Arrival of the Kiblinki Saltas
The negotiations in Vardmoi concluded, and it was time to return to the nest of the Kiblinki Saltas.
On the way, I explained the details of the agreement with Marquis Vardmoi to the Kiblinki Saltas who had accompanied me. Opinions were split about evenly between those who were eager to help and those who weren’t.
Since I have no intention of forcing unwilling participants, I decided to take only those interested in helping.
Once we reached the nest, I explained the situation to everyone.
As before, there was a clear divide between those who were enthusiastic and those who weren’t.
It seems that Kiblinki Saltas as a species dislike conflict, and their attitudes toward city defense varied because of this.
Even though the purpose is defense, it’s inevitable that they would have to fight if attacked, which understandably isn’t appealing.
After discussing it, a total of 16 Kiblinki Saltas volunteered to help protect the city of Vardmoi.
Additionally, six decided to stay with me, with four assigned as Lady Annette's guards and one each for protecting my shop and home.
I gratefully accepted their support.
As a token of gratitude, I helped clear the land to create fields in the mountain.
The claws and fangs of the Kiblinki Saltas aren’t sharp enough to fell trees, and they seemed troubled about how to handle that, so I used my magic to clear the trees for them.
After I uprooted the stumps with magic, they planned to process the fallen wood into lumber.
Although felling trees was beyond their capabilities, they were adept at trimming branches and crafting the wood.
Afterward, I visited the nearby village to explain the situation and gained their approval for the Kiblinki Saltas to act as guards.
With the familiar seals and certifications issued by the Tamers’ Guild, there shouldn’t be any confusion about them being wild monsters.
The Kiblinki Saltas immediately began strengthening the village’s perimeter fences with their webs, and I hoped this would foster a positive relationship.
Though I wouldn’t be able to visit often, the Kiblinki Saltas would come to me if anything arose, so it should work out.
And when it comes to defense, they are undeniably strong.
With the Kiblinki Saltas in tow, we returned to Vardmoi, where the next task was to finalize their deployment terms and conditions with the city’s guard.
Since I might get sweet-talked into unfavorable terms if I handled it myself, I asked Plum to act as my proxy.
After all, just because someone serves Marquis Vardmoi doesn’t mean they can be fully trusted. It’s better to be cautious.
Plum skillfully negotiated terms that were quite favorable for us, and I couldn’t help but admire her talent.
If it were me, I doubt it would have gone so smoothly.
The Kiblinki Saltas were set to begin their duties in a week, so I returned home for the time being.
There was the matter of creating a nest for the Kiblinki Saltas at my house.
However, neither my home nor my other shop had any spare rooms.
… This was a problem.
(What’s troubling you, Contractor?)
"Oh, um, I don’t have a room to set up your nest."
(Is that all? If you let us use the garden, we can build our nest there.)
"Are you sure? Won’t you get wet if it rains?"
(We’ll create a ceiling with our webbing, so it won’t be an issue. Will you allow it?)
Since the garden was the only available space, I agreed.
The Kiblinki Saltas immediately moved to the garden and, in no time, constructed their nest by weaving webs all over.
That was fast.
(With our sleeping arrangements settled, where is the girl we are supposed to protect?)
"Princess Annette hasn’t arrived at this house yet. Once everything is ready, I’ll go to pick her up."
(Then, we’ll spend a few days here to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings before fetching her.)
These spiders are truly brilliant.
That intelligence is probably why I can trust them with Princess Annette’s safety.
Yes, it feels like the preparations are almost complete.
What do you think about this chapter?
