CH 32

“Duty calls.”

Says Sieglinde, who is wearing her uniform from the ministry of magic. The steam from the hot coffees is rising and swaying between us, and hides her face a bit.

“So it’s finally time.”

I take a sip of coffee, and a high quality bitter taste fills my mouth.

“Tell me more.”

Sieglinde, who has climbed to the position of assistant to the chief of the ministry of magic at a young age, has all sorts of problems. And draws a lot of envy.

Harassment related to that is all too common, and Sieglinde has a private army that’s supposed to deal with problems that arise from that front, but there are things even they can’t do.

Like defeating a crystal dragon.

I told her I’d help her with work, but her personality means she wouldn’t come to me with just any little thing. If she’s calling out to me, that means she’s doing it with a problem to match.

She actually looks a little more tired than usual.

She opens her mouth, but then rethinks what she was going to say and closes it. This happens a few more times.

Is it something that’s hard to talk about in a cafe? Or is it something that’s hard to put into words?

“Hum… Do you know ‘the fluffiest being in the world’…?”

“…What?”

The fluffiest… Being in the world…?

◆

“I see. You got some trouble pushed on you.”

I sympathize with Sieglinde after hearing her explanation.

Basically… The daughter of a distinguished family that has made many contributions to the ministry of magic is going to be starting magic school soon, and her father wanted the highest quality magic items from a high-class brand.

But when the daughter actually saw the robes, she complained about their design and said she wanted a ‘fluffy robe’.

And so, the father went to the ministry of magic and ordered them to make the best robe possible for his daughter. And then the ministry of magic pushed this problem onto Sieglinde.

“When did the ministry of magic turn into a general store?”

“Don’t ask me. But I can’t say no either.”

Sieglinde says with a dry smile. I get why she’d want to throw this at me.

“Fluffy…”

Like a monster all covered in fur?

I don’t know what’s the fluffiest in the world, but I have something in mind, and I can go get its materials, but…

“I know a fluffy monster, but… To be honest, its materials are third rate. They have no magic resistance and would go up in a second if fire magic hit them.”

It’s basically just fur. And if you’re going to make a robe, you need something with good magic protection.

“That’s fine. That man has no intention of exposing his daughter to danger anyway. She’s going to receive special treatment in magic school too.”

“…Rich folk do things differently…”

For a second there I started thinking about how someone annoying was going to be in the same year as Ririi… But I’m sure that’s not going to be a problem unless they’re in the same class. And since magic school has a lot of classes, the probability is slim.

“…I’ll go hunt it then. You’re in a hurry, right? The entrance ceremony is in two weeks.”

“Yes… Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. I was the one who proposed this in the first place.”

If it’s troubling Sieglinde, I don’t mind helping at all. Even if I didn’t promise to help her.

I drink the rest of my coffee, and leave the cafe.

◆

“Ririh’s going too!”

“Eh?”

Ririi started getting ready the moment I told her I was going out. She got dressed really quickly, and now she’s standing in front of me.

“Ririh wants pancakes!”

“I’m not going to eat pancakes today. I’m going outside the city.”

“Adventure?”

Now her eyes are shining even more. Is a girl her age more interested in adventures than pancakes…?

“Well… I guess you could call it that.”

Today’s target is called angel bear, and they live within the borders of the empire.

It’s not within walking distance, but I should reach their territory in about an hour with Miss Esmeralda’s modified magic vehicle.

“Are there bouncies?”

“Bouncies… I don’t know, maybe.”

Slime are everywhere, so I guess they’re there too.

“Yay! Let’s go daddy!”

Ririi starts pulling my hand and trying to take me outside.

All of a sudden it’s looking like Ririi is also coming, but is this really all right? Angel bears are mild-mannered and don’t attack people, but I’m going there to get materials. That means I’m going to have to attack them.

Ririi has never seen something like that, and I don’t want her to see it. I’m sure it’s going to be shocking for her.

“…All right, all right. Stop pulling my hand.”

Well, I can just finish it in a second when Ririi isn’t looking. Angel bears are cute monsters, and I’m sure Ririi will like them.

I’m also looking forward to seeing her looking at them.