Chapter 21: Gonza the Veterinarian

Author note:

So far, we’ll be telling Henry's side of the story.

***

　Kyrias left with a wave of his hand. Henry took a deep breath to calm his surging heart before heading for the military.

　Instead of the Minister of War, he chose to speak to military doctor Belsen, who is directly in charge of potions in the military.

“You’re going to split the potion deliveries in half?　The guys in the magic department are always quick to say things like that. Tell them to deliver it all at once.”

“Currently, the Magic Department is also undertaking construction work…”

“No, no, no. Let them deliver it in one batch.”

“Even though we’re splitting it up, we’ll complete the remaining delivery in about two months.”

“Until now, we’ve had to exchange the whole thing every time. I don’t want to set a precedent of delivery in installments. Let them deliver it all at once.” 

　There was no way he was going to back down now. Henry changed his approach. He was going to get Belsen to change his mind without losing face.

“This time, It will be on record that the Department of Magic proposed to split the delivery and that you, Mr. Belsen, rejected the proposal. If something like what happened twenty-five years ago were to happen again, there might be people who would blame us for refusing to make a split delivery when it’s easy to say that “the wizards were tired.” Potions are made when the wizard is in good physical condition, and the newer the potion, the more effective it is.  If we split the delivery, we can use the potion in better condition for the royal family, no matter what happens.”

　When the Crown Prince and the second prince died of illness one after another, many medical personnel were punished. Henry only read about it in documents, but Belsen was there at the scene. Henry reminded Belsen of those times and shook him up.

　He made sure that Belsen became a little restless and continued speaking

“Instead, I’ll have them deliver a little more.”

“More?　 can you promise me that?”

“Yes, I can. I will tell the wizards.”

“I see. Well, if that’s what you want to do, then that's fine."

“Thank you very much. Belsen-san, you are always so flexible in your responses, it’s really helpful.”

　He thanked Belsen, who seemed satisfied with the praise, and left the military office.

(This is an after-the-fact agreement for the wizards, but let’s have them work together on a mutual basis. As for ‘more’, five should do it. The wizards would agree to at least five bottles.)

　He was confident about that.

(Even Belsen can get get angry and say, “Five is not what we agreed on.” He just doesn’t want to take responsibility anyway.)

　Henry is serious but not hard-headed. He uses tactics like this.

　He went back to his seat and reorganized the information he had gathered so far.

　　It is highly likely that Mai's grandmother Riyo, the missing Liyol and Heller, who was supposed to have died at the age of seven, are most likely the same person.

　If Heller is Liyol, she was probably sold by her parents at the age of seven, forced to change her name, and forced to work. Unfortunately, in the end, she was sent to Mai’s world by her lover’s experiments.

(I wonder if Mai would be happy to hear such a harsh story of her grandmother’s life.)

　The answer was no. But he intended to continue looking into Riyo’s past.

　The reason why Henry was nominated as the Head civilian officer  ahead of the other 22 was not only because of his work ethic. It is because he has the sense to know exactly what he should do in any situation.

　The next day, over a daily meat platter at “The Hideaway,” he talked about going to visit the veterinarian Gonza.

　Illustration (By Mitemin)

“There may be someone in the village next to the capital who knows a lot about beastmen, so I’m going to go and visit them to get some exercise for myself and my horse.”

　　As he spoke casually, Mai, who was listening, had a clearly envious look on her face.

(Does this mean I can invite her out on my day off?)

“If you’d like, Mai-san can come too…”

“I want to go! I really want to go!”

“Really?　Then let’s go together.”

　He was surprised when she said she wanted to go before he even finished asking her out. Mai seemed to notice and her face turned red.

(She's blushing. Cute. So cute.)

“When I was suffering alone with a cold, I decided that from now on I would go out to wherever I wanted to go. I only know Orb village and the royal capital. When are you going?”

“I think I will do it on my next day off. What is your schedule, Mai?”

“Nothing. I would like to go. I would be very happy if you could take me.”

　He did his best to hold back the urge to grin until they decided on a time to leave and he left the restaurant.

　The day of rest has come. Mai is riding a horse steered by Henry and heading out of the royal capital. Mai, who is in Henry's arms on horseback, says that it is her first time riding a horse.

(If this is her first time, I have to make sure she doesn’t get scared.)

　A nice smell was coming from Mai's hair in front of him. It was the scent of shampoo that Mai had made herself using transformation magic, but Henry didn't know it.

