Side Story

1. Inn Experience

A while after my new Mother and Father had returned to the Sargent Margraviate, it was decided that Lord Glen and I would take a two-night, three-day trip to a hot spring town named Zankalt, which was a half day’s carriage ride from the capital.

Earlier, during one of our tea parties, he mentioned that there was a chance I’d need to go to the Sargent Margraviate with Ele. And because it was ten days away by carriage, I and the knights guarding me would have to stop and stay in various inns on the way. I’d ridden in a carriage before, but I’d never stayed at an inn. When I’d asked Lord Glen if there were any special traveling manners I needed to know, he said... “Then let’s get you some inn experience before you have to go on any long trips.”

Before I knew it, the trip had been finalized.

＋＋＋

“I really, really want to go with you, but I can’t leave the fields to anyone else...” Lord Tris grumbled, having come to see us off.

“We’ll bring you back a souvenir,” answered Lord Glen.

A souvenir? I think that’s why Marquis Ackroyd used to bring home accessories for Lady Margaret. “Are you going to buy Lord Tris an accessory or something?” I asked, only to get a surprised look back from both men.

“What you’re thinking of is a present for when someone visits someone else. What we’d be getting for Tris is something specific to the place we’re going as a gift.”

I nodded to Lord Glen’s explanation.

“I want Miss Chelsea to pick the souvenir out,” Lord Tris said with a smile.

“Huh?”

Lord Glen followed up, “Yeah, that’d be a good experience for her.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

As I stood shocked, they decided between each other that I’d pick out a gift to bring back.

“It’s my first time, so I don’t know if I can pick the right thing, but I’ll try,” I said.

«I still cannot leave the Spirit Tree. Make sure to protect Lady Chelsea, no matter the cost.» Kitten Ele looked up at Lord Glen from at his feet, mewing. Lord Glen put a hand to his mouth and nodded. Did he understand what he was saying? I thought.

He called out to me while I was wondering, “We should get going soon.”

“Alright. See you, Lord Tris, Ele.” With my farewells, we boarded the carriage and left the Research Institute.

Our trip included Lord Glen and me, both Gina and Martha, two of Lord Glen’s attendants/coachmen, and four knights to guard us, making ten people total. Two of the knights were women. All of the guard knights that I’d seen so far in the lodging house had been men.

“Why are two of the knights women?” I asked Lord Glen, a bit confused, and got a gentle smile back.

“There are some places that only women can enter,” he said, patting me on the head.

I didn’t see how guard knights and places that only women could enter could be connected, so I thought about it the whole way to Zankalt. But unfortunately, I didn’t manage to think of an answer.

＋＋＋

We had a few breaks in between and arrived at Zankalt as the sun started dropping from its highest point.

“This is on the edge of Count Mogridge’s territory. The hot springs bubble up from the mountain, and they pull the water to the town,” Lord Glen explained, somewhat excitedly.

Looking out of the little carriage window, I saw streams of white smoke rising all over the town and asked, “Is the smoke from open-air fires?”

Back in the Eucharis manor, the old gardener used to gather the fallen leaves every autumn and burn them. The resulting smoke looked quite similar.

Lord Glen gave me a strange look before smiling and saying, “That’s steam rising from the hot springs.”

“Steam...”

I’ve seen steam rising out of hot water before. To think that the same kind of steam would be rising everywhere around me! I couldn’t help but stare at the odd sight.

The carriage stopped in front of a slightly older looking manor in the middle of town. It was bigger than the Eucharis manor, and very fancy. Once we stepped outside, one of the guard knights walked over to the building’s entrance and spoke with a man in fine clothes.

“Welcome!”

“We have a reservation for ten people...”

“Yes, I am aware. Please get your keys from the reception desk inside. I will have your carriage and horses brought to the stable next door.”

So this is the inn! I only realized once the man explained. There were double doors at the entrance, just like at the lodging house, and just inside was a counter with a pretty lady behind it. That must have been the reception desk, just like at the Institute.

While I was looking around, all of our luggage was carried inside. Then, people from the inn took the carriage and horses that the guards had been riding away to be stored. Lord Glen gently nudged me inside, and another one of the guards began speaking to the receptionist.

