Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 65

Its the day after I completed Klaus’ nomination request. When I went down to the dining room to have breakfast at the Cat’s Tail Pavilion, an unexpected person called to me.

“Heyy, Shuu-kun. Come here for a minute.”

The person in the dining room is Lumia’s mentor and Master Klaus’ alchemist, Saffy.

“Huh? What are you doing here, Saffy-san?

“I had some business with you today. I came here for a bite to eat.

She is munching on a bowl of chili beans as she answers.

“Saffy-san goes out too, huh?”

“That’s rude. I go out at least once in a while.”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you outside.”

I only meet Saffy at her shop. I imagined her as someone who spends all their time in the back workshop, making items and doing research.

“In any case, why don’t you order something?”

“I’ll do that. Mia, could you please bring me some chili beans and bread?!”

“Understood-nya~!”

When I asked for an order, I got a cheerful reply from Mia. Watching Saffy eat made me want to eat as well.

“The food here is delicious, and the beastkin waitstaff are charming and soothing to watch”

“That’s right. I feel at ease when I come back here.”

“By the way, Shuu-san, which of the beastkin do you find the most charming?”

“Hmm, its hard to pick just one. Mia’s cheerfulness and cuteness are great, but Croy-san’s cool and quiet presence is also– wait, what am I saying.”

“You’re quite the animal lover, aren’t you?”

Saffy chuckled at me as I suddenly snapped back to my senses and stopped myself. She’s a first-class beauty on the outside, but inside she gives off a bit of an old man vibe making it too easy to talk to her and get myself into trouble. I even talked about a topic that I wouldn’t normally talk about with a woman.

“Waai~, chili beans and bread for you-nya~!”

“Thank you.”

“Nyan nyan!”

When I thanked her, Mia curled her hands into a cat pose. It’s the ultimate way to show off cuteness. She must have been listening to the conversation between Saffy and I.

“Yes, yes, Mia is the most charming.”

“Nya~! That’s so unnecessarily mean-nya~!”

Mia’s cheeks puffed up at my indifferent response.

That kind of playfulness suits her well and it’s very cute, but acting cute is a different thing. It’s the natural charm that emerges in casual moments that creates the appeal.

With the resentful Mia out of the way, I started on the chili and beans. The taste of minced meat and tomatoes tangled with soybeans and string beans was delicious. The best part is that it’s not too bland and the spices are tempered to keep it from being too spicy.

I spread the slightly strong flavored chili on top of the bread to eat. Yeah, I really like the combination of bread and chili beans. When my mouth becomes too spicy and dry, I take a bite of salad to neutralize and moisturize it.

Continuing this loop makes it easy to keep eating.

Finishing breakfast in no time, I ask Saffy, who is sipping fruit juice, about her purpose.

“So, what is it that you want from me?”

“Oh, it’s about fulfilling a nomination request.”

“A nomination request?”

Currently, I don’t have any outstanding nomination requests from Saffy.

“It’s about the material collection with Lumia… You haven’t gone on any since defeating the Red Dragon?”

“Oh, but I was paid the last time so isn’t it over?”

After defeating the Red Dragon, a special reward was given for protecting Lumia from the Red Dragon, in addition to the education expenses for Lumia. Thanks to this, a considerable amount of money has been deposited into my account, and since I received thanks, I thought the specific request was completed.

“As for specific requests, it will be considered completed when I judge that Lumia has enough experience in material collection. Until then, I intend to continue paying the rewards. Besides, I don’t recall you signing any request forms yet, anyway.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.”

Unless the client signs the request form, the specific request is not considered fulfilled. In other words, the contract period is still ongoing.

“Lumia probably wants to go for collection as well, but after the Red Dragon incident, she might find it difficult to ask you. If you’re okay with it, I would appreciate it if you could initiate the invitation.”

Certainly, I met Lumia at the stall, but she didn’t show any such signs at all.

After an incident like the one with the Red Dragon, it might be awkward for Lumia to ask to be taken along again.

“Got it. I’ll stop by the store later and invite her.”

“Yeah, I appreciate it.”

“By the way, Saffy-san, you’re really kind to Lumia-san.”

Despite Saffy being weak in the morning, she came here specifically to ask for her disciple. While she usually seems quite casual, it’s clear that she’s someone who can act for her disciple as a mentor. Honestly, I gained more respect for her.

“…She’s a bit absent-minded, but she’s excellent. If she doesn’t become independent soon, my workload will increase, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Saffy’s cheeks turned red which was an unusual sight, and with a parting remark reminiscent of Klaus, she left the inn.

By the way, I ended up covering the bill.

♦  ♦  ♦

After Saffy left the inn, I headed to the shop where Lumia was.

Peeking inside from the outside, I saw Lumia sitting by the sunny window, gazing at the heart-shaped necklace.

It was an item I had put up for sale at the stall, and it seems Lumia bought it and has been wearing it. Lumia had a gentle smile on her face as she carefully polished the necklace with a cloth.

It’s heartwarming as a creator to see someone appreciating and taking good care of your work. Watching from outside, Lumia seemed to notice me and, putting the cloth aside, came to open the door.

“Oh, Shuu-san. Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon.”

“I really like the necklace you made, so I’m already wearing it.”

Lumia showed off the heart necklace around her neck, looking somewhat bashful.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Listening to the conversation alone, it sounds like something those in a relationship would say.

In reality, I just sold accessories at the stall, and Lumia bought them.

“How can I assist you today? Are you interested in any particular items?”

“No, today I’m not here for shopping. I was thinking of going for some gathering with Lumia-san.”

“Huh?”

“That nomination request was until Saffy-san recognizes Lumia-san, right? Until it’s officially concluded, I thought Lumia and I could continue gathering together.”

That’s what Saffy told me earlier, and proposing it in this way seemed natural now.

“W-wait, I’ll go confirm with my master!”

Lumia, looking flustered, entered the back room and quickly returned with Saffy.

“Well, that’s right. Lumia still lacks experience in gathering, and the request hasn’t been signed off for completion yet. The commotion with the Red Dragon has also settled down. Shall we have you go gathering again?”

Saffy, who reacted as if she just remembered it despite asking for it earlier at the inn, had an amusing response.

I gave a wry smile and, as I received a bit of a stern look, returned to my normal expression.

“Really!? I thought it was already over, so this is great news! I’m so happy to be able to go gathering with you again, Shuu-san!”

It seemed Lumia had thought it was over already, so she couldn’t bring it up. I was glad to know that she enjoyed gathering with me.

“You can’t say that the experience is enough with just that. I’ll give you another gathering task today, so go and collect it.”

“Yes! Shuu-san, please take care of me again!”

“I look forward to working with you again.” I nodded deeply in response to Lumia’s smiling words.