NOVEL NEXT Chapter 362 – Mira’s domain
Chloe and Steph were still on their date and had a great time exploring Mira’s shrine they had found. Interestingly enough, there, they also found a statue of Fey, Chloe's mother, for some reason. Unfortunately, as neither of those foxes were with them, the duo had no idea of finding out why she had a statue there. Just before leaving, the dog-girl got curious about maybe being able to contact Mira on the shrine grounds and tried to come up with a way to do so. In the end, the duo placed their hands on the statue and poured some of their magic into it, unconsciously recreating the way Sophia usually contacted Canir in the past.
“Woah!”
“Where are we…?”
Once the two could see again, after their vision had turned white, they noticed that the duo wasn’t in the shrine anymore. Instead, Steph and Chloe were standing on a grassy hill overlooking a vast, overgrown forest. It looked a little like the forest near the fox village that Sophia and her group had turned into a magic forest, but the one in front of them was on a completely different level. A whole range of trees easily exceeded a kilometer in height, and even the smaller ones had crowns of a size that should be impossible with natural growth alone. In the middle of everything, beneath a tree that easily towered over every other one, there was a small valley with lush green grass and a cozy-looking cottage next to a beautiful pond. It could only be seen from the hill because no trees blocked the view in that area, and a path between them and the valley was carved through the forest.
“Did we get teleported to somewhere…?” Steph was still looking around with sparkling eyes.
“Maybe?” Chloe tilted her head. “If so, it has to be pretty far away from the capital because it feels so much warmer here… Not a fan, I want to add…”
“Yeah, me neither…” The dog-girl nodded a few times. “Although, the magic forest Sophia and the others accidentally created was also much warmer. This place here is much more impressive and filled with so much magic that the air is sparkling like crazy! Maybe that also increases the temperature? That could mean we ended up wherever…”
“Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen magic as dense as here!”
“Does that mean this is the place where Mira lives?" She tried to come up with an explanation. “It would make sense for it to overflow with magic, then. She’s the goddess of it, after all. Or overseer, as Sophia and Canir insist on for some reason."
“It could be?” The fox-girl was still confused about the sudden change. “It would definitely make sense. Where else could we be after pouring our magic into one of her statues?”
“Yeah! Wait, so, does that mean anyone who had the same idea could visit this place whenever they want…? That sounds like a huge oversight!"
“True!” Chloe saw the issue. “Everyone with even a shred of intelligence would try that!”
“Exactly! Oh!” It seemed like the violet-haired girl had an idea. “Maybe you can only go here if you’ve been blessed by Mira and or have her actual magic inside of you? She's the one who gave me a portion of hers, after all!"
“Why am I here, too, then?” The fox-girl pointed at herself. “I have nothing to do with Mira as far as I know?”
"Aside from the part where your mom has a statue in her shrine?”
“Ah.”
“Or,” Steph then looked at their hands that were still connected. “We were holding hands when we touched the statue. Maybe because we were connected when I got teleported?”
“Oh, that makes sense!” She somehow liked that explanation more. “Do you think Mira is here somewhere? Canir said she’s usually quite busy, so…”
“Do you want to meet her? I definitely want to!”
“I’m a little nervous because of who she is, but Canir was relatively normal. Also, I really want to know why there’s a statue of Feyfey in her shrine!”
“Alright, let’s go!” Sounding even more motivated, Steph raised her arm high in the air, causing Chloe to do the same as she used the one she was holding hands with her.
“Go to where?”
“Let’s follow that path to the valley under that MASSIVE tree. The cottage seems to be the only building around, so that should be our best chance!”
“It does seem like you're supposed to go there if you end up here. Why not get teleported there in the first place, though?”
“So she can boast about her awesome magic forest? That’s what I’d do!”
“Good point!” It was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the fox-girl. “Okay, let’s head over there!”
"Exploration time!"
“Yes!”
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Once the duo had decided on a plan, the two descended the hill they were on and entered the path leading through the lush and overgrown forest.
"You can't really see anything down here, huh?" While walking through the forest, Chloe tried to take in everything around her. “Just trees and other plants. It is surprisingly bright here, though… And warm!”
“Yeah, it feels like summer here! Hot, stuffy, and humid summer!” The two absolutely weren’t a fan of it. “You have a point with the light, though. It almost seems like some plants emit light, and the magic particles in the air are also extra sparkly!"
“You are so right about the temperature… It’s almost enough that I want to head home!” Chloe really hated it.
“I feel you, but I’m too motivated to head back now!”
“Oh, don’t worry about that! We’re definitely going to continue! I just turn into a baby that won’t stop complaining when it gets too warm. I overheat super quickly, but this much is still tolerable as long as we aren’t going to stay here for days. If I strip down, even that might be possible for now.”
“…” The dog-girl paused for a moment. “Wanna move here?”
“No.” The fox-girl looked right at her while replying.
“Aww…” She looked disappointed. “Well, I’m not even sure if I can strip down enough for it to become bearable here, so... I’d try, though.”
“…” Chloe went silent for a second. “N-No.” She started blushing. “I’d still prefer a colder place!”
“Hehe.” Steph liked her reaction. “Honestly, true, though!” She couldn’t disagree with her.
"A-Anyway,” The fox-girl decided to change the topic and looked around again. “I wonder if there are any animals in this forest.”
“Magical giant animals?!” She got even more excited.
“Uhh, I was more thinking about the general kind, but... do you think there’s something mutated in here...?”
“Wouldn’t that be amazing?!”
“T-That really depends on what... If there’s any kind of mutated insect in here, I’m going to burn this forest!”
