"...But even in its juvenile form, isn't it a little too weak?"
Ash lay on the Sacred Beast's belly, reading his book as if nothing were out of the ordinary. He didn't seem particularly interested in the legend.
Nona, who was nestled beside him, heard his words and shook her head like a little adult before answering without hesitation, "That's because Mr. Ash is too strong~"
"Haha~ Well, thank you for that~"
Ash didn't mind being praised by such an adorable girl. Amused by her cute appearance, he smiled as he stroked the tail of the girl in his arms, feeling the soft fur slide between his five fingers while scribbling and drawing in his book.
It was worth mentioning that the hero chosen by the Sacred Beast didn't seem to be fixed. Instead, the choice was determined by the power of fate, and changes in fate could also lead to a different selection. However... according to Nona, who could understand the Sacred Beast's language, he wasn't the hero.
Ash didn't mind this at all. In fact, he even felt somewhat relieved, since he had no desire to get involved in troublesome affairs.
In the days that followed, he continued leisurely playing with the fox... During this peaceful and quiet rainy season, time flowed like a gently running stream, and three months passed by.
Throughout those three months, nothing particularly eventful happened to the tribe. The rain gradually lost its overwhelming force, and the skies began to clear.
However, on the day before they were due to bid farewell to this land, an unexpected conflict arose between Eris and Minnie... And for once, Eris wasn't the one who caused trouble first. Instead, Minnie was the one who wanted to act spoiled, and the two ended up fighting outright.
Things didn't seem to be going very well on Ash's side either. He had been lying comfortably on his bed when a petite figure suddenly slipped into his blankets from the foot of the bed, as nimble as a little elf.
Ash lifted the blanket and looked. Those familiar golden fox ears immediately came into view, followed by Nona's neat, slightly childish face.
Looking at the girl who had crawled into his bed, he was taken aback for a moment before smiling helplessly. He gently stroked her ears and asked, "Nona, what's wrong?"
Tears glimmered in Nona's eyes, and her voice was choked with sobs, "Mr. Ash, could you please not leave? I don't want you to go!"
"Nona, I don't want to leave either, but I still have..."
"I don't want to hear any buts!", Nona interrupted him outright. Letting her emotions take over, she clung tightly to his arm and pleaded with tear-filled eyes, "I don't want you to leave! If you absolutely have to go, then I'll go with you, or, or you could marry me. Then we could stay here together forever!"
Her body trembled slightly. Through her thin pajamas, Ash could feel the warmth coming from her, and her pitiful expression made it hard to bear leaving her. Yet Ash merely stroked her head helplessly.
"Don't say such willful things. When you grow up, you might regret saying that."
"I won't! I know how I feel, and I won't regret it!"
Nona shook her head desperately, tears welling up and turning endlessly in her eyes. She looked as though she would cry her heart out if Ash refused to agree.
She even sat up directly, positioning herself over Ash's waist with a determined look, as if she wanted to settle the matter once and for all, almost as though... she intended to make what was done impossible to undo.
This gave Ash a headache. He knew that Nona was being sincere at that moment, but he couldn't make an irresponsible promise just because his heart softened for a moment. He could only quietly pull her back down.
He then sat up and held her in his arms, stroking her smooth hair as he spoke softly, "Nona, you're a very cute girl, and I like you a lot, too. But... what you have in mind isn't quite the same as what I mean, and there's no harm in talking about this again when you're grown up."
That was what he said. Afterward... Nona rejected almost every word of it, just as he had expected.
Unfortunately, Ash remained unmoved. He simply continued stroking her hair quietly, just as he always did. His steady attitude, in turn, gradually left Nona feeling somewhat helpless.
Just then, Roxy, who had been waiting outside and quietly observing what was happening inside the room, walked in.
Roxy had always been worried that Ash might stray down an evil path. Seeing how he handled the situation, she looked somewhat relieved. She crouched down and asked him to hand Nona over to her.
Then Roxy took Nona to one side. No one knew what she said to her, but Nona's emotions finally began to settle down.
Afterward, on that quiet night, Nona nestled silently beside Ash, allowing his hand to gently stroke her head. Her soft tail also unconsciously wrapped around his hand, as if expressing her silent attachment to him.
