Chapter 180: Phonia’s Resolve
“““Huh?”””
At Phonia’s words, a surprised sound escaped from the three of us, including Ivan.
“Phonia-chan, we’re going to the Adventurer’s Guild,” Rio gently reassured her.
Phonia nodded, as if to say she understood, but her expression showed determination.
“There are scary people there, so how about you stay here and wait for us, Phonia-chan?” Rio suggested, placing her hands on Phonia’s shoulders.
“That’s right, Phonia. Don’t cause any more trouble for Shu and Rio. …You’re already a burden as it is,” Ivan added, his voice trailing off at the end. Though it was barely audible, I caught every word. I knew we were taking care of her, but it wasn’t something she needed to worry about.
“I don’t know what you’re going there for, but… I think you need to be at least twelve to become an adventurer, right? Even if you go, you won’t be able to become one.”
“That’s right, Phonia-chan. So why don’t you stay here with Ivan?”
I recalled that while a G Rank Adventurer could technically start before the age of twelve, there must be a minimum age requirement. Given that Phonia looked like she was in the early grades of elementary school, the chances of her qualifying were slim.
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t mentioned it to Rio yet, but Phonia’s status was remarkably high. In terms of raw numbers, she was comparable to Linford, an S Rank Adventurer. Regardless of whether she could officially become one, her combat abilities were certainly impressive.
“I don’t want to! I want to go on an adventure with big brother and big sister! Besides, I don’t want Ivan-nii to get hurt anymore…!”
Phonia remained resolute against their persuasion, and her reason for wanting to join was Ivan’s injuries.
“Me!?” Ivan exclaimed.
“Well, it’s true that Ivan was nearly dead, but that’s not Phonia’s fault, right?” Rio chimed in.
“That’s right. It’s because Ivan is weak, not because of Phonia-chan,” she added.
“No, no, no! It’s true that I’m weak…! But it’s also true that it’s not Phonia’s fault, and yet I can’t accept this!”
I clenched my fists and shouted, but no one came to my aid.
“I’ll protect you, Ivan-nii!” Phonia declared.
“No, I’m supposed to be the one protecting you!”
“Fufu, Phonia-chan,” Rio said, smiling as if she were watching something heartwarming, but it didn’t feel like a joke at all.
“Because my tails have increased!” Phonia exclaimed.
“Tails?”
Rio and Ivan tilted their heads in confusion at Phonia’s statement.
“My mom said that if you have more tails, you become stronger!”
“Phonia-chan…”
At the mention of her mother, Rio murmured weakly. Now that she was free from slavery, it wouldn’t be surprising if she wanted to return to her family. Yet, it seemed Phonia’s wish was to adventure with us.
I glanced at Ivan, who shook his head in response. I hadn’t heard the details of how Phonia became a slave, but it was unclear whether her parents were gone or if she simply didn’t know where they were.
When Phonia looked up at Ivan with a serious expression, she suddenly began to undress.
“W-What are you doing, Phonia!?”
In an instant, she revealed her flat chest and removed her pants and underwear. Before Ivan could fully process what was happening, she transformed into the form of a fox beast.
“Huh?”
Ivan’s eyes widened in shock, and after glancing at me and Rio, he did a double take at Phonia with awkward movements that seemed to creak.
“Whaaaat!?”
Ivan’s scream echoed through the luxurious inn in the Imperial Capital. It was clear he hadn’t known.
“Phonia is a Mystic Fox, a type of monster,” I explained.
“Whaaaaat!?”
“I’ve heard that the more tails you have, the exponentially stronger you become… But does this mean she wants to join us as my tamed monster?”
At my question, Phonia nodded deeply in agreement. Given that she was too young to register as an adventurer, this might be her only option.
“Hmm…”
As we traveled the world, we didn’t plan to engage in particularly dangerous activities, so having a child along didn’t seem like a problem.
“Wait… Phonia!?”
Ivan, clearly flustered, could only call out her name.
“What will you do, Ivan?”
“Uh…”
“Phonia wants to travel with us, but what do you want to do?”
Ivan seemed to have a vibe of wanting to avoid being a burden to us. I had thought he might take Phonia and live together outside the Empire. But now, with the revelation that Phonia was a monster, I never expected her to express a desire to become my tamed monster.
“…I wonder if she can’t become Ivan’s tamed monster.”
The thought slipped out of my mouth. Just then, Phonia walked over to Ivan and began to nuzzle against him.
“What’s wrong, Phonia…?”
She seemed to squirm for a moment, but it was only brief. When she turned to look at me, her ears and tail drooped, and she shook her head sadly.
“Am I not good enough…?”
Seeing Ivan’s frustrated expression made me feel a connection forming with Phonia. This sensation was familiar. It reminded me of when Nil became my tamed monster.
“Ivan-nii wasn’t good enough…”
At that moment, Phonia’s voice echoed in my mind.