Chapter 64

The next morning, when Rieselotte showed her face at the break room, she looked utterly exhausted.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

When asked if something was wrong, she began to speak with a look of exasperation.

"The fairy from yesterday was handed over to the Bureau of Fairy and Phantom Beast Protection."

"Wow."

She swallowed the words "I knew it."

"Then, Father brought it home, and it wreaked havoc in the house..."

"That must have been tough."

The house was ransacked, and it seemed that the Marquis had eventually entered into a forced contract.

Now, it was apparently sitting quietly on the Marquis's lap.

"That thing isn't even a phantom beast... And Father doesn't seem to mind at all."

The gap between father and daughter seemed to be growing deeper.

The Marquis might be more of a lover of cute things rather than a lover of phantom beasts... The ermine was fluffy and adorable in appearance. Its personality was sassy, though.

Under the Marquis's supervision, it probably couldn't cause any mischief. In fact, it would likely lead a luxurious life. She thought this contract might have been a good thing.

"If only a phantom beast had come to the house instead of a fairy..."

She murmured wistfully.

Noticing her sad expression, Amelia, who rarely approached Rieselotte, came closer.

"Quo?"

"Huh?"

Since Amelia usually didn't come close, Rieselotte looked at her in surprise and asked me to translate.

"Well, she's asking, 'Are you okay? Can I be petted?'"

"R-really?"

Rieselotte blushed and put her hand to her cheek.

"R-really, is it okay?"

"Go ahead and pet her."

"Ah, it feels like a dream..."

Rieselotte carefully reached out to touch the feathers under Amelia's beak.

At first, she gently stroked them. Gradually, she buried her fingers and combed through them.

Amelia seemed to enjoy it, closing her eyes in contentment.

"Thank you, Amelia. Your feathers are so beautiful and smooth."

"Quo quo!"

Amelia seemed happy to be praised and said, "You can pet me anytime!"

"Such... happiness..."

Rieselotte, moved to tears, was touched by the unexpected kindness.

--- Our heartwarming interaction was watched enviously by someone at the edge of my vision. It was, of course, Urgas.

"Risris medic, I'm feeling down too."

"Okay."

"What should I do?"

"Well..."

She looked at Amelia. When I pointed to Urgas, Amelia turned her head away.

And then, the final words.

"Quo quo!"

She said, "Urgas is no good!"

Urgas, who seemed to understand without being told, slumped his shoulders.

"But, the communication between Risris medic and Amelia is amazing, isn't it?"

"It's the power of the contract."

Though all I could hear was "Quo quo," the meaning somehow came through. Rieselotte explained that it was possible as a result of the contract.

"So, not everyone who has a contract can understand each other?"

"That seems to be the case."

Zara said she couldn't understand the bobcat's speech. It seemed there were various forms of contracts.

The bell signaling the start of work rang. Rieselotte, Urgas, and Amelia headed to the office together.

Today was training day. Urgas, who was not good at close combat, looked reluctant. Rieselotte asked if she had to participate too.

"Of course."

Yes, this training involved everyone without exception. The women would learn from Deputy Captain Berry.

We borrowed the training ground of the knight squad for half a day, but it was grueling.

"I didn't expect to be involved in this too."

"This is close combat training, so there's no choice."

There was a festival in the capital soon, and we, the expeditionary force, would be called to support the patrol team.

First, we ran around the training ground to get our bodies used to it.

I was incredibly slow, so I was overtaken by Gal and the captain, and before I knew it, I was a lap behind.

"Mel, keep going!"

"Okay~"

Encouraged by Zara, I was then overtaken by Deputy Captain Berry. Next, Urgas came along.

"Risris medic, are you okay?"

"...Yes."

"Keep going."

Urgas seemed to have some energy left and ran past me with a flourish.

"Quo~"

"Huh!?"

To my surprise, I was even overtaken by Amelia. She seemed to have more stamina than I thought.

However, it turned out that there was someone even less athletic than me: Rieselotte.

