Chapter 97

"Where have you been, Joshua? You're in the bath, right? Are you bubbling away in there?"

"A, ah..."

"I know. I can't sense your presence here. But since you've come in, why don't you get in the bath?"

"H, hai."

*Slide*.

"Ah."

"Eh."

I was relieved that he was going to take a bath, but then the bath door opened.

There, instead of Sequoia, I met the eyes of Ellie, who was standing right behind her.

"Sequoia. Ellie knew I was already out and allowed you to enter through the window."

"Hmm?"

"Really, you came in with your clothes on. If you're going to get in, take your clothes off."

Really. When the voice from the other side of the door stopped, I immediately realized.

Thinking this wasn't right, I moved to the changing room, and this is what I found.

Since they came from outside, both of them were, of course, fully dressed. Perfectly so.

"Hmm!"

"Kyaa."

Sequoia reached for Ellie's clothes.

W, what are you doing, you!

*Slap*.

"Wait until I close the door before you undress!"

I closed the bath door and shouted to the other side.

"Lord Sequoia... N, no, that's not good."

"Huh, huh, huh."

It seems something is happening again, but I'll move quickly.

I decided to head to the kitchen with the penguin, who waddled along. I'll get something to drink.

A coffee milk after a bath is good, but there's no coffee yet.

I wonder if coffee can be cultivated here?

I sent the penguin back to the room and returned to my own.

After exploring with Alru, my body was wrapped in a pleasant fatigue. The bath also helped, and as soon as I lay down on the bed, sleepiness quickly overcame me.

"Yawn."

A big yawn escaped, and my consciousness began to fade.

◇◇◇

"Lord Joshua!"

The familiar, cool voice reached my ears along with the knock on the door.

This voice is Ellie's. If I were to compare her voice, it would be like the sound of a wind chime, a summer tradition.

Cool and somehow soothing, that kind of feeling.

On the other hand, Alru's voice is completely different. It's somewhat drawn out and comforting, but it somehow gives you energy...

They might seem contradictory, but somehow they coexist.

However, Ellie's voice calling my name sounded less composed than usual.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and hurried to open the door.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes. We're in a bit of a bind. The citizens seem to be struggling to decide what to do."

"That's urgent. Can you guide me?"

"Understood. What about your attire?"

"I'll change quickly. Can you wait a moment?"

"Understood."

Ellie placed her hands on her stomach and bowed slightly.

I wonder what has happened.

If it's an emergency, I'll have to change my plans.

I called out to Ellie, who was waiting on the other side of the door, considering my change of clothes.

"Can you tell the penguin and Sequoia to wait for a moment?"

"I'll send Alru."

"Thank you."

I thanked Ellie while changing... but then,

"Did you call me, Lord Joshua?"

"Wha—"

Alru was hanging upside down outside the window!

What is this déjà vu?

"Can you tell the penguin to wait due to the emergency?"

"Yes!"

"And, it's better not to hang by your skirt, right?"

"Huh?"

I feel like I've said this before, but she doesn't seem to care at all.

Is she showing her underwear? I've heard stories about it, but I'm not sure.

"Lord Joshua, too. Same."

"A, I'm changing, you know."

"Hey, Alru!"

From the other side of the door, a scream-like voice from Ellie reached us.

Oh, I can't be distracted by the two of them.

I hurriedly put on my pants, but I tripped and fell on my butt because I was too rushed.

How embarrassing.

And Alru saw it all...

"I'm not looking!"

"O, oh."

The awkward attempt to cover up made a cold wind blow through my heart.

◇◇◇

The place Ellie led me to was the central market building, which I was proud of for its reinforced concrete.

There was a bit of a commotion, and a crowd had gathered.

However, everyone seemed to be maintaining a certain distance from the building, and it seemed to be under control.

I see. Balthro and his exploration team must have been keeping things in check.

However, as soon as I showed my face, a loud cheer erupted.

During speeches, it's one thing, but when there's no particular reason, it makes me want to laugh dryly.

Hopefully, the citizens will get used to it. When the shopping district is completed, I'd like to do some street food shopping.

I hope they'll quietly watch over me then.

"Lord Joshua."

"Balthro, what happened?"

"It's not a big deal, but we're unsure what to do."

Balthro scratched the back of his head and chuckled, stroking his stubble with his other hand.

"Did something appear?"

"It's faster to show you. They're already captured."

"Ah, I see."

"This way, Lord Joshua."

I followed behind Balthro as he started walking.

Inside the building, Balthro pointed with his right hand.

There, in a wooden cage—no, it's more like a fence without a lid—were two unfamiliar animals sitting defiantly.

The one with a twitching nose looked like a rabbit and a rat.

They were about the size of a medium dog, with rat-like paws and a rabbit-like tail. It was a rather awkward and unsettling appearance.

Their fur was a light gray, straight, and long. If I stuck my fingers into the fur, they might reach up to my wrist.

I couldn't help but exchange glances with Ellie, who was standing next to me, and we both widened our eyes.

She, unlike me, seemed very interested in the animals, with her eyes drooping.

"Ellie, do you want to keep them?"

"N, no..."

She shook her head vigorously, a rather childish gesture, but she kept glancing at the animals.

"Balthro, did they break in to target the food storage on the second floor?"

"That's right. But there's only cassava in there."

"So, they might be suitable for breeding."

"They don't seem to have much meat."

"No, I was thinking about shearing their fur. It depends on their breeding ability and food consumption."

"Got it. I'll ask someone from the farm."

"Thanks."

It's fortunate that we discovered these animals.

However, we need to prevent easy break-ins. It would be terrible if they gnawed through all the grain.