Chapter 197: Problem Hath Occurred

“KIEHHHHHHHHH!”

“KHAAAAAAAAA!!”

“RAHHHHHHHHH!!”

“PRETTYYYYYYYYY!!”

“……”

For some reason, I felt a look of great pity coming from behind me.

I could easily tell whomever it belonged to – none other than…!

“What are they doing…?”

Young Bright was giving me and Pochi a cold stare… and his facial expression suggested that he was at an indecision over whether or not to heave a sigh.

But I’d had no hand in this matter – it was but a part of Pochi’s selfish shenanigans. All I was doing was playing along with her.

Perhaps to bail me out since I couldn’t bring myself to answer to Bright… as I’ve been stuck making excuses to myself, Chappie answered him,

“It seems that mother and father are… practicing their ‘cool shouting’ in preparation for battles against humans, which we likely will see more of in the near future. This might be a good learning experience, Bright, so you ought to observe as well-“

While Chappie was in the middle of his explanation, Bright had already ignored him and started reading a magic textbook.

The boy’s efficient, that’s for sure.

He’d probably decided that he didn’t need it, and decided to spend his precious time reviewing his studies instead.

Hmm, looks like he doesn’t have any interest in anything without ‘magic’ in its name.

Perhaps he needs more guidance – nope, in all seriousness, he doesn’t.

“All right! This is where the thugs enter the scene, sir!”

Welp, looks like it’s my turn to take to the stage.

I’ve got to do a flip and go ‘gawr!’ if I remember right.

…The hell’s up with that shoddy choice of a roar, though? Am I not supposed to be a human?

Nope, I’ve got to make things right – let’s just flip Pochi’s script a bit here…

“Gigigigigi… gehehehehe! You have nowhere to run now, Shiro!”

“…”

Huh, isn’t her reaction a bit… nonexistent?

“Fwahahahahaha! Be a good dog and surrender!”

“……”

Strange. No reaction from Pochi even after I’d changed my character.

Now, don’t tell me she’s…

“ga…”

Ooh, she finally reacted.

Bah, I swear… she’s so bloody stubborn!

“-…Gawr!”

“Ngh-! I never thought you’d catch up to me!”

Damn it, you little…!

“Chappie! Let me take care of this villain and-“

“-Mother, it’s time for food!”

“Oh, you can leave that to him!”

Although I was quite annoyed by how Pochi’s ears stood right up, I proceeded to retrieve a pot and some ingredients from the Storeroom.

Meanwhile, Bright slapped his magic textbook shut and moved to the edge of the nearby cliff.

…Hmm, looks can’t quite tell what he’s up to.

Chappie and Pochi dug up a small pit for a fire.

And while they were doing that, I kept an eye on Bright-

“So slow, sir!”

…Without time for distractions, I started cooking a meal for all of us.

Now then, how many days had it been since we’d gone through the cave?

Should be one week… right, should be seven days today.

Look down from the cliffside, and we’ll see the land of T’oued.

Ah, yes, the people of the East… Two days ago, I’d seen some of them walking around with smiles on their faces, wearing clothes called ‘wasou’.

We had thought we could just jump straight in, but when we’d reached the entrance checkpoint of Eddo, the capital of T’oued, we’d seen ‘them’.

The very people we’d let overtake us the other day, team Chiquiata of the Douglas household… Never had we thought a simple checkpoint would station someone that powerful.

Although I had thought it would be pointless for them to lay a net here, we had indeed gotten caught in their machination, and were unable to do anything since.

It seemed that the people of the Holy Nation – War Demon Nation in my days – rarely entered this land, as apparent from the highway having only a single person walking on it.

Meaning, so long as we don’t find another way… we’re as good as stranded.

During the first day and a half, we had tried devising a plan to break our way through, but ended up not getting any good ideas.

Being stuck in the same place and in such a frustrating predicament for a long time, the Fulbright household’s young lad has been frequently watching the enemy’s movements.

But here’s the problem – they’re not even moving at all.

“So, have you come up with anything we could do, sir?”

After the meal, as I sat alone on the edge of a cliff, Pochi came to sit down next to me.

“Burp…”

Then she burped.

