Chapter 801 Bear-san Talking to Ellelaura-san

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

"This feels good." (Yuna)

Shia and I were soaking in a big bathtub.

I did not sweat much, but the bath felt good after moving around.

The temperature of the water was just right.

"If we spar again, I think I'll understand more about Yuna-san's strength." (Shia)

Shia said while massaging her arms.

Well, she brandished her sword many times during our spars. It was important to take care of muscles, so that they didn't get sore.

I was fine thanks to my Bear suit, so I didn't suffer something similar, but if I didn't have this equipment, I think I'd be sore and unable to move as well tomorrow without doing such maintenance.

"I miss the time when I first met Shia." (Yuna)

"Please forget about that time." (Shia)

Shia seemed embarrassed, as she recalled our first encounter.

"At that time, you were angry because of your concern for your sister, Noa, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about." (Yuna)

It was when Shia found out that I, who was dressed like a bear, was Noa's guard, and thinking that I was weak, she got angry and decided to spar with me.

It couldn't be helped, since her precious sister's guard was looking so comical, being dressed as a bear.

Although, it was Ellelaura-san who arranged for us to spar.

"Am I getting stronger?" (Shia)

"As I have told you before, you are indeed getting stronger." (Yuna)

"I'm glad if that's the case." (Shia)

Then, we discussed sparring in the bath.

Shia listened carefully to what I said, made considerations about my advice, and reflected on it.

I believed that if one could think properly, one could truly become stronger.

"But isn’t it unnecessary for a noble’s daughter to become strong?" (Yuna)

"It's precisely because I am a noble, that I needed strength to protect myself." (Shia)

"But don’t you usually have guards?" (Yuna)

"You won’t always have guards by your side. In fact, there are no guards inside our school." (Shia)

"That's true." (Yuna)

"… And besides, nobles are often resented for various reasons." (Shia)

Shia said with a firm look in her eyes.

"I don't think Father or Mother would do anything to make others hate them. Still, people may hate them without reason or because of misunderstanding, and you never know when someone could attack. In fact, Father once made a mistake, like the Crimonia orphanage." (Shia)

"That wasn't Cliff's fault, was it?" (Yuna)

The subordinate who was managing the orphanage embezzled money from it.

"But the residents don’t know that. To them, it probably looks like Father was responsible." (Shia)

Honestly, I had thought the same at first.

Even the orphanage director thought the same.

"If the people at the orphanage had held a grudge, Father and Noa might have been in danger." (Shia)

If the children had continued to suffer food shortages, lost their friends, and even seen the director die, they would have come to hate Cliff.

You never know what someone who held a grudge might do.

"That's certainly true." (Yuna)

"Nobles live well thanks to the residents. In return, it’s our duty to make their lives easier." (Shia)

Managing the economy and moving people around was difficult for me to think about.

A village, a town, a city, a country — the larger the population and the greater the wealth, the more difficult it would be to manage. A village chief would never be able to manage something as big as a country, for example.

It would require a certain amount of education and the right environment to do so.

"Along the way, there may come a time when I have to accept being hated by others." (Shia)

It was impossible to choose a path that made everyone happy every time.

Sometimes a lord must protect the greater good, even if it means sacrificing some.

If that happened, a lord would likely incur the hatred of the few that had been discarded.

And when that happened, those who were cast aside would inevitably bear hatred toward the lord who abandoned them.

"At that time, I will likely be hated by some and even be put in danger." (Shia)

"Is that why you practice?" (Yuna)

"That's part of it, but I also like swinging swords and using magic." (Shia)

Shia smiled.

It was hard to be a noble.

Now that I was thinking about it, the stupid lord of Shirin was a terrible nobleman. And his son was no better.

It was only natural that people would come to hate nobles because of people like them.

I was glad that Misa's father became lord.

Noa was studying diligently, and I believed both Noa and Shia would grow into fine noble ladies.

I could expect Crimonia to be safe for now at the very least.

Still, Noa and Shia would eventually need husbands.

It was going to be hard to find men who were a good match for them.

After a refreshing bath, Shia and I relaxed until Ellelaura-san came home.

Shia had changed from her school uniform into a white dress-like casual outfit and was dressed comfortably.

Me? I was still stuck in my Bear suit.

As we were chatting in Shia's room, there was a knock on the door. Shia gave permission, and Suririna came in.

"My lady, your mother has returned. I told her that Yuna-san is here, and she is asking you to take her to the reception room." (Sururina)

Apparently, Ellelaura-san had returned from work.

Shia picked up the frame with the pressed flowers and said, "Let's go."

Shia and I headed to the reception room, where Ellelaura-san was waiting.

"Mother, I've brought Yuna-san." (Shia)

"Come in." (Ellelaura)

Shia opened the door and we stepped inside.

"Yuna-chan, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat." (Ellelaura)

Shia and I sat on the chairs across Ellelaura-san.

Shia then placed the frame with pressed flowers on the table in front of us.

