The tall spruce easily dodged all the fox's blows, which she launched in utter despair. She thought that after Mikua had played with her, he would simply kill her. So she simply wanted to turn at least a drop of her anger against him.

  And so she launched lightning-fast attacks with her claws, trying to strike her enormous target.

  The spruce simply watched these desperate attempts. She couldn't even stand properly on her feet, but she was still trying to strike him.

  Every lunge, every bite, and every rare magical attack was easily parried before they even began.

  While Mikua defended himself with his bark, the fox managed to break her claws three times on them. Her gaze was blank but strangely filled with anger, her mouth open and she was breathing rapidly, trying simply to breathe lest she die.

  And so she simply stood there, unable to move or even think. She stood on her feet, completely unconscious.

  -[Forest Spirit Technique: Mercy] Looks like it won't work this time either. Well, little fox, I'm really curious how you ended up here and what kind of baggage is always hanging around your house?

  -And why the hell do you know that?

  -Probably because I'm the ruler of this territory, what do you think? You used to be just like me. But apparently something happened, and now you're wandering. I could... although no, I won't do anything for you. In any case, answer me.

  -Well, I ran into a high level guard, and, as you understand, I had to leave quickly. That's why I'm living here in your house.

  Trent looked at her without changing expression and waited. Just waited. He knew she hadn't told him about her new companion, and he wondered what had possessed Martisa to babysit this child.

  The fox stared at the motionless spruce, even imagining the entire battle and even wondering if she was simply standing in front of it, talking to it. But when the spruce's black needles grimaced more and more angrily, she finally decided to tell him.

  -Well, that... I also found a demon on the way here... Well, it was because of that demon that I ran into the guard. And that's it... That's it! Stop looking at me like that, what's wrong with you? Well, I took that demon so I could give it to the Tsukada O Wan Empire. I was hoping I'd be rewarded for this, and besides, she's very capable; at her age, she's already interested in how to become stronger. And she reads some 'Books'.

  -So you just wanted to sell this 'demon' for your own gain?

  -Well... uh... Well, that's true. But look! If I could bring her back to her native Empire, she'd definitely be treated well!

  -Hmmm, interesting... In any case, I want to visit your 'demon.'

  -Wait, wait, wait! They were already trying to take my ticket to the future away from me. So I'll never give her to you.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  -I don't need this 'demon'. I wouldn't have needed him anyway. Besides, I don't want to visit her until spring. It's too cold in the forest. So I'll see you on the first of the second month.

  -What a cheater... Anyway, I need to get home quickly, otherwise something might have happened to my 'goods', heh...

  I wonder if my stats have increased during this whole fight with Mikua? I gave it everything I had. I need to check!

  "Prestige: 542

  "Dexterity: 602 (460 --> 498)"

  "Strength: 312 (272)"

  "Reaction: 601 (600 --> 601)"

  "Intelligence: 400 (299 ---> 311)"

  "Phys&Mag. Resistance: 104 (102)"

  -Not bad, not bad! Did he really want to help me from the start? Since he's the forest's protector, it's entirely possible he wanted to make me stronger... After all, he's not as bad as I thought.

  Entering her new home, she watched her little demon, though he no longer seemed so small to her, exercise. She's so small, but she's already thinking about how to get stronger! Well done.

  Sweat poured down her face as she did crunches against the edge of the bed. It was a more relaxed version of the regular crunches in her book. Martisa had no idea she'd gotten all this information about how to get stronger from books. But she didn't particularly care where she got it from—she just needed results.

  Coming closer, the demon saw the fox and went to hug her. She said something, but the fox didn't understand a word. After all, animal and human language are very different.

  -Where have you been for so long, my savior? I'm starting to worry about your well-being.

  As soon as the girl pulled away, the fox went out into the yard and began cutting up the wolves she'd brought back from previous hunts. After cutting them up, she handed them to the demon as usual and waited for her to cut them up.

  The fox saw how hard the girl was trying to cut up the meat. She really liked it, because a strong demon is better than a weak demon!

  Kalidonia POV

  I was so worried about her! She'd never disappeared for so long! And besides, she'd never come home empty-handed! Did something happen on the way here? But she seemed fine. So everything's fine.

  By the way, I finally learned how to wield a sword properly with only my left eye. I'm doing well. My training also didn't stop, and I practiced constantly, well, or whenever I had the strength to even get out of bed. Because my body was constantly aching. It was annoying.

  I also read a book called "Carpentry" in between. It was less useful than the others because it had far fewer pictures, and the book itself was about woodworking. I didn't really need it.

  At least not right now. Still, learning to build something out of wood was quite tempting. But to build anything, you'd need a huge amount of wood, tools, and land. I didn't have any of that right now. But, purely theoretically, sooner or later, I think the fox and I will leave here for somewhere else. After all, we can't stay in one place forever. My soul and mind long to see the many beautiful things in the world. The pictures on the books were also incredibly beautiful, but even the view from the window of the snow-covered ground and trees was simply indescribable.

  After finishing this book, I saw an inscription I couldn't decipher. Because there were no pictures or anything like that. The words read:

  -"From the Ruinfall Academy Library." Ahhhh, why can't I just see a word and immediately know what it means? That would be so lovely. In any case, I'll remember this inscription. Maybe I'll need it in the future? Although, who am I kidding? It looked so beautiful and seemed to shimmer like the night sky. As if they weren't words, but a separate work of art.

  While my brain was thinking about books and the delights of this world, my body was preparing food for itself. As usual, it was roast meat. I watched the fox grab its portion and quickly run out of the house. I didn't pay it any mind and just continued eating.

  My fork skills had improved significantly, and now I could not only spear meat and bite it off the fork, but also cut it with it. Of course, this meat wasn't always cut, so I had to just bite it.

  The fox ran into the house with something white in its mouth. I took a closer look... And damn... Could that really be an ice carrot? I saw it in a forest survival book. It's considered a winter delicacy simply because it's almost the only thing that grows in this cold time of year. It's meant to be eaten raw. And yes... She's giving it to me.

  -Urururu?

  I nodded and took the carrot. To my surprise, it wasn't even cold, but rather hot. I brought it to my lips, and the scent of ice filled my nose. Pure ice. I don't even know what to compare it to. The snow outside doesn't even come close in smell.

  I took a small bite and tasted a delicate, cold flavor, but the carrot itself was hot! It was so strangely delicious. It was still so firm... It crunched like snow when you walk on it.

  I think this icy carrot will become my favorite dish too.