When I woke up, Prim, Meena, and Flam, all with flushed faces, greeted me.
I had heard they were going to have a girls’ talk, but what on earth were they talking about?
Even if I asked, I wouldn’t get an answer, and it’s too scary to even contemplate, so I have no intention of asking.
Not knowing how to address the three of them, we finished breakfast and headed to Albert Workshop together.
“Good morning.”
“Yo.”
“Alright, good morning.”
When we arrived at the workshop, Ed and Marina welcomed us.
“Where are Richard and Talos?”
“They’ve been puzzling over what to do about your weapons since yesterday.”
That’s right; the reward for defeating the Evil Drake was weapons made by Richard, wasn’t it?
It’s not that I’d forgotten, but I figured it depended on the alloy, so I thought it could wait a bit longer.
“I told them the same thing. Even if the alloy is successful, it would still serve as a reserve, so we’re considering it separately from the reward.”
“Ah, I see. It’s true that having spare weapons is a good idea, and if that’s the case, it’s worth asking.”
Indeed.
Regardless of whether the alloy succeeded or failed, I didn’t know what the lifespan of the weapons would be.
It’s possible they could break from too much strain during combat, so I agree with having spare weapons.
“Yeah. In that case, there’s a sword I want them to make too, so I’ll ask them once this current commission is done.”
“Please do. Both of them didn’t get much sleep last night.”
That’s not good.
It could lead to accidents, so it’s better to get enough sleep.
“We’re telling them the same thing, but we can’t stop those two when they get like this. If Grandma were still alive, it would be different.”
Ed’s grandmother passed away?
“Don’t worry about it. It’s been almost ten years since then.”
It was quite a long time ago.
But it’s true that there’s nothing I can do about it now.
I should thank Ed for his consideration.
“Understood. Then let’s go to the Crafter’s Guild.”
Ed and Marina were also looking forward to meeting Jade and Fluorite.
We also have the Beast Gear requested from Crafter’s Master Laberna, so we need to go to the ranch first.
“Good morning.”
“Morning. Let me introduce you. This is Fiana, a carpenter who will be in charge of your Beast Carriage. She’ll be handling the work for you two.”
“I’m Fiana. I’ve heard about you two from Ed and Marina. I look forward to working with you.”
When we arrived at the Crafter’s Guild, Fiana was waiting as expected.
She had long, light pink hair that reached her back, wore a sleeveless top and skirt, and looked younger than me. I could see short feathers on her arms and a few bird-like scales on her legs.
One thing I’ve noticed since coming to this world is that all the women I’ve met are surprisingly beautiful.
“We’ve also heard from Ed and Marina that you’re a skilled carpenter. We don’t have the blueprints ready yet, but we expect to finish them soon, so please do your best.”
“Likewise, thank you for entrusting us with such a major project.”
This Beast Carriage, for which the blueprints aren’t even ready yet, already has a Living room, a bathroom, a toilet, and stabling for Jade and Fluorite confirmed for the interior.
We’re also planning to build several bedrooms, so it will be much larger than originally planned.
“I appreciate that. For the interior, we’ll be working on it after the Beast Carriage’s shape is complete and the mirroring is applied, so changes are possible until the exterior is done.”
She threw in some sales talk.
It’s true that there’s a possibility of changing the interior, so having some leeway is appreciated from our side as well.
“That’s enough greetings for now, let’s head to the ranch. Fiana, this will be your first time seeing a Hippogriff, right?”
“Yes, Crafter’s Master. I heard that the Hippogriff will be pulling the Beast Carriage I’m in charge of, so I’m very much looking forward to it.”
There are Hippogriff-drawn Beast Carriages, but not many people have them as familiars, so it’s definitely rare to see.
Both Prim and I have high expectations for the Beast Carriage, and Flam and the others are also excited to see a Hippogriff for the first time.
Meena is also looking forward to seeing Jade and Fluorite again, even though it’s only been a day.
However, all three of them avoid my gaze, and our conversations quickly become stilted.
I have no idea what’s going on, but I can’t do anything about the awkward atmosphere, and we head towards the ranch in a strained manner.
Side: Prim
When we arrived at the ranch, Laberna and Fiana immediately greeted Fluorite and Jade and began measuring for the Beast Gear. However, I, we, still can’t face Yamato properly.
It’s not Yamato’s fault at all; we’re just consciously avoiding him, which is why we’ve been so awkward since this morning.
“You still can’t talk to Yamato-san properly?”