“Thank you. So, this one is a precious flower, right? Shia told me about it." (Yuna)

I pointed at the blue pressed flower with my Bear puppet.

"I was told by that person that this blue flower is called Masouka, and it's a rare flower that is imbued with magic power." (Ellelaura)

"Masouka…" (Yuna)

So that was what it was called.

I was glad that the pressed flowers was not the actual name of the flower, as my Bear Observation would name it.

"So, how rareprecious is this flower?" (Yuna)

"This kind of thing is outside my expertise, so I don't know much about it either." (Ellelaura)

I had thought Ellelaura-san knew everything.

"Even I don’t know everything," Ellelaura suddenly remarked.

"Don't read people's minds." (Yuna)

"It was written all over your face," she replied with a smile.

… Was it really that obvious? Lately, my expressions had been giving me away more than I realized.

I used to think I was good at keeping a poker face.

"Well, only people in certain professions could recognize rare flowers." (Ellelaura)

"They don’t teach this sort of thing in school, either." (Shia)

"Mostly, only those aiming to work at the Ministry of Magic would know something like this. And when it comes to plants in general, the number of people with real knowledge about them is even smaller." (Ellelaura)

It wasn’t just about flowers. There were people who specialized in plants, minerals, wood, food, magic, economics etc - people who devoted themselves to studying different fields, and helping each one advance.

I think the person who noticed this magic flower this time was also at least studying such flowers, which made them notice it.

"So, what should I do about it?" (Yuna)

"For now, nothing, really. I don’t mind hearing the details, but since we will be talking about it at the Ministry tomorrow, they will probably ask about it there." (Ellelaura)

"Wait a minute, we are going to talk about it at the Ministry tomorrow?!" (Shia)

"Of course. Yuna-chan is also supposed to go to the Ministry tomorrow along with me." (Ellelaura)

"I was not informed about that." (Yuna)

"I just told you now." (Ellelaura)

Ellelaura-san gave me a look that clearly said, ‘Am I wrong?'

… She wasn’t technically wrong.

But I had only just met Ellelaura-san today, so of course she hadn't really mentioned to me that this would happen until now.

"You should have let me know about it in advance in the letter you sent." (Yuna)

"When I wrote the letter, my plan was simply to have Yuna-chan come to the royal capital, ask you the details, and then decide what to do next. But the other day, when I met Mane-sama, we agreed that I should bring Yuna-chan to the Ministry of Magic as well." (Ellelaura)

"Mane-sama?" (Yuna)

"He is the one from the Ministry of Magic who recognized the flower. So, what do you think?" (Ellelaura)

"By the way, do I have the right to refuse?" (Yuna)

"Of course, you do. I can't force you." (Ellelaura)

I thought she would take me by force.

"But if you refuse, I’m sure Mane-sama will be heartbroken. He’s a devoted researcher and quite old. If the shock kills him, well… it wouldn’t really be Yuna-chan’s fault." (Ellelaura)

Ellelaura-san even looked a little sad as she said that.

What was with that threat?

"Is this Mane-sama an old person?" (Yuna)

"He's pretty old, you know?" (Ellelaura)

"Shia, is that true?" (Yuna)

There was a chance that Ellelaura-san was lying, so I turned to Shia for confirmation.

"Yes, Mane-sama is quite old." (Shia)

It seemed that she was not lying.

"Mane-sama wants to meet Yuna-chan and wants to hear more about this from you." (Ellelaura)

Well, that was to be expected.

I was already expecting that I would be asked a lot of questions about where I found that rare flower, but I thought Ellelaura-san would be the one asking, not someone else.

"So, what will you do? You can refuse. In that case, I’ll just ask for details myself." (Ellelaura)

"I'll go. I am allowed to visit the Ministry of Magic, right?" (Yuna)

Actually, ever since I heard about the Ministry of Magic from Shia, I was also curious about it. It sounded like another world entirely.

After all… it was the Ministry of Magic.

Something that didn’t exist in my original world.

It had been a while since I’d felt that little tickle in my ex-gamer heart.

"Yes, as a special guest." (Ellelaura)

"That's amazing. It's normally really hard to get to enter that place." (Shia)

Shia said enviously.

"They do important research, so basically only people involved with the ministry can get in." (Ellelaura)

Well, that made sense.

It’d be a huge problem if someone from another company wandered into the office without permission. And in my case, it would be just as bad if some stranger strolled into the kitchen of Bear’s Lounge.

Even though I’d never actually worked at a company, I understood that much.

Especially since the Ministry of Magic dealt with powerful magic and valuable magic tools.

"Well then, with that decided, we shall go tomorrow." (Ellelaura)

That night, I tried to go back to my Bear House in the royal capital, but Shia and Ellelaura-san stopped me, saying they wanted to hear about Noa.

I thought Cliff would have mentioned the fairies in his letters to Shia, but since Shia didn’t bring them up, I decided not to mention them either.