“Thank you very much for coming to our inn. Your reservation is for ten people, with three two-person rooms and two four-person rooms, making a total of five rooms. They’re all up on the third floor, where you will be the only guests. Meals will be in the dining room on the first floor. If you have any problems, please come straight to me. Here are your keys.”

Once the guard got the keys from the receptionist, we all walked up to the third floor. The farthest room in was for Martha, Gina, and I, while Lord Glen’s room was next door.

“So you’ll both be staying in the same room as me,” I murmured as we walked inside. Both Gina and Martha gave me apologetic looks.

“We are with you for your own safety, but if you dislike the idea, we can move to a different room.”

“Oh, I’m not unhappy about it at all. Actually, I’m really happy, since I’ve slept in a room by myself since I was little!”

The two maids’ looks changed to pitying ones after I said that.

“I’m happy to be in the same room with you as well, Lady Chelsea,” Gina said, showing a moment’s hesitation before hugging me tightly. “I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but...”

“Gina, that’s not fair! I’m gonna do it too... Excuse me!” Martha cried, hugging me from behind.

I smiled in their arms before there was a knock on the door. Both Gina and Martha stayed close, hiding me between them as they glared at the door.

“Come in.”

After I gave permission, Lord Glen poked his head in the room through the crack in the door, blinking once he saw what was happening. “I was going to ask if you wanted to explore the town, but...” He sounded sort of perplexed, unlike normal. He must have been surprised that my maids were hugging me.

I found it kind of fun, so I looked up at them. They both smiled, backing away and standing up in their proper maid way.

“We’ll stay here and unpack your things, so please, go and enjoy yourself with His Highness,” Martha said, smiling cheerfully as she pushed me towards Lord Glen.

He had a look on his face as if he wasn’t sure what to say, but quickly switched to his normal gentle smile as he patted me on the head. “Let’s get going.”

“Okay.”

Walking downstairs, my eyes met with the receptionist lady’s.

“Are you going out?”

“Yes, we’re going to explore the town. We’ll be back before dinner.”

“Alright. Please be careful,” the receptionist lady smiled sweetly, giving us a little bow.

We left the inn, and Lord Glen stopped. “If you tell the innkeeper when you’ll be back before you leave, they’ll come looking for you if you end up being late. In your case, there’s a chance that someone might carry you off while you walk around town, so make sure to always do it.”

“O-Okay.” I’d never thought that I might be kidnapped, since the guard knights were with us, too.

“And we might get separated in the crowd, so let’s hold hands,” he said, offering me his left hand. I took it with my right, and he gave it a little squeeze. He looked like he was having more fun than usual as we started walking. He might have been looking forward to this trip. The thought made me smile.

＋＋＋

A little bit after we left the inn at the foot of the mountain, we walked onto a bustling street full of people.

“It’s really lively here,” I murmured.

Lord Glen nodded. “This is a walking-only street, so it’s especially crowded.”

“Have you been here before, Lord Glen?” I asked, tilting my head. He’d been walking without a hint of hesitation since we left the inn.

“Once, when I was about your age,” he said with a nod. “There are food shops ahead, so let’s get something to eat.”

“Okay.”

Walking with him as he pulled my hand, I saw a sign saying “Onsen Meat Buns.” In front of the store was a round well-like object surrounded by stone, with a big wooden box on top. On top of the box was a wooden cover, and white steam was puffing out of the crack between the two.

“Welcome! How’d you like to try some onsen meat buns? They’re steamed with steam from the hot springs!”

Seeing that I was looking, the shopkeeper lifted the lid a tiny bit to show me what was inside. I could see a bunch of round white blobs bigger than the palm of my hand.

“We’ll take one,” Lord Glen said, handing money to the shopkeeper in exchange for a meat bun. He split it in half and handed one side to me. Inside, it looked like something similar to hamburger meat. “It’s okay if you don’t finish it, but try eating it just like that.”

