“Mmm…”

The inevitable morning came, waking me up from the dreamland.

“Nn…”

Arguably, that wasn’t bad. Being awake meant I could enjoy this situation to the absolute fullest.

“Mhm…”
Cute.

Usually, it was me who woke up later. Or we weren’t alone. In other words, I couldn’t usually enjoy Karen’s sleeping face. But today, I could. And there was no need to hurry and get up either.

“Mm…. Yu… mi....”
Cute. Period.

Made me wonder a little what she was dreaming of. Seemingly, I was in her dream. That made me a little happy.

But it’s rare for Karen to wake up after me… She must’ve been really tired.

That just told me how much she hid her exhaustion. Hopefully, she could recharge to her fullest today.

Better not wake her up.

In the meantime, I’d just enjoy her sleeping face. Not like I could do anything else. She was still holding onto me like a body pillow. Even her legs were wrapped around me…
Yes, body pillow Yumi at your service. Offering supreme sleeping comfort. Exclusive use for Karen only.

“Mhmhm… Yuuu…”

Was she trying to kill me with her cuteness?

“Hehe. Sis.”

Unable to hold back anymore, I poked her cheek. She always called me squishy, but her cheek was quite squishy as well. And it was pushing back my finger, like a spring. This was… a little fun.

“Mm…”

Didn’t seem like she’d wake up anytime soon. Maybe I should just go back to sleep either, huh… Although, how late was it? Probably not morning anymore.

Nn… I could open a window but…

Unable to leave Karen’s embrace meant I couldn’t… I could. Stupid me. If my arms couldn’t reach the window from here, I just had to do it with my hair.

And… open!

At times like this, it was really quite convenient, wasn’t it? There wasn’t usually much of a point doing something with my hair instead of my hands. But in this situation? Perfect.

“... mean I can’t?”
“Like I said, you need permission from the Captain.”
“But why?!”
“That’s how it is.”
Nn?

Someone was arguing right in front of our wagon?

“Uhhh… And I came all the way along, too… Can you at least tell me when I can meet them?”
“They have the day off so I am sorry, I do not know either.”
“... And you just keep standing here even if they never come out?”
“That’s my job.”

The soft voice of a young girl and the rough voice of a man… Actually, I knew both of those… But…

Ah, where do I know those voices from again… Nn, I think the man is the guard, isn’t he?

During the reconnaissance mission, I had been with Fenna and the others all the time so it hadn’t been really necessary. Probably. But since we’re back, they were back at guarding me, huh…

“Huh? Was that window open before?”

No, it wasn’t obviously. I just opened it.

Nn? Wait…
“Yumi! Karen! Are you awake? It’s me, Lefa! Come out!”

It was Lefa. What the hell was Lefa doing here? And why was she shouting?!

“Yumi! Karen! Ah, don’t close the wi—

Wonderful, silence has returned. It was a little noisy outside. Well, it was clearly into noon or so already and I just wanted to check how late it was. There was no reason to keep the window open anymore.

“Mm…”

Good, Karen was still asleep as well. Maybe I should go back to sleep either? Or I could just continue to indulge myself in poking Karen’s cheek. I could do this all day long.

Knock! Knock!

So springy and soft. Ahh, this must have been heaven.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Springy, soft cheeks. Bouncing back with every poke.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
“...”
“Mmm…. Yumiiii?”
“Everything is fine, Sis. Sleep.”
“Mhm…”

In the middle of waking up, Karen tightened her hold around me and rolled to the side, burying her face in my hair in the process.

“Mm… Smells… nice…”

What was this, heaven? And the obnoxious knocking finally stopped as well. Now I could enjoy this to the fullest. Wonderful.
Except, Karen was actually waking up now. She rubbed her face a few times on my hair, then separated for a little. She opened her eyes with a groggy look on her face.

“Yumi… Good… Morning…”
“Nn, morning.”
“Mm…”

And they closed again.

Knock! Knock!

And they were opening again… A little. Did you have to knock with this timing?

“Mh…Yumi…  Is someone… there?”
“No, no, there isn’t, Sis. let’s sleep some more.”
“Mm.... Don’t… let them wait… Mm...”

No, that one could wait for all I care right now. Either way, I couldn’t do anything unless Karen woke up properly, seeing that she had a firm hold of me.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She was still there, huh…
Couldn’t be helped.

“Sis, could you let me go for a moment?”
“Mmmm… Nooo…”
“Okay.”

