Chapter 358:
Chikar Has the Jitters
We parted ways with Lord Foronda and returned to our inn. Once we were back in our room, we took everyone out of the bag.
“Puuu.”
“Did you have fun?”
“Pu! Pu, puuu.”
“Te! Ryu, ryuuu.”
Mrrrow.
“Pefu! Pefu!”
Huh? I looked at Sol, who seemed particularly pleased. Come to think of it, Sol has been quite contented—happy, even—ever since I talked to Ashley about taming.
“Sol, did something make you happy today?”
“Pefu!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”
I didn’t know what it was, but as long as Sol was happy, so was I. I gently patted the black slime’s head a couple of times. The way it squinted its eyes was just so cute.
“Puuu!”
“Ryuuu!”
As I petted Sol, I felt two little body-slams against my back.
“Sora? Flame? What’s wrong?”
Were they jealous because I was petting Sol so much? I petted each of their heads in turn. Then another slime—a shapeshifted Ciel—joined them right away for more pats.
“Oooh, you guys are just too cute for your own good!”
“Ha ha ha! But at this rate, I doubt they’ll ever let you stop.”
He had a point…but how could I resist when they were looking at me so eagerly?
“I’ll hang in there a bit longer.” I gave it another three minutes, but I finally got worn out. “Okay, time’s up. Sorry, guys, I’m too tired.”
Playtime in the forest had probably tired me out; I couldn’t last very long. I wished I could have petted them a little longer like I usually did, but oh well.
“Pu! Pu, puuu.”
“Te! Ryu, ryuuu.”
Mrrrow.
“Pefu!”
After chirping their replies one by one, everyone headed off to bed. They were all quite tired after their first playtime in a long while.
“Sweet dreams, everyone,” Druid said. “Okay…I think it’s about time for us to get ready to hit the road.”
“Yeah. Where are we staying next?”
“If you’re okay with taking it slow, we could stop at Hataka Village. What do you think?”
“I think that would be fine.”
“All right, Hataka it is. When should we leave?”
I’m not sure. I want to know what happens with Ashley’s tamer friend, but it’s not like they can build a trusting relationship overnight. I do at least want to know what happens after a little while, though…
“I’m kind of curious about Ashley’s tamer friend.”
“Yeah, I would like to know how that conversation works out.”
“Uh-huh.”
I want to see what kind of slimes they’ve tamed, and I’d like to have a little chat if I can. I wonder if they’ll let me?
“What’s wrong?”
“Since my slimes are so unusually rare, I was just wondering what normal ones are like. Also, I’d like to have a little chat with the tamer.”
“Yeah, your slimes are extremely rare. Have you ever encountered normal ones before?”
“I have. Mira of the Verdant Wind was a tamer who got arrested, and I tried talking to her slime once.”
“Oh, really?”
“When I called its name, it looked at me…but that was all.”
“Yeah, tamed slimes only answer their tamers. But a slime that was tamed by force might respond to you, Ivy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t slimes prefer somebody who gives them more attention?”
Is that how it actually works? If my slimes left me for another tamer…I would be heartbroken.
“But that’s…really sad.”
“You only feel that way because you love your slimes, Ivy. I don’t know if tamers who tame by force love their creatures.”
Now I see. Since I use myself as a standard, I don’t really understand tamers who tame by force. The only thing I do know is that the idea of it makes me sad.
“Why don’t you ask Ashley how the talk went? And if that tamer is willing to change their attitude, maybe you could ask to see them? The only catch is that you’ll have to tell them you’re also a tamer if you do meet them.”
He was right. I couldn’t just demand that the other tamer show me how they work. I’d have to show them my slimes, too. Hmmm…and there’s the problem. There’s always a possibility that tamer could leak information about my slimes to the wrong people.
“No, I think I’ll stay out of this one. I can’t risk putting my slimes in danger just to satisfy my selfish curiosity.”
“Maybe there’s another way?” Druid asked with a thoughtful crease between his eyebrows.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to rack your brain on my behalf. The safety of my creatures comes first.”
