According to Rina, strong demons are part of her tribe, and they area also in an alliance with other powerful tribes.

As I thought, it will be necessary to obtain more information while staying cautious. Existence of powerful demons is one thing, but Rina has also an intelligence matching that of humans. It always has been the case that intelligent demons are much harder to deal with those with only physical strength and agility. I didn't meet any so far with this level of intelligence, there are even more reasons for me to be careful.

About what is dangerous about them specifically, based on what I know about humans, I could point out the existence of magic tools and ways to communicate and coordinate with each other.

Magic tools would bring an unexpected factor that can be fatal if I am not aware of, and unknown ways of spreading information would bring me foes that I can't handle if I am not careful.

After all, I was already in danger because of the latter. There used to be a time when I was careless enough to leave traces behind. As a result, I was noticed by the Ruler of the Forest, who decided to get rid of me.

Like a veteran predator that it was, it cunningly tracked and cornered me, before I even realized it.

I was rather confident of my concealing and detecting abilities, but it surpassed all my expectations. No, I should say that it outmaneuvered me.

Knowing that I couldn't escape anymore, I fought with all I had. In the end, I managed to survive, but I can only say that it was a pure luck. After that battle, I had to hide away for an entire month, until I raised my light magic's level enough to learn Regrowth, which is capable of regenerating lost limbs or body parts. That time spent in fear and agony is deeply engraved in my memory.

That is why, I can't be careless anymore. Not only I need to not repeat the past mistake, but I also need to do my best to predict what danger might lie. I got stronger compared to back then, but one time is enough to teach me that overconfidence will only result in my demise.

Even so, I believe the hospitality Rina is giving me is real. I think she is even going too far with it, considering how she tried to give me clothes when she was trembling with cold herself. That's why I had to refuse her giving me her shoes.

Since she seemed to be convinced that I need so much help, I wanted to tell her that I can handle my own, but I decided against it. I didn't know yet what is going to happen in the future, so it should be okay to keep information about myself from spreading as much as possible.

That's why I panicked a little when she asked me if I was scared of her fox form, since I thought she started having doubts. But it seems that all is right.

The Tail Fox tribe's village was spread out over the large plain, and houses looking like loghouses were scattered sparsely.

It was an unusual sight for a village, but considering that they have a lot higher physical abilities than humans, the distance shouldn't be a problem. Or rather, it should be more convenient for them with their body sizes.

The orchard reminds me of greenhouses in my previous life, except that it is managed by magic. When we entered, I could recognize the magic that was surrounding the area in a dome shape. It was a wind magic to control the air flow in order to maintain the temperature and humidity to a certain level. It seems like I can recreate it if I want, but for it to be automatically managed by a magic item, I want to see how it functions.

The levels of villagers were just like how Rina had described. They were generally stronger the more tails they had, and they had jobs befitting of their strength. For example, those working at the orchard were weaker than the guards that we met at the entrance.

The way I tell other's level is a combination of magic manipulation and all my other detection skills. The natural mana reinforcing your body, in other words, the strength gained from the levels, is difficult to control. That's why a small portion of it usually leaks out. I can grasp it with the magic manipulation and use the method the status bracelet reads one's status to estimate their level.

However, it is still possible to conceal your mana, or even fake it. Therefore, I also use the other perception methods. Enhancing my hearing with wind magic, I can recognize the smallest of their bodies movement to approximate their Strength and Agility values, and compare it to what I read from their mana. Then, by observing their thought process, I can get an estimation of their Intelligence. By not directly interfering with their body or mana, and only dealing with what has leaked to the outside, I can get a good estimation of their levels without being found out.

After all, I have believed in the saying that the win or loss is decided from before the fight starts, ever since I was a gamer in my previous life. It was difficult at start, but by continuously improving my method of detection, I became quite confident of my ability to tell the other's power.

However, I know that I can't be overconfident. All my methods have one common flaw, which is that if the opponent is more proficient at concealing than I am at detecting, then I will get tricked. While I think I can accurately tell the level of those if they are at my level or slightly higher, if they are much stronger than me, or have also polished their abilities to hide their power, then it should be difficult.

With all that being said, I believe my evaluation of their strength so far is quite accurate.

While I am thinking all that, I keep being fed by the demons various fruits coming from the orchard. Oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas… How can all those be so delicious? It seems it wasn't a lie when Rina said they are the tribe's pride. Yep, I would be proud too.

