The Start of Our Friendship

"..."

Alexandriya Aya now reflected on what Daizen Shizaki said for a bit.

A Mythical Beast User. A person who is able to utilise and manipulate wild animals or Spirit Arts animals at will through a Mythical Contract or a Magic Affinity.

It is plausible.

"Why would they use them to attack you guys? You didn't do anything wrong…did you?"

"O-Of course not!…I don't know why we were targeted like that in the first place. We were just walking and then we were ambushed."

That had been his train of thought as well. In the exception of the user being a complete psychopath, there must have been a reason for attacking them and them specifically.

The vision of the future…has the enemy already made their move?

"Anyway, we're still not out of the clear just yet. Timberwolves have an insane skill of retaining scent over a great distance, or so I've heard. We have to keep moving."

"Are there a lot of them, Shizaki? Are you sure that we can't choose the other option?"

"Other…option?"

"Fighting. We have Neo and I for combat, alongside Kamazaki and Yukino. Kawarasuri….might be able to help us significantly."

"Kawa…? Oh, you mean King?"

Aya took a peek at the duo in front of them, and eyed King, who stayed close to Kamazaki.

She then whispered to him:

"That guy…I doubt that he's of the human race. Now that I think about it, when he darted forward, it was as if his eyes turned cat-like."

"Eh, seriously?"

Shizaki thought about it for a bit, but was more focused on the danger still looming.

"There's a lot of wolves out there seemingly after us. More than a dozen."

"Hmm…that might be too much for us to handle. Looks like we have to continue our initial plan."

"Right."

"Hey, um, Shizaki-kun?"

Shizaki averted his attention to King, who had suddenly called out to him. While Aya walked on ahead, King stayed behind, and finally strutted alongside him.

"Thank you…for protecting Kamazaki. Although she still contained major injuries from that incident, she told me how bad the situation was. I should've gone with her as well."

Shizaki stared at him.

"...What's wrong?"

"It's just that…no, forget it…well, don't mention it. It's just that….before you and Yukino-kun, I haven't heard a 'thank you' for something I've done in a while."

"Oh, I see, haha. Your injuries aren't huge, right?"

"No…no, not really, thanks. I'm fine, really."

With a nod of satisfaction King walked on ahead as Shizaki was left to his thoughts.

He appreciated what I did, huh…

"If Kiyotai comes this way running with his arms flailing and yelling that his Timberwolf has gone mad, then I guess we know why."

King tried to make a light-hearted joke about the situation at hand, but Neo's reply made everyone stop in unison.

"...Or the wolf would've had its fill of Kiyotai already...….sorry."

He lightly scratched his mask instead of his face with his index finger apologetically, and Aya decided to step in.

"Well, we should stay positive…even for a random carriage-rider like him. He's basically the only transport we have right now, so let's hope for the best."

Shizaki and Yukino now lingered at the back while Neo and King stayed at the front of the group, and Kamazaki and Aya at the middle.

"Hey, Neo-kuuuuuuun."

"Are…you okay, Kamazaki?"

"When you're lost, what do you do?"

"When you're lost, huh?"

Faced with an unexpected question, the masked individual faced upwards, as if thinking, but King looked at Kamazaki with a smug expression.

"I'm surprised that you didn't ask me for once. Am I losing my touch for giving good advice, I wonder…?"

"Since when were you ever lost then, Suri-chan?"

Putting emphasis on the "chan", she tried her best to make him annoyed, but he simply responded with a calm answer.

"Since never, unlike you. Continue with your seeking advice from Neo-kun, I suppose."

"P-Piss off, then!"

"Bleh!"

"Bluuuuhh!!"

King stuck his tongue out at Kamazaki in a teasing manner, which was returned by the latter who also put her index finger of the left arm over her left eye, and flashed her middle finger of her right arm towards him.

Chuckling, Neo finally chimed in.

"Kamazaki's asking the right questions, I'm afraid. Alright then, first…."

While the trio were engaging in the conversation, Shizaki and Yukino fell silent.

It was clear to see that they were the more introverted and less open individuals in the group, and maybe Yukino was just slightly less engaging than Shizaki. Knowing this, the former was trying to form an idea of how to converse with the latter again.

