Kanata and Rose went out to explore the forest, but…
There seems to be a mistake, and it’s corrupted partway through.
I’ll fix it as soon as possible. The complete version is available on the Narou version, so please read it there if you’re interested.
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Addendum: The original data in WPS had the full text, but it was cut off when I loaded it…
I wonder what the cause is?
Correction complete at 15:15.
Kanata’s policy is to explore the forest only when the weather is good and it’s still light out.
Given that they can’t distinguish between normal fog and poisonous fog, Kanata’s policy is understandable.
“If only we could secure enough food, we wouldn’t have to explore at all.”
That’s true, you must be troubled by bringing me, a hindrance, along to explore the dangerous forest.
Caws echoed through the forest.
The sound…
“These caws… aren’t they from Mutated Crows?”
“Yeah, they’re supposed to be nocturnal, but they can apparently see in the daytime. They’re descendants of Bio-Weapons, after all.”
“Descendants of Bio-Weapons?”
“It’s a strong theory that the accident at the Bio-Weapon Research Institute is the reason this became a Demon Realm. DNA analysis of mutated species showed signs of artificial manipulation. Mutated Crows aren’t much of a threat, so shall we go take a look?”
“Is that okay? I’m curious too, but isn’t it dangerous?”
“If it seems dangerous, we’ll run. I want no part of ‘curiosity killed the cat’.”
We decided to head in the direction of the crow sounds.
We arrived at the scene and found a desperate battle taking place at the base of a tree in the forest.
Two attacking crows, and desperately defending was the mother of a Pocket Monkey…
Her whole body was covered in wounds, and she bravely bared her fangs at an opponent she stood no chance against, shielding her child behind her.
“Kanata, help her!”
“Did the baby fall from the tree? Or did she drop it? Either way, it’s not good if a monkey falls from a tree!”
As Kanata drew his sword and ran over, the Mutated Crows hastily flew away.
Once the mother monkey had watched the crows disappear, she collapsed from exhaustion.
The baby monkey clung to her, crying “kii kii,” while the mother monkey looked at it with weak, yet loving eyes, and slowly closed her eyelids.
I tentatively placed my finger in front of the mother monkey’s mouth, but she wasn’t breathing anymore.
“Ah, she died… I’m sorry. I should have come a little sooner.”
“Having too much intelligence just makes them resemble humans in the worst ways.”
“?”
“Those crows. They were toying with her, killing her for fun. If they wanted to kill the Pocket Monkey that fell from the tree, they could have done it quickly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stopped.”
Hey! You should always help, no matter the situation!
“Kanata, you’re surprisingly cold!”
“Cold? They’re vicious crows, aren’t they? Killing and eating to survive is natural. I’ll save the cute Pocket Monkey, but I don’t care if the not-so-cute crows starve. That’s human ego, isn’t it? If we follow Rose’s logic, then all carnivores…”
“Ah, okay! Okay, I get it!”
I can’t win an argument with the logical Kanata.
“So? What are you going to do about the baby monkey?”
“Can I take it? If I leave it here…”
“This isn’t a forest where a single baby monkey can survive. You should take it.”
“I’m glad. I was worried you might say to leave it to nature.”
“If I don’t get involved, I won’t lift a finger. But once I am involved, it’s my rule to see it through to the end.”
There it is… Kanata’s rule.
“First, we need to bury its mother.”
“I’ll dig the hole. Rose, you talk to the baby monkey. You have a responsibility to bear all consequences, since you decided to save it, Rose.”
“The responsibility to bear all consequences?”
“It’s a baby monkey on top of a Pocket Monkey, so its food intake will be minimal. However, that baby monkey might be carrying a disease, and there’s the risk of infection. It might also cry out in fear when we need to be quiet. Even after we return from this forest, don’t just hand it over to a maid and be done with it. Whether you return it to the forest or entrust it to a sanctuary, Rose has to make arrangements. The best thing would be for Rose to live with it…”
Ooh, there’s a lot.
“Rose, everyone wants to help a pitiful baby monkey. But there’s a big gap between wanting to help and actually helping. Only when you consider how to help, what to do afterward, and then execute it, does it have value. If you’re just going to half-heartedly interfere out of sentimentalism, don’t do anything at all. It’s actually crueler to offer half-hearted mercy without the resolve to see it through.”
Kanata said this while digging a hole to bury the mother monkey.
His words carried weight. Because that’s how it was with me.
That night, Kanata saved me when I was on the verge of death.
And now, he’s devising ways to survive while protecting me, a hindrance, which would be better if I weren’t here.
Unspoken execution, no, perhaps spoken execution. In any case, Kanata is someone who completes whatever he says he will.
