As we approached the forest, we found a large barrier covering the entire thing, as expected. However, we must not have been designated as enemies, as we were able to enter easily.
Hm. So we really are still comrades, even after one thousand years. I guess this means we won't be attacked suddenly, at least for now, since the fact that we're able to enter means we're counted as allies.
As we walked into the forest, we found a place that was the perfect definition of 'sanctuary.' Sunlight filtered through the trees, and the animals all ran around freely, showing no fear. There were many animals that seemed like squirrels and rabbits, which only made the impression stronger.
It seemed that Penny was unmoved, but this place probably felt comforting to Fiona, who was a sheep. As for Tayuya… she was in human form right now, but her original one probably wouldn't fit in with this view, either. She would stand out like a sore thumb. Seeing a demon standing in the middle of a bunch of playing animals would be way too surreal.
Well, Fiona would be the same with her 100 m size, but she was just big. She still looked exactly like a fancy, rainbow-colored sheep, so she was probably barely in the safe zone.
After some more walking, we eventually came upon a small cabin that was built in the woods.
Is this where Kushina lives? There shouldn't have been anyone around this area thanks to Kushina, so she was the only candidate.
I stood in front of the door and knocked lightly.
"…! Huh? A knock?! N-no way?! Why?!"
I heard the voice of a sincerely surprised young girl from inside.
She may have been surprised, but so was I. I had totally been expecting an old person on the other side of the door, so a young girl was shocking.
Could it be? Did Kushina find a way to rejuvenate her youth?
After waiting for a while, the door slowly swung open a crack, and I could see a girl peeking out. At first glance, she looked like a lovely girl. Her long hair that she wore in pigtails was blue, and she seemed to be around 14-15 years of age.
No, but… She doesn't seem like Kushina…
As far as I remembered, Kushina's hair was red, not blue. Or did she dye it?
While I considered that, Tayuya stuck her hand through the crack in the door and forced it fully open. Then, for some reason, she returned to her demon form and crossed her arms in front of the girl.
"Girl, your attitude in front of my great king is nothing short of the highest insolence—"
"Fool. You're the one being insolent."
I grabbed Tayuya by her horn and used my pure strength to throw her backwards.
How do I fix this? Now our first impression is just terrible. She was so scared of that idiot who just showed up that she's backed up all that way.
While her expression didn't show any fear, her face was frozen in shock and surprise, and the white wings growing out of her back flapped restlessly.
"…"
…Wings? Huh? This girl is a flugel? Then she's definitely not Kushina. Kushina was human, so she wouldn't have wings.
Who the hell is this girl?
"Ahh… We apologize. Our subordinate was rude to you. We are not suspicious… Well, We are, but We do not intend to harm you in any way. We came here looking for an acquaintance. Girl, do you know of someone named Kushina?"
"…Huh? Are you friends of Grandma Kushina?"
Grandma Kushina? That meant there were two possibilities for who this girl was. The first was Kushina's descendant by blood. A half-human, half-flugel was possible. That would mean Kushina married a flugel and had a child, who then had another child. It wasn't a far-fetched idea. But in that case, where was Kushina's husband and son (or daughter), and that person's spouse?
The other possibility was that she'd been adopted. If Kushina had just picked this girl up for some reason or another, everything would be explained.
For now, I should check her stats. This should be cleared up by seeing what her race is.
[ Wendy ]
[Level]: 320
[Race]: Heaven-Winged
[Class Levels]
・Acolyte: 100
・Priest: 200
・Bard: 20
[HP]: 21000
[SP]: 3301
[STR (Strength)]: 1200
[DEX (Dexterity)]: 990
[VIT (Vitality)]: 1390
[INT (Intelligence)]: 1800
[AGI (Agility)]: 1270
[MND (Mind)]: 3102
[LUK (Luck)]: 1505
…I think she's adopted? Judging from the fact that she isn't half-anything, she doesn't seem related to Kushina by blood.
As for her levels, she's quite strong for this day and age. She was probably trained by Kushina.
"Ah. Those black wings… Could you be Miss Naru? Miss Lunaru Fenris? Gran told me about you."
"Indeed. We certainly are Lunaru Fenris. Behind us are members of the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians, Fiona and Penny. The fool on the floor there is Tayuya. And the redhead is Haruka."
As I introduced them, Penny, Fiona, and Haruka all politely bowed. The girl returned each gesture.
Yeah. She seems like a good, polite girl.
…Aren't I the rudest of the bunch? After all, I couldn't use formal language even if I really concentrated on it. There was no way I could change my speech pattern.
"Umm, please, call me Wendy. Grandma Kushina will be happy to know that you came, Miss Naru. Would you like to go visit Grandma Kushina now?"
"Would that be all right? We would like that." Apparently she wasn't too wary of us.
What a nice and honest girl, was my sincere impression. I couldn't stop a smile. She probably didn't feel the need to be on guard since we'd passed through the barrier.
As I was lost in thought, Haruka pulled on my sleeve.
"Hm? What's wrong, Haruka?"
"This is bad, Big Sis. Her level and her cute little sister persona overlaps with mine a little."
"…What?"
"As it is, I'll lose my individuality and stop standing out."
I'd been wondering what had her looking so serious, but it was nothing to be concerned about.
"That's been the case from the start."
I left Haruka, who looked stricken, to her own devices and followed the girl as she walked, leading us to Kushina. Fiona and Penny followed after me and Tayuya returned to my shadow.
We walked through the forest for a while. Eventually, the girl led us to an open area. Light shone down into the clearing, making it seem as if the trees were avoiding the area, giving this spot in the forest an even more wondrous feel.
In the center stood a gravestone made of marble.
…The stone had Kushina's name marked on it.
"My Grandma is there."
"…"
"She'd been waiting tenaciously, always believing in your revival, Miss Naru. But a few years ago, she choked on some fruit…"
"…"
I silently looked over at Haruka. She turned away and refused to meet my gaze, and I could see cold sweat on her.
Hey, what the hell… Kushina is dead?!