Oh, no. I got too distracted.

Honestly, I don't really understand why they keep treating me this way.

I should be just a stranger, and from another race, on top of that. This kind of hospitality is really unfit of demons. If it was just Rina, then I would think that she is the odd one, but it is the whole tribe doing this.

If I have to make an assumption, it would be that my current disposition among them is that of a stray kitten. Or rather, I should say a rare breed stray kitten.

It appears that humans are rarely seen in this region, and the eyes looking at me brim with curiosity. Just like how humans like petting and feeding defenseless little animals, they seem to be enjoying doing that to me. I honestly don't mind it, since it is convenient.

However, this treatment remind me of how it was in a human town before. People were kind to me even though I had lost everything, giving me necessities without any return.

I didn't have any room to think about it back then, but now that I think about it after meeting hostility from monsters every day for years, I think I was blessed with nice people. And it wasn't just them, but also my parents and the people from my previous life as well.

All this gives me conflicted feelings. On one hand, I want to enjoy their goodwill a bit more, but on the other hand, I keep reminding myself how I decided to leave the townspeople back then. It is a decision I never regretted, and I'm sure I will make the same decision if the situation arises.

But for now, the food is delicious, so just a little bit longer.. I want to stay here.

…

“I'm back, auntie Lisa!”

Inside the house reeking of herbs there is a woman in her thirties wearing a white gown. She has to be the pharmacist that told Rina to gather the herbs. With short black hair tied to the back, she has the expression of an intelligent yet gentle person.

There is no traces of fox ears nor tails on her, and she can't be described as anything else than a human. Moreover, I can feel an extremely refined mana around her. She is without a doubt the strongest being I have met so far in the village.

“Welcome back, Rina. Will you introduce me to the little guest you brought over?”

“Of course! This is Luxe, she is a human that I found in the forest! Luxe, this is auntie Lisa. She is the doctor who takes care of the health of us all!”

So she is a doctor, huh.

Even though light magic exists in this world, it is a rare attribute, and healers are not found easily. In the human continent, I heard the church gathers children with a talent in light magic in order to train them, and make them work for the people under the name of church. Even with that, they are a rarity that can only be found in big towns and cities, and their services are naturally expensive because of their small number and limited amount of mana they possess. That's why doctors that use the conventional method are what people look for when they are sick.

I would probably have been recruited in a church and became a healer if I stayed with the humans back then. Of course, that would be if my talent for light magic has manifested the same way as it did.

I don't know how it works for demons, but considering that monsters with light attribute that I met so far can be counted on a single hand, the situation is probably not too different.

“Nice to meet you.”

As I give my greeting, she probes me with her gaze. I flinch a bit in the inside, but I try to stay calm.

“You brought an interesting person. Well, for now, let's get done what you came here for. Did you bring the herbs?”

“Right? Isn't she cute?”

Saying that, she takes out the herbs from her basket. After inspecting the herbs, she starts grinding them and mixing with some other ingredients. Noticing that I don't really recognize any of the medicine making process, I start looking around.

There are lots of different kinds of medicines and ingredients hanging around on the walls. Oh, this one is the one I used to practice my poison resistance.

I grab a green leaf that looks like a cabbage. Not long after I first left the human town, I thought it was a wild vegetable and ate it. I survived thanks to my light magic but I still had to suffer and hide away for the whole night.

After I almost died to a frog monster that used poison, I realized that I had a much better chance at surviving if I trained my poison resistance the “safe” way with those herbs instead of getting poisoned by monsters during combats. So I ate them whenever I saw them to increase the level of my Poison Resistance, and practice my light magic at the same time. At the end, even the food poisoning stopped bothering me completely, and I could eat and digest basically anything. It was an unexpected bonus that food poisoning also counts in the Poison resistance, but it was really beneficial to me at the end.

“This is called a 'Caulis Venenum'. Even though it becomes a medicine once you process it, it contains a deadly poison as it is. It is dangerous, so you shouldn't play with it.”

Saying so, Lisa takes away the plant from my hand.

Deadly poison, huh. I guess that is true. I only survived thanks to the light magic after all, and I had to use it for the whole night, too.

Well, at least, it seems like she didn't figure out about me. If she knew my level, even without the poison resistance, she would have known that I wouldn't die from just this.

