"I think I've seen that guy before."

"You mean the rat?"

"Ruth, can you tell the difference between mice?"

Tony and Ivy also looked at Ruth, their eyes as if saying, "Hey, is this true, Ruth?"

"That's not the case, it's just..."

"What's the matter? Why are you hesitating? Just speak up if there's anything bothering you."

"Captain, please stop laughing at me."

"Don't worry, seeing you lying on the ground with your butt in your arms and a serious expression on your face, everyone held back. We won't laugh at you."

"Does that mean you're laughing at me in your hearts?!"

Despite her discontented expression, Ruth coughed. After parting with her beloved older brother that day, Ruth had grown up a bit. She had learned to let bygones be bygones.

"I, I feel like I made eye contact with it, both last time and just now."

“…Ah~ How should I put this?”

Marshall wanted to say, "Is it a coincidence?", but when he saw Ruth's serious expression, he swallowed his words.

"I sense it has a will."

Ruth had seen it before, when she had been with the others on a shopping trip to town, and she had actually seen it just as she was about to enter the secret stairway that led from the ground down to the valley floor.

A mouse was watching them from behind a rock.

Because it turned and ran away quickly, Ruth thought it was a coincidence and soon forgot about it.

"...I understand. We have people like Tim who possess inherent magic that can communicate with and even enhance animals. To be on the safe side, I'll report this to the others as well."

"Captain...but this could just be my imagination."

Marshall patted Ruth's head roughly.

"Silly boy, your observation skills are first-rate. This is well worth reporting."

Ruth seemed very happy to hear Marshall's evaluation of her, and she smiled shyly twice.

"Okay, come on up, we'll be back soon."

Marshall urged Ruth to get on his back again, and Ruth reached out, ready to climb on—

"Please wait a moment."

Si Xia stretched out one hand to stop him.

"Just in case."

After all, there had been an incident involving rats. Even if we didn't consider the rats for now, there was still the risk of monsters lurking with the ability to eliminate auras, or insect-type monsters lurking underground launching surprise attacks.

"Captain Marshall, you must be on guard against a fight, so I'll be transporting little Ruth."

Ruth shuddered, her eyes quivering as if to say, "You're kidding, aren't you?" But Sixia immediately activated the body-strengthening magic she'd recently learned, rolled up her sleeves, and clenched her small fists.

Ruth began to run away, wriggling along the ground like a caterpillar because he couldn't stand up.

“Well, you’re right…”

Marshall, Tony, and Ivy looked at each other.

As men themselves, they can all empathize with each other.

Having said that, Marshall and the others knew that Sixia didn't want to be a burden to them, and seeing her energetic expression, they were too embarrassed to stop her...

As a result, Ruth was caught, and Sixia easily picked him up and gave him a perfect princess hug.

“Don’t, don’t do that!”

"Don't be willful, little Ruth."

"At least I carried it on my back—"

"Captain Marshall, I think my body strengthening magic has improved quite a bit. What do you think?"

"Ah, yes, very good... Hmm."

Marshall's expression was stiff and twitching, while Tony and Ivy looked like they were seeing a lamb being sold.

Not long after that, Ruth and others arrived at a secret base deep inside the branch.

"Ah~~Ruth is being princess-carried~~!"

They were greeted by an energetic shout.

That was Sixia's younger sister, Yunfa. Her emerald eyes, like her sister's, sparkled with excitement, and her golden twintails bounced with joy.

Ever since she discovered her calling was to be a "musician," she'd never left her violin. Seeing her take it out of its case, it seemed she was probably practicing.

"Huh? Brother Ruth?"

Colleen, the girl in the audience, opened her eyes wide in surprise when she saw Ruth, while Ruth's eyes were dead.

"Oh my, Ruth, are you hurt?"

Maureen came over worriedly, and Marshall scratched his head and replied:

"Ah, no, Auntie, he's fine, it's just that his male dignity is dead."

"Uh~ Is that okay?"

Maureen's expression was bewildered. Perhaps because she had been a mother to so many children in the orphanage for so many years, she exuded a maternal spirit and was considered "everyone's mother."

In any case, since Ruth is unharmed, we can rest assured for the time being.

Maureen clapped her hands, cheered herself up again, and turned her gaze to Colleen and the others.

"Colleen, Yunfa. Mr. Marshall and the others are back. It's almost time for dinner. Could you please go and call everyone?"

"Leave it to us! Maureen Mama!"

"Okay, got it!"

Yunfa quickly put away his violin and put the case on his back. Kelin also raised her hand to agree. Then the two of them ran away energetically.

"Maureen...Mom, is there anything I can help you with?"

Sixia asked this, she seemed embarrassed.

"Oh, thank you, Suxia. Could you please help me share the soup with everyone?"

“Okay, okay!”

Si Xia usually gives people the impression that she is unmoved by anything, but in front of Maureen she will show a side that suits her age.

She now had a satisfied expression on her face because Maureen thanked her and touched her head.

Because Sixia's parents died early, she was taken in by relatives who ran a bar. Since then, she has been working and taking care of her younger sister.

