.x with women who are there. I would also take part in that as well. Also, so that you don’t bother the elves, you all will cooperate with each other to raise the children that result from the pregnancies. If you get pregnant you won’t do much work and your meals would increase Kuu. I mean you also think there needs to be more people, so you should give birth to children one after another. With that the Firefoxes would be secure wouldn’t they.」[Really Long]
「isn’t that just being slaves to the elves?!」

Kuu yells at me in anger.
It certainly is treatment as slaves, and not treatment as a citizen of Elucie.

「I would say abandon that way of thinking. If you don’t like it what are you going to do about it? You have to think about what you need to do to protect yourselves! I am Elucie’s chief, Get rid of your doubts and show me your determination! It doesn’t have to be the plan I just said. Elucie can accept you on merits, that’s the way to have an equal position. And anyway, Kuu, you don’t have to think of this alone. It’s ok to ask for everyone’s opinion. But most importantly, if you do your best I can also lend a hand.」
「Cyril-kun, why.. why did you say such cruel words?」
「It’s not cruel, what I said was just common sense. Anyway, I believe it’s not something Kuu can’t do, so I will ask you one more time. Are you going to resign yourself here?」

Kuu rubs away her tears and then directed her reddened eyes toward me.

「I am the Firefox family head. I will protect everyone.」
「Is that so, if that’s the case do not forget everything that has happened now, and above all move with the pride and respect of a Firefox!」
「……. Cyril-kun… is like father.」

Kuu still hasn’t regained her footing, I gaze back at her with slightly softened eyes.
That Kuu with a slightly pouting tone opened her mouth.

「Stubborn, obstinate, strict, high-handed.」

When she put it that way it kinda stung.
I completely preached some various big-headed things.

「but, it was honest, prudent, and understanding. The root points a good-natured person, all those points are the same as such a person.」
「Well, I am the Chief, aren’t I? another way of saying it is I am everyone’s dad.」

When I said that Kuu slipped out a laugh.

「I will stop thinking that way. I will not shed these emotions. But if it becomes unbearable, would you support me?」
「That’s fine. if Kuu does her best, I can cheer you on.」
「Is it for Elucie?」
「Of course, and Kuu is a friend.」
「Telling me to move with emotions, that’s not fair…」
「I said that so you don’t make judgements with clouded feelings, I didn’t say to ignore the feelings. A leader is not qualified if they can’t think of a person’s feelings right? If emotions and reasons are aligned, people will work better with one another. With that you can push forward with all your might!」
「Earlier Cyril-kun’s treatment of the Firefoxes, I could tell you were completely ignoring the feelings on the surface, you know.」
「When it’s practical, it will only appear humane on the surface.」

And then the talk was over.
Our goal of recon was completed.
The Firefox village and the soldiers that came were completely wiped out. More importantly the village would be difficult if not impossible to be used as a base of operations.

Elucie for the moment cannot be attacked, even though it’s impossible for an attack to come it would be easy to deal with the amount of people here and now.

「Kuu, the soldiers here what do you think we ought to do with them? if it’s this amount of people, I can ma.s.sacre them alone.」

From my query, Kuu desperately thinks, and then, from biting her lips she opened her mouth.

「Leave them be…. They… unless they tell the empire the extent of how dangerous Firefoxes are, it would be meaningless.」

Truly wanting to take revenge, Kuu said to overlook it.
That was a decision for the future of the Firefoxes, not a spur of the moment decision.

「I also think the same. Kuu, is trying her best, huh?」

I stroke Kuu’s head. The feeling of fox ears feels good.

「because I am the family head.」

Kuu while expressing a smile while crying expression said so.

Afterwards, near a salt lake by the Firefox village, I was stuffing my backpack with as much rock salt as it could fit.
Since I was using a high capacity bag that carried 70 liters, I carried enough salt for the whole village that should last a few months.

Since it is a place that I remembered and it takes less than two hours, let’s come back on a regular basis.

Just like the time we came I put Kuu into a princess carry.
The combined weight of Kuu and the backpack slightly exceeded 100 kilograms, even with body reinforcement it was still difficult.
But I don’t let it show, because it would lower my honor as a boy.

