[Wow, are we going to meet our Mori?]
Zigore asked in an extremely excited voice.
Dullahans were originally happy to find their comrades, but Zigore's current reaction felt somewhat peculiar.
"I don't know if it's the knight you're talking about, but it's certain a Dullahan appeared here. It seems Nadav also left the group to find that Dullahan."
At my words, Minte, transformed into a cat, wagged her tail and answered.
[If Nadav has stepped forward, it's highly likely to be Mori.]
[Mori is Nadav's younger sibling!]
Following Minte's words, Zigore promptly chimed in.
[But Mori was closer to me! Because Nadav is a stuffy, boring nag!]
Zigore, who had been fluttering his small black wings and flying around here and there, shouted in a voice raised to its peak.
[Mori is here! Mori!]
Of course, no answer returned to Zigore's shout. But Zigore was already in an excited state as if he had met the other party.
As I watched Zigore curiously, Minte subtly explained.
[Perhaps because Mori and Zigore were of a similar age, they relied on each other a lot.]
Being friends with Zigore and being Zigore's age, an image of a pair of reckless troublemakers naturally came to mind.
Was Mori also young and cute like Zigore? But the orcs said Dullahans could transform into snakes. A snake......
I tilted my head.
"Zigore, don't snakes eat birds?"
[Huh? Well... yes, they do?]
"Mori might transform into a snake. What if it's your natural predator or something......"
[Gasp...! M-Mori wouldn't do that!]
While denying my words, Zigore stopped fluttering about noisily as if he had received some shock. Then he drooped down and settled on top of Bark's head, who was transformed into a bear.
Bark flinched, saying it tickled, but Zigore firmly gripped Bark's fur with his claws and buried his head in it.
[Our kind, cute Mori wouldn't do that...]
Tristan, who had been clicking his tongue softly while watching Zigore, flew stealthily towards me. Behind him, I could see several wasps following.
......Wasps?
At that moment, Tristan shouted.
[Captain, these wasps have something to report!]
......Well, any report is good to receive.
I turned my back and approached them.
* * *
The wasps' report was brief. It was about one rampaging mad horse that had intruded into the forest.
'Mad horse......'
I don't know what on earth Nadav is doing, but it's clear we need to meet him quickly.
Moving to the location of the report, I felt that this forest was wider than I thought.
To the point where it felt strange that no monsters had appeared until now.
I muttered.
"At this point, it seems reasonable to assume this forest had an owner."
Otherwise, there couldn't have been no monsters.
How long had I walked while thinking that? A voice came from ahead.
[......da!]
[This ......un ......!]
This voice, which sounded like someone urging another, was familiar. I pushed through the bushes and quickened my pace.
The first thing I recognized was the fishy smell that hit my nose. Next, I heard the sound of trickling water. It was a small stream.
Around the stream bank, damp leaves stuck to the muddy ground were trampled messily, and the one who likely made such a mess seemed to be that black horse over there.
Namely, Nadav.
"Nadav."
Hearing my voice, Nadav, who had been stamping his front hooves beside the stream, sharply raised his head.
He turned his head so sharply that his mane, tied prettily with a ribbon, swung greatly, and upon spotting me, he jumped.
[Captain!]
I first calmly scanned Nadav. He seemed dirty with dust, mud, leaves, etc., but no particular injuries were visible.
After secretly letting out a sigh of relief, I continued.
"I want to ask for the whole story, but let's talk about that later."
[C-Captain...]
Nadav looked troubled.
"Is my knight in there?"
Ignoring such a Nadav, I pointed with my chin to the spot where Nadav had been stamping his hooves and asked. Then he awkwardly stepped back and answered.
[Yes, that is correct.]
Hmm. I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
It was a spot where hoofprints were stamped particularly deeply compared to other places around. In front of it was a huge rock, and beneath the rock was a small hole.
That must be the snake burrow.
"I'm here now, so how about showing yourself?"
At my words, the Dullahans stared at the burrow entrance with tense eyes. As I focused on watching the burrow, I saw the soil tremble faintly.
And a moment later, one snake head slowly revealed itself outside the burrow. The snake, slithering out while flicking its tongue, raised its head and looked at me.
But then another snake came out behind it. And another, and yet another.
At the spectacle of snakes emerging one after another, Pallides screamed in disgust.
"It's a snake habitat!"
Even Minte, who was generally unperturbed by most things, seemed uncomfortable and took a step back.
[Zigore, absolutely do not come down from Bark's head. You'll get eaten.]
Minte, who had leaped onto a nearby rock in an instant, warned Zigore.
As soon as her words ended, Bark let out a faint groan, perhaps because Zigore put strength into his claws.
