NOVEL NEXT Ch31 - A Scolding Session
Chapter 31: A Scolding Session
Rena and her group, along with Patricia and the Goldaro party, were gathered at a small park a little distance from the Adventurer’s Guild.
Patricia still had a pale, sickly look on her face, and had even ended up vomiting in front of the guild. Now, she was being lectured by Rena. After all the help she’d been given—having her mess cleaned up, being patted on the back, and even receiving water from Izumi—it was hard not to just apologize, especially when they’d moved out of sight from the busy guild entrance. She stood there, quietly taking the lecture, though her party members’ eyes on her felt oddly warm. Rena stood with her arms crossed, looking stern.
“Patricia. Yesterday, you voiced doubts about me, didn’t you? To be honest, it hurt. I understand, though—I’ve only just reached F-rank, and I’m not exactly strong. I get why you’d feel the need to question me,” Rena began.
“If you’d just apologized, we could have been friends on the spot… but you fell asleep before we could talk it out. Goldaro even suggested you just apologize the next time we met, didn’t he? So why did you come up with a challenge instead?”
“…Ugh. If I just apologized normally, it’d feel like you were just accepting it to keep the peace! You must’ve been irritated by everything I said. I thought a challenge would be a way for us to settle it on equal terms…”
“Alright, alright,” Rena said gently, as Patricia started to feel queasy again. “Izumi, could you cool down her head? Kureha, give her back a little warmth. Deep breaths now, Patricia—relax and take your time.”
“Aqua,” Izumi’s familiar chimed. “Flame,” added Kureha’s.
“…Hahh… Okay… I’m good now,” Patricia managed.
“There you go. Honestly, I’m not that mad. I know your words were fueled by alcohol. I just need you to say one thing… Could you say ‘I’m sorry’?”
“…G-got it,” Patricia stammered, her face flushing.
“Pa-tri-ci-a~” Rena coaxed with a mischievous tone.
“F-fine… I’m sorry.”
“Great! We’re friends now!”
Rena and Patricia became friends.
Rena’s clever way of drawing out an apology, without needing a challenge, impressed the Goldaro party members. The familiars proudly puffed up their chests, as if to say, “Our master is amazing!”
Patricia turned red and blue by turns. She had never been called “Patricia-chan” before, as she’d always been tomboyish both in looks and personality. She held a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, avoiding Rena’s eyes.
To make sure Patricia was feeling better, Rena leaned in close, looking right into her green eyes. As Patricia took a step back, Rena advanced a step and a half, her expression playful.
Rena then turned to the adults in the party and said, “Would it be alright if I borrow Patricia-chan for the day?”
“Wha—!?” Patricia exclaimed.
Unfazed by Patricia’s reaction, Rena awaited a response.
“Go ahead, Rena! Make sure to have fun!” laughed Goldaro.
“So cute, Patricia-chan! It’s been a while since we had a break; go enjoy yourselves!” one member chimed in with a grin.
“Take care and come back safe. Just remember, curfew’s still a thing! Both of you just came of age, so be back by nightfall,” another member said with a wave.
“No way!” Patricia protested, hurriedly trying to explain that she’d planned on taking another quest. But it was too late—her plans for the day were set.
“Thank you!” Rena said, bowing to the party with a smile. She quickly summoned Hamal to grow large and restrained Patricia with fluffy slime tentacles, a playfully mischievous glint in her eye.
A nearby mage couldn’t help but whistle. Rena’s dark eyes sparkled as she looked at Patricia.
“Still can’t believe we beat the saber cat, right? Patricia-chan, I’ll prove that we weren’t just lucky… and then, no more hard feelings between us!”
“Well… okay, I get it, but…” Patricia started, looking flustered.
“See?” Rena grinned.
“Oh no, she’s definitely mad!” Patricia yelped.
With a mischievous smile, Rena’s cute figure was accented by what seemed like a dark aura behind her, while the familiars’ smiles were decidedly sinister.
Rena wasn’t upset at being called weak, but she couldn’t forgive that her familiars’ hard work wasn’t acknowledged.
Patricia has no escape!
Caught by Rena, Patricia’s expression tightened as she helplessly followed her new friend into the meadow like a lamb led to pasture.
“Mommy, what’s that?” a child nearby whispered.
“Shh! Don’t look!”
That day, the plains were once again in chaos.
A giant slumbering sheep, sprinting wildly with the [Sprint] skill, streaked across the landscape. (Thanks to Lily’s [Illusion] skill, it appeared as a big, fluffy white sheep.) The slime shield attached to its forehead was even bigger and tougher than before, effortlessly deflecting any creature in its path. The fairy scanned the area with glittering eyes, not letting a single monster escape her sight, and seemed to be calmly selecting only the tastiest targets.
Rena, leading this entire crew, clung to the sheep’s back with a whip in hand. Her riding skills? …Let’s just say it was something you’d rather not ask about.
