Kousuke and the others left the orphanage and headed for the inn where they planned to stay for the night after meeting up with Nana and the others.
Along the way, Floria asked Kousuke a question.
“So? What did you think after hearing about it?”
“What do you mean, ‘what did I think’? About Zero? Or about that orphanage?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I might have been a bit too brief. Of course, it’s about Zero.”
At Floria’s words, Kousuke tilted his head and mumbled slightly.
“Hmm, I wonder? I certainly think he could make it as a Tamer rather than an ordinary person, but if you ask me whether he has talent…”
As he said this, Kousuke recalled Zero’s state at the Tamer facility and the stories he had heard from the Orphanage Director.
Seeing Kousuke’s reaction, Silvia then asked, tilting her head.
“At least, he doesn’t seem to be repulsed by familiars and has elements that would make them attached to him?”
“Ah, yes. I won’t deny that. But whether that means he has high ability as a Tamer is another matter…”
“Is that so?”
Floria’s eyes widened in surprise at Kousuke’s explanation.
What Silvia pointed out was something that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t be out of the question to be considered talent as a Tamer.
Kousuke understood what Silvia and Floria were trying to say, so he nodded and added further explanation.
“Yes. To explain it in a way that’s easy for you two to understand… Ah, I see. I should think of Riku.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Kousuke said to Floria, who was tilting her head, with a slight smile.
“Because, even though Riku is so fondly attached to his familiars, if you asked him if he was a Tamer, he’d say no, wouldn’t he?”
The fact that Riku is deeply cherished by Kousuke’s familiars is something that anyone who frequents the management layer knows.
Even so, it’s unlikely anyone would call Riku a Tamer.
At Kousuke’s words, Floria looked even more confused.
“No, that’s true, but wasn’t that simply because he didn’t choose to become a Tamer?”
“Yes. I believe that’s also a factor. But that’s not the most important point.”
When Kousuke stated this so definitively, Silvia, just like Floria, looked puzzled and tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm. How should I put it…”
Kousuke asked, turning his gaze to the sky, as Silvia and Floria simultaneously directed their questions at him.
It was a dangerous gesture while walking, but no one paid any attention.
It was a common occurrence for Kousuke, so they knew it was pointless to caution him now.
He didn’t trip and fall over anything, and eventually, Kousuke looked at Silvia and Floria alternately and asked.
“Just one question, do you think Renka will become a Tamer?”
To that very simple question, Silvia and Floria were simultaneously at a loss for words.
Kousuke, having confirmed this, continued before they could say anything.
“I too, if asked whether Renka can become a Tamer, would say yes without hesitation. But if asked if she will become a Tamer, I would probably say no. You both feel the same, right?”
At Kousuke’s words, Silvia and Floria remained silent, but their silence was a direct answer.
Keeping and taming familiars is indeed separate from being a Tamer as a profession.
However, from the perspective of ordinary people, if someone keeps and controls familiars, they would answer that they are a Tamer.
This is because, in general, people don’t think about whether someone is strictly a Tamer or not.
In that sense, the Tamer Guild’s standards are also the same.
Silvia and Floria are also registered with the Tamer Guild, but if asked by a professional Tamer if they are Tamers, they would say no.
It sounds like a word game, but there is indeed a difference between a true Tamer and someone who merely keeps familiars.
Floria, after a moment of contemplation, replied with a sigh.
“I understand what you mean, but if you put it that way, won’t there only be a handful of true Tamers?”
If considered in that category, Kousuke himself would be in a somewhat ambiguous position.
“Well, that’s true. Ultimately, I might be hesitant to take in a child and trying to refuse for various reasons.”
“That’s impossible.”
“That’s right, impossible.”
To Kousuke’s slightly playful remark, Silvia and Floria immediately declared in unison.
Kousuke couldn’t help but sigh at the two, who were so in sync.
“No, you don’t have to be in sync on something like that…”
“We can’t help it. It was simply too impossible.”
While Silvia’s nonchalant response to Kousuke’s words was to be expected, Floria nodded and continued.
“That’s right. Besides, Kousuke, you’re the one who builds facilities for orphans for your own goals, right? Even if you take in one more child, there won’t be much difference, will there?”
“That might be true. I wonder, why do I feel so cornered…”
Kousuke said and shook his head with a sigh, but there was no one there to sympathize with him.
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With such usual exchanges included, Kousuke and the others arrived at the inn.
The decision on what to do about Zero remained unresolved.
The inn where Kousuke was staying allowed Nana and the others to enter the same room.
This was not unusual in this town; in fact, inns that did not allow familiars were rarer.
Of course, there were also inns for guests who disliked familiars, but considering that many adventurers had familiars, more inns permitted them.
However, this does not mean the rules regarding familiars were lenient.
For example, if a familiar caused any trouble, the owner would naturally be responsible, and the compensation would be of a considerable amount.
While they were kind to familiars, they were by no means lenient.
In any case, Kousuke and the others had no problems, so after confirming that there was a vacant room, they immediately entered.
Although there were only three people, there were three wolves accompanying them, so they were assigned a slightly larger room.
The price was a bit higher, but they had no complaints.
After all, in other towns, if one stayed at an inn with familiars, they might even have to pay extra for a stable. Therefore, there was no room for complaints.
Thus, Kousuke and the others, after successfully paying for two nights and finishing the meal served at the inn, spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Kousuke, who had reasoned so much.
I felt like saying (writing), “Does such a strict distinction even matter!” but it seems there is a line he is unwilling to cross.
