It's been a few days since Aldis returned home with Rona.
　They sometimes doze off under the eaves of the house and sometimes get caught up in the playfulness of the twins and Rona, but Aldis stays home and relaxes.

　Sometimes he would go into the forest with Nere to get food, and on other days he would go out hunting with Rona.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　By the way, the twins soon found out that Rona can talk.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of your time with this kind of thing.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you are.

'Hey, hey, Al,'

'Hmm?　What is it?

　The sun is just about to rise to its zenith.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

'Aren't you going to go hunting?　I didn't go out hunting yesterday or the day before yesterday,

Hmm. One of these days.

You said that yesterday.

　With a disgruntled voice, Rona begins to puff on Aldis' head with her pawpaw.

'You were there three days ago,'

It's been three days.

You don't have to go by yourself.

I'm tired of hunting alone. There aren't any strong beasts around here. When I get close to them, they run away.

　No matter how close it was to the outer rim, this was still a forest that was home to dangerous beasts.
　It's not a place that can be reached by half-qualified mercenaries.
　The words spoken by Rona are ones that the mercenaries of the King's Landing would not believe their ears if they heard them.

　After that, Rona persisted in trying to get Ardis out, but the boy on the other hand seemed to want to prioritize his nap and the conversation remained on a parallel track.

　As the conversation was going on, Nere came in from inside the house and complained: "My Lord," he said.

My Lord! It's important to rest your body and nourish your spirit, but too much of this is called laziness.

...... That's a pretty ugly thing to say about that guy. I'm not lazy, I just like to sleep as long as I can. I just like to sleep as long as I can, as long as I have time to sleep.

　Nayle cuts off Aldis's rebuttal with a sullen look.

'So you would call it laziness, wouldn't you?

......

Yeah, that's right. I'm lazy, I'm lazy!

　Rona came on board here and there.

　The squire and his partner accused her of being a squire, and Aldis had no choice but to get off his back.

　It's a good idea to go to the capital to buy food and supplies.

'We still had plenty of room in our stockpile, but the amount of food going into that fellow's mouth was unexpectedly large.

　If we don't, we'll have to move on to a tasteless diet," said Nere, turning his attention to Rona.

　Rona could be self-sufficient in the forest if she just wanted to fill her stomach.
　But the gourmand prefers Nere's food to tasteless raw meat.
　She was especially fond of sweets.
　As a result, he is consuming flour, sugar, and other condiments at an alarming rate.

　It seems that Rona's desire to eat good food is stronger than her desire to enjoy hunting.

'Then let's go shopping!　Hey, hey, Al. Can I buy you a snack?

　He was honest about his appetite, as he tried to satiate his own appetite without complaint.

It's a good idea to buy and eat in moderation. ...... or do you still have some money left over?

　It is true that last time, all the rewards from Sorte were given to Rona.
　However, on the way home that day, Rona must have bought and eaten quite a bit of food and drink at various stalls that she passed by.
　I don't think they've used it all up, but it's not like they have much left.

It's a good idea to get a request for money to defeat them while you're at it. You can hunt, you can get money, you can do some shopping in the city, it's just fine.

　So Aldis, who was supposed to be taking his time to rest, had to work before he knew it.



　About two hours later.
　Aldis and Rona were in the main street of the royal capital Gran.

''Al!　Eat that!　That!

Hey, come on, man, keep your voice down.

　A mouth-watering, delicious smell spread from the stalls that lined both sides of the street.
　Rona was buzzing her tail as if she couldn't resist.
　The momentum created an unnatural flow of wind in the vicinity, and passersby who turned around to see what was going on were horrified to see Rona.

The first thing to do is to go to the cafeteria to eat. We won't waste time buying and eating every single thing.

The diner?　Can you eat good food?

Normally, you can go to ......

　Aldis, who showed a subtle expression for a moment, slurred his words.

'Normally, what do you mean?'

　Rona asked the question as a matter of course, but Aldis cut off the conversation and started walking quickly.

'Just let's go,'

Oh, come on, Al.



　With a disgruntled Rona in tow, Aldis goes to the Seseragi-tei, a permanent lodging in the royal capital.
　In the Seseragi-tei, which doubles as an inn and a tavern, you can have a meal in the dining room on the first floor in exchange for a copper coin.

　I arrived at the entrance of the Seseragitei without incident and Rona sniffed at the entrance.

'It smells delicious. Does Al come here often?''

Yeah. Not as good as Nehle's food, but the food here is pretty good. Most days.

Most days, it's ......?

　Rona gives her a curious look at Aldis' meaningful manner.

'Well, you'll find out when you get in,'

　Abandoning the explanation, Aldis stepped into the inn.

'Oh, it's not Mr. Aldis!　Hello, hi!

　Meryl, the sign girl who has become completely familiar with Aldis, screams dexterously as she turns to welcome him and matches him.

Hey, Meryl. I just came here for dinner.

'Wha-what is that?　Mr. Aldis!

　The culprit was Rona, the golden-colored beast attached to Ardis' side.

'This guy?　This is Rona. That's my buddy. ......, right? I don't suppose it's wrong to let him in?

　He brought her in thinking it would be quicker than buying and eating at a stall, but on second thought, this was a place for humans to eat.
　Maybe it was a breach of etiquette to bring in a beast like Rona.

