We took the rescued fenrir back with us
“Sebastian. I also think that we should take the fenrir back with us.”
“You too, Mr. Takumi…”
I told him that I agreed with Leo and Ms. Claire.
It was because of something that Leo had said before we came to this forest.
“Do you remember what Leo said when we were deciding whether or not to come here?”
“Umm…indeed…it was that if Leo was with us, then fenrirs would not attack…”
“Yes. And that fenrirs would always submit to Silver Fenrirs, who were their superior. In that case, as long as Leo is here, it will not try to hurt anyone.”
“…Hmm… So it’s safe if Leo is with us…”
Sebastian was deep in thought at this.
Ms. Claire was looking at him with a pleading expression.
“…Yes…very well. We will take it back and watch it closely.”
“Thank you, Sebastian.”
“However! If it harms anyone in the mansion, it will be dealt with like any other hostile monster. And Leo must watch it at all times. Those are the conditions.”
No matter how much Leo said that it would be fine, we couldn’t be sure.
After all, the servants had never had to take care of a fenrir before.
They were supposed to be dangerous monsters.
So it was only natural that they would be cautious.
And so Ms. Claire, Leo and I all nodded at Sebastian’s conditions.
“Now, I think it is time that we leave. The sun has nearly set.”
“We now know that there are fenrirs in this forest. That is enough to make the journey worth it.”
While Ms. Claire might have wanted to meet a Silver Fenrir, this was still our last day here.
We would return to the campsite to rest. And on the following day, we would take down the tents and return to the mansion.
We had been in this forest for nearly a week now, which was quite long, since none of us were used to it.
“I will carry it then. Is that all right, Good Leo?”
Ms. Claire said as she moved close to Leo.
Leo barked once and slowly moved away from the fenrir that she had been enveloping.
“…Hmm. It is a lot lighter than it looks.”
The fenrir was still caked in mud and blood, but Ms. Claire did not mind it getting on her clothes as she picked it up.
“Ms. Claire. Can you really carry it back? We were running just a short while ago, and you must be tired?”
“I am fine. Perhaps I have gotten used to traversing through the forest.”
The herb that I had given her had healed any tiredness she might have had.
However, I did think that she might have become tired again after running, but it was not the case.
Though, it was also possible that she was just pretending to be tough.
But then Leo put her face close to Ms. Claire and then turned to look at her back before sitting down.
…Apparently, she was saying that Ms. Claire could ride on her back if she became tired.
“…Thank you, Good Leo.”
Ms. Claire said with a laugh as she held the fenrir.
It was rather surprising to see Leo so concerned about the fenrir.
After all, when asking her about going to the forest, she had called them smallfry. So I thought that she didn’t have a high opinion of them.
Perhaps it was because she had remembered her own experience of being rescued as a pup.
It had been raining that day, and it was very cold.
She was newborn and weak. I remember holding her in my arms as I ran home.
“Well then. Let’s go.”
Ah, this was no time to be thinking about the past.
I nodded at Sebastian’s words, and then we all turned around and retraced our steps.
The sun was almost completely set, and it became very dark on the way back. But thanks to the herbs, we could see just fine.
Besides, no one was tired either, and so we were able to travel much faster than when we had come.
Well, it was also because we were going back along a path that we had walked through.
As we walked, I kept looking at Ms. Claire to see if she was all right. But she was in a good mood the whole time, and would occasionally look at the sleeping pup’s face, and never showed signs of fatigue.
Leo was also watching Ms. Claire as she walked behind.
Everyone seemed to be worried about the fenrir.
From my point of view, Ms. Claire looked like a person who had just rescued a dog and was overjoyed.
Leo was more…like someone who had a new baby brother or sister.
While Silver Fenrirs were very different from fenrirs, perhaps the difference didn’t mean much to Leo.
At least I didn’t have to worry that Leo wouldn’t watch over it.
And like that, we made our way back to the camp.
It was close to midnight when we arrived, and Ms. Lyra and Johanna greeted us with a hot dinner…or midnight meal.
It was nice to be greeted with hot food when coming home.
Well, this was a campsite, and not actually a home.
“Lady Claire… What are you holding…?”
“Is it not adorable? It is a fenrir pup. It was being attacked by trolls in the forest before Leo saved it.”
“So there were trolls… However, is it really fine to take back a fenrir pup”?
“We already made a promise with Sebastian, and I think it should be fine. Good Leo will watch over it. Besides, I cannot believe that this fenrir will attack anyone.”
“…But they say that fenrirs are vicious creatures that attack humans and monsters alike…”
“I don’t know why…but I just know that this fenrir is different.”
She herself seemed confused.
However, as she held the fenrir, she had a feeling that it would not harm any humans.
And while I did not understand that feeling, it was indeed difficult to watch the fenrir’s calm breathing and think that it was a harmful monster.
Well, it was probably because it looked like a cute dog or wolf.