NOVEL NEXT Ch36 - So Many Incidents
Chapter 36: So Many Incidents
After spending a relaxing time at Alice’s mansion, Rena and her companions returned to their inn, ♡Inn♡, and lounged on the large bed.
Refreshed from their bath and with full bellies, they were all dozing off, though it was a bit early for bedtime. Slime and Hamal had already reverted to their monster forms.
After carefully combing humanoid Lily’s hair, Rena snuggled into the golden fluff with her.
“Fuah… Should we go to the Adventurers’ Guild tomorrow and take on a new quest? Maybe a gathering quest… And if we find any flower seeds, we can bring them back as a souvenir for Patricia.”
“Patricia would love that! Should we look for regular flower seeds instead of monster flower seeds?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
“…Munya… How about the flowers in the wetlands at the edge of the plains, Rena-sama? I’ve seen irises and wasabi flowers there.”
“Wasabi…! I really want some… but oh, it’ll make me miss rice, soy sauce, and fish!”
“Oh, are you thinking of fishing?”
“Coo and Iz would help too!”
“It’s lure time!!”
“No, no, no, no… It’s dangerous, and if you two get swallowed and digested, I’ll cry my eyes out! You need to take care of yourselves.”
“Awww! Master, you’re so kind!”
“Pfft!? You’re so squishy…”
“We have nice bodies, don’t we? Yeah!”
*Slime’s loving squishy attack!
*Critical hit to Rena’s face!
*Rena is enjoying the sensation.
Izumi was slightly cool, and Creha was warm. Rena placed them alternately on her eyelids, and her eye strain quickly faded. The comfort made her even sleepier. Her body seemed ready for sleep, and her hands were already warm.
Her clever familiars, able to read the atmosphere without direct orders, exchanged glances and decided to help her sleep.
“Hee hee… Good night, Master.”
“Rena-sama, I am your fluff, so please use me as much as you like. Good night.”
“Let’s play again tomorrow, Rena!”
“Mmm, good night everyone… Thank you for being with me today…”
Oh dear. Perhaps because she was so sleepy, their master had inadvertently let slip her true feelings.
It was natural for contracted monsters to be with their master, but for Rena, it wasn’t something she took for granted. She felt incredibly fortunate that kind and powerful monsters liked her, a small and powerless human girl, and stayed by her side. She was grateful every day.
Surprised by the sudden “thank you,” the familiars widened their eyes and snuggled closer to their master, expressing their love. She giggled and murmured, “I love you,” before closing her eyes.
“…Skill [Sound Sleep], Skill [Area Effect].”
Thanks to Hamal’s skills, their master and senior familiars drifted off into a peaceful sleep. They had walked a lot today, talked to various people, and even created flowers. It had been a day filled with surprises and fun. They would sleep well.
“Sweet dreams.”
Hamal didn’t have any dream-related skills, but if he and his master wished for it, they might acquire such skills in the future. After successfully putting everyone to sleep, the Golden Sheep closed his indigo eyes, the color of the night sky, and prepared to sleep himself.
…Just then, a loud knocking echoed through the room.
The insistent knock, knock, knock on the door disturbed the Golden Sheep, who had been on the verge of sleep. He frowned and blinked, annoyed.
Lulu wouldn’t make such a loud noise. If some suspicious person had been let in, he would have to complain to the incubus owner. Thinking this, Hamal shifted only his head into human form to answer the door. He had no intention of waking his sleeping master and companions for some inconsiderate late-night visitor.
Hamal now resembled a lopsided sphinx.
“…If you were given a key by the owner, you can come in. Quietly, please. If you try anything funny, I’ll crush you…”
He emphasized the last part in a threatening tone. He could feel the person in the hallway flinch.
“E-Excuse me…”
The person who cautiously entered the room, trying to be quiet, was Patricia, the boyish girl.
Knowing full well that the threat of being “crushed” was genuine, she addressed Hamal respectfully. “Sorry,” she whispered, bowing her head.
Relieved that the visitor was their master’s friend, Hamal relaxed his intimidating aura. The atmosphere lightened, and Patricia let out a long sigh.
“…You’re still scary when you’re angry. Sorry, was everyone already asleep? I’m glad Rena and the others aren’t awake.”
“Mmm… Rena-sama seemed tired today, so we let her sleep early. The walk to Mothra’s mansion was quite far. And… she was tired from talking? She said she got carried away chatting with the girls after so long.”
“Oh. That’s… that’s a good thing, right? I felt a little awkward, but… I never thought the day would come when I’d be talking about flowers with cute girls. Hahaha!”
“If you wake Rena-sama and the others, I won’t forgive you.”
“Sorry!”
Patricia rubbed her arms, which were covered in goosebumps. She seemed to have gotten a fright. Her laughter was usually boisterous, so it tended to carry.
The Sheep-Sphinx suddenly tilted its head. It was an unsettling sight.
