Chapter 74 - Spirit of the Forest
The spirit known as Dryad identified Mofurun as a Fenrir despite her being a cute girl.
How did she know?
It's unclear whether she determined Mofurun as a Fenrir because she had a tail.
But now that she knew Mofurun was a Fenrir, it didn't seem like things would end well.
And I still had questions about why the spirit was angry with me.
"You know me as a Fenrir. Mofurun of the Fenrir. You're indeed a Dryad, aren't you? A forest spirit Dryad. This area has been our territory, the Fenrir's. We've kept away from humans and demons. But I've heard that the forest spirit Dryad has had some clashes with the Fenrir in our territory a few times. Did you come to pick a fight with me?"
"Half-right, I guess. To be honest, I know that Franz and Mofurun came to my mountain. And they took my mushrooms, sesame seeds, and pepper without permission! Those are my personal belongings. I got angry because they took them without asking! Now, return them."
Surprisingly, it seemed that the spirit Dryad had been watching me when I went to the mountain with Mofurun and took the mushrooms, sesame seeds, and pepper. Furthermore, they seemed to be the Dryad's possessions, which was why they were angry. In other words, they wanted me to return what was rightfully theirs.
But, I had already eaten them, and I had turned the pepper into gold. What should I do now? If I say I don't have them, will it make things worse? They're still angry as it is.
I can't lie either because I was seen. Are spirits surprisingly stingy?
I think it should be okay to take just that much, right?
"Are spirits stingy? I think it's okay to take that much."
"W-w-what! Is it not terrible to call a spirit like me stingy? Despite my appearance, I consider myself a kind spirit!"
"Kind?"
There's no way she's kind. Just by barging into my farmland, she can't be considered kind. Calling herself a spirit is just a threat. Especially when she says it in this imposing, massive tree form. It's pure intimidation.
"I'm kind. I'm saying that if you return them, I'll forgive you and leave."
"Sorry, Spirit Dryad. I didn't mean any harm, but I went to town and sold the pepper and sesame seeds for gold. So, I hardly have any of that left now. Spirits are known for their generosity, right?"
I told the truth. Honesty is valued among humans. And since she's called a spirit, I want to believe she'll forgive me.