The morning after Zara's release, while the wolf-kin children play under her supervision, only one thing occupies her mind. Him, the human, the one who'd succeeded in protecting the children, whereas she had failed.
Her wolf-kin instincts told her that he was incomparably dangerous the minute that he'd appeared in the warehouse basement last night. If he wants their death, their salvation, or anything else…it will happen. She accepts this as a matter of fact.
Zara doesn't fear this reality like the others that meet Mizuki. Instead, she envies his ability to absolutely enforce his ideals. Part of her calm derives from feeling that it would be pointless to worry about Mizuki, much like the pull of the planet itself. He is a fundamental force of nature in her mind, and she only feels curiosity and acceptance towards that.
The other source of her calm is Mizuki's demeanor. She's noticed that he does nothing suddenly or without clear reason, and so far, he's only aided the wolf-kin and elves. Though neither is aware, Zara shares a variation of Mizuki's 'person-first, race never' way of evaluating people.
It isn't because of some high-minded sense of morality, but because she simply feels that such biases lead to errors in judgement. So, she does not share some of the elves' intense distrust for him.
She is driven by a desire for the prosperity of her people. Now, she sees acquiring power like Mizuki's as the easiest way to achieve it. She imagines acquiring it herself, and the idea of controlling, manipulating, or otherwise trying to influence Mizuki never crosses her mind. Such disingenuous methods conflict with her nature, and she also does not think so little of his intelligence.
These principles drive the calm and cautious demeanor that Zara exudes when Mizuki first approaches her. However, while her calm remains on the outside, Mizuki's presence soon disrupts her inner calm.
This is not because Zara fears Mizuki, but because his behavior doesn't match her expectations from his strength. This miscalculation is likely an artifact of her wolf-kin upbringing, and she notes as much to herself afterward.
First, when he approaches, he has one of the elves in tow, the one who Zara watched shadow and assist him all last night. From Zara's perspective, the elf's continued presence is unnecessary for him, yet he seems to appreciate it. Initially, Zara assumes that he's taken the elf as a concubine.
Then, there is his behavior towards her and the children. First, he simply offers to return them to their very distant village, without requesting anything in return. He also shows respect to Zara, which she feels undeserving of.
Finally, he seems invested in giving the children a sense of control over his actions. He constantly asks Zara and the kids' permission for everything, and she gets the distinct impression he'd truly yield to their refusals. Not only do they have no ability or will to refuse anything of him, but there is also no apparent value for him in being so deferential to them.
However, she can't help but notice that the kids have already shed their fear of Mizuki, and they are intent on helping with whatever he asks. This is the first time she suspects that she may have lessons to learn from him.
Zara is once again shocked by Mizuki during their flight to the wolf-kin village. The elf he brought is not a concubine. Apparently, she requested to join his group after meeting him, and he agreed. What's more, he insists on providing her with her own lodging and food, getting her clothes and equipment, and training her to be stronger. Zara cannot wrap her head around this, but she is also interested.
As she continues to listen, her greatest shock comes in his discussion of magic. She learns that, according to him, magic tests determined him to be incapable of magic. Moreover, he insists that it is because even the elves with their superior magic knowledge have fundamentally misunderstood magic.
The elf is skeptical, but Zara believes him. If the sum of this world's knowledge produced the conclusion that Mizuki, the strongest being Zara has ever met, is a weakling, they must truly be ignorant on the subject.
She decides then, if she truly seeks power to help her people prosper, continuing to observe Mizuki is the quickest path to it. Alas, Zara has no idea what she can offer him in return. So, she asks him what warranted it with the elf.
She is pleased to hear that Mizuki doesn't consider only combat strength. He also values clarity of purpose, honesty, level-headedness, and people who just make his time more entertaining. More than anything, Zara feels he values people with resolve and flexible minds.
These last two values are something that Zara feels she excels at, and she agrees that people like that are rare and valuable. It is one of her few points of ongoing frustration with the other wolf-kin.
They are noble, sure, and she thinks those principles have value. However, they are also obstinate. They rely too much on their own innate physical strength, and concepts like tactics, weapons, and coordinated training are resisted by them.
Zara quite appreciates the elves that occasionally come to their village to offer aid. However, the wolf-kin repeatedly refuse to learn from them about large-scale agriculture, carpentry, blacksmithing, magic theory, or anything else that doesn't already seem necessary for their day-to-day lives.
This grates on Zara's nerves. After all, she feels it is obvious that innate physical strength is not the only kind of power. The elves are physically weaker than wolf-kin, and yet the humans don't dare antagonize them openly.
Ultimately, Zara fears that if the wolf-kin and other demi-humans don't change this way of thinking, as the other races like humans continue to progress, their very freedom might be at risk. As quiet settles over their long flight, Zara considers these dangers, and the opportunities that Mizuki's company might offer.
She commits herself to joining his party, like the elf, and she begins planning how she'll make her appeal to him when they arrive in her village. A quiet confidence settles over Zara, and an excitement as well. She has a clear path to her goals, she feels, and plenty of resolve to follow it. All that is left is to enjoy the journey and learn all she can along the way.
The thought produces a rare smile on her.