Patricia, who had been dragged along to witness this spectacle, was frozen in awe. “This… is amazing,” she thought, feeling both impressed and conflicted. The strength was undeniable, but something was… off! It wasn’t the kind of “strength” she’d imagined. The complex combination of each familiar’s unique skills and Rena’s unusual battle style made it hard for her to gauge Rena’s individual abilities. Still, as a tamer, Rena’s power was indeed reflected in her teamwork with her familiars, each acting as an extension of her own strength. Patricia couldn’t tell if this made Rena strong for an F-rank or something entirely beyond her comprehension.
One thing was clear: Patricia had no desire to cross this team. She waited quietly for the rampage to end, occasionally muttering things like, “Whoa, that’s insane…” She even simulated how she would fare in such a fight, nervously swallowing each time.
After the fourth monster was cleanly dispatched with a skillful blow from the Hammer Drive, the group happily gathered up their prey, carrying a victorious aura as they returned. Patricia stood at attention as they approached.
“Th-thank you for your hard work… Um, yeah, wow… You guys are really something else.”
“Ahem!”
“”AHEM!””
Both master and familiars beamed with pride, thrilled to have their abilities acknowledged. Noticing the anger had left their expressions, Patricia finally let out a relieved sigh.
Then, she advised Rena to take a short rest. Evidently, Rena had grown nauseous from riding the sheep and was looking rather pale. Her aura of strength didn’t seem quite as cool now.
“If I may say, Rena… you look absolutely terrible. Maybe take a break? Are you not used to riding sheep?”
“Haha… well, that part’s more about my complete lack of coordination… Ugh, it’s not a matter of ‘getting used to it’ or not. I think I’ll never get the hang of it… but don’t worry about me!”
“Yeah, I’m worrying. Just rest, seriously.”
“Well… if you insist. Haa-kun…!”
“Yes, Rena, at your service! Skill [Comfort Sleep] + [Aura Field]!”
“Zzz…”
“That was fast!”
▸ Rena is sleeping to recover her stamina!
▸ The familiars have started butchering the monsters.
As usual, the slimes transformed the monsters into manageable meat chunks, while Lily transported the processed cuts to the magic bag. Hamaru acted as both bag handler and Rena’s mattress.
Watching their efficient teamwork, Patricia’s sharp gaze softened in surprise. Honestly, she’d assumed monsters couldn’t act intelligently without their master’s direct commands.
Right then, Lily transformed from her butterfly form to her fairy state, then draped herself in a robe to appear like a member of the human race.
“Wha-what the…!?”
Patricia had lost track of how many times she’d screamed that day.
“Phew. Now, I can finally speak to you directly! Hi, I’m Lily. Just so you know, we were really mad about your outburst last night! Acting out of anger and venting on us like that? Not cool! Just so you know, our master is an amazing person, and I wanted to tell you that, face to face. Hmph!”
“I’m… sorry…”
Perhaps overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a cute little girl, the typically headstrong Patricia apologized, uncharacteristically meek. Lily proudly stood with her hands on her hips, mimicking her master.
“And one more thing… you saw us using the magic bag, right? Don’t tell anyone! And, keep our humanoid transformations a secret too. Promise?”
“Y-yeah, of course.”
“[Fairy Contract]!”
“Wh-whaaat is this?! I can’t… move!”
Lily had indeed intended to bind Patricia to her word. In the daytime fields, a sparkling dome-shaped magic circle appeared around them as a sealing magic. Naturally, they’d already checked to ensure no one was nearby.
Patricia, who often let her thoughts spill out after a bit of alcohol, seemed to be the type who couldn’t hold back from voicing her opinions. With the secrets of the magic bag and their humanoid abilities at stake, Lily took this precaution to ensure nothing would slip.
They could’ve skipped the magic bag or the transformations, but the familiars really wanted to scold her personally! Their master never got mad on his own behalf, so they felt they had to defend him. This, in its own way, was a form of devotion to their master.
Following Lily’s lead, the other familiars, now humanoid—Kureha, Izumi, and even Hamaru, who only transformed his face—each took their turn gently reprimanding Patricia. Finally, just as her nerves were reaching their limit, their master awoke.
Immediately, the familiars flocked to Rena, affectionately fawning over her. Patricia, meanwhile, sweated nervously, glancing down at the lily mark imprinted on her wrist by Lily’s spell, staring at it with a strange longing.
With Rena’s strength fully restored and plenty of ingredients secured, everyone in the party had leveled up after this day’s intense hunting, learning new skills and magic. With some experience even left over from their sabertooth fight, they had one thing left to look forward to…
It was time for a delightful evening meal!
Tonight, everyone would be joining Patricia at her house.
▸ Deepen your bond with Patricia!
▸ Next! Check your status!