Chapter 58

Returning to his room on the second floor, Reinhardt was explaining the situation when Milt returned.

"Master, they've entered the building, Malt is keeping watch."

"Understood, Milt, stay here and let me know if Meisa comes to tell us about dinner."

"Understood, Master."

Leaving Milt to keep watch, we headed towards the building where Malt was waiting. Moving through the shadow world with Malt as a guide, we arrived in a room that looked like a parlor, where the five Flame Hounds were gathered.

"Really, you guys, that's why you've been stuck at C-rank for so long."

In front of the bearded dogman, Cesari and the pretty boy had shrunk in size.

Four of them sat across from each other at the long sides of a rectangular table, with the leader, Baltro, sitting in the so-called seat of honor.

"To think you'd be in such a state even with Tony around... pitiful..."

The bald-headed giant with a large shield also looked disappointed as he looked down at the two who had shrunk.

"Without achieving much, you've even tarnished the name of the Flame Hounds, you idiots!"

Baltro, with his hair standing on end in anger, crossed his arms and glared at the two.

"If you had taken care of that kid Kent, our treatment here would have been even better!"

"Sorry, Baltro, that kid Kent... he's really smart..."

"Yeah, he even knew we were after the Gigawolf..."

"What? Where did he get that information from?"

"Well... that... um..."

"The atmosphere was bad... or something..."

"Idiots! Didn't you even try to find out how the enemy got their information? You morons!"

"Ah, sorry!"

Baltro's shouting made Cesari and Tony shrink even more. At this rate, they might become small enough to fit in your hand in about three hours.

"Listen, Volzard is currently being attacked by monsters. For adventurers, this should be a time to earn money. But the town is completely peaceful. Why is that?"

"Well, that's because of that kid Kent..."

Leaning forward, Baltro asked, and Cesari answered nervously.

"That's right, that kid Kent, using his summoned monsters, single-handedly repelled a large group of monsters. Rumor has it that he dealt with over two hundred Rock Ogres and over three hundred and fifty Orcs yesterday. Do you understand the meaning of this?"

"Um... that kid Kent's summoned monsters are strong..."

"Are you an idiot! That's not it, you really are a moron..."

Cesari's answer didn't please Baltro, and he shouted again, making Cesari shrink even more. I wonder if Baltro has the ability to shrink things with magic. When Baltro glanced at him, the dogman man smiled.

"Well, I'll tell you the answer... that kid Kent is hoarding a lot of magic stones for himself."

"Ah... that kid has that many stored up?"

As Orestes said, I am hoarding magic stones, but I still have to take care of 150 more people, and I plan to use half of the Orc magic stones for enhancements.

Sitting back deeply, Baltro looked around at everyone and spoke.

"Listen, if that kid Kent is gone, we can earn a lot of magic stones, and our value in preparing for monsters will increase. Think about it, 350 Orc magic stones. Even at the lowest estimate, that's 3.5 to 4 million hert."

"4 million hert..."

"Hmph, and that's just for one day..."

All five members of the Flame Hounds seemed completely dazzled by the money.

But are these people really strong? Even if they are, can five people really defeat 374 Orcs?

*How about it, Reinhardt?*

*It's hard to tell how skilled these people are, but five of them probably can't defeat such a large group.*

*Yeah, the Lidnels, who said that dying is the end, seem more experienced.*

*If we believe the story, Baltro is an A-rank adventurer, so he must have some achievements, but he probably hasn't faced a group of over 200.*

*He lacks a sense of reality...*

*Probably...*

Still, are they only thinking about their own interests, and not considering whether they can actually defeat the monsters or the danger to the town from a large-scale monster attack?

"Baltro, what about the Gigawolf?"

"Well... we'll look for it, but we won't focus on it."

Baltro answered Cesari's question, casually giving up on the Gigawolf.

"Huh, it's okay even if it's not the Gigawolf?"

"Tony, which is more dangerous, the Gigawolf or the Orcs?"

"Of course, the Gigawolf."

"Would you rather risk your life for money or earn it easily?"