“For someone who always calls herself ‘pretty,’ you’re unsightly as all hell, you know that?”

Pochi promptly shut her mouth in embarrassment, but with her eyes retaliating with a defiant look. Wall, the same as usual.

“Wolves aren’t even supposed to worry about these things in the first place, sir!”

Bah, no matter how many times I question her, it’s the same excuse back every time… so much for a Familiar trying to act as if she lives in a human society!

It’s nothing surprising, so to speak, but aside from Pochi’s insistent claims of being a lady, there’s nothing about her suggesting that to remotely be the case.

“So, you got anything, sir?”

“Nope, still nothing.”

“I see…”

Hey, can’t blame me when no one’s been getting any ideas either.

The plan that was most likely to succeed was to have Chappie, the ‘Violet Phoenix,’ to carry us over the border, one at a time… but he couldn’t be separated from his parent figures – get too far from both of us, and he’d panic so hard that he couldn’t move. That was one of his glaring weaknesses.

I had no intention of spoiling him, but this seemed to be an instinctual occurrence, so it didn’t seem like it could be fixed until the right time came along.

And if he were to try getting more than one across at once, they’d probably all plunge straight down to hell.

“Anyway… do you think everyone back home is doing all right, sir?”

Andddddd she just had to bring up THAT subject.

Referring to our friends back in the future, of course – Perhaps she’d thought it would be a good change of pace.

“Lina, Tifa, Miss Irene, Sir Gaston… and Bruce, Haruhana, everyone in The Silver… Yeah, they should be trucking along just fine.”

None of them originated in this era, so there’s no problem in letting Bright hear their names.

Not that there’s a need to worry about that, what with him reading his magic textbook a good distance away from us.

“Don’t just forget Baladd and Tarawo like that, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Pochi was especially concerned about her fellow Familiars… So she’s actually a bit lonely being stuck here, huh?

“Speaking of which, do you remember that thing you gave to Itsuki? Does it actually work, sir?”

“Hmm, probably. If Tifa and Tarawo got closer to each other since then, it’ll definitely work. I’ve made sure of it by using you as- oh, never mind.”

“Huh, weren’t you about to say some other thing there?”

“Uh, nope, nothing.”

That was a close one.

I was about to explain how I’d experimented on Pochi to test out a medicine with effects proportional to the strength of one’s emotional bonds to another.

Once when Pochi had been asleep, I’d dribbled the medicine into her gaping mouth… and she’d turned into some kind of larva. Panicked quite hard there.

Well, that was how I’d found out that it worked only limited time, though.

“Hmm~~ Aren’t you being a bit suspicious~~?”

“J-just don’t worry about it. So, you’re curious about that medicine or something?”

“No, not the medicine itself, but Tarawo’s transformation.”

“Aha. Yeah, he was originally a King Wolf Garm, so it should turn him back without any issue… I think?”

King Wolf Garm… huh.

Their population was quite small, but for how dangerous one was as an individual monster, their kind had been considered for the S Rank classification.

Tarawo specifically seemed to have lived an unexpectedly long life, too, so in his original form, he could even be stronger than an actual S-ranked monster.

Well, the same goes for the Kaiser Dyno Dīnō, though. Whoever survives the process of natural selections gets stronger and stronger.

And if not for the curse, Tifa would never have gotten her Familiar Contract sealed in the first place.

“What?! You mean Tarawo can do like… SCHWING! And transform into his former self?!”

Well then, apparently Pochi thinks that this kind of transformation ability would be cool to have.

But true, it’s quite an attractive notion, a little beast being able to suddenly change its form into a gigantic, powerful monster.

……Huh? A transformation? ……Aha!

“That’s right! Transformation!”

“PWHUH-?!”

I grabbed Pochi by her cheeks and squeezed them.

Pochi was, as anyone would have expected, quite startled.

Chappie also was startled, but by my voice, springing up and flapping his wings vehemently.

Bright, as if he had been waiting for me to say something, slapped his magic textbook shut, rushed to my side, and grabbed my mantle. Like, an eagle grip kind of grab.

“D-don’t tell me, we’re finally getting… new forms?!”

Pochi’s eyes were glittering brighter than ever, and overflowing with anticipation.

“…That’s right, we’ll all transform!”