I keep looking around to see if there are any other plant I have seen. There are also mushrooms and some … animal organs? They remind me of what I have seen in period dramas. I thought this when I saw the village and the orchard, but their civilization is quite advanced. Their method of construction, usage of magical tools, and now medicine. I wonder if they developed on their own, or they inherited them from someone else?

“Here you go, this should help with your mother.”

“Thanks a lot, auntie Lisa!”

“Are you going to bring it to her right now? If so, can you leave Luxe here for a while? I want to check something with her.”

Eh, what?

It can't be that she noticed my levels, can it? In my estimation, she is weaker than me, and should not be able to tell. There was also that comment earlier. I tilt my head in confusion.

“That won't do, she is mine! Also, I was planning to introduce her to my mother, so that's a no.”

“Is that so... Well, we shall see next time than.”

It seems that the conversation is advancing on its own. I also do think that it is better to leave for now, but I wonder what is it that she saw in me?

Also, I am a bit scared of meeting her mother now, since she is supposed to be stronger than this doctor.

“Luxe! Let's go, I'm sure you will like mother as well when you see her.”

While I am pondering, I get dragged out by Rina.

…

We head to a spacious house located on top of a hill, similar to the other log houses in design., except from the classy roof painted in blue.

“Welcome to my home! I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Rina tries to drag me who is staying still.

“What's wrong?”

From how it is isolated from the other houses, I can guess the size of the den underneath. It is truly befitting to the leader of the pack.

However, that is not the reason why I am hesitating to enter.

The powerful presence that can be sensed from inside, which is supposed to be Rina's mother, is telling me that it is someone I can't handle right now.

I turn towards Rina thinking about how I can convince her to not go in there for now.

And there I saw. The little fox girl's eyes are brimming with expectations. Why are you so excited? Do you want to introduce me to your mother so badly?

Thinking rationally, it should be better to meet her mother when she is here with me than any other way. At the worst case scenario, if she is an opponent I can't flee against, then Rina being here will give me a chance to survive. While if I run now, and meet her elsewhere, then that would be my end. I could try to avoid her, but I think as long as I stay in the region, I will meet her eventually. Her or someone as strong as her. No matter how I think about it, now is the best time to do this.

Well there is a high possibility that I can run away successfully, even if she is a bit stronger than me, so it should be fine.

Convincing myself, I harden my resolve, and get dragged by Rina into her house.

…

“I'm home!”

With her shouting, we enter a spacious room as large as a classroom. At the edge of it, there is a woman in glasses surrounded by documents.

There is no trace of inhuman feature in her. With her long orange hair neatly tied behind, and wearing a black suit, she gives an impression of a competent carrier woman.

However, I can see signs of tiredness from her expression.

When she sees Rina, I notice her expression brighten for a split second before returning to her dignified look.

“Welcome back. I heard you brought a guest, so I have been waiting for you.”

“Yeah, this is Luxe. And also.. I have a present for you.”

Rina hands her over the medicine prepared at Lisa's place.

“Auntie Lisa said you can use it just like how you brew tea.”

“I see. Would you be nice enough to prepare a cup for me, then?”

She responds while smiling gently.

“Of course! I'll be back soon, then!”

Hey, wait! You were supposed to protect me here! I try to secretly give her pleading eyes, but she isn't even watching! Noticing that my plan started going wrong already, I ponder if I should run away now. the sound of door closing as Rina leaves can be heard.

“Now then, about the little guest...”

As soon as Rina leaves, the woman's expression changes. This is dangerous!

All my senses start sending me alarming signals, as the powerful existence in front of me slowly approaches me.

Her overall abilities are for sure superior to mines. However, that is not the worst thing of all. The biggest problem is that I have nearly no knowledge about her.

All I know is that she has the water element, and possesses high intelligence. I regret not checking how the other members of her tribe fight. While she is without a doubt superior to them in all aspects, it should have given me at least some idea about what I should expect from her.

Can I run away if I start running now? But she has not shown any hostility yet. The way Rina and the other villagers have been treating me goes through my head, and I can't help but hesitate.

As she approaches, her eyes shine dangerously.

'Oh, no! How could I let my guard down to this extent! I should have tried running away way earlier!'

As I start turning around thinking about how skilled she is at hiding her hostility to trick me to this extent, I get grabbed from behind.

“How cute! How could such creature exist in this world?”