We ran for about fifteen minutes, and when it was over, she was red-faced and looked like she was about to collapse.

"Rieselotte, are you going to watch the training?"

"No, I will... participate too."

"Then, let's take a short break first."

When I first participated in training, I had the same symptoms as Rieselotte. I hadn't properly hydrated, and I felt ill when I got back to the dorm.

I had prepared something for today, knowing that we would have training.

Honey lemon water!

This is the best drink for hydration, health, and beauty. Honey helps with fatigue recovery, and lemon promotes metabolism and prevents spots and wrinkles. It's perfect for a sunny day.

The recipe is simple: dissolve honey in boiling water, add a pinch of salt, and let it cool. Then, add sliced lemons with the peel and squeezed lemon juice, mix, and let it sit overnight in a cool, dark place. Strain it the next day. You can also add ginger and drink it warm.

"Here, please."

"No, I'm not thirsty."

"But, your body unconsciously needs water."

Deputy Captain Berry also recommended that she drink it, so Rieselotte took the bottle and uncapped it.

"Um, do you have something to pour it into...?"

"Sorry, I forgot."

When I suggested drinking it directly from the bottle, she gave me a dubious look.

"Should I use my hands as a cup? It might get sticky."

"...Well, it's better than drinking directly from the bottle."

I poured the honey lemon water into Rieselotte's cupped hands.

Oh, it's spilling through the gaps in her fingers. What a waste.

"Rieselotte, drink quickly."

"O-okay."

Rieselotte hurriedly put her mouth to the water and drank. She drank about half the bottle.

"How was it?"

"I drank it so quickly, I couldn't taste it."

"R-really?"

I put my mouth to the bottle and drank. Mmm, delicious.

Deputy Captain Berry also praised it, saying it was "delicious and easy to drink."

I thought about giving some to Amelia, but we didn't have a cup.

"Then, shall I lend you my hand?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course."

What a kind young lady.

Rieselotte knelt on the ground and brought her palm to a height where Amelia could drink easily.

When I poured the honey lemon water, Amelia drank it while wagging her tail.

"Quo~"

It seemed she enjoyed it. Rieselotte also bowed her head gracefully to thank her. What a polite and well-mannered griffin. When she grew up, she wouldn't be left alone.

After the break, we started the training.

The men had already begun. When we saw Gal throw the captain, we let out a gasp of admiration.

"No... We have to do that too?"

"No, you'll learn basic self-defense techniques, so don't worry."

First, Deputy Captain Berry explained the vital points of the human body.

"From the top, the temple. If you receive a shock here, you lose your balance. Next, the mastoid process. It's a bony prominence behind the ear, and if attacked, it also affects your balance. On the face, there's the philtrum, the area between the upper lip and the nose. Hitting this area can cause breathing difficulties. And the chin, a strong hit can cause unconsciousness."

These areas, if hit incorrectly, can be life-threatening, so we were told to use them as a last resort.

We were also taught a few other vital points.

"Well, looking at the two of you, it seems you're not really suited for self-defense."

"How can we deal with it properly?"

"Hmm—"

Deputy Captain Berry looked in the direction of the captain.

If a large man like the captain went on a rampage, it would be impossible to restrain him. But—

"There is one method."

Rieselotte, Amelia, and I listened intently.

Deputy Captain Berry, with a distant look in her eyes, began to speak.

"The golden spot."

"Ah~"

"What is that?"

Indeed, even the captain would go down with one hit to that spot.

To help Rieselotte, who didn't know where the golden spot was, Deputy Captain Berry explained clearly.

"R-really? I didn't know that."

Rieselotte adjusted her glasses, blushed, and glanced at the captain.

"I can take down the captain too."

Rieselotte, who had looked hopeless about self-defense, seemed to gain confidence.

"Can I try a technique on the captain just once?"

In response to Rieselotte's question, Deputy Captain Berry narrowed her eyes and answered.

"Out of pity, I'd rather you didn't."

Rieselotte blinked and whispered, "It must be an amazing technique."