Published: December 20th 2024, 8:29:10 am
A sense of being protected is overwhelming.
Pochi’s Point of View
Hello, it's Pocchi. Today, I’m exploring a cave with the Free Wind.
"How about this place?"
"Pyuu..."
"Wrong."
Well, we didn’t expect to find it on the first try.
As a result, we didn’t find anything.
"Ehhhh… Whyyy!?"
"... That child was poached, right? Maybe there's a hidden location that's not publicized."
Crystal Rabbits are heavily poached for their beauty and charm, so their habitats are closely guarded. That could explain it.
"... Maybe I should ask Jend’s dad."
Jend’s dad always seems to know about hidden spots.
"I know one!"
He took us to a natural cave near the royal capital. It was cool and refreshing.
"Here it is!"
"Pyuu! Pyui!"
"This is it! This is the place! Is what he’s saying"
Now for some exploring… Wait, what?
"Jend’s dad, are you coming too?"
"I’ve got time! I’ll tag along—"
"No."
Binet-san refused outright.
"This is Pochi’s request, and we are here as his bodyguards. Taking over the job would be impolite. Your guidance was helpful, but anything more is unnecessary."
"Kyuuun."
Jend’s dad, chastened by Miula-san’s reasoning, deflated.
"… Shall we have a drink when we get back?"
"Alright!"
With Sole-san’s encouragement, the simple-minded uncle perked up again.
Once inside, the cave was breathtaking. Luminous moss made it bright, and crystals reflecting the light sparkled everywhere.
"Wow..."
Since I was riding on Suigetsu-san, who had transformed into a spider, I quickly started sketching. Crys-kun sat on my head.
"Pyuu, Pyui."
"Turn right here."
It seems there are some monsters around, but…
"Anyone who dares to harm my Lord’s precious Pochi, I will not forgive! Shhhaa!"
"Pyuiii!!"
Well, whenever monsters appeared, Suigetsu-san attacked from the front while Crys-kun took the upper hand. They were gone in no time. All I did was sit there. I’m being extremely protected.
"Why does this feel familiar…?"
"Sounds like the princess."
"Do we even need to be here?"
"… Yeah."
Oh no! The Free Wind team’s morale is plummeting!!
"That’s not true! Having all of you, skilled and experienced, makes me feel so reassured!"
I really am being protected a lot!!
By the way, Sole-san seemed to have a thing for Suigetsu-san, but upon learning she was a spider beast, he looked pretty let down.
Eventually, we arrived at the destination.
"Pyuu, Pyupyuui!"
"This is what I was talking about! Is what he said"
"...…"
I inspected the stones. The clarity was exceptional—perfect for stained glass. No need to remove impurities even under high heat. There were many vibrant colors, all stunning.
"Ah."
I locked eyes with a tiny red Crystal Rabbit resembling a gemstone.
"”.........…"”
We stared at each other. It was so beautiful and cute. But upon closer inspection, it was trembling. Maybe I scared it?
"Sorry if I frightened you. Would you like something to eat?"
I pulled out some cookies from my pocket and offered them. It hesitated briefly but soon sniffed the cookie, grabbed it, and ran off.
Feeding wild animals is generally a bad idea.
(............)
I was swarmed by a lot of tiny Crystal Rabbits. They were about 10 cm tall and incredibly cute.
"Your ears tickle! I gave away all the cookies already, so there’s none left!"
At first, they were scared, but now they clung to me like I was their best friend.
When I tried to coax them down, they wouldn’t budge. So, I started sketching again, and they climbed down to watch, tilting their heads in curiosity. So cute! Rosarin would love this...
They seemed very curious, especially about the sketches of themselves. Soon, they started tapping me, signaling they wanted to be drawn too. Well, I don’t mind. Rosarin will definitely enjoy this.
"Pyupyu."
"Um… In return for the cookies, we will serve you…"
The red Crystal Rabbit said this, but I shook my head.
"No, I’m good. I already have plenty of helpers..."
Our house is full of living artworks already.
"Pyuu…"
"Pyuupyu…"
The tiny Crystal Rabbits all looked up at me pleadingly.
"Wh-what do I do…"
In the end, they helped us gather beautiful crystals.
"But aren’t these your food?"
"Pyuu, Pyui."
"No, we eat the cloudy ones."
"Pyuuu."
