What should I say first?

Rather than explaining all the complicated details, Lynen decided to start by conveying the current situation.

“I promised Calliphe I would get something for her.”

Calliphe? A promised item? The retainers wondered what kind of object the notorious Lady Offensa would specifically ask the Duke to procure for her.

‘Perhaps some limited-edition luxury item? A dress, shoes, or something similar.’ They assumed this would be typical of someone like Calliphe Offensa.

Though they had received information about her accomplishments on the islands, it didn’t particularly resonate with them living in the north. Moreover, remembering how Calliphe had tormented Lynen in the past, they couldn’t help but view her through colored lenses. Any achievements were likely the work of their lord rather than Calliphe Offensa herself, they thought.

“What about this luxury… I mean, this item, my lord?”

“I couldn’t get what I promised. So I found something that could serve as a substitute.”

“A counterfeit… ah, no, you mean something of similar quality, my lord?”

“To be precise, I still need to obtain it. But before that, I want to hear your opinions on whether what I’m planning to get is suitable.”

“So… you called an emergency meeting to ask if the gift for your fiancée is appropriate?”

Though the nuance was slightly off, the statement itself was correct. Lynen nodded.

“Yes.”

“At this late hour?”

“It’s important.”

“……”

Our lord must be completely smitten, the retainers thought with deep sighs.

When he got engaged to the troublesome Lady Offensa, they had been certain it was a contractual arrangement. They assumed he had some deeper plan in mind and agreed among themselves to keep quiet about it.

But now, watching their lord call an emergency meeting because he couldn’t find a gift for Lady Offensa…

“Is it really true, then?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard Lady Offensa has quite the bad habit with her hands. Surely you’re not being physically abused, are you?”

“……”

“Are you really being hit?!”

“That’s not what I want to discuss right now.”

“But my lord!”

“Enough. I seem to have explained too gently. From now on, just be quiet and listen.”

“……”

The retainers shut their mouths in unison.

“Answer two questions. First, the utility and effects of a slime’s absorption ability. Second, the possible outcomes if a slime absorbs a magical beast’s core.”

“What? What does that—”

“No questions. Just answers.”

“Y-yes, my lord!”

After a moment of confusion, the retainers responded sharply to their lord’s cold command. They too were monster experts guarding territories across the vast northern region.

Soon, various opinions emerged, which Lynen synthesized.

“So there’s no known limit to what slimes can absorb? Even powerful slimes can absorb intangible energies?”

“Yes, my lord. I clearly saw one swallow a magic bullet fired by an apprentice mage at our castle.”

“Do all slimes possess this ability?”

“Probably not. I was curious about that too and experimented—most died upon being hit by magic bullets before they could absorb them.”

One of the retainers, Count Yvonne, added his thoughts.

“I should contribute something as well. I once witnessed a slime devouring another magical beast’s core—not a magic bullet.”

“What happened then?”

“The slime didn’t suddenly transform into a higher-level magical beast. However, its absorption ability seemed somewhat enhanced.”

“Hmm.”

This appeared similar to the King Slime they had encountered in the dungeon. After a few more confirmations, Lynen reached a conclusion.

He needed to temporarily strengthen the King Slime remnant that Calliphe possessed to protect Noah. For that, he needed a magical beast core that was small enough for the weakened slime to digest, yet powerful enough to protect Noah—a core of just the right size.

“That’s enough. You may all go now.”

“Yes, my lord. Take care.”

“We look forward to seeing you again.”

The communication with the retainers ended. Just as Lynen was about to terminate the connection, a somewhat more secretive voice emerged from the communication stone.

“My lord.”

It was Count Yvonne.

“What is it?”

“I have something to report regarding your earlier order to investigate the dungeon.”

Lynen’s brow furrowed deeply at the count’s subsequent report. When the communication finally ended, he stared at the stone briefly before abruptly standing up, shaking off his thoughts. Now was the time to focus on the immediate task.

He picked up his sword. “Raul, let’s go. We need a magical beast core.”

* * *

After the meeting with his retainers, Lynen first headed to the Grand Temple to check if any cores from the magical beasts they had previously collected from the imperial dungeon remained. Learning that all had already been purified, he had no choice but to venture outside the islands.

That had been at dawn. Now the sun was setting, despite moving without rest. The search for areas dense with magical beasts had taken them increasingly far from the islands, consuming even more time.

‘I thought I could hurry back in time to watch Noah’s match,’ Lynen thought as he slashed through what must have been the hundredth beast.

‘Calliphe must be furious.’

She was probably grinding her teeth and cursing him extensively. Was she injured during the match?

‘I miss her.’

His brow tightened painfully at the difficult admission. It felt like ages since he had last seen her, probably because she had become younger.

Finally, Lynen had to acknowledge it with a long sigh: ‘I miss her.’

He wanted to slowly spread her slender fingers apart and delve deeply between them. After gripping them firmly, if he pressed his lips against the back of her hand…

“My lord, I’m dying here. Please, let’s rest… Oh? My lord, what about this one?”

If he bit that soft, thin skin against his lips just enough to sting…

“My lord, doesn’t this one look suitable?!”

Could he blame it on being a mana deficiency patient?

“MY LORD!”

“…!”

Lynen snapped back to reality, his hand stopping mid-swing as he cut through magical beasts in a trance.

“What were you thinking about so intently?”

“N-nothing.”

“Anyway, please look at this. Isn’t this good enough?”

He carefully examined the magical beast core Raul held out. Indeed, as Raul suggested, it was neither too small nor too large—precisely the ambiguous size they had been searching for.

“This is it. This will do. Hurry and deliver it to Calliphe.”

“Understood!”

As Raul bowed, his form rapidly changed until only a sleek hunting dog remained where he had stood.

With a vigorous shake, the dog splattered magical beast fluids all over Lynen’s face.

“……”

Raul picked up a teleportation scroll from his discarded clothes with his mouth.

“I’ll be back soon. I’ll make sure to tell Lady Calliphe how much we’ve suffered for this!”

“Don’t do that.”

“What? But—”

Lynen was covered from head to toe in magical beast fluids, looking like a murderer.

As he shook his sword to the side, clumps of red fluid splattered onto the ground.

“I promised Calliphe I would provide everything she needs,” he said dispassionately. “There’s no need to take credit for it.”

—

T/N: Aww, dang, he misses her!