* * *

Falweasel turned his back on the terrifying human, kicked off the ground like a real weasel, and ran through the shadow of the grass.

He stopped running about five minutes after he started.

<<<Hih... Hih... Hih...>>>

Fearfully... trying desperately to suppress the sound of his breathing, he exhaled awkwardly and looked back, but the human was not in his sight.

It seems that he had managed to escape.

<<<Hih, haaaa... fuuuu...>>>

Confirming that, Falweasel finally breathed a sigh of relief and floated softly into the air.

<<<Ki... Kikiki! As expected of a human! It seems they couldn't keep up with my run, which is like a gale that runs through the dark night! Kikikikiki!>>>

And he immediately got carried away, drawing circles in the air as he spun around, and laughed heartily!

A breathless, loud laugh!

...Falweasel, being a spirit, doesn't need to breathe in the first place.

<<<But... what in the world is that human? To kill even great spirits is impossible.>>>

However, his good mood was soon clouded.

The enemy of his comrades, that dark black human.

Just remembering her form... Falweasel's body trembled, and he lost the will to spin around.

<<<That... is beyond me. To challenge something like that is the act of a fool. That's not my job. A job more fitting for me is to command and arrange the other, foolish spirits.>>>

And yet, because he is a medium spirit, he is not given such a role.

What a hateful seniority system in the Spirit Forest!

Personnel placement that completely ignores aptitude!

Falweasel continued to complain endlessly, all alone.

◇ ◇ ◇

<<<Haaa... What do I do now?>>>

Now, Falweasel's monologue ended five minutes later.

Here, he finally began to think about what to do with himself from now on.

<<<That old man is dead, and the effect of the 【Mass Command】 is gone. There is no longer anything to force me to fight that human.>>>

That's something to rejoice about.

He can avoid dying in vain, without being able to make use of the wonderful brain he was born with.

<<<But as a prerequisite, we spirits were ordered by the Forest Spirit King-sama not to let humans into this forest... so even if the old man is gone, I can't just ignore that dark black one, uuuuuh!>>>

However, as long as Falweasel has been ordered by the king to patrol the Spirit Forest, he is not allowed to ignore the human who has entered the forest!

Falweasel curled up his body and scratched his head with his short front paws!

<<<Uuuuuh, uuuuuh... Run away? Run away from the forest? No, the Forest Spirit King-sama won't allow it. I'll surely be found immediately and meet some terrible fate! Uuuuuh, what should I do? How can I be saved? What should I do about the human? Uuuuuh!>>>

Falweasel worried, and worried, and worried...

<<<........................AAAAAAAAAAH!!!>>>

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, and he shouted!

<<<That's right! I had her, didn't I!!!>>>

Yes!

Falweasel finally remembered here, the other human he had tormented and left behind!

The Mad Dog Princess, Luctoria!

<<<That's right! I have to deal with the intruder, Luctoria! But, as expected of the Mad Dog Princess! Even I, the strongest beast-wisdom medium spirit, had a hard time! That's why I couldn't be bothered with that dark black human! Ah, what a shame! If I had been serious, that dark black one would have been a piece of cake! I can't just leave the Mad Dog Princess! Kikikikiki!>>>

Having constructed a story for his own self-preservation, Falweasel let out a high-pitched laugh and flew at the speed of the wind!

His destination is the place where he had left Luctoria earlier!

He's spent more time than he thought, so the soul of that girl, which he was planning to eat, has probably already left her body and returned to the cycle of reincarnation...

But!

That's no longer important!

As long as he has Luctoria's body, Falweasel can make the excuse to the Forest Spirit King that 'I was fighting this one, so I didn't have time to fight the dark black human'!

Moreover, speaking of which, his comrades are gone, one and all, in the battle with the dark black one!

In other words, just by surviving, a great promotion is a sure thing!

Faced with Falweasel's wisdom, the foolish lesser spirits and the humans of the Hyupuet Spirit Kingdom, who are "kept" by the Forest Spirit King, will all prostrate themselves!

Such an era awaits!

Truly, a perfect plan!

To be able to think of such a thing at the last minute, as expected of the adorably smart, wise, and clever genius strongest beast-wisdom medium spirit Falweasel!

Continuing to praise himself and smiling smugly, Falweasel continued to fly!

He can only see a glorious future!

...No matter how full of holes an idea is, it shines brightly right after it's thought of.

And it was right after he escaped from the extreme state of tension given by the dark black human.

Falweasel was, in any case... more cheerful than ever before, unnecessarily so!

◇ ◇ ◇

<<<HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?>>>

...However, things don't go so well!

When Falweasel arrived at the place where he had parted with Luctoria!

There!

...No one, was there.

<<<Huh!? Huh!? Huh!?>>>

Falweasel opened his eyes wide and shouted in confusion, looking around.

However, unfortunately.

She should have been lying there!

No matter where he looked... the figure of the golden-haired, blue-eyed girl that Falweasel had taken a liking to, at least in appearance, was not there!

There are no dangerous creatures in this forest, other than spirits, that would attack humans.

Gauugabu and the others hunted them all down.

So, it's not like she was eaten by a monster or anything.

Since there was a forced mobilization by the 【Mass Command】, it's not like other spirits messed with her either.

In other words.

<<<That brat... she ran away! She was faking being dead, wasn't she!!!>>>

...Yes, that is the truth.

Trapped by the 【Wind Membrane】, and gradually being deprived of air... Luctoria's choice was the very simple and clear deception of faking her death.

A deception that would be meaningless if her life and death were carefully confirmed... Falweasel was completely fooled by it! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

<<<Ki, ki, KIIIIIIIIH!!! A mere human!!!>>>

The anger at Luctoria, who had made a fool of the wise and revered him with such a child's trick, dyed Falweasel's face bright red!

Glaring around with bloodshot eyes, there was a section where the shining undergrowth was broken and withered.

That is the footprint of Luctoria, an inferior human who cannot even fly!

<<<Ki... Kikiki!!! Stupid, stupid!!! The foolishness of a human, to this Falweasel-sama... what!?>>>

And here, Falweasel noticed a further fact.

The direction that Luctoria was heading in.

At the end of it... is the sacred ground of the spirits!

The giant tree where the Forest Spirit King-sama resides... and the flower garden!

Absolutely, a place where humans should not be allowed to approach!

<<<Why, why, why!? Why are you heading that way!?>>>

Falweasel shouted this time, his face pale.

Letting a human approach the sacred ground!?

That's bad, it will develop into a matter of his own responsibility!

...To tell the truth, Luctoria had headed towards the sacred ground because Falweasel, right after being affected by the 【Mass Command】, had been shouting a stream of unbearable insults in that direction.

'There must be a central part that commands the spirits in that direction.'

Luctoria, having seen through that, had headed towards the sacred ground.

To take revenge on the spirits.

To leave a mark, even if just a little!

In other words, far from 'developing into a matter of his own responsibility', it was his responsibility from beginning to end, but that fact does not come to his mind, so that's that!

<<<KILL...!!! KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!!!>>>

At this point, Falweasel's thoughts were completely filled with murderous intent ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) towards Luctoria!

The prompt killing of the Mad Dog Princess, Luctoria!

That is the best and essential move to solve the problem, Falweasel was convinced!

<<<I'LL KILL YOOOOOUUUUUU!!!>>>

With a demonic expression, drooling profusely!

Falweasel, chasing after Luctoria's footprints... flew out with tremendous force!