"… The transparent ones are, um… leftovers."
So basically, these are Crystal Rabbit droppings… Let’s just not think about it!
"Pyupyu!!"
"There’s a lot in our restroom area!"
"… Thanks!"
No problem using them, right? We gathered tons! Nope, not thinking about it!!
----------
Yep, I’m surprised too.
Pochi’s Point of View
Just as I was about to leave after gathering the necessary amount, Crys-kun stopped me.
“Pyui, pyu.”
“There are only children here. That’s strange.”
“… I was thinking the same. Do Crystal Rabbits go hunting outside?”
“Pyupyuu.”
“There’s plenty of food in this cave, so there’s no need.”
The entrance suddenly grew noisy, and the Crystal Rabbit children hid all at once.
“Pyu?”
“Pyu, byuuu…”
“The parents were taken…”
I see, I see. So, the remaining fools from the group that Rosarin Oneechan wiped out are here?
“I have a plan.”
We can’t let idiots who poach such adorable creatures go unchecked!
“Huh? Just one kid?”
“Hey, kid! Don’t interfere with our work!”
Good, they’re human men. Even a weakling like me can handle this.
“Transform! Wolfanea Boy No. 6!!”
“Hah!?”
“No way! Did he say Wolfanea Boy!?”
Looks like the Wolfanea Boys are becoming quite famous. However, my attempt to act as bait completely backfired, as they were already scared stiff.
“You can’t forget about us!”
The Free Wind folks quickly captured the five men.
“Now, time to make them talk.”
“Hmph, I won’t betray my comrades!”
“Then I’ll hand you over to my sister. Oneechan absolutely despises people who poach Crys-kun’s kind. I’m sure she’ll make you scream and beg for death. By the way, my sister’s name is Rosarin Burton.”
“Ro… Rosarin!? Princess Hero Rosarin!? That beautiful but ruthless woman who punishes villains and those who oppose her worse than death… the Crime Slayer Rosarin!?”
“… Probably that Rosarin.”
What’s happening to Oneechan’s reputation? It’s true she deals with enemies in, well, harsh ways.
“We’re sorryyyyy!! We’ll talk! We’ll tell you everything, so please, anything but exposing our embarrassing past! Turn us over to the knights! Just not Rosarin, not Rosarinnnnn!!”
“……………”
I wonder if these guys had a run-in with Oneechan before… Oh well, it works in my favor. Thanks, Oneechan. I bowed in the direction where I assumed she might be.
Now, we stormed the criminals’ hideout.
“Wait, you’re not leaving this to the knights?”
“These things are all about speed. I’ve reported to Fizz-san, but if the knights’ movements are noticed and the Crystal Rabbits are taken away, it’ll all be for nothing. Plus, I’m a hero of justice, too.”
“Pyui?”
“Rosarinjas are heroes of justice, so I’ll rescue your parents. Don’t worry, we’ll catch them all.”
“Fine. Our job is to guard Pochi. This counts as work too.”
“Thank you!”
There were about 30 bad guys in total. This group won’t lose to them. First, Suigetsu-san blocked the exits with her threads. Since there was still a chance of secret passages or teleportation magic, we decided to infiltrate.
We quickly found the Crystal Rabbits, but there were over 30 of them. That’s a lot. What should I do?
After some thought, I drew a sealing formation on the flat roof of the building.
“Seal them! Sealing!!”
The formation activated. Now, no secret passages or teleportation can be used. Entering is still possible, so no problem there!
“What did you do?”
“It’s a special barrier a friend taught me. You can enter but not leave. Since we’re at it, I’ll try something else too.”
Inspired by Rosarin Oneechan’s haunted house traps, I decided to give it a shot.
“Gyaaaaahhhhh!!”
Something with intestines spilling out and half its face rotted off crept closer.
“Don’t come near me! Don’t come, don’t come, don’t comeee!!”
A long-haired woman with bloodshot eyes and a pale face slowly approached.
“Why won’t the door opeeeeeen!?”
(Kekekeke.)
Suddenly, porcelain dolls with blank eyes attacked with knives.
“Help me! Somebody, anybodyyyy!!”
“Fufu, it worked perfectly.”
I leisurely watched the chaos through a remote recording magic tool.
“Pochi…”
“Pochi-kun…”
“As expected of Rosarin-chan’s ‘younger brother’…”
“What is that… (shaking).”
