I am John, the Inferno Wolf.
The Acting Village Head of Village One was the one who gave me that name. It isn't that I particularly like it, but it’s certainly better than being nameless. Of course, should the Master ever grant me a name of his own, I would discard this one in an instant.
Lord Kuro was the one who entrusted me with this mission. My task was to keep watch over the newly arrived fox. I didn't know the full details, but apparently, she had behaved quite insolently toward the Master. Unforgivable. However, her punishment had already been meted out; my surveillance was simply to observe her progress from here on out.
I see. But why me, I wondered? My usual territory was the area surrounding Village One. Still, I wasn't about to complain when given a chance to prove my worth. I would keep a very close eye on her.
The target’s name was Yoko. She was currently staying in a guest room at the Village Head's Mansion, and it seemed she intended to settle in the village permanently. Since the Master had already approved of this, I had no complaints on that front. Her child, Hitoe, stayed with Yoko when it was time to sleep, but the moment she woke up, she would head off to play with the kittens. It was a heartwarming sight. I had been told there was no need to watch Hitoe, so I ignored her and focused entirely on Yoko.
Yoko was capable of taking a human form, but she had remained in her beast form for some time now. Including her tails, she was roughly the same size as one of us. I wondered if that was her true form. Her most striking feature was her nine fluffy tails—though those were merely illusions. She had only one real tail. She couldn't fool my eyes. I had heard she was forced to expend her tails during her punishment, so that was likely the cause. It was a bit pitiable, really.
No, mercy was unnecessary. I had to watch her with a strict, impartial eye.
Her activities for the day began with a trip to the kitchen to greet the High Ogre Maids. She laid on the charm and was rewarded with some fruit.
Wait, High Ogre Maid-san! When I begged for fruit before, you wouldn't give me any! Why did you hand it over to her so easily? Had she beguiled them already?
Wait, one for me too? No, that wasn't my intention, but... Guh. Down, tail. Behave. This is a secret just between us? I won't be swayed by bribes! Well, be that as it may, this fruit was... yes, delicious. I had lost to my own desires. I reflected deeply on my failure.
But I still had a mission. I began tracking Yoko's scent. She seemed to be trying to hide it, but it was futile. She couldn't escape my nose.
Or so I thought.
"Master Makura? What is it? Eh? The fox didn't go this way? She's over there?"
My thanks. Everyone makes mistakes now and then. I wouldn't let a small blunder like that discourage me.
Alright, I spotted her. She was at the site where the Dwarves brewed their alcohol. I could smell the sake even from this far away. The Master had issued a stern warning that children were absolutely forbidden from approaching this area. Those who were weak to alcohol were better off staying away as well. I was fine, of course.
Was Yoko actually going inside? No, she headed toward the area with tables and benches set up next to the brewery. It was the place where the Dwarves ate their lunch. I had heard stories that they occasionally held rowdy parties there. Yoko hopped onto one of the benches and curled up. Was she taking an early nap?
Wait, was someone else there? I sensed a presence—the Sake Slime. It was sitting on a bench in much the same way as Yoko. The two didn't seem to be doing anything in particular; they just sat there together for a while.
Eventually, five more people arrived. The one in the lead was the woman they called the Saint. Behind her were four women of the Beastman Race. All of them were carrying large bundles. That scent... ah, the Dwarves' bento boxes.
As the five women lined the lunches up on the table, the Dwarves came swarming out of the brewery. They began their meal immediately. It seemed they ate in shifts; the five women would head back to the kitchen and return with bentos for the next group. The Dwarves were eating with great gusto.
Oops, I nearly forgot my objective. As for Yoko... she was drinking sake while the Dwarves shared portions of their bentos with her. The Sake Slime was doing the same. What was that fox thinking? If she wanted a meal, she could just go back to the mansion. Perhaps they didn't serve alcohol with the meals there, so she came here to get her fix? That couldn't be it.
While the Dwarves ate in three separate shifts, Yoko and the Sake Slime continued to drink the entire time. Once the meal service ended, Yoko parted ways with the slime and moved on. Where was she headed now?
The northern... flower field? When I checked with my comrades guarding the area, they told me Yoko came here at this time every day to nap. I see. And what was that object she was sleeping on? A bed specifically for Yoko, handcrafted by the Master?
I felt a pang of jealousy. No, I had to kill my emotions. I was a lookout. I had to observe Yoko with a cool, professional head.
...And then, before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. A total blunder. I panicked for a second, but it was fine. I hadn't lost her. She was still fast asleep.
Ah, it looked like she had just woken up. That was a massive yawn. Now then, what was next? She was heading north? Into the forest?
I continued my pursuit. In the forest, Yoko took down two Giant Boars before heading back. However, she returned empty-handed. Master Zabuton’s children were nearby; they cooperated to bind the carcasses with thread and began the slow process of hauling them back.
She was incredibly fast and powerful. I probably couldn't win against her. She was an overwhelmingly strong individual; I could feel it radiating from her. And she had definitely noticed me watching. She was simply choosing to overlook my presence. It was frustrating, but I continued my watch regardless. No one had told me the surveillance had to remain undetected. I would see this through to the end.
Night fell. After returning to the mansion, Yoko ate her dinner while remaining in her beast form. Master, you seemed worried about her staying in that form, but there was no need. The Master’s wives were keeping a close watch on her. Good. Keep it up.
After the meal, Yoko was lured away with the promise of alcohol by one of the wives and taken to the research room. If I recalled correctly, that was the room where they conducted research on magic tools. They spent a long time talking. I didn't understand the finer details, but the discussion seemed quite heated. I hoped it would prove beneficial to the Master.
Finally, late into the night, she returned to her assigned guest room. She crawled into the bed where Hitoe was already sleeping.
With that, my surveillance for the day was concluded.
She hadn't shown any signs of rebellion. Of course, she might just be feigning obedience until her strength fully returned, but... the way she acted so spoiled in her beast form... could that really be an act? If so, she was terrifying.
For now, my intuition told me she was fine. Even so, I decided to keep watch until dawn just in case she tried to slip out in the middle of the night. Arrangements had already been made for another wolf to take over for me in the morning.
I hadn't managed to uncover any grand schemes or achieve anything noteworthy, but I had been able to spend some time in the Village of the Great Tree for the first time in a while. I decided to be satisfied with that.