Chapter 9

It was the day when he took the first step in his job search.

Returning to the room with a guilty conscience, it seemed that the monster had not yet returned to its nest.

On one hand, I felt relieved, but on the other, I still experienced an unreasonable sense of loneliness, just as I had last night.

For the first few days, Dino was always with me, but once it was decided that I would be treated as a song petitioner for Nea, he began to disappear frequently.

I thought he might be sulking because I had just started feeding the monster I found lying in the hallway, which I named Cookie Monster, but the fact should not have been discovered yet.

Yesterday, after talking with Eadaria, I learned that there were no maids or servants in this palace, so I made tea for myself as usual.

Actually, there is a magic pot in one corner of this room that is always full of tea, but perhaps because I was alone, or because I was nervous in this unfamiliar world, or perhaps because the tea was too delicious, I drank it all very quickly.

There were a wide variety of tea leaves, and after much deliberation, I chose a mango and summer flower black tea.

In addition to the shiny silverware, which I don't know who polishes but is always kept polished, there was also a set of expensive-looking ceramics, which was a feast for the eyes.

(Still, this world is not a simple one where magic can solve everything...)

There is a disease called magical contamination or magical infiltration.

People without antibodies are said to crystallize from their fingertips.

It is an incurable disease that strikes people with low magical resistance in this world.

It can only be treated with medicine made by medicinal monsters, but there are various side effects, so it is best to avoid magic altogether.

And it is a very common disease.

More than half of the people observed have a slight magical resistance.

Still, from time to time, a strong magic and a weak resistance collide, and the weak one breaks.

Therefore, this palace, which has two song petitioners, has no unnecessary personnel and is run by the minimum number of people with magical training.

The lack of guards at the palace where Nea lives is also due to unavoidable circumstances.

Song petitioners who do not deal with monsters are lonely, and magicians who do not have magician friends are also lonely.

No matter what kind of magician is called a magic user, magic does not originate in humans.

It is a technique that is taken from fairies, spirits, monsters, and demons, or borrowed from the land.

However, even if that is the case, people who are blessed with magic are seen as a threat to those who are taken in this world.

The non-human beings that are supposed to not involve themselves with humans show themselves because of you.

Even if the distribution of "ordinary" is biased towards magic users, those who are hurt still cry out.

Even as the number of song petitioners has increased and the white tower that governs magic stands in the capital, most of the people who work in this palace have been exposed to such pain.

Nea suddenly thought of how Eadaria, who was once a prince, sometimes looked lonely and felt a little sorry for him.

This land is said to be rich in magic, and there are not many people with low resistance, but there still seem to be few people around him.

After all, he is the head of the institution that cultivates magic.

(And now that Dino has come here, it might be even harder for outsiders to approach...)

"Given that, as a song petitioner, I need to settle down quickly, I guess."

From Eadaria and Einbrea's reactions, Nea must be a weak song petitioner.

But she must have enough magic to become one.

Therefore, even if she is weak, she needs to find a well-balanced partner to avoid mishandling herself.

A monster that is good at living and versatile enough to keep Nea on the right path.

The monster that Nea is currently feeding is a young boy named Cookie Monster.

He is a beautiful boy with light blue hair streaked with white and lemon-colored eyes, but his beauty is not exclusive because of his gluttonous and adorable personality.

(Cookie Monster is the top candidate, but the brick monster is currently under contract, the yeast monster is free, the fire monster has a troublesome personality, so I'll pass. The wood monster, I don't know how to use its talent...)

The wood monster's fruit can only be harvested from wild plants at a specific time.

It is not suitable for circulation and there is not much demand, so it is difficult to sell.

Even if the vine is suitable for crafting, Nea has no talent for it.

At least, if there were a naive noble or royal family that would become a regular customer for wood monster fruit.

"I'll leave the brick and yeast for now. I really want the brick, but his master is still alive, so I might have to wait for about two years."

He has a big brother-like quality and is somewhat calculating.

The brick is a little attractive because there is a demand for it as a business and it is not too showy.

He seems interested in me, so I wonder if he will be faithful.

(Well, if you try enough, you'll get it. If I can meet this many in one day, I can smoothly go through the interviews!)

Trying to recall the interview process she used to do, Nea suddenly realized she needed to recheck herself in the mirror.

As a lady, appearance is important, but her head has been too busy lately and she has neglected it.

Running through the fairly spacious room, she stood in front of a large full-length mirror.

"......Is this what I look like?"

Thinking about it, Nea's homeland does not produce bluish-gray hair, and such a complex color of pigeon feather eyes is not found in her race.

She can't remember it very well, but she is sure that this is not her original appearance.

Somehow, she has ended up with a different appearance without realizing it.

(...Oh, could it be a mask monster?)

Tilting her head, the current Nea in the mirror also tilted her head.

"Nea, I'm home!!"

With a loud bang, the glass door facing the forest opened.

A white monster that had been away for a while returned with a large load.

After dropping all the items he had carried on the floor, he dramatically tried to strangle Nea.

"Ugh?! Dino!! What are you doing, trying to strangle me as soon as you get home! Don't pick me up!!"

This is not the time for a welcome ceremony.

I need to figure out this issue of my appearance changing without me noticing as soon as possible.

"Will you praise me, Nea? I brought back everything I said I would!"

