White Rabbit’s Owner and True Identity
The White Rabbit spoke.
That’s something impossible, but there’s just one, one method to use an animal as a medium to converseーーand control it.
“Uh……the White Rabbit talked?”
Serina was looking blankly.
“I’m going to go out for a bit”
My arm was grabbed by Eleanor when I said that and was about to go out.
“……Is it not dangerous? Making contact at this timing, and furthermore, making contact not directly, but indirectly, using the occupation’s power. It has the possibility of being a trap”
“Maybe. However, the occupation that uses this power is not that formidable of an enemy. Well, it’ll probably be fine”
“……May we follow along as well?”
“No, it only called for me, so the two of you will wait here”
I pat the head of Eleanor and Serina, who stare at me worryingly, and head towards the exit.
I’m not the one to worry about, it’s the two of them.
“Hart. I’m going to go out for just a bit. I’m counting the both of them on you”
“Yes, I understand”
I can’t imagine, not even the slightest, myself losing. Instead, I’m more worried about me being lured out and the two of them being targeted.
And as I was about to leave the tent, I stopped my feet.
“……I guess I’ll bring the corn”
“Feed, is it?”
Eleanor tilts her head and hands an ear of raw corn to me.
“I don’t know which though”
“I wonder if it is the human’s favourite food?”
“Eh, what do you mean?”
I hear the voice of Serina, who still hasn’t managed to grasp the situation.
Eleanor was explaining, but I left the tent.
It’s the tent area that’s always boisterous, but just tonight, it’s as silent as a wake.
I suppose each and every guild is deciding on their course of actions.
ーーWhether to remain.
ーーWhether to leave.
If we assume that the opponent is an S Rank Adventurer, it’s probably the right decision to resign here. It’s not a quest to be that persistent about.
Besides, if those other than the traitors retire, it becomes easier to narrow down and it helps.
Howeverーーbefore that, we have to resolve the problem with Eleanor’s childhood friends though.
And then I arrived at the lake.
There’s nobody who’s bathing anymore.
But one person, someone who gazes the lake, was there.
It’s the girl who has transparent and beautiful light blue long hair, hanged the hair on the right over her right ear and wore a silver barrette above her left ear.
I guess her age is in the latter half of 1〇. The childish girl, who turned around, faced her sleepy-looking half-opened eyes at me.
“You’re, a fellow who’s at Fabiola’s huh”
She’s wearing a Slave Tool on her neck.
Fabiola’s party’s fellows leave the impression of excessive charm and heavy makeup. However, the girl before my eyes is the only one who’s slightly different.
If I put it nicely, it’s a composed atmosphere. If I put it badly, it’s an emotionless atmosphere.
“……Nice to meet you, Egil・Voltz”
The tone of her, who turns her face to the back without standing up, was monotonous.
She has no weapon in particular. She’s just wearing the full body black robe that she’s normally wearing.
I can’t be at ease, but I remove the hood of the robe that I’m wearing and sit beside her.
“I was hiding my face and still you know about me, which means, you were controlling the White Rabbit that appeared before us several times huh”
“Yup. It’s my occupation’s power”
“Beast Tamer, was it?”
“Yup. Elementary Level Occupation’s Beast Tamer”
Blunt, or rather, unsociable.
A Beast Tamer’s power is to control animals to fight monsters. Be that as it may, the types of animals that they can control are limited, and Elementary Level Occupation can only control a few small animals; it’s quite user-friendly but it’s an inferior power.
“Name?”
“……Which?”
I guess it means, her, or the White Rabbit that she placed on her lap.
“Both”
“I’m Fi. Fi・Sirius. This is Elizabeth. Five years old”
It’d have been fine if she told me her own age though……. Well, I didn’t ask for her age so I guess it’s fine.
“And, why did you call me?”
“It’s a simple impetus. It’s because you three were suspicious”
“Three? Do you mean the three of us?”
“Yup. I know because I’d been watching that Hart person’s guild members since before. It’s obvious that the people have changed”
“As I thought, it’s noticeable huh”
Although we’re hiding our faces, as expected, from the behaviours, well, those who can tell from the various factors, can tell huh.
“Keep an eye on the three people using Elizabeth. That’s Fabiola’s order”
“Fabiola’s?”
“Yup. He said that he doesn’t think that you guys are the traitors, but he wants to know what kind of people you guys are”
“And, have you told Fabiola about us?”
An expressionless Fi, shook her head.
“I actually intended to report, but I changed my mind”
“Why?”
“……Hermit crabs are, living creatures that change shells”
When Fi touched the silver Slave Tool that’s constricting her neck, she halved and removed it.
