Chapter 168: The Thoughtfulness of a Coworker?(1/2)

Afternoon.

Within the woods that expanded at the back of the duke’s residence, the trees have been cut open to clear a path for people to pass, and at the same time, the weeds have also been mowed to create a path to walk on.

It’s still within the lot of the duke’s residence, but this place appears to have been made with the intention of making it as close to nature as possible.

From time to time, I could feel the presence of other living creatures…

“…” [Ryouma]

A wolf-like monster peeked at me from the distance, then as if nothing was amiss, it left.

“Was that the madam’s familiar?” [Ryouma]

I asked that to Rurunez-san, and she said that that was indeed likely to be the case.

“Most of the wolf-type monsters here, especially those checking on us, are the madam’s familiars that have been stationed here to keep watch. But the servants also have their own familiars, so it’s possible it’s someone else’s too. Either way, the manager has already been informed of our plans for the day. The monsters won’t attack us.” [Rurunez]

That’s good to hear. Does the duke’s family have a lot of monster tamers among their servants?

“The Jamil family is a family of monster tamers, after all. They’ve even gone out of their way to prepare an environment like this where the familiars can live comfortably. And since they’ve made this place freely available, it’s become a good environment for interested people to learn. There are many monster tamers among servants that have served in the family for a long time. For example, please look over there.” [Rurunez]

When we reached the end of the path, a space within the woods that had been cleared into a beautiful rectangle greeted us.

The ground was covered in verdant grass and wild flowers and to the left could be seen a large lake.

The plains were about as big as a primary school’s gymnasium. At that size, it’s more than big enough to run laps around.

Rurunez-san pointed to the center of the lake.

The shape was a bit distorted, but there was a mossy cone-shaped island over there.

I wonder if there’s something on that island.

“It might look like an island, but that’s actually the Floatland Tortoise monster.” [Rurunez]

“Ah, so that’s what it is.” [Ryouma]

I asked more about it and it turns out that the floatland tortoise carries an air bladder inside it and lives near the surface of the water. For food, it eats the insects and small fishes that float toward it. It possess sharp fangs and a sturdy jaw that allows it to crush even the bones. It’s a very gentle monster and when it grows big enough, a person can ride on its back.

“By the way, the contractor is the head chef, Butts-san. I’ve also had the opportunity to ride on its back when I was young.” [Rurunez]

“So, you can ride on it, huh… Come to think of it, I’ve been looking for a monster that I could use as a mount. How does it feel when riding the tortoise?” [Ryouma]

“Floatland Tortoises generally just float, so while they can be ridden on, they’re not suitable for ferrying people. If they lose their balance, they’ll capsize too. Well, it does make for a fun memory, though.” [Rurunez]

I wonder if it really feels like a balloon… Oops, I’m getting sidetracked again. Better start working.

“Already?　But my husband has yet to arrive.” [Rurunez]

“I’ll just prepare some things. That would make it easier for those coming to help too. And what I’ll be doing is really nothing more than a simple job.” [Ryouma]

I need to make some preparations before constructing the venue for the wedding hall.

…As for what exactly it is I’m about to do, well…

“Dimension Home.” [Ryouma]

I’m going to have the weed slimes eat the weeds!

After this all the weeds were pulled out in a blink of an eye. They couldn’t even put up a fight.

As my preparations went underway, some of the volunteers started gathering…

“Ryouma-kun!” [Camil]

“Ah, good work out there!　…?” [Ryouma]

When I heard Camil-san’s voice, I turned around, but Zeff-san and Jill-san were also with him.

For some reason, though, Hyuzu-san was listlessly borrowing a shoulder.

I’m glad that my four guard acquaintances showed up, but…

“Why is he like this again?　His face is pale. Is he okay?” [Ryouma]

“…!” [Hyuzu]

Hyuzu-san’s breath was ragged and he weakly shook his head as he held his mouth.

“You’ll puke if you talk?” [Ryouma]

“!” [Hyuzu]

Seems I hit the bullseye.

“Hey, hey. Don’t puke now.” [Zeff]

“Zeff, lay him down by the tree shade there.” [Jill]

At Jill-san’s suggestion, Hyuzu-san was immediately carried to the shade under one of the trees.

Rurunez went to help Hyuzu-san, so it’ll probably be fine.

“So, Camil-san. Did something happen?　Is this because of all that studying for his promotion?” [Ryouma]

“Nah, actually, that doesn’t have anything to do with this at all.” [Camil]

“He said something really insensitive to a girl and got smacked. He didn’t mean anything bad by it, though.” [zeff]

“That’s nothing new for him, though.” [Jill]

“I see… But was that really enough to turn him like this?” [RYouma]

Hyuzu-san is a guard of the duke’s family. He should be fairly trained.

Even if he’s not wearing armor outside of work, it shouldn’t be possible for a single person to leave him like this.

“Ahh… He picked the wrong opponent.” [Zeff]

“You know Riviola-san, right?” [Jill]

“The maid from the Big Monkey Man Tribe?　She helped me with my previous experiment.” [Ryouma]

“Well, if you know her, then that makes this quick. He was done in by her. For the record, she’s not just big, she’s also properly studied martial arts.” [Jill]

“There are places we can’t enter, after all, since we’re men. In places like those, it’s up to her to act as the guard. Among the women, she’d ranked first or second best fighter.” [Zeff]

“She’s fast enough that just a moment is all it would take to lose sight of her fist. It was that very fist that landed cleanly into Hyuzu’s solar plexus.” [Jill]

“I see…” [Ryouma]

Hyuzu-san, just what did you say for her to aim at such a vital part?

…I turned to him as I thought that, but he was being devotedly treated by Rurunez-san.

Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san didn’t seem to notice it, but the male volunteers that had gathered all had scary eyes.

Well, it’s not like I don’t understand.

“Well, shall we leave the two of them be and begin work?　There are still some people missing, but…” [Ryouma]