CH 302.2

A 15-centimeter-long dung beetle curled up on a bath towel on the floor. I said to him as I threw a peanut at him.

「That’s pretty amazing. I’m kinda surprised.」

From the looks of it, it will not be very strong. But still, a technique that can protect himself and his surroundings is a very reliable one.

General Dangorou is pleased with the praise. It was fine up to this point.

Even Imosuke, the vice-commander, was proud of the high praise from his comrades.

「Huh? The fruits that grow in the garden forest are safe from anything that might fall on them, you say?」

The dung beetle turned back and replies, 『Easy Peasy』. He is clearly getting carried away.

(This is bad…)

My hunch was right, and Imosuke took this as a challenge. He immediately demanded a few days to prepare, which led us to this morning.

「This one huh…」

Me standing in front of the medicinal tree, leaked a sigh. There is a Dangorou at my feet and Zaratan on the shore nearby, looking up at a single spot.

The one item Imosuke has prepared is the summer fruit watermelon.

The vine had sprouted from the base of the herb tree and crawled up the trunk, wrapping around a branch as tall as my chest and bearing only one fruit.

It was so large that I even had to hold it with both hands. It’s making the branch of the medicinal bend.

「How did you manage to grow it this large in such a short period of time?」

This time, he’s not even asking for potions to assist the growth. It was completely due to Imosuke’s ability.

The 20-centimeter-long caterpillar on the branch where the watermelon is growing emits a wave of satisfaction at having elicited a surprising response from me.

『I collected it』

He said that he made the nourishment from other places go to this fruit. The turtle, looking forward to the pomelo, is upset, but the explanation after that made me breathe out a big sigh of relief.

Looks like the growth of the eggplants and cucumbers, which were just about to be harvested, was delayed.

「Hey, why don’t you just apologize and end it here? As expected it’s impossible with something that big.」

A huge green sphere with a black vertical stripe pattern swayed far above us. The dung beetle backed away for a bit at the sight of the majestic fruit but then shook itself from side to side at my words.

Then, he moved forward and went directly under me, curling himself up to show his will to fight.

(What should I do about this…)

I glanced over at Imosuke, who was sending a spirited wave at me, asking me for a signal. He seems to be planning to drop the watermelon in time with the countdown.

I shrug my shoulders, scratch my head with my fingers, and sighed. Then I raise my hand and declare.

「Alright, I’m starting the countdown. Three, Two, One.」

As soon as I swung down my hand, the round black-green demon detached and began to accelerate as it fell, and the caterpillar desperately clung to the bouncing branch.

Meanwhile, the defense magic user who senses the shadow of the watermelon, which rapidly grows larger and darker, immediately activates his magic――

――or not, and rolled away without a fight.

「…As expected, that’s a safer thing to do.」

The watermelon fell and shook the ground. I don’t know whether it’s because the ground was soft or the watermelon was too tough that it did not break.

The dung beetle, which had rolled to the edge of the pond, was stopped by the turtle, which swam to the shore and stopped him with his shell.

Then, when it returned from its rounded state, it looked up at Imosuke and said,

『It’s my loss』

Lifting the front half of his body, the caterpillar swings its head in a single vertical motion.

『I won!』

Looks like the match is settled with this.

Imosuke came down through the ivy and Dangorou crawled up to the watermelon. It seems that they are not at all on bad terms with each other, as they immediately started to play together without any tension.

Zaratan did not show any signs of concern from the beginning, so he must have expected this to happen. I can feel the difference in life experience.

「Well, I’m glad it all worked out in the end.」

I was talking to myself as I watched the two of them trying to push the watermelon together and failing. I looked at the turtle, and he was squinting his eyes just like me.

(Looks like it’s better not to ask now.)

When we were at the Eastern Lake and I showed the Old Lady to the turtle, he said, 『There is something I want to talk to you about, someday』.

Since he has never brought it up since then, I guess now is not that 『someday』.

While I was thinking about this, a wave arrived from the turtle.

『Master, do you have any intention to go on a journey?』

I was wondering what he was talking about so suddenly, but it turns out that Zaratan once traveled around the world with his former master. It was quite an interesting experience according to him, and he wants Imosuke and Dangorou to enjoy the same experience as well.