The last time, he was able to encourage him to do his best at the Royal Selection despite his race's reputation and history that would incite prejudice.

What should I try to talk with him about this time…?

If Shizaki was going to be in a party primarily focused on tough missions, he had to practice developing communication with others, and it was best to start now.

Shizaki shot a glance at Yukino.

He had called himself an…elf, or a half elf in the carriage, right?

Honestly, Shizaki had never seen an elf or half-elf before, so seeing the dark-skinned boy with sharp ears and a mild, shy expression, along with his beautiful white and red short hair was incredible.

"....Hey, Yukino-kun?"

Yukino looked at Shizaki immediately with a slight nervousness, as if expecting him to speak. Still, he nearly jumped while turning to face him, despite Shizaki calling out to him in a low and quiet voice.

"O-Oh, right…sorry. I just wanted to say that it's so amazing to finally meet an elf, no, a half-elf. I haven't really…seen other races other than humans...though I have seen a Demihuman before."

"Demi….?"

"Oh, you don't know them? Beasts or Beast-like humans that speak normally and act like you and I do…..they retain their beast characteristics and physical attributes."

"Demi…..humans…..huh."

True enough, Demihumans were rare in Aldranza, although not as much as Elves and Half-Elves who most people were unsure that they still even existed. 

There were only races in Aldranza: Giants, Humans, Demihumans, Elves and Half-Elves. The Demi-Humans and Elves were at a constant threat of being used for illegal slave usage. Elves were very uncommon, so they were hardly used.

Of course, hiring slaves of any race and selling them were also illegal in Aldranza, but people did it anyway as they found loopholes in the laws and hid their trades and businesses from the security of the Royal Guards and their superiors.

It was hard to acknowledge, but his Gramps at one point was tied to that job.

I hope he's doing okay..."

It felt pretty weird not having to look after the old man anymore. Being out here by himself out in territory other than his village in the Sekoto region still felt a little surreal. Maybe that would sound silly to others-no, actually, it would seem hilarious.

"Um….."

Shizaki was alerted to Yukino as his thoughts were finally pushed aside for a while.

"Back there….at the campfire….um…."

"At the campfire….?"

Yukino seemed a little red but finally gained the confidence to face Shizaki as he spoke.

"When you approached me…..and…sparked a conversation with me…..t-thank you…"

The memory of Shizaki starting a conversation with Yukino came to mind.

"Not many people…..try to talk to me, even in my own hometown. I'm reaaaaally shy….I'm sorry. It seems so stupid, but…..thank you. R-Really."

Shizaki's eyes wavered a bit as Yukino showed his extreme gratitude for a simple conversation.

"Yukino-kun…I…"

"Even now…..just now, you did it again, trying to initiate a talk with me…."

Shizaki averted his eyes and let out a sigh of relief, a bit embarrassed.

"…..Believe it or not, it's been hard to start one, with anyone. I was kinda in the same situation that you were facing…."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah."

Turning to him once more and stretching out his hand, he spoke.

"Once again, I'm Shizaki, Daizen Shizaki from Sekoto Village. Let's try to become…..friends from now on, if it's okay with you, Yukino-kun."

Yukino lit up with a slight shock but soon displayed his rare smile. He shook Shizaki's hand.

"I'm Satou Yukino from the Hidden Valley of the West. I accept, and thank you, Shizaki-kun."

And so, a new and strong friendship had formed-

A pulsating shock riveted through Yukino.

Clutching onto his shirt where his heart was located, he bent forward and tried to catch his breath as he gasped for air.

"Y-Yukino-kun?!"

Shizaki's startling call had alerted the rest of the group, and they all turned toward the duo.

In a split-second-

"D-Danger!!! From the left and right, from within the forest beside us!!"

Yukino yelled out with fear, and Neo turned to his left, hearing the sound of broken twigs.

In the blink of an eye, five dark Timberwolves with haunting red eyes emerged and lunged toward the group with unbelievable speed in unison, from all sides.

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(Chapter 15: The Start of Our Friendship.)