Chapter 80 - Shiro's Day (2)

I gobbled up the food made by Tina until my stomach was full to bursting.

Ecstasy.

Initially, I was uneasy because I had been awakened without god’s summoning.

Upon reflection, being able to enjoy Tina’s handmade dishes made me grateful that Halt had roused me. I expressed my thanks to Tina, and then I went out of the mansion.

──＊＊＊──

As a post-meal exercise, I decided to take a stroll through the Steel Forest near the Ifrus Academy of Magic.

This has become my daily routine.

Halt and the others were concerned about me, but there’s no demon out there that could harm a Divine Beast like me, so I habitually took this excursion alone.

The demons in this forest are relatively high-level and possess considerable intelligence.

For that reason, they already sense my power, so none of them attempt to attack me.

Many of the demons flee from my path as soon as I enter the forest.

Because of this, I can leisurely amble around in the forest.

I do this while in my tiny form, by the way.

My true form is far more impressive, though I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been staying at Halt’s mansion for a while, but now I’m more accustomed to this smaller form.

That’s because I can get Tina and Leaffa to spoil me more when I look like this.

I reached the heart of the forest.

There is only one spot in this dark forest where sunlight filters through. In the midst of that ray of sunlight, a huge boulder sits there like a pedestal.

I lay down on the pedestal.

It might not compare to the fluffy sofa in Halt’s mansion, but it’s quite comfortable.

The mellow sunshine warms me up cozily.

This spot was formerly the turf of the lord of this forest, a massive bear-type demon beast called King Bear.

──＊＊＊──

I accidentally stumbled upon this place around three days ago.

“Whoa, so there’s a place like this.”

“……………”

The King Bear, sprawled on the stone pedestal, eyed me as if saying ‘what’s up with this guy?’

I released a small amount of my aura.

Suddenly, without any apparent reason, the King Bear surrendered this place to me.

I absolutely did not rob him of this place.

The King Bear simply recognized my nobility and offered it to me.

After that, I came here every day and slept until noon; that became the routine of my stroll.

Over time, the demons of this forest, starting with the King Bear, began to bring me fruits and nuts.

I always eat them, but I had already eaten a lot of Tina’s dishes today, so I was full.

“I don’t need them today. It would be better for you to eat them instead.”

The King Bear and the others thought their offerings were not to my taste, so they became flustered.

“Ah, no, I am already full. It’s not that I don’t like your offerings, so do not fret.”

The King Bear communicated with me.

“….What’s that? Will I eat you, you ask? Fufu, fuhahahha. You are fortunate. I have already tasted something far more palatable than you demons. I won’t prey on you now.”

With those words, the beasts felt reassured.

The demon beasts took back the fruits they had gathered and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

I decided to take a nap.

──＊＊＊──

“-----Ha! N-No way, I overslept!”

It was well past noon when I woke up. I had hoped to eat Tina’s food again for lunch.

What did I do…

-------Hmm?

A basket made of wood sat on top of the stone pedestal where I was sleeping.

“T-This is!!”

The basket contained three rice balls and a few nicely grilled wieners.

They had an extremely appealing smell.

“You’re up, Shiro?”

“This, did Halt…?”

“Yeah, Tina made that meal. Shiro did not return, so I brought it here. It’s still warm, I reckon.”

Whoa, so this is truly Tina’s handiwork!

I will eat this with gratitude.

The meal Tina made is incredibly flavorsome.

It would have been better if there were more portions, though…

Speaking of, Halt came from the depths of the forest—does he have business here?

“Halt, what were you doing in the forest?”

“Yeah, my magic burned a portion of this forest before. So I came here to check on its recovery.”

I already knew from the magical beasts that part of the forest had burned down a few months ago.

So it was Halt’s doing.

Incidentally, a lot of demons were hunted, and a few high-level demons were also killed, or so they said.

Well, it’s not like I’m an ally of the magical beasts, and the number of slain demons is none of my concern.

However, I don’t condone destroying nature.

I am a Divine Beast. It is also my duty to protect the creations of the Creator God who formed this world.

Naturally, nature falls under my jurisdiction.

“Did the forest recover? I also have the ability to hasten the recovery of the trees more or less. Do you want me to take a look?”

“No worries, this guy here helped me out.”

Halt shifted his body, and there stood a small white-bearded old man.

“Are you…Nome?”

“Indeed. I can see that you are the Divine Beast Fenrir. Well, that is quite a charming appearance you have now.”

The person Halt brought along is none other than Nome, the Spirit King of the Earth.

I met Nome once, a long time ago.

It seems Halt has already completed the summoning contract.

And if Nome is serious, he can grow trees in the blink of an eye. Reviving the forest is child’s play for him.

Halt, you punk, you’ve already gathered all the Spirit Kings.

By the way, Divine Beasts and Spirit Kings hold the same status in this world.

I had a sense of foreboding.

“…I’m your Senpai.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been Halt’s subordinate longer than you, so I’m your Senpai. Since I’m the Senpai, I should receive more favorable treatment when it comes to food. Halt must also regard me more highly!”

“W-What are you talking about?”

Halt looked dumbfounded.

But this is a matter of life and death for me.

Halt has already formed contracts with three of the Spirit Kings.

On the other hand, I am the only one among the Divine Beasts, so I don’t have much influence.

Right now, the Spirit Kings contracted earlier are scattered in various domains, so they will only come to Halt’s side when he summons them.

However, Undine and Sylph have already expressed their desire to be with Halt all the time.

If that happens, Halt won’t take care of me anymore, being the newcomer that I am.

That’s too worrying.

Halt does not discriminate; whether it be a Spirit King or a Divine Beast, he still treats them as friends.

That’s why it’s really comfortable being with Halt.

I don’t want to increase the number of rivals targeting this position, so I need to set Nome in his place.

“Hohohohoho, rest assured, my dear Fenrir. It is true that Halt’s magic makes one feel at ease, but I also have work to do. I cannot be with Halt all the time.”

Looks like Nome perceived my inner musings.

So he’s a good guy after all.

“Is that so? Then I will be beside Halt to protect him.”

“Please do so, Senpai.”

“Umu, leave it to me.”

After that, Nome chatted with Halt before leaving toward the depths of the forest.