NOVEL WEB chapter 86 - Divine Cat Mii-chan, Spending the Night Alone.
86 Divine Cat Mii-chan, Spending the Night Alone.
The maid led me to a large room. It’s just me here.
As for my companions, Mii-chan is with the queen, Perro is with Lady Lene, and Sera and Lu-kun are with Elena. I asked Mii-chan if she was okay spending the night alone, and she responded with a confident “mii,” as if to say she’s fine. I’ve already informed Nia-san that Perro has a habit of tossing and turning in his sleep. The maids assured me they’d check on them several times during the night, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Honestly, I’m a bit worried…
Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve slept alone. But first, let’s take a bath. I received permission from the queen to use the royal bath. She mentioned that no one would be using it at this hour, so I’m free to enjoy it.
The maid guided me to the bath. She seemed like she was about to join me, but I politely declined. I want to enjoy the bath at my own pace without worrying about anyone else.
After undressing in the changing room and grabbing my bath set, I’m ready to go.
Wow, this place is huge! It’s not quite a public bath, but I wonder how many people could fit in here. For now, let’s get my body and hair washed.
Hmm, I feel like someone’s watching me… As I finish washing and head towards the bath, I notice a figure.
“Don’t mind me. Please, join.”
“Th-thank you, I’ll do that.”
He’s a young, handsome guy. Since he’s here, he must be royalty, right? What should I do… This feels really awkward…
“May I ask your name?”
“Nero.”
“Ah, so you’re the new friend of Anneliese. You’re the one who brought Lucca to Lene, right? Now that you mention it, I was told to invite you to join us for a meal…”
This is bad. I’ve realized who this person is. Is it okay if I just run away…?
“I am Anneliese’s husband, Julius. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Gah! Just as I feared, it’s the king of this country! Yikes. Nero suddenly found himself in a state of paralysis.
Seeing me freeze up, he gave a wry smile and said, “Don’t worry, just act normal. Otherwise, I can’t relax even while I’m in the bath.”
Well, that’s true. If you’re tense even in the bath, you won’t really unwind.
“If Your Majesty says so…”
“Yes, please do.”
With that, the king rang a bell that was nearby. A man who looked like a butler appeared from the back. If he was there all along, why didn’t he stop me when I entered…?
“I’ll have some ale. What about you?”
“I’ll have some fruit water, please.”
The butler bowed and left the room.
“I’ve heard about you from Anneliese and the Prime Minister. It seems you’re quite capable. The Prime Minister rarely praises anyone, but he did in your case. So, what’s your objective?”
“Objective…? I’d rather ask you why you’ve involved me in all of this.”
“You say interesting things. But isn’t it all something you brought upon yourself?”
“Well, that’s how it turned out in the end.”
The butler returned and handed a mug of ale to the king, but I took it from him first.
“This man is someone I trust. There’s no poison in it.”
“Oh, sorry, that’s not what I meant.”
I used my water skill to chill the ale until it was ice-cold and handed it to the king. He was surprised by how cold the ceramic mug had become. He let the butler touch the mug as well, and the butler was equally astonished.
“It was already chilled, but I’ve never had ale this cold before. It’s excellent.”
The butler poured fruit water into a glass and handed it to me. I supercooled it, then flicked the glass with my finger, making sure they both saw.
“What?!”
Both of them looked surprised as I took a drink. Enjoying frozen fruit water in the bath—it’s amazing. Looks like I made a good impression.
“Are you someone with special powers?”
“No, I don’t have any. This is just a water skill.”
The king glanced at the butler, who shook his head in response.
I had the butler pour fruit water into another glass, supercooled it, and then handed it to him, demonstrating the flicking motion. The butler hesitantly flicked the glass, and the water slowly began to freeze.
Instead of being shocked, he seemed delighted. The king then held out his half-finished mug, asking me to do the same with his ale. I’d never tried it with ale before, but I gave it a shot. When I handed the mug back, the king peered into it, flicked the mug, and smiled—looks like it worked.
The king enjoyed his frozen ale with a satisfied expression.
“Well, I should be heading back. I’d like to have a proper talk with you sometime, especially about what we discussed earlier. But for now, thank you for the enjoyable time.”
With that, the king left the bath. I’m exhausted… blub blub blub…
When I returned to my room, Nia-san was waiting for me. She asked me to make frozen drinks, so I did. I’m not sure if she remembered from before or if Elena, who has developed a sweet tooth, requested it.
I’m so tired… I need to sleep.
The next morning, after waking up, the maid guided me to the same room where we had dinner the previous night, and I had breakfast there. Everyone looked cheerful. Mii-chan, did you sleep well?
“Mii~”
She leaped into my arms, rubbing against me affectionately. I sipped my post-breakfast tea while petting Mii-chan. It’s a good morning.
“Nero-kun, I heard you met with Lord Julius yesterday.”
“Yes, we ran into each other.”
“He said he’d like to have a proper conversation with you sometime.”
Please spare me. Why do I, an ordinary citizen, have to sit down and chat with someone as lofty as the king…?
“So, what are your plans for the immediate future, Nero-kun?”
“Well, I have a few things to take care of in the royal capital. But before that, I plan to return to Quinto and Quarto. There’s also the matter of the Hunter Guild to address.”
“I see… Since you’ll be going, could I ask you to check on things for me? It doesn’t have to be a thorough investigation, just see how things are going, as long as it’s not too dangerous for you. And as for the matter concerning Brocken Mountain, it can wait until after the clean-up is complete. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it. You just want me to take a look at the front lines, correct?”
“Yes, please. I’d like to know the situation from an unbiased perspective. I’ll leave the selection of your companions to you.”
“Here is your new identification tag. This is also your payment and preparation funds. Please check it.”
Nia-san handed me a pouch containing the tag and money. It seems there are 200 gold coins inside, and the tag bears the title “Patrol Inspector,” issued by the Prime Minister himself. Looks like they planned to send me from the start…
It seems I have no choice but to return to Quinto. Before that, I should stop by the Hunter Guild and have a word with Guild Master Zest. He might have some useful information.
There’s a lot to do. Let’s take it easy for a bit before we set out, Mii-chan.
“Mii~”