The first thing I did when I joined Nair was to negotiate with the knight on guard.

It wasn't that difficult to negotiate, and as long as I told her that she was my familiar when she was transformed into a small owl and proved that she was harmless, she let me through without being particularly suspicious.

I didn't know why, and when I entered the barrier with Nea on my shoulder, I found Eva, who was maintaining the flower beds in the boundary.

I can't see if Eiri is indoors, but in a way, it's a good thing that he's not here.

He doesn't seem to notice me yet, so I try to talk to Nea as quietly as possible.

 

"Nea, I'll tell you about it later, can you check on her?"

"Huh? Why would I do that?"

"It's important, please."

「...... I get it."

 

Nea nods reluctantly.

If you're familiar with magic, you'll know something. I nodded to her and walked up to Eva, who was humming and toying with the flower beds.

Noticing my footsteps, Eva turned around and tilted her head to see me and Nea on my shoulder with a flowery smile on her face.

 

"Welcome back, Usato-san. ...... It's no good, right? Pick up the creature lightly and return it to where it belonged."

 

I was told that it was like a mother gently admonishing a child who picked up a cat.

The reaction was somewhat different from what I expected, huh? I reply while thinking.

 

"Ahaha, how good it would have been if I could have sent it home."

「!?」

 

Why do you say that!? Nea turned to me with a wistful look in her eyes.

No, it's almost like you've been forced to follow me.

...... Enough of the jokes, let's talk to her about Nea.

 

"I didn't pick him up, he was my familiar."

"Familiar? Is that the child?"

"yes, I was taken in love with a while ago, and I signed up as a familiar for a lot of reasons, and while I was here, I left it with a friend from the city, but it seems that he missed me and came here."

 

It's more accurate to say that I'm attached to them rather than nostalgic.

 

"Well, a familiar is a monster, isn't it?"

「? ...... yes, yes, right?"

"It'......s amazing, I've never seen a demon before. Wow, it's completely different from ordinary birds."

 

Paa, Eva bends down to look at Nea.

Nea is not full, but she stretches out her round body and proudly shows it. Eagles and hawks would look cool if they did that, but the almost egg-shaped nair would only look cute if they grew taller.

But is it the first time you see a monster?

It's probably unusual for someone who lives in this world......

Humans and monsters seem to be far away, but they are close. Powerful demons only exist in places with a lot of magic, but ordinary demons are closely related to humans as familiars like Hoobard.

It's something that she had never touched since she had lived here for a long time.

 

"What's your name?"

"Her name is Nea, and she's a little shy, but she's a quiet girl."

 

It's the exact opposite, but hey!

- Inwardly, I leak so but I don't lose my expression.

 

"Is your name Nea-chan?"

「...... Would you like to touch it?"

"Are you sure!?"

 

- I wonder if she is so happy, but she shifts her gaze to Nea while squirming at her who is coming to her.

I haven't mentioned the curse yet, but I'm sure she'll notice if there's something wrong with Eva.

He hides his voice so that Ava can't hear him and talks to him.

 

"Nea, I asked for it."

"Whew"

 

Nea slapped me on the cheek as if to say, "Leave it to me," and jumped on Eva's shoulder.

Ava closes her eyes as if she is tickled, but her mouth purses when she sees Nea on her shoulder immediately.

 

"He's a very quiet kid."

"Ho"

「...... Okay."

 

Hmm?

Eva takes off her long dirt gloves and holds out her hand to Nea, who is on her shoulder. Nea squeals at her one more time, looking somewhat nervous, and jumps lightly and climbs onto her hand.

Eva exclaims.

 

"It's cute......

 

It's a situation where I would be relaxed if I didn't know Nea's identity.

Looking at his usual disappointment and cockiness, I can't help but think so.

 

"Does Nea-chan live here too?"

"I was hoping to get permission from you and Eiri, but ......, if it doesn't work, I can't, and then--"

"Nope! It's totally okay! Eiri will forgive you too! I'll forgive you!!"

"Oh, wow."

 

If you let me forgive you, is that okay, princess?

With a power that does not match her appearance, she smiles wryly at Eva who said so.

Maybe Eiri won't refuse, and she can let Nea stay here without being suspicious.

 

"Well, what does he eat? After all, it's a monster, so it's carnivorous...... Nea, do you prefer meat?"

 

Eva asks Nea with a thoughtful expression.

Nea is here as an owl familiar. So, even if you talk to me, I don't have a very blatant reaction.

 

"Whew! Hoho!!"

"Well, I guess I like meat after all! I get it!"

 

-- Retracted the previous statement. What a cash guy this guy is. It reacted like a fish biting into its bait.

Moving her wings with a flutter, Nea let out a small purr, apparently pleased with Eva's reaction, before turning around and smiling mockingly at the glaring at her.

 

「......」

「? Mr. Usato, I hear a strange sound coming from my hand...... Are you okay?"

"Hmm!? Ah, it's okay, it's okay."

 

It seems that he was unconsciously clacking his raised fist.

