“M-Master Ghost… Are you sure this is the right way?”

The merchant leader trembled as he held me in the palm of his hand.

It was only natural.

We were passing straight through the fire bears’ territory.

“S-Sir… Something is watching us…”

“E-Eek…! Everyone, keep your heads down! Don’t make eye contact!”

The knights’ instincts were spot on.

Not far away, a massive fire bear was staring directly at us.

“Chit.”

I told them not to worry.

I casually waved a paw through the air.

It’s a little embarrassing to say myself, but the fire bears were under my command as well.

Otherwise, how could I possibly have dared lead them straight through the fire bears’ den?

Thanks to taking the shortcut, the merchant caravan made it out of the heart of the mountain before sunset.

“Chit.”

Just keep following this road, and you’ll reach the capital in two days.

I pointed toward the uneven rocky path.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the merchant leader understood what I meant.

Even so, he and the escort knights repeatedly bowed to me.

“Thank you so much, Master Ghost. I don’t know how we’ll ever repay this kindness…”

“Thank you… sniff…”

But…

Why were their clothes so soaked?

The backs of their necks, their armpits…

Some of them had even wet their trousers.

Well, whatever.

As always, partings should be clean.

“Chit.”

Take care. And if you pass through again, don’t forget to bring plenty next time.

I waved goodbye and watched them disappear into the distance for quite a while.

Then—

They’re gone, right? They’re definitely gone?

I pulled out a bottle I’d secretly hidden behind my back.

I’d quietly swiped it from deep inside one of the merchant wagons.

It was none other than—

Hair dye, the latest trend among nobles!

It was said to make hair shinier while temporarily changing its color for a fresh new look.

“Chit-chit-chit.”

I’d tried so hard to get my paws on this, yet somehow I ended up obtaining it like this.

Too excited to wait, I decided to use it immediately.

Hmm… Apply it to the hair and leave it on for an hour?

After carefully reading the instructions, I spread the dye over every inch of my body.

Since I couldn’t reach my back, I practically poured the remaining contents over myself.

Then I found a nice flat rock and enjoyed sunbathing while I waited.

How much time had passed?

“Chii…”

When I rubbed my eyes and woke up, the sun was already setting.

The sunlight had been pleasantly warm, the breeze comfortably cool…

I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

Let’s see… I wonder if the dye worked… Huh?

Looking at my reflection in the glass bottle, I froze.

The dye had worked perfectly.

Not a single patchy spot.

The problem was…

It had worked too well.

I-It was supposed to be honey blonde!

That’s exactly what the label had said.

But the squirrel reflected in the bottle looked like a perfectly baked golden loaf of bread.

In other words—

I’d turned into an ordinary, common-looking squirrel.

Well… it’s not exactly a weird color!

At least now I could go outside without attracting the Imperial family’s attention.

But…

Why were tears streaming from my eyes?

I was happy.

Yet sad.

Sad…

Yet happy.

“Chiiiiit—!”

For quite some time, nothing but inexplicable sobbing echoed throughout Fire Bear Mountain.

---

After calming myself down, I trudged back the way I’d come.

Then something unfamiliar stimulated all five of my senses.

A metallic scent filled my nose.

That’s… blood.

There was also a sinister aura in the air, sharp enough to make my skin prickle.

Every instinct screamed that danger was nearby.

Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t stop walking.

And then I found—

A… man?

Someone was lying in the middle of the dense forest.

The surrounding grass had been stained crimson.

Was he attacked while hunting?

It seemed like a reasonable guess.

Just because the fire bears—the rulers of this mountain—followed me didn’t mean the mountain was completely safe.

Rogue wolves and all sorts of predators cast out from their packs roamed everywhere.

I’d even heard rumors lately that they had started forming gangs.

At first glance, he looks like some noble young master…

This could bring unwanted trouble to Fire Bear Mountain.

If knights came searching for him, the whole mountain would be turned upside down.

I’d better at least check whether he was alive.

Suppressing the sound of my footsteps, I quietly crept closer.

My first impression was—

“Chii…”

O-Oh, Mother…

Good heavens.

The words escaped me before I knew it.

Anyone would have reacted the same after seeing the man sitting beneath the crimson sunset.

