Chapter 174: The Tail
“Well then, let’s remove the collar right away.”
After finishing the dinner that had been brought to the room and taking a deep breath, I declared this to Ivan and Phonia.
“Huh?”
The two of them stared at me, mouths agape.
“This is part of the request, after all. With this, neither of you will have to worry about being pursued anymore.”
“O-oh…”
“Y-yeah…”
Ivan still looked dazed, but Phonia had lowered her gaze, her expression darkening. She had been happily enjoying her meal just moments ago; what could have caused such a sudden change?
“What’s wrong, Phonia-chan?”
Now that I think about it, she seemed a bit down even before we started eating.
“N-no… it’s nothing.”
“Is that so?”
Ivan tilted his head in confusion, while Phonia kept glancing between Ivan and me. Perhaps she was worried that we had discovered her identity as a Mystic Fox.
“Even if we remove the collar, it doesn’t mean you can walk around this city without a care…”
If the House of Marquis Ragloi found out, who knows what would happen? But—
“Still, you won’t be a slave anymore. If we go to another city, you can walk around proudly without worrying about being seen. Just look at Nil; she’s a monster, yet she walks around confidently.”
I called Nil over and began to pet her fluffy neck.
“Wafoo~”
She nuzzled against me with a sweet voice. Upon seeing this, Phonia’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Nil.
“So, you really don’t have to worry about anything.”
I tried to subtly convey that even being a monster shouldn’t be a concern, but I wondered if she understood.
“Haha, that’s right. Compared to monsters, there’s no need to worry about former slaves.”
As Ivan laughed and gently patted Phonia’s head, she nodded quietly.
“By the way, I’ve been a bit curious…”
Ivan’s gaze shifted to Phonia’s back, and I could see why he was curious.
“Weren’t you supposed to have three tails, Phonia…?”
Oh, so she originally had three tails. Wait, does that mean she has two more now? Can tails actually grow?
“Huh?”
Phonia looked confused, her tails swaying as her eyes widened. Cautiously, she turned around and reached back to count her tails.
“…There are more.”
“You didn’t even notice yourself?”
“Tails can grow?”
I couldn’t help but interject at her softly muttered words. But to suddenly gain two tails like that? Reflecting on the appraisal results, it seemed that a Mystic Fox gaining tails was a significant event.
“I wonder if Nil’s tails can grow too.”
I shifted my attention to Nil’s tails and began to pet them one by one.
“Wafoo~”
She relaxed and lay down on the floor, letting out a blissful sound.
“Haha, it seems Nil’s tails don’t grow.”
Phonia, who had been looking down, perked up at Nil’s voice and managed a shy smile.
“Wait, can you understand what Nil is saying?”
“Um, well… sort of… I guess.”
“What? I have no idea what she’s saying.”
Ivan scratched his cheek while staring at Nil. It seemed that it wasn’t just because she was a Beastman; it was likely due to Phonia being a monster.
Perhaps feeling awkward about what she said, Phonia’s expression darkened again as she looked down.
“Wow, Phonia, that’s amazing! You can understand Nil! I can kind of get what she’s trying to say, but not in such detail.”
While I could understand some things due to our bond from taming, I couldn’t grasp the finer points.
“Is that so…?”
She looked up, a hint of shyness on her face, and met my gaze. Her eyes seemed to waver, but gradually they focused directly on me.
As I slowly approached Phonia, I crouched down to her level. I gently patted her head, and she began to show a bashful smile.
In that moment, I swiftly removed her collar and stored it in the Dimensional Box.
“Ah.”
She immediately noticed, placing a hand on her neck, but there was nothing left to bind her.
“It really came off…”
I removed Ivan’s collar as well, and he too placed a hand on his neck to confirm the sensation.
“Once we return the collars to the Marquis’s house, both of you will be considered dead.”
“That’s true. Even if you’ve already decided, think carefully about what you want to do next.”
“Understood.”
I nodded solemnly in response to Ivan’s serious demeanor.
“We still have things to do in the Imperial Capital, so you two should take it easy at the inn for a while.”
“Eh?”
I had simply meant to convey that they could relax, but for some reason, they both looked puzzled.
“No, no, just staying here will cost money. You could even stay at the Hideout in the Forest if you want.”
“Don’t worry about it. We have plenty of money… Besides, I think it would be best not to use the Hideout anymore.”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect adventurers to be able to enter so easily. By now, someone else might be using the Hideout.”
I thought I had done a good job setting up the Hideout. It would be a waste not to utilize it.
“I see… I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us…”
Ivan slumped his shoulders, and this time Phonia patted him on the back gently.