-Mary’s POV-

I started looking for Dak in the outskirts of Gnúis Woods. I could feel the forest’s usual pressure, but I always had great resistance against it. Actually, that’s the reason I could spend hours inside the woods, searching for the source of the upcoming magic beasts attack. That way, while the normal villager could be just one or two hours, maximum, under this pressure, I have no problem of spending the whole day among these trees.

I was walking leisurely, listening to the sound of the forest. Or to be precise, the lack of it. Even though I kept alert, I wasn’t worried about danger. Usually, the only magic beasts one could find around here are the F-ranked Shadow Sparrow and the F-ranked Horned Rabbit. But these are the kind that would run by the sight of humans, not attack. Of course, every once in a while, a disturbing D-ranked Silver Fanged Wolf would appear, and it was enough to make everyone’s blood run cold. But, again, I wasn’t worried. This species of magic wolf has strictly night habits, and as I said, it’s rare. The last one appeared years ago, by the time the last chief has died.

Yes, I still remember how there was a huge commotion, and a large team of our strongest adventurers (that are still pitifully weak compared with the ones at bigger cities) went on a hunt expedition. Even if this beast’s attack power comes from the pack’s union, and all we ever got around was a lone wolf, people were still frightened. On my opinion, sending five adventurers to deal with a single Silver-Fanged Wolf was like killing a fly with a cannon. But, well, people tend to act exceedingly when scared.

When that happened, I thought how it was useless. If they let it be, sooner or later the wolf would disappear.

It’s because that’s our Gnúis Woods. Just F-ranked magic beasts can live around here, and even among those, only the ones with negligible magic cores like the Shadow Sparrow and the Horned Rabbit could make a living on this place.

I wonder how no one ever thought about the reason a stray Silver-Fanged Wolf would show up here, since their pack usually habits somewhere miles away from Doveshire.

The truth is simple. The pack will not accept a burden, so the weak wolf will no longer have the right to stay with them. However, if it can prove itself, the stray will once more unite with its family.

It’s a test. The lone wolf must live on this forbidden zone for a while. If it’s strong enough, it will return to its pack. If it’s not, the forest’s pressure will crush its magic core, and the beast will define.

However, even A-ranked magic beasts can’t deal with this pressure for more than a short period, even less a pitiful D-ranked one. No matter how you look at it, it’s just an execution wrapped up with a nice gift paper made of hope.

Those wolves, hm... aren’t they intriguing.

I randomly walked through a forest path created by Horned Rabbits. While fallowing their trails with a distracted mind, I though how these creatures are lucky. Being so at the bottom of the magic beasts ranks, almost a normal animal in their weakness, these horned rabbits found the perfect place for them to live, free of natural predators. Any higher, any stronger, and it would be impossible. Because their magical perception is so poor and feeble, they aren’t quite affected by the pressure. 

Of course, there’re still dangers lying around...

Oh, isn’t that bear-shaped-thing over there Dak?

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see better in the distance, but it looks like it. 

From where I stood, I could see his large back. He was crouching in a small clearing, next to a fallen tree trunk. And those little things surrounding his big figure... Aren’t those horned rabbits? 

The creatures known as Horned Rabbits look just like an earthling hare. They usually have sand colored fur, but there are also white colored ones, albeit rarer. Their most distinguished trait is what gives them their name, the sharp unicorn-like horn on its head. They are weak and reserved, so most of the times they would spring at the first signal of humans. Intelligent action, since wood and bronze ranked adventurers would often hunt those beasts as a training method.

However, look at that. The always shrunken rabbits don’t seem to care about Dak’s presence. They are just peacefully eating with that scary looking boy by their sides... Could it be the [Protector of the Fluffy] effect? Horned Rabbits are indeed magic beasts, but with all that fur, they do look fluffy...

“Hey, baby, come here. Look at this yummy food~”

Crack.

That’s the sound of my world’s view cracking like a piece of broken glass as I watched the villain-like person handing a small carrot to the nearby rabbit. And more, what are you saying with this bull-like voice of yours, it hurts my ears.

“Does baby like it a lot? Don’t worry, papa will bring lots of carrots for you. Here, take this~”

Boom!

My world’s view directly exploded. That useless thing just doesn’t make sense anymore. 

