Emergency Message
“Even so, the break was a full week, so you still had three days? Two days? Right?”
“No, we didn’t.”
This time, since the academy—Saint Arthur Academy—found out Damian and Rosetta were in the capital, they were summoned.
They were asked to speak at an event where first-year employees who had been put in charge of the exhibition and achieved success would talk about their experience. They accepted on the condition it would only be for one day.
But in the end, it became two days.
“It didn’t finish in one day?”
On the first day, only the third-years listened, but afterward the first- and second-years begged to hear the talk as well.
And because Rosetta hadn’t been present, they asked to hear from her too, so she had to go to the academy the next day.
“What about the last day?”
“We slept.”
They were mentally exhausted and collapsed in their room.
Brother Chris apparently suggested they go back to their family home for two days, but they were scared of being summoned again and returned here instead.
“If there were hot springs in the capital, I think we could have recovered from the fatigue.”
“I missed hot springs and sweets.”
“Sweets?”
You can eat sweets at the estate in the territory.
“I can’t eat dorayaki, filled pancake buns, or red-bean bread.”
Sweet things help when you’re tired.
So Rosetta was craving sweets with red bean paste.
“All right. You two worked hard—tell me what dishes you want to eat. I’ll ask the head chef.”
“Curry rice.” “All three types of filled pancake buns.”
Work has piled up, so I’ll have them recover with hot springs, food, and sweets, and then keep working hard.
Just then, an emergency message came from Bale: Cocotte had begun appearing at the fortress and were ramming into it.
If this keeps up, part of the fortress might be damaged.
Cocotte at the Varshe’s fortress?
Why all of a sudden?
We rushed to the Varshe’s fortress.
“So this is the Varshe’s fortress?”
Georges, who had brought his slime, asked.
“I’ll introduce you to the Varshe… though you’ve met at the mansion already.”
“We’ve met, but we haven’t formally introduced ourselves, so I’d like to.”
Bale was waiting at the gate and immediately guided us to the problematic wall on the Great Forest side.
A portion of the sturdy earthen wall had cracked.
I immediately asked Hamilton to repair it.
“This is the fence where the Cocotte chicks’ coop is, right?”
“Yes. The Cocotte always ram this spot.”
Apparently, they ram it several times a day, and once they realize the wall won’t break, they give up—only to start again the next day.
“Have they already rammed it today?”
“The first time is already done.”
“The first time?”
It used to be just one, but it seems several started coming since yesterday.
“What’s the cause?”
“The Dodorin fruit, I think,” Bale said apologetically.
“The ones planted outside the fortress?”
“I can’t say for certain, but they’ve been eating the Dodorin fruit.”
When we went to the grove where the Dodorin trees were planted, an egg was lying there.
“Huh? There’s an egg.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t here yesterday, so I think a Cocotte laid it today.”
There were five eggs total. I’d give these to Bale’s family.
We couldn’t figure out why they were ramming the wall without the Cocotte themselves showing up.
We went back into the fortress to wait.
While inside, I introduced Georges to Varshe and the others.
After that, we went to see the Cocotte chicks.
“Wow, they’ve grown since we last saw them.”
When we first came to Varshe’s fortress, they were small enough to fit on one palm, but now they needed both hands to hold.
“I’m thinking it’s about time to move them to the bigger area next door.”
“Yeah, if they’re moving around now, the bigger space would be better.”
As we talked, there was a loud thud against the wall.
That echoed pretty strongly… Bale’s family must be terrified hearing that all the time.
We left the coop and approached the inside of the wall where the thuds were coming from. Another thud sounded.
What on earth were the Cocotte trying to do? Ramming it should hurt them too…
There were plenty of Dodorin fruits outside the fortress, so if they just wanted fruit—looking up at the tree, I saw volleyball-sized fruit hanging.
Maybe this is what they want?
I had Meyer pick two of the volleyball-sized fruits. We went outside and approached the Cocotte.
It noticed us, but ignored us and rammed the wall again.
Then, when it bounced off and looked our way, it suddenly charged at us.
“Is it aiming for Young Master Reinhardt?”
I threw the volleyball-sized fruit at the Cocotte. It flew over it, hit the fortress wall, and burst.
The Cocotte immediately changed direction and started devouring the smashed fruit.
“So that was the cause.”
I looked at the other volleyball-sized fruit Meyer was holding.
It can’t be helped… I’ll have to plant this fruit outside the fortress as well.
After eating, the Cocotte seemed satisfied and returned to the Great Forest without coming near us.
We took the seeds from the smashed volleyball-sized fruit and also from the one Meyer had, planted them by the Varshe-side wall, and—
“Grow big,” I said as I watered them with my water mana.
“You aren’t going to name it?” Georges asked.
“Georges, nobody knows what it is.”
“You could have checked in the Sanctuary Library of Blessings.”
“I didn’t have time to do research.”
Moments like this make me wish this world had something like a smartphone—take a picture and instantly learn the name of what you’re looking at.
What do you think about this chapter?
