Chapter 30: Arrival of the Savage Rabbit

I wake to bird song the next morning .

Is it already morning?

Provoked by the bird song, I raise my eyes .

Birds are flying amongst the tree tops and the song of their chirping echoes about .

I stretch out a finger to the surface of the big tree in front of me while raising my body .

A strange smell emanates from the tree .

This big tree, could it be around a thousand years old? Unconsciously I think about the mind boggling time this giant tree must have live for .

Big fern-like leaves grow around the base of the big tree .

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A drop of morning dew drips of the end of a leaf ad creates a small puddle in the depressed ground . There is a small line of ants nearby .

With only this line of ants, I am able to tell that this land is brimming with vitality .

“Are you awake?”

Raguren asks me .

It looks like Raguren just got up, too .

“Yes, just a moment ago . ”

I feel refreshed even though I only slept a little .

“I’ll settle breakfast with this hard bread and what’s left of yesterday’s meat . ”

“Understood . ”

“Still, I thought the debonchitchi spirit children appeared here, but they didn’t . ”

“Ah, the one that make the mysterious sound?”

“Yeah . It’s a sign of good luck if it appears during Shuya’s journey . Ey?”

“Can they be met if you travel for a while? Rollo is here too . ”

There’s no grounds for it .

“Hahaha, I guess Divine Beast-sama can gather good fortune too . ”

A beckoning cat?

Breakfast is finished quickly while having a silly conversation, and I replenish my blood with a sip from the corresponding water flask . In the meantime, Raguren gets on his popobumu .

“I’ll go ahead a little . ”

He takes the reins and quickly goes ahead .

The black cat Rollo also seems to have finished her preparations and is sitting on the back of the popobumu’s head .

I hurry to get onto the popobumu and chase after the back of Raguren .

Whilst I am complaining in my head about Raguren overdoing it this early in the morning I see him moving leisurely in the trees up ahead, illuminated by the morning sunlight .

“You came? We’re getting closer to the elven territory, but we still have some way to go . “Let’s go . ”

“Got it . ”

Raguren is plowing through the undergrowth of the forest .

The footing under the popobumu’s feet changes to thick mud as we enter a valley between two cliffs .

Then we are attacked by a mosquito monster . But even though it sucks blood it is only a mosquito so it is easily defeated and we pass through the muddy area .

We encounter a bear monster bigger than a degozabear in an area where dark green forest spreads out . Its face is obviously furious, but Raguren ignores it .

It seems to have judged us as dangerous .

It avoids me same way . I keep the popobumu moving forward for the time being while being careful .

When the forested land turns into a slightly uphill slope I fight some forest goblins, but they are defeated with no difficulty and we arrive at the hill .

Even if I say hill of the forest the trees are in the way and there’s no view .

Without saying anything Raguren continues ahead down the hill . I continuously direct the popobumu . I keep going while avoiding the trees .

Then, Raguren who ran ahead stops his popobumu .

There’s a presence of magical essence, when I move to Raguren’s side, and looks back at me with a stern face and talks .

-From here onward “everything is the domain of the Elves . ”

When I weave my way through the trees .

Until now we’ve only passed through overgrown dark green forest, but now there is a path of compacted dirt between trees .

A soil highway . The popobumu snorts softly and takes light steps . It seems to be comfortable with this .

Our traveling speed is able to increase and we advance ahead smoothly .

It suddenly changes from a path of dirt to a path paved with stones .

As a result, sparks begin flying from the hoofs on the ground, and from above-

“Stop!!”

We are called out to in a loud voice .

What? I look around for the voice .

There in one of the big trees is a lookout constructed from wooden boards .

Two soldiers wearing helmet are standing guard . The two soldiers are carrying bows and pointing arrows at us .

Raguren easily locates the outpost and opens his mouth to talk .

“I am horned person of mountain . ”

In the babble judged to be Elven, he talks .

“What! You are one of the mountain people? Then why are you accompanied by this ‘human!'”

The words are different than Raguren’s, but I can understand them…

This skill is helpful .

It seems that Raguren’s Goldiba are called the mountain people .

