Chapter 168.1
Afternoon .
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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 .
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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 .
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…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…
“Ryoumkun!” [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 Riviolsan, 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]