And just like that, Lefa’s fate had been decided. That door wasn’t going to open anytime soon. Although, I had to take off my hat in face of her perseverance. I would’ve stopped knocking after the second time. Actually, I wouldn’t have started knocking in the first place in that situation. Wasn’t me closing the window enough of a sign?

“Mm... “

From the looks of it, Karen was back to the dreamland again. The knocking had finally stopped for real as well. Maybe I should get back to sleep again. Yeah, that was a good idea. Back to enjoying Karen’s warmth a little more.

---

“You’re so mean, you two!”

Quite a while later, Karen, unfortunately, woke up and we had to get up. Well, while I would have loved to spend the entire day in bed hugging with Karen, I knew full well that wasn’t possible. My stomach, for one, wasn’t all too keen on being ignored. And a few other bodily needs had to be taken care of as well. Nature was cruel in this regard.

“Lefa, Lefa, Lefa. I am impressed. You really thought someone on their day off would wake up in the morning?”
“I wake up every morning even when we have no classes, Professor.”
“That’s because you are weird, dear Lefa. Most others would sleep for as long as they could. And then you go and wake them up. You can be glad they aren’t holding a grudge. Grudges about sleep run deep.”
“I… I’m the weird one?!”

Yes, you were. See, even Karen was nodding in agreement while stuffing her face with her breakfast. Or rather, dinner? It was quite late.

“So, uhm, Lefa, why are you and your professor even here?”
“Eh? I don’t know.”
“You… don’t know?”

If you didn’t know, that made me even more curious.

“The Professor asked me if I knew about the mercenaries camping outside town. I told him that I had met you all at the fort and about you two, so he said I should tag along.”
“I see…”

Then… It was probably that, right?

“Yes, yes. This morning, some rough guy appeared right at my doorstep, telling me to come here. Didn’t tell me anything except that Lady Mortas was calling. So, I brought Little Lefa here along.”
“Lady Mortas? Who is that?”

I thought this was about the issue from tonight and he had been called on Ria’s word… Seemed I had been wrong. But who the heck was Mortas?

“Lady Mortas. Riava Mortas. Isn’t she the chief magician here?”
“Ahhh… Wait…Ria wasn’t her actual name?”
“That’s her nickname but her proper name is Riava Mortas. Eldest daughter of the Mortas family. Formerly one of the most renowned professors of the Academy of Larfas. Left the Academy some dozen years or so ago and has been with these mercenaries since.”

One of the most renowned professors? That sleepyhead, responsible for the frequent fireworks—not that I really knew about that—in the camp?

“Uhhm… You called her with ‘Lady’ but… Is Miss Ria from an important family?”

Oh, good question, Karen.

“The Mortas family? Who knows? I don’t think they are nobles? Wouldn’t it be better to ask her yourself?”
“I was just curious why you were calling her ‘Lady’.”
“Because she is someone I respect. And even if she isn’t holding her former title and position anymore, that doesn’t change much for me. For many of us, mind you.”

Someone he was respecting… Could it be that Ria was actually someone really amazing?

“Anyway, I am a little surprised you didn’t know about her past.”
“Nn, we never asked.”
“We only knew she had some relation with the Academy before.”
“I see. Well, knowing her, she probably just never thought it important enough to talk about.”

That… was quite likely the case.

“Well then, I’m going to get back to work.”
“Ah, Professor. What should I do?”
“I don’t know? Do what you want? Go play with your friends?”
“Why did you even bring me along?!”
“Now, now, Lefa, listen here. If I need anything from the Academy, who else could fetch it for me? Do you think my wrinkly old legs could survive the march back to the Academy and then coming back here again?”
“I’m not your errand girl!”
“Well, then, until later.”
“Don’t ignore me!”

Despite her protest, her Professor left us alone without another word, making his way back to Ria’s probably. Meanwhile, Lefa was absolutely fuming.

“This stupid Professor… If it wasn’t for his help I wouldn’t need to go through this… Ahhhh!”
“Now, now, calm down… Want some”

With a wry smile, Karen attempted to sooth Lefa, offering her some bread.

“... Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Mm… Mh? This bread is good.”
“That’s good.”

Nibbling on the piece of bread and stuffing her cheeks, she sure looked like a little hamster. Despite being a fox. Well, a fox beastkin.

“Haaa… As if I didn’t have enough worries already… Hey, Yumi, Karen. As mercenaries, what do you two think of this situation?”
“Nn? This situation?”
“... Do you mean the looming war with the Akkian Empire?”
“Yes, yes, that!”