She looked at me suspiciously, lowering her fist as if to deceive her, and when she looked down at Nea on her palm again, she smiled brightly.

 

"Please look forward to today's dinner!"

"Ho!"

"I'm going to catch a lot of mice for Nea!"

「......... Eh, ho?"

"Oh, but do owls eat insects or something?" I'll try to catch them for the time being, because luckily there were a lot of them in the flower bed earlier......

 

Nea's body, which had been mocking her, hardened like a stone.

―――Yes, owls are birds of prey.

Living in the wild, their food is nothing but small animals. Common sense dictates that you don't want an owl to eat human food, so the action she takes inevitably is to "procure food."

And if this princess says she's going to do it, she's going to do it. Even if they use any means necessary, they will catch the rats and insects that they have decided to eat with Nea. ...... In that case, insects aside, Eiri will have to stop the mousetrap at will, or the knight outside will have to work hard to catch the mousetrap in the castle.

However, even though he is doing well, it is a pity that he is forced to eat mice and insects. Even if he is in such a condition, he is my familiar and a friend, so I will send a rescue boat.

 

"Eva, this kid eats everything, so it's okay to eat the same food as us."

"Oh, really?"

"Owls are monsters, and they eat different things than normal animals."

 

He's actually a vampire, but he ate fruit and stuff on his travels, and when he dressed up as a village girl and invited us to the village, he ate human food normally, so he's fine.

- She turns around and sighs at her who has been looking at her moist eyes as if to say that she has been saved, but she puts her arms forward as if to come back to her.

 

"Look, come back."

"Ho"

 

Nea moves from Eva's hand to my shoulder.

...... From the way she looked, it didn't look like there was anything wrong, but we'll hear about that later. For the time being, I want a place and time where I can explain the situation to Nea.

 

"I'm going to go to my room for a rest, is it okay if I let Nea indoors?"

"It's okay because you just need to clean it up if it gets dirty. If there is, I'll prepare it......"

"Thank you, but I don't think it's necessary for now."

 

An owl might need a perch or something, but this guy doesn't.

I waved lightly to Ava as I walked inside. Nea, who had moved to her shoulder at that time, closes her eyes in relief.

 

"Whew, what is it, girl?"

"It's because you're on track, it's self-indulgent, it's self-indulgent."

"Who thinks you're going to be told that you're being called meat and you're going to be made to eat bugs and mice?! It's different. It's not there!"

"Isn't it?"

 

Isn't that what you were doing earlier?

As I walk down the road to my room, keeping my voice as quiet as possible, Nea languidly says the words as if it doesn't matter.

 

"She's gone."

「...... Huh?"

 

Is it disappearing?

It's not being eroded, it's disappearing.

I couldn't help but be confused by my indescribable emotions as I involuntarily stopped in my tracks and looked sideways at her as she was drinking and stretching.

 

●

 

 

"I came here because, as you said, Alc asked me to."

 

In her room, Nea, who had returned to her human form, sat down leaning against the chair provided in the room and said:

However, when I was taken to the castle, Amako and Nea were gone, was it because of Fegnis's sword? I ...... to be careful while she's here, whether it's a magic tool that reveals Nea's transformation.

 

「...... What have you been up to since I went to the castle?"

"Soon the people of the castle contacted me and showed me to the inn, I was suspicious at first, but from the way you are treated now, the king here may be genuinely welcoming."

"Is it as you asked Lucas......

 

I had heard from the people in the castle that it was okay, but I was relieved to hear his words.

 

"That little fox...... Amako looked anxious in the handle, didn't she?"

"I don'...... it, but I'm glad you're doing well."

"It's not good here, why are you here for three days? Just when you think you don't look like you're being caught, you're trapped in this elaborate magical barrier. And that girl--...... You don't think you're in trouble, are you?"

"No, no, it's not so much that I'm involved, it's that I'm about to be involved, ......."

"Huh?"

 

Resting his chin on the back of his chair, he averts his eyes from Nea's suspicious gaze as he explains how he got to this point.

The fact that he received the letter so easily.

He was recruited as a healing wizard for Samaria.

That I was to live in the castle for a short time.

Having met Eva, the princess of Samaria.

That she is under some kind of curse.

To put it simply, Nea lets out a sigh of dismay.

 

"You're really good-natured, and it's okay to be a righteous person in this country, but how dare you try to help such a troublesome daughter...... Honestly, you're an idiot, Barkabaka."

 

I don't know what it is, but it's very irritating to be called stupid by this guy.

Reflexively, I suppress the urge to retaliate, and as I cross my arms, I look at Nea, who is smiling.

 

"Usato is the kind of person who gets into trouble on his own, and even in my case, he was a zombie grinning and a zombie grinning and a habit that caught me in a trap just for appealing to his affections."

"I didn't rush into it myself, everybody's going to get into trouble from there. I don't want you to tell me that you've been trapped. That was pretty much a big deal for you. It's super self-indulgent."

"Ugh! I'm good! I am!"

 

What an arrogant guy.

However, whether it's Nack or Nea, trouble always comes from the other side.

Are you destined to get into trouble? Or am I trying to get caught up in it without even realizing it?

