CH 41

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When I return to the hut, Kuzuha-chan was sleeping on the straw. In her clothes, there are many exposures and the places were ripped, she may get stuck by straw. 

It seems somewhat lonely that she sleeps having her tail as a pillow. (see translator corner)

I put Kuzuha-chan’s mother close to her. From my view, they look like mother and daughter sleeping together. (see translator corner)

I thought that I should wake Kuzuha-chan up, but I do not want to disturb others’ sleep. Let explain when she woke up. I put the straw to cover Kazuha-chan and her mother to keep warm in stead of blanket. And then, I took out the blanket from my Blood Bag, sat down and lean my back on the pillar nearby. 

I am a bit tired, so let’s sleep. I thought so and I closed my eyes, but as I close my eyes, I hear the sound.

I open my eyes again and I see Kuzuha-chan is waking up.

“Mmmm…?”

While leaking a small voice, Kuzuha-chan got up. 

As she got up, the straw I use to cover her start falling apart

“Arge-san …?” 

“Did you wake it up? I am sorry.” 

“No, it doesn’t matter … but what is it, I can feel my esteemed mother smells …?” 

“Your mother is over there”

I point my finger to the straw part. Her mother is lying next to Kuzuha-chan. 

After hear that, turned her face toward my finger direction. 

She seems to be very happy, she jumps into her mother’s chest. Just like a small fox play with parents.

“Okaa-sama!!”  (母様: Okaa-sama = esteemed mother)

While keep call to her mother ‘Okaa-sama’  ‘Okaa-sama’, Kuzaha rubs her face against her mother’s chest.  (see translator corner)

‘I will proudly tell you what I was doing by listening to the lord’s speech’ and looking at her eyes that she want her mother to praise her. She skeep repeating those word with her mother.

But, of course, her mother does not respond. She never open her eyes and never move her fingers. 

It seemed that it was so strange that Kuzuha-chan’s face got cloudy.

“Ka a,-sama? Dō shita ndesu no?” (かあ、さま？ どうしたんですの: Mo…ther, what’s wrong? )

Kuzaha-chan turned her yellow eyes toward me and immediately returned to her mother. 

She is a child, with a pure heart, easy to be deceived. 

But the meaning of the word I said, even a young girl like her can get it means “can not open her eyes, forever”. 

Her tail, her ear was standing because she is happy just a moment ago. Right now, they wilted in a blink of an eye. Her small shoulder trembled and her big eyes were wide open. 

Water drop on her mother’s cheeks. 

Her daughter’s tears.

“Okaa-sama…… Oka a-sama, Okaa-sama……!”  (母様……かあさま、母様……！ T.N: everything is mean mother)

Kuzuha-chan does not shout or rage, she stares at her mother ‘s face, continues to call her mother, her tears just won’t stop falling. 

She never asked why, nor got angry. Just repeat calling her mother, overflowing with tears. 

I trembled my shoulders and pulled up, I stretched out my hand to her but stopped. While she keep calling her mother.

…  Touch and stroke her head. So how will this help?

It may be comforting. But it will not be a salvation. 

Her mother can not revive, even I can do something like that. 

What I can do is to heal wounds. That’s it. 

I can not bring back the dead. 

My hands can conform her but it can not save her mother.

After all, I was just looking until Kuzuha-chan’s tears withered. Without touching.

“… I’m sorry, I showed you something unsightly.” 

“No, I do not mind.” 

“I appreciate it if you say so … … Thank you for bringing my mother back.”

After crying all along, Kuzuha-chan smiled, she bow her head deeply with a smile on swollen eyes. 

I touch the neck of fox girl who bow her head down. 

“Is this collar from the lord?” 

“If I put on, the lord is able to know my location … Mother says that it is safe to know the place even if she are away. The lord have told her so, and it is a lie.”

As expected, Kuzuha-chan is not deceived anymore. 

No wonder. Because she did not ask “why” her mother died. 

She saw the mother’s body and understood. She already knew it. And she just cried.

“As long as this thing on your neck, you can not go anywhere.” 

“That’s right, I can not take it off, because a powerful curse has been applied …” 

“Please give me freedom” 

“Huh……?”

The word is directed to the collar, not to Kuzuha-chan. 

Magic to dispel curses. Remove what it was on the collar. 

At the same time as the magic solved the spell, a lot of cracks appear in the collar. The iron collar is broken apart. 

Kuzuha-chan looks with a surpise face to the iron fragments scattered at her feet.

“Arge-san, this is … ….” 

“You can now live freely as you like”

It is not because I was asked. 

I do not feel like taking care of her. 

It is not a kind of repayment. 

I just thought that I should do so. 

Just like I sleep when I want to sleep, I thought that she should do what she wants to do. She already knew everything. 

You can do just as you want, if there is place you want to go, if there is something that you want to do, you should do it as you like. You may find a new hope. I can only do as much as break the curse though. I can’t help you anymore.

“… Wakarimashita wa” ( I understand)

From her eyes, I could see a strong determination. 

It is an understanding eyes that she has decided on something. I will definitely not be able to do it, strong determination eyes.

“Itte mairima su”  (I am leaving)

Bowing deeply, Kuzuha-chan kicked the ground. She jumps to the hole in the ceiling of the hut and leaves as it is.

… Her physical ability is also high.

She seems to be a beastkin. Regarding magic, she was manipulating the fire attribute magic that strong enough to hurt me even with my tolerance and she even able to make an alter ego. 

She is still a child, but she has enough power. It is difficult to live because she is easy  to deceive. But, as she live, she can learn from her mistake, and she can survive somehow. 

She can walk with her own power. She do not need anyone’s help.

“It’s a bit cold, isn’t it?”

I’m talking to Kuzuha-chan’s mother. 

Her daughter is now free, and determine to do something, I think Kuzuha-chan can live properly. There is nothing I can do. There is no need to do.

I put a blanket that I current wore to her body.

“Keep yourself warm until Kuzuha-chan returns.”

I understand that there is no response, I repeat the words and leave the corpse. 

I do not really know why I am doing this. 

I just thought that I was better do something like that.

… I respect her feeling for her daughter, I can’t do anything for her, but I think the least I can do is keep her body warm.

I take out a new blanket from the blood bag and wear it, then leave the hut.

Unlike Kuzuha-chan, I go out from the door properly. 

It is still early until dawn. A cold wind strokes my cheek. The smell that the wind brought was sometone I knew. 

He current is in the other side of the meadow, and he will come to me in a flash. It seems that he got much faster.

“Neguseo. you come?” 

… What does he mean by “my heart hurt”?

There is no lie in what Neguseo says. 

We have a relationship with a blood contract. Just as I can understand how Neguseo feel, He can also understand how I feel . 

Of course, he knows not to tell a lie. 

That’s why I did not understand it. I wonder what makes my heart hurt. 

In the first place, why am I so much …?

“…………” 

“… …. Arge” 

“Oh, yes, what?” 

“You ought to get on. Will you head for the border now?” 

“Well, thank you.”

I do not know well, but Neguseo stop talking. 

It is a question that I can not answer either. It is troublesome to keep thinking, so I decided not to worry about it anymore. 

Ride on the back of Neguseo. He understand me without talking, and he start walking without saying anything.

“I will sleep for a while,” 

“Oh, I will call you if there is something” 

“Thank you, Neguseo”

As soon as I closed my eyes, my drowsiness came. 

It seems that I was tired from exercise rather than I thought. For now I will stop thinking and just go sleep.

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