CH 298

“Thanks for your help. Seeing Lars reminded me a little of my days at the academy, so I was a little overzealous, wasn’t I?”

“Haha, use that brain of yours to manage the territory. Because looking at my dad and brother, it seems like a lot of work.”

After we had finished our work, we shook hands with Lux at the entrance to the town of Glasco. Of course, we were going back to Illuminate town.

“Haha, you guys really helped me out …… It’s thanks to Lars-sama that I’m still alive.”

“That’s fine. But I think Orff needs to train more so that he can protect Naja.”

“Yes, it’s a good thing you’re both alive, but if she’s the sister of a lord, who knows if they’ll try to kill her again?”

Makina’s words caused Orff to shrink back and open his mouth.

“Ugh, don’t scare me …….”

“Good luck, Orff.”

Naja patted him on the shoulder and everyone in the room laughed, making the situation more comfortable. I get on the driver’s seat and call out to Zanbia and Varnish.

“…… There is also a man in our territory who committed a crime and was sentenced to the castle. He has reflected and is living with his son back in the city. If you guys help Lux and take it seriously, it depends on Sonia’s attitude, but ……  you might be able to live together again.”

“……! I-Is that true!”

I nodded to the delighted Varnish, who murmured, “All right,” with tears welling up in his eyes. I’m sure he’s sincere at heart, and I can only hope that with a change in environment, he’ll change his mind. Zanbia silently bowed his head to me.

“Shall we go then!”

Then Basleigh-sensei shouted, and I made the walk forward.

“Come again! This time for fun!”

“Let’s have a nice cup of tea next time, Makina, Fath-san!”

I looked back from the driver’s seat and saw Lux and Naja waving at us from behind. I saw Makina reply from the window.

I wonder if the next time I come here will be for Naja’s wedding. Lux will have to find someone to marry soon, and he’ll be busy from now on. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about it.

“Well, I can’t wait to get home and relax.”

All I had to do was go home, that’s what I thought, but–

“Ah! Lars, in front!”

“Oh …… I knew it they’d come out ……”

“Gaw.”

“Kuon!”

“Grrr ……”

The mother and son of the Deadly Bear and the Viking Wolf appeared on the road from the forest.

In fact, when I took Sephiro to the forest again to investigate the movements of these three monsters, I took them with me and left them in the forest with levitation.

The gatekeeper had told us that they had returned to the forest after hanging around the entrance to the town for a while, but they hadn’t given up. When I was driving the carriage, they followed me side by side.

“Brrr ……!?”

“Hiiiin!?”

“Look, we’re going back to the other town, so go back to the forest. You’re scaring the horses.”

“Gaw.”

“Don’t ‘Gaw’ me ……”

I thought it was the power of the ring that was doing this, so I put some magic into it, but there was no change.

“What do we do, at this rate, they’re to follow until we reach Illuminate.”

“Hmmm, well, Lars-kun is an apprentice tamer, and if they come until we Illuminate, wouldn’t it be possible to leave them to be taken care of at the tamer facility?”

“Is that okay!? But the cost of feeding them would be ridiculous, so keeping them is ……”

“Gaw!”

When I said that, Wolf ran quickly into the forest and came right back with a snake in his mouth.

“…… You’ll hunt by yourself?”

“Gaw Gaw.”

“It seems so. Are monsters this smart?”

“No, probably thanks to Lars’ ring and the tamer’s training. They must have sworn allegiance to Lars for saving their lives? I think we should bring them back. We have a minister here, so do something about it, Basleigh.”

Fath-san said something unusually reckless and looked at Basleigh-sensei. That Basleigh-sensei did a thinking gesture, and then she jumped off the driver’s seat.

“Toh! Makina-chan, pass! Now, go next to Lars-kun!”

“Hyah!? Oh, little Bear.”

“Kuon♪”

Straddling on the Deadly Bear’s back, Basleigh-sensei held up a finger, then ran alongside me and opened her mouth.

“Well, baby Bear is adorable, and it would be pitiful to separate him from his mother. Monsters are frightening, but a tamed monster is less dangerous if its loyalty is high, so let’s just take it home.”

(T/N: I didn’t know that the adult deadly bear they’re with is his mother, not father. Sorry for that wrong translation, they never mentioned if the Deadly Bear was a “he” or “she” in their conversation, this is the first time they said it.)

“Are you sure? I don’t mind, but what do we do at the next town?”

I told her that we have to go through the town where we met Birdie …… Albatross. Then Basleigh-sensei smiled and pointed at Sephiro.

“Can I ask you to put little Bear and Wolf in the back of the carriage and let Sephiro-kun take care of Mother Bear?”

“?”

I tilted my head, but I knew the answer right away. When we reached the town after a day in the field, the baby bear and Wolf were hidden in the back of the carriage, and the parent bear was–

“…… Hey, bro. Is this a horse?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously? It’s a bear no matter how I look at it ……”

“No, no matter how you look at it, it’s a horse, isn’t it? I’m the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of the Reflexion Kingdom, do I look like I’m lying!?”

“Business card ……? I-It’s the real person!? Oh, no, that’s not ……”

“That’s right. Then I’ll have you make us pass. We’ll be out of town soon, so it’s alright.”

“…… Thank you very much.”

“Grrr ……”

“Did it just say “Grrr”!?”

“It was your imagination.”

…… I’m really sorry.

The gatekeeper had no other choice but to say so in his heart. Basleigh-sensei’s plan was to use Sephiro’s branches and leaves to decorate the parent bear to look like a horse ……

“…… Too forced. I can’t help but be embarrassed. And this guy doesn’t look like a horse at all!”

“What are you talking about? Her mane, her mouth, her ears! She’s a horse, no matter how you look at it! Come on, lift your head more.”

“Grr.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to force yourself, too …… We’re going through the town just like this.”

“Those decorations are too messy ……”

“Brrr ……”

Parent Bear, who was not hiding as if she were, had the horse pull the cart between them. The horses were confused, and the parent Bear obediently followed.

In the end, Basleigh-sensei forcefully insisted that it was a horse, and we crossed the first town, but it was too painful for me, so we got through the second town by asking Sephiro to make a container out of wood, which he came up with in the process of making the decoration.

“What do you think of this, Makina-chan!?”

“I’m sorry …… You’re really bad at this.”

“Noooo!?”

“I remember that this is what the black market does with monsters. That organization was very clever.”

“Stop it, Fath-san …… I can’t wait to get home and relax. I’m supposed to be an adventurer, but I haven’t received any requests at all ……”

I’ve been in Glasco for almost a month now, I thought as I poked Sephiro, who was sleeping in my lap, and let out a sigh.

“Well, I was able to save a friend, so I’ll call it good.”

“I’m glad we made it. Maybe I’ll take Helena with me next time, or maybe I’ll stay at that fancy hotel again? Fufu, so cute.”

“Kuon♪”

“I think that’s a good idea. I’m sure Glasco territory going to be a great territory.”

I turned my head toward the town, which was no longer in sight, and thought to myself.

This is the end of the Glasco territory chapters!

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“What a joyous ending!”

It’s not joyous at all!?

“Well, we’ll see how the Founder reacts to this, won’t we?”

Next time, the intermission ……!