Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Snowflake Fox
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A chill was in the air. Winter had fully arrived. It felt as if snow could fall at any moment. This was a time to refrain from adventuring.
Not only was travel a hassle, but camping would be akin to harsh winter training. There was no need to force an adventure and suffer through such hardships.
Putting aside the party's inevitable complaints, it was simply too inefficient for my liking. I decided to stick around the academy until the weather improved. Of course, relaxing wasn’t an option. There was plenty to do besides conquering dungeons.
The first thing that came to mind was the Dwarf Tribe. They were originally meant to just craft and repair the Hero party’s equipment, but I had somehow ended up placing a massive order. A fair amount of time had passed since then.
I should pay them a visit to check on their progress. And while I’m at it, I’ll show off my new title as the Hero. I could already picture the dwarves’ warm welcome.
The elven lass would despise it, but our little cutie would be thrilled. Who could resist the dwarves' special beer and sausages? She’d practically be drooling at the thought.
While the Dwarf Tribe was a matter I could handle on my own, personally dealing with the major powers of humanity was a different story. The Imperial Army preparing for war, the Church planning to declare a holy war, the various kingdoms large and small belatedly sensing the strange atmosphere…
Well, there was no need to worry too much. In the original story, they all managed just fine on their own. Still, I should keep an eye on the developments. I needed to monitor the overall situation and be ready to act immediately if any variables arose.
If I really put my mind to it, I could probably solve most problems. My own Crodain Family, the Carmel Family—soon to be my in-laws—and the Venice Family, who recently endured a great ordeal. If those three great families came together, the rest would naturally fall in line.
For now, I decided to just watch from the sidelines. As great as my influence was, the pressure was also immense.
Acting rashly out of eagerness could ruin even a sure thing. Wasting energy for no reason would be foolish. For now, I needed to focus on faithfully fulfilling my own role.
Directly training the first string, and occasionally checking on the second string. In my spare time, I’d manage the academy’s students. And I suppose I should pay some attention to those kids who wanted to be my underlings.
At the time, I’d been planning for a scenario where I didn’t become the Hero. Now that things had changed, our relationship had to change as well. Instead of making them my direct underlings, it would be better to have them join the Crodain Family’s knight order. Well, it amounted to the same thing in the end. They’d be following my orders either way.
“…”
Be that as it may… why were they so late? The others had gone shopping. They’d gone on an outing to a nearby city to buy winter clothes. I’d been flooded with requests to join them, but I declined for several reasons.
It was partly to refine my future plans, but also because I thought it would be better for the girls to have a day to themselves. I figured that if I went along, they’d be too conscious of me to really enjoy themselves.
As an aside, I’m not a fan of winter. I’ll skip the reasons why. And please, refrain from assuming it’s because there’s less skin on display.
Well, perhaps it has its merits. Sharing body heat with a loved one under the pretext of warding off the cold, for instance…
Just as I was indulging in some wholesome daydreams, the girls arrived in a flurry. They had all changed their clothes. They were at an age where they looked beautiful in anything, and just seeing their different styles was heartwarming. Especially our little cutie…
“So, how do I look? I found an outfit I absolutely love!”
“—!”
I couldn’t hide my surprise. It was none other than Aruru’s outfit—it was a familiar design. No matter how I looked at it, it was *that*, wasn’t it?
A winter coat and hat. Even her socks and shoes were a matching white and blue. There were plenty of cute details, but the absolute highlight was the fox scarf wrapped around her neck.
The “Snowflake Fox” skin. In the original game, it was a paid item you had to buy with real money. I never dreamed I’d see it here. Good heavens, to think even the cosmetic skins were implemented…
For the record, Aruru had the most skins. Among them, the Snowflake Fox and Maid skins were the most popular.
I’d been planning to recreate some of them when the time was right, but it was as if she couldn’t wait and took care of it herself.
She was already adorable, and now she was wearing her signature skin. The sheer level of cuteness was out of this world. Just as I was about to lose my senses, Aruru clung to me as she always did.
The cheerful wagging of her tail. I barely managed to regain my composure at the dynamic movement. She looked up at me with sparkling eyes, as if asking for praise. There was only one thing I could say.
“I think I could fall for you.”
“Right? I knew you’d think so!”
A smile of pure bliss spread across her face. The power of that skin was truly immense. It made me want to hold her tight and pet her all day long.
Our little cutie.
But is that okay? A fox beastkin wearing a fox scarf, that’s a bit…
“Hmm, not really? I actually like it, it feels friendly!”
“…”
Apparently, she didn’t mind. Then again, this was a world where a pig beastkin ran a butcher shop. Well, as long as it looked good on her, that’s all that mattered. Soon, everyone was showing off their winter outfits in front of me. They weren’t skins, but since they were girls who looked pretty in anything, each of them radiated her own unique charm.
“You’re always doting on Aruru.”
“It can’t be helped. We were mesmerized too.”
“Ugh, that’s true, but…”
I gazed at them quietly. Suddenly, the summer skins came to mind. A sun-drenched beach. The cool sound of crashing waves. The heroines frolicking in bikinis…
“Wait a minute… Jace’s gaze just now felt… lecherous!”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Jace isn’t that kind of guy, and besides, the outfits we’re wearing now don’t show any skin at all.”
“…Is it just my imagination?”
The elven lass wore a skeptical expression. I was nearly framed, but thanks to my usual upright conduct, the moment passed without incident.