(What did she use to wash her hair to make it smell so good?)

“It’s my first time riding a horse, but I feel safe with Henry by my side. Riding a horse is so much fun.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

(If she enjoys riding horses, it will be easier to invite her to other places.)

　At the destination, there was a large and impressive house.

　There was a large garden with a modest field, a well and a horse stable could be seen. On the gate was a single sign that read “Animal Specialist Gonza.”

　At that exact moment, someone came out of the building. He was carrying a large basket and a hoe, so it seemed he was on his way to the vegetable garden. He had a sturdy build and dark brown hair. The beard that covered the lower half of his face and his hair were both about half white. He looked to be in his sixties.

　Gonza smiled brightly when he noticed Henry and company.

“Good morning, sir. I’m Gonza.”

“Good morning. My name is Henry Howler. I have come here today to ask you to tell me something. Please forgive my rudeness in visiting without an appointment.”

“No one comes to my house with an appointment. Please come in.”

　The house they were invited to enter was spacious, and the walls of the room were lined with built-in bookcases, crammed full of books.

“So, how can I help you today?”

“I am the son of Viscount Howler, and I was examined by you twenty years ago.”

　Gonza looks sullenly at Henry.

“Viscount Howler, twenty years ago ……. Oh, you’re the one from back then? I see. You have grown into a fine man. At that time, I only examined you and did not treat you, but you gave me a generous amount for the examination, which I was very grateful for.”

“You needn’t worry about it, doctor. I’m sure that the fee included the cost of keeping quiet. There’s something I’d like to ask you today. The truth is, just recently, I…”

“I assume you’ve had the same experience?”

　 He was at a loss for words, and was hit with the answer. Gonza looked at Mai with a smile on his face.

“Does this young lady know what’s going on?”

“Yes.”

　When Mai answered, Gonza nodded repeatedly with a gentle smile.

“Your becoming a cat is not a disease, but a natural part of your life. There’s no need to worry. If you didn’t become a cat until that age,  it’s likely that one of your parents is human. That is very rare. Oh, of course I don’t mean to pry, and I won’t tell anyone. I take pride in being a doctor.”

“If it’s natural, does that mean there’s no way to stop it?”

“That’s right. It’s an instinct. It’s best to learn to live with it. There are drugs that can suppress the transformation, but I don’t recommend them. The side effects are very serious. If you use them regularly, you won’t be able to have children.”

　　Henry is disappointed but doesn’t show it.

“I see, there’s nothing I can do about it. Mai-san, you’ve gone to such great lengths to accompany me, but I’ve already finished my errands.”

"Please don't say that. Take your time. You may be wondering why this has happened to you, Henry, but it is not so.”

　Gonza stroked his beard on his face with a lazy stroke as if thinking for a moment, then opened his mouth.

 “Since you are worried about your natural transformation as a child of a beastman, let me tell you something, but please keep it to yourself from here on. It is said that there are few beastmen on this continent, but actually that is not true. There are at least ten beastmen who have been here before. If you include those who have not been to my home, there are probably ten times that many in and around the royal capital alone.”

　Henry was left speechless by the words spoken with a smile in his eyes.

“Beastmen have an instinct to expand their territory. Strictly speaking, humans are also territorial, but in the case of beastmen it is much stronger. There are a surprisingly large number of beastmen who go out into other countries.  They too probably hide the fact that they are beastmen, but if you are lucky, you may meet them.”

“How do you know so much about beastmen, doctor?”

“Due to various circumstances, I was born and raised on the Old Continent, and lived there until I was 30 years old.”

　Henry, who had been listening and nodding along, stood up when Gonza finished speaking and thanked him with a smile.

“Thank you for your time. Now if you’ll excuse us.”

　He gave Gonza, who declined, the indicated consultation fee, and after getting on the horse, tried his best to act cheerful. He felt sorry to Mai for accompanying him on this empty outing returning home without any results.

　However, as they entered the capital, Mai asked, “Mr. Henry, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” I had no plans. Even if I did, I would do my best to change them.

“I don’t have any plans. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I was wondering if you could take me to the Coulou area.　I heard from a customer that there is a really good fish restaurant there.”

“The coulou area is too lively a place, you know?”

“Yes. So I was told that if I wanted to go there, I should go in the daytime with a strong man.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

(Did I look strong to you?) He thought, so Henry redirected his horse.

We’ll return to Mai’s point of view in the next installment.

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