The mob-villain-cannon-fodder Dak approached the fluffy rabbit. I couldn’t see his face, but my instincts told me it would have a loving expression that would look way too strange on Dak’s perpetual angry face. As he approached the magic beast, he moved slowly and lightly, seemly afraid to scare it. You could see how he was careful, as he held the carrot next to the rabbit’s little mouth...

Swisss.

As soon as Dak entered a certain range, the serene rabbit suddenly turned hostile, and used its sharp claws to scratch the approaching hand. And then, with a surprising speed, it disappeared among the dense vegetation. Well, no matter how cute, it is still a magic beast...

The menacing figure of Dak froze where it stood, a lost gaze directed to where the rabbit ran off to. And then he sighed, looking just like an old man regretting his life choices, and said with a dim voice towards the silent forest:

“It seems they still don’t like me enough to let me touch them...”

“... Oh.” I couldn’t contain my reaction after witnessing all of this.

Dak finally noticed my presence, and almost broke his neck by how fast he turned his head towards the sound of my voice. When he recognized me among the trees, it was kind of funny the sight of his increasingly pale face and the way his small eyes almost jumped out of his skull.

Because he turned to my direction, I could see his now injured hand, and the single drop of blood flowing from the scratch. A sudden memory came to me, about how some nights ago, grandmother asked Dak about his scar. She was worried that he was really getting into fights with other people, but she was soon relieved when he said it wasn’t the case. But then Dak scared the blood out of her when he told us it was actually the aftermath of dealing with a magic beast. 

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I stared at the scar on his face, and then at his wounded hand, and for a while my eyes went to the place where the rabbit disappeared. Finally, I retrieved my gaze and looked at Dak’s jet black eyes, which was also observing me with a suspicious glint on them, like he was wondering what the hell was on my mind.

“...I see.” That was all I said.

The hesitant Dak was replaced by the usual boisterous Dak, and his pale face quickly changed to a bright red color.

“ ‘I see’, your grandmother! You annoying onion, stop looking at me like thaaaaat!” Oh, he seems really mad.

“It’s my face.” In other words, I’m not particularly looking at you in a different way. 

“Arrrgggg! I know! But how can such a expressionless face gives off this much of a mockery feeling! Stop iiiiiiiiit!”

“Not possible.”

“Youuuuu...! Okay, I admit it! The scar was because I tried to hold a Horned Rabbit and it scratched me! But...! I’m still very tough! I fight a lot! My favorite hobby is to beat the hell out of those infuriating adventurers! I will laugh at them when they can’t win against a younger man! And then I will say ‘Don’t you dare come back here’! Yes! I do all of this, so stop! looking! at! me! that! way!” Dak snapped while he yelled without even stopping to breathe. When he finished, his face was so red it looked just like he ran a marathon, and he had to pause a little to engulf large amounts of air.

I got it. He fights the adventurers and forbids them from coming here. In other words...

 “... you protect the rabbits.”

 “...!!!!”

 “I see now. [Protector of the Fluffy].”

“YOU...! What- what the hell did you just call me?!?!?!”

In the end, I didn’t understand why he became so furious. Don’t put the blame on me, it was the world that called you like this. Not that you would know it.

On our way home, the always quiet forest was incredibly noisy. 

I looked at Dak from the corner of my eyes, noticing that he didn’t seem so bothered by the forest’s pressure. We didn’t stay too long on the woods, but he is worthy of the highest Resistance score in the village. Well, or course, apart from that handsome old man. 

That night, I told grandmother what happened in the afternoon. Many wouldn’t understand my meaning with my scarce use of words, but grandma is proficient on it. When I finished, she looked at Dak with warm eyes.

“I see.” That’s all she said.

I don’t know why, but from the look on his face, I genuinely thought Dak would cry.

And so the days passed, calm and tranquil as always. Soon enough would be the day Laura would leave Doveshire to marry off in Rustford, so grandmother and I were thinking who we could hire to replace the hard-working girl.

And then grandmother came with an outrageous idea.

“Why don’t we hire young Dak to help us out in the inn? I could teach him in the kitchen, since he is already a good cook, and then he would become our little chief and I would be able to work in the reception.” 

Urg, this made me think about how I have no talent in cooking and even less in welcoming guests. Am I just useless? 

At first, I thought it was just a groundless idea, but grandmother seemed determined to hire Dak as our helper. Later, I began to think it could work out. With just me and grandmother, and even with Laura’s help, there were some trouble that emerged because Sunrest is an inn managed by only women. Of course, I handled those troublemakers, but it was annoying that trouble happened in the first place, right in my peaceful village. But with Dak around, walking with that scary face of his, maybe we could avoid some problems just by having him...

