It seemed I was still stuck in a dream.
Can't blame myself. I was exhausted.
The one who'd slobbered all over my face wasn't the unfortun... er, I mean, the naked Juicy-san.
Naturally. That went without saying. Damn it.
So, what is it? What exactly is it?
This small creature on my lap—a living thing? A monster? A monster. A monster?
A monster? Hmm. Looks like a monster no matter how I look at it.
About the size of a cat.
A pure white, impossibly fluffy and downy-soft body.
Faint purple swirl patterns and tiny wings. That alone told me it was a monster.
A long white tail that curved in a gentle arc.
Four slender ears, with the outer ones shaped like feathers.
Large, cat-like red eyes set at an almond slant.
A purple teardrop-shaped jewel sat on its forehead, giving the impression of a third eye.
Let me say this clearly. It was cute. A monster, but cute. Incredibly cute.
The adorable vulnerability of a small animal fused with an air of mystique made it irresistibly adorable.
Still, I'd never seen this kind of monster before.
Well, it was a dream, so that tracked.
It stared intently at me and let out a cry.
"Na!"
"Na...?"
What was with that cry, the one that reminded me of a knife? Must be because I was exhausted—what a weird dream.
"Na!"
Whoa—it floated up! Using the wings on its back and the feathery tips of its ears, it hovered nimbly in the air.
"Pretty impressive."
But, white and purple... somewhere I'd seen that before—WHOA!? It had landed on my face and started licking me.
"Hey, hey—oh wow, that's soft."
It was the smooth, plush softness of a winter blanket, and warm, too.
"Hm?"
Even though it was licking me, it didn't leave any sticky residue.
Come to think of it, even though it had slobbered all over me, my face was just wet—and it didn't even smell bad.
Must be because it's a dream.
"Na!"
It looked at me and cried out happily. Cute. The teardrop-shaped purple jewel on its forehead glowed.
Hmm? That jewel... now where had I seen that before... Oh.
"...Ah!"
I shot up in bed.
"Na?"
I left the room and went into the room on the left.
There, the single-legged round table had—nothing on it.
That white-and-purple lump was gone.
"..."
That was when I realized this wasn't a dream.
Also, all the scrolls were gone. What the heck?
"Na!"
"...Well, given the circumstances, I'd have to guess..."
"Na?"
This must be it. It had followed me and was now sitting on the table.
Almost certainly the same white-and-purple lump, right?
So it was a living creature? Or had a living creature been inside it?
"...Was it an egg?"
But there were no shells or fragments or anything like that. Had that lump become this creature?
Had the lump been alive? No, I hadn't gotten that impression at all.
It was supposed to be completely inorganic.
Just to be safe, I used the Relic [Danger Discernment]. It was white—no threat.
I also tried the Relic [Wheel of Fortune] for good measure.
That one only reacts to inorganic materials, but got nothing.
So it really was a genuine, bona fide living creature. Hm.
Also, not a single scroll remained. I'd left them on top of this wooden box.
What had those scrolls been about again? Something about monsters, I think.
"Ugh... I have no idea."
I couldn't make sense of any of it. Just as I was racking my brain, my stomach growled. I was getting hungry fast.
Come to think of it, I'd gone to sleep without eating.
I should probably eat something first. Hard to think on an empty stomach.
"Na?"
"What? You want something to eat too?"
"Na!"
There's leftover mixed-meat stew, bread-beans, and what else was there... dried meat? Pickles?
I'd forgotten to go shopping. Actually, what time was it?
Probably past midnight. I stepped outside.
I'd be able to tell from the courtyard with the watchtower—... It was bright. Blue sky?!
"Wait, no—it was almost evening when I got back, wasn't it..."
And it was bright, which meant... it was morning.
"Hah... just how long did I sleep..."
I let out a wry laugh.
It reminded me of my past life, working for a sweatshop.
Fifteen days straight, then a day off. I'd stumbled home just before the last train and passed out the moment I walked through the door.
When I woke up, it was morning, but—
It was the morning two days later.
Not the next day—the morning after the next.
I had to go to work just like that, and that was one of the reasons I ended up quitting.
Two days later hadn't happened here, but falling asleep in the evening and waking up the next morning—that was a first in thirteen years.
"Na?"
"Anyway, let's get some food before we head to the witch's place."
"Na!"
"...Do you understand human speech?"
"Na?"
"Eh, whatever."
My stomach was growling something fierce. I went back to my room and, troublesome as it was, made a proper meal.
Before long, it was done.
Mixed-meat stew loaded with vegetables. Bread-beans. My own special black bean tea.
Plus three sample sausages I'd gotten the other day at the Cider House.
I'd boil those. After that, I'd lightly sear a block of cheese. Oh right—I'd forgotten the dried meat.
I retrieved it from the storage cellar under the washroom.
"...There's a lot of meat."
Hmm. I'd doubled up on the meat.
But I loved meat, I was still growing, so no problem!
"Na!"
"All right. Let's eat, let's eat. Time to dig in."
"Na!"
I prepared a separate plate with the same things and offered it to the little monster-creature.
Oh, it was eating! The mixed-meat stew—it was gobbling it up like a puppy.
The sausage, though—it held it skillfully in its paws and nibbled away.
Looking closer, it had five tiny claws. It was gripping the cheese and dried meat with those claws to eat.
The way it ate—like a tiny animal, no, a tiny monster—was oddly soothing. It even drank the black bean tea from a cup.
