‘It’s over!’

Snoc placed his hands on his knees and felt relieved. A refreshing air that contrasted the suffocating atmosphere inside the mine softly caressed his body. He couldn’t have felt happier to see the silverish moon or hear the chirps of nameless bugs outside.

“You have done well.”

With those careless words, Drew left and went down the mountain by himself. Drew let out an aura like he didn’t want to talk, so Snoc didn’t say anything and absentmindedly watched as Drew disappeared out of view.

“…Ow.”

He felt pain all over his bruised and wounded body. Snoc sat down and touched his injured areas.

Koo?

“Huh?”

It was a familiar cry.

Snoc stopped paying attention to the mole when he tried to focus on his mana control, so he didn’t realize that the mole had followed him outside of the mine.

“What? You followed me all the way here?”

He tried placing his hand on the mole’s face. Most moles would have scrambled away at a human’s hand, but this one rubbed his face on Snoc’s hand.

“You don’t have a family?”

Koo.

“Are you alone?”

Koo.

He continued to talk to the beast who probably couldn’t even understand him. The mole let out a small cry after every sentence, but Snoc didn’t think that the animal was answering him. However, he had to admit that the mole was adorable. The mole that had no family and clung to a stranger also reminded him of himself.

“Do you want to come with me?”

Snoc stopped patting...