Chapter 163 A Long Time Coming
We just finished chatting with the dog-people from Wareels and zipped back home.
Good grief, Mother was in such a good mood, I'd think she won the lottery or something. She must've felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. The Great Trout shortage isn't over yet, but she was beaming, saying, "Next year, we'll feast without holding back!"
"Hey, Maya-chan."
"What's up, brother?"
"You're totally a cat person, aren't you, Maya-chan?"
"You got that right!"
Maya-chan answered without missing a beat, even as she was fluffing the tail of Diemirena-san, her cat-people maid, who was making tea next to us. Diemirena-san kept her cool and carried on with her work, even while being fluffed. I gotta say, just like Jam-san and Mother, she's pretty amazing.
"Well, it seemed like you weren't really into the dog-people's tails."
If I've seen how Maya-chan pets everyone, like Jam-san, I'd get it. But while the dog-people were getting treated, even though she should've seen their tails wagging from surprise or joy or something, she didn't seem to be watching them at all.
"Oh, is that why?"
"Huh?"
"You were kinda normal to Kumei-san at the Watterhill Guild too."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not too interested in dogs, and things with Rosalier-san felt kinda tense."
"Oh, that too, huh. Yeah, they don't really click――"
"Goshujin-sama, may I pour you some more tea?"
"Sure thing. Thank you."
I was totally shocked. Before I knew it, Rosalier-san was there. And over there, Her Majesty Queen Myla-san was giggling. Did I do something wrong?
"Ahaha. Anyway, big brother, there's this deep and tricky space between dog people and cat people. It's like a special kind of math problem!"
I heard something strange.
"Don't act all proud while petting! Rena-san has it tough too."
"No, I'm used to it."
She looks as calm as Jam-san, just like a pro. I guess she really is two years older than me.
Cat-people, Tigerman, and Black Forest Human seem to live a long time. So, if you count it like age, maybe she's as young as Maya-chan or even younger.
* * *
That evening, Jam-san had dinner with us at Mother's house. That's because there's a report coming up. He finally finished writing the report in the evening, so we're having dinner together now.
"Wow, this is like, addictively delicious..."
Jam-san was totally blown away by the special mayo sauce Rosalier-san made.
"So big brother, you started making this and Rosalier-san finished it off, huh?"
"Cut it out, will you? It's not like I gave birth to it or something!"
"Anyway, it was super duper yummy!"
"No problem, I'm happy to help!"
Rosalier-san, who was standing behind me, didn't seem too upset about the compliments.
For dinner tonight, the main dish was something Maya-chan and I were craving - Great Trout with a delicious mayo sauce.
It was kind of a celebration for our next big plan, or maybe just to pump us up. We had a huge piece, like 50cm (1,64ft) long, and everyone got their own. Maya-chan and I shared ours because it was just too big. Mother was like, 'It's okay once in a while,' and let us have it.
And there was Jam-san, chowing down on bread with his Great Trout. I mean, even Tigermen eat bread, huh?
Just meat isn't enough for Jam-san's big body. In terms of calories, he has to eat grains... and since he's a feline, he doesn't have to eat oil.
Maya-chan and I are totally stuffed. Mother seems really happy too. I wonder if Jam-san eats less because of his body size? Is that enough food for him? I know Maya-chan and I aren't exactly polite eaters, but we just couldn't leave a single drop of that mayo sauce, so we wiped it up with bread and ate it all. Anyway...
"So, first things first, it looks like Geneus-shi is definitely a baron."
It was tea time after the meal. After enjoying the aroma of his tea, Jam-san started to report as if he just remembered something.
"Hmm."
"Breas, Reedus, Mekuas, those three."
Jam-san didn't add '-shi' to their names. So that means...
"They must be vassals of Geneus-shi."
I think it was Baron Greasee, wasn't it? If they're vassals of a baron, does that make them knights? Or just regular vassals? I'm not sure, but...
"Hoho."
"Geneus-shi is what we call a bureaucrat. He usually oversees immigration control."
"What's immigration?"
"Jam-san, Jam-san, is immigration control like being a gatekeeper? And overseeing means like being the boss?"
"So, it's like nobility?"
"Yes, just as Maya-sama said."
"Really?"
"Really?"
It seems Maya-chan was just trying to sound impressive; she's genuinely surprised. I am too.
Managing guards. It sounds like a bureaucrat's job, but it feels more like a lower-level job than a clerk.
"They take turns during the day to handle immigration checks with those three."
"So, Jam-san, it's like being a gatekeeper. Is that a noble's job?"
"In Ensgard, it falls under the military's jurisdiction."
"I see, Maya couldn't see them as soldiers."
"Right, Maya-sama. They look more like bureaucrats with slim builds."
"Yeah, I thought they were doing office work."
"So, Jamlabel-kun."
"Yes, yes."
Mother asked a question. Even though we were just eating dinner together, when it's time to report, it gets kinda serious, huh?
"Do they consider dealing with the Great Trout as out of their jurisdiction?"
"Probably. It doesn't seem like they do that kind of scout mission usually."
"Really? No matter how much they know about Ensgard's moves, being used to a job doesn't mean you can slack off. That outfit doesn't look scout-like at all."
"Yeah. That's not the gear for rough stuff. Doesn't look like something an adventurer would wear either."
"Exactly right."
Even Jam-san seems amazed. But I get it.
"So, in the end, neither the Wolf-Human tribe nor the Dog-People tribe..."
"Yes?"
"They weren't catching Great Trout to eat, were they?"
"That's right. It seems they were after magic stones. And of course, that burnt smell of the Great Trout was because they were disposing of them. Such a waste..."
"Ah, totally..."
Jam-san and Mother are seriously ticked off. Well, messing with someone's food is a surefire way to hold a grudge.
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