Translator: Silver Editor: Those who shall taste despair

「Form of the City」 Part 2

I retrieved my luggage sack from the cave’s entrance to throw the weapons and gold coins into it.

Suddenly, a small iron cage in the corner of the cave catches my attention. It remained in the shadows beyond the lamps light, so it went unnoticed till now. When I look inside the cage, I saw a wounded animal glaring back at me.

I brought a lamp over so I clearly make out the animal in the cage. There was a fox inside the cage. No, it was a fox like animal.

From head-to-tail it was around 60 cm, and the tail had the appearance of a dandelion and made up half of its body length. The fox’s head had large triangular ears that were pointed up, indicating the it was alert and listening out. There was something like a film on it legs, that left the impression of a flying squirrel.

Under the lamps light, I could see that pale green fur cover its back while the fur on its belly was white.

Without removing its eyes, the creature in the cage let out a quiet growl and blistered its big fluffy tail. The forepaws showed shallow scratches, and the fur around the hind legs were dyed red.

In order to cast healing magic on its wounds, I opened the cage’s hatch. However, the pale green fox was cautious, as it showed no sign of leaving the cage. Getting nowhere like this, I extend my hand to the fox inside the cage.

“Gyau!”

The fox let out a small bark before biting at my fingers. I felt no pain thanks to the armor, but I groan a little as the green fox showed no sign of releasing my fingers.

“You know, I’m not that scary……”

While saying the lines of the girl of the valley of the wind, I began to pull the hand, being bitten out of the cage, the green fox coming with it. I don’t seem to have a power to calm down animals……

“【Heal】”

When the recovery magic is cast, lights start to emit from my fingers being bitten and seep into the fox’s wounds. The basic skill of the priest cla.s.s. The green fox was surprised by this event, and its fluffy tail spread out as it jumped back. Its big eyes blinked rapidly.

“Kyun?”

It curiously inclined its head to the side before looking back at its previously injured hind leg, and licking the spot were the wound should be. Just like a cat, it then began to lick its forepaws. With its grooming completed, the fox sat down on the spot and stated to wag that fluffy tail back and forth.

It didn’t show any signs of running away.

I remembered something I had in my bag. When I took out the dried berries I bought this morning, the green fox’s nosed twitched a little before it went motionless. While laughing at the situation, I place a berry on my hand and held it out.

At first it was cautious, but it slowly approached my hand with the berry in it. With a dash the fox took the berry, before retreating back, and started to munch on it at a distance. When it finished eating the berry, it started to tip-toe my way for an other one. After a few more round trip, it just started to eat the berries out of my hand.

Its wariness from a while ago seems to have completely vanished, but I wonder if its all right to treat wildlife like this.

When all the berries are eaten, I started to stroke the head of the green fox, with a wry smile. The little guy seemed to be ticklish as it started to let out small pleasant cries.

Since there was nothing valuable left here, I stood up ready to leave.  But as I leave the cave, the little fox came running behind me as fast as its legs allowed. When I stopped walking and turned around, the fox was sitting down waging its fluffy tail.

“Do you want to come with me?”

I didn’t expect an answer, but the green fox let out a “Kyun” sound in response.  It was totally showing that it could understand me.

I don’t know the name of the fox like creature, but I couldn’t bear to simple call it green fox. I rack my brain trying to come up with a name of it.

── Green Fox……

“Oage or Tempuro, sound good?”

When I suggested the names, the fluffy tail appeared to droop. You don’t seem to like either of them……

── Green fox……

“Ponta, then.”

“Kyun!”

The tail now stood erect and was now swaying.

“Then Ponta, ready to go?”

Ponta let out a yep and started to jump in place, when I asked the question. All of a sudden, wind surrounded Ponta, and after expanding its fur, Ponta started to rise like it was in a invisible elevator.

“Ooooh!?”

I let out a surprised yell, as my eyes became glued to Ponta. It could apparently use wind magic. Otherwise it was impossible for such a rising current to be localized in a cave. Ponta rode the wind all the way until it was high enough to jump on my helmet. Because Ponta was facing me on the way up, its fluffy tail was now blocking my sight. When I tried to move the tail, Ponta rearranged itself so that my field of vision cleared.

I couldn’t deny that this was a fantasy creature, it used magic to fly up there after all…… In my former world, arboreal animals, like the flying squirrel, were only capable of gliding because of how their bodies were built.

I try to calm my excitement, as I hoist my luggage sack over my shoulder and leave the cave.

The remains of the thieves are scatted near the entrance. Since it would be troublesome if this attracted something weird, I used 【Flame】to burn them all away. At first Ponta was surprised by the flames, but after a while it returned to waging its tail on top of my helmet.

I only leave the thieves’ den when I’m sure that there was nothing left but ashes.

Because I collected so many war trophies, even if I don’t work for a while I should be just fine.

I silently transferred and walked, until I reached the entrance of the forest.

