Published: July 30, 2025
After dinner, while sipping tea and chatting casually, the Duchess suddenly spoke up.
“Ryoma-kun, have you decided what you’re going to do from now on?”
“...Honestly, I’m still undecided. Whether to stay as I am... or move somewhere else...”
My research had somewhat settled down. Seeing that room filled with slimes had cooled my head, and meeting people like this made other things come to mind. I started wanting some spices and food supplies.
...So, I thought it might be time to explore this world a bit. But how should I put it? It feels unnatural for a kid who's a recluse and dislikes people, by setup, to suddenly want to explore the outside world... Alright, I’ll use the universal excuse—grandparents.
“...My grandparents told me... to live happily in the city... I’m not dissatisfied with my current life. But my grandparents... I’ve started thinking they might not want me to live here...”
“Ryoma-kun...”
The atmosphere in the room turned somber. Lord Reinbach closed his eyes, seeming to contemplate something, then said:
“In that case... why not leave the forest with us?”
“Huh?”
What is this person saying? We just met today!
“Even so, we are a Duke’s household; providing for your clothing, food, and shelter is easy. Also, I think it’s a waste for a talented Beast Tamer like you to be holed up deep in the forest. You may dislike the city, but why not step outside the forest just a little?”
...I never expected such an invitation. Everyone else seemed to have no objections and gave me a ‘That’s fine’ look... They’re all too kind, it actually hurts my heart...
“We will be going to a town called Gimul for about two months starting tomorrow, then we’ll come back. You can return here anytime, so would you like to accompany us on this journey?”
“A journey...”
I’m naive about this world... Even though I received basic knowledge from the gods, I haven’t actually seen things myself. I didn’t know how slimes are regarded outside either. There must be many more things like that.
...These people seem nice, and it’s safer than going alone, right? Besides, if I don’t go now, I’ll probably stay holed up for another 2 or 3 months dragging things out...
“Alright then. I think I’ll end up troubling you all, but... may I accompany you?”
“Good! You’ll come with us!”
“I’ve been thinking... about going outside the forest myself...”
“Good, good. We need to prepare for the trip. Let’s delay departure until noon tomorrow. Can you prepare everything by then?”
“By morning is fine. If I use the Item Box... I can bring everything.”
“Oh, you can use the Item Box at your age? That’s amazing.”
Is that so? I’d heard many people can use the Item Box...
“My grandmother said it’s convenient, so I learned it. I heard many people can use it.”
“No, no, even though it’s beginner magic, it’s a high-rank attribute spell. Certainly, a lot of people can use the Item Box, but being able to use it at your age is impressive.”
This too... Is some information missing? Or is it not considering age? I might need to be careful... I guess I’ve been lucky, having someone to fill in the common sense gaps...
“Lord Ryoma, it seems you also have talent in magic besides Beast Taming. Your future looks promising.”
“That’s true. If you want to study magic other than Beast Taming, just say so, okay? I can teach you.”
“Studying together with Ryoma-san sounds fun.”
“Thank you.”
When I thanked them and started cleaning up, the young lady and the maids offered to help, so we decided to clean the most troublesome room first.
“Whoa, why is this room like this?”
“There are so many weapons and armors.”
“Choosing what to take will be tough…”
“Are those furs in the back?”
“What’s that bag of garbage in the corner?”
They brought me to a storage room. Here are the items collected over three years from defeated thieves. Weapons and armor are maintained and organized to some extent, but other things are mostly just piled up.