“That’s a prototype of the horror golems I made with Ernst, the magic academy genius. Their names are Zombie-kun, Sadako-chan, and Ripper-chan. In another world, there’s a custom of using scary things called ‘horror’ to test courage or for fun, so I made them!”
(Who would enjoy thaaaaat!!)
“Ehh~?”
Did I do something wrong? I’ll ask Oneechan later. For now, most of them have been neutralized, so I need to rescue Crys-kun’s companions.
----------
Awakened Pochi.
Pochi’s Point of View
The majority had fainted or been incapacitated, so we proceeded to restrain them. Oh dear, some even wet themselves. And they call themselves adults? Such cowards.
“Are you going to help? Thank you.”
Zombie-kun proved to be a diligent worker, swiftly tying up the bad guys.
“You... are you the boss of these monsters!?”
“I’m one of the creators.”
“You made them!? Pochi-kun, you made them!?”
Mirula-san—no, the Free Wind folks—were utterly shocked.
“Just the exterior.”
“That’s amazing enough!!”
For now, we left the bad guys under the golems’ watch. Anyone too noisy was gagged.
“It’s okay. I’ll save you now.”
There were magic beasts besides the Crystal Rabbits.
“Pochi, watch out!!”
“Ouch…”
When I opened the cage, one of the Crystal Rabbits jumped out and bit my left hand. Luckily, I’m right-handed, so it wasn’t my dominant hand.
“It’s okay. I just want to take you home. Your children were such sweet and well-behaved little ones. They’re waiting for you to come back.”
“Pyui…”
“He’s saying, ‘I’m sorry.’”
It seems like they’ve stopped biting me.
“Are you okay?”
Mirula-san healed me, and the pain disappeared.
“Yes, it seems to be fine.”
“Pyui! Pyu-pyuu! Pyuuu!!”
Though I couldn’t understand, Crys-kun seemed furious and was scolding his companions. The caged Crystal Rabbits appeared dejected.
“Crys-kun, I got hurt because I recklessly opened the cage. It’s my fault, so don’t get angry. You’re not to blame. You were just trying to protect your friends, right?”
“Pyui…”
“That tickles!”
For some reason, the adult Crystal Rabbits started piling on top of me as well.
“Are you hungry? I have some kibble…”
I remembered I had bought rabbit pet food as a thank-you for Crys-kun.
“Pyui!”
Long story short, they were starving. The pet food and my emergency rations were devoured in no time. I’d need to restock on the way back.
“… Huh? What’s this? A kid and… adventurers?”
It seemed like another group had returned. About twenty rough-looking men. One of them was holding something in his hand that made me freeze.
“Pyui…”
He was gripping the red, adorable ear of a small Crystal Rabbit. The poor little creature was in terrible shape. Other small ones were carelessly stuffed into a net.
“How dare you…”
My vision turned red with rage. Unforgivable. UNFORGIVABLE!!
“WOOOOON!!”
I released my magic energy, intimidating the men. Overwhelmed by my anger and killing intent, they couldn’t move.
I leapt at the man holding the red Crystal Rabbit, sending him flying. The red one was still breathing. It could be saved if its wounds were treated quickly. I rushed over to Mirula-san and handed it to him.
“Grrr…”
“A full beast transformation? A beastman!?”
Some of them managed to dodge my charge, but they weren’t my target. I snatched the net from the man I had blown away, tore it open with my teeth, and freed the Crystal Rabbits, guiding them toward the Free Wind members.
“AOOOOON!!”
Now it’s your turn! My adorable creations!! The stones embedded in Tsuyoshi glowed brightly.
“Wahahahaha!!”
“Rosariiiin!!”
“”Kyahahahaha!!””
It was over in an instant.
In hindsight, I didn’t need to unleash all of them.
“Pyui…”
“Aooon! Waooon!!”
Mirula-san! Heal them quickly!!
The ones caught in the net seemed to be injured too! Potions… wait, huh?
“Waon?”
My hands… are paw pads?
“Waon?”
I can’t speak either…
“Waon??”
I can’t stand, and I feel huge?? For now, I think suppressing my magic power might let me return to human form…
(Pochiiii!?)
“… Huh?”
The Free Wind folks were pale, while Suigetsu-san and Crys-kun seemed unfazed. Huh? What? My hands look human now, but… what’s happening to me??