He blew on the meat bun a few times before biting into it. Does that mean I don’t have to practice proper noble manners with it? Still wondering, I bit into the steaming bun. The white part on the outside was softer than bread, and doughy, and took on the flavor of the juicy meat inside. It was delicious! I managed to eat half before I was full.

“You’re able to eat more now, huh?” Lord Glen said, popping the rest of my half of the bun into his mouth.

As we walked even further, I saw a sign saying “Onsen Flan.” It says “Onsen” too, but could it be the same flan that I love? I didn’t think my favorite dessert would be here at the hot springs!

While I stood there, surprised, Lord Glen gave me a soft smile. “Do you want to eat that too?”

I’m still full from the onsen meat bun... Dejected, I shook my head.

“Let’s come back tomorrow, then,” he offered, patting me on the head.

“...Okay.”

After that, we walked around, seeing more foods labeled as “onsen,” carved wooden dolls that didn’t seem to have much of a link to the hot springs, strangely shaped rocks, and other things, before heading back to the inn.

＋＋＋

It was decided that we’d have a bath in the hot springs before dinner, so Martha, Gina, the two female knights, and I headed to the building behind the inn. Inside, there was a rest space lined with chairs, and separate entrances for men and women. We went through the “women’s” door to the left. Gina, Martha, and I got undressed, heading to the washing place as one of the knights stayed behind to watch our things. After getting scrubbed down in the washing place, we dipped ourselves in the hot springs. The water was slightly green, and just a tiny bit slimy. It was really strange.

The other knight stood near the spring, still wearing her uniform. Oh... The baths are split into men’s and women’s, so there really are some places that only women could go. That’s why we have female guard knights, too! I finally understood what Lord Glen had been talking about in the carriage on the way here.

“Some inns don’t have baths. In those cases, you ask for a bucket of water and use a towel to wipe both your face and body,” Gina explained as we lounged in the spring.

After we got out, we ate dinner in the dining hall on the first floor. We’d had it explained to the staff that I couldn’t eat very much, but the table was still full of food. First, my maids and Lord Glen’s attendants ate a bit of each plate, and once they finished, Lord Glen and I were allowed to eat. When I asked later, it turned out that they were tasting it for poison. I was surprised, but Lord Glen told me that he appraised it, and it was all fine. Apparently, that was a thing to worry about when you traveled. I also learned for the first time that back at the Institute, everything was checked by a lower-level appraiser before it went out, so it was normally fine.

Since I’d eaten the onsen meat bun earlier, I couldn’t eat much at all. But I did manage to squeeze down the onsen flan they brought for dessert. It was different from normal flan in that it was slightly harder, but it was still delicious!

Once we’d finished eating, we moved to Lord Glen’s room to discuss our plans for tomorrow. It was decided that we’d all be going to the morning market to look around before heading to a nearby lake. Apparently, it was said that the lake sparkled like a rainbow which made me really excited! I slept well that night.

＋＋＋

The next morning, we left for the market right after getting up, and without eating breakfast.

The side of the street had stacks of wooden boxes, and on top of them were lots of different items for sale. There were vegetables I’d never seen before, good-smelling fruit, linked sausages...and in between those were things like meat skewers, fruit juice, and baked sweets.

While I was looking around, Lord Glen took my hand, saying, “You look like you’re about to go off and get lost, so we’ll hold hands again.”

“Okay. Thank you.” His hand was warm, and it made me feel safe.

We bought some sandwiches we saw on the way before heading to the lake. There, we ate. My eyes widened at the fluffy, sweet egg inside them.

Once we finished, we walked around the lake. The water reflected the blue sky, so we didn’t see any rainbows.

“They might say it because it’ll reflect the sunset later in the day,” Lord Glen told me, giving me a soft smile.

It was at that moment that we heard a loud bang from one of the mountains nearby. It looked as if trees were disappearing from the mountainside.

“I can’t appraise it at this distance... Let’s go back to town to see what’s happening.”

Everyone nodded at his words, and we quickly went back to town. At the entrance stood a guard, not looking terribly interested.

“What was that sound?” Lord Glen asked the guard.

“There are sometimes small-scale landslides around here.”

Landslides happened when it rained a lot at once, or for long. The old gardener told me that.

