Since Chris-san had a busy schedule, we didn't stay to chat for long. After we finished our conversation, Kaori-san and I left the castle and made our way out of the imperial grounds. From there, I used a teleportation magic tool to transport us back to my home.
I could have teleported us directly into my room, but since Kaori-san wanted to see the house’s exterior, we arrived right in front of the main entrance instead.
"Whoa... This is incredible. When Illness-san brought me over before, we teleported straight into the entrance hall, so I knew the place was huge... but seeing it from the outside is just stunning. It's not just a mansion; it's the size of a grand hotel."
"I'm completely wasting all this space, though..."
"Ahaha, well, with a place this size, I’m sure it’s a handful unless you have a ton of staff. And it’s not just the house—the garden is amazing too! It looks like a stylish park, or some kind of tourist attraction. Even if the house itself is the same shape as Lilia-san's, the atmosphere here is totally different."
Just as Kaori-san noted, while my house was almost identical to Lilia-san's mansion in terms of architecture, the garden was a different story. Nebula and Illness-san had performed a massive renovation, making it look nothing like the one at Lilia-san's estate.
The garden at Lilia-san’s mansion had a formal, aristocratic feel. It was perfectly manicured with fountains and symmetrical layouts, and the roads were wide enough for carriages to pass through the gates. Consequently, there were relatively fewer flowers and trees.
In contrast, my garden was designed with the assumption that guests would walk from the gate. It featured sprawling lawns and rolling hills where Bell and Rin could play freely, giving it an atmosphere much closer to a natural park.
"...Kaori-san, since we're here, would you like to take a look around the garden?"
"Is that okay? I'd love to. With a garden this beautiful, I want to walk through the whole thing."
"Then let’s take a quick stroll."
Since Kaori-san seemed genuinely interested, we decided to circle the grounds together before heading inside.
The garden was vast, and walking the full perimeter was quite a trek. However, Nebula and Illness-san were incredibly meticulous about the aesthetics. Walking through it felt like sightseeing, admiring the beautiful flowers as we went.
Kaori-san seemed to be enjoying herself, occasionally stopping to admire the flowerbeds.
After we had been walking for a while, I spotted Bell and Rin a short distance away. Sera was nowhere to be seen, so she was probably in Sieg-san's room right now.
"O-Oh, those are the pets you’re so proud of, right? That Behemoth is... wow, he’s definitely got presence..."
"They're both great kids. Bell, Rin, come here!"
"Gau!"
"Kyui!"
Both Bell and Rin were clever. Seeing me with Kaori-san, they hadn't approached us initially to avoid being a nuisance, but as soon as I called out, they both bounded over happily.
"A Behemoth's magic power really is something else, isn't it? It's an amount of power you’d never see in a monster from the Human Realm... U-Um, is it okay to touch him? He won't bite, will he?"
"It's fine. Rin doesn't like anyone touching the area around her neck, but other than that, she has no problems. Bell is a bit more particular—he’s quite prideful. He tends to look a little displeased when someone with less magic power than him tries to pet him. There are exceptions, though."
"Ah, I’ve heard many high-ranking monsters are like that. Actually, since a White Dragon is also a high-ranking species, she should be pretty prideful too... well then, Rin-chan, can I pet you first?"
"Kyukui!"
Because I had taught Bell to behave, he wouldn't growl or bite, but he would look annoyed depending on the person. At first, I thought he just disliked people he hadn't bonded with, but it turned out he was judging based on magic power amounts. He had a tendency to dislike being touched by those with less magic power than him—essentially, those he considered weaker.
There were several exceptions, however. For instance, he didn't seem to mind Aoi-chan or Hina-chan petting him, likely because they had known each other for a while. If they asked to ride on his back, he would let them with an expression that seemed to say, "Good grief, I suppose I have no choice." It seemed magic power mostly affected his first impression.
Rin, on the other hand, was no trouble at all. Perhaps it was a quirk of being a dragon, but she refused to let anyone touch her Reverse Scale under her neck except for me, whom she recognized as her mate. Aside from that, she was perfectly happy to be petted.
Sure enough, as Kaori-san reached out and stroked her head, Rin looked incredibly content.
"She's so friendly and cute."
"It's likely because Rin used to be with the Wyvern Service. She's simply very used to people."
"I see... Well then, as for Bell-chan... Er, may I pet him too?"
"...Gau."
"Eh? Is this okay? My magic power is lower than Bell-chan's... but he doesn't look like he minds at all?"
"Actually, if he’s reacting like that, there’s no problem. You made a surprisingly good first impression... Ah, of course!"
When Kaori-san asked hesitantly, Bell let out a single bark and lowered his head slightly. It was a very favorable reaction—similar to how he responded to those with more magic power than him, or those he perceived as stronger.
In terms of pure magic power, Kaori-san was no match for Bell, who already possessed power exceeding that of an adult Behemoth... but then I realized that Kaori-san satisfied one of the exceptional conditions.
"I can't say for certain, but it seems he perceives anyone who has received certain True Blessings as being higher-ranked than himself."
"Ah, it’s because I have Olivia-sama’s blessing."
Exactly. Another exception was the True Blessing. While it wasn't officially confirmed, Bell was relatively quiet and obedient toward my mother and father, and he never looked displeased when they petted him.
I had suspected this was because they had received Fate-san’s True Blessing, and seeing his behavior toward Kaori-san today made me almost certain.
I wasn't sure if it was because of the nature of a True Blessing in general or because it was a Supreme God-class blessing, but for now, he seemed to recognize Kaori-san as a superior and was letting her pet him quietly.
"Wow! Incredible, his fur feels amazing. I’d heard about it, but I can really tell how obsessed you are, Kaito-kun."
"Hoh..."
Bell's coat was my pride and joy, of course. I had obsessed over it until it achieved the ultimate texture. However, the fact that Kaori-san noticed it with a single stroke meant she had an excellent eye for quality.
"I’m glad you noticed, Kaori-san. I’m actually quite particular about Bell's fur gloss. To give you the details..."
"Eh? Details? Ah, I have a feeling... I just made a huge mistake by asking that..."
"First, the fur in this specific area is a bit softer than the rest..."
Since she brought it up, I figured I’d explain my obsession in a bit more depth...
Serious-senpai: "Her affection levels will skyrocket, but she just stepped on one of the topics you should never bring up to Kaito: his pets. It was the same with the Okonomiyaki talk with Akane... Kaori really has a knack for inadvertently stepping on landmine topics, doesn't she?"
???: "Well, whenever that kind of subject comes up, his doting parent switch turns on instantly."