“I just arrived.”
As I got off the carriage, I savored the familiar air I hadn’t felt in a while. It might make someone wrinkle their nose in confusion, but to me, it was indeed a comforting atmosphere.
“This place is always the same.”
While enjoying the strange pressure coming from the Forest of the Demon Realm, Hayun shook her head, not understanding it at all.
“I seriously can’t figure out how you can get used to this.”
Hayun had already been to the Forest of the Demon Realm with me once. Seeing her shake her head in a way that said she didn’t want to recall that time made me chuckle slightly.
“Master! You said not to let go of my leash!”
Elise, who had been purring and sleeping just a moment ago, desperately jumped off the carriage and ran over. I promised to hold her leash as a penalty for not being able to spend time together, but it turned out to be more cumbersome than I had thought.
Plus, when I boarded the carriage, the people around looked at me strangely, and the coachman threatened to kick me out if I did anything indecent inside.
“Here!”
Like a dog bringing back a frisbee, Elise presented the leash to me with her mouth. Now that I was halfway in a state of enlightenment, I grabbed the leash with a blank expression.
“Ugh, are we already here?”
And last but not least was Tana, who joined us.
She wanted to see and judge the materials and appearance as a designer, so she came along.
“Who would have thought I’d actually enter the Forest of the Demon Realm?”
Tana ambled over to my side, yawning as she asked.
“It’s not really dangerous, right? You’re really taking good care of us, right?”
“You’ve already asked that five times. If you’re scared, just turn back.”
“I’m not scared!”
Well, she sure could talk.
I slyly turned my body to gaze at the three women. Looking at them like this, I thought they were all quite attractive and could even be called good-looking ministers.
“Ahem, then let me say it again.”
I cleared my throat and smoothly continued to speak.
“First, you act only within my line of sight. It’s basic for me to lead the way, but if you want to do something, just tell me first.”
The three of them looked bored and made faces as if they’d heard this ad nauseam.
“Second, don’t touch anything carelessly. This is a genuinely dangerous act. It won’t just end with losing a finger.”
When I tugged on Elise’s leash lightly, she focused back on me with an ecstatic expression.
“Third, don’t scream. I don’t want to have to fight against all the magical beasts in the Forest of the Demon Realm while protecting you guys.”
Hayun and Tana shot me looks as if I were trash after witnessing me tug on Elise’s leash.
“Fourth, if something happens, just call me first. I can solve most of the problems.”
After hearing them all respond affirmatively, I nodded in satisfaction and headed toward the Forest of the Demon Realm.
The familiar sensation of my feet feeling heavy in the thick and muggy air washed over me after a long time. To describe it, it was somewhat like being in a sauna, but unlike a sauna, the slashing killing intent enveloped me in a displeasing yet piercing way.
“Might as well take frequent breaths near the entrance to help your body adapt to the air here. If you go too deep inside, you might faint from the lack of air.”
“……Right.”
Given that Hayun had already fainted once inside the Forest of the Demon Realm, she deeply agreed with my words and began taking longer breaths.
We started walking for quite a while. We encountered bizarre creatures like carnivorous trees and poisonous flower-shooting beasts along the way.
“It’s less intense than I expected.”
Even Tana ended up murmuring that about the tranquility of the Forest of the Demon Realm’s entrance. Hayun agreed, puzzled.
“It wasn’t like this when I came with Daniel, was it? There was always some crisis creeping up every single second!”
“Huh? Was it really like that?”
When Elise slid over to my side and asked, I awkwardly nodded.
“Yeah, it does feel different this time. What’s going on?”
It’s not like magical beasts hibernate either. It’s not even winter! I wondered why these creatures, who usually fought viciously without any break, were so quiet.
“Oh.”
I couldn’t help but gasp. As I walked the familiar path, I finally felt a sharp sense of foreboding strike me.
“Let’s take a break for a moment. It seems there might be some familiar faces around.”
“Huh? Is there a place to rest?”
I laughed and answered Hayun’s question, who thought there was no resting place since the witch village had disappeared.
“Yep, there is.”
Since Eris said this hut was based on her memories, the site should remain unchanged. So, I strolled along the path that dredged up memories.
At the end of it lay a small cabin made of logs, with a large wolf beastman guarding it in front.
“Kulrika!”
As I raised my hand to greet him, he slowly opened his eyes and flashed a grin while crossing his arms and sitting in a traditional manner.