“But there haven’t been any long or heavy rains here.”

“The landslides here aren’t caused by rain. Investigators said that they’re caused by bugs called bark beetles. It happens all the time, so don’t worry about it,” the guard said, smiling. Lord Glen kept staring at the mountain silently, as if he was thinking about something.

“It’s still bothering me, so I’m going to head to the town hall. Chelsea, go back inside with your maids and wait,” he told me once we reached the inn, before turning back the way we came with the knights in tow.

“Lady Chelsea, let’s get back to our room.”

I nodded to Gina’s suggestion, and we headed back upstairs. Something bad might be happening. While I thought that, I didn’t dare say anything, in case it made something bad actually happen.

＋＋＋

Lord Glen came back to the inn at sunset. His boots were caked in mud, and he looked tired. That night, we gathered back in his room, and he told me what happened.

“We went down to the town hall and checked the results of the investigation that Count Mogridge had done. The guard was right that they had said that the cause was bark beetles,” he explained, pulling out an insect encyclopedia from somewhere and opening it to their page. It said that bark beetles ate tree roots. They were smaller than my thumbnail. “But just as it says here, bark beetles aren’t that big. There haven’t been reports of any swarms big enough to cause a landslide. We’d picked this location because it was safe...”

Lord Glen was the King’s younger brother, so he was in a position to hear reports from different regions. But since he hadn’t heard anything...

“Does that mean that the investigation was inadequate?” I asked, getting a strong nod back.

“That’s what it looked like, so the knights and I went to the scene of the landslide to check ourselves.”

So that was why his boots were all muddy.

“My appraisal showed that the cause wasn’t bark beetles, but monsters called root-eating rats.”

“Monsters...!?” I blinked, shocked. The old gardener had told me that monsters were horrible things that attacked humans. I’d never seen one before myself, but to think that I was this close to some...

“We exterminated all of the root-eating rats, so there shouldn’t be any more landslides.” When I breathed a sigh of relief, he smiled at me. “Since we didn’t get a chance to have any fun today, I’m thinking about extending the trip by a day. How about it?”

“Really? That would be wonderful!”

It was true that the landslide had put a damper on our plans, so I really was happy. After that, just like the day before, my maids and I bathed in the hot springs, we ate dinner together, and I slept well.

Interlude: Glen

The next morning at dawn, I felt something abnormal that woke me up. It felt like the air was vibrating, and anyone who’d ever faced a large monster would know it.

I quickly got dressed, putting the sword that had been by my bed on my hip. Looking through the crack in the curtains, the cause of the abnormal feeling was flying in the dawn sky. Straining my eyes, I used my [Appraisal] Skill.

[Gryphon (Unique)] was the only part I could read at that distance. The gryphon was the same color as the sky, and was steadily dropping in altitude as it flew towards the mountain that was the source of the springs. It was headed towards the empty spot where the root-eating rats had eaten through the tree roots and caused landslides.

Leaving my inn room, I gave orders to the guard knights keeping watch. “Gather all the knights in the area. The female knights need to stay here and keep protecting Chelsea.”

The knights in front of my door nodded before running out of the inn, while the female knights in front of Chelsea’s door lifted an arm to their chests to give me a knight’s salute.

Stepping outside, I saw various disguised knights appear. We actually had many knights come along for the trip in secret. Chelsea was a research fellow for the kingdom, and contracted to Ele, the King of Spirits. She was incredibly important to the country, so we’d sent extra knights along just in case. If there’s this many, then we should be able to avoid any harm to the town.

I looked over the disguised knights. “A Unique Gryphon has appeared. It’s headed to the spot where the landslide occurred. We’re leaving immediately to defeat it.”

They all nodded at my orders.

With the knights, I headed towards the mountain that was the source of the springs. Since we’d gone the same way the day before, we were able to get there without getting lost. Following the mountain paths, we hid ourselves in the forest around the area where the landslide had occurred.

After a short wait, the gryphon arrived, having flown around the mountain’s peak first. To put it in words from my previous life, it was as big as a trailer. Since I was close now, I appraised the gryphon again.