「Kuu, about hitting you earlier I was wrong to do that, I’m sorry. But no matter what, I just can’t let you say terrible things about your father and the others who sacrificed their lives and died. If you want to take a shot at me I won’t mind.」

For whom did they wager their lives and fought for, I knew the feeling from my previous experiences, and because of that my emotions were completely high-strung.
Even though I got angry, I shouldn’t have gotten violent with her, that was completely my fault.

Of course if it were Roreu, I decided using something like the Pharaohs special wouldn’t be a problem, but since Kuu’s a girl…. [Pharaohs Special]

「It’s okay. When Cyril-kun got angry I realized that father and the others were trying their best for our sake and that it was also very scary. When we return to Elucie I want to relay those feelings of courage and love that was done here to everyone.」

Kuu told me in friend mode.
It was good talking comfortably here.

「And then? This won’t be depressing for you will it?」
「I think about falling into that depression, but I want to… No, I need to, relay their feelings to everyone.」

Kuu’s voice has no hesitation.
Sure, for the moment naturally they will mourn. But even so, if they recognize the feelings of love that came from what happened here. Someday, they will stand up again.
No… I will get Kuu to stand up again.

「…… do your best.」
「It’s still much too soon, but at some point, like father and Cyril-kun I will become a splendid family head…」

Kuu’s eyes were not on me but were distant. Surely, in the direction of her late father.

「It’s ok not to be like your father you know. I say some great things but I am still a beginner.」
「But, I really should aspire to be like Father and Cyril-kun as a family head.」

Kuu puts more strength into her arms that were around my neck so that she doesn’t fall.
Even while coming here, I feel as though Kuu was being expressly intimate, must be my imagination.

「And Cyril-kun. earlier you said something about a brothel didn’t you, right? I will also partic.i.p.ate too.」
「You sure I said something like that? I have no such recollection of that at all.」

Actually, I remember it perfectly, it’s just to remember it so plainly right after it happened is embarra.s.sing.

「You did say that. could it be, Cyril-Kun has acc.u.mulated… s.e.xual frustration?」
「Wait! Now hold on a sec, Kuu!」

Even if it wasn’t a direct representation of surprise, without thinking I might drop Kuu.
Bring different from when we first came due to the weight it wasn’t the speed of… No, rather than the fall, it was traveling at 60 KPH(37.3 mph) that is incredibly dangerous.

「and so, what will you do? keep on acc.u.mulating? could it be Lucie-chan, isn’t allowing you to do it? Is it a s.e.xless couple?」
「I still… haven’t married Lucie yet, you know.」

A painful and tiring point, without thinking I completely stutter.

「How unexpected. From long ago you were such good friends I kinda thought you were married. Elves don’t have s.e.x before their married, do they?」
「Only the older elves, some guys don’t care. It’s just Lucie’s family lineage are that of shrine maidens. Grandma was quite a strict person, you could say very exacting.」

Aah… Looking at it, Lucie’s s.e.xual desire is inordinately strong. She quietly masturates, of course I also see grandma there absolutely stopping me.
Of course, if we got married we could do it without problems, but until the village is stable, I decided not to get married.

I accepted the situation I was in beforehand, but for Kuu to point it out.
Even so, mutually not putting hands on each other…

「Is that so…. If that’s the case, how about making a child with me? If it’s you Cyril-kun I would be ok with it.」
「K~Kuu, now calm down, I know you’re still traumatized about the loss of your village, but don’t lose control over yourself now. You need to cherish yourself more!」
「I am thinking clearly! There was a part of me long ago that liked Cyril-kun, and from our meeting you being so reliable and gentle…」

My face becomes red.
Kuu is an absurdly beautiful girl(美少女 bishoujo).
I thought about who would be a cut above Lucie. It is a matter of taste and according to people, Kuu would be a cut above right?

If I was able to compare other beautiful girls, there wouldn’t be any other except Kuu.

「Someday, if I was going to do it with some Elf, I think it would be nice if THAT elf was Cyril-kun. And anyway for the future of Elves and Firefoxes, to have a child with a fellow chief…」
「To bring a child into the world for just one’s self-interest is something I dislike.」
「Well Cyril-kun said it. If reason and emotions are going in opposite directions just force them to go in the same direction, like right now both my reason and emotions are saying go.」

I could hear the shy hesitation in Kuu’s voice.
There is no way it wouldn’t be embarra.s.sing, and also I was able to notice it a little.

