Since the day we confirmed Freesia's ability, we had been hunting lapis in the Lugel Valley for several days in a row.
　Her ability to detect mimicry has dramatically increased the efficiency of the hunt, and in the blink of an eye, we've obtained nearly 50 gemstones in the rough.
　Thanks to that, Nol also seems to have been able to find a few more eye-catching gemstones, but she wants to be a little more selective.
　And today, they had gathered in the living room early in the morning to hunt again.

''Well, thanks to Freesia, hunting has become a lot easier.

That's true. Especially when it comes to picking lapis!　It is indeed a freesia!

'Hmmm, maybe you can count on me more!

　Hearing me and Noll's words, Freesia puts her hands on her hips and sniffles and looks good at it. She's so smug.
　It's kind of like looking at Noll........
　It's an expression that makes me want to stretch my cheeks a bit.

''It seems like you're making good money, but do you think you're going to continue hunting in the Rugen Valley?

I've accumulated a lot of rough stones. I don't think we'll run out of them even if we sell them in small portions for a while, so it's time to start looking for other demons.

It's going to take some time to raise the money yet, so it looks like we'll have to look at other hunting grounds.

　I can't buy that many rough stones at one time because they're so expensive to buy. So I'm going to store them up and sell them regularly.
　So it would be better to look for other hunting grounds while I still have the stock.
　If we're looking for a hunting ground, it's safe to ask at the Adventurer's Association.

I'll be asking about other hunting grounds while I visit the Adventurers' Association in the capital today. There might be some new information about demons as well.

I've been doing a lot of stuff for the mess and I haven't been to the Society.

　I haven't been to the Adventurer's Association recently because I've been concentrating on collecting magic stones.
　It's been a long time since we heard from the head of the association, so it wouldn't be surprising if there was some progress regarding the magicians.
　As I was thinking this, Freesia, who had been listening to our exchange, joined the conversation.

''Ehehe, I'm so excited to go to the royal capital!　Noll-chan, it's called the royal capital, so it's an amazing city, right?

Oh, that's right. There are many fine buildings and people living here.

'I knew it!　I'm excited to go now!

　Noll answered the question while puzzled by Freesia's words.
　When she heard that, she turned a dazzling smile on us.
　That's........strange. I told you that I couldn't appear in front of many people, but I'm really interested in coming with you.......

"Sorry to be looking forward to it, but........Freesia is staying home, you know.

'What?　Why the hell not!

'No. I've been telling you all along that we can't put it out on the streets.　So when we go out of town, as it stands, it's home security, just like Luna.



Ugh, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, sir.

　How could you forget after all the times I've said so much to you... are you sure it's safe?
　Noor, whose moist eyes were turned on her as if to ask for help, awkwardly scratched her cheek and turned her face away.
　

'Yes!　Then play with Luna while Heihachi and the others are gone!　I'll go wake you up now!

Hey, he's gone.

Freesia is very energetic, isn't she? I can't help myself.

'I don't think we should make any more noise...'

　Before I could stop her, Freesia went to Luna's room.
　The drop in tension is really amazing - maybe it's good to be positive, but I'm not sure I can keep up.
　Noll is trying to counter the loss, but it would be annoying if he gets any more noisy, so I'd like you to stop it.

More importantly, is it okay to let Luna go wake up?

What?　Could it be that Freesia-san went to wake up Luna-san?

　Just as Esther put one hand on her cheek and muttered anxiously, Sisha's loud voice echoed in the living room.
　When I looked at the direction of the voice, it seemed that she had just come out of her room.
　Her eyes widened and she has a look of great surprise on her face. Freesia just went to wake up Luna, so why is she so surprised?

'Oh, yeah. What's the matter with you in such a hurry?

'This is not a time for slow talk!　I had to stop them as soon as possible--

　The moment Sisha said that and was about to head to Luna's room with an impatient look on her face.

''Ughhhh!''

Oh, I'm afraid I'm too late.

　Freesia's exclamation was heard.
　Hearing that, Sisha put her hand over one eye and made a gesture that looked like she was going to say, Aacha.
　Eh, eh?　What the hell happened........you don't think Luna attacked you?

　
　And covering her, Luna, who was still asleep, was holding her with a bite to her neck.
　He manages to pull Luna off and collects Freesia, who is white-eyed, and carries her into the living room for Sisha to treat her.
　After pulling her off, Luna didn't even get up, but instead put her back on the bed and crept back under the covers and disappeared.
　It seems that the bed has already become a dwelling place on an unconscious level.......

''Ugh, I had a terrible time........''

Are you all right, sir?　It's good.

'It's been a long time since I've seen someone get bitten by Luna. I thought I'd gotten to know Sisha and I had gotten out of the habit.

　After finishing her treatment, Freesia is being comforted by Noor as he pats her on the head.
　Come to think of it, Sisha tried to wake Luna up before, but she was bitten down or bare-hugged and had her hips tightened up.
　I never woke her up directly, but that's what happens when you get carelessly close to a sleeping Luna.......