Beneath jet-black hair as dark as ebony lay a perfectly shaped forehead and striking brow bones.

Below that, a beautifully straight nose.

And lips that somehow made your heart tighten for no reason.

He was the kind of breathtakingly handsome man I’d still remember even at eighty years old.

Only after admiring his face did I notice his condition.

His expression was so calm that I hadn’t realized how badly injured he was.

This wasn’t the work of wild beasts.

His body was covered in cuts of every size.

These were unmistakably battle wounds.

And judging by them…

It had been an extremely fierce fight.

Then again, Fire Bear Mountain belonged to carnivorous beastfolk.

Territorial disputes often escalated into battles.

As my gaze traveled lower to his chest, I noticed several broken arrows scattered across the ground.

They must have been pulled from his body.

“Chit…”

Just who ripped these arrows out like this?!

I couldn’t help staring in disbelief.

Blood gushed relentlessly from the wounds the arrowheads had torn open.

He had clearly lost an enormous amount of blood.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of color left in his face.

H-He’s not already dead… is he?

Using his well-built body like a staircase, I climbed onto his chest and placed a paw beneath his nose.

Mm.

He’s still breathing.

A sigh of relief escaped me.

Just then—

“Who are you?”

A cold voice fell from above my head.

Before I could react, my body was dangling in midair.

It was the man.

The very one who had looked almost dead only moments ago.

He seemed barely capable of lifting his eyelids.

Yet the killing intent radiating from him was overwhelming.

Though it disappeared the instant he realized I was only a tiny squirrel.

“…A rat?”

He’d only moved for a moment, yet a pained groan escaped him.

Even so, he didn’t let me go.

For quite a while, I hung helplessly between two of his fingers.

Wow… His eyes are golden.

No—

That wasn’t the important part.

“Chit! Chit!”

I’m not a rat.

I’m a squirrel!

And let go already!

I struggled with every ounce of strength I had.

It was completely useless.

I couldn’t escape his fingers.

“Pathetically weak.”

A faint laugh escaped him.

Apparently he’d concluded that no matter what I did, I posed absolutely no threat.

He finally set me down on the grass.

“Stop bothering me and leave.”

He didn’t even look at me as he spoke.

His handsome face was twisted in pain.

It seemed less like he was suffering from the cuts and stab wounds—

And more from some long-standing agony.

“Chii…”

Hey.

Don’t die.

If you’re going to die, go somewhere else.

Just not here!

I shook his thigh as I pleaded.

But he had already reached his limit.

Only shallow, ragged breaths answered me.

Come to think of it…

His complexion was deathly pale.

And his hands had been ice cold.

If I left him like this…

Whether from blood loss or hypothermia—

He was definitely crossing the river of no return.

Something had to be done.

…Should I at least stop the bleeding?

My personal philosophy was that nothing in this world came for free.

But what could I do?

The man lying before me was simply too handsome.

Letting someone this good-looking die would be a loss for all humanity.

Besides…

I’d had enough of mysterious corpses piling up on Fire Bear Mountain.

Treating him didn’t take long.

A patch of celosia—a plant with excellent blood-clotting properties—happened to be growing nearby.

This area was part of my territory.

I knew every inch of it well enough to walk it with my eyes closed.

Making a celosia salve was easy.

First, clean the leaves…

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Then simply crush them to a pulp.

“Chit.”

Excuse me for a moment.

Once the salve was finished, I gnawed through the hem of the man’s clothing with my front teeth, tearing off a long strip.

It would serve as a bandage.

I spread a thick layer of crushed celosia over the bleeding wounds before wrapping them tightly to stop the bleeding.

Finally—

“Chit.”

It’ll sting a little.

But it’s good for stopping the bleeding.

I stuffed the remaining bit of celosia into his mouth.

Apparently I’d pushed it in too far.

The fur on the back of my paw got slightly wet.

“…Tsk.”

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I wiped the saliva off on his sculpted cheek.

Sorry.

Even if you’re incredibly handsome, I’d rather not walk around with your spit on me.

Anyway.

Now that the treatment was successfully completed—

“Chit.”

Time to discuss payment, wouldn’t you say?