At the Northern Fort V3C12

At the Northern Fort V3C12: Rekka-san’s Mystery (2)

“Rekka-san?”

When I tried calling out to Rekka-san, who had started to gasp for breath while squatting, she lowered her gaze and finally noticed me.

“M-Mil-sama……”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

As I said that, I glanced inside the doorway that Rekka-san had just come out from. Just past the doorway were just hallways extending to the left and right. Upon entering, it was quiet, but perhaps because all the walls were made of stone, it was chillier than the outside.

At the present time, not much sunlight could reach the hallway. On top of that, there weren’t many windows, and the ones that were there were small, so it was quite gloomy. When I looked at it again, it was actually pretty eerie.

“Don’t tell me, there’s a ghost?”

I felt my face go pale underneath my fur as I turned to Rekka-san.

However, Rekka-san was catching her breath as she stared back at me vacantly.

“A ghost? What are you talking about?”

“Because just now you came out in such a rush……”

“Ohh, no, there wasn’t anything in particular.”

Even if she said something like that, it wasn’t very convincing when she said it while wiping away a cold sweat. Her current state was clearly quite abnormal.

And why was she doing squats?

However, when I tried pursuing the matter with Rekka-san with a, “But……”, Tina-san came rushing out from the depths of the corridor. 

“Rekka-san, I’m sorry! I’ve brought a pen and paper.”

As Tina-san’s high-pitched voice reverberated down the hallway, it felt like the creepy atmosphere began to disappear.

Tina-san and Kix were always bright and cheerful, and there were a lot of rugged looking people amongst the rest of the members of the fort. There was probably no need to fear the presence of ghosts and monsters because they wouldn’t want to live here. The One-Eyed Knight himself could probably beat up the ghost with his bare hands after all.

“Say, Rekka-san, if it wasn’t a ghost then…..”

When I looked up at Rekka-san’s face, which was at a much higher position compared to me, her expression had already returned to its usual refreshing appearance. She smiled faintly as she changed the topic.

“Right right, we were just about to go looking for Mil-sama and Woodbaum-sama.”

“What is it?”

Rekka-san didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it, so while it bothered me, I stopped pursuing the topic.

Tina-san answered my question.

“We were thinking about asking you two what your favourite foods were. We already more or less know what Mil-chan likes, but thought we should probably review it again.”

Following that, Rekka-san looked around the surroundings and said-

“Now that I think about it, today Kugalg-sama isn’t here. We were thinking of asking Kugalg-sama what he likes to eat as well.”

“What he likes to eat? Why?”

“I thought that if we prepared it for his next visit, then it would make Kugalg-sama happy. Taking care of the honourable spirits that visit is one of the most important tasks at this fort. At least, that is what I have been told by Branch Captain. That being said, with myself included, everyone at the fort wants to take care of Mil-sama and everyone else because we are always healed by your presence.”

Then, she received a memo pad from Tina-san and started to gather information seriously. As expected, Rekka-san is quite earnest. 

“But Kugalg doesn’t seem to have much interest in food. He does like jerky though.”

“Is that so? Does Mil-sama also like jerky?”

I responded, “Yup!” and then approached Rekka-san as she crouched down with my tail wagging back and forth.

“Are you gonna gimme some jerky?”

I looked at her with sparkling eyes, but Rekka-san responded, “No” with a troubled expression.

“You received some from the Head Chef to eat after lunch, correct? You’ll have to make do with that today. If you eat too much, then your tummy will hurt later. Branch Captain has also informed me of that.”

Now that I think of it, he did say something like that. But I won’t give up so easily!

“No way……”

I made my eyes water up as I tried to appeal to her with emotion.

This expression has an immediate effect on Branch Captain-san, but unfortunately, it didn’t work on Rekka-san.

“This is a decision made with Mil-sama’s body in mind. Please understand.”

Rekka-san was kind, but she was the type to properly do what needed to be done properly. She wasn’t as easy as Branch Captain-san.

“Tomorrow we’ll give you more.”

Saying that, she timidly stroked my head. When she had first arrived at the fort, she used to say, “To think that you would stroke the head of a spirit-sama” with disbelief, but now she has started to pet me, albeit shyly. Rather than being worshipped from a distance, it felt better for me to be treated as a simple fox cub.

Perhaps because she liked the feeling of my fur, her hand moved towards my back as she turned to Woodbaum and asked.

“Do you have any favourite foods, Woodbaum-sama?”

“I do like soft leaves. Though the acorns were also delicious.”

Rekka-san earnestly jotted that down.

“Spirits may be fine even if they don’t eat, but perhaps Woodbaum-sama will heal faster if you eat something.”

“Actually, we were also thinking the same thing and were just going to go ask if you could prepare a meal for me. I’m…kind of hungry……”

Rekka-san cheerfully nodded towards Woodbaum as he said that hesitantly. 

“Then we’ve come at a fortunate time. I will prepare something immediately.”

“Thanks, you’re quite kind.”

“It is not just me. Everyone at the fort wants to be of assistance to you, Woodbaum-sama.”

Rekka-san said that with a refreshing smile and next to her, Tina-san also said, “That’s right” with an angelically cute smile.

Somehow it felt as if the surroundings were sparkling. To think that we’d be able to see a scene like this in this Northern Fort that was filled with rugged knights.

Woodbaum also smiled as he said, “Thank you” before suddenly gazing at Rekka-san with a concerned expression.

“But you also seem to be quite tired. Are you alright? It sounds as if your heart is trembling.”

“Eh? Rekka-san, are you okay?”

Tina-san flusteredly turned to Rekka-san next to her in concern. Rekka-san’s eyes widened slightly at Woodbaum’s words, but she soon made a calm smile.

“No, I’m fine.”

As she tried to gloss things over with that-

“Something stinks!”

A slight distance away behind Tina-san, Kix, who seemed to have been passing through, said that in a loud voice.

Together with him were Gilles and Jetz of the Scary-Faced Squad.

“It really does stink!”

“Ain’t it just the scent of horse dung?”

Jetz retorted after Kix said that with a scrunched-up face.

“Rather, it’s you, isn’t it Kix!”

“Haah!? It’s not me.”

“No, it’s you. I can smell it coming from over there.”

“Yup, it’s you Kix.”

As they squabbled like elementary school students, Gilles and Jetz pinched their noses while glancing at Kix’s feet. 

Jeez! Even though we were in the middle of talking to Rekka-san, they were being so loud.

“Oh, what are Kix and them doing? Really now.”

Tina-san also appeared exasperated as she turned around. Apparently Kix had stepped in horse dung, and because of that the scent of horse dung was hanging in the air around him.

“Stay a bit further away.”

“Don’t come this way, you horse dung bastard.”

Gilles and Jetz said. They didn’t have any mercy towards someone who had stepped in horse poop.

Kix pouted as he rubbed the sole of his shoe against the ground, but then he discovered us and suddenly started to grin.

……I have a bad feeling about this.

Everyone, including Tina-san, who knew Kix well; Rekka-san, who was starting to understand his personality better; even Woodbaum, who still didn’t even know him all that well; and I all seemed to feel the same way. 

Kix made a horribly innocent-looking smile while approaching us. Before the smell could reach our noses, everyone broke in a run, dashing away from the spot.

Disperse!

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