"Don't try to force Luna-san to wake up. If you wake her up in the wrong way, she will reflexively attack you. Please be careful when you wake her up, Okura-san and the others.

It's a lot more convincing when it comes from someone who's been there.

Uh-huh, not so much.

　In the end, Freesia reluctantly gave up on going into town, too, and had to stay home and stay quietly.
　She seemed decent at first, but it's starting to give me a headache.......

●

　I asked Sisha to stay behind as well, and me, Noor and Esther came to the Adventurers' Association in the royal capital.
　Then I called out to Widge-chan and asked her if there had been any changes....

''I haven't had any reports of any changes since Okura-san and the others returned here.

'I see. I'm glad to hear that. We haven't been here for a long time, so I was a little worried.

'You must have been tired after coming back from Queles, and that's no wonder. The head of the association is calling out to the other adventurers, so don't get so worked up about it.

　Apparently there's been no progress since then.
　I was too enthusiastic about collecting magic stones and leveling up for the sake of the gacha this time....
　Even though it's good that Freesia came because of that, I'll try to show up at least a little at the Adventurer's Association from next time.
　Now, let's ask about the hunting grounds, which is the main purpose of today's errand.

''Also, can you tell me if there are any other good hunting grounds?　I wanted to know where else to hunt besides Mount Lemurie.

'Yes, that's fine. Thanks to Mr. Okura and the others, the materials of Kepur are beginning to appear on the market nowadays, so that's a big help. Well, let's see, how about the Sarat Forest next?　The spider yarn there is strong and used a lot, and it's quite in demand.



'Yes, otherwise...'

　Then Widge-chan told me about the mines where there are demons that drop minerals and other materials, and multiple forests where other insect-based demons come out.
　And when I left the reception desk after hearing the hunting grounds once, Esther, whose eyebrows were furrowed, opened her mouth.

''Brother, are you planning to go to the Sarat Forest?　I don't want to deal with spiders. If I see a demon like that, I might get all worked up and blow up the whole forest.

'It's a bit of a stretch for me, too. Based on the pattern we've been following, you're a spider as big or bigger than us, right?　I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

As was the case with Caterpillar and Gokibun, Lord Okura and the others are not very good at that sort of thing, are they?

'I don't think there are many people who aren't good at that sort of thing...'

　When I heard about the spiders, I didn't want to go to the Sarat Forest either.
　Even the caterpillar was human-sized, but dealing with a spider of that size, it makes my blood boil....
　Noll seems to be fine with it, but I think there are more people like Esther who don't like it.

　Hmmm, from what I've heard this time, the Stogal mine, where the minerals can be obtained, sounds good.
　It seems there are demons with bodies as hard as iron, but apparently they're vulnerable to magical attacks.
　When I hear of a hunting ground that's vulnerable to magic, it's a bit like the Stinger in the northern cave, and I'm a bit hopeful.

　We were just about to leave the association and head out.......when we saw Dius enter the association.
　He may have noticed us, too, and is approaching us.
　Miggle-chan is with us, but there's no sign of Sumika and Gauss-san.

'Hey, Okura,'

Oh, Dius. Long time no see.

It's been a while, Esther!　Cute as ever!

'Oh, my God!　

Heh, I'm sorry.

　While me and Dius were greeting each other, Miggle picked Estelle up and gave her a cheek swipe.
　When Estelle looked a bit distressed, she quickly set her down while apologizing.

''It's you two today, isn't it?''

'That's right! Sumika was out on an errand and Gauss-san went with her, so she's gone for a while.

Oh, my God, for a party, you're going to be separated for a long time.

'We can't all be together all the time, even if we're partying together. Well, I'm generally with Dius for the most part.

　Even though we're partying together, I guess we can be separated for a long time for personal business, after all.
　We don't do that kind of thing very often, so in a way, that's an advantage for us.
　But these two say that they mostly work together, but I'm a little curious what kind of relationship they have.
　

''Since you're coming to the Adventurer's Association, are you two planning to take requests from now on?

'Yeah, I was planning on it. I've been getting requests for the last few days that Miggle and I could do it alone.

'There are times when it's a bit risky when Dius and I are hunting alone, though. You'll realize how much easier it is when there are many people around.

　It's a B-rank, so I'm sure we each have our own personal strengths, but it must be tough to go from four to two all of a sudden.
　It's a lot easier for me to hunt now compared to the time when I was hunting with Nol and two other people. The fight is in the numbers.

　It's a coincidence that we've met at this time, so why don't I invite you to come hunt with me today?
　I'd like to ask him about his collection of magic stones and if his magic tools are useful.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it.　And I want to ask you about that magic tool I gave you the other day.

'Oh, really?　I'm going. I'm going!　It's great to be able to hunt with Estelle again!

I'd appreciate it if you could come with me, but are you sure you want to?

'Yeah, we were just having a bit of a hard time with the hunt.

'In that case, I'd love to have you. I never thought I'd get to hunt with Okura and the others again.

　With Dius' willing consent, we'll be hunting with him.
　He also helped me collect the magic stones, and I'd like to give him a little thanks here.