3 bar menu

Chapter 221: Khan’s Understanding

「Alright, I got it now. It seems that even in this era, having a『King’s Bough』is anything but ordinary, 【Teleport】doesn’t exist, and folks definitely don’t have powerful spirits as pets. 」
Khan emptied the sake cup in one gulp.

「Indeed, that is the correct grasp of things. 」
Butler poured Khan another cup with a smile.

「What a pity this sake doesn’t exist, although it’s also a relief. 」
「Why didn’t you just ask Jean directly back then? 」
Dinosso asked as Khan heaved a deep sigh.

「What can you expect from someone who forces an obviously powerful spirit to keep the form of a puppy, and quips that it’s a 「Beloved Dog 」 when you asked what it was? 」
「Ahh…… 」
Khan threw another question back to Dinosso, who then replied with a weird voice before turning to look at me with half-lidded eyes.

「Riche is ordinarily just a puppy, and he’s totally cute from his head to the tip of his tail. 」
He’s cute no matter what angle you see him.

「It’s not a problem about the form. 」
「His behavior is also cute. 」
Dinosso was about to deny it so I retorted in a flash.

I saw Butler shaking his head imperceptibly, so I turned to Retze.

「Well, he is kinda cute. 」
「Here, I also have some kalbi, eat up. And sandwich these tsukune — chicken meatball skewers — with green bell pepper, they’re tasty if you eat it like that. 」
I piled a heap of skewers with celery, leeks and skin (meat) onto Retze’s plate.

The other three stared at Retze as if saying ‘you don’t get it’.

「Nah, I’m just an ordinary guy who can’t See anything, nor can I Sense the presence of a spirit. If the spirit forced me, or it asserted its presence itself, then maybe there’s a chance, but as long as they don’t do that then it’s impossible for me. If I suddenly See a spirit when I don’t even have that ability, then it must be a powerful one, obviously.」
Retze explained while holding a new skewer.

「I’m just an ordinary guy, so my impressions are influenced by the appearance of the thing I’m looking at. It’ll be troublesome if you were to lump me with you guys. 」
「Riche is as adorable as he looks. 」
「It’ll be even more troublesome if I get lumped with you since you’re quite slow on the uptake. 」
Retze rejected me. How cruel.

「You can’t See? 」
Bayliss appeared beside Khan’s shoulder.

She looked around the room with wonder, introduced herself to the trio, then she returned to the tiny vial pendant hanging on Khan’s chest. She couldn’t calm down after being taken away from her original form which was the desert, apparently.

The glass vial was the size of the tip of a thumb and filled with desert sand. The top and bottom parts were decorated with gold. It’s supposedly a vial for medicine, but it turned out to be a nice sleeping quarters for Bayliss, apparently.

「You can See Khan, and you even saw the mistletoe. 」
「Hm. That’s because the 『King’s Bough』 has already been completely assimilated into me, anyone can see me. 」
He seemed to have confirmed for himself that Retze really couldn’t See. Bayliss disappeared right away as soon as Khan understood it.

「Come to think of it, will you turn completely round if you take the『King’s Bough』out entirely, Khan? 」
Mistletoe grows into spheres* sprouting from the branches of the trees they parasitize and they’re quite cute.

「Round…? Wasn’t the shape it had while it was displayed on the pedestal the standard and norm? 」
What a pity, so that means he’s just a delicate bough with lots of branches spreading out, just like how 『King’s Bough』 was when it was still on the pedestal, huh.

「I now fully understand how my contract master’s view of the world is totally askew. You can’t use him as a standard, I totally get it now. Also, I have to avoid the current heroes of this era, huh. 」
Just when I thought he managed to grasp the situation, he suddenly spouted such heartless words.

「Indeed, that is correct. 」
And Butler even agreed!

Aren’t you guys being too cruel on me?

「It’s a puzzle how such a lax guy managed to solve a problem that had been plaguing us for an eternity, and he even managed to hold the authority over my life and death and had settled himself as the master. Still, I don’t bear any ill will towards him. 」
「I already decided I’ll live in comfort as I please without being influenced and forced by other people. 」
I don’t want to be restricted by the circumstances of others, so I deliberately don’t read the mood.

I never want to get involved with my sister, but I also don’t want to live in hiding for fear of her.

「If you’re going to do something then make sure it’s safe, alright? Some people might attack you using your weakness, and such folks are not always related to the heroes, okay? 」
「Yup, I’ll run away when need be. 」
I declared my intent to flee when Retze warned me.

「Didn’t know the Labyrinth of the Great Forest is still thriving. Seems like the dream I gave up when I was crowned king might just come true, huh. 」
Khan said, deeply moved again while discussing the adventurer’s behavior with Dinosso and the other two.

Several labyrinths actually exist, but the deepest and least peculiar one is in the Magical Woods. The other labyrinths aren’t places you’d want to stay for long, such as the one in the ancient castle which is always shrouded in fog and is gloomy and haunted, or the one in the volcanic region, or even the Mountain of Ice and Snow where the environment is as harsh as it can be.

「Yeah. I also wanted to take my family to hide within the Labyrinth, but the house we’re currently living in is way too comfortable that it’s hard to leave and set up a base elsewhere… 」
Right, come to think of it, Dinosso did say that was their plan.

「If you wish to pass through the Labyrinth then I recommend you start with the one in the fortress city. The affordable inns do not provide a good environment for children to stay in for consecutive nights. Are you perhaps considering renting a room for a whole month? They have two options, either with shared comfort rooms or none at all. However, only a very limited number of houses are empty, and if you wish for a good inn with your desired level of comfort, then you will have to pay five pieces of gold coins, which I believe is too hard. 」

Butler’s knowledge is exhaustive, as expected of him.

「I don’t think I can stand ordinary toilets anymore. 」
「Fuhahaha 」
Dinosso slumped exaggeratedly as I laughed my heart out. I’ll make it so you can’t go to the fortress city, haha!

And so, Khan decided to install his teleport circle in a corner of this third floor that had been converted into a workshop. He’ll be staying for a while in one of the rooms of Retze and the others’ rental house. Would Reid be okay?
Well, Dean and the other guys should be on their way home by now; well, at least if they’re not staying overtime in the brothel, that is.