The situation she was in forced her to be strong. For her, Maureen was a tolerant mother, but sometimes she would scold and educate her harshly, making her feel like a child again.

Even now, she still feels embarrassed and stutters when she calls "Mom"...

At times like this, Sixia envied Yunfa for being carefree.

Afterwards, everyone started to have dinner.

Except for the lookouts, guards and those who took care of the wounded, everyone gathered together happily, and it was very lively.

"And then? Ruth, how do you feel about being held by Princess Sixia?"

"It's so noisy."

A woman with a gray, wolf-haired haircut was seen laughing and teasing Ruth with a malicious expression. She was wearing a tank top, low-waisted shorts, and sandals—very casual attire.

She sat cross-legged on a chair, one elbow propped on the table, rudely pointing a fork pierced with meat at Ruth. Her look gave off a rude and masculine impression. On the contrary, the way she shook her furry wolf ears and tail was very cute.

Her name is Xiu Xiu Kezia, a hybrid of werewolf and human, and the second in command of the Lassen branch's executive force.

"Because Sixia is still a little kid, but her breasts are so big, you really enjoy the feeling, right?"

The way Xiu Xiu poked Ruth with his finger was as annoying as a leader.

"I didn't let him touch me, okay? I wouldn't let him touch me even if I died."

Si Xia had a sweet smile on her face, but her tone was as cold as absolute zero.

"Si-sister and Yun-fa are—"

"Alright, I get it. 'Belongs to Natsu-sama', right? I'm tired of hearing that."

Marshall and other men had stiff and twitching expressions, thinking that the content of this conversation was truly horrifying.

By the way, Colleen's face was flushed. She lowered her head, not meeting anyone's eyes, and pretended to concentrate on eating the vegetables in front of her.

"Stop, um, um... You're going to have a bad influence on Colleen... um, um... um... Stop it, ah."

The one who complained with a hint of frustration was Michaela Eifeld. Although she was blind, her inherent magic, the Soul Eye, allowed her to see beyond space. Even at this moment, she remained vigilant around the branch.

"Do you want to eat or talk? Choose one, big eater."

Sister Michaela looked very busy. She ate until her cheeks were puffed up, like a squirrel, a hungry squirrel that was overeating.

"Ouhusu... Ugh, big eater!"

This statement was completely unconvincing. She looked like a beauty, and her traditional shrine-like attire only added to her mysterious aura, but she was a glutton. It was truly a shame.

Hugh waved Michaela off, giving her a casual nod. Then he casually began to eat his meat again, teasing Ruth again.

Ruth's serious and unyielding personality makes people want to tease him, and Xiu Xiu really likes this.

Although she liked it... there was one thing that made her very dissatisfied.

"Ah, come on, Kyu-Kyu-nee! You're a woman too, stop saying such dirty things! Besides, I'm not interested in that kind of thing! I need to become a refiner like big brother as soon as possible!"

"Huh? 'Big Brother' again. You keep talking about Big Brother. You're a brother-lover. How disgusting."

"What! What's wrong with calling big brother big brother?!"

"What do you mean, big brother said this? If I were big brother, I would do this. I want to be like big brother, I want to help big brother... I'm so annoyed. Have you been brainwashed?"

"Big Bro wouldn't do that! Big Bro is a great man, I just—"

Ruth's constant mention of "Big Brother" seemed to irritate Xiu Xiu's nerves. Putting aside Ruth's concerns, Xiu Xiu already disliked Oscar.

(Huh! What? Meredy and Ruth keep thinking about that guy...)

Yes, the reason is Meredith.

Our leader is surprisingly innocent, and teasing her with dirty tricks will get her a very good response. For Xiu Xiu, Meredith is her savior and also her favorite toy.

The church has been continuously investigating the forest. They often drive brainwashed orcs, and Xiu Xiu is one of the pioneers of the brainwashed orcs.

Xiuxiu's family was killed, her will was trampled upon, and her fellow tribesmen in the forest turned their swords against her.

From the perspective of Jukai, that might be a normal approach.

But Xiu Xiu was indeed heartbroken.

At that time, Xiu Xiu's unique magic, "Rejection", awakened. "Rejection" is a magic that releases magic power and generates shock waves by vibrating it.

He couldn't stop anything around him, and if he continued like this, he might die from exhaustion of magic power. The person who saved Xiuxiu was Meredith.

The method... was to suppress her with force. Meredith paid no heed to Xiu Xiu's "rejection," subduing her with overwhelming force, preventing her power from spiraling out of control, and bringing her back to take care of her.

The werewolf tribe has always had the habit of worshipping the strong, so it is natural for Xuxu to admire Miledi.

However, the letters sent back by Meredith always mentioned "Ao".

"That's really frustrating."

"W-What? Do you have any objections?!"

Hearing Ruth's praise of Oscar, Xiu Xiu's tone was filled with anger, and the dinner was suddenly filled with tension. However -

"Ruth, Hush, it's time for dinner now, ok?"

All she could hear was Maureen's mother speaking gently. Seeing the slightly reprimanding look in her eyes, Ruth apologized obediently and sat down again.

"I, I'm not wrong—"

"Xiu Xiu?"

“O-okay…”

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