“Here, it’s the manticore’s tail.”
Thud!
The mercenaries carefully placed the bag containing the manticore’s tail onto the ground.
“You’ve already retrieved it?”
“We had quite the rough time in the mountains to get this.”
“Impressive.”
Gareth examined the tail inside the sack as he spoke.
“You caught it today.”
“Yes, we came straight here after taking it down.”
“The condition is excellent, and the quality is top-tier. It must have been a tough fight.”
“It was quite strong.”
Stronger than I had imagined.
It must have been one of the more formidable ones of its kind.
Well, that only makes it better as a material.
“So, is this the last of it?”
“Yes, among those who gather their own materials, you’re one of the fastest.”
“I was lucky.”
Thanks to a mix of circumstances, I was able to acquire it smoothly.
During the mountain range investigation, I had already obtained quite a few, and I even took advantage of the highland monsters that Whitey’s progenitor, the Alpha Wolf, had already hunted.
“I can start crafting right away.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
Since we had already calculated the cost beforehand, now all that remained was to wait.
“You can look forward to it.”
“Then I’ll relax and wait with anticipation.”
I had put in a lot of effort gathering these materials, so I was eager to see the final product.
It would take some time, but I could be patient.
“Oh, and do you need anything else?”
“Something else?”
“Yes, I have some extra materials left. If it’s something within my craft, I can make it for you.”
Something else?
This feels like an amazing bonus.
A flood of possibilities ran through my mind.
There were a lot of pieces of equipment I wanted…
“Then, could you make me a gauntlet?”
“Hmm, not a secondary weapon?”
“I feel like you’d make a good one too.”
Gareth’s forge specialized in weapons.
But I had also heard that he had a knack for crafting armor.
A craftsman of Gareth’s caliber could probably make anything.
“I do make excellent gear. Alright, I’ll make you a gauntlet.”
“Thank you.”
Lately, I had been feeling the need for one in battle.
Since I often let go of or throw my sword, having a sturdy gauntlet would open up more options in combat.
“Make it sturdy, please.”
“Don’t worry about durability. Haven’t you already tested it?”
“Oh.”
I glanced down at the sword hanging at my waist.
Despite all the harsh treatment I had put it through, it had only a few scratches.
The durability was absurd.
“Then, I’ll trust you.”
“Good. Once it’s done, I’ll send a letter to the mansion.”
“Understood.”
With the materials all delivered, I left the forge and returned to the mansion with a light heart.
“Oh, you’re finally back?”
As I arrived, I spotted Sienna playing with Whitey in the garden.
“Whitey, go fetch this!”
Wait, is she training him?
Whoosh—
Sienna threw a training hatchet far beyond the garden, and Whitey, with his short legs, dashed after it.
“He’s quite fast.”
“He runs really well now, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, it feels like just yesterday when he couldn’t even open his eyes.”
His growth was incredibly fast.
Though his size hadn’t changed, I could see he was maturing.
“Did you go to the Kaine Mountain Range again this time?”
“Ah, yes. I needed some materials.”
“Did you find what you needed?”
“Things worked out well, so I won’t need to go back anymore.”
With the manticore’s tail as the final piece, my material gathering was complete.
There was no longer a reason for me to go back to the mountains.
“Oh, I see.”
However, at my words, Sienna’s disappointment was obvious.
“Why? Do you wish I’d go again?”
“Oh, no, not really… I just wanted to go with you at least once.”
“Really?”
Sienna, to the mountains?
Does she have a reason?
“Yeah, I left all my trained companions back home, so I was thinking of getting a new one.”
“Ah.”
“The ones I raised when I was younger are at the age where they should retire peacefully. Originally, I planned to raise their offspring, but since I moved to the capital, my friends back home are taking care of that for me.”
Now that I thought about it, with Sienna’s skills as a trainer, she must have had several trained wolves before.
But since she came alone to the capital, she probably wanted a new companion.
“There are plenty of wolf-type monsters in the Kaine Mountain Range, so that makes sense.”
“I’ve heard! And it’s not just wolves—there are a lot of other animal-type monsters too.”
“Can those be trained as well?”
“Yep! Though my specialty is wolves.”
Oh… that’s interesting.
One thing I learned while spending time with Sienna was that trainers in this world had a unique profession.
It wasn’t just about taming animals.
They could also train beast-type monsters, making them a special kind of expert.
That explained why they were highly sought after for livestock management and military purposes.
“Then let’s go together next time. I’ll guide you.”
“Really? I’d appreciate it!”
As we talked,
Tap, Tap, Tap—
Whitey came bounding back from across the garden, holding the wooden training hatchet in his mouth.
“Wow, good job!”
Pant, Pant—
He dropped the hatchet at Sienna’s feet, looking up at her expectantly.
Sienna grinned and ruffled his fur.
