A great cliff stood a short distance from the Mereo breeding grounds on Beezel’s territory.
It had to be over fifty meters high—maybe closer to sixty.
From its peak, a towering waterfall cascaded down, its abundant waters crashing into the lake below with a thunderous roar.
It was a spectacular view.
A chair had been prepared for me at the perfect vantage point overlooking both the waterfall and the lake.
I was instructed to sit.
So, I did.
A few minutes passed.
And then, with a piercing scream, Shirukine-san, bound in rope, plummeted from the top of the waterfall.
…What was that?「This is a traditional local ritual for expressing an apology.」
Beezel explained, his tone matter-of-fact.
I see.
Still, to me, this looks an awful lot like an execution.
「It’s an apology.」
R-right…
Ehto… Shirukine-san hasn’t surfaced yet. Is she okay?
「Safety measures are in place.」
What kind of safety measures?
Just as the question formed in my mind, Shirukine-san finally bobbed to the surface.
Unconscious.
Beezel rushed to retrieve her in a panic.
-0-
The cause of this bizarre spectacle? Mereos.
The female Mereos had ended their siege but still refused to release the male.
In other words, there was still no plan for returning him.
Shirukine-san had tried to resolve the issue before my arrival.
She failed.
Hence… that ritual.
I didn’t particularly need an apology, but both Daga and Gulf insisted that taking responsibility was necessary since they couldn’t uphold their promise.
Oh, speaking of which—Daga.
I don’t think copying the ritual and jumping in on a whim is a good idea.
The flips and twists were impressive, sure, but still…
「It’s terrifying with the ropes on.」
Yeah, no kidding.
Not that I’d ever consider trying it myself.
And Gulf—don’t even think about it.
And don’t look at me like that.
-0-
Since Shirukine-san still hadn’t recovered, I set the Mereo issue aside for now and turned my attention to another matter.
A group of large monsters had gathered before Hakuren, one of my escorts.
The first to arrive was a wyvern.
It must have intended to land gracefully before her.
But it came in way too fast, rolling across the ground at least five times before finally coming to a stop.
Still lying on the ground, it lowered its head.
「I am the ruler of this land desu… I do not mind what happens to me, but please, spare my mate and offspring.」
A plea for mercy.
Next came a massive four legged beast—it looks like a combination of a lion and a boar.
Crashing through the trees in a straight charge, it skidded to a halt before Hakuren, then immediately flipped onto its back, baring its belly.
And then…
「I am the lord of this forest desu… Do as you will with me, but I beg you, spare my kin.」
Another plea for mercy.
Lastly, a colossal fish was desperately trying to drag itself onto land near where Shirukine-san had fallen into the water.
Its face alone was taller than I was.
It resembled a giant catfish, except its body was covered in patches of armor-like plating.
「I—I am the sovereign of these waters desu… I… I do not mind what happens to me… but please… my eggs…」
I admired its determination, but…
You’re breathing using gills, right?
Just get back in the water.
「B-but…」
It’s fine, really.
I turned to Hakuren. You don’t mind, right?
「I don’t mind at all.」
That’s what she said.
The massive fish slinked back toward the lakeshore.
While we were at it, I told the wyvern and the beast to return to their nests as well.
「It’s honestly a hassle when they just show up on their own like this.」
I know, right?
……
The wyvern looked like it had something to say.
「A-ano, well… There was a time when a demon beast was attacked for failing to greet Hakuren-sama upon her arrival…」
Hakuren?
「T-that was ages ago.」
「We were told that if we didn’t rush to her side no matter what, our entire clan would be wiped out…」
「I-I was, um… going through a rough time back then.」
「And yet now we’re being told not to come… How am I supposed to protect my mate and children?」
…My bad.
Hakuren, apologize.
「I’m sorry.」
From now on, you don’t have to come.
「Th-thank you very much.」
The beast that was still lingering—same goes for you.
Hakuren, apologize.
「I’m sorry.」
And the massive fish waiting by the shore.
「I’m sorry.」
「A-ano… You won’t be drying up the river, then?」
Of course not.
Wait, Hakuren, you did that?
「A-a long, long time ago… But it’s fine! I rampaged alongside Grafaloon afterward, so the water level should’ve returned to normal.」
「You just connected it to another river… It only made territorial disputes worse.」
Hakuren, one more time.
「I’m sorry.」
I considered apologizing alongside her, but knowing Hakuren, that would just put her in a bad mood.
So instead, I apologized silently in my heart.
-0-
After Shirukine-san had recovered, we used Beezel’s teleportation magic to move to the Mereo breeding facility.
There, we once again confirmed the male Mereo’s intentions.
The male Mereo wanted to return to its owner in Village Four.
However, it also didn’t want to leave the female Mereos behind.
It was struggling to come to a decision and couldn’t reach a conclusion on its own.
I see.
By the way, bringing the female Mereos along was not a viable option.
It wasn’t just a matter of transportation—Village Four’s environment wasn’t suitable for egg-laying.