[But Minte! He's already tearing out my fur with his claws, if this continues and I get alopecia or something...!]
[For a comrade, you should be willing to sacrifice the hair on your crown.]
[You'll still love me even if I go bald, right?]
[I don't love you even without baldness.]
[Sob, Minte is cruel!]
Cute things.
Unknowingly, a smile bloomed on my lips.
The frustrated black bear slumped his shoulders and buried his head against a tree.
And the snakes, the source of all this commotion, were hissing and raising their heads to look up at me.
Nadav, who had stepped back to watch the situation, cautiously opened his mouth.
[Captain, among these...]
"Move aside."
[Huh?]
I heard Nadav's bewildered voice, but I kept my gaze fixed on the snakes and frowned.
"You lot, don't hide my knight and move aside."
At my cold voice, the snakes flicked their tongues and hesitated for a moment. The snakes exchanged glances among themselves but did not move easily.
As I was about to urge the snakes again, a faint voice flowed from among them.
[S-Sorry...! Th-These folks are just... just worried about me...]
From among the fierce-looking snakes, one very small black snake wriggled and revealed itself.
"......"
At a glance, it was so small you could believe it was an earthworm.
As the small snake poked its head out, the other large snakes around hissed and writhed. Judging by their demeanor, their intent to protect the small snake was evident.
[My, my, my brother is being too scary, so everyone got startled...!]
I, who had been blankly staring down at it as it busily tried to cover for the surrounding snakes while stammering, slowly parted my lips.
"Mori."
[Yes! I am...!]
"The fifth knight, wandering in search of a lost head."
Perhaps because I said what he was about to say, Mori looked up at me with round eyes.
[Th-That's right!]
I pressed my lips together firmly and looked down at Mori. The longer my silence lasted, the more visibly restless Mori became, but there was no helping it.
Surprisingly, Mori... I could recognize Mori at a glance. Not only that, just facing him brought back memories related to him.
Because Mori was different from the other knights.
「There is a knight who was temporarily granted a portion of the Captain's authority.」
The knight to whom the proxy had granted a portion of his authority.
Mori was the knight who had been designated as the successor to carry on the will after the 'Proxy of Death' completed his authority and disappeared.
* * *
Mori was a youth who loved all things.
He was timid and particularly lacked courage. He liked taking care of small, weak creatures and found it more comfortable to let others win rather than to win himself.
So Mori was a knight who eagerly took the lead in setting creatures free. Because he couldn't bear to overlook their suffering.
Perhaps it was only natural that the Proxy of Death, who cared for all life in the world, took notice of Mori.
The proxy marked Mori as the one to newly care for the creatures who regained their freedom after he disappeared.
Of course, this was not an official declaration. Before the Proxy of Death could announce this, Samuel betrayed her.
Therefore, the knights did not know that the proxy had intended to make Mori his successor.
'Though the person in question might have noticed.'
[S-Sorry. I-I'm lacking, so the Captain had to come all the way here...]
Mori looked at me hesitantly and mumbled. Nadav glanced at such Mori and just let out deep sighs.
[I was delayed trying to persuade him properly to bring him along. I'm sorry for acting without reporting. I thought I had to stop him before he caused trouble, so I just...]
Watching Nadav, who looked apologetic and at a loss, reminded me of the Mori from the recovered memories.
Liking to take care of small, weak creatures also meant sometimes taking on unnecessarily great trouble.
"Seeing this, it seems it's already too late, doesn't it?"
[......I'm sorry.]
I quietly watched Nadav, who hung his head deeply, then shifted my gaze. I saw Zigore, who had sneakily approached the sullen Mori, whispering and scolding him.
[You fool! If you want to help someone, you should first see the Captain and get permission!]
[But Zigore...]
[Ugh, don't tell me you got tricked like in the old days and couldn't come back?]
[Tr-Tricked...?]
That reaction made it clear. Yeah, he got tricked.
He must have acted on his own without waiting for me after waking up and caused some trouble.
"So, what kind of trick did you fall for?"
When I intervened with an indifferent voice, Mori, startled, quickly hid his body under a nearby leaf.
Mori, who peeked his head out from under a large leaf, flicked his tongue and watched my reaction.
I opened my mouth again.
"I need to know in order to either clean it up or abandon you."
[C-Captain!]
A flustered Nadav urgently called me. But I declared coldly.
"I have no need for a knight who won't listen to my orders. If you have no intention of serving me first, then I have no reason to take you in, so say it clearly."
What use is the past?
It was the proxy from the previous life who chose Mori, not me.
And I, I had no need for a knight who would put me on the back burner because he got held back by each and every weak, young creature.