Dylan said that this girl and her like were descendants of spies. This meant that their information were better than what was available to us.
For the time being, I should go back and discuss this with Ariane……
“I need to consult with my partner before I can give you an answer.”
“Please allow me to accompany you then, Arc-dono. I’d like to speak with your cooperator directly.”
I thought I saw a little childishness in her blue eyes as I thought it over.
There shouldn’t be any problems with introducing this ninja to Ariane─── I hope.
Even though I still had my doubts, we should be able to deal with any problem that come up.
“I understand. Well then, follow me Chiome-domo.”
Chiome and I returned to the main street and we moved away from the third gate’s wall at a quick pace. Despite her small stature, she was able to keep up with me.
Ponta must have been tired after my talk with Chiome because she dozed off atop my head. On the way back to the inn, I occasionally had to keep her in place since she would start to slip off from time to time.
When we returned I invited Chiome to my room on the third floor.
She sat down in the only chair in the room, while I sat on the bed.
Ponta seemed fully awake now as she checked the softness on the bed with her front paws.
A strange silence soon blanketed the room.
The ninja Chiome was restlessly staring at Ponta for some reason.
“Chiome-dono, the toilet is on the first floor.”
“That’s not the problem!”
Though I only meant to break the ice, she became a little red when she voiced her denial.
Even if it was only for an instant, she looked like a young girl.
I took a small leather pouch from my bag and handed it to her.
Chiome might as well have a question mark above her head, given how easy it was to see her confusion. She didn’t know what to do until she opened the pouch and saw Ponta’s reaction.
When she resumed her restless gazing, I took the chance to give an introduction.
“Although it’s a little late, this little fluffy fox here is Ponta. Those berries you’re holding happen to be her favorites.”
When Chiome heard me say that, she intensely gazed at Ponta as she slowly began to inch a hand full of the dried berries towards Ponta with her mouth agape.
Ponta stood up when she saw the dried berries coming toward her.
Chiome didn’t seem familiar with sitting in a chair, but she eventually managed to lean forward a bit.
As Chiome’s timidly brought her hand of berries closer, Ponta started to wag her tail in excitement.
When Ponta started to nibble at the berries with great relish, Chiome narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly.
“I’m amazed that Arc-dono managed to tame a spirit beast……”
Chiome stroked Ponta’s fur while muttering that.
“This fellow acts like that with everyone……”
I tried to answer with a bitter laugh, but Chiome shook her head.
“No, spirit beasts can detect malice within people. The reason I can feel at ease being in the middle of a human city with you is because of the absolute trust this beast has in you Arc-dono.”
At her words, I looked back at Ponta─── only to find her begging for more berries.
If she was to be believed, then my trustworthiness was completely dependent on Ponta.
Deciding not to dwell on that for too long, I asked her another question I had.
“I take it that she’s the reason you helped me save the elves when we first met?”
When we first met, she had figured out that I wasn’t one of the kidnappers almost instantly.
It wouldn’t have been strange if she just assumed that I was a normal knight collaborating with the kidnappers.
Chiome looked me straight in the eyes when she hears my question.
“My people, the elves, and even the humans each have our own respective scents. I smelled a thin trace of the elves from you when we met. But──”
She hesitated for a second as she thought her choice of words over before speaking again.
“Arc-dono, there’s a unique scent coming from you. It’s a scent that I’ve never come across before.……”
Chiome’s eyes narrowed as she looked at me, as if she were trying to see beyond my helmet’s visor.
The fact that I’m nothing but a skeleton may be the source of my peculiar scent.
Something in her eyes seemed to suggest that she had obtained what she was after, but that just could have been my imagination───
After that, we sat in silence until we heard a knock on the door.