I can hear a high-pitched shout from behind. In a confused state, I reflexively check who made that sound. Yep, it is the same person, and my senses are still sending me danger signs while I still can't detect any hostility from her.

'Was I a bit too oversensitive?'

I look at the woman who is smiling like a little girl. Her dignified look from earlier seems to have disappeared somewhere. It appears that the danger signal had a different meaning.

'Like mother, like daughter, huh?'

Now confused by the discrepancy between her earlier appearance and now, I breath a sigh of relief.

It seems that I successfully hid my abilities from her.

“Will you go make us some sweets? The preparations are all done.”

When Rina returns with a cup of tea, she asks hands her a book and asks her to go back to where she came from with the dignified expression having returned once again. I can see Rina secretly pouting before going out once again.

Hey, isn't that a cooking book? Is she going to be okay making sweets if she needs a book to make them?

While I'm wondering such things, she faces me once again.

“Is that bracelet, a magic item? I see.. One that reads one's status, huh? Also, that dagger is...”

Even though I have been wearing it all along, she is the first one to recognize it! Also, I have been hiding this dagger, so nobody noticed it, but it seems that she saw through it right away.

The bracelet and the dagger are the two items I got from my parents that I have been carrying around. The dagger is now so worn out that it only holds memorial values, but it is still a precious item for me.

I reflexively hold my dagger tight.

“Don't worry, it doesn't look like it is able to harm anyone. It's more like, for a little girl to survive in the outside world, I'm worried that one isn't nearly enough.”

Ah, so she is suspicious, after all. Yep, it is weird to find a human girl in the middle of demon territory.

“I had just gotten there when Rina found me.”

That is true. After all, I had gotten out of a cave.

“Is that so? Where have you been before that?”

“... In a cave, so dark that I couldn't see anything.”

This is also true, right?

“I see, it must have been hard. It's all okay now, though, so relax and enjoy your stay here.”

This conversation seems like a déjà vu.

…

I'm sitting on the woman's lap, who introduced herself as Sionna. I'm not sure how I found myself here, but when Rina returned with cookies, she magically returned to her dignified self, and put me away.

“Mother, I brought the cookies! Can I stay ...”

“Rina, I believe I gave you homework in advanced water magic. Have you completed them?”

“No, since I was out in the forest today ...”

“You'd better hurry up and practice if you want to make it in time. I will take care of your little friend in the meantime.”

I can see Rina pouting and pleading with teary eyes, but she got mercilessly thrown out of the room. After that, I got back to this position once again before I knew. How frightening!

Munching the cookies Sionna is feeding me, I start wondering if I should tell Rina about this double personality of her mother. I probably shouldn't since she is scary, yep.

Ah, this cookie is delicious. It seems that Rina has talents in this. Or were the “preparations” that good? Maybe I should try learning to make some as well...

Sionna keeps asking me about how I have been living so far. I tell her about how my living conditions have been, which were in short not good. Of course, I have to exclude the parts about fighting monsters and such.

“What have you been eating?”

Well, there have been nothing else than the monsters that I have hunted.. unless I wanted to feed on the soil. So, yeah, it would be “monster corps”.

“What kind of monsters were they?”

I don't really want to remember all this, but I have to remove my suspicions. Ants were the most numerous, I think it was a huge ant nest that I entered, but I think I should just answer “insects”.

Ah, her look changed to that of pity.

“How about your other daily necessities, like clothes, bathes, and bed?”

Uh... none... I don't really want any more look of pity so I try to look for an answer that sounds better. Yep, I can't find it.

Suddenly I can feel something warm and soft tightly hugging me from behind. A soft voice can be also heard.

“I see. You can stay with us however long you want. You don't have to worry about anything anymore, and you can do whatever your heart desires. I'll take care of the rest for you and protect you until you grow up.”

You see... Even though it might have sounded a bit like that, I'm not a pitiful person! Well that place wasn't that great.. I mean, yeah, I never want to be in there ever again, but I think I have been having a proper life!

Okay, maybe not, but I mean, I have never regretted the choice of leaving the town back then, even though I regret entering that place a little bit! What I want to say, is it has been my own will that lead to the way I have lived!

However, realizing I can't exactly tell her about that, I decide to stay silent.

 

And telling me that I don't need to worry, that you would protect me... You shouldn't say those things so lightly.

Ah, I really wonder why are all those foxes like this!