Chapter 91

“I don’t know either.”

“...What?”

“I have to get Father’s permission first.”

Lady Aisha’s father.

In other words, Duke Kreutz.

“......?”

Guide’s face went deathly pale, as though his mind had suddenly begun working at twice its usual speed.

Oh no. At this rate, he’s going to cry again.

“Hee, hee. Th-then shall we go have your interview now?”

Pretending not to notice Guide’s eyes beginning to well up, I quickly grabbed his hand.

It seemed best to get this over with before he started crying again.

***

A short while later—

“What is it this time?”

Calypse, who had been concentrating on his work as usual, narrowed his eyes at the unexpected scene unfolding before him.

“Father. This Golden Seed has brought you a future talent destined for greatness.”

She’s planning to cause trouble again.

Whenever that girl was about to do something outrageous, she always adopted that bizarre manner of speaking.

Rub, rub—

Even her expression looked suspicious as she rubbed her hands together like a scheming fly.

Calypse stared at his daughter, who was chuckling deviously, then opened his mouth.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Let me take a deep breath first.”

He needed time to prepare himself mentally. After releasing a long breath, he finally nodded.

For some reason, he suddenly missed Lucas, who was undoubtedly working hard at his heir lessons even now.

“...All right. Bring in this future talent.”

“Yes, sir!”

The door swung wide open.

A boy emerged from behind Aisha and timidly stepped in front of Calypse.

“H-h-h-hello, Your Grace.”

He was about the same height as Aisha.

Greasy brown hair. A deathly pale face. And watery eyes that looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.

For someone destined for greatness, his appearance is rather....

Calypse did his best to conceal his bewilderment and was about to acknowledge the boy’s greeting when—

...A Feri?

His body went still.

The boy was not the only one who had entered the office.

There was also a monster.

Worse, it was a vicious Feri, notorious among knights as a troublesome creature.

The Feri, which ordinarily ought to have been cut down the instant it appeared, was hanging from the boy’s shoulder like a piece of laundry and staring at Calypse.

With innocently sparkling eyes, no less.

I don’t know what this is about, but she certainly has brought me something extraordinary.

Calypse let out a hollow laugh, keeping his gaze fixed on the monster as he spoke to Aisha.

“Daughter. Explain.”

Had he not already developed a certain resistance to Aisha’s behavior, he would have sliced the monster in half by now.

Be patient.

As a devoted father, he decided to observe his daughter’s eccentricity a little longer.

“Yes!”

Aisha, who had been watching him nervously, perked up at his question and nodded vigorously.

“Guide. Will you show His Grace what you showed me earlier?”

“Y-yes.”

At his daughter’s request, the boy called Guide nodded.

Then he glanced up at Calypse.

“E-eek!”

He recoiled in terror and burst into tears.

“L-Lady Aisha, I....”

“Guide. You can do it!”

Aisha merely clenched her fist and cheered him on.

Apparently encouraged by her support, the boy sniffed his runny nose back and lowered the Feri to the floor.

“.......”

Until that point, Calypse had remained silent, feeling somewhat responsible for making the boy cry.

Still, even if the child was frightened, he had to prove why he had brought a monster into the office.

Should he fail to demonstrate anything, Calypse intended to summon the servants, give the boy some chocolate or bread, send him home, and teach Aisha not to keep picking up random people.

But then—

“H-hic. B-Bibi... s-sit.”

The boy forced the words out through his tears.

Thump—

The monster sat.

“G-good... B-Bibi... hic.... B-Bibi, now j-jump....”

The boy raised his clenched fist into the air.

The Feri jumped.

Is that really a monster? Not a dog?

In all the years Calypse had spent fighting monsters as Duke Kreutz, he had never once seen a monster obey a human command.

He had heard rumors of illegal circuses displaying monsters, but even there, the creatures were not trained. They were merely restrained so they could not move.

In other words, monsters were not beings with whom humans could communicate.

