Chapter 52. Girl with Wolf Ears (4)
The Legypion chieftain collapsed in a single blow.
Amidst the showering debris of its shattered carapace.
The remaining Magical Beasts following behind abruptly halted their charge, momentarily panicked.
Then, as if having lost their will to fight, they soon scattered in all directions and vanished.
“The Legypion chieftain… in a single blow…?”
Meanwhile, Askel beside him muttered, seemingly unable to believe what had happened right before his eyes.
Not just him, but the other surrounding mages were also staring with wide eyes.
The Legypion chieftain was a considerably powerful creature.
Its imposing presence, charging while shrugging off the mages' magic with its carapace like a tank, proved as much.
Yet, for it to be shattered with a single kick upon appearance, such reactions were only natural.
“Uwaaahm~”
But regardless of that.
The girl who had captured the mages' attention all at once simply let out a huge yawn.
A rather nonchalant reaction for having single-handedly defeated the chieftain of such powerful Magical Beasts.
Swish.
Then, she turned her head this way, staring intently at Enoch standing right before her.
Her red eyes, shining transparently like rubies in the sunlight, looked at Enoch with keen interest.
“L-Lord Enoch!”
Just then, Askel’s tense voice came from behind. Enoch glanced back.
Not just Askel, but the other family mages were also extremely tense, watching Sirocco standing before Enoch.
‘Well, from their perspective, a dangerous Beast-kin and a direct descendant are facing each other at close range.’
Moreover, she was a Beast-kin who shattered the Magical Beast chieftain in one blow right before their eyes, so their reactions weren't incomprehensible.
But Enoch himself looked at Sirocco without much tension.
「Sirocco Lycaon」
She was the undisputed Tier 1 mage he always used as his main character in most playthroughs.
The character he held the most affection for, and the mage boasting the best performance as a Follower Family member.
Usually, players of this type of game often have a favorite character separate from their performance.
But at least for him, those two elements were absolutely inseparable. Because naturally……
‘Of course, for a performance junkie like me, the performance character was the favorite character!’
Enoch looked at her, newly immersed in the feelings of his original playing days.
‘And because she was my favorite character, even though the original work is 5 years from now, I can recognize her.’
A short, fluttering skirt revealing bare legs without even shoes.
Vibrant red hair and soft cheeks.
Her white skin and coy eyes hinted at definite beauty even at her young age.
‘In every aspect, she is definitely the Sirocco I know.’
But the girl’s seemingly delicate appearance had just one feature different from humans.
Enoch quietly watched something moving below his line of sight.
Twitch.
Atop Sirocco’s head, a pair of red wolf ears perked up, just like her hair.
In addition, a fluffy-looking wolf tail, glossy red overall with a white tip, swayed naturally behind her back.
‘So this is how she actually looks.’
Enoch admired her lustrously glossy ears and tail.
Seeing them in person didn't feel incongruous at all.
‘Well, the ears and tail are the only parts where Beast-kin physically differ from humans.’
Naturally being parts of the body, he recalled they could be moved freely or utilized.
Just then.
Sirocco spoke for the first time.
“……You.”
Sirocco, perhaps sensing his gaze, casually wrapped her lustrous tail around her white thigh.
And spoke for the first time in a pert tone.
“Is there a problem with my tail?”
Tap.
She suddenly took a step closer towards Enoch.
However, it wasn't Enoch who reacted to Sirocco’s sudden action, but the family mages behind him.
“Young Master! Step back!”
At Sirocco’s sudden action, the family combat mages all reflexively raised their magic gears.
But Enoch raised his hand, stopping the mages who were about to rush out immediately.
Then he replied nonchalantly to Sirocco.
“No. Just thought your tail looked incredibly soft.”
In the original work, praising her tail as soft raised her affection level.
Given Sirocco’s personality, that likely remained the same even now, 5 years prior.
“Hehe, right! You know good things when you see them?”
Sure enough.
Seemingly pleased by the compliment, Sirocco beamed with a triumphant smile, twitching the wolf ears atop her head, and said.
“But don’t think about touching my tail.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to touch it once.”
“Right? Still, no. Ears and tails aren’t for just anyone to touch!”
And she unwrapped the tail from her thigh, swaying it gently.
Watching her, Enoch recalled her original character anew.
‘Come to think of it, this was her original personality.’
Sirocco, still pleased by the compliment, stood with hands proudly on her hips, tail wagging.
She seemed completely unfazed by the tense family combat mages right behind Enoch.
Always such an incredible My Pace (doing things her own way).
That personality, stemming from Sirocco's overwhelming skill and proactive nature, was also an element symbolizing her in the original work, treating everyone without pretense and having clear opinions.
