After finishing our meal, while I was soothing the bird that seemed to be sulking, having turned its head away from me as if it were upset by something in our earlier conversation.
Sylvia, who had been quietly observing me as I gently stroked the bird’s head, suddenly spoke up with a look of amazement on her face.
“By the way, it’s really amazing. The ferocious Lesser Demonic Beast known as the Bird of Ending, Phinis, is so calm in front of Lady Scarlet… I still find it hard to believe.”
At the mention of the ferocious beasts, I quietly gazed at the bird perched on my shoulder. It was clearly enjoying the gentle petting, but it was desperately trying to hold back its urge to bump its head against my hand to show it was upset.
Ferocious? This little one?
Honestly, seeing it in such a cute state made it difficult to believe it could be so fearsome. However, I had seen this big fellow incinerate thousands of Lesser Demonic Beasts with a single flap of its wings. Those terrifying attacks must have been directed at people in the past.
Well, it’s no wonder people would be scared.
As I paused my hand and looked at the bird, it let out a sudden squawk as if it felt my gaze, protesting in an almost wronged tone. Apparently, it insisted that it hadn’t been in the wrong since they had invaded its territory first.
I silently watched it, and after a moment, it mumbled softly that it wouldn’t do it again next time.
Giggling at its adorable demeanor, I stroked its head and replied, “Got it. But you really shouldn’t do that next time, okay?”
Seeing it nod eagerly in understanding, I suddenly wondered how I should refer to this creature and asked Sylvia.
“Hey, Sylvia. So, is this one named Phinis?”
“Oh, yes. It means ‘end’ in the ancient elf language. Actually, it’s more of a title we’ve given to identify it—”
-Phii!
“Eek?!”
While Sylvia was answering my question, the bird suddenly fluttered up, circling in front of her, squawking before returning to my shoulder.
“W-What is happening? Why is it acting like that all of a sudden?”
Surprised by its behavior, Sylvia exclaimed, staring at the bird with a puzzled expression.
Seeing her stutter in shock made me think, I shouldn’t shock her, so I lightly thumped the bird’s head and responded with a grin, “It seems like it doesn’t like its name much.”
“Uh… yes… I suppose it is not the cutest name…”
Her voice had a bemused tone; it was strangely reasonable to be a bit put off.
After the bird let out another ‘Pii!’, it stared at me with a look full of expectation.
For a moment, I was taken aback by that look, but soon I comprehended its intention.
Clearly, it wanted me to name it.
The sudden responsibility of naming someone felt overwhelmingly heavy.
After all, I wasn’t too confident in my naming sense…
However, seeing it look at me so hopefully, I couldn’t just say no, so I carefully blurted out a name that came to my mind.
“How about ‘Ari’?”
-Click? Peeep!
Thankfully, the bird seemed pleased with the name ‘Ari’ as it bounced joyfully on my shoulder. I let out a sigh of relief.
Yet, seeing it so happy oddly tugged at my heartstrings because the name originated from a chick.
Even though it felt inappropriate for such a dignified Lesser Demonic Beast to have a name like that, I couldn’t help it.
After all, its cries sounded oddly like a chick’s, and in its smaller days, it used to peep about, leading me to that name.
Still, I thought ‘Ari’ was a pretty nice name, and considering I hastily named it, I believed it was the best outcome I could have hoped for.
At least it was much better than the name ‘Chick’.
Anyway, after naming Ari, I played with it while chatting with Sylvia about various things.
It suddenly hit me that I hadn’t spent such leisurely time recently, and I wondered if it was alright to take a break like this. I asked Sylvia.
“Um, Sylvia? I just thought of something. Is it okay for me to relax like this? There was a massive battle not long ago, so I thought there would be a lot of cleanup needed…”
Worried that if everyone else was working hard while I was resting, I wouldn’t want to be a slacker, but Sylvia chuckled at my question.
“After being out for several days, it’s remarkable that you’re so considerate, Lady Scarlet. Anyway, don’t worry about that. Everyone has been taking a good rest after the ordeal they went through. Even I, who should be the busiest, am taking some time off like this, right?”
“So everyone’s resting? How come…? After all, there must be many Lesser Demonic Beasts appearing due to the magic…”
I was taken aback by her unexpected response and asked, struggling to understand.
Normally, they would be struggling so much that they shouldn’t even have time to rest.
However, Sylvia seemed to find my reaction amusing as she explained with a smile.
“We’ve been able to lessen the worries about those Lesser Demonic Beasts because we have a dependable ally who has been taking them down for us.”
“W-Wait, an ally? Who is it?”