“You……weren’t you the Fabiola fellow’s slave?”
“If there’s a way to put it on, there’s also a way to take it off. You don’t know?”
“It’s because I’m not really detailed on those kinds of things”
“Huーmph. Even though two of your companions are slaves, it’s strange. It will become a lengthy explanation, so can I omit it?”
“I don’t mind”
It’s not particularly a necessary piece of information.
More importantly, I’m more curious about why Fi removed the Slave Tool and showed me.
“And, do you mean, ‘change shells’, as in you’ll change your shell to me?”
“Yup”
“The reason is?”
“……In order to lead a more prosperous life”
She stared straight ahead and answered in an emotionless tone.
“……Is that your true feelings?”
“Yup. True feelings”
“You intend to be a slave again?”
“Yes. I want to be reared”
“……Why me?”
“It’s because you’re an S Rank Adventurer”
“……You even knew that I’m an S Rank Adventurer huh?”
“It’s because I’m good at information gathering”
“Is that so. Using that Elizabeth?”
“There are others as well. Leaving that aside……heyy, that please”
Fi points at the corn that I brought over.
As I thought, it’s the human’s favourite food huh…….
“Do you like it, corn?”
“I like it, orn”
“……Is that so”
I handed it to Fi.
‘orn’……why did she omit ‘c’?1
When Fi took it with her small hand, she broke it in half right in the middle and shared it with Elizabeth.
Apparently, for both human and animal, it seems corn is both their favourite food.
When she turns it sideway and places it on her mouth,
“GajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGaji”
“”GajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGajiGaji””
Fi and Elizabeth bite into the corn absorbedly. That vigour, it’s just like they’re biting into meat, but it’s a slightly distorted sight since this is corn.
And then, when she finishes eating everything in just a minute, she courteously returns the stem portion to me.
“Thanks for the meal”
“……Aah”
It’s troubling even if you return it to me though, well whatever.
“And, is it really just because you wanted to have a prosperous living?”
“Yup. Is there any other reason?”
“No, since you went through the trouble to somehow remove the Slave Tool, you don’t have to be a slave anymore, you know?”
“……Live by myself, is that what you mean?”
When she stares fixedly at me from the corner of her eyes, I affirmingly nod.
Although her beautiful blue eyes are faintly visible from her half-opened eyes, this expressionless face erases the beauty.
And then, Fi laughed for the first timeーーscornfully.
“Fuu. Troublesome”
“……You, is it your principle to not want to work?”
“Yup. ‘Slave’, is a convenient occupation. I can get my meals even if I don’t do anything”
“……It depends on how you look at it. But, you weren’t treated roughly or anything?”
I suppose what female slaves hate the most, is to be treated roughly. Amongst that is, of course, being violatedーーincluding rape even.
However, Fi laughed scornfully again.
“Fuu. You’re saying that there’s a demand for my body?”
A flat chest. An unsensual butt. A height of about 14〇.
Indeed, it hasn’t a shred of adult’s sensuality. However,
“……In this world, there are various types of people. Well, there’s probably a demand”
“There isn’t”
“An immediate answer huh……”
“Besides, I have the experience of being violated”
“……Is that so”
It became a solemn mood, just a little, so I was thinking that perhaps I asked something bad.
However, she answered without changing her expression at all.
“……But I’m, reactionless even when I’m violated”
“Uh, that’s……?”
“Fabiola said, it’s like a doll and it’s boring”
“……”
I wonder how I should respond.
Thereupon, Fi continues talking.
“I was violated just once by Fabiola, but he no longer bothered with me. It appears that he got tired”
“You’re surprisingly treating it like somebody else’s business”
“It’s somebody else’s business. I mean, it wasn’t fun nor was it exhilarating either”
I guess those words are from the bottom of her heart.
Fi’s expression didn’t brighten, having said that, it didn’t darken either, it looks like she really doesn’t care.
“Hence, it was my first time seeing, that atmosphere yesterday, when Egil was doing it with that slave”
“……You’d seen that as well huh”
Come to think of it, we were being watched by a White Rabbit yesterday.
“Everybody in the guild, they’re having sex with Fabiola unwillingly. Everybody was saying, ‘sex is just for the man to feel good’. Butーーwhat I’d seen yesterday, it was slightly different”
“In conclusion, you thought the sex of Serina and I yesterday was different huh”
“Yup. It’s because, that slave, she looked tremendously blissful. I thought that it’s strange”
“Well……isn’t it about whether if there’s love or not?”