“But if you asked them, your own well-being would come first, Ivy.”
“And I’d be very happy to hear they felt that way.”
“Of course you would. Now, I just realized I’m very hungry.”
I checked the clock in our room. It was almost suppertime.
“Wanna head to the dining hall?” Druid suggested.
“Sure.”
Since we had planned to spend so much time playing with the creatures in the forest, we were taking a day off from cooking. And because we knew we might be tired, Druid had suggested we let ourselves be treated to supper.
“What’s on the menu tonight?” I asked.
“I bet Chikar’s going to cook up a tasty braise.”
“I know. He braises everything just right.”
His vegetables were always braised to the perfect level of tenderness. I didn’t pay enough attention to the heat levels when I braised things, and I sometimes wound up overcooking my vegetables to mush.
“Bye, guys. We’re just going down for supper, okay?”
“We’ll be back soon,” Druid echoed.
“Puuu.”
“Te! Ryu, ryuuu.”
Mrrrowww.
Everyone except Flame was drifting off, and Sol was completely asleep. We made sure to lock the door to our room securely, then headed to the dining hall. When we arrived on the first floor, we noticed Chikar standing by the front door.
“Good evening…Lord Foronda?”
For some reason, the man we’d parted ways with that evening was standing before our eyes, and he had brought something that he held up for us to see.
“Liquor?” Druid asked.
“Correct. I’ve wanted to have a drink with you for quite some time, Mr. Druid. What do you think?”
Druid looked a little perplexed, but Chikar seemed even more confused. He was quite flustered, actually, and I wondered what was wrong. Is it just me, or is he even more nervous than the last time Lord Foronda stopped by the inn?
“Mr. Chikar…are you all right?” I asked.
“Um, where would you like to drink?” Druid asked.
“May we borrow the room we used last time?” Lord Foronda asked. “Also, we’ll improvise our own supper.”
“You’ll improvise! Will they be all right?” Chikar whispered in my ear.
Since Lord Foronda was a nobleman, Chikar thought he needed to do something special.
“They’ll be fine,” I assured him. “Lord Foronda isn’t finicky. Could we request some of your braised dinner, Mr. Chikar? It’s so delicious, I would love for Lord Foronda to have a taste of it. Oh, wait, maybe you didn’t make enough for all of us…?”
“No, no, I have enough. I made enough for today and tomorrow at the same time.”
“But now won’t you have too little for tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make do with whatever I have then.”
There’s a pro for you.
“Could we please take some of your braise, then? Um, and could I pop into your kitchen? I can help you bring the food out.”
When I saw how flustered Chikar was, I thought I’d better carry the food.
“Sorry, yes, could you help me, please? I’m a little excited… That’s Lord Foronda in the flesh, right? He’s graced my inn with his presence again, right? The last time he was here already seemed like a dream, and now I find out he’s going to eat the food I cooked… My cooking? Will everything be okay?”
“Everything will be fine. Your food is the best in all of Hatahi, Mr. Chikar.”
Now I understood why he was so antsy: He was excited. I didn’t blame him, seeing as the lord of Otolwa was considered a hero. Come to think of it, he’d ducked away and pinched his cheeks the last time Foronda was here.
“Please, sir, just relax. Could you unlock the room for us first?”
Chikar jumped to attention and fumbled for his key. Is this guy gonna be okay…?
“Step right this way…” Chikar unlocked the conference room and scurried to the window to freshen up the air, but he was so nervous he couldn’t unlock it. I tried not to laugh as I helped him open the window and let in some fresh air.
“Thanks.”
“It’s all right. Just relax, sir. Mr. Druid, I’ll go get the food.”
Now that the windows were open, I gave Chikar’s back a little push and we headed to the kitchen.
“I see some cups in the room already, so I’ll get them out,” Druid said.
“Thanks,” I called to him as I left for the kitchen with Chikar.
“Agggh… A super-famous person…at my inn… Ahhhh, how incredible!”
Could Chikar be a fan of Lord Foronda? In any case, I’d better get him to relax before we try to do anything else.
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