“…So, what’s up? You must have a reason for coming here. Want to tell me? If it’s not urgent, it would be helpful if you could tell Master directly tomorrow morning after she wakes up.”
“Ah, yes. I’m relieved they’re all safe… If nothing happened, then that’s good. I’ll tell Rena tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
…So Patricia had rushed to ♡Inn♡ late at night because she was worried about her friend and thought something might have happened. Hamal twitched his eyebrow, but since Patricia said she would talk tomorrow and nothing had actually happened to them, he decided not to worry too much. He also trusted the inn’s security to some extent. Though he had doubted it earlier, Lily, who possessed the Mind’s Eye, had told the familiars that the incubus owner was very powerful. Apparently, the stronger a person was, the brighter their soul shone. Her soul seemed benevolent, and she would likely eliminate any suspicious individuals who tried to sneak in and cause trouble. She seemed attached to her inn and would surely have security measures in place.
Thinking this through, Hamal yawned loudly. The [Sound Sleep] skill was affecting him too, making him very sleepy. Having decided to sleep, his drowsiness peaked.
When Patricia, sensing the mood, said she would leave, the Sheep-Sphinx stopped her.
“No. If I let you go home alone this late at night, Rena-sama and the owner will be angry with me. Stay in this room tonight. I think the owner intended for you to stay here when she let you come directly to this room without interfering.”
“!! …Phew, so many people care about me. I’m grateful.”
“Yes, we care about you. So you should care about me and go to sleep. …Skill [Shape Change]. Here you go.”
Hamal grew slightly larger!
He offered a part of his golden fluff. It was just enough space for a head, indicating she should use it as a pillow. Hamal closed his eyes slightly.
Two girls and a slime were already lying on the bed, but being small, they didn’t take up much space. Even the tall Patricia could sleep next to them. It would be a bit cramped, but since they were all girls, there was no problem cuddling together.
Patricia, who had arrived in her swordsman attire, placed her heavy equipment on the table and changed into light clothing, just a shirt and trousers. She then quietly lay down at the edge of the bed. The [Area Effect] seemed to have made her drowsy immediately, and she hurriedly greeted Hamal before falling asleep completely.
“Nn… Sorry for waking you up tonight… Good night…”
“Yes, good night.”
Her manly cough was quite a contrast to her otherwise maidenly demeanor. The two, who had been fighting off sleep, finally drifted off into a comfortable slumber.
The next morning, Rena was the first to wake up, unusually. Since she seemed particularly tired, Hamal, who favored his master, had doubled up on the [Sound Sleep] skill. She seemed to have slept more deeply than usual.
Feeling strangely immobile, Rena looked around. Lily was clinging to her from the front as usual, but for some reason, the tomboyish girl was clinging to her back.
“…What’s going on…?”
Unaware of Patricia’s late-night visit, Rena tilted her head in confusion. She was thirsty and tried to sit up… but couldn’t.
Patricia’s (Gift: Strong Arms ☆3) arms were wrapped tightly around Rena’s stomach. Rena, lacking in strength, had no chance of breaking free. Patricia seemed to be sleeping soundly, snoring softly.
No one else was awake, and she couldn’t move. Of course, it was at times like these that she needed to use the restroom.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rena reluctantly rang the incubus call bell provided by the inn.
“Yes! Good morning, did you call for me? Hahahahahahahahaha! R-Rena has a beautiful girl and a handsome boy as her attendants!”
…Lulu, the incubus who had rushed in, burst into laughter.
Despite the unexpected incident of the incubus’s laughter, everyone woke up because of the noise, and Rena was finally able to go to the restroom, so all’s well that ends well. Lulu frantically comforted Patricia, who was now mortified, but her eyes were still crinkled in amusement. For the record, Patricia looked like a beautiful boy with long eyelashes when asleep, a sharp-eyed older brother when awake, and a berserker when fighting. As an attempt to recover from her blunder, Lulu said something about Patricia looking the part because of her swordsman outfit, but since she wore a similar shirt and trousers under her florist apron, it wasn’t very convincing.
While eating the complimentary breakfast that was brought in, Rena asked Patricia about the reason for her visit.
“You said you’re glad nothing happened…? Can you tell me what made you think something might have?”
“Yeah… It’s a bit of an unpleasant story. …When I got home yesterday, my flowerbed had been vandalized. The flowerpots were smashed… Damn it, it makes me angry just thinking about it! And on the front door, it was written in red paint, ‘Stay away from the Stuart family.’ That’s definitely about Alice Stuart, right…? I thought that if they saw us going to her house and did this, Rena and the others might be in danger too. It was late, but… I got worried and came over. I knew Lulu’s ♡Inn♡ had good security, but I was worried something might happen on the way back.”
“Such a thing!? That’s terrible… Thank you for worrying about me, Patricia. I’m sorry about your flowers… That person is awful! Destroying a precious flowerbed like that. Is Alice okay? Should we visit her again today?”
