Chapter 64: Presenting the Flower Nectar
Milene-sama’s reply came surprisingly quickly. However, instead of just giving me the Identification of an official purveyor directly under the Queen, the condition was that I had to bring my Tamed wolves and Mii-chan to the Royal Castle for an appearance.
At that time, I would present the Flower Nectar to the Queen, and it seemed I would be granted a bag of Gold Coins per Medium Bottle.
I see. So the Flower Nectar is a tribute, not a commodity. This is a way to make it impossible for nobles or wealthy merchants to take it from me.
And to allow me to move freely within the kingdom under the pretext of collecting Flower Nectar… it seems the Queen has a wise aide.
I agreed to those conditions, received the Identification, and rode in her Ladyship’s carriage towards the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
After leaving the Royal Capital through the nobles’ exclusive passage, I had them drive south along the Tanzas Highway.
Seeing Hoo-chan and the others respond to my call and run towards the carriage, the coachman and escorting knights tensed up, but I got out of the carriage, greeted them, and patted their heads.
“So these are Forest Wolves? They’re quite big, aren’t they?”
“Well, even Adventurers aren’t happy to encounter a pack of these.”
I put the medals indicating they were Tamed around Hoo-chan and the others’ necks, ordered them to follow behind the carriage, and we headed back to the Royal Capital.
It looked like there might be some trouble at the Royal Capital’s entrance, but when I was told to show my Identification and presented it, they gave a crisp salute and let me pass.
It had the power of an inrō.
That day, I stayed at the Moran Trading Company, and the next day, I accompanied Milene-sama to the Royal Castle. That damn old man’s scowl was even more pronounced, which was amusing.
The Identification I possess is something that damn old man, with his Viscount status, can’t interfere with, so he seemed to be in a bad mood.
A carriage accompanied by Forest Wolves was a rare sight, drawing the attention of passersby. This didn’t change even after we arrived at the Royal Castle. When the carriage proceeded deep into the castle grounds and stopped, what I saw was a mansion with a forest behind it.
Following Milene-sama, I disembarked from the carriage, bringing Mii-chan, who had returned to her original size, and Hoo-chan and the others. We followed Milene-sama, led by an attendant.
I hesitated at the mansion’s entrance, but I was told to bring them, so we went inside together. After passing through a corridor that seemed to be the embodiment of splendor, we were ushered into a room, where Hoo-chan and the others were told to wait.
When a door in the wall of the room where I had Hoo-chan and the others sit opened, the adjacent room was spacious and luxurious, with numerous knights standing at attention along the walls.
The room resembled a salon, furnished with elegant sofas and stylish tables.
Milene-sama advanced, curtsied, and greeted a woman sitting on the sofa in front of her. As for me, I knelt behind her like an attendant and lowered my head.
It’s a pain, but I’ll endure it, thinking of it as a formality that comes with the Identification.
From the content of the greeting, it seemed she was undoubtedly the Queen, but she was outside my range of interest, so my mind was elsewhere.
Since there was a forest behind the mansion, I called out to see if Bee-chan and the others were around, and I got a reply.
I didn’t get a response when I called out in the Royal Capital’s streets, but if there’s a forest, it means Killer Bees are here too.
“Shinya… Shinya, are you listening?”
“Yes, Milene-sama… Is there something you need?”
“Place the Flower Nectar for presentation on the prepared wagon.”
What she indicated with her eyes was a wagon prepared beside Milene-sama.
I was so preoccupied with Bee-chan and the others that I’d forgotten where I was.
When I took three Medium Bottles of Flower Nectar from my Magic Pouch and placed them on the wagon, a woman who seemed to be an Appraisal User observed them carefully.
“It is the same Nectar as the other day, according to the appraisal results.”
After she respectfully reported and withdrew with the wagon, the Queen expressed to Milene-sama her desire to see the Tamed Beasts.
Is that why she had us bring them to the next room?
Forest Wolves are rare enough to draw a crowd even in the city, so are they even rarer deep within the Royal Castle?
We moved to the adjacent room, but the atmosphere was tense, with knights drawing their swords and forming a guard around the Queen.
It wasn’t an atmosphere where I could make a lighthearted remark like, “They won’t bite, you know.”
“Splendid wolves, indeed. I hear you have received the Divine Protection of the Tamer God?”
Huh? Is she asking me? I wondered if answering directly would be bad and looked at Milene-sama, who nodded, so I replied, “Yes, thanks to that Divine Protection, I was able to Tame them.”
“What about the Killer Bees I hear serve as your escorts?”
“I believe they are also in the vicinity of this mansion.”
“What do you think?”
Hmm? The voice came from a different direction.
Glancing upwards, I saw a man kneeling beside a knight with a drawn sword, looking at Hoo-chan and the others.
“He certainly seems to be an excellent Tamer, but…”
“What is it? Speak.”
“Yes! I, too, have received the Divine Protection of the Tamer God, but controlling Bees is impossible. I hear that man’s ability as a Tamer is the lowest, a mere 1. It is already a miracle that he has Tamed two Forest Wolves with the Tamer God’s Divine Protection.”