Kyle was, of course, an exception. But Kyle was not entirely human to begin with.

“.......”

That was why the boy before him could only be considered astonishing.

Daughter. What in the world have you brought me?

“Th-this is all I c-can do.... I-I’m sorry...!”

When Calypse remained silent, the boy seemed to assume his reaction was unfavorable and began to panic.

All he can do?

No.

This was already an extraordinary amount.

“...You. Your name is Guide?”

“Y-yes.”

“Can you communicate with the Feri?”

“N-no. It isn’t exactly communication.... I-I just trained Bibi to do it. I want to show you more, but Bibi can’t train several times in a row without treats yet. But with treats, Bibi can do other things too!”

So it was possible.

“All right, Guide. You’ve done well. For now... rest. The monster’s name was....”

“B-Bibi.”

“Yes. Rest with Bibibi—”

“B-Bibi!”

Calypse sighed.

“Yes. Rest with Bibi. I’ll summon you later.”

“Y-yes!”

Guide nodded, then looked toward Aisha as though asking whether he had done well.

When Aisha nodded and patted him on the back, he immediately relaxed and adopted a proud expression.

A servant soon entered and escorted the boy outside, while Aisha waved to him as he left the office.

Calypse watched his daughter with a peculiar look.

She truly possessed an exceptional talent for turning strange people into her allies.

“Wasn’t that incredible? Uh—whoa?”

He abruptly lifted Aisha into his arms while she beamed brightly.

Her lips, which had been puckered like a baby bird’s as though she were about to begin chattering, formed a small triangle.

Calypse narrowed his eyes and asked—

“What are you?”

“...Huh?”

At the sudden question, the child’s red eyes widened.

Calypse stared intently at the daughter in his arms.

“.......”

The daughter he had adopted had actually been a spy sent to use him.

The boy she had brought home was the king of the monsters.

And now the latest child she had picked up possessed the unheard-of ability to train monsters.

What were the odds of experiencing all of that in a single lifetime?

The greatest problem was that every one of them displayed a friendly attitude toward monsters.

And they had all gathered around the head of the Kreutz family—a man who had devoted his life to protecting the north and exterminating monsters.

“...Haa.”

Calypse came to a fresh realization.

Whatever else she might be, the child tilting her head before him could never become an ordinary person.

Judging by the way she kept casually bringing home extraordinary misfits, she was clearly destined to become someone remarkable.

She had never been ordinary to begin with.

And a child like this—

“You did well, Aisha.”

—ought to be praised.

His expression remained indifferent, but he did his best to stroke the top of her head.

“I don’t know whether that boy Guide will become an asset or a threat to our family. But it is better for us to manage someone like him than allow some suspicious family to discover him first. You did well.”

“...Father.”

His daughter’s eyes sparkled.

He had never imagined that red eyes so identical to his own could look so happy.

The corners of his mouth lifted faintly without his realizing it.

“From now on, only cause trouble within the limits of what isn’t dangerous. Understood?”

“...Mmm... yes!”

“Good. Then go.”

Her answer was not particularly reassuring, but he lowered Aisha to the floor.

She immediately scampered toward the door and waved vigorously.

“I’ll see you at dinner!”

Adorable little thing.

He nodded and finished saying goodbye to Aisha.

Some time later—

Bang—

The tightly closed door suddenly flew open, disrupting the stillness of the office.

Knox strode inside.

His monocle flashed white as he struggled to catch his breath and called out to Calypse.

“Your Grace.”

“What.”

“Why... why was I not summoned?!”

He glared at Calypse with open resentment.

“A child who can command monsters? If there was an opportunity to witness such an extraordinary spectacle, you naturally should have summoned me—Assistant Knox, president of the Monster Lovers’ Association!”

“Ah. That.”

Calypse had already intended to summon him.

Though not to show him an extraordinary spectacle.

“We’re holding a meeting about it in one week. We’ll discuss everything then, so prepare.”

“Th-then will you bring the boy to the meeting as well?”