CH 128

The next day,  I , Deanna, Garn, and Capella gathered in one room to discuss various ideas for the building of the mansion.

Of course, we also gathered the opinions of the servants, including Danae, and the people who work in the mansion.

Whenever I put forward a proposal, Garn would add to and correct it.

Deanna points out the security aspects.

While Capella summarizes like a secretary, he also touches on the Japanese-style room of Renalute culture, garden, planting cherry trees, and so on.

There were hot springs, a large bathhouse, a training area, a dojo, the workshop of Ellen and the others, the office of the Christie Trading Company, the maids' quarters, and many other things.

At that moment, Garn suddenly asked a question.

'Rid-sama, I know this is a little late, but what are you planning to do with the budget for the building of the mansion?　If you are going to do all this, it must be quite a lot of money. ......"

"I don't know the exact budget yet, because my father is in charge of it. But if we make an impossible request at the beginning, it will be easier to pass the later terms, right?　So I want to force this initial idea to be bigger than it is."

Upon hearing my words, Garn pretended to be impressed, but his face immediately turned dubious.

What you say is true, Mister Rid, but from whom did you learn such a thing?"

"Heh......⁉"

I hurriedly fumbled with Garn's unexpected words.

"No, that's ...... right, Chris, I learned it from Chris. She told me that the first rule of business is to make a difficult or high offer and see how it goes."

I hastily decided to get over the situation by pretending that Chris had taught me how to negotiate a deal.

It was not out of place.

I apologized to her in my mind.

I was sorry, Chris.

I see, that Chris ...... but to immediately put that into action against your own father, Rid is a terrifying ...... Reiner is a head case."

The other two nodded quietly in agreement with Garn's words.

I mean, did my father have his head in the sand about what I do?

No, I think there were definitely a few times when he was holding his head.

Yes, I should thank my father the next time I see him and ask him for his cooperation in the future.

He might get mad at me, though.

Just as I was thinking that, there was a knock at the door of my room.

"Yes?"

"Ni-chan, Cookie's not here. ......"

When I answered, I heard Mel's sad voice.

I hurried to open the door and there stood Mel, her eyes red with tears, and Danae comforting her.

"Mel⁉ What's wrong?"

"Ugh,...... the cookies didn't come back,......"

......?　The cookie?

When I looked at Mel, I saw that Biscuit was indeed on Mel's shoulder, but Cookie was nowhere to be found.

Cookie seems to be licking Mel's tears and comforting her.

Cookie is not there?　What is wrong with him?　

Just as I was thinking that, I heard a woman scream from inside the mansion, "Kyaaaaaaaahhh⁉.

I was startled by the scream and, leaving the crying Mel in Danae's care, ran toward the front door of the house where the scream seemed to have originated.

Behind me were the people I had been meeting with.

When I arrived at the entrance, there was Cookie, covered in mud and about the size of a lion.

His pitch-black body was even darker with mud.

"Oh, my God!　'

"Please don't come here, Cookie, you'll stain the carpet in the mansion.　"

'Oh no⁉ Who do you think is going to clean it?"

"Please go take a bath before entering the house.'

The servants are screaming at the muddy cookies.

It seems that they came in through the entrance that was open while the maids were cleaning, and the carpet was indeed blackened with mud.

From their point of view, it must have been a terrible thing to have their carpets stained with mud right in front of their eyes.

The sight of this made my shoulders relax a little.

Everyone who rushed to the scene with me was feeling the same way.

At that moment, Cookie looked at me and roared.

"What's wrong, Cookie?"

Cookie roared and went out of the house.

I hurriedly chased after him.

The maids I passed in pursuit looked relieved that Cookie was gone.

I, Deanna and Capella, who had followed behind me, chased after Cookie.

He was only running as fast as he wanted us to follow him.

I wonder what's wrong with Cookie?　He seems to be telling us to follow him.

"Does he have a goal ......?"

Deanna replied to my words.

After following him for a while, Cookie stopped.

I was at a place a little further away from the back of the mansion where I used to practice my magic.

I could see the mansion from where I was now.

I caught up with him, caught my breath a little, and said,

"So, what are you ...... doing ......?"

, "Nn~!""

He stopped and there was a puddle, or rather a pool of hot water, with steam rising from it.

When I tried to get closer, Capella stopped me.

Rid -sama, there may be dangerous gases in the hot springs, so I will check first.

"What?　Oh, I see.I will Be careful."

Capella had me and Deanna standing by, and as we approached the pool of hot water, she squatted down to check the smell and temperature.

Then she put hot water on hand and licked it several times.

I looked at Deanna's face and her eyes were full of anticipation.

As we watched Capella, he stood up and turned around.

". This is unquestionably a hot spring. The temperature seems a little high, but if you cool it down a little like Renalute, it should be fine. Just to be sure, we will need to have someone go into the hot spring and check that there is nothing wrong with body for a few days, but it probably won't be a problem."

"Oh⁉ Thanks to Cookie, we have a hot spring."

"Nyah."

I'm so moved by Capella's words that I talk to Cookie, but he doesn't seem interested.

Come to think of it, many cats don't like water or bathing, right?　

When I thought of that, I heard a joyful voice.

"Kyaaaa, Rid-sama, it's a hot spring, a hot spring , Cookie-sama, as expected of the monster who serves Rid-sama and Meldy-sama, Rid-sama, let's immediately pull this hot spring to the inside of the mansion.'

'No, I'm sure Father will be angry if we don't do that when he comes back, right?　I'm sure he'll be pissed if we don't do that when he gets back.　That way we can confirm what Capella said."

Deanna looked a little shaken at my words, but quickly returned to her cheerful face and said

"I understand. Then I will immediately bring the tub to check and inspect the hot water. Please help me, Capella."

"The sooner you inspect the hot spring, the better. If it is dangerous, we will have to deal with it accordingly. ......"

If it is dangerous, we will have to deal with it accordingly. ......

Capella seemed to have agreed to the inspection because of Deanna's momentum.

The four of us, including Cookie, went back to the mansion and reported to everyone that Cookie had found a hot spring.

Needless to say, the maid and the others were overjoyed at the news of the hot spring discovery, and their attitude toward Cookie changed dramatically.

Cookie seemed to have a somewhat smug expression on his face at that time.

But he seemed to have forgotten that he was full of mud.

The time of judgement for Cookie's crime of covering the carpet with mud came at the same time as a girl appeared on the scene.

"Cookie, I found you! You shouldn't cause trouble for everyone with your mud all over the carpet, shouldn't you?"

'...⁉ Nyah⁉"

"We're here to help you, Lady Meldy!"

The maids, who had been afraid of Cookie earlier, no longer seemed to have any fear of him after he helped dig up the hot spring.

The maids, led by Mel, took him to the washing area.

I spoke softly to him.

'Good luck, cookie.......'

"Nyaa !"

I heard later that he was watched over by Mel and Biscuit, and the maids washed the mud off him very carefully.

◇

"....?　Chris-sama, do you have a cold?　Are you all right?"

"Thank you, Emma. It was kind of sudden. ...... sneeze "

Chris's sudden "sneeze" caused Emma to have a worried expression on her face.

Chris is not feeling particularly ill, so she has no particular idea what caused the sneeze.

She huffed as she tilted her head and wondered what was wrong, and muttered in her mind.

'No way, Master Rid has done something involving ME again⁉...... that can't be right.'

She chuckled and said, "It's not ......, is it?" she was a little worried.