We were greeted by a large number of beastmen. However, they all seemed to have wolf ears and tails.


　The beastmen are looking at me. It's a little scary to be looked at like that. I've never been the center of attention in my life, so I'm not used to it.

"...... What should I do?

　I wondered if it was right to get off and say hello, or how I should act in front of the beasts. Honestly, I couldn't figure it out. On the sifo, I was in trouble.


　As I was doing so, Raymer and the others unloaded the basket carrying Athos and the others. Perhaps because there were two of them in each basket, there was a rather loud noise when they lowered it.


"Guru guru guru (praise me for carrying them properly).
"Guru guru guru guru.


　After Lilja and Kamiha had unloaded the basket, they approached me, crying like that. Even adult gryphons can be cute like this.


　Thank you.


　I thanked them and patted Lilja and Kamiha's heads several times while they were on top of the sifo. The two purred pleasantly.


　I thanked everyone and got off the sifo.

　The gathered beastmen looked at me with a kind of surprised expression.


　I turned to the beastmen and said.
"I'm Lerunda.
　First, let me introduce myself.


　Atos and the others may have already told them my name, but I thought I should greet them myself, so I did.


"Nice to meet you.

　I bowed my head. The gryphons and the sifo also bowed in imitation of me.
　The beastmen began to panic.


I can't believe I'm bowing to a gryphon.
You don't have to bow to me!


　The beastmen began to panic at the thought of being bowed to by the gryphons.
　Mr. Athos came down from the basket and took care of the situation. Mr. Athos is the head of this village. I didn't know that, so I was a little surprised.


　Then, Athos and Gaius showed me around the village.






　They said that this village was built by cutting through the forest. As such, once you step out of the village, you will see a vast forest. Gaius said that it was a difficult place to live because demons sometimes jumped out of the forest.


　With these words.
"Can't the Gryphons do something about these monsters?
　That's fine.


　I didn't mind that. Rather, I thought that I should be willing to do such a thing since I was going to be taken care of.


There are some people who have mixed feelings about having Lelanda, the Gryphon, and the Skyhorse come here. Please try to keep them at bay.
"I'll do it because I'll be indebted to .......


　Mr. Athos looked relieved when I said that.

　I realized for the first time that I might have put Mr. Athos through a lot of trouble because I was selfish enough to want to come here. I had said it without thinking it through.


"I'm sorry for forcing you to go to .......
"You mean you wanted to come here?　It is true that it took some persuasion, but it is in our interest to be able to interact with someone who is so well-liked by Griffon and Skyhorse, so you don't have to worry so much about it.

　That's what he said to me when I apologized.
　I wanted to go to the village, so I just said I wanted to go.


　But Mr. Athos, after much thought, accepted my offer.
　Apparently, adults have a lot of difficult things on their mind.


I'm not going to do anything bad to Lerunda. We don't want to antagonize the Gryphon or the Skyhorse. And Gaius likes you too.
Dad, what are you talking about?
What do you mean, you've been talking about Lerunda ever since?
You've been talking about Lelanda ever since. ...... That's because there's no one like her. ......


　I've been talking about Lelanda ever since. I'm glad I met you all and then met the beasts. I honestly can't imagine what would have happened if it had been the other way around, but it might have been harder than it is now.

　I would not have died, but I might not have been able to live as peacefully as I do now, because I would have been able to stop someone from violently attacking me, or find food outside.



I'm happy to tell you my story .......

　As I listened to Mr. Athos and Gaius, I felt happy to know that Gaius was talking about me.


"Can I be friends with you, Gaius?


　I don't have a friend. I know what the word means, and there were a lot of people around my sister. The relationship between my sister and the children in the village seemed to be different from the relationship of friends that I had heard about, but I think the children around my sister were friends.
　I didn't think to ask because I thought I would be getting my first friend.



"...... aren't we friends now?
Are we?
Well, at least I thought we were friends.
...... Oh, really? I'm glad.
Happy about what?
You're my first friend.


　Oh, yeah. Gaius already thinks of me as a friend. That made me kind of happy.


　My first friend.
　I'm so happy for you.
　At my words, Athos and Gaius looked surprised. I don't know why they are surprised.


...... Lernda also said that she was abandoned, right?
Hmm, yeah.
Didn't she have any friends?
No.


　I was like a bonus to my sister. She seemed to think of me as a servant or something. I don't know what she thought of me because I never talked to her much.

　My mother and father were ancestral reincarnations, and they loved my sister, who barely resembled the recorded ancestors in the house, and regarded her as sacred. He didn't want me to come near her more than necessary. The people in the village also thought she was special, and my parents, who gave birth to her, hated me, so I followed their example.

　Again, I thought that I was mostly alone in the village.
　Except for my grandfather, who taught me many things when he was alive. When he was here, he would talk to me.


"Lern Da, you should make a lot of friends here.
Can you be my ......?
I'll help you.


　When Gaius asked me to make friends here, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to. Then Gaius smiled at me. He said he'd help me. I'm glad.
　Mr. Athos also patted me on the head.
　I've never had my head stroked before.


"I've never had someone pet my head before.

　I mumbled and looked up at Athos.

"I want you to pet me more.


　I was so happy to be stroked that I said this to a surprised-looking Athos, and Gaius stroked me as well.
　Then I was taken to a simple house that had been set up for me and everyone to live in for a while.




　---- A girl and her village of beastmen 1
　(Probably the girl who is a godchild arrives at the beastman village, makes friends, and gets her first pat on the head.