“This human, good guy . Friend of mountain people . This human wants go south . This human to country, I give passage . ”

He seems to be negotiating…but when the story gets complicate it becomes difficult .

I’ll entrust it to Raguren .

“Understood . I am not able to judge this . Wait here . Mountain person . ”

When one of the Elf soldiers says so he jumped back and disappeared . However, the other soldier still has his bow drawn and pointed at me .

When Raguren sees that he whispers in my ear .

“Now he will get an associate and ask for judgment . ”

“So, wait patiently . ”

After I wait for a little, the soldier who disappeared early returns with a female Elf with long bright golden yellow hair on the lookout .

“Person of the mountain, I am in charge of this area, I am called Lanfa Seyaruka . You seem to want to pass through here, but are you also one of the mountain people?”

“No, I am Kokomade . ” (TL:?)

The female Elf introduces herself to Raguren is broken words, moving the long golden yellow eyebrows, her eyes becomes sharp as she opens her mouth .

“What? Only the human wants to pass through here?”

“That is right . ”

The Elf women looks closer with her blue eyes .

There are feelings of doubt and discomfort written in her eyes .

Hesitating, the silence grows .

“…The people of the mountain are acquaintances through trade . Also, there is the acquaintance of the elders . I can’t do it flatly . I will probably be okay . But, you cannot go through to the south . Because the eastern exit is closer, I will guide you there . ”

The south is impossible . The east…

“Is that so, Elf . Thank you . ”

“…Good, person of the mountain . It is because we are taken care of in our trading . ”

Raguren turns back to me with a smile .

“Okay, it looks like everything will be alright . They’ll only take you to the east…”

“Ah, it’s fine . As long as I can leave the territory for now it’s all good . ”

“That’s right . Then, I have finished guiding you… to here . I’m returning home . ”

“Nn, Nya〜 N, Nya!”

As Raguren is about leave Rollo seems to hear and jumps onto Raguren’s popobumu with an unusually long cry . She quickly jumps onto Raguren’s thick shoulders .

“Divine Beast-sama?”

Raguren pulls back in surprise . Indifferent to his surprised, the black can Rollo touches a feeler to Raguren’s cheek .

Rollo shakes her whiskers and feels a little .

Raguren begins to blush and show a face no one has ever seen before .

“Yes . Divine Beast-sama, you also take care . ”

Raguren and Rollo’s gazes mix together .

It is a kitten and a very big man, but somehow the atmosphere is peaceful .

Satisfied she had conveyed her feeling to Raguren, Rollo jumps back onto my popobumu .

Uneventfully, she sits down with her head up and her chest pushed forward to display her fur .

“Did you give you good byes Rollo?”

I pat the small head and neck of Rollo before she starts trying to fix and groom her fur again . While stroking her fur, I turn to look at Raguren .

“Raguren, thank you for guiding me . Also, give my best regards to Shisho as well as Refaa and Rabbi-san . And, Raguren, la kerlada . ”

Imitating Shisho, I place my hand to my chest in a mark and say la kerlada, expressing my thanks .

“Ou . I pray for your safe trip Shuya, la kerlada!”

Raguren smiles back and placing his hand on his chest in the same manner says la kerlada . Turning his popobumu around, he shows his big back and departs slowly .

Raguren . He has a simple personality of a man among men .

For this past year, thank you-

I natural lower my head to Raguren’s departing back .

When the Elf woman confirms that Raguren is leaving, she talks to me .

“…Human, come here . It is not possible to pass through the south boarder . Even if I say that, you won’t understand what I’m saying . ”

Saying so the Elf woman lifts her arms above her in a gesture waving to come to her .

I can understand . Understanding implicitly, I tap the popobumu’s side and move his reins, and I approach the elven lookout .

Looking, again I can the form of an elf nearby .

There is a tattoo on the soldier’s cheeks, some kind of animal or creature is drawn in a seal .

The two people have two different patterns .

Is it a faction mark?

