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Finding Nina
「When did that happen!?」
「This morning?」
「Did Nina go alone?」
「She was alone when I saw her. I thought she was with someone, like Stella-san, Andre-san, or Kureto-san, but was I wrong?」
「Yes」
「That’s.....! I’m sorry!」
「No, it’s not Lefyria-san’s fault」
It’s obvious for children to go gathering ingredients in the forest with adults. No one will think they will go into the forest alone.
……no way, did she enter the forest to meet Yukishiro and Yukinko?
Stella said she didn’t see her, and I tried not to think about that possibility but that’s the only thing I can think of.
Nina was very worried about Yukishiro and Yukinko.
Even though she’s a reasonable child, she is still a child. It’s possible for her to act rashly because of her strong desire to see them.
It might be a good idea to call Andre, but now that I know she’s in the forest, every second is precious.
「I’m going to look for her in the forest now! Sorry Lefyria, but please tell Andre-san about this」
「U, understood!」
She must have understood the seriousness of the situation. Lefyria’s face turns pale and she starts running.
Since she’s not very athletic, her feet keep getting caught in the snow, and she’s stumbling along, but she’ll probably be able to deliver the information. I can only trust her now.
Leaving the passing of information to her, I immediately teleport next to the secret base.
I arrive next to the secret base in the forest from in front of Lefyria’s house.
「……it’s strangely quiet, isn’t it?」
I feel a strange sense of unease the moment I teleport.
I just came here 7 days ago together with Nina, but something feels different now.
I feel like it’s strangely quiet.
It’s natural since animals and monsters will slow down their activity when the forest is covered in snow, but even after taking that into consideration, it still feels too quiet.
It feels like all the creatures in the forest is holding their breath, afraid of something.
I discovered some large footprints when I continued to enter the cave that is our secret base, while being cautious.
They are clearly larger than the footprints of Yukishiro and Yukinko.
The footprints are from a large, bear-like creature.
A chill runs through me as the blood drains from my face.
Maybe, Nina was attacked.
I imagined the worst, but I can’t find any sign of evidence to suggest that.
There are footprints of many creatures in the surroundings of the cave, but it’s the only creature remaining in my mind that left such a footprint.
There’s no way it can enter the cave.
Nina might have realized that fact and escaped here.
After looking inside and confirming there’s no dangerous creature, I teleport to the accessible spot where I can enter.
「Hiii!」
「Nina?」
Entering inside, I can hear a small scream and Nina, her face pale and her eyes filled with tears as she hugs Yukishiro and Yukinko.
「Ku, kureto.....?」
「I’m glad you’re okay. I heard you haven’t come home for a while so I was worried and came looking for you」
Nina strongly hugs me after I tell her the reason I’m here while sighing in relief.
「Uuuh, Kureto.....I was scared.....!」
Large drops of tears stream down her face while she holds back her sobs.
Her slender arms wrap around me, squeezing tightly.
I'm surprised when she suddenly hugs me, but I also hug her tightly to calm her fear.
Yukishiro and Yukinko also rub their bodies to us, showing their affection.
Perhaps Nina have calmed down after I continued hugging her like that for some time, and she slowly let go.
「I’m sorry for crying so suddenly」
「It’s fine. Are you alright now?」
「Un, Kureto is here after all」
Her eyes are red and she’s sniffling, but her usual smile has returned.
「Your body seems cold, have some hot water」
Nina’s body is cold since she’s been outside for a long time. Her face is a little pale and her lips are also turning blue.
I will need her to raise her temperature first to hear the full story from her.
I hand her a water bottle containing hot water, take it out from the subspace, and help her put on some warm winter clothes.
「Kureto’s clothes are too big」
「They're made to fit my body after all, bear with it」
「It’s okay. This is fine」
Nina shyly sips on the hot water.
Meanwhile, I give Yukishiro and Yukinko some dried fruits.
They voraciously eat the dried fruits, perhaps they’re hungry.
「Can you tell me why you hid here?」
「…………un」
I’ve guessed the reason why Nina has been staying here all along, but I decide to ask her just in case.
Nina nods and starts talking about what happened after I headed to the royal capital for work.
She promised not to go to the secret base until I returned, but Nina couldn’t endure it anymore after I couldn't return after 6 days.
Deciding to go by herself, Nina told Stella she was going for a walk and entered the forest, and finally arrived at the secret base.
Things went well up to that point but as she was playing with Yukishiro and Yukinko, it seemed that she heard a ferocious roar from outside. Nina was so scared she couldn’t step outside.
Nina huddled with Yukishiro and Yukinko and holding her breath to fight against the severe cold, and that was when I arrived via teleportation.
「Sorry.....I couldn’t keep my promise」
Nina apologizes, looking sorry after she finishes telling the situation.
I never had children before, so I don’t know what to say in this kind of situation.
「I do feel a little angry about that, but now is not the time for that. In any case, I’m glad Nina is alright」
「……un」
「Thank you for protecting Nina, Yukishiro, Yukinko」
If these two hadn’t kept Nina warm, she might have collapsed from the cold long ago.
The fact that she’s safe and well until I hastened here is clearly thanks to these two’s effort.
Yukishiro and Yukinko proudly cried when I pet them as though to praise their effort.
「Now then, I said we should return to the village with teleport, but leaving that monster alone is also not a good idea」
This secret base is not that far from the village.
There’s a chance that it might go down to the village if I leave it alone.
「There are bear-like footprints outside, but do you know what creature it is?」
I’d feel a little more at ease if it’s just a bear but it will be trouble if it’s a monster.
「I don’t know. But, I know it was big because I heard a really loud sound of footsteps」
It seems like she didn’t actually see it. Well, it’s obvious she won’t know of it if she kept hiding inside here.....
「I’m going outside to take a look for a bit」
「Eh! It’s dangerous, don’t do it!」
「It’s fine. Even though I look like this, I’m strong, you know. I’ll take it down just like I did the wild boar before. And I also can’t let a dangerous monster for Nina, and Yukishiro and Yukinko’s sake」
Nina pulled my sleeve, trying to stop me from going out, but then she let go of my hand after explaining it’s also for Yukishiro and Yukinko’s sake.
Yukishiro and Yukinko are just ordinary animals. They won’t stand a chance if a monster were to attack them.
Food is already scarce as it is, so it will be doubtful whether they can even survive the winter with dangerous monsters roaming around. I have to get rid of it, not just for the villagers’ sake, but also for Yukishiro and Yukinko.
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