857 Bear, returns to the royal capital - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Upon returning to the capital, we send Kumayuru and Kumakyu back and board a carriage to head to the castle. Seeing a carriage prepared at the simple command, "Prepare a carriage," by Ellelaura-san, I couldn't help but think, as expected of nobility. The carriage tries to enter through the gate at the entrance of the castle where the Ministry of Magic is located but is stopped by the gatekeeper. "Lady Ellelaura, His Majesty the King has summoned you." "Could it be that this message was sent to all the gates?" It seems Ellelaura-san anticipated the communication to the gatekeeper and attempted to enter through the Ministry of Magic entrance instead of the main gate. "Upon your return to the castle, it is said to be urgent." "Ellelaura, do your best." With a smile, Mane-san says this and tries to get off the carriage from the opposite door. But Ellelaura-san grabs her arm. "Lady Mane, I won’t let you escape." "You’re the only one being summoned, aren’t you?" "It was you who orchestrated this reason, wasn’t it, Lady Mane? Moreover, you promised to help me explain and express gratitude to His Majesty for the recent matter." The two exchange quiet glances. Mane-san makes a resigned face. "Ha, understood." It seems Mane-san is also going with Ellelaura-san to meet the King. "In that case, maybe it's best if I head home for now and come back tomorrow." As I stand and move to leave the carriage, my arms are seized from both sides. "No way." "Yuna, you're coming with us." "Yes, why are you trying to sneak away alone?" "Well, I mean, this isn’t related to me, right?" My job is to guard Mane-san. "You’re my guard, aren’t you, Yuna?" "That’s true, but—" That guarding task has concluded. The work is complete once returning home; since we’re back in the capital, guarding is no longer necessary. "Protect me from His Majesty, the King." Tasks like being scolded alongside or providing excuses to His Majesty are not part of the job. Hence, my response is singular. "I must respectfully decline." As I apologize, the gatekeeper's voice timidly reaches me. "I’m sorry. If there’s a girl dressed as a bear, they said to bring her along as well." "...Why?" In the end, I had to go too. Well, considering it would be good to report about the magic circle deep in the forest, I decided to accompany them. We arrive at the King's office where he is working. "Have you returned?" "Today, I’ve returned from the task entrusted by Lady Mane of the Ministry of Magic." Ellelaura-san emphasizes the part about it being a task from Mane-san. "You've thrown all the work on me." "It was an emergency." "So Mane, why did you summon Ellelaura? Because of that, my workload has increased." The King queries Mane-san, who then explains the situation. Since it involved a noble, she couldn’t handle it alone and sought Ellelaura-san’s help. "If it’s something of that level, it should’ve been fine without Ellelaura, right?" "Of all the nobles I know, Ellelaura is the only one I can trust and who’s aware of this matter." At the mention of trust, Ellelaura-san seems pleased. Indeed, she is trustworthy. "But Ellelaura, if you’ll be away from the castle for several days, make sure to report properly. I’ll forgive it this time as it was urgent, but there’s plenty of work left, so don’t expect any breaks for a while." "That’s tyrannical." It’s a black company. It’s not ideal if a company can’t function just because one employee is absent. However, replacing someone as competent as Ellelaura-san isn’t easy, making this a difficult judgement. "Yuna, sorry if Mane caused you any trouble." "No, it was work, after all. So, what’s the reason you called me?" "It’s nothing major. I just thought if you had time, you might visit Flora." Don’t summon me just for that. I wish he’d consider how a commoner feels being summoned by the King. "I’ll visit later." "Then, everyone return to your tasks." "Wait a moment," I voice. "I think it’s best to report something to His Majesty." "And what is that?" I glance around. A few civil servants assisting with the King’s duties are present. "Is it trouble?" "It’s over, but I thought it should be reported." "I see," Mane-san understands, it seems. "Though I intended to submit a report later, under the circumstances, it might be better to mention it now." The King signals the attendants to leave. The room now only contains His Majesty, Ellelaura-san, Mane-san, and myself. "So, what is it?" We recount to the King about discovering the magic circle deep within the forest and having destroyed it. "Perhaps it’s the magic circle that gathered ten thousand monsters." "I heard reports of monster relocations from that forest..." "For now, since we destroyed the magic circle, there shouldn't be any more gatherings of monsters." "I see, I’m grateful." "You’re not angry? It might have been important