“Lilianju-sama, may I?”
“You may.”
“Shinya, are they here?”
“There seem to be several people here who are hostile towards me, so if I call them, they will come, but…”
“It should be fine as long as we don’t open the windows, right?”
“If all the windows and doors are kept shut, probably.”
“Milene-sama, what are you planning to do?!”
“Lilianju-sama expressed her desire to see them. It seems he can call the Bees.”
Milene-sama replied with a bright smile, facing the group of women waiting behind the Queen.
The Queen was smiling as she watched this. It seemed the Queen also didn’t think too highly of her entourage. But if they drag me into this, I’ll unleash the King’s Pressure on them.
After confirming that all doors and windows were closed by the Queen’s order, I was commanded, “Shinya, call forth the Bees.”
She says it so casually. Given that there are knights, ladies, and that Tamer fellow here who resent me, there shouldn’t be any problem.
《Bee-chans, if you can hear me, come on over. But absolutely no stinging, okay?》
《Master is calling!》
《Master, did you call for us~?》
《Where, where are you, Master?》
《Here we go~!》
The expression of the knight standing by the window changed, so I guess he heard Bee-chan’s buzzing.
I could faintly hear the buzzing of several Bee-chans flying past outside that window.
“Lilianju-sama, it seems they are gathering.”
《Found Master!》
《There he is~, it’s Master!》
《Master, did you call for us~?》
As the Bee-chans who had flown past the window turned back, other Bee-chans also gathered one after another, clinging to the window.
In an instant, a huge swarm of Killer Bees completely covered the window, and a deep, low buzzing sound echoed throughout the room.
“Quite a spectacular sight, isn’t it?”
The Queen said nonchalantly as she approached the window, her expression unchanging.
I could hear her entourage in the distance saying things like, “It’s dangerous!” or “Your Majesty, please step back!” but she paid them no mind at all.
To think there’s a heroine here too.
The escorting knights, unsure of what to do, looked anxiously out the window with bewildered expressions.
Milene-sama stood beside the Queen, saying something, but the buzzing was too loud for me to hear.
Figuring their job was done, I decided to thank Bee-chan and the others and have them leave.
As the sight of the bees covering the window began to disappear, the Queen approached, accompanied by Milene-sama.
“Magnificent. Can you control them solely with the Divine Protection of the Tamer God?”
“I am not exactly controlling them. They only come if I ask for help when there are those who bear me ill will or try to attack me. I only make requests like ‘help me’ or ‘stop them.’ Previously, when those who insulted and struck me were attacked, those around them were also caught up, resulting in many casualties, but I could only ask them to stop.” That’s a lie, though.
Hearing my words, the Queen looked around at the surrounding people with an amused expression.
“There are several people in this very room who are hostile towards me, so if I call for help, they will come. And if I am attacked, they will appear even without being called and sting the aggressor to death.”
“Something similar happened at my mansion before, but since I did nothing and was beside Shinya, I wasn’t harmed at all,” Milene-sama said.
Seeing Mii-chan and Hoo-chan, who couldn’t flee because I had ordered them to stay put, cowering with their heads covered, the Queen was laughing.
To think the only ones whose expressions haven’t changed in this place are the two women.
Once Bee-chan and the others disappeared, the Queen, looking satisfied, fluffed the cowering Mii-chan and thoroughly enjoyed Hoo-chan and the others’ tails.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
After receiving three bags of Gold Coins and leaving the Royal Castle, I returned to the Ransit Hotel, but there was no place to leave Hoo-chan and the others.
I tried to negotiate to let the two Hoo-chans stay in the room, but I was refused. So, I showed them my “carte blanche” Identification and strong-armed my way through, and while I was at it, had them change me to a larger room.
Thanks to that, I was ripped off for 5 silver coins per night, but it couldn’t be helped.
I looked for a hotel where I could leave my carriage and horses, but the moment I mentioned Forest Wolf, I was turned down, and even the Queen’s Identification had no effect.
Well, if they tell me, “We can’t possibly keep a Forest Wolf in our stables,” I can’t exactly strong-arm them.
Even if I tried to put them in the room, since it’s a hotel that caters to guests who come to the Royal Capital by carriage, they pleaded with me, saying, “Having Forest Wolves here would be a problem.”
I had planned to relax while sightseeing in the Royal Capital until autumn, but I stumbled right from the start.
Thinking that since I’d be coming to the Royal Capital once a year anyway to offer Flower Nectar, I decided to rent a place.
The Commerce Guild for when you’re in trouble. While I was at it, I deposited the 300 Gold Coins I received from the Queen-sama and consulted them about wanting to rent a large place where I could live with my Tamed Beasts.
Seeing Mii-chan relaxing on my shoulder, the staff member looked puzzled and said, “A large place, you say?”
They were surprised when I told them I also had two Forest Wolves, but since they didn’t quite grasp their size, I had them understand by showing them the two Hoo-chans I had waiting by the entrance.