Meanwhile, after their argument, Eris and Minnie also seemed to gradually realize how precious they were to each other and began slowly making up.
And so, everyone spent this not-so-peaceful night together.
Even at the very end, when Nona had already fallen asleep, she still refused to let go of Ash's hand. Her soft tail remained tightly wrapped around it, as though she were afraid he might escape.
———
The next day, at noon...
The sun was shining brightly, and the forest had regained its vigorous vitality. Ash, Roxy, and Eris packed their belongings and prepared to leave. The beastmen of the tribe all came to see them off.
Gyes stepped forward and took Ash's hand, "Sir Ash, thank you for everything you've done for our tribe. If you ever need anything in the future, our Doldia tribe will certainly do everything we can to help."
Ash smiled and nodded in thanks. Just as they turned around and prepared to set off, Nona suddenly came running over.
She clutched a small, fluffy golden fox charm tightly in her hands and held it out to Ash, "Mr. Ash, this is for you! When you see it, you'll think of me!"
"This is?"
"It's the fur my tail sheds when the seasons change," Nona answered somewhat bashfully. Her cheeks also turned slightly red as she gave him the answer.
"I-Is that so? This really is... a nice gift."
Ash looked at the fox charm in his hand, then at the beast-eared girl standing before him with a face full of reluctance. Although he found it a little strange, a warm feeling still rose in his heart.
He carefully put the charm away in his pocket, then gently opened his arms and embraced Nona, saying softly, "I'll treasure it. Nona, you have to take good care of yourself, too."
Then, just as the two were about to part, Nona suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and gave Ash a light kiss on the cheek, like a dragonfly touching the water. Afterward, a brilliant smile blossomed across her neat little face.
"I absolutely won't lose to Eris or Big Sister Roxy, and then... I'll absolutely come find you!"
Her voice was clear and determined, as though she were making a solemn vow about the future.
"Mm, I'll look forward to it... But traveling really is quite dangerous, so you'd better take this instead."
Ash hesitated for a moment before slowly taking out a small golem inside a glass bottle from his pocket.
This was a replica of a combat golem that he had developed based on the research of Lernen, who specialized in golem magic. Although it was something he had made casually... it could still be used simply by smashing the bottle, and most importantly, it could sustain itself indefinitely.
"A token of our love!?", Nona's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at the little metal figure inside the bottle, her face filling with delight.
"No, no, no. This golem is roughly equivalent to a Sword King- to Sword Emperor-level swordsman. If you encounter danger or run into some kind of trouble, you can just smash it on the ground, and it'll turn into a giant over six meters tall. It can generate its own mana and will continue to exist as long as it isn't destroyed."
"Mm! I understand. A token of our love and a bodyguard?", Nona blinked and said playfully.
"That's not what I... Ah, forget it. If that's how you want to think of it, then fine."
Looking at Nona's expectant, starry-eyed expression, Ash hesitated again and again before finally giving up on explaining any further.
The parents of the children nearby witnessed this scene, their hearts filled with complicated feelings. Although they could understand Nona to some extent, it was difficult for them to avoid feeling conflicted as parents.
Ash could only do his best to avoid the parents' gazes. He glanced at Eris and Minnie, who were embracing each other with tears in their eyes as they said goodbye, and felt relieved that the two had ultimately made up. Even Roxy had tears in her eyes.
At the same time, for some reason, both of them seemed to be looking at him rather strangely... He could only choose to ignore that for the time being. Finally, he gently stroked the ears and tails of the several little cuties one last time, as if saying his final farewell to this land and all the adorable things in it.
Then he turned around and boarded the carriage as the group of girls and beastmen waved goodbye reluctantly.
———
The road from the Great Forest to the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Millis, the Holy Sword Highway, was a straight road running directly through the Great Forest.
At first, the carriage was filled with a sorrowful atmosphere. However... the gazes of the two petite, young girls sitting beside him made Ash feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he could only lower his head and silently fiddle with the fox charm.
After a long while, Eris was still the first to lose patience. She spoke bluntly.
"Hey, you! You didn't do anything you shouldn't have with that girl, did you?"
"...What the hell are you talking about?"
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