I was just recalling a beach scene; I wasn’t having any strange thoughts at all. Well, maybe an opportunity will arise someday…
“We’re a bit late, aren’t we? We were wandering all over looking for clothes for Aruru.”
“We were lucky. We almost missed it. And…”
The group started chattering about what had happened during their shopping trip. They were very talkative, but this kind of everyday atmosphere was always welcome. Just as a pleased smile formed on my face, something came up that made me doubt my ears.
“Aruru got a confession from a male fox beastkin.”
“Ah! Why would you say that? It’s embarrassing!”
“—??”
Huh? Our little cutie got a confession from a guy? Well, that wasn’t surprising. In fact, it was only natural. To human eyes, she was simply adorable, but by beastkin standards, she was a stunning beauty who would inevitably turn heads.
“He followed us cautiously for a while, and then finally mustered up the courage to confess. His nervous expression was so cute…”
“It was quite adorable.”
I could picture the scene. All beastkin, regardless of age or gender, are cute. It was probably like a little elementary school boy stopping a girl to confess, “I… I like you.” That’s why they didn’t take it too seriously. It must have been over in an instant.
“Yes, that’s right. She turned him down without a moment’s hesitation.”
“Aruru was so mean. To think she’d make that cute boy cry.”
“His drooping fox ears and limp tail were so pitiful.”
Our little cutie.
Just how harsh was she for them to say that? Even if you don’t like someone, you should have let him down gently.
“No, I didn’t! They’re just teasing me!”
Hmm, so that’s what happened. Was there another girl as kind as Aruru? There’s no way such a cute girl would trample on a man’s pure feelings…
“I just told him I already had a mate.”
“—??”
“It was a white lie, you see. In that situation, it was the best thing to do.”
I wondered how that male fox beastkin who confessed to Aruru felt. He must have fallen in love at first sight and thought she was his destined woman. But he was shot down hard. The reason was probably…
“I don’t think it was a complete lie. Because…”
Her face flushed slightly as she hung her head. It was uncharacteristic of her. She must have been referring to me as her mate. Well, given the affection we shared, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
What had I done? It seemed I’d ruined her marriage prospects. It was a serious problem, yet she just shrugged as if it didn’t bother her in the slightest.
“I don’t know about later, but for now, you’re all I need.”
“…”
It was too late to do anything about it now. I had no choice but to maintain this relationship until the Demon King was defeated. After that, I’d just have to take responsibility for her in one way or another…
“Here, take this.”
“We bought some clothes for you too while we were at it. Try them on later.”
I wasn’t flustered. I had a feeling this would happen. They tried to take care of me in every little way. It was reconfirmed that I was loved by the girls.
Ceria’s affection, I could gratefully accept, but the rest… it was too much of a burden! My karma had piled up yet again today. Contrary to my confused feelings, my mouth moved reflexively.
“Thank you, everyone. I’ll be sure to wear them.”
For now, it was at a level that could be explained as camaraderie. I was worried about the future, but I’d somehow navigate it wisely. We continued our pleasant conversation late into the night.
In the beginning, things were awkward between us, but now the atmosphere was quite warm. I slowly laid out our plans for the near future.
“First, I need to visit the Dwarf Tribe.”
“—!”
As expected, two of the girls reacted strongly. The elven lass shut her eyes tightly with a look of horror, while our little cutie’s face lit up as she cheered. This stark contrast was, you could say, a characteristic of the Hero’s party.
“You don’t have to come. You can sit this one out.”
“How long are you planning to stay?”
“A day at most?”
“Then that’s fine.”
The elven trait of despising dwarves. To her, dwarves might as well be orcs. And it wasn’t entirely baseless; she had been harassed, in a way, last time. In any case, I had no intention of forcing someone to go who didn’t want to.
“I’ll sit this one out, too.”
“I’m not particularly keen on going either. Please come back soon.”
Esterize and Luciel also said they’d stay at the academy. They added that they would train and pray during that time, as if not wanting to waste a moment. The princess had already visited last time, and Luciel seemed to dislike the dwarves for a different reason than Ilensia.
Hmm, do dwarves believe in a god of fire? From the Saintess’s perspective, they might be heretics. No need to ask our little cutie, so I skipped her. Ceria, since this was her first time, showed interest.
“I hear all dwarves are excellent craftsmen. I’m looking forward to it.”
It had been a while since the three of us went on an outing together. That was nice, but… the thought that the three girls staying here might be plotting something came to mind.
Could they be scheming behind our backs? Since I was taking Aruru with me, I was a little anxious, but there was nothing I could do. I just had to trust them.
* * *
The next morning, we set off early. The moment we arrived at the dwarf village, we felt a blast of hot air.
It seemed they were ceaselessly hammering iron to fulfill my order. Even the slow approach of deep winter couldn’t cool the artisans’ passion.
“Ah, it’s you!”
“We heard the news. You became the Hero, eh?”
“My eyes didn’t deceive me. I knew it. Gahaha…”
Dwarves gathered around us one by one. It was only our second visit, but every single one of them showed their delight. It was because I’d earned a lot of their goodwill last time.
“A precious guest has arrived! We must prepare a grand feast!”
A welcome party was held soon after. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like an excuse to drink beer, but I didn’t mind. As I received their hospitality, I thought calmly. I want to squeeze some more good weapons out of them; I’ll have to come up with a plan.