"Of course, earning it easily is better."

"Then, which one to target should be obvious."

"I see..."

The five Flame Hounds exchanged smirks, and then there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, dinner is ready. Nazario-sama wants to join and hear your heroic tales..."

"Understood, we'll come soon. Please tell Nazario-sama to wait a moment."

"Understood."

The maid received the five lecherous gazes, but as befitting an A-rank adventurer, their words and manner were dignified. As the maid left, the dogman Orestes snorted.

"Hmph, you're babysitting a kid, Baltro, that must be tough."

"If you think so, help out. He's a promising candidate for a gold mine, so treat him with respect. And don't mention the failed attempt against that kid Kent. If he finds out, I'll cut you off so you can never touch a woman again, got it?"

Everyone nodded at Baltro's stern gaze. So, this is Nazario's house, the Orland Store, right? The Flame Hounds must have been trying to damage me to please Nazario.

*What should we do?*

*It's quite a situation for you, Kent.*

The five Flame Hounds went to dinner, so we returned to our lodging, leaving Malt to keep watch, and started discussing our next move. From the maid's words and the subsequent conversation, it seems that while it's unclear if Baltro and his group were acting on Nazario's orders, they are definitely moving to improve their position and income.

*If they think we'll do nothing with Meisa involved, they might take further action.*

*The possibility is high. Even if we don't want to actively confront them, it's better to let them know that they'll be a problem if they become enemies.*

*Yeah, they seem like troublemakers, but they could be useful in a large-scale monster attack.*

If Volzard is attacked by thousands or tens of thousands of monsters, and my familiars can't handle it, we'll need the adventurers to fight. The Flame Hounds probably won't fight for free, but if they fight to survive, it will reduce the total number of monsters.

*The question is how to send a message.*

*Yeah, a half-hearted approach won't work...*

While we were thinking about how to deal with the Flame Hounds, we heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Kent! It's dinner time..."

"Thank you, Meisa...? Is something wrong?"

Meisa stood frozen with wide eyes, the door still open.

"W-What's that! What's that fluffiness!"

"Huh? Ah..."

I had been petting Milt and Murt and left them out.

"Milt and Murt are my familiars."

"Milt... Murt..."

"Both of you, Meisa is important, so greet her properly."

"I'm Milt."

"I'm Murt."

"They spoke! The fluffiness spoke..."

Meisa's eyes were wide, and her breathing was heavy.

"I want to touch..."

"Sure, but be gentle."

"I will, definitely..."

Meisa cautiously approached and reached out to Milt.

"Wow... so soft, incredibly soft! Haaa..."

Meisa melted as she pet Milt.

"Kent! Meisa! What are you doing? Come down now or no dinner for you!"

"Okay, we're coming! Come on, Meisa."

"No, just a little more..."

"Later, I'll let you pet them more, come on..."

"Ugh... definitely, okay..."

I haven't introduced Zae and the others to Amanda and Meisa yet, so I should do that now. Otherwise, if they come to help and are seen for the first time, they'll just be seen as monsters.

After dinner, I told Amanda about the events of the afternoon and the background.

"I see, so you made enemies because of Beatrice, what a bother."

"Sorry, I'll take steps to prevent them from causing trouble again..."

"Well, none of our customers would believe such nonsense, but if they do, it would be a problem, so please take care of it."

"Yes, and I have more familiars like Reinhardt, so let me introduce them."

Meisa was fidgety during dinner, clearly eager to pet Milt and the others.

"First, the Undead Kobolds, Milt, Alt, come out."

"Eh... different from before..."

Milt, who is fluffy and cute, and Alt, who has a more robust build, are different in appearance but have similar stats.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Alt."

"I'm Milt."

"Wow, a talking Kobold."

"Hey, Kent, can I pet them a little?"

Merine also seemed eager to experience the fluffiness. After confirming with Alt and Milt, I let Merine pet Alt, and Meisa hugged Milt.

"They're so cute, but are they useful?"

"Of course, they can instantly kill Orcs."

