260 – Return

Seeing the blood pouring out of the manticore’s corpse, I breath a sigh of relief.
My partner drools as she looks at the corpse.

P-please don’t eat that… Seriously.
It’s been eating Lithovar people.
Even indirectly, I don’t want to eat humans.
When we next get given an offering I’ll leave it for you, so please hold back for now.

『Aaa, but…』

Would you be able to meet the eyes of the kids you spoke to in that cave? In its belly are their relatives and friends, you know?

『…W-well, I’m not that hungry at the moment.』

She looks away from the manticore.
Great, I was able to persuade her.

I turn around and notice Yarg.
His has his spear readied as he looks between myself and the manticore, all composure lost.

There’s no strength in his grip.
It looks like he’s struggling to work out what is happening.
Similar to Yarg, Tatark has a look of bewilderment on his face.

That’s why, when I pass by them in silence, I don’t get stabbed in my side.

“W-wait! W-What are you? W-what on earth are you?!”

Leaving Yarg’s shouts behind me, I exit the cave.

With this, this village will no longer have to live in fear of the manticore.
I was also able to avenge Aro.
I suppose I’ll return to around that village.

Since Yarg and Tatark saw me take down the manticore, with any luck the divide over the dragon-god will be resolved… Though it’ll take some time.
The rift between them is deep, after all.
It would be good if I can persuade the dragon-god side though.

…After leaving the cave and walking for a bit, [Presence Perception] picks up on something.
I stop and wait, then spot Yarg chasing after me.

“W-why did you come here! What were you thinking! Answer me! A-are you really a daughter of the dragonfolk tribe from that time?!”

…A nuisance has arrived.
I need to go and meet up with Aro already.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

My partner roars.

“Hiih!”

Yarg collapses to the ground, his spear falling from his hands.
His eyes are pinned to the figure of my enraged partner.

[Roar] is a skill meant to keep monsters in check by making them falter.
It’s not something that an ordinary human can withstand from the front… For that matter, won’t it become a trauma for him?

『With this, he won’t keep chasing.』

My partner transmits, proud… Well, yeah, that would be the case though. 

From then on, I use [Presence Perception] as I roam around the forest in search of Aro.
Her presence is a little different, so she should be easy to find.
It’s great that it’s easy for me, but I have to hope a miko hasn’t spotted her.

I find Aro sitting on a tree root.
Carried in her arms is a rabbit-like creature.
Upon seeing me she gets up and, apparently delighted, comes closer.

As she does, the rabbit she was holding falls to the ground.
It lands neatly and follows after her.
She was hugging it quite a lot… Is that really a rabbit?

I look closer and I see it doesn’t have any fur… For that matter, its body surface looks like it’s made of hardened earth.
Its body is fragile, because after it takes a few steps, its rear legs crumble.
Could it be…?

【[Revaana Pet]: F-rank monster】
【A general general term for monsters created using magic to make flesh out of earth.】
【Monsters of the [Revaana] family produce it in large quantities.】
【Although individually weak, as it is usually produced endlessly it can because highly problematic.】

…It’s not that it could be it, it is it.
She made it with her [Clay Doll] skill.
D-don’t go making too many of them, okay?

Aro nods her head and picks up the clay rabbit, stroking its head.
As she touches it, its damaged parts are restored.
Now that she’s made it, she’s got to look after it properly… Yeah.

…However I revived Aro with [Soul AppendmentFake Life], and Aro has now created a clay rabbit with[Clay Doll].
The [Clay Rabbit] won’t go on to create more allies, will it? I’m getting the feeling that I’ve started a bad vicious cycle…

“Was…oray?”

Aro pulls her eyes away from the clay rabbit and looks at me.
After a moment’s thought, I determine she must have wanted to ask 『Was it okay?』.

“Guooh”

I nod my head.
Delighted, the tension in her expression fades away.

“I…gla…”

Probably, her difficulty in speaking will be resolved with her next evolution.
One more, it’s one more away.
At her current stage, she’s pretty much got a human form already.
In her next one, she shouldn’t look any different from a human.

Together with Aro, we move towards the dragon-god’s shrine.
Along the way, I once again see rarans, faintly glowing green.
In a distant tree, three of them are sitting down, watching us like before.

…I’d like them to stop, since being stared at like that is rather unsettling.
If they have something to say, I’d rather they come out and say it.

My partner lightly licks around her mouth with her tongue.
The three of them stand up on the branch like they’ve noticed something, before jumping off together.
As they’re falling, they suddenly disappear midair.
Be strong, partner…