“Uu~, wafionn, gua!!” (Uugh~, what the heck!?)

“Wauuh, gaufa~♪” (Ax, you’re so slow~♪)

I moved a little far away as I heard my sister mercilessly tease the gluttonous Kobold who rubbed his forehead as he groaned while tears fell from his eyes.

There, I took off my leather armor and kept my trousers on while being mindful of the position of the tail slot, and transformed from my Human form back to my wolf-mixed Kobold form.

(Guh, uh, just like usual, it feels like my body is still transforming…)

To be honest, the process feels uncomfortable, but if I didn’t go through with it, then I wouldn’t be able to change back to my original form. I don’t think there are many instances that I would need to do Humanization, but will I ever get used to this sensation?

“Kuou voruoo.” (I guess I’ll have to practice every day.)

When I changed back, my vocal cords switched back to a Kobold’s, and speaking in the continental language became impossible for me. My fur grew back and my fangs and claws grew longer, and my tail also grew back and filled the tail hole at the back of my pants.

The tail hole, huh… The clothes that could be bought in Lucua village comes with a tail hole and is just right for Werecats and Kobolds, but it becomes completely useless once I turn Human.

(Well, if I just put on a coat or a cloak to cover it, it’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not uncomfortable to wear either.)

The fabric used for the clothes was linen that was weaved by the Werecat women during the winter using a machine called a waist loom. We were also able to purchase such a machine to create cloth for our loincloths. And thanks to this, my pack will now be in the process of transitioning into wearing loincloths instead of grass skirts which were often prickly and uncomfortable.

Smith, the small, floppy-eared Kobold who was interested in learning to weave linen, wanted a waist loom, so I had to buy one along with a flat chisel for stone processing.

(The waist loom could be found at Grimer’s workshop since it’s made of wood, while the iron tools could be found at Barrack’s… And then, I should ask Joseph to sell me some chickens if possible.)

I put my hand on the leather pouch on my waist and confirmed how many gold and silver coins I still had.

Since Lucua village is included in the economic zone of the Ferias territory through the neighboring town of Wyald which had a population of approximately 2,000, we didn’t encounter any problems using the Diore currency there.

But since the village was quite self-sufficient due to the nature of the Werecats living in the forest, it is important to note that the amount of currency in circulation is small and the places where you can use it are limited…

And so, after we more or less completed the list of items we were asked to buy, I approached Ax who was still being healed by the World Tree Priestess from the Ancient forest who was accompanying us and apologized.

“Guruvaau…waruaou.” (It was out of my control… I’m so sorry about earlier.)

“Waon, woruu guua vaagauoon.” (Don’t worry about it. Next time, I’ll just hide away and eat honey.)

As he said this, Ax sat on the ground and tapped the ground with his tail in an unhappy manner… Our emotions tend to show in our ears and tails, so I understood right away. As I thought of a way to cheer him up later, someone lightly tugged on the fur in my arm. 

“Kuon, kuruau gauruan♪ Wafiguaan?” (Big brother, it’s almost lunchtime♪ Shouldn’t you be setting out to hunt?)

“Waoan.” (Yeah, I should get going.)

“Uworu, guruuuoou…” (Then I’ll come with you…)

The petite Black Elf who had been sitting on a tree branch watching the mock battle earlier jumped down with a loud thud and held up the large Elven Bow she had been carrying around.

The Elf, whose silver hair hung on her shoulder in a braid and whose healthy wheat-colored skin was exposed between her thick shorts and thigh-high boots was Selica, a hunter who was working as the Shrine Maiden’s bodyguard. 

I heard she was known as the best archer among the Black Elves, and although she came out clean in the end, she was suspected to be the assassin hired by the reform extremists to shoot the priest Marcus. She was living a difficult life because of it when she was asked to be a bodyguard.

At first glance, she looks cool and pretty, but she’s the type who hates to lose. Ever since I killed a wild rabbit before she did when we were hunting together one time, she became very competitive with me.

But even though she’s a better hunter than me, I wish she’d stop snickering whenever I get to her prey first.

Anyway, I still have some errands today, so I should just ask them to hunt lunch for our group.

“Guan seraaoon, wofa guruaaoouu.” (Then again, I’ll leave the hunting to Selica. My sister and Buster will accompany you.)

“Vitora roze.” (…There’s no competition, how boring.)

Selica muttered in Elvish as she turned around and made her way to the forest while my sister who was wagging her tail in a good mood and Buster who carried his Greatsword followed along.

“Woaoonn, gurua.” (We’re going, Chief!)

“Kuruauu guaaoon~♪” (We’ll bring back something tasty, okay~♪)

“Wau, kuuoaan.” (Sure, I’ll leave it to you.)

After nodding and sending the food procurement team off, I took the mithril mask that was hanging on my belt and put it on. Selica was good at the Kobo language because she often encountered Kobolds whenever she went hunting as it was essential to avoid conflicts. But I had to remember that everyone wasn’t good at it and that it was still necessary to communicate via telepathy.

“Wau, guruo oarukuaau… kuaruou wafuoaaan?” [We’re going to finish the rest of our shopping in the village, but… what about you guys?]

“Hmm, well, it’s rare for us to visit a Werecat village, so I guess we’ll just look around.”

On behalf of the other Elves, the Priestess Listy who had her familiar, a small sparrowhawk, perched on her shoulder, answered while directing her gaze towards Wallace for confirmation.

“It’s not a problem. Our ancestors also lived in the Ancient forest before, so we also consider you as good friends.”

“Then, I’ll show you around!”

As Listy thanked Liz, whose cat ears were excitedly twitching as she offered to show them around, the newlywed Bronze Elves beside her who were huddled together tightened their hold on each other’s hands in excitement. After all, Bronze Elves were naturally brimming with curiosity…

“Hmm~, I’m curious about the medical situation of the Werecats around here.”

“That’s so like you, Mira. Alright, I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you, Asta～♪”

The one squeezing her husband’s arm to her chest was the Bronze Elf Apothecary Mira, and the man hopelessly wrapped around her finger was the Bronze Elf Black Smith Asta. I was told that they were childhood friends and they had not been aware of each other at first, but when Asta was imprisoned for selling weapons and gunpowder to the Reform Extremists, their relationship changed and it developed rapidly from there…

(Their relationship is so intimate and sweet that it’s giving me a toothache.)

As I averted my eyes from the scene, my eyes met with Lenaide’s who was also single and she similarly turned her eyes away from the scene. Anyway, after we endured their sweet musings for a while, we entered Lucua village and spent our time exploring the village.

On the way, our luggage carrier Ax was captured by the Werecat child Lilia and petted, but in the end, we finished our shopping and promptly returned to the campsite where Selica welcomed us, pointed to the wild boar she had killed, and proudly puffed her small chest before turning away. 

After we had finished the lunch that Selica and my sister had prepared while waiting for us to come back, we spent two more days traveling and finally set foot in the settlement that we hadn’t seen for a while.

Character Introduction

Name: Selica Greenwood

Race: Black Elf

Class: Elf Archer

Skill: Eagle Eye (Can see at least 5.4 meters ahead) Elementary Magic (Water・Wind), Erase Presence (Medium), Enhanced Jumping Power (Medium/Effect is constant) 6 Consecutive Shots (1 shot per second with 80% accuracy)

Title: The Tree-lurking Huntress

Weapon: Elven Bow(Main), Crystal Dagger (Auxiliary)

Armament: Archer’s breastplate, archer’s bracer