I do not mind the tattoo mark… staring down the Elf soldier looks at me dubiously . That’s how it looks . Words,

As expected, the one who understood the conversation is comfortable, and speaking of the other-

“-I understand your words . Lanfa-san? Thank you, my name is Shuya Kagari . It’s fine to call me Shuya . ”

“Na…Elven language . Besides, that dialect, it’s fluent like an old noble of befarits?”

Then, one of the male soldiers approaches the Elf woman doubtfully .

“Platoon Chief Lanfa, isn’t it fine to just let this human go as is?”

The platoon chief Elven woman named Lanfa hears his words and frowns .

“Letting him go, is there no helping it? Did I not promise the people of the mountain directly? If it is you, could you bluntly say so to the mountain people?”

She talks in an intense tone as she coldly admonishes her subordinate soldier .

“I would not be able to . ”

“Exactly . From here isn’t the south but it is immediately the eastern domain from here . One human will be okay . And then…is it because this matter is a secret for the elders?”

“Haa, I understand . ”

The Elf soldier man has a dissatisfied expression but answer in affirmation .

“You said Shuya of the Humans . From here on, you will go the way I take you . As much as possible, avoid crowded areas and villages, okay?”

“Understood . I will follow you . ”

As for Lanfa, when we finish talk she looks back, and from down from the lookout point out of my sight . She seems to be running back to a stable .

When she returns on horseback, she directs me from on top of her horse .

“This way . Come!”

She declares it like an order .

Lanfa shifts on the horse’s neck and canters gallantly .

“Fast…”

The horse Lanfa is riding moves steadily at first .

The mantle she is wearing fills wind and billows out .

I clap the popobumu’s side to increase speed and follow .

Then I hear a strange voice .

When I look at the back of popobumu’s head while running… Rollo has shifted to a position where she is embracing the back of the popobumu’s head like she is clinging to it .

It is an interesting posture . Furthermore, Rollo extends a feeler .

She looks at Lanfa riding her horse as if to say “catch up to it,” and uses a feeler like a whip to slap the popobumu’s neck .

If I had a smart phone I world take a video .

I remember the figure of a cat stuffed into the hand bag of beer .

When I remember such a video the horse Lanfa is leading from turns aside from the stony path .

We have to deviate from the path in order to avoid elf villages .

-I run off the side of the road into the forest-

I handle popobumu so as not to fall behind Lanfa’s horse, following .

Maintaining speed, I hurry to catch up, and approach the side of the horse she is riding .

I carefully look at the face of an Elf now . No, she is a beauty .

Rabbi-san was an adult woman too…

The Elf has long ears and beautiful bright golden yellow hair .

Her eyes are blue . The tattoo of a snake stands out on her right cheek .

Are all Elves this beautiful…

At which point, perhaps noticing my gaze, she slows her horse down .

“What is it? N? You have a cat too…It’s cute . ”

When Lanfa looks at Rollodinu I smile .

She muttered in a voice appropriate for a girl .

“N? Ah, this cat is Rollodinu . ”

When I say that, Lanfa suddenly shakes her head and glares at me with unsparing eyes when she collects herself .

“…Really, strange human, the area of the human countries you are going to, aren’t those from 【 Osberia Kingdom 】on bag terms with cats and dogs? War has happened in the past too . There are skirmishes taking place there now . Ma, there haven’t been any battles that stand out in more than fifty years…”

“He, such a thing… I don’t really know much about this area . ”

In response to what I said Lanfa raises her eyebrows in a look of surprise .

Hou, is a human like me unusual? Thinking about something like that, I look back patiently .

“…I may doubt what you say is true, before we continue east like this, I want you to make one promise . ”

“What?”

“Not only this eastern territory but that you also never return to the Elven domain . ”

Elves are very insular .

Though only the Elves in here are not known…

“I agree . I promise . ”

Lanfa looks relieved by what I said and begins to smile .

“Good . Then the conversation is to here . It will already take a while before we reach the eastern border . ”

“Got it . ”

As expected, Lanfa is a forest Elf .

She seems to know her way through the forest . While the trees grow think, we run at full speed through one animal path after another,

I speed up and somehow manage to follow her . But, I almost crash into a branch growing out from a big trunk-