“I was planning to. It would be reassuring if you came with me, Rena.”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
“Alright! Let’s find the culprit and beat them up!”
“Mothra and Alice are our precious friends too. We have to protect them.”
“Mmm. Let’s squish them.”
Everyone seemed determined to punish the culprit who vandalized Patricia’s flowerbed! Let’s offer a prayer for the fool who targeted their friend Alice. Surely something terrible would happen to them soon. As for who it would be terrible for, well, you can probably guess.
Alice’s upscale residential area was patrolled by state-dispatched guards at night, and her mansion had a sturdy gate, so they weren’t worried about intruders. However, Rena wondered if something had happened to upset Alice. With a slightly worried expression, she quickly got ready and headed towards Alice’s mansion.
Alice, receiving a second unannounced visit in such a short time, blinked in surprise but still warmly welcomed Rena and her companions.
There were no signs of vandalism on the mansion’s gate or walls, and Alice herself seemed fine, which relieved the older girls.
They sat at the tea table as invited and enjoyed some limited-edition strawberry tea. The sweet fragrance filled the room, and butterflies danced around happily. They loved the sweet scent of flowers and fruits.
After they settled down, Patricia recounted the vandalism of her flowerbed. When she mentioned the message written on the door, Alice frowned slightly. It was understandable. Anyone would be upset.
Alice listened to Patricia’s story without interrupting, then asked for details about the damage to the flowerbed. She bowed her head deeply.
“I’m sorry you got caught up in my affairs. The only people who would harass me at this time are my grandfather’s sons, so I think that’s the answer. …Patricia, please let me pay for the repairs to your flowerbed. I’m truly sorry… They seem to be getting impatient that I haven’t left. Yesterday’s letter was also quite angry. Once I pass the commerce exam and they recognize I have the skills of an adult, all the inheritance that’s still in my grandfather’s name will be transferred to me. I think they’re getting desperate. Before, they would just stand outside the gate and try to intimidate me… that was all. But last night, some large men were kicking the gate. …It was so loud, and I was scared… The guards came quickly, but I couldn’t go outside. I think my sons probably hired them to harass me. Thank you for coming and worrying about me. …But if you continue to associate with me, you’ll be in danger too.”
Alice said with a wry smile, her eyes filled with anxiety as she looked at Rena and the others. Her small hands, clasped around the teacup, were white-knuckled. The words she wanted to say next were probably, “It’s better if you don’t get involved anymore.” But since she would likely burst into tears if she said them, Alice paused.
She was a lonely girl. Alice, who diligently studied advanced negotiation techniques in her mansion and was always surrounded by adult clients when she went out, had no one she could call a friend, except for her butterflies. It must be painful for her to let go of the people she could finally talk to and have fun with for such a reason. Although she acted bravely, she was still a young girl.
Seeing Alice’s strained expression, as if she was forcing herself to suppress her emotions, Patricia and Rena exchanged glances. They saw reflections of themselves in Alice, “loners” who also lacked female friends. The three of them were very much alike. Realizing this, they chuckled.
“…Hehehe! Then we have to punish those bad people, don’t we? Leave it to us. Alice, since you’re still scared to leave the mansion, I’ll come and cook for you for a while. It’s almost time to pick up the tiger meat I ordered to be butchered. I’m having it aged, so let’s have a steak party! Ufufu, I’m sure it will be delicious!”
“Don’t worry about compensating me for the flowerbed. I’ll make the culprit take responsibility… By the way, Alice, do you want to hire a florist for a while? Leave the garden maintenance, guarding, and pest control to them. Plus, you’ll get to see new flower varieties before anyone else! What do you say? It’s a good deal, right?”
Alice’s eyes widened at their cheerful offer of support. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“…!! …You guys… Is it okay? Will you still be friends with me…?”
*Little girl’s teary-eyed, upward gaze!
*Critical hit to Rena and Patricia!
My apologies for the inappropriate tone in such a scene, but the effect of the little girl’s upward gaze was simply too powerful. The older girls teared up, their anger towards the sons intensifying.
They had become friends by chance. The two older sisters vowed to help their cute little sister. Their gazes sharpened considerably.
Lily, sensing the conversation was over, came over with Mothra, perched on Rena’s shoulder, and transformed into her lovely fairy form while looking at Alice.
“Wow!”
Alice, of course, was surprised and stared at the beautiful, royal candidate fairy. The fairy giggled, exchanged a glance with Mothra, and whispered something to Rena. Mothra fluttered up and landed on Alice’s head. …Their master’s expression turned resolute.
It seemed the butterflies had already discussed it. If Mothra wished for it and Lily desired it, Rena wouldn’t hesitate to use her special ability for Alice’s sake.
Gripping her whip tightly and giving Alice a bright smile, Rena dropped a bombshell.
“Alice. I have a question, and please know it’s just a possibility. Would you like to have Mothra class-changed into a monster?”
Let’s raise the ultimate bodyguard.
*Next! Can Mothra become a monster?