Isekai Nonbiri Nouka - Chapter 880

Chapter 880: Caretaker of the Mereokan

Greetings.

My name is Colin Colin Luthers.

I am a demoness who married into the Viscount Luthers family.

As a child, I liked my cute-sounding name, Colin Colin, but now that I’ve reached an age where I even have grandchildren, it feels a bit out of place. So, close friends call me Colin.

Not that I dislike being called Colin Colin, mind you.

My grandchildren?

Oh, they call me Colin too.

Of course, I don’t let them address me without respect.

They’ve been taught to call me ‘Colin-anesama’ properly.

-0-

Now, just a bit about myself.

After my children no longer needed me around as much, I looked for work.

Demonesses tend to find work after they’ve finished raising their children.

Luckily, I was able to work for Shirukine-sama, who I’ve known since before my marriage and who is now Countess Chrome. She invited me to join the Bubble Company, which she heads.

It’s been around a hundred years since then.

Today, I’m in charge of one of the production departments of the Bubble Company.

Yes, I am.

Our main focus is beauty products made from the body fluids of Mereokan, which are a staple at Bubble Trading’s Aphrodite Beauty.

Basically, though, I’m more like a caretaker of the Mereokan.

We have a small forest in the Chrome County where the Mereokan are kept, and I oversee their care with thirty female subordinates. Together, we look after the twelve Mereokan.

Though they’re large monsters, Mereokan are rather gentle by nature, so their care isn’t especially challenging.

Normally, extracting their body fluids would be difficult, but we have no trouble with it.

The Mereokan understand that we’re the ones feeding them, so they’re very cooperative.

All smooth sailing...

Or at least, it would be nice to say that.

There are three main problems.

The first problem is that there are those who seek to capture the Mereokans we’re protecting.

A while back, news spread that Mereokan body fluids could be used in beauty products, which led to excessive hunting of the Mereokan.

Countess Chrome feared for their extinction and moved to protect them, yet there are still unsavory individuals attempting to target the Mereokan we saved.

Unforgivable.

And so, for those who dare try, we ensure they deeply regret their actions.

Yes, we do.

We’re not trained so poorly that we’d lose to some common intruders.

Demonesses are strong.

However, we never know when we’ll be targeted, so we constantly have to stay alert. It’s quite troublesome.

A major problem.

-0-

The second problem is that we cannot breed the Mereokan.

Most of the Mereokan we saved are female.

Female Mereokan are popular for their beautiful appearance, so they’re often captured alive...

But the males, lacking such popularity, are usually hunted on the spot.

Despite their gentle nature, Mereokan are large monsters.

Capturing them alive comes with considerable risk.

Additionally, their magic stones are quite large, which makes them prime targets.

The only male Mereokan we managed to save was quite old. While we could still extract body fluids from him, he was unable to breed.

Without breeding, Mereokan will eventually go extinct.

This is a serious problem.

-0-

And the third problem.

The only male Mereokan passed away from old age around thirty years ago.

It’s unfortunate, but that was his lifespan.

There was nothing we could do.

Together with my subordinates and the female Mereokan, we laid him to rest with great care.

Then, a few years later, a change came over the female Mereokan.

They became listless, and the amount of body fluids they produced decreased.

We know why they became listless.

Though the old male Mereokan was old, his presence can still be felt. With him gone, however, that sense of his masculine presence also vanished.

And now, the females understand that finding a new mate is nearly hopeless.

How do they know?

Mereokan are highly intelligent.

They have the awareness to grasp the current situation.

While they cannot speak, they can understand our words.

Just when I suspected the females sensed they might never meet a male, one of my subordinates carelessly let slip that wild Mereokan are on the verge of extinction.

The result was a group of apathetic female Mereokan.

I can’t completely blame them, but the yearly decrease in body fluid production is a significant issue.

At this rate, before they even go extinct, we’ll have to stop selling products made from their body fluids.

It’s a real dilemma.

Then, with all these troubles hanging over us, Countess Chrome brought us some wonderful news.

A young male Mereokan has been found!

And, apparently, this young male is also looking for a mate.

And the angel chief and I... grew a tiny bit closer.

We’re comrades who’ve exchanged blows now, after all.

Fufu.

Next time, I’d love to land a hit on that face.

-0-

Dinner was delightful.

I hesitated, mindful of winter food supplies, but since the Countess’s daughter’s household is quite wealthy, they assured me not to worry, so I obliged.

I didn’t expect Demon King-sama to join us, though.

But the meal was delicious enough to make that a minor concern.

-0-

I returned to the Mereokan enclosure in Count Chrome’s domain.

I can teleport with Count Chrome’s magic, but the male Mereokan can’t be transported this way due to his size, so it will take a little time for him to arrive here.

It’s unfortunate.

But Mereokan mating season runs from late winter to spring.

So the timing isn’t bad.

Now, we just need to prepare the area for his arrival.

Standing before me, lined up neatly, are twelve large female Mereokans.

I gathered them myself.

Seeing them standing obediently in line and fidgeting slightly suggests they’ve listened at least somewhat to what I said.

Yes.

A male is coming.

A young male.

Hey, no restless movements!

Let’s continue.

He’s coming with a positive attitude toward mating.

So stay calm!

I’ll stop talking if you keep this up.

...Alright then, please listen quietly.

Now, understand this, he’ll be here in about twenty days at the latest.

He might even arrive tomorrow if things go smoothly.

So, give it about ten days... let’s say he’ll arrive by spring.

Understand?

There’s not much time.

First, do something about your territory—it’s practically neglected.

It’s full of debris, isn’t it?

There’s even stagnant water in places.

We can’t expect him to mate in a place like that.

Clean it up, please.

Also, let’s focus on managing your health.

You’ve let your skin get so rough and haven’t done anything about it.

Especially you, Josephine—your picky eating is dreadful, and your skin looks dull.

Hiding by turning transparent won’t work.

Desirée, Marie, stop hiding as well!

That’s a waste of body fluids!

Instead, if you’re aware of the state of your skin, then polish it up!

And, do you remember the mating dance to attract a mate?

Can you dance?

All of you, don’t look away!

This involves instincts, doesn’t it?

Can you manage something here?

No, you *will* manage it.

I’m not asking you to excite him further, but at least dance well enough not to dampen his enthusiasm.

.......

Yes, I know the dance, but you expect me to perform it here?

I understand you want an example, but...

Fine.

For your sake, I’ll dance.

But if you’re making me go this far, the mating *must* succeed!

-0-

My name is Colin Colin Luthers.

I’m the Mereokan caretaker at the Bubble Company.

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Colin Colin Luthers (Viscountess Luthers)

Bubble Company – Assistant to the President (President is Shirukine)

Head of Production, Special Cosmetics Division, Count Chrome’s Domain (Mereokan-Related Products)

Aphrodite Beauty – Assistant Manager of the Count Chrome Domain Store (Essentially the manager, but not always on site)

Apollo Beauty – Special Advisor

Athens Beauty – Advisor(Second Seat)

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Although she essentially runs Shirukine’s company, she personally thinks of herself as a Mereokan caretaker.