evidence." "No, there’s no problem with destroying it. If such a thing remained, someone might misuse it. If it wasn’t there to begin with, no one can use it." It appears the King shared my view. "Moreover, the ringleader is dead. It’s unnecessary." The only concern then might be that man’s home. It’s possible research materials on magic circles might remain there. Perhaps prototypes or complete diagrams of magic circles to summon monsters. Further, there’s the existence of the man who appeared in the town of Euphalia. Both are dead, but there’s a high possibility research materials are hidden somewhere. However, even mentioning this doesn’t solve the issue, and surely the King is aware. Therefore, it’s best to destroy any documents about summoning monsters. With the conversation concluded, we leave the King’s office. "Then, I’ll be off to work." As Ellelaura-san exits the room, she says such, having just returned, I can’t help but feel sympathetic this time. "Ellelaura, thank you. You saved me. I’ll properly thank you next time." "Then, please treat me to a meal sometime." Ellelaura-san walks down the hallway alone. Mane-san and I proceed in the opposite direction. "So, with that flower, can the medicine be made?" The purpose of this time was a medicine to aid Mane-san’s growth. "Yes, we’re a step closer." "A step?" "Did you think it would be finished?" "Well, sort of." "If it were that easy to complete, it wouldn’t take decades. There are still plenty of necessary materials. This will require diligent gathering." "I see. If there’s anything I can do, let me know. I’ll help within my abilities." If it’s an impossible request, I’ll refuse. "When the time comes, please do help." "If only I were more knowledgeable about herbs, I could gather them for you." I am close to clueless about medicinal herbs. Whenever I try to look for them, they all appear similar. "That's true. Yuna, since you're an adventurer, let me know if you ever come across information about dragons." "Dragons?" "Well, I need some dragon materials too." The mention of dragons brings the ice dragon to mind. "So, does any kind of dragon suffice?" "Yes, whether it's a fire dragon, water dragon, earth dragon, or wind dragon, I need materials imbued with a dragon's magical power." What are these elemental materials? Do they even exist? "Is anyone actually capable of defeating a dragon?" The ice dragon was formidable. "It's not necessary to defeat one. Sometimes scales are left behind in their wake, or occasionally a carcass might be left behind after a battle between dragons." Indeed, the ice dragons had fought amongst themselves. "If you get any such information, please let me know." What should I do about this? I do possess materials from an ice dragon. However, it wasn’t listed among the types Mane-san mentioned. "Is something on your mind?" Mane-san peers at me from below, curious. "Well, I mean, I do have materials from an ice dragon, but is that not acceptable?" I ask just to be sure. "Ha~~~~~~" Mane-san's voice echoes throughout the castle. In a panic, I use my bear puppet to cover her mouth. "Uuuuu" Mane-san groans as her mouth is muffled by the bear puppet. I slowly release my grip. "Haa, haa, are you trying to kill me?" "Sorry. But you suddenly shouted so loudly, Mane-san." "Well, you mentioned having ice dragon materials, didn’t you?" "Mane-san, your voice is still loud." Checking the surroundings, nobody else is around. "Are you serious?" "Yeah, pretty much." "Could it be a fake? You weren’t scammed or anything?" "Um, I fought against an ice dragon." "What!?" Once more, I cover Mane-san’s mouth. "Uuuuuu" Again, I slowly remove my hand. "You... fought it?" "Yeah." "Then how are you standing here in one piece?" As expected, it truly is considered that formidable. "So, because it’s an ice dragon, does it not work?" "That’s not the issue. Ice dragons are on par with the great elemental dragons. Anyway, we can’t discuss this here. Let's go to my room." I'm led to Mane-san’s workspace within the Ministry of Magic. "So, is it true you battled with an ice dragon?" "It happened by chance." "Normally, people don't just end up battling dragons by chance. So, how did it go?" "Long story short, I ended up with a horn and some scales." "‘Long story short’ is quite the understatement." Even if I said they were given as an apology from the ice dragon, she probably wouldn’t believe it. "By the way, do you have them with you now?" "They’re in my item bag." "Could I take a look?" "Which one?" I can show the scales, but the horn is quite large. "If possible, both please." "I don’t mind, but please keep this between us." I’d prefer to avoid further chaos. "Yes, I promise." "But it might be cramped to take out the horn here." Last time, even though Ellelaura-san and I cleared Mane-san’s room to summon Kumayuru and Kumakyu, there's still only a little space. "Then let’s head to the rooftop."