Morning came, and after thanking Chris-san profusely for her hospitality, Alice and I finally took our leave of the royal castle.
Chris-san had told us we were welcome to stay as long as we liked, but... ever since the events of last night, I’d felt a bit restless, sensing she was trying to win me over with her feminine charms. In fact, she’d even said something nonsensical this morning about whether I’d like to join her in the bath. My self-control felt like it was hanging by a thread, so after finishing a quick breakfast, I decided it was best to head home immediately.
After parting ways with Alice in the royal capital, I was on my way back to Lilia-san’s mansion with Bell in tow when it suddenly hit me.
Come to think of it, I was bringing Bell home... and Lilia-san was scary. Terribly scary.
The only thing I could do was explain with the utmost sincerity that I would take full responsibility for looking after Bell, but... yeah. What was this feeling? Was I a child returning home with a stray cat, terrified of being scolded by his parents?
Regardless, I just had to steel my resolve. I should probably be prepared to get hit a couple of times... Given Lilia-san’s strength, I just hoped my neck wouldn't snap.
"Gru?"
"It’s nothing. Let’s go, Bell."
"Gau!"
Perhaps sensing my distress, Bell looked up at me with concern, so I gave her a reassuring smile and a pat.
Alright, time to face the music.
Upon returning to the mansion, I found my target almost immediately—Lilia-san was there.
She was standing in front of the entrance, leaning heavily on Lunamaria-san’s shoulder and looking completely drained.
"Come now, Milady. Please, get some fresh air."
"Ugh..."
"This is what happens when you drink several bottles of wine despite being so weak to alcohol that a single glass makes you turn bright red."
"But... Kaito-san is..."
"...Um..."
""Eh?""
It seemed Lilia-san was suffering from a massive hangover; she looked like she was truly at death's door.
It felt awkward to just stand there watching, so I spoke up. Both Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san looked surprised for a moment before instantly snapping into a formal, upright posture to save face.
"K-Kaito-san!? W-When did you get back?"
"J-Just now..."
"I-I see... I-It's not as if I usually drink that much, you know. This was really just a rare occurrence..."
"Ah, right."
Lilia-san explained herself in a panicked, blushing state, clearly mortified that I’d seen her in such a state.
I had no intention of prying into the matter, so I simply gave her a nod of acknowledgment.
"In any case, welcome home, Kaito-san... It sounds like... things were... quite... eventful...?"
"Ah, well..."
"...Luna, it seems I’ve finally lost my mind. I'm seeing a hallucination of a Behemoth."
"Regrettably, I see it too."
Mid-sentence, Lilia-san’s gaze became fixed on Bell standing behind me. After a long silence, she suddenly rushed in front of me with startling speed.
"Kaito-san! Get back, it's dangerous!"
"Grrrrrrr..."
"Hey! Bell, don't growl!"
"Gau."
"Luna, my sword... Huh?"
Sensing Lilia-san’s intense hostility, Bell had let out a low growl, thinking she was an enemy, so I scolded her a bit firmly.
Bell immediately stopped growling and gave a submissive nod. Since she listened so well, I reached out and gently stroked her head.
"There, good girl, good girl."
"Gau!"
"...Luna, I think I'm done for. I've started hallucinating a Behemoth being tamed by Kaito-san."
"It is a cruel thing to say, but this is reality."
"..."
"Miyama-sama really is something else... To think he’d even win over a legendary magic beast..."
As she watched me pet Bell, I could see Lilia-san’s eyes slowly glaze over... This was seriously getting scary.
"...Kaito-san, that Behemoth... what is it doing here?"
"Erm, I bought it."
"Bought it? Ah, now that you mention it, I’ve heard the Arclesia Empire has deep ties with the Dragon King and puts effort into raising High-ranking Monsters. But to think they’d have a Behemoth... How much did it cost?"
"Well... it was 280 Platinum Coins, so 28,000,000R."
"...What?"
In Japanese yen, that was 2.8 billion yen. Looking back on it, I really had made an insane purchase.
Upon hearing the price, Lilia-san’s eyes went wide as she froze. Then, she frantically began to interrogate me.
"...W-Wait just a minute! 28,000,000R? Where on earth did you get that much money!?"
"Ah, about that..."
"You didn't obtain it through illegal means, did you!? Kaito-san! What is the meaning of this!? Explain yourself!!"
"Gueh!? L-Lilia-san, I-I can't breathe..."
"I don't recall raising you to be this kind of man!!"
"I don't recall being raised by you either!? A-Anyway, please calm down! I’ll explain everything from the start!!"
Lilia-san was clearly losing it; she grabbed me by the collar and shook me violently, actually lifting my feet off the ground.
To think she could lift someone my size... Lilia-san’s physical strength was truly frightening. The women of this world are terrifying, especially in terms of combat power.
Eventually, my desperate pleas worked, and Lilia-san finally calmed down enough to let go of my collar.
While I was planning to explain the details inside, I wondered what to do with Bell. It was then I noticed Sieg-san standing in front of Bell, staring at her intently.
"Gru?"
"Bell, Sieg-san is someone who has looked after me a lot, so you have to be on your best behavior."
"Gau!"
"..."
Sieg-san continued to stare at Bell for a moment before reaching out a hand, looking as though she had made a major decision.
Bell seemed to be taking my words to heart; she didn't shy away from Sieg-san's hand and let herself be petted quietly.
It was then I noticed that Sieg-san’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and she wore a very joyful, almost childlike smile.
I wasn't the only one who found this unusual; Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san were also watching her with puzzled expressions.
Sensing our gazes, Sieg-san pulled a pen and paper from her pocket and showed us what she’d written.
[...She is incredibly cute. Kaito-san, you have wonderful taste.]
"...Y-Yes, thank you."
It seemed she was simply enamored by Bell’s cuteness. Sieg-san immediately went back to stroking Bell’s fur with a blissful smile.
"...Um, Lunamaria-san."
"Yes?"
"Does Sieg-san seem a bit... different than usual?"
"...Sieg has always been a massive animal lover. If you let her, she’ll spend an entire day happily stroking anything fluffy."
"I-I see... even if it's technically a monster?"
"As long as it looks like an animal, she doesn't seem to mind."
Just as Lunamaria-san said, Sieg-san really did love animals. Her usual calm, mature aura had vanished, replaced by the innocent delight of a young girl.
Seeing that rare expression was truly charming, and it made me realize once again what a lovely woman Sieg-san was.
Dear Mother, Father—I’ve managed to make it back to Lilia-san’s mansion, but I have a feeling the real trouble is only just beginning. That aside, it turns out that Sieg-san—really loves animals.
On a small hill with a panoramic view of the capital of the Kingdom of Sinfonia, several figures descended.
"Good grief, there are far too many hot-blooded youngsters these days... I could have handled this alone."
"No, there is no need to trouble Bacchus-sama with such things. We shall..."
The speaker, Bacchus, was a man clad in heavy armor with a long beard, carrying the aura of a veteran soldier. One of the other three demons knelt as he replied.
"Hmph. Well, it is fine to be eager for merit... but make absolutely sure you do not misinterpret Megiddo-sama’s will."
"""Yes!"""
"Now then, first... let us find an inn."
"Eh? We aren't going in immediately?"
"Now, now, don't rush an old man. If we make a move before the Phantasm King’s subordinates deploy their barrier, the Death King-sama will surely detect us. Do not be in such a hurry."
Bacchus gave a wry smile to the demon who wanted to rush toward their goal, explaining that the time was not yet right as he began to walk slowly toward the royal capital.
"Now then, Miyama Kaito... let us see if we can measure your true value..."