Gathering up the unconscious Ivan and the fox Phonia, I pushed past the servants who had gathered like onlookers and made my way out of the mansion.

To let Ivan rest, I found a nearby inn and entered. Only after stepping inside did I realize that, being the closest lodging to the noble district, it was a high-class establishment. The staff’s brows furrowed slightly upon seeing us. It was no surprise—after all, Ivan, slumped on Nir’s back, was drenched in blood.

“Welcome.”

“Can I get a room for the night with this?”

Taking out my adventurer’s card, I placed a single gold coin worth 100,000 flon on the counter.

“Certainly.”

Though surprised, the receptionist led us to a room without even confirming the price. It was moments like these that really made me appreciate the power of money.

“Please, enjoy your stay.”

We were shown to the inn’s topmost floor, to the very last room in the hallway. It had a master bedroom, a smaller bedroom, and even a private bath.

“First, I’ll get Ivan changed.”

“Alright. I’ll watch over Phonia.”

“Might as well wash Nir too.”

Bringing Ivan along, I took Nir to the bath as well. He might have gotten Ivan’s blood on him.

Undressing an unconscious man and washing him in the bath was a hassle, but once I realized I could lift him with magic, the process sped up significantly. After getting him into clean clothes, I noticed that, despite all the scrubbing, he hadn’t woken up even once.

When I returned from the bath, I found Phonia curled up in a corner of the room.

“Ah, welcome back.”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

All I did was wash Ivan, yet hearing Rio greet me so naturally made me reflexively respond in kind. Not that I had actually gone anywhere.

Phonia was still in her fox form.

“Phonia, are you feeling calmer now?”

“Yes… She’s not speaking, but I think she’s settled down.”

“...Wait, can she even talk while in beast form?”

Keeping an eye on Phonia, I laid Ivan down on the bed. Seeing his bloodstained clothes replaced with clean ones, and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, I felt relieved.

“Ivan-niii!”

Phonia, now in her human form, suddenly cried out. With teary eyes, she rushed forward and climbed onto the bed. From behind, I could see she had five tails.

“W-Wait, Phonia-chan! Your clothes…!”

Rio’s panicked voice made me avert my gaze.

Thinking about it, it was obvious. In her fully furred beast form, Phonia hadn’t been wearing any clothes. So now, a stark-naked young girl had flung herself at Ivan.

“Ivan-nii! Thank goodness… You’re safe… Waaaah!”

As Phonia clung to Ivan, crying her heart out, we exchanged glances, completely forgetting to dress her.

Some time passed after we finally managed to get clothes on Phonia, who had cried herself to sleep.

“Huh…?”

At last, Ivan woke up.

“Oh, morning.”

“Finally awake, huh?”

The sun had already begun to set, painting the sky in shades of orange.

“Uh… Where is this…?”

Looking around, he spotted Phonia sleeping nearby and let out a relieved sigh.

“This is an inn in the Imperial Capital. I picked it at random, so I’m not sure exactly where in the city it is.”

“At random…?”

“It’s a high-class inn near the noble district.”

“H-High-class inn?”

Hearing Rio’s words, Ivan gulped.

“So, can you tell us what happened?”

“Ah… yeah…”

According to Ivan, adventurers had found their hideout in the forest. It seemed they were after a D-rank request to capture runaway slaves. Given that D-rank adventurers typically explored areas deep in the forest, their hideout was bound to be discovered, even with the walls concealing it. If someone managed to descend the cliff, it was only a matter of time.

The ones who initially found the hideout weren’t the adventurers hired for the job, but rumors of a house in the forest spread quickly.

“And so, we were easily captured despite our resistance.”

“I see…”

“I had no chance against five of them while protecting Phonia.”

Afterward, they were taken to the mansion, where that idiotic noble used him as a stress relief punching bag.

“Never expected to get stabbed with a rapier, though. Everything after that is a blur.”

As he spoke, he looked toward the sleeping Phonia and gently stroked her head.

It was clear Ivan felt responsible for protecting her, but judging by her status, she didn’t seem to need it. Did he not know that Phonia was actually a Youko, a magical beast?

“I see… That’s about when we arrived at the mansion.”

“Hell of a timing.”

“Yeah, Ivan’s presence was growing faint. I figured something was up and rushed over.”

Without mentioning Phonia’s transformation, I recounted what had happened after he lost consciousness.

“So that’s what happened… Shu, you guys really saved our lives.”

“Umyuu…”

Just as our conversation reached a pause, a strange sound came from Phonia, who must have woken up from being petted.

“Ah, did I wake you?”

She sat up and let out a big yawn before rubbing her eyes. Looking at her now, she seemed like any other fox beastkin.

“Good morning.”

“G-Good morning…”

She flinched slightly at my greeting but still answered, albeit while looking downward.

“Though, it’s already evening.”

At Rio’s words, Phonia turned her face toward the window. A moment later, a loud growl echoed through the room, and she pressed a hand against her stomach, her cheeks flushing red.

“Haha, come to think of it, I’m hungry too.”

Laughing, Ivan patted Phonia’s head before getting out of bed. Despite his injuries, his steps seemed steady enough.