What to think about it, huh…

“Nn, it’s scary?”
“So even you think like that? Even though you are a mercenary?”
“Well… I never participated in a war… and rather than a proper mercenary, we’re more like recruits? Rookies?”
“Ah, right, you did tell me about that... Haaa…”
“Is there a problem?”

Considering she was asking about the looming war, there probably was something on her mind, at the very least.

“Mh, my family is considering leaving the capital.”
“Huh? You’re going away?”
“I might. It’s not decided yet. Well, if there really is a war, it might be for the better. Even if I can’t really use magic, they still might try to conscript me. But if we leave, that’s obviously not going to happen. But I also don’t really want to leave…”

Lefa slumped down on the table, sighing another time.

“Many students have already left with their families in the past week… Even some professors left… Ah, right, you remember the professor that was with us at the fort?”
“Nn, we do. The panicky guy.”
“Yes, yes, yes. He left! He ran away! Yesterday, he left a note in his office, saying he was going to visit his relatives in the north! You’re my supervising professor! You can’t just leave and disappear! Ahhhhh!”

He clearly could...
Lefa had already tears in her eyes from her grumbling. The frustration must have been quite bad...

“This is the worst… I just don’t know what to do anymore…”
“What to do, huh…”

Couldn’t it be…

“Hey, Lefa.”
“Yes?”
“What do you do on your days off?”
“Huh? Uhm, I study?”
“... Figured.”

Her professor—or rather, Professor Marvim—had asked her first about us, right? And then he left her here without anything to do, telling her to ‘play’ with us… Wasn’t he kind of trying to force her to take a break, maybe? She did seem like the type who was so earnest that she forgot to take a rest.

“Sis, I was thinking of going to visit Wanda after this? How about we take Lefa along?”
“We could but…”

Karen frowned a little, then leaned closer and whispered to me:

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know how Wanda is…”
“Nn, it’ll be fine. That’s just right.”

It would help Lefa get a little distracted. And maybe she liked to dress up a little once in a while as well? That would all depend on the kind of clothing Wanda still had in store, though... Even if there wasn’t anything to wear, Wanda would surely find something. After all was said, Lefa was still a pretty cute girl. And why did it have to be me who got dressed up all the time? Someone else could take my spot for once, yes.

Her professor said that sleeping grudges run deep. Oh, how right he was.

---

Unfortunately, Wanda had been too busy to play around with us… She was also a little miffed that we hadn’t told her we’d join the reconnaissance team, waiting in vain on the day of our departure… Really, sorry about that. But it had been so sudden, so I completely forgot to tell her about it.
Still, we received our clothes, bags and all the other stuff and were sent away. The formal clothing was, of course, excluded since she was still lacking materials to make anything of better quality.

“What do we do now, Yumi?”
“Nn… We could look for Lily? Or we could look for Maya and the girls.”
“Lily doesn’t have the day off.”
“Ah, right… Wonder what she is doing right now.”
“I heard she took over the guard duty from Fenna’s squad.”
“Nn?”

The guard duty? Which guard duty?

“You know, for Miss Karker’s granddaughter and her girlfriend.”
“Oh, right!”

So that was why we hadn’t seen them… And why Fenna’s squad wasn’t busy guarding her. Now that I thought about it, I should have noticed that earlier.

“Then, should we look for Maya and the girls?”
“Aren’t they busy as well? With training.”
“... Then, what are we supposed to do?”

It was our day off for once!

“We can’t go into the city either so… I don’t know?”
“...”

I wanted to have Lefa enjoy herself for a little and yet here we were, not a single bit better than her. We didn’t know what to do in our free time either. Well, okay, if it had been just Karen and me, we would’ve surely found some… activities we could do.

“We could play a game.”
“No gambling, Yumi.”
“...”

I never even suggested gambling, though? Well, quite a few games were probably used for gambling here, so she might have taken it that way. Speaking of which, did she reflect on her experience with Fenna? Sure sounded like it.

“Oh, right… Sis, don’t you still have the debt from that game yesterday? You did technically lose…”
“... Don’t remind me.”
“Sorry.”

Well, but it existed nonetheless, even if she didn’t want to remember it.

“I don’t even know why I agreed to that yesterday. Something must have been wrong with me.”
“Nn… I am fairly sure everything was all right.”

Did she maybe not realise herself that she was pretty money hungry?

“I am sure Fenna won’t ask something unreasonable.”
“I sure hope so…”

It was Fenna, so I very much doubted she’d ask for something really problematic. That said, she… Fenna had a thing for cute stuff, right? Fairly sure she did. Maybe she’d ask for something in that vein.

