Just as I was feeling somewhat embarrassed, I heard a knock from beyond the door.
"Lord Isar has arrived."
At those words, Carcel seemed to come to his senses belatedly. After a brief silence, he answered.
“Take him here.”
And so, I soon completed the contract with Isar, who had come to the Marquis's mansion.
"Please take good care of Asha."
Carcel gestured to Isar.
Then Isar casually swept his long hair back and just nodded once.
"Now, hurry up and leave. I'm busy."
"Okay."
Even though he was told to leave, Carcel nodded without getting upset.
Then he strode over to me and looked down at me.
"Asha. Have a safe trip."
“Carcel too.”
“I will miss you.”
I smiled awkwardly as I watched him say that even though we were only apart for a short while, he would seriously miss me.
Looking into his eyes, which could not take their gaze off me, I also nodded.
"I... I will miss you too. His Imperial Majesty is waiting. Let's go."
As Carcel openly showed that he couldn't bring himself to leave despite my urging him to go, Isar suddenly strode over.
Then, he suddenly kicked Carcel's leg.
Carcel could have easily avoided it, but instead of avoiding it, he willingly took the hit.
This time, Isar issued an order to expel the guests.
"Go away quickly; stop making a fuss."
"Don't you dare teleport recklessly like last time. Unlike you, don't forget that Asha is a noblewoman."
"Understood. I will take good care of your lady, so go."
Only then did Carcel reluctantly take a step and leave the room.
I waved my hand at him.
Suddenly, I felt Isar's gaze.
"...Shall we go, Madam?"
"Could you please stop calling me a lady in such a sarcastic tone?"
He was desperate to tease me.
Isar was a strange man who, despite his foul mouth and loud voice, did not feel very threatening.
"Take hold of me, Madam."
“I can’t survive.”
This time, his tone wasn't sarcastic, but I could sense he was trying to tease me, so I grabbed the arm Isar offered and shook my head.
Unexpectedly, Isar's arm was solid, though not as strong as Carcel's.
And soon, along with a blue light, the scenery that came into view in an instant had changed.
Unlike the last time I visited, the path leading to the mine was already well-paved.
On top of that, even people were moving around busily
"That is a precious magical artifact, so you must not use it carelessly!"
"Hey, come here and carry the materials!"
Various materials were piled up on every cart, and the workers were busy doing their own work.
"Wow! Wait, when did you prepare all of this?"
"I had some workers arbitrarily clear a path for the equipment to enter yesterday. Is that okay?"
"Of course, I intended to do this, but after doing it all, you're asking if I'm okay."
When I subtly gave him a look, Isar spoke to me firmly.
"If I wait for your pace, it will take at least a year to see results."
It's taking longer than I expected.
"Then, at the current pace, Isar is proceeding?"
"A month."
"Yes?!"
How can a year be reduced to a month?
Isar boasted triumphantly.
"It will take a month at the latest, but since I have accurately identified all the ore veins, the results should be available within two weeks at the earliest."
"That fast? I thought it would take at least six months."
"6 months?! Do you have any conscience?"
He was indignant, perhaps agitated, at the thought of having to starve Apricot for as long as six months.
"Anyway, I am grateful that the timeframe has been shortened so much thanks to Apricot. It means I can see a profit sooner."
"Alright, today just get a brief explanation from the general manager about the overall process, and then you go back."
At those words, wondering if I had nothing else to do, I asked awkwardly.
“Is there anything I can do?”
"If a boss who gets even the most basic questions wrong interferes with the employees' work, isn't that just when things start to go wrong?"
I nodded with a stiff face and understood.
"You're right. I don't know anything, so acting all cocky will only make things more difficult."
"Yeah, just be the face of the sales. For mining and refining, it's me or the general manager, Rufus, who handles it better than you. Because I know better."
"At least I think I can handle the promotion and planning."
Isar led me, who was carelessly grabbing his forearm, toward the people.
I made an impression by hurriedly handing out the snacks I had received from the kitchen to people one by one.
“Whew.”
It was only after I had finally finished saying goodbye to everyone that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"That's all for today. You can go back now, but... do you have another appointment later?"
"My mother-in-law is looking after Linea for now, but I have to go and take care of Linea today."
"Then, well, I guess you won't have time?"
"Hmm?"
I tilted my head at him, who spoke as if there was somewhere we could go together, even though he was speaking indirectly.
"That's enough. Go home. I'll let you go right now."
“No, wait!”
I spread my palm wide open and asked Isar.
"By any chance, are you trying to show me Apricot?"
"What...?"
As if feeling awkward, Isar wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and avoided my gaze.
"Because nobody knows about Apricot. But you know, I don't know how you know."
It was a look on his face that seemed to be saying, "Isn't my little one cute?"
After all, his child is pretty, but since it is a monster, he has nowhere to show it off, so it seemed like he wanted to show it to someone who knew the inside story.
'Anyway, Carcel won't be at home, right?'
I made a suggestion while looking at Isar.
"Hmm, then I'd like to go if I can take Linea with me."
Originally, the flow was for Linea and Apricot to become close.
When I suggested that, Isar's expression actually brightened.
"...Even so, Apricot is a sweetie, so he plays well with the child."
"Alright. Then let's go to the Marquis's mansion for a moment and take Linea to see Apricot. Is there anything else Apricot likes?"
Isar answered my question.
"He's still a baby. He likes toys and people."
"Then I should bring some toys from home. Has the child met anyone else by any chance?"
"He has met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince before."
So, Isar and Lucian already had a connection from this time.
I headed back to the Marquis's mansion, and while my mother-in-law was out for a moment, I left a note and teleported again with Linea.
And then, the blue light of the teleport disappeared.
"Um, what is that?"
What appeared before Linea and me was a bird the size of a puppy.
Isar replied to me in disbelief, as I was surprised to see that it looked round like a glass parrot but was the size of a large dog.
"Can't you tell by looking? It's Apricot."
"No, more importantly, you didn't say it was such a fat—no, big bird."
So, rather than simply being large, an apricot-colored bird resembling a plump ball with its feathers puffed up was looking at us with a tilt of its head.
The gentle black eyes held a slight curiosity toward strangers.
And at my words, Isar immediately got angry.
"What?! My kid is so tiny! Where is he fat!"
"Mr. Isar. That's a disease. My little one's small disease."
"No, Apricot is really small. Look at this."
Linea seemed scared of the huge bird, so she hid behind me and clutched the hem of her skirt tightly.
In the midst of this, Isar, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, held up the bird, filling his arms.
"With these fluffy feathers, a round body, and even pretty eyes. And a glossy pink beak too—isn't it cute?"
Apricot, held up proudly, looked like an ordinary, cute bird on the outside.
It is a bird with a luscious body that is just a bit too fat—no, just plump.
I asked cautiously.
"But this one is a monster, right?"
"Not all monsters are evil to begin with. When people think of monsters, they think of things like orcs or wyverns. I just think of it."
Unlike those monsters with fierce and disgusting appearances, Apricot's eyes that Isar held out were smooth and gentle.
"Look at this one. How gentle is it?"
“Can I touch it?”
"Touch it. My kid doesn't bite."
At those words, my hand reached for Apricot but paused.
"It's not biting, so it's not tearing people apart, right?"
"Look at this innocent and harmless face! Your face is much more menacing!"
"I understand. If Linea wants to touch it, I have to check first."
I could feel Linea was extremely nervous, as she wasn't yet immune to new things.
And I reached out my hand toward Apricot ahead of Linea.
It was then.
"Kaaak!"
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