“Alright, alright, a nice-sized wood deer has gotten caught, hasn’t it?”
“—♪”
A few days after the Q&A session, Aurora and I were diving into our usual mountain dungeon. After all, staying cooped up at home all the time can get depressing. I want to make sure I go outside regularly.
So right now, in front of me, there’s a male wood deer caught in a trap, but even with its leg caught in a snare, it’s glaring at me, trying to charge with its branch-like antlers. I used to leave it alone, weakening it before delivering the final blow, but now, I have Aurora with me!
“Aurora, please take care of it!”
“—!”
Aurora saluted as if to say “Yes, Sir!” and immediately took action. She thrust both fists forward, as though focusing on something, and then opened her hands. A powdery light spilled from her palms, and within moments, it enveloped the wood deer’s face. The deer shook its head and struggled, but gradually, its movements slowed, and eventually, it quietly fell into a peaceful slumber.
I saw the effect for the first time, and it was really impressive… Since Aurora, being a fairy, is a monster skilled in magic, I thought she could use some spells, but it turns out she excels more in status-effect magic than offensive magic. This spell put the deer to sleep, which is quite something. To make such an excited animal fall asleep… it’s almost a bit scary.
“Ah, as expected of Aurora! That was impressive!”
“—♪”
Wow, Aurora looks so pleased from the compliment. Afterward, I made sure to finish off the deer, but Aurora didn’t turn her eyes away; she watched the whole thing. For her, taking a life isn’t shocking at all; in fact, she’s probably happy there’s more meat to eat. That’s just how monsters are. Still, that dress really doesn’t suit her for dungeon hunting. I wonder if there’s a fairy-sized tracksuit on Amazon?
Well, the hunting was going smoothly. Today, not only the wood deer but also a sharp-toothed boar was caught. It was supposed to be a tough opponent, but once again, thanks to Aurora, it was put into an eternal sleep. Namu-san!
“Ah, I’ve done well today. Found a big shiitake mushroom too—this is going great! Maybe shiitake steak would be nice!”
“—!”
“Oh, and of course, we’ve got to eat boar meat too! A hot pot… hmm, sounds tempting!”
Both Aurora and I were feeling really good about today’s results. I can’t believe I found a cluster of shiitake mushrooms out here. I’ve been exploring for years and never found one before! It’s so embarrassing! But once I eat some shiitake, that embarrassment will surely disappear. Ah, I can’t help but skip with joy…
“Ah.”
“…Ah?”
What was that “Ah”? It wasn’t Aurora, since she doesn’t speak. It certainly wasn’t me. A bad feeling rose up, and I turned my neck with a creaky sound, like a robot, heading toward the source of the “Ah.”
There, I saw her. A woman, looking like an adventurer, with her mouth hanging open, staring at me. And… wait! She’s moving awkwardly like a rusty robot, stretching her hand into her pocket! Oh no, is that—her phone?!!
“Run, Aurora!”
“—!”
The woman seemed to start saying something, but she was probably planning to take a photo with her phone! I couldn’t let that happen! When I called out to Aurora, she immediately understood, nodded, and was ready. Good, now… Run!
I pushed off the ground and ran. I ran with all my might, just to avoid being photographed. But wait! I’m running so fast—way faster than I expected. And in this forest, with all these trees, I’m dodging them effortlessly without hitting anything. Is this really my body?
That’s when I realized something. I had never really run at full speed since becoming an elf. Wait, can I run this fast now? As I thought about this, my body was already in motion, running, climbing trees, leaping from branch to branch, jumping, sliding, tripping, and running again…
“Hahaha! What is this? Am I crazy?! This is so much fun!”
“—♪”
It was so funny, so fun, that I couldn’t help but laugh. Aurora, flying just next to me, was making happy sounds too. How far can I run like this? What’s beyond the limit?
…Wait, where even am I? Am I lost?
“Excuse me! Wait! Please wait!”
“Hmm?!”
I heard a voice. It was far behind, but it was definitely the voice of the woman who started this whole chase. No way, she’s catching up? I need to accelerate!
“Wait! I’m a fan! My name’s Nekko-shi!”
Huh?
