IBMB 03

← Previous Next →

Chapter 3

And so, three years passed.

Throughout the Empire, rumors spread that House Aymond had attempted treason and that the entire family had been wiped out.

But I can say this with certainty—

The people who chased me were definitely not the Imperial Knights.

‘And they say the young Lady Aymond pitifully begged for her life before she finally died?’

What an absurd rumor.

What did that make of my heroic final leap?

As you can see—

I’m perfectly alive.

I nearly died after being swept away by the raging river, but fortunately, I survived.

And now—

“Chit-chit.”

Hand over everything you’ve got.

I’m making a living as a bandit—

No, a guide—

On Fire Bear Mountain, a place said to be crawling with giant bears.

“…A flying squirrel?”

The escort knight of a merchant caravan had been wandering around the same spot for over an hour.

Tilting his head at my sudden appearance, he unconsciously reached out toward me.

Well…

I couldn’t exactly blame him.

I did spend a lot of effort grooming my fur until it became irresistibly soft.

But I had no intention of letting an idiot who couldn’t even tell the difference between a squirrel and a flying squirrel touch me.

“Chit!”

“Ow! Does that mean I’m not allowed to pet you?”

Smack!

After slapping his hand away, I nodded toward a certain direction.

At once, black shadows poured out from the trees and the cracks between the rocks.

They were rabbits, martens, and little birds—animals commonly found in the mountains.

Moving in perfect coordination, they surrounded the wagon and immediately began searching through the merchant’s cargo.

Locked boxes.

Hidden snacks tucked inside pockets.

Nothing was spared.

“W-What?! The rabbit picked the lock…!”

“No! Don’t touch that! My wife secretly packed those for me!”

The escort knights hurriedly grabbed their sword sheaths.

They swung them wildly, trying to catch the tiny bandits darting around.

Every swing missed.

Naturally.

Heh. These are professionals among professionals.

Introducing—

The elite members of the Fire Squirrel Gang of Fire Bear Mountain.

Wondering how the daughter of a marquis ended up like this?

Well…

To explain that, we have to go back three years.

Following Mother’s final wish, I headed north without any destination in mind.

For some reason, I could no longer return to my human form.

Honestly, I considered that a blessing.

An astronomical bounty had been placed on my head.

Not only the Imperial Knights, but even homeless drifters were desperately searching for Muriel Aymond.

And that included albino squirrels.

“Catch one albino squirrel, and you’ll earn enough money for a commoner’s family to live comfortably for ten years.”

Because of that, every mountain in the Empire became packed with bounty hunters.

The Imperial Knights searched not only the southern region where House Aymond once stood but even the remotest corners of the continent.

But as the saying goes—

The darkest place is right beneath the lamp.

I was living quite comfortably.

Right here on Fire Bear Mountain!

A triumphant smile spread across my face.

Situated between the territory of the Mad Black Dragon Duke and the capital, this mountain was famous for its treacherous terrain.

On top of that, savage fire bears roamed everywhere.

No one in their right mind would willingly set foot here.

The Imperial Knights were no exception.

They never imagined I’d be hiding somewhere this close.

Hmph.

Search all you want.

You’ll never catch me.

I snorted smugly.

O-Of course… it wasn’t easy at first…

Even now, remembering those days made cold sweat break out.

The roars of predators echoing through the mountains every night were terrifying.

Even so—

I had to survive.

For Mother.

And for myself.

Who exactly were the enemies targeting House Aymond?

And who was the person Mother said I would meet in the north?

I’ll uncover the truth.

Just as my determination reignited—

[Boss, it’s another bust.]

[No food… Just a bunch of shiny rocks. Idiot! Idiot!]

The mountain bird, Jjorongi, pecked at a knight’s head in dissatisfaction.

Of course, it wasn’t actually speaking human words.

At some point, I had begun understanding what animals were saying.

Was it after I arrived at Fire Bear Mountain and spent three days burning with a fever?

That was probably it.

And around that time, I founded the Fire Squirrel Gang.

At first, my goal was simply to help weak little animals survive together.

I found forgotten acorn caches for squirrels.

I lent food to animals preparing for winter in exchange for small favors.

Eventually, word spread throughout Fire Bear Mountain.

Before I knew it, everyone wanted to join me.