“You two… gambled?”
“Nn? Ah, more or less. Although, rather than gambling, it was more of a game with the winner being able to make a request of the loser.”
“...”

Lefa was staring at me, wide-eyed. Did I say something weird?

“... Are you two still fine?!”
“Er, yes?”
“Really?! You haven’t been taken yet?!”
“I think so? What’s up, Lefa?”
“... I was always told that gambling is the entrance to hell and that I should never get involved with it.”
“Ah…”

That… technically wasn’t wrong.

“Nn, Lefa, there’s something called gambling addiction. When you gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, right? But people want to win so they tell themselves that they will definitely win the next time. And so, all their money and belongings disappear. You could certainly call that a kind of hell.”
“That sounds scary…”
“It is. So, be a good girl and don’t gamble, yes?”

Leave being irresponsible to us bad adults. Grow up into a fine lady that never touches the filthy abyss of the world, yes.

“I won’t.”
“Good girl.”

I stretched my arm up and patted Lefa’s head, praising her. Considering she was taller than me, that was actually a bit of a challenge.
Oh, her tail was swishing around. She liked being pat, huh. Noted for the future.

“You really are an adult, huh.”
“Nn? What’s with that so suddenly?”
“No, you just reminded me of my father a little…”

Hey, I might have been older but I wasn’t that old. And I wasn’t a man anymore, either… Not that she knew about that. But really, shouldn’t I remind her of her mother instead?
Although, I wasn’t sure whether I should complain about that part or not. I wasn’t a man anymore but I used to be…

Well, I am most likely not going to turn back into a man… and I like my current self anyway… But honestly speaking, whichever is fine, I guess?

Not that it even mattered, right now. Wasn’t like it really bothered me anyway.

“My father also pats me on my head when he says stuff like that.”
“Huh, is that so?”
“Yes!”

That sounded like a gentle father to me. And that he was warning her about things like gambling was also a good thing.
I gave her head one last pat before I returned my attention to our problem at hand.

“So, what do we do now?”
“Mhm...Huh? Yumi.”
“Sis?”
“Look, over there.”
“Nn?”

Karen pointed towards a nearby tent. Or rather, the ground before it. A group of my dolls had come out of the tent, carrying a small bag. That by itself wasn’t all too interesting, though.

“... They’re all grey.”
“Didn’t you stop them from… what did you call it again… upgrading?”
“... I did.”

There should only be two dolls that were a dark grey. But, all the dolls in that group were dark grey…

“Is something wrong? Yumi? Karen?”
“Nn… Just a little something…”
“Is it about those small moving magic tools there?”
“Nn…”

Magic tools? That seemed a little far-fetched, right?

“Those must have been expensive with all that Greywood…”
“... What?”

Greywood?

“Lefa, you know that wood?”
“Huh? Of course I do. I mean, it’s hard to mistake it for something else with that grey colour. And it’s often used for magic tools.”

Often used in magic tools? Was that why she thought they were magic tools?

“Lefa, what do you know about it?”
“Eh? Not a lot… We only covered it in class for a short while… You would have to ask a magic craftsman for that, I think.”

A magic craftsman… We could ask Elina. Speaking of which, the second doll was with her as well. But… While I’d like to go and ask her immediately, we had Lefa with us right now. It was probably better not to involve her too much...

Well, we got a bit of information, so that’s great…

We still had to talk with Ria about the dolls. Especially about this weird ritual they performed. Originally, I wanted to talk with her about it on the morning of our departure but I hadn’t seen her that early. It hadn’t been because I forgot, yes? I hadn’t.

“Hey, Yumi, Karen?”
“Nn?”
“This group of mercenaries, they are doing some jobs for the Academy, aren’t they?”
“Nn, that’s right.”
“... Did you receive a request for capturing an ogre?”
“... We did.”

Hearing my answer, Lefa’s expression turned sour.

“So he really went ahead and asked for it?”
“Nn, seems like it. So it really was him?”
“I guess so…”

Just as expected…

“Lefa, what does he even want with an ogre?” asked Karen.
“He wants to study it, of course. You remember all those monsters he is keeping? Just like those… He says that if he can study it, he might find out more about their behaviour. Which in turn could help either in avoiding them or taking them down.”
“Nn, I heard that ogres are pretty common monsters… So that sure might be helpful.”
“It would be… There are a lot of ogre victims, after all…”

Lefa frowned a little.

