"Brother Ruger."
The tall, clever Kobold girl looked at him helplessly, her voice tinged with a wounded sob. As she spoke, she was still cradling the tail that had inexplicably appeared on her body.
Ruger raised his eyebrows, then came to his senses and smiled. He was not trying to soothe Aisijin; he genuinely found it funny. This girl had dared to hunt Underground Beasts when she was at her weakest, yet a single tail had left her utterly bewildered.
As their mental power grew, they became smarter, but at heart they remained simple souls.
While retaining their curiosity about the world, they also had a tendency to get hung up on things.
Little Regna squeezed her way over too, then threw herself at Aisijin.
Grrr!
Ruger noticed that even as the forlorn Aisijin appealed to him for help, her eyes kept straying toward the steak closest to her. Drool had even dripped onto the tip of her tail.
Ruger cleared his throat, paused briefly, then swept his hand through the air.
Everyone charged straight toward the Inn's dining room. In that instant, they all understood him perfectly. The aroma of food had set their brains in motion; they did not even need to see his gesture clearly. It was the most primal instinct and desire, and even the sniffling Aisijin was no exception. One moment she had been miserable and at a loss, and the next she was clutching her tail and running faster than anyone.
Soon, the two tables in the middle of the little dining room had been pushed together. Drooling, everyone hurried to set out the dishes they carried and those stacked on Zhizhi's back. Serious Mouse had already taken Little Fairy to fetch the Fine Wine from the Inn.
To reassure Aisijin, Ruger sat beside