 

"Kohon, but you shouldn't get involved this time."

「...... Why? Do you know what is undermining her?"

 

I feel like I said something quite meaningful earlier, but I wonder if there is any deeper meaning to it.

However, Nea raises her hands lightly and lets out a small sigh.

 

"No, you can't know."

「...... Huh!? I don't know, but you had such a confident attitude!?"

"It's weird to know just by a little contact!! ...... Good? It's not that she's being consumed by a curse or something like that, it's that she's ceasing to exist. That's not enough."

 

Before coming to this room, Nea uttered the words that she would cease to exist.

I thought it was just a metaphor, but is it true? No, I don't know why.

 

「...... Wait a minute, he was there. What does it mean to cease to exist?"

"Huh......"

 

In response to my question, Nea sat up from her chair, raised her hands to chest level, and made a small fist.

 

"The soul and the body are built on a strong bond, and without the body, the soul cannot remain in this world. Without the soul, the body cannot move in this world. The exception is that necromancers like me can break that rule, but the soul and body are the most important elements of life."

 

Nea folded her hands together, her fists clenched.

Body and soul -- but what does this have to do with Eva?

 

"But she's going through a weird phenomenon that even deviates from that rule."

"Does that mean that existence disappears? But from what you've heard, it sounds like Ava has nothing to do with the curse......"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that, because there's a lot of magic. ...... She is losing her soul and her body—both of them."

 

More and more incomprehensible.

What are the factors that cause the existence of such a soul and body to disappear?

 

No, abnormality is not something that can be dismissed with words. The realm of the soul and the body is the realm of the body that ordinary humans should not interfere with, and that is the field of magic that I deal with."

"Witchcraft ......"

"And these types of phenomena can have a curse on them, and if that happens, it's not a journey, right? I'm not out of interest, but I'm not stupid enough to fall into a trap."

 

Do you mean to say that the phenomenon of the curse being transferred -- the disappearance of Eva's existence -- could happen to me as well?

 

「...... Can't you do something with your liberation magic?"

"It's suspicious that the curse is even placed on the magic in the first place, and above all, I can't use it because I can't see the technique."

 

The magic of liberation was more difficult to handle than I had imagined. No, I kind of knew what I was expecting.

At the moment, there is nothing Nea can do about it...... Or? This is troubling in a different way than it was with the Evil Dragon.

 

"Why is Usato trying to help that girl?"

"What?"

 

Suddenly, Nea asked.

I was indulging in my thoughts at the unexpected question, and I made a stunned voice.

 

"Anyway, we've only seen each other for about three days, so we're almost strangers, right? Why do you have to do that for your daughter? I don't like it, do I? I even signed a familiar contract with you, and I can't believe you're gone."

 

Why do I go this far?

To be honest, I don't have any in-laws or pretensions to help Eva.

But the reason I was trying to help her was simple.

 

"I wanted to help, and that's the only reason."

"Huh? That's all?"

"It's not because she's a lifesaver or anything like that, it's just that I felt sympathy for her, I took pity on her, and I wanted to help her."

 

This world is big.

Magic, demons, people and subhumans, there is a lot of nature spreading.

It's crazy that we don't know about such a world and are not allowed to know it, and we have no choice but to disappear.

As a person from another world, I was glad to have come to this world.

When I cried at her words after the battle with the Demon King's army, I was grateful from the bottom of my heart for meeting the people of this world.

But she is destined to disappear in such a small and stifling place, without knowing the outside world and not being allowed to know.

Is there such a funny story?

Nea rolled her eyes at my words and shrugged her shoulders in dismay.

 

「...... Huh~. He's a really weird and selfish person. I can understand that little fox would be anxious. You don't know what you're going to do if you take your eyes off it for a moment."

"Don't talk like a kid with a lot of hands."

"In fact, he's worse than a child, isn't he? It just looks like you've fallen for a weird woman, don't you?"

 

That's misleading!

Because one day I'll remember what Amako said to me about being deceived by women.

 

"Well, I've become such a human familiar, so it's the same ......."

「...... Nea?"

"I'll help you for a little while, because it's too dangerous for Usato to be alone."

 

Nea's words, which looked away shyly, naturally brought a smile to her face.

 

"Hahaha, thank you, it's reassuring."

 

He's not honest, but he's not a bad kid.

I was relieved to be able to join her again, and I put my body against the back door and relaxed.

 

"Speaking of which, why are you leaning against the door all the time? Why don't you just come in?"

"No, if you don't do this, you won't know Eva is approaching, and basically that girl has no sign of you, so it's not uncommon for her to get behind you. Worst of all, I can feel her staring at me even when I'm resting in my room, so it's pretty hard."

"What kind of life has Usato been living for the past three days!? Aren't you being watched by that girl!?"

 

Maybe.

But even if the situation is like that, the scary thing is that she doesn't realize it.

Well, once you get used to it, there is no inconvenience in this.

When she goes on to say that, her face turns pale.

While smiling bitterly at her, I thought about what kind of action I should take with her from now on.