Chapter 454 - Chapter 403: Another Loophole
Thursday
Pi-pi-pi went the alarm, signaling 2:15 PM.
After lunch, from 1 PM, the schedule was 30 minutes of homework + 15 minutes break + 30 minutes of homework.
With this, half of my homework would be done by the training camp.
"Phew. I think this is enough for today."
Yes.
"Let's finish up."
Mion and I had planned this schedule, but Bell-buchou also decided to participate.
Yata-sensei smiled at this. However, she wasn't here today because she still had work at school (a staff meeting, perhaps?).
By the way, Seth had already finished all her homework and had gone into IRO ahead of us.
"Speaking of which, Azure-san is coming to pick up the piano tonight. Should we subtly bring up the Dwarf Dungeon and Silver Manor topics?"
"Ugh... that's right. It might be too obvious if we try to guide him too overtly, I wonder? Perhaps it would be better to talk about Natural Ramune's island."
The castle was shown in the PV, but do the cats have a kingdom?
That castle was broken, wasn't it?
And when I used [Appraisal] on Shal, it said 'formerly', so perhaps the kingdom itself no longer exists...
"Normally, one would be curious and investigate, but with Natural Ramune..."
"Ah~..."
I see.
It's the kind of attitude that says, "Who cares about the past!"
Her popularity comes precisely from her type that enjoys the present...
"What about her fan club members?"
"They're busy following Natural Ramune and protecting the Cait Sith. It's hard for people on the mainland to help."
So she said. Well, that makes sense.
I had thought about having Sweee ask about the Cait Sith Kingdom story before.
If only there was a good opportunity...
*
"Lupi. Can you call Sweee and the others?"
"Woofn."""Bow.""
Lupi, Leda, and Roy, who had devoured the Roasted Ranziboa, dashed towards the Divine Tree in the forest as if for after-meal exercise.
Raz skillfully ate the raw Regucorn, his cheeks puffed out.
"Is it tasty?"
"Kururu~~~♪"
The vegetables Paan and the others grow seem to have a richer flavor.
If I brushed them with soy sauce and grilled them, I think they'd be incredibly delicious...
"Whoa, for Sweee and the others..."
The only thing I can serve right away is Dried Grapeful. We're all out of Papu Fruit...
"Today, I'll go all the way around the south side."
Yes. Why don't you call Shal-kun and the others too?
"Ah, right. Speaking of which, I'll ask about the Cait Sith Kingdom while we walk."
Just as I was saying that, Sweee and the Fairies arrived, and without hesitation, headed straight for the wooden plate piled with Dried Grapeful.
"Thanks."
"Woof~~~."""Bow~~~."
After thoroughly petting and praising all three,
"Can you go call Shal and the others now?"
"Woof!"""Bow!""
This time, I watched them dash off towards the stairs, and now...
"Sweee, I wanted to ask you something..."
「~~~？」
While munching on Dried Grapeful, she listened intently to my question.
So, first, I asked Sweee if she knew anything about the 'Cait Sith Kingdom'.
「~~~...」
"Hm? Long before the calamity..."
To summarize Sweee's story, she didn't know about the Cait Sith Kingdom itself, but Fairies and other spirits had existed for a very, very long time, and there were periods when they were friendly with humans, and times when they had to flee from them.
She said that was just how it was, because there were both good and bad people.
"By the way, Sweee, how old are you?"
When I asked a simple question like that,
「~~~！」
"Ouch!"
I got a flying cross chop.
It seems asking a woman's age is taboo for fairies too.
Geez! Sweee-chan! Shou-kun, are you okay?
"I'm fine, I'm fine. That was my fault, sorry, sorry."
「~~~...」
According to a glare from Sweee, the growth of a fairy is largely mental, so human notions of age aren't very applicable.
"Well, when it comes to us players, whether we age is also debatable, right?"
Ah, that's right.
But Lupi is growing, though.
No, that's fine.
"Sweee, can you ask Shal about the Cait Sith Kingdom?"
「~~~￥」
"Alright, I'll make you a new dessert with Papu Fruit then."
After securing a promise from Sweee, who was as mercenary as ever, Shal and the Cait Sith arrived.
I gave them dried small fish (a small fish called Brancho) as snacks, and they all ate them deliciously.
"I'm thinking of taking a walk around the south side of the island, so let's all go together."
"Nya!"「「「Nyaa!」」」
………
……
…
「~~~？」「Nya~~~Nya."
On the way to the southwest, Sweee asked Shal, "What happened to the Cait Sith Kingdom?"
Shal, surprisingly, answered without any tragic air, simply saying something like, "There used to be a kingdom, but it ended when the king disappeared."
"Um, it ends if the king disappears?"
"Nya~~~Nya."
"Oh~, so if they have to fight, someone gets chosen as king."
It seems there isn't a royal bloodline; rather, if the Cait Sith need to unite and fight, a king appears (?).
So, since there's no king now, it's peaceful, then?
"Well, Natural Ramune-san seems to care about the Cait Sith, so there's not much point in us worrying too much."
However, it seems there were some who didn't return to their original island, and some who newly came from the island to the mainland.
Oh, that's right!
"Shal, do you know about the Calamity?"
Just saying 'Calamity' might not be clear, so I asked about the day when mana almost disappeared from this world...
"Nyanya~~~..."
As expected, the situation was quite dire at that time. It seems the castle on the island was destroyed then.
Sweee and Shal were talking about that time, and then,
"Eh?"
What's wrong?
"Sweee asked, 'Didn't you spend time near the Divine Tree?', and Shal replied, 'Yes, everyone gathered near the Divine Tree and spent their time there.'"
Ah! Then Natural Ramune's island also has a Divine Tree...
"Sweee. You're the only one who can travel through the Divine Tree, right!?"
「~~~♪」
Only fairy royalty can open the Fairy Path. And it seems to be limited to places they know.
For now, that's a relief, I guess.