“Are there that many ogre victims?”
“Yes… I think they are one of the most common causes of deaths caused by monsters. Right next to mana poisoning from monster meat…”
“Then, isn’t it a good thing he wants to study them?”
“It is… But how is he even going to study it? Ogres are known for their ferocity, there’s no way a regular pen can keep it contained. The monsters he is keeping are all not particularly dangerous, but an ogre is completely different, isn’t it?”
“That’s true…”

But… didn’t Korwen say something in regards to this? If I recalled correctly…

“Didn’t Mr Captain say that the Military School offered to keep it contained?”
“I think so, yes.”
“The… Military School, you say?”

Once again, Lefa frowned upon those words.

“Is something wrong with that?”
“No… Uhm… this might be a bit rude but… I was told not to go near that place… My father told me they’re just like mercenaries…”
“Ahh…”

Speaking of which, she did have some… strong opinions about mercenaries.

“I mean, I know not all mercenaries are bad… I like you two, really. But… I am still a little worried…”
“I see…”

She always thought they were people she should avoid, so that was probably expected to happen.

“Nn… Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine. They should know the best on how to keep it safe, right?”
“I think so…”
“That reminds me, I think the Captain’s father is working at the Military School.”
“Your Captain’s… father?”
“Nn. He seemed a little rough, but if you need someone to help you out, maybe you could try it with him?”
“Mm…”

At least, it would be better than relying on someone she didn’t know at all. Speaking of which, did Lefa ever talk with Korwen?

“I guess… If I need someone, I will try to ask him. Thank you, Yumi.”
“Nn. You’re welcome.”

If it helped ease her mind a little, then I was glad I told her.
But, her father was… quite overprotective, wasn’t he? Oh well, with a daughter like Lefa, maybe that was to be expected…

---

A little while later, the three of us had returned to our starting point, where we had parted with her Professor. In the end, we just walked around, talking about various things and the like. Lefa also asked us a lot about the mercenaries, the various craftsmen working here, our training and some other stuff. This wasn’t really what I had in mind originally but… Lefa seemed to have a lot of fun, especially when we talked about the craftsmen’s work. It was too bad that everyone was busy, she probably would have loved to talk with some of them.

“I already feel tired again…” I mumbled in a quiet voice.
“Ahaha… You are probably still tired from yesterday, aren’t you?”
“Nn…”

I threw a glance to Lefa who was eyeing the person sitting with us with suspicion. I couldn’t even really blame her for it…

“Mm…”

Sitting there, slumped down onto the table, was Ria… She and Professor Marvim were taking a break right now and Ria had joined us while Professor Marvim had gone off elsewhere, apparently looking for Korwen. Talked about wanting permission for something, or so.

“Yumi, Karen… Is that… really her?”
“Nn. That’s Ria.”
“The Professor said she was some really amazing person but…”
“Let’s say she lives at her own pace…”

An admittedly slow pace, too.

“... Is she always like this?”
“Nn… Kinda?”
“Mm… You two… I can… hear you…”

Ria turned her head in our direction, staring at us.

“So, is there progress, Ria?” I asked, ignoring her complaint.
“Mm… There is… some… It was right… to call… Marvim… He knows a lot… about them…”
“Huh.”
“There are… some odd… parts… That we… can’t… explain… We’re… at a loss...”
“You can’t… explain?”

That surprised me a little. Ria knew a lot, after all. Even more so now that I had heard that she was apparently quite amazing.

“It’s like… they are… just extensions…”
“Extensions?”
“Yes… It reminds me… of your… dolls…”
“My dolls? You mean, they were created by that nest mother?”
“That is… likely… the case…”

Created by that nest mother… And it reminded her of my dolls…

“So, what does that mean?”
“Mm… We don’t… know…”
“You don’t know?”
“We… don’t…”

Great…

“Then, what are you going to do now?”
“Mm… We’ll… have to… discuss… with the… Captain…”
“I see.”

But, the nest mother was creating ropers… and it reminded her of my dolls, she said… So, were those ropers like workers and the nest mother was the queen? That was a little similar to my situation, after all.

“Mm… Yumi…”
“Nn?”
“I know… you have… the day… off… but… I’d like you… to help me… with something…”
“Well, if I can help then I’ll be glad to do so but...”

I threw a glance towards Lefa, who had silently listened to our conversation.

“Mm… It’s fine… That girl… can come… too…”
“Eh, is it fine?!” Lefa asked, surprised.
“It’s fine…”

If Ria said it was okay, then that was it.
But… what did she need me for, though? Considering that she allowed Lefa to come along, it was probably not about my monster nature but...
Guess I had to wait until they ended their break, didn’t I?