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V2C33: Unreliable Decoy (2)
“Alright, this’ll be the last time. I don’t want to have you do it so many times that you get too tired to do it once the real thing comes around.”
“Then I’ll be going to that room one more time.”
After everyone had decided on a strategy, the One-Eyed Knight said that we should do some practice using the transfer technique to escape from enemies.
I practised transferring with Kugalg from the four-person room to the two-person room, where the One-Eyed Knight was.
I haven’t ever really failed at using the transfer technique, so I didn’t think there was much point to this practice, but if it’ll give the One-Eyed Knight some peace of mind then it’s fine.
“Great, perfect. You did great.”
When I made an easy transfer to the One-Eyed Knight’s location with Kugalg, my head was ruffled as I was praised, and the both of us were given some jerky.
Lucky~!
But isn’t this kind of like he’s training a dog? When I thought about it that way, it was somewhat hard to swallow.
Even if he didn’t use such rewards to tempt me, I’ll properly use the transfer technique when things get dangerous!
After the One-Eyed Knight finished accompanying us in practising, he then went to Hyllis to direct her in how to tail people.
He may have objected to this plan, but now that it’s been decided that we’ll be using it, he’s seemed to have changed his outlook.
I felt bad about making him worry, but I was happy that there was something that I could do.
While waiting to be attacked in the forest, I felt better compared to when all I could do was watch while everyone fought.
“Mil, Kugalg.”
Branch Captain-san, who had been watching our transfer technique practice, suddenly called out to us.
“What is it?”
“Come here.”
Following Branch Captain-san as he left the room, Kugalg and I also went into the corridor. Branch Captain-san was headed for the four-person room next door.
Right now everyone was in the two-person room, so this room only had luggage in it.
After closing the door, leaving just the three of us in the room, Branch Captain-san gave Kugalg and I a tight hug.
“Stop-”
Paying no heed to Kugalg as he attempted to escape his restraints, Branch Captain-san spoke.
“I’m sorry, for making you two act as bait…….such an inhumane plan……”
His arms trembled as they hugged us, and I licked Branch Captain-san’s face in an attempt to cheer him up. He had buried his face into Kugalg and my bodies, so all I could really lick was his glossy black hair.
“I said that I wanted to do it.”
And I don’t really think it’s that inhumane a plan. Because rather than using some normal children as bait, we were spirits.
We could use the transfer technique, so unlike human children we were capable of some degree of self-defense.
“It’s alwight, Bwanch Captain-san. It’ll go fwine.”
I said while trying to spit out the hair that had gotten into my mouth, causing it to get dishevelled.
Why was it that the more I tried to expel it, the more hair got into my mouth?
“We’ll definitely catch the mastermind. I won’t let your bravery go to waste.”
Branch Captain-san raised his head and said seriously while removing his hair from my mouth.
……we’re not heading there to die, right?
Our plan was like this. Without waiting to be attacked by the enemy in the forest, we would have them initiate their plan in this town.
Kugalg and I will pretend to go on an errand alone and stroll alone in town while waiting for the enemy to kidnap us.
Once they manage to kidnap us, Hyllis will follow us from the skies.
On the other hand, the One-Eyed Knight and everyone will remain in the inn in order to deceive the enemy’s eyes, pretending that they hadn’t at all noticed our kidnapping.
Then, once they find the chance, they will chase after us.
What they’ll be depending on to chase us will be a fairy created by Hyllis and left behind for them. If they follow that fairy, then it will guide them to Hyllis’ location.
Although we don’t know where we’ll be brought after being kidnapped, the plan is for the One-Eyed Knight’s group to march in as soon as we know who the mastermind is.
“We’re back~”
“Kix, Tina, how was it?”
Kix and Tina-san returned to the room in the inn.
The two of them put on an act for the enemy, who had been monitoring us ever since last night, to hear, pretending to have gone to check on the horses.
[They haven’t tried anything since the first attack so hasn’t the enemy already given up on Mil and them? There doesn’t seem to be any more reason to be on guard anymore.]
