Chapter 86

Forest night.

Since there was time before dinner, everyone went about their tasks.

Sophia tidied up the shop.

Tetti prepared dinner.

Lilicia went to the guild to complete the herb gathering request.

Incidentally, thanks to Tetti and Pegasus Sier, the necessary number of herbs had been collected without any issues.

I was in the garden, holding hands with Lanna.

I wanted to introduce her to Mirene and find out what happened to Almirage's child.

Since she wasn't in the garden, we went to the stable.

There, on a pile of hay, a white Pegasus was lying down, and a white rabbit with horns was nestled on its belly.

"Mirene, Almirage, are you doing well?"

"Oh, Mr. Alex, welcome. Yes, we're doing very well—oh, who is this?"

Mirene's eyes stopped on Lanna, who was hiding behind me.

Lanna peeked out from behind me, watching intently.

"This is Lanna, the Holy White Dragon. Please be kind to her."

"Oh! Nice to meet you, I'm Pegasus Mirene."

"Renu! Kyui!"

"So, this is Almirage's—by the way, I didn't even know her name. Do you know it?"

"This little one is called Spica."

"Pika! Kyai!"

When Lanna came out from behind me, she ran to Mirene.

She cautiously extended her hand toward the small rabbit on Mirene's belly.

Spica trembled and stiffened.

Lanna carefully touched the white fur with her tiny fingers.

Spica shrank back and trembled.

"Please be kind to her. Mirene, I also entrust her care to you."

"Oh? Isn't this little one a big sister despite being small?"

"Huh? Is that so?"

"Kyai, kyui!"

Lanna placed her hands on her hips and arched her flat chest.

It seems that's the case.

"Maybe you were expecting a child's response, so the conversation didn't match...?"

"Ruk, kykyai!"

She puffed out her cheeks and looked up at me.

It seems I was right.

I chuckled and stroked Lanna's white hair.

"Got it, got it. From now on, I'll treat you as an adult woman."

"Lanna, toona! Kyai!"

Lanna raised both hands in joy.

—Honestly, her gestures are so childlike that she seems like a child...

I looked at Spica, who was trembling in fear, trying to hide under Mirene.

"Lanna is a good dragon, so you can relax. But you seem much more energetic than this morning."

"Yes, she's doing very well. She's very well-behaved and hardworking. See, Spica?"

Mirene spoke gently.

Just that made Spica stop trembling and raise her head happily.

"Thanks to Mirene. She gave me lots of milk and taught me how to drink without hurting. She also encouraged me... and told me that my mother didn't hate me. There's proof."

"Proof? How did you know?"

Mirene nuzzled Almirage's face.

The tiny Spica happily went along with it.

"Her name is Spica, which means 'special pearl' and 'special pointed horn.' If my mother really hated me, would she have given me such a name? She must have wanted to treat me as precious as her other children. Because I'm such a good girl."

"Fe... Mirene, I'm so happy..."

Spica nuzzled Mirene's belly, being careful not to hit her with her horns.

It seems she learned how to handle her horns quite well today.

"Got it. So you need to get better quickly. So you can tell your mother, 'I'm fine, don't worry.'"

"Okay, I'll try my best!"

Spica bowed her head.

I said to Mirene.

"Thanks, Mirene, for helping Spica. Sier might be a bit upset, though."

"Oh no, not at all. In fact, Sier, who used to want to drink milk, suddenly started acting like a big brother. He started eating vegetables and leaves on his own. Hehe, it's been a big help."

Mirene smiled with her big eyes shining.

I could imagine Sier's childlike efforts and found it endearing.

He seems to be becoming a good big brother. He also gets along well with Tetti.

—By the way, Tetti made a rude request to Mirene.

"By the way, Tetti said she wanted to ride you. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine to ride. But Tetti is weak, so it could be dangerous if she falls."

"Weak? She looks healthy..."

"That child looks energetic, but her body is unstable. She seems to be in a state of exhaustion... I think it would be better to give her more of the morning potion and have her eat three meals slowly."

"Hmm... Kou also said she only has Power 5..."

She always eats in a hurry, sandwiching the bread to eat quickly.

I didn't pay attention because I thought she was healthy, but if she's actually exhausted, it's bad for her body.

"Thanks, I'll try it. Please take care of everyone in the future."

"Of course. It's fun to have more cute children around."

I said goodbye and returned to the mansion with Lanna, holding her hand.

◇ ◇ ◇

After that, we had dinner together.

Tetti had prepared curry rice today.

Brown soup was poured over white rice. The aromatic spices were very appetizing.

The soup was thick and mixed well with the rice.

I scooped up a spoonful and took a bite, and the rich spiciness spread in my mouth.

"Hmm, this is good."

"First time trying this flavor," "It's delicious~"

"Yum, yum! Kyui!"

Sophia, Lilicia, Lanna, and I all had bright eyes, trying this new flavor for the first time.

