Trouble Erupts
“O most noble daughter of the continent…! O revered goddesses…! Please show mercy to this lowly one…!”
“Quiet, desuyong-!”
“That’s right, a mere lizard shouldn’t run its tongue so long!”
“Bothering Breeder-sensei like that! You’re a bad uncle!”
—Thud, thud! Kuaaak!
“Khehehek-! P-please don’t bite my tail…! It might really fall off at this rate…!!!”
Maruti’s wailing echoed from afar. His desperate screams for help. It was only natural—the little girls had all charged him at once.
The first-years added the sounds of impact to his cries, turning the scene into something like a taiko performance.
“Unforgivable, desuyong-!!!”
Derke led the charge. She clung to Maruti, sinking her teeth in or raining down her tiny fists on every inch of his body.
“Kugh…! Please, have mercy…!!”
The punishment the dragons were dishing out had a certain cuteness to it, yet from the way Maruti kept screaming, it clearly wasn’t without effect.
‘I’ll leave this to Derke. Time to slip away before things get any louder.’
Thanks to Maruti, things had actually worked out better than expected. I could skip the prayers and the meal service too. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t come looking for me again.
Before the commotion grew any worse, I decided to head back to the spot I’d scouted earlier and take a nap. I waved at Derke, who was still busy gnawing on Maruti’s tail, then turned away. Staying here any longer with so many eyes watching didn’t seem wise.
Just as I was walking away from the lizard surrounded by hatchlings—
—Tap, tap!
Someone gently touched my shoulder before I’d gone far.
“Hm?”
“…Um, Breeder-sensei? Ah.”
“Oh? Sonya?”
I turned around to find the second-year representative, Sonya, standing there with her wavy pink hair swaying. She still wore her usual prim expression and avoided my gaze, though she’d clearly put some effort into her appearance for the weekend—her hair tied back into a short, neat ponytail.
“Did something happen over there?”
“Ah… what brings you here?”
“The first-years were making such a racket during break that I came to say something, but it looks like it’s related to you, sensei.”
Just as I’d suspected. Had I made too much of a scene? Well, causing a disturbance right in front of the temple, it was no wonder people noticed.
“Ahem, it’s nothing serious. Some lizardman picked a fight, so the first-year girls are handling it for me.”
“Whaaat…?!”
“Yes. Is it loud enough that the upperclassmen might complain?”
“I-it is, but…! Did that bright-red lizard really pick a fight with you, sensei?!”
“……?”
Sonya, who had barely been able to meet my eyes moments ago, now questioned me with an excited face and voice, as if she herself had been insulted.
—Fwoooosh……!
As Sonya spoke with genuine fervor, the air around us grew cold. So cold that white breath puffed from my mouth. Was it because of her attribute? I still didn’t know what it was, but the pleasant spring air had turned chilly. It felt like icicles might form on my fingertips at any moment.
“…Yes. It’s a minor issue, really—”
“Minor?! He deserves punishment! I can’t just let this slide!”
“Sonya…?”
“I’ll speak to the seniors, so you don’t have to worry about a thing, Breeder-sensei!”
—Swish…!
With those words, Sonya rolled up her sleeve. White, frost-like crystals had formed on her fist.
—Crack…!
Soon, solid ice encased her entire arm, forming a rock-hard frozen gauntlet.
‘Is that really okay…? She’s not going to half-kill him, is she?’
Sonya told me not to worry and strode toward the group of first-years, swinging her right arm—now radiating an icy chill—back and forth. It seemed she was joining the fray as well.
I felt a bit sorry for Maruti, but since Sonya had told me not to worry, it should be fine. As the capable second-year representative, she’d probably handle it with some restraint.
Good thing I’d bribed her yesterday. Receiving a dragon’s blessing with just a meringue cookie—now that was value for money.
“Haaam…! Looks like everything’s taken care of, so I can finally enjoy my break.”
I leaned against an old tree growing in a corner of the temple grounds and let out a yawn. Knowing Sonya had my back put my mind even more at ease. No need to worry—just close my eyes.
I could kill time here and wake up around evening.
—Rustle……
Feeling the warm sunlight and spring breeze, my eyes naturally closed as drowsiness washed over me. It had been so long since I’d taken a proper nap. I’d been tired from lack of sleep, so this was the perfect chance to recover.
A nap on a day off… It felt a little wasteful, but there wasn’t much else to do anyway.
—Kuuul…!
A nap taken with a clear conscience after being freed from all obligations was incredibly sweet.
……
How much time had passed?
“Haaam… It’s gotten a bit chilly now that the sun’s gone down……”
The creeping cold woke me. The sunlight that had been warming me had vanished. When I opened my eyes, the sun had nearly set, and the sky was painted in a vivid crimson sunset.
‘I didn’t oversleep too much, did I……?’