[That’s true, there doesn’t seem to be any more reason to be on guard.]
[Mil and them said they wanted to go around town with just the two of them, so it should probably be okay to let them go on their own.]
[That’s true, seems like it’d be okay.]
While I was a bit worried about Tina-san’s bad acting during our briefing session, Kix seemed to be pretty good with these kinds of petty tricks, so they’ll probably be able to put on a convincing act for the enemy.
It was to give the impression that our side had pretty much completely let down our guard, while at the same time telling them that Kugalg and I would be walking alone tomorrow.
That’ll be your chance to kidnap them! -is how it’s supposed to play out.
After glancing at the curtains that were closed over the window, Kix spoke.
“Maybe they changed shifts during the night, but the guys monitoring us today were different ones. There are two of them. One is one of those black-cloaked men, while the other is one of the hoodlum-like men that Hyllis said she saw. I’m sure he’s one of the new guys they hired. Unlike the black-cloaked men, his presence was completely exposed, so it was easy to tell where he was. The two of them were in the shadows of the building opposite, so there was a bit of distance between us, but I’m pretty sure they heard our conversation. The hoodlum-like guy quickly ran off somewhere after all.”
“I see.”
Branch Captain-san nodded, and then helped me put on the bunny rucksack on top of the shawl I was wearing.
In just a few more moments, we would be executing the plan. I’d be going out together with Kugalg on an ‘errand’.
The One-Eyed Knight suddenly looked at Kugalg and spoke.
“To the townspeople, it might be a bit of a stretch to see Kugalg as a cat. Though Mil can pass as a dog.”
“She doesn’t act like a fox after all. Her snout is also short.”
I bared my fangs at Kix’s rude words, expressing my anger.
My fur was fluffy and long, and my eyes were round, so lately even I’ve been thinking that I looked more like a pomeranian rather than a fox.
But unlike me, who trusted humans and thus reacted more like a pet dog, Kugalg was very alert against strangers, and that came out in the sharpness of his gaze.
And while he was still young, there was a sense of wildness in his behaviour and bearing.
His ears were also rounder compared to that of a cat’s, and while his limbs had a softness suitable for a young child, they were thick and powerful.
While the people of this country were unfamiliar with panthers, depending on the person looking, they’d probably notice that he wasn’t a cat.
If the fact that he was the cub of a large carnivorous animal was realised and it caused a commotion, it’ll be harder for the enemy to come and kidnap us.
“Don’t worry. I have something good.”
Branch Captain-san then said with a rare grin.
“Wow, how cute!”
“It suits you.”
Seeing Kugalg, Tina-san and Hyllis began to cheer.
Kugalg was in his panther form, wearing a disguise—or rather, he was forced to wear one. By Branch Captain-san.
“It’s not cute. I don’t want to wear this.”
Kugalg murmured in a sulking manner while wearing a hood with charming antennae attached to it.
“Bwanch Captain-san, this……”
I also looked at Kugalg and spoke.
Right now, if you were to ask what kind of appearance he had right now, I would have to say he looked exactly like a honeybee.
The upper half of the hoodie was made of a yellow cloth with sleeves for his front legs to pass through. The lower half had yellow and black stripes, with a hole for Kugalg’s tail at the butt instead of a stinger.
The hood part with the antennae fit snugly, and didn’t seem like it would fall off with just a bit of running. There were also white wings on the back of the outfit.
He was like a pet dressed up for Halloween by his owner.
This certainly did hide Kugalg’s round ears, and might make him appear more like a cat rather than a panther…….no, maybe he was more like a bee now? Somehow this was kind of confusing.
“How about you take off the shawl and try on one of these, Mil? Naturally, I have one for you too.”
“Eh……”
Branch Captain-san dug through his luggage.
As Commander-san, the One-Eyed Knight, Kix, and Tina-san watched on, I was also made to put on a costume.
What kind of costume, you ask?
A fluffy white sheep.
On the hood were round, tawny horns.