Rebecca, who knows what’s going on, asks with a sigh, but you were the one who egged us on, weren’t you?
Do you understand that?
“I understand that you’re conscious of him, and it’s natural, but it would be pointless if it led to a fight with Yamato-san, wouldn’t it?”
You’ve hit a sore spot…
But it’s true that fighting is out of the question, and if he were to be put off by us, all we could do is cry, so we have to do something.
“Yamato-san, you said you contracted him as a familiar in Mylight, but what kind of place is Mylight? I’ve heard it’s dangerous, but not many people have actually been there, and no one has ever been to the summit, so I’m curious to know what it’s like.”
“Ah, sorry, but we didn’t go all the way to the summit either. We went near the summit, but I can talk about that if you’d like.”
Raus seems curious about Mylight and is asking Yamato to tell them about it.
It’s true that we didn’t go to the summit, so I can’t talk about that, but we did go near the summit, so I can talk about up to that point.
Even if one owns a familiar that can fly, there are Feather Drakes in the Mylight Mountains, so people don’t carelessly approach.
As a result, the summit of the Mylight Mountains has become an unexplored area.
“Please!”
“Understood. You know there are forests in Mylight, right?”
“Yes, that’s famous. There are forests near the summit, and that’s where the Feather Drake nests, right?”
“Yeah. The forest is quite deep, and the vegetation consists of plants I haven’t seen around here. However, it’s not entirely covered in trees; there are several large open spaces like clearings.”
Raus is very interested in Yamato’s story.
But this is helpful.
“Raus also noticed everyone, so he moved ahead for us.”
I thought so, but it was all calculated!
What is it with these kids!
How can they act like such a seasoned couple?!
“It’s too obvious.”
Did my thoughts get read again?!
No, I said it out loud, didn’t I?!
Stop looking at me like that, it’s scary!
Don’t see through me like that!!
I glanced at Meena and Flam, and they were trembling too!!
“For now, the task is to calm down and talk to Yamato-san without being embarrassed.”
The solution has been presented?!
Can this child really read minds?!
…But Rebecca is right.
First, I need to take a deep breath and calm down.
“Even as my sister, she’s a scary child…”
“But she’s right, so let’s calm down first…”
Flam and Meena are also trying to calm down, but they can’t hide their fluster.
Like me, we’re in trouble as we are now, so we have to try our best to be able to talk to Yamato!
“It sounds like you guys had an interesting talk last night. Maybe I should have stayed over.”
Marina says something like that, but I’m actually glad she went home.
If Marina had joined, who knows what would have happened.
However, Marina is on the verge of marrying Ed, so she might have some good ideas, perhaps I should consult her next time?
“Prim.”
Just as I thought that, Yamato suddenly spoke to me.
My heart almost leaped out of my chest.
“Wh-what?”
“Look over there. It’s Tiger’s Pain.”
“Eh?”
Why is it here… This is a scheme to steal a rental mount and escape, isn’t it?
Who do they think they are, letting them do that.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
We exchanged glances and nodded, then, using Physick Ring and Mana Ring, we quickly accelerated together to capture Tiger’s Pain, who was saying something to the stable hand.
“Wh-what… Gyaaaaaahh!!”
We instantly incapacitated Tiger’s Pain, bound it with a rope from storage, and asked the stable hand to contact the Order’s Guild. Then, we turned our attention to Jade and Fluorite in the pasture.
“As expected, it was anticlimactic.”
“Tiger’s Pain isn’t even High Class, let alone over level 40. There aren’t many of them either, so this is about it.”
Running into them here, it’s hard to say if it was good or bad timing, but since it gave us an opportunity to talk to Yamato naturally, let’s just say it was good this time.
“I’m sorry, Yamato. There was a lot going on, and I had some things to think about.”
“Ah, about this morning. Well, if you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Good, I was able to apologize.
Yamato doesn’t seem angry, so now we can talk naturally like we did before yesterday.
“Perhaps Meena and Flam too?”
“Yes. There’s no problem, so I’d appreciate it if you could forgive them too.”
“I’m not angry. I just wondered if something happened, but if that’s not the case, then it’s not a problem.”
I was relieved that Yamato wasn’t angry, but that doesn’t mean I can completely relax.
Even though I feel embarrassed and shy, it would be the height of foolishness if it prevented me from talking to Yamato.
I think I should confess sooner rather than later.
But what if I get rejected…
No, I mustn’t be afraid.
Fortune favors the bold; I’ll give it my best shot.
Though I say it myself, I absolutely don’t want to get crushed…
