第２６４堀：友の恋は応援しましょう (Part1)
### Chapter 264: Let’s Support a Friend’s Love
Today is a day off.
But I’m still going to write.
Ah, actually, I’m going to play games instead.
The details will be in the afterword.
***
#### Let’s Support a Friend’s Love
**Side: Eris**
"Well then, our task is to escort Amanda-san and keep the Holy Sword Users under surveillance. Let’s make sure we do our jobs properly."
"Indeed. Leave it to me."
"Yes. Master is busy, so we mustn't trouble him with matters of this level."
We parted ways with Yuki-san, his three escorts, and Samantha. Currently, we are in the courtyard provided by the Duke, guiding Wy-chan the wyvern and waiting.
The purpose of this is to prevent any interference against Amanda, who possesses a wyvern, and to act as a go-between for Eoid-kun. And besides that…
I shift my gaze away from the wyvern and Amanda, looking toward the corner of the courtyard where the Holy Sword Users are tied up in ropes.
"Woof."
" " "Eek!?" " "
…They shrink back just from Kuro-chan, in his puppy form, barking.
They look like pathetic young women, but on the inside, they are Holy Sword Users who have lived far longer than I have.
Well, I suppose they reached this current situation due to various circumstances of their own.
Even so, since I, who am younger than them, can see that their choices were wrong, it really highlights how important it is to learn and to decide what you live for.
No matter how much despair I might feel, as long as Yuki-san and our daughters aren't killed, I would never think of destroying this world.
"Now, now, Kuro-chan. Don't bark and bully them too much."
"Whine…"
"Aslin, Kuro-chan is just working hard. I think this much is fine."
"You think so?"
"Well, I suppose. Unlike with Principal Popuri, this isn't a misunderstanding, and if they were to escape by mistake, it would cause damage. Let’s be strict."
"That’s true. Aslin, if it’s too hard for you, shall we take over taking care of Kuro-chan and the others?"
It seems Labyris and Shera are offering to take over the surveillance of the Holy Sword Users.
Well, in reality, the ones doing the surveillance are Kuro-chan and the rest of the "Ten Demon Beasts" (self-proclaimed) directly under Aslin.
Those demon beasts are Aslin-supremacists, but they don't defy us, so if it’s becoming a burden on Aslin, it would be better to switch out the guards.
Aslin isn't really suited for such harsh tasks.
Come to think of it, where did the other nine go?
Surveillance is possible with just Kuro-chan, but it’s a bit tough for one to do it alone.
No matter how capable one is, there are limits to what a single individual can do.
To compensate for that, one cooperates and coordinates, and those pets under Aslin shouldn't be stupid enough not to understand that.
"Hey, Aslin. Where did the other nine go?"
I asked Aslin out of curiosity.
Those children usually transform into small animals, so they are very effective for this kind of surveillance and reconnaissance.
They usually shrink down so Aslin can pet them, but…
"Hmm? Oh, Ta-chan, Ki-chan, and I-chan went to chase after the other Holy Sword people. I got permission from big brother, too."
"I see. But wouldn't Kuro-chan be better for chasing? Since he’s a dog?"
I’ve heard it from Yuki-san before.
Dogs have a very sharp sense of smell, and as long as the scent doesn't break, they can track targets even from a considerable distance.
Tori also has wolf blood and is sensitive to scents, so I’m sure that’s true.
"It’s because those three can transform. That’s the reason they were chosen for the tracking team."
It wasn't Aslin who answered my question, but Labyris.
And I was very convinced by that answer. The reason being…
"Come to think of it, those three could transform. Does that mean they are easier to track and capture in various ways?"
"Yes. Two are tanuki sisters, and one is a weasel. All three of them are on a different level compared to the other seven."
"They usually transform into Aslin or Firia to play with us, don't they?"
I was surprised when I first saw them.
I thought Aslin and Firia were hidden beastmen.
They had cute tanuki ears, weasel ears, and tails.
"They often transform into me or Shera, too. And they go to the town of Weed in that form to go shopping and such. They are literally easy to move around in various ways. Their sense of smell is inferior to a dog’s—to Kuro-chan—but their overall adaptability is overwhelmingly higher."
"Well, they’ve been with us from the beginning."
"That’s true. I thought Aslin would cry when they turned into monsters, but that wasn't the case."
That’s right. Those three are the children of animals that died in battle when Deryu attacked Weed long ago.
Aslin and Firia seemed to see themselves in those three who lost their parents, so they spent as much time with them as possible and even had them join in on their training.
Then, one day, when Aslin and the others said they had mastered magic, Yuki-san appraised them and found they had turned into monsters and learned various skills.
As a result, when we investigated the animals around Aslin, we found ten animals, including those three, that had turned into monsters.
The animals, having acknowledged this, named themselves the Ten Demon Beasts and have been constantly guarding Aslin, Firia, Labyris, and Shera.
In terms of ability, they are inferior to the Four Heavenly Kings of Weed (lol)—Steve, Surakichi-san, Mino-chan, and John—but since five of them can pin down one of the Four Heavenly Kings, they aren't weak.
If they joined the Weed Monster Army, they would have the strength and intelligence to serve as company commanders.
Well, rather than putting them in the army, it’s more helpful that they take care of the reckless Aslin and Firia.
Ah, recently they’ve even been helping with taking care of our children.
By the way, Ta-chan comes from the "Ta" in Tanuki. Ki-chan comes from the "Ki" in Tanuki. I-chan comes from the "I" in Itachi (weasel).
…As you can probably tell, the other demon beasts have similar names.
Since the individuals themselves are satisfied, I can't bring myself to say, "Isn't that too simple?"
"So, where are the remaining six?"
"The two that can fly are in the sky. The rest are… Shi-chan, No-chan, Ro-chan, Dan-chan. Come out."
Ah, the two bird types are naturally in the sky.
And as Shera called out, the remaining four—a white snake and a wild boar piglet—emerged from the bushes.
" " "Hii!?" " "
Seeing that white snake and the wild boar piglet, the Holy Sword Users let out even more pathetic cries.