[Gryphon (Unique): A monster with the upper half and wings of an eagle and lower half of a lion. Has the power to enslave other monsters, and change the colors of its own body. Weak to cold.]

The gryphon seemed to have noticed us, roaring a threat. I could hear it saying “You must be the ones who killed my root-eating rats!”

Having been reincarnated, I was able to understand any language, including the voices of monsters. Adding what it said and my appraisal together, I knew that this gryphon had sent the root-eating rats to eat the tree roots here to cause a landslide.

Exchanging looks with the knights around me, I raised my hand and cried, “Its weakness is cold! Go!”

At my signal, the knights attacked. One used [Earth Magic] to create a golem, while another shot at it with a bow. It seemed that no one within the group had the [Ice Magic] Skill.

The gryphon used its feet and wings to sweep away the arrows and dodge the golem. It was then that a bunch of sword-wielding knights attacked all at once. The gryphon was unable to dodge, and screeched loudly as it was wounded.

“I don’t need you lot getting in the way of my new roost! Begone!” the gryphon cried, spreading its wings and moving to fly away to regain its position.

“...Like I’d let you. Barrier,” I muttered, using magic of a different system than my Skills.

Barrier protected the things within its imagined range from all attacks and stopped the things inside from leaving it. That was why I used it on the stretch of land we were standing on. The range I had imagined was wide but short. As the gryphon flew up, it hit the invisible wall and dropped back down to the ground. Then, the knights all attacked.

“... Freeze.” I used magic to freeze the insides of its body from the blood coming out of its wounds. Because of the size of the monster, the amount of mana I used was huge, and I ended up light-headed.

The gryphon struggled, but gradually started slowing before suddenly stopping completely. I used my [Appraisal] Skill, confirming its death. All the knights cheered when I announced it.

2. Relief

The next morning, I woke up to the shrill cry of a bird. I hadn’t heard any screeches as big as this before. It also seemed like there was a commotion outside. What’s happening?

As I got up, wondering, Gina and Martha both had dark looks on their faces.

“Good morning. Did something happen?”

“...A monster has appeared.”

My jaw dropped in shock at Martha’s words. Lord Glen said he’d defeated monsters called root-eating rats the day before. It might have been connected to that.

While I was still surprised, Gina and Martha got me dressed.

“Please stay calm as you hear this,” Gina started, before explaining what was happening currently. She told me that a huge monster with the head and wings of a bird had appeared and flown down to the side of the mountain that was the source of the springs. She also told me that Lord Glen had led the knights off to slay it.

“...Will Lord Glen be okay?”

Gina opened her mouth a few times, but stayed silent. One of the female guard knights spoke up from her place by the door. “His Highness is very strong, so he’ll definitely return unharmed.”

I nodded. The only thing I could do was believe in what she said.

After that, we went down to the dining room on the first floor for breakfast. For some reason, there weren’t any other guests there. The other guests had all been rich-looking older merchants, so they might have evacuated when they heard that there was a monster.

In front of me on the table were soft bread, green soup, scrambled eggs, and bacon. It all looked so good, but for some reason, I couldn’t make myself eat... I ended up not touching anything in the end.

Once we returned to my room, I sat down on the sofa. Lord Glen is probably fighting the monster right now. He has both the [Appraisal] and [Cure] Skills, so he shouldn’t be injured that easily. The knight had said that he was really strong, so he must be okay... But I didn’t know what would happen if it was a really strong monster. Just the thought brought all the worry back up again. Was there anything I could do?

“What should I do at a time like this?” I asked, only to get a troubled look from Gina.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never experienced this before myself... All I can think of is to pray.”

The prayer you said before eating was to the earth god, thanking them for what you were about to eat. That was what the old gardener told me.

“Should I pray to the earth god for Lord Glen to come back safely?”

“I think you can pray to any god you want, Lady Chelsea,” Martha said with a smile.

I started praying to the same earth god for Lord Glen to be alright. After praying for a while, it suddenly got even noisier outside. Martha peeked out the gap in the curtains, before looking at me with a happy smile, announcing, “His Highness is back!”