…He’s really acting like a dog now.
“I hope he doesn’t keep this up when he grows up.”
No matter how I looked at it, he seemed more like a puppy than a wolf.
Maybe he had been pampered too much in the mansion.
“Maybe that’s why he’s not growing.”
“He could stand to be a little bigger.”
I wouldn’t want him as big as his Alpha Wolf progenitor, but at least the size of a regular wolf would be nice.
I had considered taking him with me on mountain trips, but at his current size, that would be impossible.
He’d get eaten by goblins, let alone orcs.
“But he’s cute, right?”
Sienna, however, seemed to find Whitey’s behavior adorable as she happily patted his head.
Sienna had spent quite a bit of time at the mansion now, so she must have grown attached to Whitey.
“He is pretty cute.”
“Right?”
Well, anyway.
With all the materials gathered, I finally had some time to rest at the mansion.
Whether it was Gareth’s sword or the summons from the Margrave of the Boyd family, all that was left now was to wait.
For the next few days, I spent my time idly—either lounging around or training—until Lowell called for me.
“Are you prepared?”
“So, they finally summoned me.”
I had been wondering when it would happen.
I didn’t expect it to take this long.
“The Lord has a busy schedule. But if you leave now, you should be able to meet him.”
“Are we leaving right away?”
“You may depart today or tomorrow at your convenience. I will have a carriage prepared.”
“You make it sound like I’m going alone.”
His wording made it seem like I would be going by myself.
Was Lowell not coming with me?
“That’s not the case.”
“Oh, good.”
“Sienna should accompany you as well.”
“What?”
“She is a remarkable talent. The Lord wishes to see her for himself.”
“Ah… I see.”
Sienna was indeed an exceptional individual.
She had awakened her Aura at a young age, and she was a skilled beast trainer.
But more importantly…
“What about you, Lowell? You’re not coming?”
“I must remain at the mansion. The young lady will be returning over the weekend as well.”
“Right.”
…That was a valid point.
Still, the thought of going without Lowell made me uneasy.
But what choice did I have?
Orders were orders.
“Alright, I’ll ask Sienna and then we’ll set out.”
“Understood. I’ve already given her a brief notice, so she should understand.”
“Oh, and what about Whitey?”
“You can bring him or leave him behind. It’s up to you.”
“I’ll check with Sienna about that too.”
Would it be fine to leave Whitey behind while both Sienna and I were away?
I could be gone for a day or two without issue, but I wasn’t sure how Whitey would react if Sienna left as well.
After finishing my conversation with Lowell, I went to find Sienna.
“Huh? Me too?”
As expected, Sienna looked startled at the idea of meeting the Marquis of the Boyd family.
“You can leave today or tomorrow.”
“Ehh…”
But there was no way around it.
Even if Sienna didn’t want to go, the Marquis himself had summoned her.
“I, uh… what about Whitey?”
“You can bring him or leave him. It’s your choice.”
“Hmm… It’s going to take a while, so I think I’ll bring him.”
“Up to you.”
It wasn’t a dangerous journey or anything.
All we had to do was take the Boyd family’s carriage, travel a long distance, and then return.
Since it was going to be a dull trip, bringing Whitey along wouldn’t be a problem.
“Then let’s leave tomorrow. I need time to prepare.”
“Got it.”
And so, our departure was set.
The next day.
“Let’s go…!”
With her belongings packed into a bag, Sienna stepped out of the mansion alongside me.
“It is an honor to serve you, Sir Rain.”
“Ah, yeah….”
Outside the mansion, a carriage prepared by the Boyd family awaited us, along with the coachman.
It wasn’t overly extravagant, but it was large and well-built.
“Please hand me your luggage.”
“Here you go.”
Our belongings were stowed in the carriage’s storage compartment.
With Whitey in my arms, Sienna and I boarded the carriage.
“Wow… the inside is really nice.”
“I was worried about the long trip, but this is comfortable.”
The interior was even more luxurious than the exterior.
It had the feel of a carriage designed for long-distance travel.
They must have put some effort into preparing it.
“Whitey’s probably never been on a trip like this before.”
“This is my first time too.”
“Wait, what?”
“I’ve pretty much only ever been in the capital.”
After being dragged to the Colosseum as a child, I never had the chance to travel outside.
Come to think of it, this would be my first time leaving Kaine and broadening my horizons.
“The more I look at it, the more you and Whitey seem to have in common….”
“People don’t usually go on long trips.”
Still, this wasn’t unusual.
In this world, plenty of people lived their entire lives without ever leaving their village.
“That’s true.”
Sienna, who had traveled all the way from the northern region to the capital, was the exception.
Well, anyway.
– Then, we’ll be departing!
“Yes, please go ahead.”
With the coachman’s voice coming from the small front window.
The carriage slowly began to move forward.
