While I was agonizing for two days about whether or not to return to the Tower Management Layer, I received a reply from Leonard.
This speed was impossibly fast for the royal family, who value decorum and procedures, and it showed how much Leonard was prioritizing this matter.
Of course, it was also probably because King Maxim’s health was not good, and it was better to reach a conclusion quickly.
Furthermore, it seems Floria’s message had been delivered properly, as it stated that if it were a divine beast, I could bring it along.
It was impressive that they limited it to divine beasts only, but considering where I would take them and who they would meet, it was a necessary measure.
In a place where a sick person resided, if a familiar were to go berserk even by chance, not only would the royal family’s reputation be tarnished, but it would be much worse.
Incidentally, when the master in the room becomes the ruler of that country, such consideration is only natural.
From Leonard’s perspective, it could be said that he had made the best possible preparations. …That is, if one thinks about it with normal common sense.
After being shown Leonard’s handwritten letter by Floria, Kousuke looked at Floria with a bewildered expression.
“Uh… this says divine beast, but does it mean I can bring a wolf, a fox, or a slime?”
For Kousuke, divine beasts included those three species even if they were not evolved species.
Therefore, if he followed what Leonard wrote, he could bring any individual.
Floria glared at Kousuke, who had asked that.
“That’s a joke, right?”
“Of course, it’s not,” replied Kousuke, shrugging his shoulders at Floria’s words.
Even so, Kousuke had no intention of bringing a large number of familiars.
Sylvia, who had been watching their exchange with a smile, intervened to calm the glaring Floria.
“So, who are you bringing?”
“Well, probably Nana and Sura? I mean, it would be fine if Wanri came since she can talk, but I feel it’s not appropriate to show her openly in front of many people.”
Currently, foxes shapeshifting into humans was merely a rumor.
If Kousuke actually brought Wanri and showed her shapeshifting, the story would spread quickly.
Of course, if Kousuke told them to keep quiet, the royal family would not tell anyone, but this was a different matter.
This also included Kousuke’s mischievous desire to “keep it a secret.”
Floria’s brow furrowed for a moment at Wanri not being among the names Kousuke mentioned, but she nodded without making any particular comment.
“That should be alright. And you’ll be bringing Sura without anyone else seeing her, right?”
“Yeah,” replied Kousuke, agreeing with Floria’s assumption.
Sura could move completely inside Kousuke’s pocket, so at least until they reached King Maxim’s room, no one would see her.
Unless there was a physical examination before entering, but surely no one in the Florece Kingdom would do such a thing to an avatar.
After hearing Kousuke’s answer, Floria nodded, her expression suggesting she was thinking for a moment.
“I see. In that case, I will reply accordingly.”
There were still two days until the meeting date Leonard had conveyed.
It would be important to inform him of which familiar Kousuke would bring before then.
Floria intended to be deliberately vague about the slime.
Whether that would turn out to be good or bad, she wouldn’t know until then, but Floria knew from experience that it was better not to go against Kousuke’s whims at times like these.
Of course, she sometimes rebuked Kousuke’s recklessness.
***
Two days after receiving Leonard’s letter, Kousuke and his party headed to the King’s private room as planned, bringing Nana and Sura with them.
This time, not only Leonard but also Miriam was present from the start.
This showed how important this matter was to both of them.
Or rather, given that there was a possibility, however slight, of changing the King’s condition, it was natural for them to have expectations.
Incidentally, Miriam’s expression turned startled when she saw Kousuke openly bringing Nana.
This wasn’t because she didn’t know Kousuke was bringing a familiar, but she reflexively reacted with surprise to the presence of a wolf, which was classified as a monster.
Even in a world with familiars, there were many who were not accustomed to them, so it was a familiar reaction for Kousuke as well.
Naturally, Kousuke had no intention of reprimanding her.
Despite the prompt follow-up visit, King Maxim greeted Kousuke and his party with the same smile he had before.
“Thank you for coming. I never thought I would see you again.”
“I apologize for bothering you despite your condition,” said Floria, bowing her head. King Maxim laughed aloud.
“No, no. I’m the one who was pleased to hear such an interesting story. Well, the real enjoyment is probably yet to come.”
Maxim, who said this, did not seem to be hiding anything.
Of course, as a king, hiding his emotions would be child’s play, but even so, considering his condition, his words seemed true.
In other words, King Maxim also did not know that there was a healing power in this room.
Pleased with King Maxim’s words, Floria nodded and looked at Kousuke.
“King Maxim, it will be a little noisy, but please forgive us.”
When Kousuke said this, the royal family members looked puzzled.
While the royal family members didn’t seem to notice, Kousuke had realized the moment he entered the room that Nana had become restless.
Sylvia and Floria probably felt the same.
Nana kept glancing around, directing her attention somewhere.
For Kousuke and the others, the meaning of this was clear.
After confirming King Maxim’s nod, Kousuke gave instructions to Nana, who seemed to be impatiently eager.
“Nana, and Sura too. You can chase it. Don’t kill it.”
As Kousuke spoke, Nana, who was at his feet, moved first, and Sura, who had been in his pocket, suddenly leaped out.
From there, it was the two familiars’ sole performance.
First, Sura slipped under the bed where the King was propped up, and something emerged from the other side.
As if waiting for this, Nana leaped towards the object and easily extended her arm.
And when Nana landed on the ground with a “shita,” she had pinned the object with her right foreleg with a “hashi.”
In that instant, the royal family members were speechless, merely showing their surprise.
While mindful of their reactions, Kousuke spoke to Nana and the object at her feet.
“Don’t crush it. And you, I’m not trying to defeat you, so don’t run away.”
As Kousuke spoke, the slime pinned by Nana stopped moving.
Seeing Sura approaching, she might have said something to it.
Kousuke could only guess, but he thought it was not far from the truth.
Relieved by the slime stopping, Nana slowly removed her foot.
Then, whether Kousuke’s words had gotten through or because of Sura’s presence, the slime did not flee as it had before and remained in place.
A slime appeared!
So, the answer was slime.
I actually thought about having another monster appear, but I thought a slime would be the most likely to exist without anyone noticing.
Why this happened will be explained in the next chapter.