I should emulate Kanata. I don’t want to be an idealist whose words are just empty talk, like I was before I got lost in this forest.
If you have an ideal or a principle you want to fulfill, think of a feasible plan and execute it.
I want to save the baby monkey, so what should I do?
The food problem is okay; the baby monkey’s intake is minimal.
The disease problem is also okay; I, and probably Kanata too, have fifth-generation Bio-Metal that can be immune even to malignant outsider’s pest. Still, if I get sick… I’m prepared to accept that fate. If I get infected, I’ll take the baby monkey and disappear into the forest before involving Kanata.
So far, so good. …Now, I need the baby monkey to warm up to me.
So that it will listen to me even in a crisis.
I call out to the baby monkey, which is reluctant to leave its mother’s body, using Animal Empathy.
(Your mother isn’t going to wake up anymore. Please let her sleep peacefully.)
(…!?)
As expected, I can’t grasp the image as well as Tachikaze. I can only tell it’s sad.
(From now on, I’ll protect you, so be a good little one, okay?)
(…!? · · · · · · ??)
Hmm, it probably didn’t get through. Should I reach out my hand…? I might get bitten, but…
No, if this little one is a carrier of a new disease, I’ll definitely get infected.
Thinking… The only thing this powerless me can do now is think. Hmm…
That’s it! I… I understand this little one’s feelings! Because this little one is me, 10 years ago!
The feelings I had back then… when my mother passed away… the heartbreaking sadness, the feeling of being lost in the fog.
I’ll convey those feelings… to this little one. Strongly, vividly, I’ll imagine that sadness.
(…I don’t have my mother anymore either. Just like you.)
(!! · · · · · · (T^T) · · · · · · )
Ah… it got through! It got through! The baby monkey looks up at me with sad eyes.
The warm hands of the knights that were extended to me then, my precious new family.
Now it’s my turn to become this little one’s family!
(See? So let’s live together, okay?)
(♡! · · · · · · (>_<。) · · · · · · ) The baby monkey jumped onto my outstretched hand. "That’s a good one. Come on, say proper goodbye to your mother. Thank you for everything." Kanata carefully placed the mother monkey’s body at the bottom of the hole, so I picked some wildflowers nearby and placed them on her body. Then, I gently covered her with soil. Partway through, the baby monkey started imitating me and covering her with soil. What a smart little one. I’ll have to think of a name later. After saving the baby monkey, since the sun was starting to set, we decided to end our exploration and return to the cave. Back at the cave, I decided to think of a name for this little one. "Hmm… what kind of name should I give her… Krone, maybe…" "Isn’t ‘crown’ a bit too grand for a baby monkey?" "She’s white, so maybe Weiss…" "That sounds like a dog’s name." Don't just complain! "Then, if you ask me, what kind of name would Kanata give her?" "Taro." "This one’s a girl!" "Then Hanako." Aren't you being too dismissive? Kanata seems a bit grumpy, though… I wonder why. "I don’t know what’s bothering you, but this little one just lost her mother! Show some consideration!" "…It’s good you have memories. I don’t even know what my mother looks like." …Come to mention it, Kanata never spoke of his mother. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he couldn't. And the look on his face yesterday when he saw the mother and child bears… He called his father a father he disliked, meaning Kanata doesn’t have good feelings towards his parents. "…I understand that Kanata doesn’t think highly of his parents. But because of that…" "You’re right. It’s pathetic to be agitated by Rose or the baby monkey. I’m sorry." Yes, when he realizes he’s wrong, he can apologize sincerely. That’s the good thing about Kanata. "Regarding the Pocket Monkey’s name. What do you say for ‘pocket’ in Garum?" "Tasche. Yes, this little one’s name will be Tasche!" "Kiki?" "Come here, Tasche." "Ki!" Tasche, who responded cheerfully, crawled up my arm and onto my shoulder. "She’s a good little monkey. Shall we have dinner? Share some dried fruit with Tasche." "Okay!" We decided to have dinner together. When I gave Tasche a dried orange, she happily clasped it with both hands and started to nibble. "Kiki ♪" It seems she likes it. The way she gnaws on the orange while occasionally looking up at me is so cute! Tasche, now full, curled up and lay down. Time to sleep. "Hey, Tasche. Sleep somewhere Rose’s arms can’t reach. You might get crushed because of your restless sleeping." That’s overprotective! But I really need to be careful. I gently moved to lie down away from Tasche. Good night, Tasche. You might have sad dreams tonight, but from now on, I’m with you. I’ve uploaded an illustration of Iska to the doodle corner.