"A-Ah.” Steph looked pretty awkward all of a sudden. “I hadn’t thought about that...”
“You’re also not a fan?”
“I hate them!” She raised her voice a lot while confirming it. "Ignoring that, I do hear some birds, and they sound normal. Maybe the magic only affects plants and stuff?”
“Let’s just assume it does for the time being.”
“Yes!” The dog-girl agreed. “I do be interested in oversized magic animals, as long as they aren’t insects, but we have more important things to do!”
“Wait a moment...” Chloe seemed to have more to say about it. “Is that why Feyfey, Aura, and Fennyfenny have a big form?”
“Wouldn’t I be a giant then, too...?” Steph tilted her head. “Sophia actually became smaller after she got magic. Both of us are supposed to have way too much magic, no? Wait, can I turn into a giant?!”
“I like your current size, so please don’t try...”
“Okay!” She was surprisingly cooperative.
“T-Thank you...”
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They put the topic on hold shortly after and continued their walk through the forest. Soon enough, the duo finally arrived in the little valley in the middle of everything.
“You know, temperature aside, living here might actually be great! I love the little pond, and the cottage looks sooo cozy!"
“I wouldn’t be against it, either.” Chloe nodded once. “It would be pretty boring to be here all the time, but something like this to return to in the evening after having had fun all day would be quite something!”
“I love that idea!” Steph’s eyes were sparkling again. “Go on an adventure all day and then relax in a cozy cottage like that in the evening! That’s the dream right there!”
“Yes! That sounds even better than the treehouse apartment I have!”
"You have a treehouse?!"
“Yep! Sophia has one, too. We’re actually neighbors!”
“Wait! That treehouse we arrived in that village near that other magic forest was actually Sophia’s?! She has a mansion, too?!”
“Yup.”
“I soo hate her!” She suddenly looked angry. “I keep learning about more amazing things I only now get to experience!”
"Ahaha, well, now you have all the chances to experience that and much more together with us!”
“Yes!”
“Good~.” Chloe smiled at her. “So, what now?” She pointed at the cottage. “Should we go and knock, or…? What’s the plan here?”
“I guess?” The dog-girl tilted her head. “Unless you have a better idea.”
“I do~.” An incredibly soft and gentle-sounding voice suddenly addressed the duo from behind. "I have a better one."
"Really? Eh…?" They answered without thinking but immediately froze when they turned around and saw the person behind them.
“Welcome to my domain.” Mira had appeared behind without having made any sound at all. She was in her hybrid form, as well. Compared to her black clothes from the paintings in the shrine, she was wearing white this time. The design and cut were still similar, though. The fox-girl had the same type of ears as Chloe, and her hair was a similarly long and fluffy type, as well. Just not quite as much. It looked a little more tamed. The color was different, as well. Most of her hair and ears were an even purer white than Maya, but a strand next to her face and another one on the back was teal-colored, just like the tips of her ears. The most striking feature was here many tails, though. She indeed had nine of them, with each being roughly the size of Steph's. On the bigger side, but still nothing compared to Chloe’s. Mira having nine of them at once definitely made it look extremely impressive, though. Each of them was white, with the tip being teal, just like her ears.
“Mira?” Steph was the first to react.
“Yes, I am Mira.” She smiled at her. “I’m glad that I’m able to meet you in person now. I’m sorry that I was unable to do so the other day and had Canir relay my gift.”
“Oh no, there’s no reason to apologize!” The dog-girl rapidly shook her head. “If anything, thank you SOO much for gifting me a part of your magic in the first place! You really didn't have to, but I'm thrilled to be able to be with my sister and everyone else now!"
“Not at all~.” Her smile only got brighter. “You're a fascinating girl, just like your sister, and I didn't want Canir to have all the glory. I'm glad I could help out. I secretly hoped you to become a fellow fox, though." She then mustered her. “You did come up with something incredibly adorable, so it’s alright~.”
“Ahaha,” Steph let out a small chuckle. "I love foxes, and they're my favorites! Without Chloe, I definitely would’ve considered it, but…” She glanced at the pink girl. “I already have her to look at! She’s the perfect fox, so there was nothing for me to improve! I want to be the cutest of the species, after all! Dogs are also great, so I went for something complementary instead!"
“S-Shush!” Chloe started blushing again while she lightly glared at her.
“…” Mira then focused her attention on the other girl and looked at her without saying a word.
"H-Hello…" The pink fox-girl wasn't sure how to react to the stare on top of being nervous about meeting the goddess or overseer of magic. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…”
“No… Again, the pleasure is all mine.” Her smile became the by far gentlest yet. “I already, uhh… know you, but I am delighted to see you in person here right now.”
"You know me…?" Chloe got somewhat confused after hearing that part.
“…” Mira paused for a moment while she continued to look at the fellow fox-girl. “I’ve been watching you ever since you’ve been reborn in this world.
“You were…? You’re aware of me not being from this world…?” Her confusion only grew. “Well, uhh… I guess knowing about me not being from here is a given to someone like you…? Canir also knew, after all…”
“Yes.” She nodded slightly. “I'm also, err... well-acquainted with Fey, so there were many reasons to check in on you when I had the chance to.”
"So, you DO know each other!" Chloe raised her voice. "Why is there a statue of Feyfey in your shrine?"
"How about we head inside?" Mira pointed at the cottage. "It's much cozier in there, and I actually managed to significantly free my schedule for the foreseeable future, so we can talk however long you two want to.”
The duo liked the idea, especially because there was a lot that they wanted to know from her, so the three entered the cottage to continue their chat there.