Hmm…

Doesn’t that make me sound like some kind of loan shark?

Anyway.

It meant I was now responsible for feeding the entire mountain.

But this merchant caravan—

“Chit…”

The haul just isn’t worth it.

From the perspective of a seasoned thief—

No, professional—

Even if we searched every pocket on every knight, all we’d find were a few bags of nuts and several pieces of bread they had packed as snacks.

[Boss, I think we should call this one off.]

The rabbit known as Professor, the strategist of the Fire Squirrel Gang after me, spoke up.

I agreed.

The cost-performance ratio was terrible.

“Chit.”

Everyone, we’re done here.

I turned around without the slightest hesitation.

Then—

Bang!

The tightly shut wagon door flew open, and someone came rushing out.

He was plump like a fire bear preparing for hibernation, with smooth, shiny skin.

Without a doubt, he was the merchant leader.

“W-Wait!”

He ran toward me before he had even managed to put his shoes on properly.

Then—

“Master Ghost, please help us!”

He threw himself flat onto the ground and begged.

“Ch-Chit…?”

W-What?

More importantly…

What did he just call me?

A…

A ghost?!

“Merchant Master, what are you talking about? This squirrel is ‘Master Ghost’?”

The escort knight looked bewildered.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s that being said to live on Fire Bear Mountain!”

“By ‘that being,’ do you mean the one who guides travelers safely through the mountain in exchange for payment?”

“Chit, chit.”

Now what’s this story?

Go on.

Tell me more.

I curled a finger, signaling my interest.

The merchant leader immediately turned toward me.

“It’s a fairly famous story among merchants. They say there’s a guide living on Fire Bear Mountain.”

Some claimed it was the wandering spirit of the mountain.

Others said it was a mischievous mountain fairy.

The stories varied.

There was only one reason such ridiculous titles had appeared.

Once people left Fire Bear Mountain—

They completely forgot what the guide actually was.

…There was a secret like that?

I’d always found that strange.

Every time the owner of the fabric shop I regularly visited saw me, he’d say,

“A squirrel in a place like this?”

I’d simply assumed he was an idiot.

Or maybe he was pretending not to recognize me out of loyalty as a regular customer…

I had never imagined everyone forgot about me the moment they left the mountain.

Somehow…

It felt as though the mountain itself was protecting me.

“It’s said that this mountain has long been blessed with the power of dragons. Besides, we merchants don’t really care what Master Ghost actually is.”

What mattered was this—

Every merchant caravan that met the “Ghost” safely crossed Fire Bear Mountain.

And they all arrived far earlier than expected.

Before long, stories of the Ghost quietly spread throughout the Empire’s merchant community.

“O-Of course, we’re not asking for your help for free. Bring out the gifts we prepared.”

At the merchant leader’s command, the knights carried out several sacks hidden inside the wagon.

[One sack, two sacks, three sacks… Boss, that’s four whole bags!]

[We won’t have to starve this winter!]

Their excitement wasn’t exaggerated.

There were sacks of mixed grains.

Bundles of dried jerky.

Even jars of honey.

One full sack after another was piled in front of me.

“We weren’t sure what you’d like, so we prepared a little of everything.”

This merchant really was generous.

The elders always said generosity came from a well-stocked storehouse.

I couldn’t agree more.

A genuine smile slowly spread across my face.

I plopped down on a low rock and gestured with a finger for him to continue.

The merchant leader began explaining his situation.

“As you can see, I deal in gemstones. I mainly supply jewelry shops frequented by noble ladies. But… things don’t always go according to plan. There was an accident at the mine, making gemstones difficult to obtain. I managed to secure enough stock, but getting them to the capital…”

“Chit, chit.”

I know.

I understand completely.

I nodded repeatedly.

The northern region wasn’t actually that far from the capital.

The problem was that Fire Bear Mountain sat directly between them.

The rough terrain already made traveling by wagon difficult.

Even worse were the fire bears, which attacked anything entering their territory.

So most merchants allowed themselves plenty of extra time and simply traveled around the mountain instead.

Anyone willing to risk crossing straight through Fire Bear Mountain clearly had an urgent reason.

Before I knew it, the merchant leader was crying huge tears.

He said he couldn’t even imagine how the noble young ladies would torment him if he failed to deliver the goods on time.