"Right? The gyudon and katsudon were good, but this curry rice is the most surprising!"

Tetti said with a cheerful laugh.

This curry rice was made using the kitchen option 'Retort Box' that Kou created.

You give Kou the ingredients and select the dish you want from the menu, and it will be ready in a few seconds.

The taste is decent, but there are many unusual dishes.

Tetti had been using the Retort Box for lunch.

She aimed to try all the dishes.

She found this curry rice during the process.

I said while taking a second bite.

"But, this isn't a drink, is it?"

At my words, Tetti leaned forward on the table and said.

"Right!? I ordered curry rice from the drink section, and this is what I got! No matter how you look at it, it's a rice dish, but Kou insisted, 'Curry is a drink!' I think he's still a bit broken, isn't he?"

"A little? Is that a little? He's quite broken."

"Shouldn't he be fixed? —Munch."

Tetti scooped up a spoonful of curry and took a bite.

She said it was delicious but swallowed it after just a few chews.

"Oh, Tetti. Try to chew more before swallowing."

"Eh! Once it's in my stomach, it's the same, right?"

"That's not good. Try to chew properly. And drink one puchi Ely every day."

"Eh, why!?"

Tetti, who was still chewing, opened her emerald eyes wide.

"Tetti looks energetic, but her body hasn't fully recovered. Instead of a regular bath, you can take an elixir bath."

At my words, Lilicia, who was elegantly moving her spoon, stopped and looked at Tetti.

"Tetti, the towels and bathrobes I prepared for you haven't decreased at all. Are you taking a bath every day?"

"Well, I didn't really have the habit of taking baths... and that bath..."

"What's wrong?"

"...It feels so good that I'm afraid I'll melt."

Tetti smiled cutely like a child caught in mischief, but she seemed a bit scared.

Sophia tried to help her.

"Maybe it's because I use the bath too much. I always use it, so you can't. I'm sorry, Tetti."

"No, I'll use it for you too~"

Tetti said cheerfully, but I shook my head.

"That's not good. ...Okay, I'll add a bath, a simple kitchen, and a laundry room to the dungeon."

"Eh~" "Yay!"

Tetti reluctantly frowned, while Sophia beamed with joy.

I ignored Tetti's opinion and took out the terminal.

"Kou, I want to add a bath to the dungeon."

"Sure, what size do you want?"

"Everyone has a private room in the back, so turn the regular room in the front into a bath and water-related area."

"Got it."

"Oh, right. Is it true that Tetti has Power 5?"

"It's a joke."

"Hey! I was worried!"

"But she is very weak. Around 15 to 30?"

"That's low. The weakest monster is 100, right?"

"Level 1, yes. On average, the strongest is Clay Golem at 150, the weakest is a doll at 75, animals like mice are 80 to 85, goblins are 80 to 90, snakes are 100, and lizards are around 120."

"Eh, isn't Tetti too weak? Human children have around 50, right?"

"Yes, she is weak."

"Why is that?"

"Hmm~ To explain it in a way you don't understand... It's like the main body has the potential of 5th or 6th gear, but the gear is stuck in neutral, so the engine's power isn't being transmitted at all."

"Why explain it in a way I don't understand! ...But that's typical of Kou."

"Yay, I got praised. Thanks! Well, if you say the potential and the body's gears aren't meshing, it makes a bit more sense?"

"Ah, that's a bit more understandable. —Anyway, please set up a room with a bath, a simple kitchen, and a laundry area in the dungeon."

"Got it."

I ended the call and said to Tetti.

"That's the situation. Tetti, it's possible that your body and magic aren't properly connected. Probably."

"Is that so~? I thought I was fine because I felt energetic. Can it be fixed?"

Tetti asked with a cheerful smile, but her long eyelashes twitched, showing her anxiety.

I couldn't say something casual and looked at Lilicia and Sophia.

Lilicia gently shook her head, her silver hair swaying.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. ...It might be something unique to elves."

"Maybe! I don't know much about elves."

"As a cleric, I don't know much about elves either. They're a bit different from humans."

I thought of the beautiful elf Cheryl.

I'll just leave Tetti's case to her.

"After the puchi Ely issue is resolved, I'll hire the elf Cheryl."

"Okay, I'll try my best!"

Tetti smiled while eating the curry.

After that, we reported what happened today and discussed while eating the curry rice.

It was spicy and made us sweat, but it was delicious.

However, the other concern, the fake puchi Ely, remained unresolved even after our discussion.

New work in progress~

Tentative title: 'I Will Heal Everything ~The Exiled Youth Repairs the Garbage He Finds and Rises to Power!~' https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6104gm/

It entered the top 10 in the daily genre rankings, but the title seems off. I want to change it, but I can't think of a good one.

Also, thank you for the bookmarks and ★ ratings!

The next chapter is still in progress... I'll work on it as usual at night.