The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 243
Originally, there was no need for us to rush as the letter had given Muriel a generous deadline to return home. However, thanks to my strength and ability to travel fast even with Muriel on my back while in giant wolf form, we were able to arrive at our destination earlier than expected.
Since my giant wolf form would certainly cause a disturbance if I appeared on the highway as is, I decided to hide in the bushes which were far from the town and changed into my human form.
(… Looks like I’m getting used to this.)
Compared to the first time I shifted, my body was able to naturally adapt to the changes in bone structure and musculature.
While I dressed, I thought about Buster back in the settlement. He must be frowning by now as he struggles to get used to shifting to human and vice versa. Later, I returned to Muriel who was sitting while carrying my sister who was in her fox cub form.
“Welcome back! C’mon, you too Dagger♪”
“Kyuu!”
“I see you two are getting along… Not that it’s a bad thing, but…”
As I watched Muriel raise my sister’s little paws as she sat on her lap, I took out my leather armor and other equipment from the saddlebags and put them on.
I also grabbed the sheathed curved sword and attached it to my sword belt, and placed my favorite mechanical bow Baroque on the bow quiver that I slung over my armor.
Meanwhile, Muriel replenished our few remaining provisions from the big burlap sack and began to pack the leather harness into the empty cloth bag in preparation for our arrival.
“Mn, all done!”
I reached out and lifted the neatly packed baggage in response to her short but lively remark and let my gaze drift into the nearby road ahead.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah, if we go this way, we only have a little to go before we reach the town.”
I followed along as Muriel, perhaps happy to be back after a long while, cheerfully swayed her head from side to side while walking with my sister. After a while, we reached a pasture on the outskirts of Velheim where we met a couple who stared at us with narrowed eyes as they carried some hay.
“….Hmm? Isn’t that the Young Miss!?”
“It’s been a while, Lady Muriel.”
“I’m home, Mr. and Mrs. Raster♪”
After she slightly bowed and waved her hand as we passed by, Muriel was called over by an old man near the chicken coop and she returned holding two brown eggs.
“Fufu, did you know that the eggs share the same color as the feathers of the hens that laid them? If the hen has reddish-brown feathers, then the eggs appear reddish-brown, and when the hen has white feathers, the eggs they lay are also white! But in terms of nutrition, they’re all the same~”
“Is that so, I didn’t know that.”
I always thought that since brown eggs are more expensive and taste better than white eggs, they were also more nutritious, but… apparently, it was just an illusion.
By the way, in contrast to the hens raised in our settlement which lay about 2 eggs a week, the hens here lay at least 4 eggs a week. This is due to the guidance of Christ Vest, who instructed the farmers to make sure to breed and select chickens that have laid eggs more frequently than their predecessors.
(Hmm, the farmers probably already knew that, but it only worked because they were properly guided on what to do…)
Looking at her pleased expression as she gently put away the eggs on the leather pouch on her waist, I noticed that the relationship between the House of Baron Vest which has served the region for generations and the livestock farmers is unusually great.
While admiring various things, we passed through the outer edge of the cultivated land where livestock facilities were concentrated and eventually entered the city block which was lined with houses and shops.
“This place… is too big to be called a town, isn’t it?”
“Oh yes, I heard it was going to be declared a small city by summer.”
Even though it was quite far from the royal capital of Selkram and Warren which is the core city of the Ferias territory, there were many people on the main street before noon, and there was a liveliness unique to developing areas.
“U~, gauoau… (U~, there’s so many people…)
“Woah there!”
My little sister, who disliked crowded places because of the possibility that people might step on her if she was not careful while she was in her fox cub form, used her claws to climb up Muriel’s cloak and snuggled up against her narrow shoulders.
After passing through the streets lined with various stores, we finally reached the Vest family estate located in the northern part of the central area. As we approached the mansion, a tall maid approached and opened the gates with practiced ease.
“Welcome back, Milady.”
“Thank you, Rigeletta.”
As they lightly exchanged greetings, Rigeletta regarded me with a curious glance, but… perhaps staying true to her duties, she welcomed us into the estate without any question.
Then, after crossing the relatively compact garden and passing through the main entrance, Muriel went straight to the innermost part of the first floor and peeked into a room that seemed to be the kitchen.
In the tidy kitchen, a petite maid was diligently kneading some bread dough even though it was still a bit early for lunch.
“Mm… We weren’t expecting you to arrive this early, Milady.”
“Natalie, could you please prepare some lunch for me and him… and this child, please?”
While patting the head of the fox cub that still clung to her shoulder, Muriel checked with the maid if she could have some food brought out for herself and her guests.
“Certainly. There’s still some time, so I could take care of it right away.”
“Thank you for accommodating us.”
While I thanked Natalie who was in charge of cooking today, Muriel took out the brown eggs from her leather pouch.
“I received these from Grandpa Ragu earlier. Can you use these?”
“Let’s see… I guess I can fry them into sunnyside ups and serve it with some sausages.”
After exchanging a short conversation with the maid about the menu, we dropped by Muriel’s room and placed our luggage there.
After taking a short break, we headed to the lady who approves the documents that are delivered from the town hall in the Baron’s absence.
“U~, do your best, me!!”
“I feel like you’re overreacting a bit…”
As I took my little sister from Muriel’s arms while she was psyching herself up in front of the office, I switched my attention to the door while she knocked.