“Mil-chan, you’re so cute~!
“I can’t even tell if she’s a fox, or a dog, or a sheep anymore.”
Tina-san and Hyllis expressed their impressions. On top of all of that, I had to wear the bunny rucksack over this outfit. All the animal personas were causing a traffic jam inside of me.
“Kugalg can wear this instead of the rucksack. They were selling it in Gouda and I couldn’t help but buy it.”
He put a purse with a cord attached to it on the neck of the honeybee costume-wearing Kugalg. It was a wallet meant for children with a metal clasp.
“Branch Captain, just when did you buy that in Gouda……”
Kix muttered to himself in mute amazement. Branch Captain-san was too preoccupied with looking at Kugalg and I in a satisfied manner to hear him.
Even if the purse was something he bought in Gouda—he probably saw the simple bag we were using to hold money in and figured it would’ve been better if he had also prepared a purse, and thus ended up buying this one on impulse—were these honeybee and sheep clothes something he had prepared beforehand?
I had a bad feeling after learning that the raincoats we had worn in Gouda were something brought by Branch Captain-san, but perhaps his luggage still had things for us in it.
There won’t be anything else coming out, right?
“Cromwell is a strange one.”
Watch Branch Captain-san as he merrily fixed my hood that had slipped off, Commander-san whispered that to the One-Eyed Knight.
But Commander-san also looked happy.
Perhaps because Branch Captain-san noticed their warm gazes, his face stiffened as he coughed embarrassedly.
But even if it was me, I wouldn’t be able to hold back my smile if I had seen these appearances. A fox dressed as a sheep wearing a rabbit. And next to it, a panther dressed as a honeybee.
It was an incredibly silly spectacle, to the point where one didn’t even know how to process it.
“They look pretty interesting, so it feels like they’ll end up drawing the townspeople’s attention.”
“If too many people gather, try going to an alleyway or something to make yourselves easier to kidnap.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
The One-Eyed Knight approached, and then stroked my head over the sheep hood.
Then, he put Father’s snake, which was coiled around his other arm, into the bunny rucksack on my back.
If it felt like it, the snake should be able to fight fairly well, so like Branch Captain-san said, it would act as our guard in case of an emergency.
The snake didn’t show any signs of rejection and calmly let itself be placed into the rucksack. Because it was a fairy, it didn’t have much weight to it.
“Don’t crush the letter inside.”
That was Mother’s important letter.
All sorts of things happened, and I had almost forgotten about it, but my errand was to bring this letter to the king.
The snake heard my voice, and twisted around in the rucksack, making a rustling noise.
You were crushing the letter, weren’t you?
Mother’s fairy also entered the bag after circling around my head hesitantly.
Unlike the snake, the fairy wasn’t given enough power to fight, but it seems that it intended on following me.
I suppose it was worried about us in its own way.
“Now then, let’s review one more time, you two. If it gets dangerous, what’re you going to do?”
The One-Eyed Knight kneeled in front of us, and my sheep self briskly responded.
“Use the twansfur technik! Immediately!”
“Then, what if something happens and you can’t use the transfer technique?”
“Eh? Umm, have Father’s snake save us. After that, cry loudly to have Hyllis save us too!”
“That’s right. And what should you do while you’re being saved?”
“Try using the twansfur technik again. If the One-Eyed Knight doesn’t work, then Mother, then Father, or have Kugalg try bringing us to Hilg-papa’s place.”
Since there was a prior example when I wasn’t able to fly to Mother’s side due to her dispute with Hyllis, it made the One-Eyed Knight worried.
But, Mother had only rejected my transfer at that time to protect me, so right now things should be fine.
“Alright, good job. Then, I suppose……it’s about time.”
The One-Eyed Knight said that rather reluctantly.
Though everyone else also had worried expressions on, with Kugalg and I being in these sorts of outfits, somehow the serious atmosphere of the room was lacking.
The more serious I made my expression, the harder the corner of everyone’s mouths warped in attempts to hold back their laughter.
How rude!