Chapter 66

The next day, I invited Gar, Urgas, and Rieselotte to have a meal. Of course, Zara and Amelia would be joining us as well.

The place was the usual private room in the cafeteria.

"Sorry for inviting you all of a sudden."

"It's fine. The food here is delicious, so it's no problem."

Urgas said this brightly. He's a good guy.

Gar and Rieselotte also happily accepted the invitation. I was grateful to Zara for coming along as well.

"Oh, by the way, before we came here, I found this at a general store."

Urgas held out a chocolate-colored ribbon. It was a calm and elegant color.

Suddenly, Zara stood up with a thud and glared at Urgas.

"Jyun, that!"

"I thought it would suit Amelia."

"Huh? For Amelia?"

"Yes!"

Urgas... buying a ribbon for Amelia. By the way, Jyun is Urgas's name. Since he only calls Zara by it, I often forget.

"Wouldn't it look cute if you tied it to a tail or something?"

"Sure, it would."

He crouched down to show the ribbon to Amelia.

"Amelia, Urgas bought a ribbon for you."

"Qu, Quack!"

Amelia was saying, "Do you think I would let my guard down with just this kind of item?"

"No, Urgas didn't give it to you because he wants to touch you. He bought it purely because he thought it would suit you."

"Qu, Quack!"

She looked embarrassed when she realized it was a misunderstanding. Then she muttered, "W-well, if that's the case, I might put it on," which was a relief.

I immediately tied it to her tail.

"Wow, it looks so cute!"

Amelia, praised by Urgas, seemed quite pleased, saying "Hmph" with a not-so-displeased look. I might buy a ribbon for her next time too. I want to send some to my sisters and get one for myself as well.

"This is also a thank you for the feathers from the other day. They're beautiful, and I've been decorating my room with them."

When I told her this, Amelia seemed to be blushing.

"Amelia, shouldn't you start to forgive Urgas?"

"Quack."

It seems she doesn't really hate or dislike him. She just said, "But it's embarrassing... no petting allowed." It feels like watching a budding romance. Maybe it's just my imagination.

"Ah, sorry. Let's start eating."

We opened the menu and decided what to order.

First, I ordered a fruit platter and the recently introduced幻兽菜单的蜂蜜水 for Amelia.

I ordered leaf-wrapped pork, and Rieselotte said she would have the same. Gar ordered grilled triangular beef, Urgas ordered a meat and vegetable set, and it seems Zara ordered pork stew.

Today's bread is a spiral bread with honey kneaded into the dough. I'm looking forward to it.

Soon, the dishes were brought to the table.

The leaf-wrapped pork was a large leaf filled with meat and spices, steamed and tied with a ribbon.

When the ribbon was untied, a refreshing aroma of leaves wafted out. The root vegetables and mushrooms were also wrapped inside.

The knife cut through easily, surprisingly soft. I cut it into bite-sized pieces and ate it.

The leaf's fragrance filled my nostrils, and the meat juices oozed out as I chewed. The simple seasoning with just spices was delicious, and the sweetness of the vegetables had seeped in.

"I'm surprised. Meat wrapped in leaves is really delicious."

"Yes, it really is."

Rieselotte marveled, saying that even common dishes shouldn't be underestimated.

The honey bread had a gentle flavor. When I bit into the honey part, a rich sweetness spread in my mouth. Next time, I might try making bread with maple syrup. It costs one gold coin per bottle, so my hands might tremble when I use it.

While eating the dessert jelly, I was about to move on to the main topic—

"Slime..."

Rieselotte muttered beside me.

Right, the jelly was made from slime. I had completely forgotten.

The others were eating it calmly. They're strong.

"By the way, what happened to the slime factory?"

"It seems to have reopened. The glue is popular in foreign countries, and stopping production would have an economic impact."

"I see."

The staff was doubled, and the barrier was reinforced before reopening. We, who were involved in the incident, feel a bit awkward.

"Speaking of slimes, that person, the director of the monster management bureau, came by during the day."

"Is that so?"

When I asked what kind of person he was, Rieselotte commented that he was a suspicious old man. It seems that old men in that area are like that.

"I wonder what he came for."

At this point, Gar took a bottle from the small pouch attached to his waist belt and placed it on the table.

"Huh?"

"Wow!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Quack?"

Inside the bottle was a colorless, transparent—slime!

"Isn't this the former factory manager, Alexander Reed's 'Slara' from the slime factory?"

Gar nodded at Urgas's observation.

Apparently, Alexander Reed was arrested by the knights, and since no one was taking care of Slara, it was entrusted to the second division, where the griffins are.

It's a bit harsh to push the responsibility onto Gar.

The staff at the monster research bureau each have their own specialized monsters and show no interest in others. So, there was no one to take care of Slara.

Slara is about a third of the bottle and is trembling.

By the way, it eats three times a day and only needs a cup of water.

Gar took a cold drink and opened the bottle cap, pouring all the water into the bottle.

Slara trembled violently, absorbing the water. After drinking it all, it let out a "Keppu" and exhaled.

Taking care of it involves feeding it and taking it for a walk once a day. For the walk, they use a special leash developed by the magic research bureau for monsters.

Gar said he accepted the responsibility because the monster research bureau provides a special allowance.

"But, that's so rude of them to ask such a thing."

"Well, if we expect common sense from the people at the magic research bureau and the monster research bureau, we're bound to be disappointed."

In contrast, the幻兽保护局 is so peaceful. They just love and protect the幻兽, without causing trouble for anyone.

I even think that the Marquis isn't that bad.

The cafeteria here started offering幻兽 menus because they knew we were regulars.

Amelia, wagging her ribbon-tied tail, said, "The honey water is delicious."

"So, Mel, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, right."

We got carried away talking about slimes.

I'll get to the point. I want to talk about my magic power.

"Actually, I measured my magic power with a magic power gauge the other day, and it turned red."

"What!?"

Rieselotte stood up with a thud, looking down at me in shock.

"To turn red, you'd need a magic tool or a magic artifact to suppress your magic power..."

"I don't have such an expensive item."

"Lie...!"

Here, a shocking fact was revealed.

Usually, children with a lot of magic power can't control it well, leading to frail health, temper tantrums, or magic power outbursts, affecting themselves and those around them.

To control this, they use magic tools or magic artifacts that suppress magic power.

Magic tools are enchanted and blessed items, while magic artifacts are valuable items made with unknown technology. Both are expensive and difficult for commoners to obtain.

"So, you mean Mel has been controlling her magic power on her own?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I still think it might have been a measurement error."

Zara's magic power gauge was broken, so we couldn't remeasure.

"---I see. Then, would you come to my house?"

"Are you going to consult the Marquis?"

"Yes. I think he's more trustworthy than the staff at the magic research bureau."

"Ah, but the captain said he would talk to us first."

"Since it concerns your life, it's better to act quickly."

I accepted Rieselotte's suggestion.

It was a very kind offer.