“It’s been a while.”
Now that the tyrant Sharcarl was gone, Kulrika had truly become the legitimate ruler lurking in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“So that’s why all the magical beasts have fled from the entrance.”
“Well, it wasn’t my intention, but I guess it turned out that way.”
I had wondered why there were so few magical beasts near the entrance, but it turned out they all ran away because Kulrika was openly occupying the area.
“Thanks to that, I made it here easily. But what are you doing here?”
It looked like he hadn’t been there for just a day or two, almost as if he’d been lounging around. I wondered if there was some reason for it.
Kulrika sighed, making a rather ambiguous expression.
“That elf asked me for a favor.”
“Elf? Eris?”
Now that I think about it, I had heard that Kulrika helped build this hut.
“Yeah, she said that the cabin where you live shouldn’t collapse.”
“Huh? You actually listened to that?”
Given Kulrika’s personality, it didn’t seem likely he’d comply.
“Yeah, normally I’d just ignore such requests, but… sigh, it’s not easy to ignore a plea from a hungry girl who’s carrying a child.”
“……”
“Huh?”
“Pregnant?”
At that moment, the eyes of the three women behind me widened all at once. I tried to tell Kulrika to keep quiet with my lips without the others seeing.
“Huh? What? Keep quiet? Keep quiet?”
Kulrika, thinking I was playing a game, misinterpreted my mouth movements.
“Ah! So that’s what keep quiet means…!”
Finally shocked, Kulrika covered his mouth with both hands, but it was too late.
“Seriously, those absurdly strong ones have a problem with their sense of awareness.”
As I slapped my forehead and sighed, Kulrika gave a light frown.
“There’s nothing I can’t say to a comrade who’s lived long in the forest. Since you’re here, I can also leave. I’ll bring some alcohol today, so let’s have a great time.”
“Alright, got it.”
I nodded while sighing, and Kulrika stood up abruptly, heading back to his original abode. He then paused and turned back to look at me.
“Will about three hours be enough?”
Since there were three women, that seemed more than sufficient. However, Elise piped in.
“At least six hours! Please give us that much!”
“……Last I heard, humans don’t maintain relations for that long, though.”
Hayun crossed her arms and replied.
“She’s gone beyond the realm of humans.”
“……That’s true.”
Kulrika seemed to have come to a conclusion on his own.
“I-I’m not your girlfriend!”
Of course, Tana vehemently denied that we had a simple friendship, while Kulrika merely shrugged and vanished into the darkness of the Forest of the Demon Realm.
Then, Elise and Hayun immediately confronted me.
“Eris is pregnant?!”
“Really? Is that true? Isn’t it tough for humans and elves to get pregnant?”
“Ah, um, well, it seems so. Must’ve happened just the night before we headed to the Academy.”
As I awkwardly chuckled while scratching the back of my head, Hayun and Elise exchanged glances.
Then they quickly clasped their arms together and began dragging me toward the hut.
“We have to finish what we started a few days ago.”
“I was really holding back, but after hearing this, I can’t let it go.”
“……”
With a face like a cow being led to slaughter, I was dragged by the two while Tana looked on with her arms crossed.
“Where am I supposed to go while you two do that?!”
When Tana, feeling embarrassed by her friends’ reckless lifestyles, shouted out, Elise replied as if there was nothing wrong.
“Since we’re at it, why not have Tana join us? Think of it as losing your virginity.”
Shocked, Hayun shot a glare at Elise.
“……Sorry, Tana. Just hang in there for a bit.”
“Didn’t you say six hours?! How am I supposed to wait that long?!”
While she grumbled that way, the two of them brought me into the hut. The interior was almost identical to the hut used back in Sherpa times, but there was no time to reminisce.
Elise had already stripped off her clothes and was diving right in.
“Hey! At least in bed!”
“It’s not like I can just ignore the fact I’m pregnant! Don’t you think the Master can just overlook it because it’s with an elf?”
Glancing at Hayun, trying to intervene, she was already awkwardly blushing as she calculated the dates.
“If I apply for maternity leave, I could rest for quite a while, so if I want to match it with Daniel’s vacation, now’s the perfect time.”
“I don’t even know anymore.”
My head felt jumbled. Figuring that maybe if I just moved mindlessly like a beast, an answer would eventually pop up, right?
Clatter.
Tana entered through the door.
“Um, I feel like something’s watching us outside, so I can’t stay by myself!”
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