　And unlike the dogs and cats around here and there, Rona is over a meter in length.
　In addition, the sharp fangs peeking out of his mouth suggest that he is a carnivore.
　It's probably too stimulating for Merrill, who has never been outside the royal capital since he was born and has never seen a carnivore up close.

''Eh, ah ......, oh, will they attack you?''

　Meryl quickly used the serving tray as a shield and peeked out from the side of it to see what was going on.
　But if you only hide your face, the rest of your body is in full view, so there is no point in doing so.
　It's a good idea to keep a bitter smile on your face as you answer with a nudge to Rona's head to reassure Meryl.

'It's okay. It's a good idea to make sure that you don't get in a fight with him, as long as he doesn't bother you. It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're doing. Right, Rona?

Woof!

　Rona agreed with a reply that didn't suit her appearance.

'Well, if that's the case, ....... We don't have many customers right now, and you can come in with us if you'd like at a table far from the entrance.

Thank God.

　With the sign girl's permission, Aldis takes a seat at a table in the back of the restaurant.

　Meryl is right, it's past lunchtime and there are only about two other groups of customers in the restaurant besides Aldis and the others.
　They rolled their eyes at first when they saw Rona, but they must have decided that there didn't seem to be any danger based on the exchange between Meryl and Aldis.
　Occasionally they turn their curious gazes towards us, only to blabber on among their companions in a whisper.

''That's the sword magic--''

"The three most powerful demons in the world...

Well, you know what I mean?

　From the leaked words, it seemed that the other side knew Aldis.
　Maybe he just couldn't say it to Aldis face to face, even if he had a complaint to make.

'Well, Aldis. What can I do for you?

　Meryl asks for an order, as if she had regained her composure.
　Although her smile was awkward, perhaps because of her fear of Rona, she was also a professional as she tried to do her job properly.

''Is your father making it today?

'Yes. Your mother is on break, but your father is still in the kitchen.

　Looks like it's a safe day.

I'll take six of your hearty meals.

What, six servings?

　Meryl's eyes roll up at the unexpected amount of orders.

''Yeah. One for me. The remaining five can be for Rona. You don't need to change the seasoning. The same thing will be fine.

Okay, okay. I'll have it ready in a minute, just wait and see.

　As soon as he said that, Meryl strode away from the table.

'Why are people so scared of me?'

　Rona murmured curiously as she saw that there were no more people around.

'It can't be helped. If you live in the city, you'll rarely see a beast as big as Rona.''

Well, it doesn't matter. I can't wait for the food to come.

Hey, don't flap your tail because you'll get dusty.

　Aldis complains to Rona, who leaps her voluminous tail while sloppily peeking her tongue out of her mouth.

''Oops, sorry. But since there's no one else nearby, it's not like--'

'Meryl!　Have you seen Aldis here?　There you are, ......!

　A man's voice comes from near the entrance of the inn, interrupting their conversation as they wait for their food.

''Hmm?　Oh, Jean.

　The owner of the voice was someone that Ardis knew as well.

　A man who seems to be in his early forties is in the corner of the eye.
　He is one of the people who are called 'face officers', who make a living brokering requests to mercenaries.
　It is said that he used to be a skilled mercenary, but Cesare, an informant, told me that he suffered a deep wound to his leg while making a request to defeat the enemy and retired because of that injury.

　It is said that he once had a large number of fans not only among his fellow mercenary women, but also among the general public due to his sweet mask and proven abilities, but that was already a long time ago.
　Now, at best, he is a 'good-natured father', and there is no sign of the colorful man who was fawned upon by those around him.
　The hair on his slightly receding forehead spoke of the cruelty of the passing months.

'Just in time, man. I've got a job that's perfect for you!　What the hell is that?

　Jean was about to walk up to Aldis when he spotted Rona and backed away.

'Oh, don't worry. She's my companion, Jean. If you don't mess with him in any way, he'll be quiet, so don't worry.

Oh, yeah?　Well, I guess it's okay if Aldis says so: ......

　Although he is retired, he is a former mercenary.
　Unlike Meryl, Jean approached the table where Aldis and the others are without showing much fear.
　The way he walks with one leg slightly covered is probably due to the injury that led to his retirement from mercenary service.

''You're a very colorful beast.

　Sitting down in a chair diagonally in front of Aldis, Jean looked at Rona, who was huddled at her feet.

'Kuhhhh,'

　The man playing the face nodded his head as he took a moment to look at Rona, who was yawning loudly.

'I don't remember such a beast: ......

　Aldis prompts Jean, who is mumbling to himself, to speak.

'So, what is it?　What's the right job for me?

'Oh, oh ....... Bad, bad.

　As he hurriedly turned his body to Aldis, Jean became the face of the job.

'It's a job that just came in. It's a bit of a location issue, or maybe it's just that I can't leave it to some half-hearted guys.'

　He even went to the trouble of looking for Aldis.
　It's probably not something the average mercenary can handle.

''The job is to investigate, but the reward is a whopping fifty gold coins.

Fifty?　Just for research?

　Aldis expresses surprise at the high fee.

'Yes,' says Ardis. Yes, just for the research. But, you know, I think you should be paid that much.

What do you mean?

"The problem is that the investigation is on a small island south of King's Landing.

　Aldis, who has an idea of where Jean is referring to, raises an eyebrow.

'That's .......'

''Yes, that's right. It's the island where 'Yonmaispring', one of the three powerful demons defeated by some unsympathetic mercenary, used to live.