I returned to the villa with Ekla, Mei-chan, Roy, and the black tiger, and I found Priscia in front of the villa, busily going this way and that way.

''Pricia, you need to calm down. Ray went to look for you, it's okay.''

'But, but!　But I'm still worried about them. If something happens to Mei and the others, I....

　I wonder if Mei and the others were waiting outside because they were worried about her?　Then we need to get him back and reassure him.

'Hey, Pricia~'

　So when I called Pricia, she looked at me, who had a great momentum, and then she looked at May and the others and ran at a great speed.

''Mei-chan!　Roy!

　Then Pricia runs down to us and hugs May and Roy.

'Already!　I was so worried about you!　Oh, God, no more!

Ugh, I'm sorry, sis.

I'm sorry, Priscia.

　And all three of them started to cry. Pricia must have been anxious, and Mei and the others must have been afraid of being attacked by orcs. It couldn't be helped.

　I took the three of them who stopped crying afterwards and went back inside the villa.

"...Priscia, if you forgive him already...

'No!　If I'd followed Mr. Ray's orders this time, none of this would have happened!　I've got to make sure I say it right so we don't get into these kinds of dangers in the future!

　When we returned to the villa, Pricia made May and Roy sit upright and started lecturing them. Moreover, Mei and her friends seemed to be very familiar with the situation and started sitting on their haunches as soon as they entered the room, so they must have known from the time they were in Arcadia that this is what would happen if they did something bad.

　He has been doing this for an hour now. Alexia and the others are also laughing bitterly. However, considering that the same thing might happen in the future if I don't say it firmly like Pricia said, it might be inevitable.

''Kyu~ruru~''

　I'm going to squeal about how poor Ekla is, but she's just as guilty. Roy told me that she took advantage of the situation. She's going to have to go to jail now. You son of a b*tc*!

'Cuh?　Cyr!　Curlew!

　Ekla doesn't want to be scrubbed and tries to wriggle away, but this is a punishment. I'm not going to let you off the hook so easily. You're not going to get away that easily.

　A few minutes later.

Cu........................

　There was Ekra who was writhing so much that she couldn't move on her back.

　Pricia's sermon was over at the same time as our punishment was over, so we decided to have lunch, although it was a little late.

　When Pricia opened her lunch box, it was filled with sandwiches and other items, and everyone took their own sandwiches to eat. But

Meow, meow, meow.

　Everyone is staring at one black tiger. It's adorable, though, as it's eating its sandwiches with great relish. Mei is petting the little tiger and eating her own sandwich as well.

''Um, Mei-chan. What's that baby tiger?

　Aeris asks Mei-chan if she's finally numbed out. May gives the little tiger a pat on the back and then tells her what happened in the forest. Then she looks at me.

So, can't we keep her at home, brother?　I'll do my best to raise you.

　He asks me to do it. Hmmm, what should I do?　I don't mind keeping it.

Helen. Are demons allowed in the city?

　I don't know much about that area, so I ask Helen, who seems to know what to do.

Yes, if you wear a special collar or bracelet, you can get in. There are a very small number of people called Monster Tamers.

　I see. You mean people who use demons. ...Huh?　on that subject ...

Hey, what about Ekla then?　I don't have a collar or bangles on Ekra, though.

Cunningham?　Curlew!

　I was about to ask Helen about Ekla, and she responded to that by slapping my knee with a crispy slap and protesting. What?

'Ekla, you're wearing an armband!　Ray's Stupid! I said.

　And Ekla shows me the tulle crystal bracelet on her right leg. No, not that one.

'Ekla, I'm not talking about those engagement bangles, I'm talking about the bangles the demons use to get into the city. I know that Ekla wipes the bangles clean every night, so don't be so angry, okay?

'Curlew!　Coooooooo~

　When I pat her head as I say this, Ekla turns her face down in embarrassment. I wonder if she's embarrassed to know that I wipe her bangles every night. Well, now it's more than that.

How's that for éclair?

'Ekra-chan is probably the exception. She's under the care of the trustworthy Mr. Ray, so she's probably willing to accept that engagement bracelet as a substitute.

　Okay. So it's okay then. Well, when two people who are more dangerous than Ekla are opening a restaurant in the royal capital, there's a lot of problems. Pricia said that her master came to eat there before, so there shouldn't be any problems. Maybe.

''Mei-chan.

Yes!

'It's pretty hard to keep a creature. Would you still do it?

'Yes!　Her mother asked me to do her a favor. She asked me to take care of her. So!

　If you're that determined, it's fine. And I don't think Mei is going to give up on raising them either.

All right. You can keep her at home, then. Helen, where do I go to get those monster bracelets and collars?

I think they sold it at the Adventurers' Guild.

　Well, then I need to go to the Adventurer's Guild. It's been almost four months since I last went to Arcadia. I'll have to say hello to the rabbi.

"Yay, Klondine!　We're going to be a family now!

Mewl.

'Yes, live life to the fullest for your mother!

　Mei hugs the little tiger happily. I wonder if that little tiger - Clondinay - can be Mei-chan's guardian when she grows up. A guard dog, not a tiger. It looks strong.

Ray, that's probably a subspecies of horn tiger.

　I was looking at a happy May and her friends and Caro said something like that.

'A subspecies of Horn Tiger?'

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get your hands on it. Its original color is white, but that little tiger is.

Just because it's black, you think it's a subspecies?

Yeah.

　Then he'll have the strength of a rank A equivalent when he grows up. More and more, it's more and more appropriate for a tiger. Let's pet her.

Mei, can I pet you too?

Yeah, good!

　Then he takes Clondine in his arms, holding her in his hand and stretches her towards me. I try to stroke Clondine, who's dangling her legs, and

Meow!

　gulp

　And then he bit me.

'........ouch!

Ah!　Hey, Clondine, don't bite your brother!　Open your mouth!　Peck!　Peh!

　May told me to stop biting him, but for some reason he looks at me with hostile eyes. The other ladies and Roy seem to feel good about their throats rumbling when they pet them. It's unreasonable!

　In spite of all this, we had a good time at the villa and returned to the royal capital in the snow.

'Grrrrrrrr.'

...why?

　Clondine remains hostile to me.

　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.

Excuse me, Master Glutas.

Religus. How's it going?

Yes, my lord. It appears the reinforcements for the Lanwalker Frontier Territory have arrived safely.

"Then how do you defend King's Landing?

They've only left the bare minimum. I'm guessing we all have less than 10,000 left.

Kukkuk. All right, then, stick to the plan. Raymond, I'm going to pull you off your throne. Guh-ha-ha!