In response to my inquiry, Sylvia pointed at my shoulder with her finger.
When I turned to look, Ari was staring at me intently.
Still stunned by this reality, I muttered, “No way… Are you saying Ari and the Fury Demonic Beasts are dealing with the Lesser Demonic Beasts for us?”
“Yes. They have settled near the city and are helping to eliminate the Lesser Demonic Beasts, which has been a huge help in keeping the city safe. Thanks to that, the exhausted people have had the chance to rest as well.”
As I gazed dumbfoundedly at Ari, who was proudly puffing its chest out, as if to say ‘Did I do well?’, I realized this little creature clearly knew how to earn praise.
“Ari, you clever little thing!”
-Pii! Piiiee!
Knowing that this was an incredibly commendable move that helped many people, I enthusiastically praised Ari while petting it with both hands, and it looked absolutely delighted.
Who would have imagined that the Fury Demonic Beasts were protecting the city from other Lesser Demonic Beasts?
Considering the number of Fury Demonic Beasts was not small, it was undoubtedly a significant relief going forward for protecting the city.
After wondering why there had been so many dangerous events recently, I realized good things could happen too.
As I watched Ari enjoy my touch, I caught onto one undeniable fact at that moment.
The reason Ari followed me so devotedly was precisely that I was a witch.
“……”
Thinking back, it was because I was a witch that such wonderful things happened.
Because I was a witch, the city was safe.
“Haha…”
Suddenly, I found myself laughing.
Until now, I had always thought about the many bad things that happened because of my connection to being a witch, perpetually lingering on the thought of, ‘Why did this have to happen to me?’
But at this moment, that thought had completely shifted.
I muttered softly to myself as if in a trance, “I’m glad I’m a witch…”
I truly felt relieved at being a witch.
As I sincerely thought that, I no longer perceived the pain I had gone through as mere misfortunes.
I felt so good I could laugh, but somehow I was getting sentimental, and I thought if I stayed like this, tears would come.
“Hey, Sylvia. Can I step out for a bit? I think I’ve rested enough, and I’d like to get some fresh air.”
“Yes, please do. Honestly, I was just about to suggest you keep resting for a while longer, but seeing you now, it looks like you’re really in good shape.”
I asked Sylvia if it would be okay for me to step out, and she readily nodded her head.
As I was about to leave, it suddenly struck me that I wasn’t completely free to roam, so I turned to ask her.
“Oh, right. I just remembered that for no reason at all, if I want to wander around the city, I must go with you, Sylvia? What should I do? I feel bad about making you come along just because of me… Should I just stay in?”
I had one restriction since returning to the city.
That restriction was that I couldn’t wander alone.
The reason being that the citizens who still didn’t fully trust me might feel uneasy seeing a witch like me roaming alone.
It was a pretty tough constraint, yet until now, it had felt somewhat formal.
As Martina had supported me, I was able to bypass that rule when it came to tasks or emergencies.
However, this was a private outing.
It meant Sylvia would have to follow me just because of me, and that felt too burdensome.
After not having the opportunity to step out for a long time, I had almost forgotten about the inconvenience, but now that I had free time, it began to feel cumbersome.
Just then, Sylvia seemingly recalled something and spoke to me.
“Oh! Regarding that, I have good news for you, Lady Scarlet.”
As she smiled broadly at me, she continued.
“You’ve made a significant contribution to the city’s safety, right? The fact that the Lesser Demonic Beasts are helping protect the city is largely thanks to you.”
“Uh, well… that’s true.”
Caught off guard by her sudden praise, I felt my cheeks flush a bit as Sylvia chuckled.
“I think that’s why everyone now completely trusts you. It means I’m free from my role of monitoring you. So don’t worry about me, and go enjoy yourself.”
With that, Sylvia gently pushed me out the door and closed it with a bang.
It seemed like she was finally free from an annoying task, but the expression I caught on Sylvia’s face right before the door closed clearly expressed her emotions.
She looked genuinely overwhelmed with emotion, clearly thrilled that I had earned people’s recognition.
Anyway, with that genuine outpouring from Sylvia, I chuckled to myself as I stepped out of the mansion.
Well, I wasn’t technically alone since Ari was perched on my shoulder, so I wasn’t entirely by myself.
Thus, we strolled the streets, an unusual combination of a witch and a Lesser Demonic Beast who ordinarily shouldn’t be allowed to roam freely through the city.
Yet nobody tried to stop us; no fearful gazes were cast our way.
As if it were entirely natural for me to walk through the city like this.
Why was such a trivial event so joyous?
I felt a rush of emotions and swallowed hard, forcing a smile.
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