The growing darkness made me uneasy. I wondered if I’d slept too long. But that anxiety didn’t last.
“What do you mean?! We’re short on desserts for the tea party……?!!”
“I checked everything thoroughly before we left. I don’t understand how this happened……”
“Maruti-chef? Could it be that, like last time, the teleportation with the instructor didn’t bring everything over?”
“Th-that’s right! The delivery boxes are completely missing……!!”
Urgent voices came from behind. One of them sounded familiar. Probably Maruti and the other beastkin chefs following him. I’d fallen asleep near the outdoor dining area, so their conversation carried over.
“Looks like something actually went wrong.”
Peeking out from behind the old tree, I saw a group of beastkin wearing chef hats gathered in the dining section behind the temple, speaking in serious tones. Maruti was among them, of course. Somehow, he was still alive. I’d worried he might have been carried off, but it seemed my concern was unnecessary.
Still, up close, his face was slightly swollen in several places. Clear signs of a group beating. The first-years had probably roughed him up, and Sonya had used ice to reduce the swelling. No wonder she’d told me not to worry.
—Bubble, bubble, bubble……!!
Steam rose from a pot set up nearby. They seemed to be boiling something. From the looks of it, dinner preparations were mostly finished. The herbivorous beastkin were probably busy with the meal service outside.
‘Whoa, I really slept hard. At least it’s not too late.’
The temple grounds were still quiet. The final prayers were probably still ongoing. Once they ended, everyone would pour out for dinner.
“…So what desserts do we have left?! Let me see the list!”
“Only the leftover chocolate and biscuits from the prayers earlier.”
“We still have plenty of baking ingredients, though……! Should we try making something now?!”
Now that I had a grasp of the situation, their conversation became clearer. It seemed they were short on desserts for the tea party. Poor girls—they were always sensitive about food, and now a tea party without tea snacks…
But was that any of my business? It had nothing to do with me anymore. Maruti was in charge today. I should just offer a silent prayer for the departed.
‘I’ll move once dinner starts.’
If they’d been kind to me, I might have felt like helping a little, but right now it was just someone else’s problem. Hiding was definitely the better option. No need to show my face and risk getting dragged in.
Later, I could sneak some dinner and head down with Derke—
—Rustle!
Just as I was plotting my escape, a woman’s figure suddenly appeared behind Maruti.
—Click! Click!
The sound of high heels grew closer, heading toward the outdoor kitchen where the beastkin chefs were gathered.
“I came to taste-test dinner early, but what’s all this commotion?”
The shadow belonged to none other than Benetric. She must have teleported in just now; I hadn’t seen her all day.
“““B-Benetric-sama……?!”””
The beastkin chefs turned pale. They were probably struggling to figure out how to explain the missing desserts. If it were me, I’d rather bite my tongue than taste a dragon’s breath.
“Chef, Maruti? Explain the situation.”
“W-well, that is… you see……”
“You’d better tell me straight, without hiding anything.”
“A-actually… a large portion of the desserts for the tea party went missing.”
“What? The desserts?”
“Yes. We were trying to figure out why… It seems they were left behind during the teleportation with you this morning, Benetric-sama.”
“Hm? So you’re saying this is my fault?”
“N-no, absolutely not! How could I possibly……!”
Anyone could see it was Benetric’s mistake, yet Maruti was the one bowing his head, trembling as he watched her reaction. He’d already been thoroughly beaten by the girls earlier; of course he was terrified.
“So, have you come up with a solution?”
“I-it’s terribly presumptuous of me, but…! Couldn’t we use your transcendent authority somehow, Benetric-sama?”
Maruti bowed his long neck repeatedly as he carefully made the request.
“Ha? Do you think my teleportation is some kind of child’s toy I can use whenever I please?”
“Th-the only option we have right now is…… Is it impossible……?”
“If I had enough mana, it wouldn’t be impossible, but after crossing from the continent just now, I’ll need at least two hours. The farther the distance, the more time it takes to accumulate mana.”
“Th-that can’t be……!”
With his last thread of hope gone, Maruti collapsed to the ground in despair.
“Quiet! Just make new ones with what you have. You’re chefs, aren’t you?”
She really thought chefs were all-powerful. It wasn’t like they had a microwave…… Did she think desserts would just appear with a snap of their fingers?
Until a moment ago I hadn’t felt sorry for Maruti, but watching Benetric’s attitude, I couldn’t help but sympathize a little.
“W-we don’t have enough time……”
“Not enough time with this many people?”
Benetric responded as if it were nothing, then suddenly scanned the chefs.
“…Hm? Now that I look, someone’s missing.”
This… didn’t feel good.
“Right, Breeder! Where’s Breeder? With his skills, he could definitely help.”
Ah, damn it. Looks like a peaceful holiday was off the table.