The only thing it wolfed down was the stew.
It was wolfing it down. Why, though?
"Na! Nana! Naanaa!"
"Yeah. I don't understand, but do you want seconds?"
"Na!"
Not as much as Mineha, but it sure could eat.
After finishing, I changed clothes. I couldn't keep wearing yesterday's outfit.
It was sweaty. I gave myself a quick wipe-down at the washroom.
In my underwear, I pulled a black shirt and white pants from the built-in closet drawer and put them on.
Then I took a yellow overcoat from the closet and threw it on.
It was like a jacket, covered in black lines.
I strapped on my battle belt for the knife, slotted the blade in, and attached the usual pouch.
Knife—check. Ready to go.
"Na!"
It fluttered over, watching me.
"Oh right, almost forgot. What am I gonna do with you?"
Well, I'd just have to bring it along.
It wouldn't fit in the pouch, but I was pretty sure I had an unused bag somewhere.
"Na?"
"Found it. This one, this one. Uh, think you can fit in there?"
"Na!"
It slipped right into the bag. Curled up inside, it looked cute.
Still, though.
"You do understand human speech, don't you?"
"Na?"
It gave me a blank, innocent look. Cute.
Fine, I'd let it slide. Right then. Let's go.
Deep in the forest. In front of the witch's house.
The creature was surprisingly well-behaved—which made sense, since it had been sleeping inside the bag.
"Carefree little thing."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
I rang the doorbell, and the witch opened the door.
She greeted me in her usual black outfit with a touch of exposure.
"Yes, yes. Young Wof. Welcome, welcome."
The witch was all smiles. Her large fox ears stood perked up, and her three tails swayed together in a row.
She was in unusually high spirits.
"Something good happen?"
"My, my. As expected of Kon's apprentice. You noticed, eh?"
"Well, yes."
Her ears and tail gave it away, and the witch was smiling even more than usual.
"Oh my. What's this bag? That's unusual."
"Ah, well, you see—"
"Na?"
The bag rustled and made a sound.
The witch's eyes went wide.
"Wh-wha—Young Wof. I swear the bag just... wriggled."
"That's part of what I need to talk to you about."
"Mhm, mhm. Sounds like quite the story. Come, come—do come inside."
She led me into the living room of the witch's house.
Well, the usual living room. Still cluttered with everything under the sun, but I was used to it by now.
I sat on the usual red sofa and set the bag on the usual table.
The witch brought over the usual herb tea... except she didn't have it.
Instead, she was holding a black plate. That was the Relic plate.
She set it on the table. The witch sat across from me.
"Well, well. Let me start with Kon. Young Wof—the Relic inside your Relic plate has been identified."
"R-really?!"
"Mhm. The Relic in this plate is [Sword Transformation]."
"[Sword Transformation]...?"
I'd never heard of it, but I could guess what kind of Relic it was.
It turns things into swords. That had to be it.
"My, my. This is quite the rare Relic. Its effect is exactly what it says—Sword Transformation."
"That it is."
There was really nothing else to say about it.
"Well, well, but, but—even Kon has never seen this Relic before. Doesn't that raise any questions for you, Young Wof?"
"Like what?"
"Well, whether the Relic [Sword Transformation] is a transformation-type or not."
"Transformation...?"
"Heh heh. Whether a living body transforms into a sword."
The witch narrowed her eyes, clearly amused.
"Is... is the body okay when that happens...?"
Ugh—I imagined it and it was gross.
The witch grinned.
"Probably, probably. Since it becomes metal, it might be fine."
"...Doesn't that mean you can't move on your own?"
"Well, yes. It becomes a sword, so naturally it can't move."
"...I don't want that..."
Hearing me say it so honestly, the witch burst out laughing. What? Of course I wouldn't want that.
"Mhm, mhm. But, but, Young Wof. If—just if—Kon turned into a sword through Sword Transformation, would you wield it?"
"Of course I would. I'd treasure it."
"Then you'll use Kon and only Kon every single day, won't you?"
As she spoke, she leaned across the table, closing in on me. Hey—her face was way too close.
"O-of course! Just—don't you dare use that plate on me!"
"Of course, of course. I was tempted, but after all, Kon is—oh my?"
"What's wrong?"
"How strange. The Relic plate is gone."
"Wait, it's really gone."
The Relic plate I'd left on the table was indeed nowhere to be found.
The moment the witch stepped away from the table, the bag suddenly fell.
Fell? I stood up and looked—the bag was empty. Hey, where did that thing go?!
"Hmm, hmm. Where did it go, I wonder."
"Where..."
Where had it actually gone? No—that was a dumb question. Where could it even go?
I looked around.
Hmm. I could hear something. A crunching, crunching sound?
"Oh my. What could that be? I hear a strange noise."
"Where on earth is it com—Ah!"
There it was. Hovering right above the table, eating something.
"Huh? Huh? Wh-what—something's there!? A monster!?"
The witch was utterly startled. Her ears and tail were all bristled. Even the witch could be caught off guard.
But what was it eating?
Something black, square, with a glowing red side—wait, could that be...?!
"And—AND—it's eating the Relic plate!"
That's right—the creature was eating the Relic plate. Or rather, finishing it. It had finished it.
It looked at me, grinned, and let out a cheerful cry.
"Na!"
Then it spun around, and its form shifted.
What landed on the table was—a peculiar white-and-purple knife.
You've got to be kidding me.