"......Everything?"

Nea, sensing a bad omen, focused on the items scattered at Dino's feet.

Since she was being carried by Dino and was off the ground, she couldn't quite see the details.

(What is this, ... like he raided a treasure vault or something?)

"What is this?"

"Hey, Nea, have you forgotten? The night before, you were looking at the catalog of the cranky magician's magic books. You said to me that if you had these items, they could be a source of funds."

"......Eadaria's magic book appendix catalog."

That was supposed to be a list of expensive and rare magical items and gems made by non-human beings, which was an extension of the explanation of the Grimoire's chain.

There were many items whose existence was unknown, and she read it with the feeling of reading an item book in a story, not as something real.

"......This?"

Directly below her line of sight was a large, highly transparent green gem that resembled an ostrich egg.

The flame bursting inside the block gave it a somewhat ominous feel.

"It's a dragon's egg. The water dragon's egg was a dull color, so I got a fire dragon's egg. It's a complex color of red and green, which I thought girls would like."

"Return it to the parents!!!"

"......I thought you would be happy."

"Don't try to make me do something with that look. It won't work! And the fur on the other side, it's moving......"

The vivid blue fur, with all the hairs tipped in gold, was lustrous and luxurious, making her want to dive into it, but the movement was a problem.

"It's a Lamnel's fur. It repels all fire-related magic and keeps you from being affected by the outside temperature when you wear it. There was a ready-made one, but it was stored in the palace of that country and the color was dull. I caught one, but even though I bled it to prevent it from being violent, it's still moving."

"Did you just kill it?!"

And it is still moving.

Lamnel is a wolf-like spirit.

A royal line of ice spirits that rarely show themselves to humans, and a very special creature that is rarely seen in the entire world.

The last sighting was when a single one that had harmed humans was slain hundreds of years ago.

The item book said as much.

(What should I do. Even if I tell him to return them, there are quite a few that can't be undone.)

Lost lives cannot be brought back, and some things, like fruits, cannot be restored once they have been plucked.

"Dino, I'm glad you worked hard for me, but this is not right. ......I will check everything right away and see what they are. There are probably items that should be returned to their original places, but since I can't identify many of them, I will need Eadaria's help to decide whether they should be returned or not."

"Nea, you don't need them?"

A curious and lonely voice.

The monster, whose gaze met hers, was a little dirty, and his long hair was slightly tangled.

He was so beautiful that it made her thoughts drift away, and there was something precarious about him.

She reached out and combed his hair with her fingers.

"Look, you're in this state. Did you go somewhere dangerous?"

"It wasn't dangerous, but the wind was strong by the sea. I had a spell to protect me from the effects, but I didn't want to use it because I was carrying so many delicate magical items."

Those delicate items were now scattered on the floor.

This was because the moment the monster returned, he hugged Nea.

"But if you didn't really want them, I should have stayed by your side all the time."

The old and cunning monster said this with a sad look, and Nea sighed and smiled.

It was really cunning to take on such a childish air at such times.

"Then, I'll take one of your recommended treasures from this. If I have too many, the special feeling will be lost, so one treasure is enough."

"Can I choose?"

"Because you brought them, didn't you? You must have a recommendation. But, I'll return the egg because it's too pitiful."

"Then, the fur, maybe..."

"Seriously..."

"There's a monster tailor, so I can make it into a coat. If I say so, it will be ready by morning."

"That would be a cruel treatment that would kill the heart of the monster..."

"But the fur is only for winter. I'll choose something I can wear."

"Please, within the range that won't interfere with daily life."

The crown on the other side is definitely rejected.

And I will judge after knowing the effects of the items properly.

"......I'll choose this one."

After a while, Dino chose a simple milky white ring.

When she held it up to the light, various colors danced through the dull transparency. It was beautiful, like a white opal.

She had expected him to choose something more ostentatious, so she was relieved.

If she had been asked to choose, she might have chosen this ring.

(It's like a ring made from a mysterious fog that turns into seven colors at dawn.)

It had a nostalgic and mysterious feel to it.

"What effect does this have?"

"It's protection. As long as you wear this ring, you will not be harmed by anything."

"......An invincible item"

It was a ring with a rather unreasonable element.

It seemed that Dino did not choose a simple item after all.

(Come to think of it, wasn't there a ring like this in the catalog?)

"Did you like it?"

He asked with a worried look, and Nea laughed.

"It's very beautiful. Thank you."

She smiled contentedly.

It was a beautiful smile, but there was something masculine about it, and Nea felt a slight chill down her spine.

(I should properly discipline him and tell him that bad things are bad.)

"Alright, Dino. Now that you've calmed down, let's start the selection, return, and apologies. You must not raid other people's property! But I'm a clever person who doesn't want to be scolded, so let's return them secretly. Please work hard!"

Unfortunately, she had been carried by the white monster since she returned home, so she grabbed his long hair like a rein and declared this, and the white monster smiled blissfully.

It was a different, more obvious and warm kind of smile from the one before.

"I love being scolded by Nea."

"No, you've gone in the direction I don't want to know!"

But on this day, the person who probably felt like crying the most was Eadaria, who was left to clean up the mess.

Nea realized the problem of her changed appearance again when she got into bed that night.

Of course, she decided to carry the problem over to the next morning for a good night's sleep.