I couldn’t help but bolt out of the room. I ran down the stairs to the first floor, only to see Lord Glen, the guard knights, and all of the other merchant guests. Their clothes were ripped, and their boots covered in mud, but no one seemed to be badly injured.

Seeing them back safe, I felt the relief wash over me—my knees gave out, and I dropped to the floor. “Huh? ...What?”

Lord Glen rushed over to me. “Chelsea, are you alright?”

“Y-Yes...”

I managed to grab his hand, but I couldn’t gather the strength to stand. Then, he scooped me up. “You must be spent from all that stress. I’ll bring you back to your room.”

“I’m sorry. Thank you...” I replied, extremely apologetic, and he gave me his usual angelic smile in return.

I’m so glad he’s okay. Thank goodness his gentle smile came home. As I thought that, the words just slipped out naturally.

“...Welcome home.”

Lord Glen looked stunned for a second, before showing me a different, happy smile. “I’m home, Chelsea.”

＋＋＋

That day, our lunch turned into a victory celebration. As everyone held up their glasses, Lord Glen stood up from his spot across from me.

“Thanks to all of you, we were able to safely defeat the gryphon. I’m looking forward to your further work!”

All of the people started cheering and chomping down the thick steaks on the table. It turned out that all of the merchant guests had helped Lord Glen and the knights fight the monster.

“Liquor is best after a win!”

“Gryphon meat is great, it doesn’t smell at all!”

“I can’t believe we get to eat so much of this rare meat!”

I could hear all of the knights and merchants talking about the meal.

“The monster that we fought was called a gryphon, and it’s famous as a super high-quality ingredient,” Lord Glen explained to me before biting into his own steak. “This is actually the first time I’m eating it, but it’s really amazing... You try some too, Chelsea.”

Taking his suggestion, I cut off a small bite-sized piece of steak and brought it to my mouth.

“...Nmmm!?”

Unlike normal meat, the umami spread as I ate it, and it melted in my mouth with a fizzle. It wasn’t just delicious, but also strange.

After the party, Lord Glen came back to my room with me.

“I have something I want you to do for me,” he started, sitting across from me on the other sofa. “The gryphon we fought today was actually unique, and used the root-eating rats to make itself a den.”

I blinked in shock. Root-eating rats ate tree roots, as per their name. Because of that, they caused landslides, opening up a spot on the mountainside. And a gryphon was trying to make that into a den...!

“If we leave it like it is, a second or even third gryphon could come for it.” Since it was made for a gryphon to live in, that was possible. “That’s why I’d like for you to make some tree seeds.”

“You want to plant the seeds I make and cover the spot in trees again, like it was originally.”

He nodded. “I thought that the fastest way to get it back to normal would be to ask you.”

“Leave it to me!” I said resolutely.

After that, we discussed what kind of plant seeds to make. He pulled out another book on vegetation out of nowhere and flipped to the tree pages. From there, we chose a tree that wouldn’t cause any problems if planted. If it was already a species that grew quickly, it would be easier to imagine, and thus easier to create.

“Thank you.”

“Okay. I’ll make some fast-growing oaks — [Seed Creation],” I whispered, and an oak seed...an acorn fell onto the table. After that, I kept making acorns until Lord Glen stopped me.

“You’re going to end up running out of mana,” he warned, and I realized the table in front of me was covered in little acorns. I must have gotten caught up in thinking I’d be a help... “This should be more than enough. Thank you.”

He got up, giving my head a pat. Martha took out a cloth bag and collected all of the acorns.

“I’m off to the mountain again,” Lord Glen said, taking the bag from her.

“...I’d like to go too,” I mumbled under my breath, but Lord Glen still heard me. He looked surprised, but then gave me his usual soft smile.

“Let’s all go together then, like we did when we went to the lake.”

“Thank you!” I didn’t think he’d agree, so I was really happy.

But the mountain paths were harder on me than I had expected. Neither Gina nor Martha were sweating, and they seemed fine, so it probably wasn’t hard on normal people. I was breathing heavily as I walked, and both Lord Glen and the knights tried to offer to carry me, but I managed to hold them off. It took a long time, but we finally managed to reach the location of the landslide. I really need to think about raising my endurance from now on!