So, we decided to hire Dak. For some reason, I was the one responsible to ask him if he wanted the job.

 “Dak. Work for me.”

 “Youuuu little b****!”

There were some complications on the way, but Sunrest Inn successfully acquired one more worker.

~•~

  -Laura’s POV- 

It was my last day in Doveshire. Tomorrow morning my dear fiancé will come to take me to our new home. Since I was a child, I have never left this village, so it was understandable how fast my heart was beating. These last days, I almost couldn’t have a single good night of sleep because of nervousness. 

Will his family really accept me? Will I adapt in a new town? How about my family? Will everything be alright...

I looked at my face reflected by the bath water. Ahhhh, how embarrassing. Stop it, Laura! Doveshire and Rustford are just one day distance of travel, why I am so flushed like this anyway?! It’s not like I will never come back. 

Even though there is a rivalry between the villages because of the Willow Lake’s resources, it’s not like there is no contact between the two places. Actually, some residents of Rustford will often come to Doveshire, because there is no Adventure Guild’s Branch on their town and the closest one is located here.

That’s why, there is no need to be worried! I will marry the man I love and then have lots of beautiful babies...

...

Ahhhh, how embarrassing! Why am I thinking about having babies while taking a bath?! 

Before my mind starts wandering to weird places, I finished lathering myself. Currently, I am using the private bathroom of the inn I worked at. The owner, Alma, is a gentle and nice old lady who allowed me to use all the beauty products the inn provides to the profitable costumers, like the flowery fragrant soap, as a marriage gift. 

Before today, I didn’t know how relaxing a bath could be... Because it was too troublesome to heat the water, I would just quickly clean myself with cold water, but now I realized it’s worthy the trouble.

Thinking about how our usual clients are rough adventurers, it’s indeed a waste to give them such nice fragrant soaps... 

I went down the stairs with this thought in my mind. Because of my momentary daze, I didn’t notice the two figures waiting for me in the inn’s large dinner room. The tallest one was Alma, the blue eyed and gray haired lady with a cheerful smile, whose presence feels like a warm spring breeze. 

And the small one was Mary, the village’s prettiest girl, with dark blond hair and dazzling green eyes. She is five years younger than me, but I can’t deny she is already a beautiful teenager. The girl bears great resemblance to her grandmother, and sometimes I got myself thinking how lethally cute would be her smile. However, from Mary, I’ve never seen anything apart from the usual solemn expression of hers. 

Maybe that’s the reason? When I first came to work at the inn, I was really expecting a nice relationship with Mary. Because I am the oldest daughter of five younger brothers, I placed all my desire of a little sister on that fair, lovely young girl. However, deep down, I knew it was just wishful thinking. 

Everything, from the way she moves to the manner of her eating, everything she does carries this innate elegance, this certain nobility, and it became even more evident when the background is such a small and somewhat crude village. I wanted to talk to her, but her aura was so oppressing, so... superior, that I would feel I’m not worthy. 

How could I act like an older sister if the younger one is so... like the way she is. If Mary was just pretty, I guess many of the village girls would secretly hate her for it, but her demeanor is so outstanding that we just don’t compare ourselves with her anymore. So instead of jealousy, all we feel is admiration, and a tad of intimidation. 

She is like our village’s princess, even if no one has ever seen a real princess before. And for those with higher identity, we don’t befriend them. We just look at them from afar.

Sometimes I wonder if Mary ever felt loneliness. But then I look at her aloof face and... Well, all I see is an indifferent expression, so I don’t know what to deduce from it.

Alma granted me best wishes while Mary gave me “Congratulation.” Just one word, with her emotionless, but somehow pleasant sounding voice. And I don’t know why, but I was kind of really happy.

In the next morning, on my way to Rustford with my lover by my side, that pair of moss green eyes appeared in my mind one last time. Perhaps I am just uneducated and don’t know much about the world, but I can’t help but think...

That girl isn’t normal, is she?

~•~

-Mary’s POV-

It was morning, the early dew moistening the forest’s verdant vegetation.

I blinked one. Twice. Three times just as an assurance.

Hm.

I may be tremendously wrong, but...

I checked the fourth time.

Isn’t it a High Demon?