“Heh, love huh. Such a thing exists huh”
It’s hard to tell what she’s feeling because her expression doesn’t change. But, at just this single moment, it feels like it’s a darker expression than just now.
“Well, whatever. More importantly, what will you do?”
“What do you mean what will I do?”
“Will you rear us?”
“……What do you mean ‘us’?”
“Elizabeth and me, along with other pets as well”
Right now, there’s only the White Rabbit.
By taming a lot of animals and communing with them, a Beast Tamer is able to control several animals simultaneously from a remote location. Hence, it’s very much possible for Fi to commune with many animals and control them.
It’s just thatーーjudging from Fi’s personality, she doesn’t really look like the type to commune with other people.
“Nn, Elizabeth is also saying to rear her”
She lifts up both hands of the White Rabbit, Elizabeth, and shows me.
Elizabeth, that’s swaying side to side, shows her composure, and with her moist crimson eyes, it’s like she’s appealing something.
It’s surprisingly attached to Fi huh…….
Although she’s unsociable with humans, I guess she’s able to commune with animals huh.
“……I can’t be rearing you for free. Eleanor and Serina are precious to me, I don’t want to have more trouble if possible”
I experienced snatching a slave from Serina’s case.
I want to avoid making an enemy of Fabiola even though it doesn’t benefit us and possibly exposing Eleanor and Serina to danger.
I’m sorry for Fi but…….
However, Fi placed the White Rabbit on her lap once again,
“I am useful. Nothing to lose rearing me”
she said; although I don’t know if she’s brimming with confidence or not.
“How are you useful?”
“I can make animals travel with the guilds that are attacking the gates at all the locations. I’ll know immediately if the traitors do anything suspicious”
I’d be quite thankful for that.
Occupations that control something, like a Beast Tamer, aren’t that useful in battles, but they are useful aside from that.
It’s because, Beast Tamer, which is a Lower Class Occupation, and furthermore, its Intermediate Class and Advanced Class, are not suited for battle, that it’s rare for Adventurers to raise their ranks.
Nevertheless, I’ve heard rumours that if a Beast Tamer’s occupation is promoted to Advanced, it’s quite a convenient occupation aside from battle.
It’s a convenient occupation if I make her my companion.
ーーHowever, there’s no proof anywhere that Fi isn’t the traitor.
“I don’t particularly care about the traitors. If we clear the questーー”
“You’re lying”
“Why do you think so?”
“It’s meaningless for an S Rank Adventurer to go out of the way to take on an A Rank quest. It’s probably unnecessary for an S Rank Adventurer to get the Kingdom in your debt either”
It’s true.
“Besides. If that’s the case then you should’ve taken on the quest with your own guild”
“It might be because I don’t belong to a guild, you know?”
“If that’s the case, then all the more, there’s no reason to take on this quest. BesidesーーI witnessed the members of 《Jerusalem’s Hope》, that Egil assumedly belongs to, who were there before, being killed”
I heard those words, there’s a moment of silence, and I opened my mouth.
“……You, do you know the true identity of the traitor?”
When I asked, Fiーresponded ambiguously.
“I know half of it. I don’t know half of it”
“What do you mean?”
“The answerーーhere”
When she hands me the Slave Tool that she removed, she brings her face in front of me.
“Once you put this on, the contract will be complete. Egil will have to rear us for the rest of our lives”
“……What if, I violated that contract?”
“I’ll resent you even through death”
“That’s scary”
It’s as though she knows that I won’t do that.
I was read, or rather, she thinks that I’m a person who won’t do such a thing huh.
I receive the Slave Tool from Fi.
“Are you sure?”
“Go ahead. The conditions will come afterwards”
“……What do you mean ‘conditions'”
“Contract details. The conditions for us to lead a blissful leeching life”
“It’s the worst conditions. Well, I’ll listen to those conditions later on”
“Un”
I place the Slave Tool, that’s split into halves, on her slender neck.
When it makes the sound ‘Gachi’, I feel a faint surge of magic and a magic circle appears.
Contract complete.
With this, Fi became an absolutely compliant slave who’s unable to defy me.
A new slave. Without rejoicing about that, I immediately asked.
“And, the traitor’s true identity is?”
I asked, and Fi answered while hugging Elizabeth.
“The traitors that I know of areーー”
Fi, through the eyes of the animals that she’s managing, the things she has seen until now, and then, the true identities of those who killed the people who were scattered about until now.
All of it, she explained it to me.
- : In Japanese Language, ‘corn’ is ‘トウモロコシ: toumorokoshi’, and in the original text, Fi calls it ‘ モロコシ : morokoshi’.