The spot that the root-eating rats had caused the landslide at had holes where the trees must have been growing, while the trunks rolled down the mountain. They really did only eat roots...

“It should probably be enough to toss an acorn into each of the holes,” Lord Glen said, handing out acorns. Then, we took turns tossing them. I mimicked them, tossing my acorn into a nearby hole.

After a while, trees started sprouting up from where the acorns had landed. Gina, Martha, and all of the knights looked on in shock, while Lord Glen and I smiled at each other.

“You’re all forbidden from speaking about what you saw with anyone else,” he ordered.

Everyone nodded, still surprised. My Skill must be a secret because it still hasn’t been fully researched. I felt kind of strange watching the oak trees grow bigger.

3. Souvenir

We’d been able to lengthen the trip by a day due to the landslide, but we couldn’t stretch it out any further. The reason was that Lord Glen had caught the attention of all of the townspeople, and we couldn’t relax anymore. The news that he was Prince Glenarnold, the King’s younger brother, and that he’d defeated the gryphon, was spreading.

“It’s probably because I revealed my identity at town hall when I went to check the investigation results,” he told me with a sigh.

With that, it was decided that we’d return on our final day, which was today, after getting souvenirs for Lord Tris and Ele.

I headed towards a shop we’d found on our first day in Zankalt. On it was a sign saying “Make Onsen Eggs!”

“I want to bring home onsen eggs as a souvenir. Would that be okay?” I asked Lord Glen, who got surprisingly excited at the thought. He looked young, almost childish when I saw him like this. How old was he, anyway?

“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it,” he said, walking straight inside the store.

“Hello~!” A well-built woman called out to us as we entered.

“We’d like to make some onsen eggs...” Lord Glen handed her the payment and got a basket full of eggs back.

“Behind the shop is a spot where we’ve pulled hot spring water from the source, so put the entire basket in the water. After you heat it for ten minutes, pull it out. The basket is included in the price, so you can take it with you afterwards.”

“Alright.”

We walked behind the store and stood in front of a pool of bubbling hot spring water.

“So we put the basket with the eggs in the water with this pole here, and then when time’s up, we take it out. Which do you want to do?”

After thinking for a moment, I said, “...I’ll put them in.”

Lord Glen handed me the basket and pole with a soft smile.

I did as I was instructed, hanging the egg basket on the end of the pole and lowering it into the water. The pool turned out to be fairly shallow, so it quickly reached the bottom. After we made sure the eggs were okay, I took the pole out and put it back where we found it.

As we watched the eggs, Lord Glen started speaking. “A lot more happened on this trip than we planned.”

“You’re right. I was surprised that there was a landslide, and monsters. But you’d never be able to experience something like that on-demand, so I think it was okay in the end.”

He looked shocked for a moment, before patting me on the head. “You’re gonna experience a lot of different things, and change a lot, too.”

“It’s thanks to you bringing me with you, Lord Glen.” I gave him one of the smiles I’d become slightly used to giving, and he squinted as if he was seeing something bright, smiling back.

“Looks like it’s done,” he said a while later, using the pole to fish the basket out of the water. The eggs were steaming, so they must have been really hot.

Carrying the basket, we headed back towards the inn.

＋＋＋

We reached the entrance to the Royal Research Institute half a day after leaving the inn, just before the sun went down. And just as the day we left, Lord Tris and Ele in his kitten form were waiting for us.

“I was worried when I heard you stayed a day later than you planned and saw some monsters!” Lord Tris cried, scrunching his face up.

“I’m sorry for worrying you. This is your souvenir,” I replied, handing him the basket of onsen eggs from Zankalt.

“Onsen eggs!? These are my favorite!” He took the basket, spinning around like he was dancing before he walked towards the Institute.

«Is there nothing for me?» Ele muttered in his kitten form as we watched Lord Tris go.

“Ah, I gave them all to Lord Tris...”

«What!? He’s going to eat them all at this rate!» Ele cried, running off after him.

Lord Glen and I looked at each other and smiled.