Chapter 307: Graceful

Three days had passed since the festival was held.

The cleanup after the festival had also been neatly completed, and at last, things were returning to the usual everyday routine.

The overall sales from the festival were higher than expected.

And since the stalls and fireworks had been extremely well received, Sam-san and Velvet-san told me that it was still a major topic of conversation in the royal capital.

Considering the convenience of transportation, the availability of lodging facilities, and various other factors, there had also been talk that they wanted the next one to be held in the royal capital…

But I think we will hold it here again next year, just as before.

By next year, the inn will probably be open, and I am also thinking about improving transportation from the royal capital a little more.

There are many things I need to think about, but for now, I want to relax without thinking about anything, so I can recover from the exhaustion of the festival and the cleanup.

And so, after finishing the farm work, I lay around in a hammock while watching Lime and the slimes play.

This hammock was made by Sid-san, and it was extremely comfortable to sleep in.

Apparently, it was made from fibers created using the thread of a large moth monster larva called a Heavy Moth. It was durable and pleasant to the touch.

He had said that the larvae were over one meter long, so if I had heard that background in the past, I probably would have been disgusted.

But because I had developed resistance to insects through farming and living in nature, and resistance to monsters through my familiars and dungeon conquest, I was now able to sleep without thinking about it.

Just as I was beginning to doze off, thinking that I might take a light nap like this…

I saw someone approaching from the direction of the royal capital.

Thanks to the recent events, the number of visitors itself had increased quite a lot, but people coming on foot were fairly rare.

That alone caught my attention, but what was even rarer than someone walking here instantly blew away my sleepiness.

The approaching person had large ears on their head and a tail at their backside.

I could still only see their silhouette, but I immediately knew they were a beastkin.

I got down from the hammock and approached from my side as well. Once I did, I could see their appearance clearly.

Their large ears and tail were fluffy, and including their coloring, they gave off a fox-like impression.

However, the only beastkin-like parts were the ears and tail. Everything else was completely human.

Actually, with sharp, elegant eyes and a perfectly arranged nose and mouth…

I had been so focused on the fact that she was beastkin that I had not noticed, but she was an incredibly beautiful woman.

“Pardon me, might I trouble you for a moment? I came to meet someone named Sato-san. Would you happen to know where he might be?”

Oh…

Unlike the cool impression given by her appearance, she had a soft, gentle way of speaking, like a relaxed maiko.

Leaving Yato-san aside, Harry-kun had seemed to have an accent too, so it appeared that dialects existed in this world as well.

“Ah, I’m Sato… May I ask who you are?”

“So you are Sato-san. My name is Leticia. Lady Christina sent me here this time for an inspection. I humbly ask for your kindness.”

Leticia-san introduced herself while bowing deeply.

I see. So she was someone sent by Chris-san.

“This is about the matter of taking in the slaves, correct? Since you said inspection, does that mean if you judge that I cannot accept them, the arrangement will be canceled?”

“Well, something like that. But the true purpose of the inspection is to make sure you have not betrayed her… So I believe it will likely end with you accepting them.”

“So that’s why you came so suddenly. Please rest assured. Betrayal is the one thing I would never do.”

“I am sorry for doing something that makes it seem as though I doubt you.”

“No, no, it’s fine. For now, please come inside.”

I decided to invite Leticia-san into the villa.

If she was someone sent by Chris-san, I had to treat her politely.

Part of it was simply that I did not want to make an enemy of her, but I also wanted to go shopping there again.

“Here is some tea and sweets. Please have some.”

“Thank you kindly for going to the trouble. Actually, I have something I would like to give you as well… This is a gift from Lady Christina to you, Sato-san.”

What Leticia-san took out from her bag were two animals.

They were small, cute animals with sharp little spines…

Could they possibly be hedgehogs capable of producing electricity!?

“Those animals, could they be…”

“She said they are animals called Electric Mice, the ones you wanted, Sato-san.”

“Thank you very much! But is it really all right for me to receive such expensive animals?”

“Of course. She said she hopes you will take good care of them.”

When I held out both hands, the Electric Mice climbed onto my palms while moving their little mouths.

Their cuteness soothed me, but because I knew how much they cost, I also felt apologetic.

I had planned to entertain Leticia-san, but instead, I was the one who ended up receiving far more hospitality than I had expected.

Because of how expensive they were, the thought of refusing did cross my mind.

But here, I decided to accept Chris-san’s kindness and raise the Electric Mice with great care.