At the Northern Fort V2C13

At the Northern Fort V2C13: Shadowing the Fox Cub (3)

Mil continued to steadily advance without noticing that she was being followed, and at times would act in a friendly manner to the occasional passerbys. She grew chipper when they would pet her, split the remaining jerky together with Kugalg, and as she did this and that, the sun set. Around the time when the surroundings began to grow darker, she started to search for what would be the night’s bed. 

In the end, she entered a small thicket, settling down at the roots of a single tree and cuddling together with Kugalg as she curled up. The fairy nestled between the two of them and dimmed its light.

“Today was pretty tiring, huh. Good night.”

After saying that, it took less than a minute for Mil to sink into her dreams as she lightly snored. Kugalg thoroughly groomed Mil’s fur and then glanced at Grail and his group before closing his eyes.

“Mil-chan went to sleep without noticing us at all.”

“Just what would she have done if we were some suspicious people? Sleeping so heedlessly like that.”

However, the only one getting angry at Mil’s lacking sense of danger was Kix. The other four people were instead enjoying the mentally healing sight of the defenseless sleeping faces of the white and black furballs as they cuddled up to each other. 

In particular, Cromwell’s usually stoic expression had completely collapsed, while Gauss had started saying things like, “I’m gonna get a dog or cat when I get back to the Capital”. 

“If you decide to get one on your own, your wife’s gonna get mad at you.”

Having been under Gauss’ care prior to coming to the Northern Fort, Grail was well aware of how scary Gauss’ beautiful wife was when she got angry.

Grail turned to Kix and Tina and spoke.

“In any case, today we’ll also be setting up camp here. The original plan was to stay the night at Gouda town, but it looks like it’ll take until tomorrow afternoon for them to reach the town.”

They steadily made preparations to camp outside, lighting a fire and making a simple evening meal. After tying the horses to some nearby trees and giving them water, they rested.

“Ah, Branch Captain, that-……”

Cromwell, who hadn’t been seen for a few minutes, returned holding the bunny rucksack that Mil had been carrying.

Perhaps because she couldn’t take it off too easily on her own, Mil had been wearing it when she fell asleep.

“She didn’t wake up even when I took it off her.”

“She really has zero sense of danger!”

Kix raised his voice in an exasperated manner upon hearing Cromwell’s explanation.

“So? What are you planning on doing with that?”

“I figured I should top up their rations.”

“I see.”

“The jerky’s over here.”

Grail opened up his luggage and took out some jerky. It seemed like she’d end up eating as much as she had, so he didn’t put all the jerky into the rucksack, instead just putting in tomorrow’s portion of jerky. 

“This is in the way, so take responsibility and carry it, Tina.”

Kix took out the toadstool plush from the rucksack, and pushed it onto Tina.

Tina complained, “Ehh”, but after reflecting over the day’s events and realising that the plush hadn’t been of any use at all, she obediently stored it away into her own luggage.

“……what’s that?”

Without the plush, the bunny rucksack had plenty of room inside, thus after Grail put the jerky in, Cromwell also cheerfully stuffed something in.

“Well, that’s-”

As he made a vague response, Cromwell also put a small money pouch into the rucksack.

Jingle, the clinking sound it made was probably from the coins. 

“Money?”

“Mil and Kugalg don’t seem to have any money on them after all. The town they’ll be passing through tomorrow, Gouda, is a big place. There might be something that will draw Mil’s interest. It’d be pitiful if at that time they were penniless and unable to buy it at all.”

As he said that, Cromwell took out his wallet and added a bit more money to the pouch.

“Branch Captain’s so indulgent of them. Even though you didn’t give me any allowance.”

“There’s no reason for me to give you any.”

Cromwell bluntly responded. 

“Ah, Vice Cap, you too!?”

Before anyone had realised it, Grail had also taken out his wallet and was almost unconsciously putting money into the pouch for Mil.

When he had imagined the penniless Mil’s stomach rumbling in front of a food stand as she made a sorrowful expression, he reflexively ended up taking out his wallet.

“Then I’ll also donate a bit too.”

Gauss searched his pockets, and then dropped a single silver coin into the money pouch. Amongst the six different kinds of coins that made up this country’s currency, it had the second highest value. 

While a single coin wasn’t too much money, Grail felt that it was still a bit early to give to Mil.

Gauss was probably feeling like a grandfather doting on his grandchildren, having been completely charmed by Mil and Kugalg. 

“How nice.”

Gazing at the money pouch that had grown heavy, completely filled up to the brim, Kix’s true thoughts leaked out. 

The pouch was stuffed into the rucksack, and this time Grail was the one to bring the rucksack back to Mil. 

The place where Grail and company set up camp wasn’t too far from where Mil was, so the light from the campfire faintly illuminated them. 

Perhaps because Mil found it too hot to have Kugalg sticking so close to her, she had now rolled over onto her back and was facing upwards.

While she wasn’t a wild animal, it made Grail concerned that she would sleep spread-eagle with her belly exposed in the wild like this. 

After thoroughly enjoying her sleeping face, he ruffled her belly fur and then placed the bunny rucksack next to her before returning to where Kix and the rest were.

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