Even with the expansion brought by the floating gardens, the village would likely object to keeping multiple large Mereos.
And considering future breeding, there simply wasn’t enough land in Village Four to accommodate them.
On the other hand, setting up a new Mereo breeding environment from scratch in a more spacious location—such as near Village Five—would take too much time and wasn’t realistic.
For the sake of Mereo preservation and reproduction, it had already been determined that the best place for the female Mereos was right here in this facility.
Which meant the real question was whether the male Mereo would return or stay……
After much agonizing, the male Mereo ultimately left the decision to me.
It said it couldn’t make up its mind on its own.
And through its persuasion, the female Mereos also promised to abide by my judgment.
I see.
Then, I had no choice—he must return.
I didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
The female Mereos voiced their complaints, but I asked them not to be upset.
First of all, the matter of the male Mereo returning and the matter of them not wanting to be separated were two completely different issues.
It only became complicated because they were treating them as the same.
The male Mereo’s return had been agreed upon in advance, and that agreement had to be upheld.
Otherwise, the breeding facility would lose credibility.
Even if the male Mereo chose to stay, from the perspective of its owner in Village Four, it would still be seen as a broken promise.
Even if the male Mereo objected, he still had to return at least once, considering the future.
As for the matter of not wanting to be separated…
While I had been entrusted with various decisions, this wasn’t something I should be the one to decide.
This was a matter for the male Mereo’s owner in Village Four and the caretakers of the female Mereos here at the facility.
First, the male Mereo needed to speak with his owner, consider his own feelings, and decide what he truly wanted.
Only after that could they discuss how to stay together, if that was what they ultimately desired.
Wouldn’t that be the best approach?
It might be painful for the female Mereos, but whether the male Mereo could return here or not depended entirely on the outcome of that discussion.
They would have to trust him to convince his owner and wait for the results.
If, after discussing it, the male Mereo was allowed to return to the breeding facility, I would personally help ensure he could move back as quickly as possible.
How about that?
The male Mereo seemed to have made up his mind.
Good. That was a relief.
I was glad he understood.
The female Mereos, on the other hand…
Rather than mourning the farewell, they were rubbing their transparent body fluids onto the male, trying to hide him.
…They really weren’t giving up easily.
W-Well, at least they didn’t resort to another siege.
But they promised to abide by my decision, didn’t they?
That was the agreement.
Time to accept it.
They were free to spend time with the male Mereo until his departure, but no more tricks.
-0-
A fairly large mansion stood within the breeding facility.
Beezel had called it a vacation home for Shirukine-san.
Inside the mansion’s reception room, I discussed with Beezel how to transport the male Mereo back.
I wanted to find a way to move him as quickly as possible.
「If the Mereo can travel on his own without being placed in a crate… we could shorten the travel time.
However, even then, we’d still need to stay overnight a few times, and securing lodging along the route would be difficult.」
I see.
The crate wasn’t just for transport—it also served as a temporary shelter for the Mereo.
Without that, ensuring his safety would be difficult.
Hmm…
That meant we had to consider another option.
How about this?
Beezel could use his teleportation magic to cover as much distance as possible, and at night, we could have Hakuren carry the Mereo.
Once Beezel recovered, he could resume teleporting.
It would be an intense journey, but by constantly moving, we wouldn’t need accommodations.
I thought it was a solid plan, but Hakuren immediately shot it down.
「Can a Mereo even ride on my back? Didn’t we transport it by ship because it couldn’t?」
…That’s true.
「But if he can ride me, I do know a way to get back to the village in less than a day.」
Really?
「Fufufu. Leave it to me… or rather, I would say that, but without the transport boards we use for carrying cargo, it might be a bit risky.」
Transport boards…
She was talking about those large, table-like frames used as back carriers.
I see.
For now, we should check with the male Mereo.
-0-
When I checked with him, the male Mereo said he was willing to ride on Hakuren’s back.
He wanted to return as soon as possible to discuss things with his owner.
Alright, got it.
That meant… I needed to build a large transport platform for Hakuren to carry.
First, I had to ask Shirukine-san where we could cut down trees in the area.
I’d also need Daga and Gulf to help.
Sorry, Beezel—could you check with Shirukine-san and find out where we’re allowed to work?
「Understood. Feel free to use the caretakers here for assistance as well.」
I appreciate it.
「But…」
What is it?
「You won’t be able to finish this today, will you?」
No, probably not.
It depends on how quickly we can gather materials, but at the earliest, it’ll take until tomorrow or the day after.
Ah—will it be alright if I stay here?
「That’s not an issue, but… um, Village Chief. Didn’t you tell everyone in Big Tree Village that you’d be returning today?」
I did, but going back and forth would be a hassle.
Even using Beezel’s teleportation magic once had been quite the effort.
I didn’t want to impose on you too much.
「……………………Then, please write a letter. Address it to Big Tree Village. I will deliver it myself.」
Are you sure?
「If I travel alone, I can cover much more distance in a single teleport.」
…Alright.
I’ll write a letter.
I’ll apologize for the sudden change of plans.
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