"Wow, they don't look it."

"Yes, I reinforced them to be less intimidating."

It seems that in this world, cuteness is justice.

"Next, I'll introduce the combat-specialized Undead Lizardmen, so don't be surprised, Zae..."

I warned them before introducing Zae, but when he appeared from the shadow world, the three of them tensed up. So, I stood next to Zae to show that everything was fine.

"Zae, the leader of the Undead Lizardmen."

"Pleased to meet you, landlord, please remember me..."

"Wow, he spoke too..."

"Yes, I tried to make Reinhardt and the others speak, but since they are just bones, they can only communicate telepathically. In exchange, Zae and the others can speak."

"By the king's order, we are to protect the people of this house. We will defend you if anything happens."

Zae performed a knight's salute, which he must have learned from Reinhardt, and the three of them relaxed.

"We are also ordered to protect this house."

"There are five Undead Lizardmen and thirty-three Undead Kobolds, so we'll have someone watching the store, so you can rest easy."

The number of familiars left the three of them speechless.

"Mom, that's amazing, like a fairy tale."

"Yes, it's unbelievable."

"Right... but it's even harder to believe that Kent did all this."

"Indeed..."

Amanda and Meisa are great people, but they're treating me pretty badly... In times like these, a hug from Merine would be... Alt's hug! I need some healing...

Looking around the store, I noticed a box on the table.

"Um... Amanda, what's that box?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's a box of cookies from a customer. Would you like to take some?"

As soon as Amanda said that, Meisa's brow furrowed, so I couldn't take the cookies.

"No, I don't want the cookies, but if it's not too much trouble, I'd like the ribbon..."

The cookie box had a red ribbon tied around it, which had been untied once.

"What do you need the ribbon for?"

"Well, I want to write a letter of reconciliation to the troublemakers from this afternoon and attach it..."

"Huh? A ribbon on a letter to thugs? Do you think that will work?"

"Well, we won't know unless we try..."

Meisa seemed to want the ribbon too, but when she heard it was for negotiating with the Flame Hounds, she seemed to give up. I'll have to make it up to her later.

To avoid causing a commotion if the familiars are seen by customers, I instructed them to stay out of sight on the first floor of the store except in emergencies, and to speak to Amanda in the kitchen if they need something. Since Meisa was very unhappy, I decided to let Milt, Murt, and Malt stay with her when she sleeps if they have free time.

"Amanda, these kids don't shed fur or wet the bed, so they're fine."

"Ahaha, so the only one who needs to worry about wetting the bed is one person."

"Kiii! I don't, I don't wet the bed anymore!"

Meisa hugged Milt, who looked very worried, so I'll explain later that wetting the bed isn't a concern.

After introducing all the familiars, I flew to Lastock to check on the chairman and explain the aftermath of the incident. When I mentioned Mizawa Sumika, the chairman's expression darkened.

"I'm not a fan of Mizawa... I don't want to say bad things about others, but..."

The chairman prefaced her words, but apparently, Mizawa leads bullying, cheats, and has other bad rumors following her. However, none of it is confirmed, and she is good at maneuvering.

"Probably, if Ken speaks directly, it will cause more trouble..."

"Hmm... but it's a problem if something happens..."

"Consult with Tomo and Akko before taking action."

"Got it..."

According to the chairman, Mizawa, who is good at maneuvering, doesn't oppose the凸凹シスターズ (Takotsubo Sisters) because they have overwhelming support.

"But that's because the凸凹シスターズ (Takotsubo Sisters) have overwhelming support, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Right now, the power balance is about 17 to 8..."

"Ah, I see, there are only 25 girls, hmm... we need to proceed without causing too much conflict..."

"Hmm... besides Takayama, there are other time bombs..."

"For now, Ken should focus on the rescue operation."

"Okay, I'll do that..."

I've never had much interaction with girls, so I have no idea how to deal with someone like Mizawa. I'll leave the girls to the girls. I kissed the chairman goodnight and returned to Volzard. Shall we go deliver a letter to the Flame Hounds?