「Well, they’re the manager and vice-manager of the medicinal tree, after all, so…」

When I pointed out that I couldn’t take them outside, he said it would be fine because he would take care of the tree in their stead.

(Well, certainly, if it’s Zaratan, everything might be just fine.)

He might look like a turtle, but he’s actually a great spirit beast who knows the World Tree and the Magi Charter. There is no one more dependable than him.

As I was thinking while stroking my chin, Zaratan continued to speak.

『Besides, there’s something I need the seniors to find for me.』

When I ask him to explain in detail, it is not a thing, but a place. When it is eventually officially replaced with the World Tree, the Garden Forest will become a Spirit Forest.

While there is a possibility that other World Trees will be born, there will still be a limited number of them. He thinks that if spirit beasts and magic beasts gather here, it will become too cramped.

「So you mean you want us to find a place to move to in advance, huh? But we can’t easily take medicinal tree and pond with us, can we?」

Dangorou plowed the land, Imosuke sowed the seeds, and the two have been nurturing the forest together. The pond, too, was a work of art that Zaratan had created by carrying shellfish to the pond.

The turtle, however, looks at me with confidence.

『If you eat that fruit, you will be strong.』

If that happens, he said, it would be possible to transfer the whole thing. At the end of his gaze was the still-small but ripe pomelo fruit.

(If Zaratan said that it’s possible, then it must be okay. The problem is me.)

Although I’ve been living a carefree life, I have the position of 『The pilot of the merchant guild’s Knight』. An extended leave of absence without a replacement would cause my employer a great deal of trouble.

Rather than a sense of responsibility, I’m more concerned about not bothering the guild master and the others, whom I love.

(There’s also the problem of the means of transportation for the journey)

I wish I could use Old Lady, but in all likelihood, I can’t. Meanwhile, I also can’t take the spirit beasts with me in a golem carriage.

It would be torture for them to ride for a whole day without talking to each other, hiding in their cloaks.

(Then the only solution is to rent a golem carriage privately, and I’ll be the coachman huh.)

In my mind, I could imagine “Tauro Carriage” carrying a potted medicinal tree and other plants on the back of the cart.

In this world, adventurers are necessary to escort people outside of the highway of the Kingdom. But they looked very unreliable.

(And Zaratan can’t go with us.)

Transfer magic is great for traveling, but once outside the Garden Forest, he will reverts back to his 200-meter size. More importantly, the turtle is the only one who is capable of looking after the house alone.

「I would like to go, but not right away. I’ll see if I can figure something out.」

Zaratan nods in reply. Fortunately, it does not seem to be something to hurry. I turned my attention back to the two animals and saw that they were both climbing onto the watermelon.

They seem to have given up on rolling it.

『I’ll give it to you.』

『Tasty!』

My familiars noticed my gaze and sent waves at me. I guess they wanted to say, 『Take the watermelon in the living room and eat it after cooling it down .』

Since Zaratan and I were the only ones who could eat it, we gratefully accepted it.

「Now then, I wonder what should I do this afternoon?」

I lift up the watermelon with Imosuke and Dangorou on top. It is heavier than it looks, and my expectations for the taste are rising.

Summer is in full swing. A cold watermelon must be delicious.

(I can show my face in the merchant guild, and having magical girls fight after a long time is not a bad idea either.)

While exploring a brothel I have yet to visit, I could stop at the compensated dating coffee shop on the way and enjoy a conversation with the aunty.

(Oh right, there’s also Corneal. He went to the Eastern Country, but looks like he was called back without staying a night.)

I remembered the carefree smile of my best friend, the slightly unattractive, macho young man. I would like to ask him what happened, but judging from the situation, he is definitely busy.

(I guess it will be a while before the two of us can do another 『Adult Gourmet Club』 activities.)

However, it would be necessary to gather information on brothels for that occasion.

(Good grief. Looks like I will still get busy even though the matter with the Spirit Cannon is settled.)

I was thinking about how to spend meaningful time while basking under the strong sunlight.