Indeed, just looking at the epithet attached to her 5 years later in the original work would make one understand immediately.
「Untamable Desert Heatwind: Sirocco Lycaon」
A nickname reflecting her personality perfectly.
But at the same time, earning an epithet among the formidable mages throughout the Empire also meant being recognized as an incredibly skilled individual.
As such, Sirocco was one of the top powerhouses even within the original <Magic Empire Atlas>. Naturally, her performance was outstanding enough to match.
And coincidentally, the timing with this Allied Mission also matched perfectly.
‘The reason I couldn't recruit Follower Families until now was due to the bleak situation of being on the verge of disownment.’
But now that that issue was completely resolved through the Exemption Mission, if he were to recruit his first Follower Family, it had to be Sirocco, who possessed such advantages.
Just as Enoch thought that far.
“L-Lady Siroccooo!”
Suddenly, from atop the rocky cliff, panting voices echoed.
“Huff, huff…! Going ahead of us again!”
Everyone’s gaze turned.
A group materialized atop the cliff, backlit by the noon sun.
Different kinds of beast ears, horns, and tails sprouted from their heads.
There was no need to even state who they were.
‘Beast-kin.’
Those about whom only rumors had abounded within the Empire for a long time.
Meanwhile, they slid down the cliff, shouting at Sirocco.
“Huff, just for Magical Beast extermination! You go out! Leaving us behind! Huff… Always like that! If you go ahead first…!”
But Sirocco nonchalantly pointed with her finger at the chieftain she had just shattered into pieces and said calmly.
“But I wanted to catch that one?”
“Even so! If you just go off alone like that! The ones getting scolded by the Chieftain are! Us!”
One of the Beast-kin replied, full of breath, sounding aggrieved. The girl retorted calmly.
“Then just follow faster?”
“Huff, until now! Nobody could! Huff, isn’t that why we’re saying this!”
He shot back naggingly in a heated voice.
“If the Chieftain gets angry about this again, you’ll have to spend three days facing the wall in the ‘Reflection Cave’!”
“Ugh, I hate that place?”
Sirocco stepped back, looking disgusted.
The representative male of the Beast-kin group looked at her, sighed briefly, then gripped his magic gear.
“Well. Let’s talk about that later.”
Sirocco looked ahead with wide, puzzled eyes. The Beast-kin warriors who approached her stepped forward, blocking Sirocco’s front.
“…Please step back for now, Lady Sirocco.”
Before long, the Beast-kin had stepped forward, shielding Sirocco behind them, glaring at Enoch. They seemed wary of the unfamiliar Enoch too.
Simultaneously.
The Elsyde family mages, who had been warily watching the situation from behind, also silently stepped forward in front of Enoch to protect him.
Step
The direct descendant of the black-haired Elsyde family, and the red-haired girl, heir to the tribal chief.
The two groups of mages naturally confronted each other, separating the two to protect their respective charges.
Holding their respective magic gears, ready to cast magic at any moment, they glared at each other.
“…I’ll ask first, though.”
A sharp tension filled the air, enough that a clash could break out at any moment.
In that situation, the first to speak was the Beast-kin who had stepped forward to block Enoch’s path.
“What business brings you folks here?”
The representative Beast-kin who had been talking with Sirocco earlier spoke lowly, glaring at the Elsyde family crest engraved on the operation vehicle.
“For the glorious Elsyde Main House to grace such outskirts teeming with Magical Beasts.”
A distinctly aggressive tone for a first meeting.
However, the mages affiliated with the Elsyde family showed no reaction to such provocation, still blocking Enoch’s front protectively, responding with cold gazes.
“We are visiting to conduct official business regarding the Beast-kin village.”
And through the ranks of those family mages, someone stepped forward and answered.
“I am Teano, Deputy Commander of the Nemesis Knight Order, under the Elsyde family.”
The female knight dressed in her usual black uniform and formal cap.
It was Teano.
Perhaps she, being the highest in rank, was acting as the temporary representative for this mission.
“Nemesis? For such esteemed individuals from Elsyde to come all this way. I don’t know where to wag my tail.”
Despite the clearly sarcastic tone, Teano replied coldly without any agitation.
“May we request your cooperation?”
Instantly, taut tension flowed between the two groups.
“Cooperation, what…!”
The Beast-kin glared, about to look sharply at Teano.
But the next moment, that Beast-kin sharply inhaled.
Beneath the shadow of the formal cap.
Cold, indigo eyes stared intently at him, neat like midnight amethysts.
“…Th-.”
The Beast-kin lost his words seeing Teano’s eyes.
Then, eventually, the guy slightly lowered his tail, averting his gaze from Teano.
“…I will guide you to the village where the Chieftain resides.”
And added bluntly.
“Follow me.”