At the Northern Fort V1C3

At the Northern Fort V1C3: Children are a Natural Enemy

I suddenly woke with a start and realized that it was morning.

It was fine that I had hurled myself into setting off to find Mother, but I am still young in this world. My body could not keep up with my feelings, and after trudgingly advancing a few hundred metres, I grew tired and fell asleep.

There are cases where children could be playing energetically one moment and then fall asleep as though they had run out of battery in the next, but this was exactly like that. Though it was a little embarrassing for me to fall into such a state, considering how I should be an adult, mentally speaking.

 

I shook my body, casting off the snow that had accumulated on my back while I was sleeping. Quite a thick layer had built up.

Today’s the day I get all the way down the mountain, I thought to myself while renewing my determination.

 

That being said, my stride length was frighteningly short.

Even after running until I was panting, going wafu wafu, I hardly managed to advance at all. Is it alright if I cry?

The scenery is all white and hasn’t changed at all. At this rate, forget going to the Capital, I won’t even be able to sneak away from this mountain. I have to run more frantically.

 

Wafu wafu, wafu wafu

Wafu wafu, wafu wafu

 

I’m desperate, you know. I’m doing my best, you know. 

It’s just that because of my outward appearance, no matter what I do, it’s accompanied with a happy-go-lucky sound effect.

 

Wafu wafu, wafu wafu……

***

It’s been one year since I was born in this world. I hadn’t realized how short my legs were until now. 

Fifteen days.

Descending the mountain and getting through the forest at the base of it took a total of 15 days.

……half of my home alone time has already passed.

 

Currently, I had left the forest and was walking down the path leading towards the town where humans lived. Compared to how high my spirits were when leaving the nest, my excitement level had fallen considerably.

The one saving grace was that even though I ran like crazy, there wasn’t any muscle pain at all. Though fatigue would accumulate daily, it would be reset in one night just by sleeping.

Today too, tiredness had built up from how much I had run. Perhaps my resilience was because I was a spirit.

 

According to what Mother said, the mountain that we live in is at the northernmost tip of this country, but the Capital is closer to the centre of the country. Even in the winter there wasn’t much snow, and it was in a comparatively warmer region.

However, my surroundings were still filled with snowfields. If I’ve only managed to get this far after 15 days, then won’t it be impossible for me to reach the Capital?

I continued to walk forward even as I grew resigned, and eventually came to a fork in the road.

 

On the right lay the town where humans lived. This was the first time I had come down the mountain to a human habitation, so I gazed at that town with a keen interest.

It gave off the atmosphere of an olden day European town, with western-style houses lined up in rows. The town apparently has a large population, but perhaps because of the severe cold and frequent snowfalls in this region, it gave off a deserted and quiet impression. Everyone’s probably shut themselves into their warm homes.

 

After surveying the whole town, I next looked towards the left fork.

There stood a huge facility, but from its colouring and lack of decoration, I could guess that it was some sort of military stronghold, like a base or a fort. 

So this country also had an army. Or maybe it was more fantasy-like, like a knight’s order?

 

It was just when I was standing at the crossroads, hesitant as to which way to go.

Two young children walking from the town saw me and started to run towards me.

 

“Wanwa!”

 

Who’re you calling Wanwa, how rude.

 

“Wanwa, wanwa”

 

Just when I thought the young boy and girl were running towards me happily, in the next instant, mugyuuu, they hugged me without any restraint.

Uguohhhh……I beg you, please be a bit gentler. It feels like things that shouldn’t come out of my mouth are about to be squeezed out.

 

“Wanwaa!”

 

I got it, Wanwa gets it.

The children had Western facial features and were as cute as angels, but they were pretty strong. They vigorously pulled my fur and tail, and I reflexively went, “Kyun kyun”, letting out a pathetic voice.

I’ve even lost to children.

 

However, it wasn’t like these kids had any malicious intentions, so I couldn’t bite them and resist.

Ow ow ow ow. My face warped in pain, and just as I was thinking about how to escape from this battlefield——at least, what could easily be considered a battlefield for me——a saviour luckily appeared.

 

“Alto, Mina, where are you?”

 

I heard the voice of a woman who seemed to be the mother of these children coming from the direction of the town. The children’s attention was momentarily captured by it, and their hands loosened.

And then, not allowing that chance to escape me, I promptly ran off. Towards the opposite direction of the children.

 

Like a white bullet, I sprinted across the snow.

 

……I’m sorry, I lied. Actually, my escape was more of a panicked tumble.

After hiding myself in a nearby thicket and turning to look behind me, and saw that the children were sucking on their thumbs while looking in my direction, saying, “Wanwa left” just as their mother arrived.

 

“Time to go home.”

 

The two took their mother’s hands and returned to their warm home.

Ahh, how nice. I miss Mother too.

 

After seeing what a spoiled child I was now, who could possibly believe that I was close to adulthood in my previous life? As I thought, I feel like my mental age is being pulled down to that of my body’s age.

I was originally more put together, probably…….probably.

 

Now then. It’s about time I leave the thicket, I thought to myself.

Those children are still around in the direction of town, so I don’t really want to go there right now. I’ll have to be wary of children running at me at full speed with smiles on their face in the future. Children are innocent, cute, and terrifying beings.

 

Seeing as the option to go to town had disappeared, I changed my future course to the left and walked off. 

After arriving in front of the grim fortress, I searched for an entrance that I could enter from. I think this is probably some branch of the army or knight’s order that serves this country. Surely there will be plenty of people who know the way to the Capital too.

The only problem was how I was supposed to ask for directions from people, since I can only make ‘kyun kyun’ sounds.

 

Well, anything is worth challenging.

For the time being, I’ll try going inside. Thus, I slipped my body through a gap in the iron fencing surrounding the fortress.

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