The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 7 - Chapter 332

Chapter 332:

Mmmeeeooowww!

Lunch was delicious. The meat had clearly been braised nice and long: its fibers simply melted away as soon as it ­entered my mouth, and yet it still had a bite to it. It just might have been the tastiest meat I’d ever eaten in my life. The soup was also rich and bursting with the savory flavors of the vegetables. Paired with white bread, it was divinely delicious.

“Do you like it?” Arash asked me.

“Yes, sir, very much!” I answered with a big smile.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”

“Thank you so much for this lunch. Everything was delicious. Right, Mr. Druid?”

“Yeah, it’s no wonder that dish is this restaurant’s specialty.”

After we’d all finished eating, Captain Tabulo set his magic item on the table again and switched it on.

“Now, Miss Ivy, I know it’s presumptuous of me to demand that you trust us, but I swear that nothing said at this table ­tonight will go beyond anyone sitting at it right now.”

Captain Tabulo did not seem like a liar. So I guess I can trust him? I glanced at Druid next to me and saw that he was giving Captain Tabulo a long, searching stare.

After a while, Druid finally said, “Understood, sir. We trust you.”

Captain Tabulo and Guild Master Lish bowed respectfully. Oh, good. I think everything’s settled now.

“Well, we’d better be on our way,” Druid said.

“What? So soon?” Arash sounded disappointed.

“Yes, we have things to take care of.”

“Oh, I see. Well, that’s too bad. I’d love to chat longer… May I call on you sometime?”

I didn’t see any problem with it. “I’m okay with it. Are you?” I asked Druid.

He nodded in reply, so I told Arash that would be fine. He was unbelievably grateful to hear my answer. I felt a little uncomfortable, getting such a reaction from him when all we’d agreed to do was see him again sometime.

“Well, good day, everyone. Thanks for lunch.”

Druid and I stood up from our seats.

“Thanks for lunch,” I said. Then I turned and hurried out of the restaurant.

“Do you think everybody’s all right? I hope Ciel isn’t angry with us.”

“Let’s apologize first thing.”

“Okay.”

Druid had accepted their invitation to lunch for two reasons: to get Ashley away from that spot he shouldn’t have been at, and to see what the guild master and the head watchmen were thinking. And I was happy to go along with it, except I had one little problem: We’d gone back to the village without telling Ciel anything. The creature had left to go hunting three hours ago, so it must have returned by now.

“So…what do you think about Guild Master Lish and Captain Tabulo?” Although they had told Ashley about us, I didn’t get the sense they had done anything else that could cause trouble. I guess some might call me naive for thinking that, though.

“Well…I think everything’s okay. How did Sora react?”

“It said they’re all safe.”

Sora hadn’t reacted negatively to Lish or to Tabulo, and the same went for Arash. So those three were safe.

“Maybe they told Ashley about you for your protection, Ivy.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

How would that protect me?

“Since Ashley has the detect magic skill, he would naturally be curious about the source of any powerful magic energy he encountered. Lish and her counterparts knew that, so I think they told him who you were on purpose. He’d instantly start treating you better if he knew you saved his child’s life.”

Ah, now I see. Yes, I remember him saying he went to consult Captain Tabulo about us. So, does that mean Captain Tabulo told Ashley the truth out of consideration for my safety?

“Besides, they told us something that would put them at a disadvantage.”

“And what’s that?”

“The classified intel.”

“Oh, right! We weren’t supposed to hear all that, were we?”

It did involve the nobility, after all.

“Yeah…but they told us on purpose. They were looking at me meaningfully while they told us about the scandal, so I got what they meant by it: if they mistreated us, we could use that intelligence against them to get even.”

But I thought leaking classified intel was a serious crime. I knew it was probably their way of earning our trust, but…that was just too extreme.

“Are you sure that’s what they were doing…? But why would they go so far?”

“Hatahi’s festival is basically its entire economy, and we saved it from being canceled. That makes us like messiahs to them.”

Messiahs.

“What’s wrong? You look pretty serious.”

“It’s nothing… It’s just…are there other villages like this one? Personally, I’d just like to put that crime organization behind me.” 

It was flattering being thanked by strangers, but the burden was too heavy for me to bear.

“Argh, I’m sorry… It’s my fault for agreeing to have a chat with them. But don’t worry, things will settle down a little after we leave Hatahi. After that, I think the only strangers who will want to thank you are the royal family and noble houses in the capital, maybe?”

Oh, good. So things are going to settle down… Wait a minute.

“The royal family and noble houses? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Seizerk says that some people in the capital are interested in you.”

When did Seizerk tell him that? No, wait, Druid has been awfully engrossed in his faxes lately.

“Okay…what else did he say?”

“The royals and nobles in the capital feel quite indebted to you. Apparently, the organization almost got their evil claws on someone close to the king.”

This all sounds very familiar…

“Ahh…” I sighed.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t need to be so nervous about it. Just take it easy.”

The king wants to meet me, and I should take it easy? I gave Druid a reproachful look. He chuckled lightly and tousled my hair.

“Cheer up! Whatever will be will be. Also, I’m sure the trek from Hatahi to the capital will be peaceful and quiet.”

“Oh, I really hope so! But…how do you know?”

“Since the organization was planning on using this festival to meet and blackmail the nobility, I don’t think they would’ve traveled much beyond this point. That means the towns and villages after this were probably spared from harm.”

Aha. Yeah, as long as there aren’t any victims, there’s nobody to feel indebted to me, either.

“Well, that’s good to know. I think I do feel a little better.”

I’ll just forget about the king for now. Nothing good would come from it anyway.

We passed through the gate and plunged into the forest. We were walking much more quickly than usual. Aha, I sense Ciel’s aura! It’s approaching awfully fast.

“Ciel’s picked up on us. It’s running really fast our way.”

“That’s good.”

I walked in the direction of Ciel’s aura.

Meeeeooowww!

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Ciel jumped from the trees above and landed on the ground in front of us. Then it bolted right at me.

“Agh! Ciel! Sorry…something came up and we… Agh! Ciel, listen to meee.”

Ciel slammed right into me, and the impact almost sent me flying backward. Thankfully, Druid lunged in and braced me from behind, saving me from disaster.

Mmmeeeooowww!

“I’m so sorry. Something came up and we didn’t know if we were safe, so we had to go back to the village. Sorry we left without saying anything.”

Mmmeeeooowww!

I patted Ciel’s head over and over and over. After a while, the adandara finally calmed down and heaved a very loud sigh.

“Don’t worry, Ciel, we’ll explain everything.”

Druid and I went on to tell Ciel about our conversations with Ashley and Guild Master Lish. It listened intently and purred loudly in reply.

“Do you forgive us for leaving you like that?”

Mrrrow.

Oh, good. All is forgiven.