Chapter 42

As the team leaders returned from their meal, we resumed our journey. This time, Garu would ride in the carriage, and the team leader would drive it. I hope he drives safely.

"Ah, without the ladies, the meal isn't as lively..."

Urgas muttered this comment. If I pointed out that Zara was there, he would say, "Arts' soul is masculine," which made no sense at all. With the team leader absent, it seemed that Reislotte's tension had eased somewhat.

"Kwe~"

"Okay, okay."

Amelia fidgeted with her wings, apparently itchy. Over time, I had learned to understand what she needed. I reached out to scratch her wings.

"Is it here~?"

"Kwe~..."

It seemed not. I tried scratching a different spot.

"Or here~?"

"Kwe!"

Close, but not quite. I moved a little closer.

"Kwe Kwe!!"

It seemed I had hit the right spot. Scratching firmly, it seemed to make her feel good, as her lion's tail wagged. Her long, whip-like tail hit my shin, which was quite painful.

A feather from the area I was scratching fell out. It was white and beautiful. According to the records of the幻兽保护局 (Phantom Beast Protection Bureau), young griffin feathers change quite frequently. The fallen feathers are often used to make pens by trimming the tips, and since they fall out quite often, they accumulate to the point where they can be sold. There was no point in keeping them any longer. When I looked up, I met Reislotte's gaze. She was looking at Amelia's feathers with a covetous expression.

"Would you like a feather?"

"Huh!?"

"I use them to make feather pens, but I have plenty at home."

Reislotte's cheeks flushed. Although she shook her head, saying it was a precious item, her eyes were fixed on the feather. Since she wouldn't take it, I resorted to my last tactic.

"If you don't want it, I'll give it to Urgas—"

"I'll take it!"

As soon as I mentioned giving it to Urgas, she quickly extended her hand. I held back my laughter and handed her Amelia's feather. Reislotte had a blissful expression as she gazed at the feather in her hand.

"Oh, how beautiful..."

I was glad she was happy. It seemed Reislotte really loved phantom beasts. As I watched her with a smile, I noticed Urgas with teary eyes in the corner of my vision.

It seemed she had taken my offer to give the feather to Urgas seriously.

"Urgas, I'm sorry. I'll give you one when it falls out next time."

"That's fine... Reislotte the medic..."

No, that's not fine at all, I thought as I looked at her teary eyes. Then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Reislotte was offering the feather to Urgas.

"—Huh?"

"I'll take it next time."

"But—"

"It's fine. I'm the adult."

While saying this, Reislotte also had teary eyes. Her hand, offering the feather, was trembling. She didn't have to push herself so hard.

"No, it's fine. I'll just take the gesture. Thank you."

In the end, it seemed Urgas was the more mature one. Reislotte looked visibly relieved.

Thanks to this exchange, Reislotte seemed a bit more relaxed. That was good.

We arrived at the town where we would spend the night in the evening.

"Wow, it's quite a large town."

This is the lakeside town of Halbalt. The town is built along the lake, which is a unique location. It is also famous for salt mining, and the town is very bustling.

"The sunrise here is said to be the most beautiful in the world. The sun's light reflects on the lake, creating a magical scene," Zara, who seemed to know a lot, informed us.

"Wow, I'd like to see that."

"Shall we go see it tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

I also invited Urgas, who initially looked interested but then declined, saying, "I'm not a morning person." Berry, the deputy team leader, also declined, saying, "I'll pass." Reislotte seemed completely uninterested and firmly declined. Garu also mentioned he wasn't a morning person. I see.

"None of you are going?"

As I muttered this, the team leader, who was walking right in front of me, turned around with a scary face.

"Hey, why didn't you invite me?"

"Well, you didn't seem interested."

It seemed he wanted to be invited.

"Will the team leader go then?"

"Yeah—"

I thought, "Oh, he's going?" but then he suddenly looked at Zara and was startled. I had never seen him so surprised. I looked at Zara, who had a goddess-like, beautiful smile. The team leader seemed shocked by her beauty, though it felt a bit late.

"So, team leader, what will you do?"

"Well, I'll pass too."

"I see."

He was indecisive, saying things to make us think he would go, but ultimately declining. What's up with that? Well, it's fine.

"That means it's just me, Mel, and Amelia. I'm looking forward to it."

"Yes, I hope it's sunny."

Looking up at the sky, it was a clear, starry night. It would surely be sunny tomorrow.

By the way, Amelia wakes up earlier than the sun. The last time I woke up early in the morning, I almost screamed when I saw Amelia's eyes glowing in the dark. She had been waiting patiently without waking me up.

Speaking of Amelia—will the accommodation be okay? I would like to sleep on a futon tonight. This question was answered by Reislotte, who used to work at the Phantom Beast Protection Bureau.

"You don't need to worry. Most inns in the country are registered with the Phantom Beast Protection Bureau."

"What does that mean?"

"If you show your breeding permit, you can stay. The accommodation fees for the phantom beast and its handler are covered by the bureau."

"Wow!"

Thanks to the Phantom Beast Protection Bureau's efforts, most inns in the country accept phantom beasts. That's great. My worries were unfounded.

The place we arrived at was a high-end, five-story inn. I wondered if the team leader was choosing a place based on his noble sensibilities. I was worried about the team's budget.

"Team leader, is this okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"It looks expensive."

"Don't worry."

I tilted my head, wondering what he meant, and Berry, the deputy team leader, quietly explained.

"This town is the team leader's father's territory, so it's easier to arrange."

"Oh, I see."

The team leader, who was actually the son of the Rudtink family, Crow, marched into the high-end inn. The reception and common areas treated us with great respect. The team leader was talking to a dignified-looking innkeeper. We were led to a seat by the window and served tea and pastries. I had never seen a three-tiered plate of pastries before. The first tier had bite-sized sandwiches, the second tier had baked goods, and the third tier had fruit cakes. According to Reislotte, you should start from the bottom tier.

"You can't go back to the sandwiches at the bottom tier if you start craving something salty after eating sweet things."

"What a strict world."

The first tier's sandwiches had a sweet and sour sauce made with eggs and thinly sliced melon. They were crunchy and delicious. The second tier's baked goods were scones, as Reislotte explained. You were supposed to eat them with butter cream and fruit preserves. I tried one without anything on it. The texture was crumbly, and it was okay with tea. When I shared this opinion, Reislotte pointed out that this was the wrong way to eat them. I followed her advice and tried them with butter cream and fruit preserves.

"Wow, they're delicious!"

"Right?"

"They're like a completely different food."

The butter cream was quite rich, but the sweet and sour fruit preserves balanced the flavors well. This pastry was clearly designed to be eaten with butter cream and fruit preserves. It was quite deep.

Finally, I ate the fruit cake. The cake was fluffy, and the cream was sweet and gentle. I shared the fruit part with Amelia.

While waiting and drinking tea, the team leader returned and handed us the room keys.

"It's a room for three women."

"Kwe!"

Amelia chirped, seemingly displeased with the "three women" comment.

"What's wrong?"

"She didn't like the term 'three women.'"

"I see. Ah... it's a room for four women."

"Kwe~"

"Is she okay with it now?"

"Yes, it seems fine. Thank you."

The team leader looked relieved. He probably didn't expect to be scolded by a griffin. I couldn't help but laugh quietly.