The leaves of the tree were not covering it, so I could see that that red has already entered the sky. A good amount of time seems to have pa.s.sed since I entered the forest. I could see the Diento’s city walls in the distance, and the farmland was already empty.

After walking up stream the rydell river for a while, I came across a person standing with their back to me.

They wore a beige cloak, and strands of greenish gold hair escaped from under the hood and fluttered in the wind. The physique is like a human, but a feature different from other humans can be seen. The long pointy ears, clearly visible from this angle, is a racial characteristic often seen in stories and the game.

“This is my first time seeing a Elf.”

A little excited, I used【Dimensional step】to appear behind the elf, and I wound up speaking unintentionally.

The elf jumped away from me when I did this, unsheathing a slender sword in the process, and glared back at me with a sword in hand and a scowl on their face.

The greenish gold hair could not be compared to the sharp green eyes that observed me. The body was on the slender side, but was wrapped in firm light armor. The guard-less sword pointed in my direction was also steady in his hand. The demeanor and atmosphere were totally different from the thieves from earlier. With a single glance I understood that a great warrior was before me.

“Who are you?”

The elf was immediately alert and had fallen into a fighting stance. Their voice was a little low, but it was clear that the person was trying to create some openings. However, the eyes of the man seem to be fixed on one point. Their line of sight was focused on Ponta, who was on the top of my head……?

I had questions for the man, but I should responded first.

“Arc. A traveler. I unintentionally called out because this is the first time I’ve seen an elf.”

There was still doubt in their eyes, but the swords point was lowered a little.

“…… A human being? A vento vulpix became attached to a human……”

“? Vento?”

“…… Its common name is fluffy fox. Its the sprite beast sitting on your head…… They typically live in packs, how’d you tame it?”

“Wow, its a spirit? Ponta is”

On my head, Ponta let out a strange cry, yet remained stuck on there. The elf looked at the absurd situation with amazement.

“It’s not a spirit, it’s a spirit beast. Think of it as an animal that possess the power of an elemental spirit. Is such a thing unknown? Is the inside of that magnificent armor empty?”

I was called a fool by this man, but that can’t be helped. Do to my circ.u.mstances, there is no way that I would know the ecosystem.

But this armor is not empty, it’s full of bones──.

“I’m sorry. This is the first spirit beast I’ve seen. I found it after it was caught and injured by thieves, and freed it. It became emotionally attached after I healed it and feed it a little……”

“Bulls.h.i.t, even a common spirit beast’s wariness is so high that they won’t take to members of the elf race. Are you saying that there are oddb.a.l.l.s everywhere?……”

The man said so as he sheathed his sword, and covered it and his elf ears with his cloak.
An oddball, I have a feeling he was looking down on me when he said that, but that can’t be the case right?

“So, what are you doing in such a place? I haven’t seen any elves in the city, 〜are you heading there now?”

The cloaked elf let out an amazed sigh.

“Are you truly a human? Humans are people who hate and fear those different or better than themselves. We elves live long lives and generally have high magical capabilities. Even though we signed a treaty with the Rhoden kingdom, I would become a target for hunting if the public noticed me. The forest people seem to sell for a exaggerated amount of gold.”

The eyes under the hood were filled with anger and hatred.

Officially it might be illegal to hunt elves in this country. However, it seems that the prohibition was not being enforced properly. You only need to look into his eyes to image want horrors he has seen.

Even if you call it hunting, it didn’t mean killing. The elves wouldn’t have needed to enter into such a barbaric treaty, that prohibited the act by feudal law, if there were not people willing to pay a lot of money to subdue them. There’s probably a rumor that elf blood can cure all sickness, or they are probably traded as slaves…… Then the reason this guy is near the city is──

“The liberation of elven slaves from the city──”

When I muttered so, the elf had a dangerous and cautious look in his eyes.

“Hmm, I’m not saying anything to a human. I was to meet with a group of elves here……”

While shrugging his shoulders and letting out a sign, the anxious situation was denied.

“Can you even trust the words of a human──”

“Kyun Kyun!”

The hardening of the elf’s voice and his attempt to reach for his sword, caused Ponta to let out a sharp cry.

When the elf saw this, he stopped and removed his hand from his sword.

“s.h.i.t. Some say that a person bound to a spirit beast are connected by their hearts. Don’t forget the words I spoke a while ago.”

Saying so, the man walked into the forest at a fast pace, and I eventually lost sight of him.

In the end, I didn’t even hear the elf’s name──.

I though it was my chance to interact with other species in a different world, but the negative evaluation of humans made that quite difficult.

Well, I hope we came meet again. Since elves are being imprisoned in the city, I will collect information for him should we meet again.

Thinking that, I once again started to walk in the direction of the city,

The city walls were illuminated by the sunset like yesterday. However unlike yesterday, the walls looked like a screen that covered up peoples’ greed.