Chapter 130

Reporting, Informing, Consulting
The next day, Grandfather Harry and the others, who were supposed to have left due to prior commitments, suddenly came rushing back through the teleportation gate.

And they were in quite the state...

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?! Explain, please!!"

"Yes! What's going on? Did you deliberately keep this from us?!"

The moment they arrived, Grandmother Patty and Aunt Rose began shouting. Grandmother Patty, who usually spoke in a calm and gentle manner, was now talking at breakneck speed. Grandfather Harry could only stand there, bewildered by the two of them...

"Uh... Good morning, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law. First, let's move to the living room. Gray, some tea, please."

Once again, the Ballist and Rampail families gathered in the living room.

"So, um... what exactly is this about?"

Father cautiously asked the question.

"Well, last night, we ate the lunchbox and dried fruits Little Joan gave us... Of course, they were absolutely delicious. Joan, thank you. Especially the eggs— Ow! ...S-sorry. A-anyway, when we woke up this morning, something was... different."

Grandfather Harry, who had been about to go off on a tangent, was swiftly silenced by Grandmother Patty's elbow.

"Different... how?"

Perhaps realizing Grandfather Harry couldn't be trusted to explain properly, Grandmother Patty took over.

"First of all, my skin! It's glowing! My makeup goes on so smoothly now. And... my waistline is looser! I ate so much of Little Joan's delicious food—and the dried fruits too! But when I went to change this morning, my clothes were loose!"

"And I... well... my digestion has always been terrible, but... this morning, it was... resolved."

Indeed, Grandmother Patty did look a bit more refreshed than yesterday.

The cause, of course, was my dried fruits. I suddenly remembered—I had forgotten to explain their special effects.

"My apologies. We forgot to explain."

Father bowed deeply and proceeded to clarify the effects of the dried fruits I had made with my skills.

"Oh my~ What wonderful food this is~! Little Joan, thank you so much~! I've been struggling to lose weight for years~!"

"Yes, truly, thank you. It's been so long since I've felt this refreshed in the morning."

"Th-that's good to hear. If you'd like, I can prepare more—"

"”YES, PLEASE!!"”

"... Understood."

And just like that, the Ballist family left in a whirlwind...

Father and I both came to the same realization: "Reporting, informing, and consulting" really is important.

—Afternoon Tea Time—

"Master, a reply has arrived from that person."

"... That was fast. Is he really that free?"

Grumbling, Father took the letter from Gray and, after skimming it, passed it to Grandfather.

"Sigh... Of course, he says to bring her. 'Whenever it suits you, I'll adjust my schedule.' Yeah, he's definitely got too much time on his hands."

"Wahahaha! Well, there's no helping it now. I suppose he's curious to meet her, given the circumstances with his wife. Don't worry—Margaret and the baby will be fine in our care. Go ahead and make the trip."

"... Fine, understood."

"Father, are you going somewhere?"

Noel asked, watching Father sigh repeatedly.

"Yeah, just a quick trip to the capital. Oh, and you kids are coming too."

"””Huh?!"””

"Why? Isn't this for work, Father?"

"No, I wanted to discuss Joan with an old academy classmate of mine. He's got two kids around Noel and Gene's age—thought it'd be good for you to meet."

"I see~ Think they'll be friends with me?"

Gene was oddly optimistic about this.

Meanwhile, I was nervous about sharing my secrets with outsiders... But Father had called this person a childhood friend, so... well, it'd probably be fine.

More importantly—my first trip to the royal capital! What would it be like? As the heart of the kingdom, it must be far more developed than here. I couldn't wait!

"So, Father, when are we leaving?"

"Well, he said anytime works for him. But this time, we have to bring Snowy, so... the gate won't work, huh?"

"Probably not, no."

"Then we'll take a carriage. It's been a while since I traveled that way."

"Hah! You haven't needed one since we got the gate."

"True enough. Then let's leave tomorrow. Gray, Nancy—prepare what we need. Though, we'll be staying at the capital estate, so just move the essentials there in advance."

"”Understood.”"

Ah, right—Snowy couldn't use the teleportation gate, so we had to go by carriage. Wait... couldn't Snowy just fly there herself?

"Um, Father? Couldn't Snowy just fly to the capital on her own?"

Ah. They'd all just forgotten about that option, hadn't they?

"Well, yeah, but Snowy's never been to the capital—let alone the estate."

"Ah, you're right, Brother Gene."

"But what if someone rode her there?"

"But, Noel... I was the one who suggested it, but wouldn't people in the capital panic if a mythical creature just flew in?"

"Ah—true… Wait, what if we used a concealment artifact? What do you think, Father?"

"It's possible... but who would ride Snowy?"

"Obviously Joan, since she's the owner."

"Gene, that won't work. Joan's never been to the capital."

"Ugh, right. Then I'll do it!"

"A-ah, but Snowy has never carried a rider before. Shouldn't we practice first?"

"Wahahaha! Joan's right. First, let's go talk to Snowy."

Later, at the stables, we explained the plan to Snowy. She readily agreed to flight practice, and in the end, Brother Noel was chosen to ride her to the capital. Brother Gene, who had been eager to fly, was heartbroken when Snowy bluntly told him, "You ride too rough!"

As a precaution, we decided Brother Noel and Snowy would depart tomorrow night, while Father, Gene, and I would use the gate the following morning.

Off to the capital we go!

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