The beastkin girls acted quickly. Under Yukihime's lead, they sorted all usable supplies within a few hours. As Takumi requested, everything was stacked and categorized.
"Lord Takumi, we're ready."
Yukihime approached Takumi, her expression calm. The white-fox girl held no fear for her people's future—under Takumi's leadership, they could thrive anywhere.
"Good."
Takumi nodded, stepped forward, and released his magic. Like fabric, the magic wrapped around the supplies. As he retracted his power, the fabric remained in the physical world.
"This..."
Yukihime was surprised. She recognized this as a profound application of magic.
Although mimicking matter with magic was known, it still amazed the beastkin.
"Is this Lord Takumi's magic?"
She touched the silvery fabric. It felt very real, finely textured.
"Not quite. I cheated."
Takumi admitted. Creating matter directly from magic was possible for him—but wasteful.
"I used this."
He raised his hand, revealing a pulsing, semi-transparent blob.
"A slime?"
"Exactly."
Takumi explained, "Slimes are fascinating creatures. There are metal slimes, acid slimes, mud slimes, and elemental variants like fire, water, and earth."
In the original story, Cid had studied slimes and developed many unique uses.
"Take the metal slime, for example. It digests metal and hardens its body."
Earlier, while testing the shop, Takumi captured several slimes, including metal ones.
He discovered their bodies were made of metal, magic, and a slime core.
"Magic has no physical form. Excluding the 1% core, the rest is liquid metal."
He explained that slimes simulate substances based on absorbed pheromones, not actual material.
"It's the pheromone data that matters, not what they consume."
Thus, Takumi decoded Cid's method:
"Replace the core with myself, use magic as fuel."
The slime blob in his palm swelled as he spoke. What was once leftover slime now seemed alive again.
"Feed it magic and it grows like a giant slime. Suppress it and it shrinks to marble size."
"By parsing pheromones, it can mimic various materials."
This slime had no core—Takumi had taken its place. That made the technique very safe.
"Of course, matter created this way isn't permanent."
The fabric bundles remained stable because Takumi maintained their state—not by constant magic, but by refined control.
"Heave-ho!"
While Takumi explained, the kids started lifting.
"So light!" "Not heavy at all." "Feels like I'm carrying a big balloon!"
Takumi adjusted the fabric to have floating properties, easing their burden.
Originally, he planned to float everything magically himself—but Yukihime objected.
"You've done enough. We can't let you spoil the children too much."
"Alright."
Convinced, Takumi agreed. The kids wanted to help too.
Each picked a bundle. Adorably, they looked like tiny beastkin ants hauling oversized packs.
"Let's go."
Takumi closed the chat group and called out, "Time to meet up with Momiji."
He led them to a cave where Momiji and the others were hiding.
"Yuki!" "Big Sis Momiji!"
Reunited, Yukihime couldn't hold back her grief. She flung herself into her cousin's arms and wept.
"It'll be alright, Yuki."
Momiji comforted her. They had both lost everything.
"We still have the children. We must stay strong."
"Right!" Yukihime wiped her tears. "Now is not the time to grieve."
She hadn't forgotten the hidden organization nor the grudge against the East and West tribes.
It was war—no good or evil. She didn't hate the tribes, but their warmongering leaders had to pay.
'In the original, Momiji was killed by the Diabolos Cult.'
Now that Takumi knew the world, he suspected the black-cloaked swordsman was from that cult.
The Diabolos Cult—an organization lurking in the shadows, seeking the blood of Diabolos to gain immortality, power, and dominion.
They had infiltrated every region, with labs and monster prisons everywhere. They imprisoned women and children for horrific experiments.
"Do you two have any plans?"
Takumi joined Momiji and Yukihime, discussing the journey ahead.
Though he was the leader, they played vital support roles. Momiji, not a fighter, had high charisma and earned the children's trust easily. Yukihime was smart and quick to grasp his strategies, a natural leader.
"The beastman empire is collapsing. Today's attack from both tribes likely foreshadows greater conflict."
They agreed—they couldn't stay.
"We must find a new home."
"I might know one."
Takumi recalled the Shadow Garden's base from the novel: "Have you heard of the ancient city of Alexandria?"
Cid didn't even know of it yet. With no Alpha or Beta, he might never discover it.
So this wasn't stealing from him.
"An ancient city?"
"You mean the legendary royal capital of old?"
The foxfolk were known for wisdom, and white foxes were the smartest. Yukihime had read many texts.
But the invaders had burned most of their archives.
Thinking of it made Yukihime grit her teeth.
That knowledge was her people's legacy.
"Legends say it lies east of the holy land Lindblum, past the Abyssal Forest."
"But it's only whispered about. No proof of its existence."
"The forest is filled with toxic mists. Few survive."
Yukihime shared all she knew.
"Also, a powerful creature—the Mist Dragon—is said to dwell there."
"A real dragon?" Momiji grew uneasy.
In isekai worlds, dragons equaled terror. Ancient ones were disasters incarnate.
"Probably just a powerful beast."
Yukihime guessed. Even if dragons once existed, they'd be long dead by now.
"Whatever it is, we'll see for ourselves."
Takumi didn't fear dragons.
Even young Cid defeated one easily. Takumi, far stronger, had no worries.
Despite concern, Momiji and Yukihime trusted their leader.
They rallied thirty-plus people under the girls' command.
Beastkin admired strength. Once loyal, they followed to the end.
Yukihime and Momiji felt the same.
Though clichéd, Takumi's rescue had captured their hearts.
They already saw him as their master. Even if it meant servitude, they'd never leave him.
"Lord Takumi, this is our continent's map."
Yukihime presented a world map from the fox village.
Takumi spread it open, pointing at the vast eastern mountains.
"That's our destination."
"It's a big area, but a mist-covered forest should be easy to find."
Even for hardy beastkin, it would take seven or eight days to reach the Alexandria Mountains.
With forest searching, it might take two weeks—more likely a month of thorough scouting.
"We'll have to endure for a while."
"Don't worry about us."
Yukihime smiled. "We're used to mountain hunting. Ten or fifteen days hiding in the woods is nothing."
While the kids lacked experience, hunting and endurance were in their blood.
Even if it took a year, they'd not complain.
And so, under Takumi's leadership, their journey to find a new home began.