The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Having truly reunited with Nina at last, Nokia-san seemed to lose all the tension that had been keeping her going — and just collapsed.
She fell into a deep sleep.
Nina, unwilling to leave her side for even a moment, slept in the same bed with her.
And with that, the day came to a close.
The next morning—
“Good morning.”
“Good… morning?”
I exchanged greetings with Nokia-san, but I couldn’t help tilting my head in puzzlement.
Because Nokia-san was holding Nina in her arms.
Apparently Nina had asked to be held, clinging tightly to her like a cicada sticking to a tree.
“Um… what’s going on here?”
“Ah…”
Nokia-san glanced at Nina and gave a wry smile.
“Since yesterday… she just won’t let go…”
“…I want… to be with Mommy.”
“That’s how it is.”
Even though she looked a little troubled, Nokia-san also seemed happy somehow.
After being apart from her daughter for so long, she’d finally been reunited with her…
And now Nina was clinging to her as much as she wanted, showering her with affection.
For a mother, nothing could make her happier.
Nina too, having finally reunited with her mother, was thoroughly spoiling herself and making up for all the loneliness she’d endured.
It couldn’t be helped — she was still so young.
Actually, it was a heartwarming sight.
It made me think that I could watch the two of them like this forever.
“Good nya~orning!”
“Good morning. Oh my? Nina, you’re quite the spoiled little one today, aren’t you?”
“On!”
Everyone else had woken up too.
Like me, they all noticed Nina and smiled warmly.
After that, we all had breakfast together.
Since there were so many of us, it felt a bit cramped.
By arranging the seating cleverly, we somehow managed to fit everyone… but—
If our group keeps growing at this rate, it really might start to feel too small.
And if we also think about guests… it could get tight.
Maybe I should start thinking about renovating?
Well, for now, that can wait.
First, I needed to hear about Nokia-san’s circumstances.
“How’s your memory?”
“Yes, no problem. That too is thanks to you, Rain-san and everyone. Thank you.”
“Let me thank you as well. Even if it was only temporary, I’m so happy her memory came back… Thank you.”
Not just Nokia-san, but also Von-san bowed his head to me.
Even though he said “temporary,” it seemed he felt something more than that.
Well, that’s not really for us to worry about, and not our place to comment.
Best to just pretend not to notice.
“If it’s not too much to ask… could you tell us what happened to you all this time? And how you came to be cursed?”
“Yes.”
Apparently recalling the past, Nokia-san’s expression turned stern.
But without letting her emotions get the better of her, she quietly began to speak.
“It’s not a story from decades or centuries ago… it was about eight years ago. I was living in a small village then, together with this child.”
“I… don’t… remember.”
“Nina was very little, so she doesn’t remember.”
“Uuh…?”
“I was worshiped by the villagers as a messenger of the gods, and I used my powers for their sake… Those were peaceful times.”
“I think… maybe I remember that a little. With Mommy… fluffy… memories…”
It seemed that both then and now, the divine race had always been revered and worshiped by people.
But the time came when that relationship broke down.
“…One day, the village was caught up in a stampede. I fought desperately, but no matter how strong my kind is, there’s no way I could deal with a stampede alone… The village was destroyed. But, if you can call it a small blessing amidst misfortune, I did manage to save most of the villagers and help them escape.”
Hearing the word stampede, it reminded me of a certain demon… Weiss.
He could control monsters and even cause a stampede artificially.
Maybe it was his doing.
“I left Nina in the care of the villagers… and with my husband, we fought the horde of monsters, trying to buy as much time as we could.”
“The villagers you left Nina with… are they…?”
“I… think… that was… the place I was… before I met… you all.”
I see.
Back then, when I heard Nina had been worshipped alone, I’d wondered why…
So that’s what had happened.
Now it made sense.
“After we’d bought enough time, I fled the scene. I followed after the villagers to reunite with Nina… but along the way, I was ambushed by demons and blown far away.”
As Nokia-san said this, her expression was full of regret.
That she’d left Nina alone.
Even if it couldn’t be helped, she clearly blamed herself for it.
“After that, I traveled far and wide searching for Nina… I believe it was about three years ago? I was attacked by a demon called Mona… and that’s where my memory ends. I suppose that’s when I was cursed.”
“…What about Nina’s father?”
“I don’t know… but he’s incredibly strong. He was injured… but I’m sure he’s alive.”
“I see… thank you.”
Why had Nina been all alone?
How had Nokia-san spent all this time?
Now, at least, the sequence of events was clear.
But still…
“Nyaa… we know the timeline now, but we’re still clueless about the real motive behind it all.”
“Exactly.”
Why had Mona cursed Nokia-san?
If it was just to keep her quiet about something dangerous she knew, killing her would have been faster.
The fact that they hadn’t done that meant…
“I think… I might have an idea.”
Nokia-san’s face turned grim as she voiced her suspicion.
“Most likely… the enemy is trying to turn a member of the strongest race into a demon.”
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