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n“Takebayashi-sama, it will soon be time for the meeting.” Rurunez

n“Thank you for informing me. I’ll prepare immediately.” Ryouma

nAround the time when the date was about to change, Rurunez-san came to inform me that it was time for the wedding meeting.

n“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Ryouma

n“Are you alright? It’s already a bit late, but…” Rurunez

n“It’s fine. I hunted in the night in the past. There are also times when I was so caught up with my research that I would just suddenly realize that it was already the morning of the next day. That aside, I am truly very grateful for all of your accommodations. It’s really more than I expected.” Ryouma

nPresently, many of my slimes are crawling about in the room I’m staying at, and the rimel birds are staying comfortably at a barn made specifically for bird-type monsters, such as themselves. And while I was waiting for the wedding meeting to begin, Rurunez-san recommended me various magic books from the library of the duke’s residence to read.

nThey’ve put so much effort in accommodating me that I cannot overstate just how grateful I am to them.

n“This much really isn’t anything to speak of, Ryouma-sama. Feel free to ask for this kind of service anytime. Anyway, shall we?” Rurunez

nThe magic tools attached to the walls of the halls illuminated the path.

nIt still felt dim, but it was possible to move through the halls unobstructed.

nThat being said…

n“Rurunez-san, can I ask you a question?” Ryouma

n“What is it, Ryouma-sama?” Rurunez

n“The thing is I’ve actually been feeling something strange since a while ago. Could it be that there are a lot of barriers here?” Ryouma

n“Barriers? …There are indeed several barriers erected to protect the house from intruders. But there aren’t any such barriers here in particular.” Rurunez

nSo she says, but I’ve been feeling weird ever since we left the room. I get this strange feeling a lot around corners or entrances. It felt as if someone is trying to find me… I wonder if someone is keeping an eye on me?

nWhen I told Rurunez those vague impressions of mine, she stopped walking and turned around. It seems she had an inkling of what I was talking about.

n“Perhaps it’s the house haunting fairy.” Rurunez

n“House Haunting Fairy?” Ryouma

nI hear fairies are considered as monsters and can supposedly be tamed.

nAre there fairies here too?

n“Fairies generally live in nature, but very rarely, they sometimes live in old buildings. This place does get repaired as needed, and it is an old building… I’ve even heard of sightings of some fairies from time to time.” Rurunez

nShe said matter-of-factly as she walked.

n“Is this something that happens a lot?” Ryouma

n“That’s right. The ojousama was living here until just half a year ago. People with strong mana are more likely to see fairies and see them. I’ve heard that fairies have previously been spotted around the ojousama and the people near her. I’ve seen them myself many times, and… I hear that when a guest from a foreign country comes with a rare item, the fairies become curious and gather.” Rurunez

nSo, basically, these house haunting fairies don’t mean any harm to the people living here or the guests. If anything they’re an existence akin to that of a guardian god. In other words, they’re this world’s version of Japan’s Zashiki-warashi?

n“Fairies like that are here…?” Ryouma

nThe strange feeling vanished.

n“It’s rare for fairies to show themselves before people, so if you look for them, they’ll vanish. This is true for all fairies and not just House-Haunters. The ojousama also took her maids along with her to look for them, but she never once managed to find one herself.” Rurunez

n“I see.” Ryouma

n“It would probably be best not to be overly concerned with the fairies. If they see you as someone they could have fun with teasing, they will tease you, you know? Or at least that’s what they say.” Rurunez

nReal fairies. I want to see one, but if they’re just going to mess with me, it would probably be best to forget about them.

nWhile we were talking about that, we arrived at the meeting place.

n“Excuse me…?” Ryouma

nThere was no one responding, so I thought no one was here just yet, but then I saw Hyuzu-san.

nOnly, he was resting his chin on the conspicuous round table at the center of the room.

nApparently, he came ahead of us and was already seated at the head of the table. Is he feeling unwell?

nHe looks kind of languid… Hmm? Is he sleeping?

nAfter taking a few steps closer, I was able to hear him snoring.

n“He’s like this today too, huh…” Rurunez

n“Today too?” Ryouma

n“Recently, he’s been like this every night.” Rurunez

nApparently, he’s tired because of that training he needs to be promoted that I heard of in the afternoon. Although the guards trust him and he has a good relationship with other people, the increase in office work is really hard on him. …He reminds me of students preparing for an exam.

n“I’m happy that he’s seriously thinking about me and our future, but I’m worried that he might break down at this rate.” Rurunez

nShe looked for a cloth in the room to put over Hyuzu-san.

nWhen she found one and got in the mood to talk proudly of Hyuzu-san, I heard the door opening from behind.

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