「I can’t. Not with Kuu!」
「Could it be, your worried about venereal disease? Because I don’t have experience, that sort of thing I think is irrelevant. you know.」[Experience]
「That is not what I am saying!」

Although, hearing that Kuu has no experience. I am a little relieved and also surprised by the admission.

「Am I not attractive? Look carefully, I am the s.e.xiest in the firefox village, you know.」
「Kuu is attractive!」

She smells good, soft, cute, and has large b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Personally having a little bit of them jutting out while ma.s.saging them would be an ideal size I think.
Kuu’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s perfectly fit those conditions. Lucie’s are just a little not as satisfying.

「It is isn’t it. Especially my tail is erotic, my brother often said it was an irresistible turn on. My tail seems to only appear once every one hundred years. My father gives his seal of approval for how great it is.」
「I didn’t know, Kuu’s brother is scary!」

Without thinking I was thrusted into something.
Accordingly, all the races have their different erotic points, but as expected I didn’t have a response for that tail…

Well certainly Kuu’s lineage was good, that golden color and that fluffy white tip. I think Kuu’s tail is cute, but it wasn’t a turn on for me.

「is that so…… and I was so confident in my tail. Want to try touching it?」
「Well since you said so I’ll take you up on your offer.」

Saying so, Kuu shakes her rear and her tail makes a swish sound.

Shifting Kuu’s body in my arms while she was in my princess carry, I tightly squeeze her tail and try stroking it lightly.[Real Fast]
My hand sinks into the soft fluffy hair and wraps around my hand, the feel of it is so good that it is actually vexing, stroking that hair and the feel of it is certainly great.
Touching the center of her tail and jostling it around could become habit forming…

「it’s g~greeat. Cyril-kun, is good at this, but please don’t do it too strongly.」

And then playing with Kuu’s tail, her glossy voice awakened a strange feeling.

「Sorry my bad. A firefoxes tail is great, isn’t it..」
「It’s great right! But, you do know it’s bad to touch another girl’s tail right? It’s only okay when parents or the husband give their consent. It’s considered rape to just touch another’s tail, you know.」
「Wait a sec, Kuu… Why did you let me touch it…?」
「Because it’s you Cyril-kun! and if it’s Cyril-kun I was serious when I said it was okay, when or if you change your mind about me, call me, kay?」

When Kuu finished saying so, I let her tail swiftly slip through my hand.
I had a terrible regretful feeling of having to let it go like that.
It was my instincts as a man to want to accept Kuu’s proposal. I REALLY want to touch that tail more, so much that in my mind I am screaming.

But, Lucie’s smile comes to mind.

「I am devoted to Lucie, I don’t want to do something like betray her.」

That is my answer.
Well it’s because I wouldn’t allow myself to run around with other women, also its is not very cool.

「The way of a gentleman, isn’t it. I like Cyril-kun having such a point you know. I will keep you touching my tail a secret from Lucie, so please be at ease.」

「No that is completely different issue so it’s ok.」

And in that way, while having various talks with Kuu, we returned to the village.

…

Translator Notes:

Not Sure: I read what it says just not sure what it really means in the context…

Alternate Interpretation:

desmerit on 4th December 2015 at 4:18 am said: Edit
about the “not sure” sentence link:
What the author is doing in this set of paragraphs is a form of rhetorical speech often used in politics and debates (Hypophora if I’m not mistaken and I know some English grammar person will correct me). He takes the action that Kuu wants to do (quit being the leader) and asks the question “what happens next” and then answers that question without letting her interrupt. It is a method used by speech givers to present an argument based on emotion that paints a picture of a possible end result to act as an impetus(driving force) to action.

The line in question is describing this method of logical debate and requires him to push relentless forward to prove a point through emotion while ignoring logical fallacies. It would be more clear if it was phrased along the lines of, “Pushing forward(Speaking) without thinking of anything or waiting for them to respond, this is also an effective strategy”.

Really Long: I just I don’t why is this so gawd d.a.m.n long…
Pharoahs Special:   Experience referencing no s.e.xual experience…
Real Fast: Best to suspend belief that they are going at about 60 kph or 37.3 mph while doing this.