~Chapter 19~
Inside the cage where Kamarin had been locked up, instead of a lump of purple-black slime, there was now a small, dark-purple owl.
The owl flapped its wings and shouted,
『That human seemed scared of me, so I changed my appearance! But she still won’t open the cage!』
“H-how can I trust you and open that? Right, Miss?”
『I don’t know what she’s saying, but open the cage!』
The two weren’t understanding each other at all. Amelie let out a small sigh and spoke,
“Ugh, you’re already causing trouble, Kamarin!”
『……』
“I just told His Highness I’d make you my familiar, and you’re acting up already?”
『But I can’t understand these humans’ words, it’s frustrating.』
“Okay, okay, I’ll fix that. Just stay still.”
Amelie rolled up her sleeves and asked as she walked to the table,
“Nina, where’s the pot I asked you to borrow last time?”
“Oh, I covered it with a cloth over there so it wouldn’t get dusty.”
Nina quickly brought the pot and set it on the table. Amelie then pulled out the marble plate she had used before, placed the pot on it, and began heating it.
She was about to make a translation potion. Once drunk, it allowed the drinker to understand any language—even the sounds of different species.
The potion’s duration varied depending on its concentration, so Amelie intended to make it as strong as possible for Kamarin.
She fiddled with one of the ingredients, a golden parrot’s claw, and asked,
“But if you learned my language, shouldn’t you be able to understand other people too?”
『No. I only learned your language specifically. If another human’s voice or tone is different, I can’t understand them. I couldn’t understand that brown human either.』
“B-brown? Me?”
Nina blinked, startled. Amelie smirked at Kamarin’s bluntness and asked,
“You mean because Nina’s hair is brown?”
『Be grateful I didn’t call you a cowardly human, human.』
“W-what? Cowardly?! How dare you!”
While Kamarin and Nina bickered, Amelie tossed the pearl herb and all the other ingredients into the pot, just like when she’d made the healing potion last time.
『You said it’s a translation potion, but now you’re making me drink water boiled with claws? Gross!』
“Just wait quietly.”
Amelie pulled out a fancy-looking vial from her pouch and poured its contents into the pot. Soon the liquid turned a pretty red color.
“It’s pomegranate flavored.”
『Pomegranate! My favorite!』
Kamarin’s eyes widened.
Monsters loved pomegranate—it was blood-colored and sweet-and-sour. Nobles who kept lesser monsters as pets always stocked up on it. Amelie had bought some just in case.
Soon, the potion was ready. Amelie poured some into a cup, cooled it, and handed it to Kamarin after opening the cage.
“Don’t leave any behind. Drink it all.”
『Pomegranate!』
Forgetting he had complained about it being claw water, Kamarin eagerly buried his beak in the cup and drank it all. Amelie then poured the remaining potion into other bottles to let it cool.
After finishing the drink, Kamarin licked his beak and said,
『This could be sold.』
“All done? Then let’s see if it works. Talk with Nina.”
『Got it, witch. Hey, human!』
The little owl, its beak still stained red, shouted. Nina flinched and looked at him.
『Do you have anything to say to me?!』
Caught off guard, Nina stammered,
“S-sit…!”
Kamarin froze.
『……』
Kamarin—Kamaritanes—was considered a top-ranking demon in the demon realm. Monsters with unique names were highly regarded there.
…But now, he was in the form of a tiny owl, his name downgraded to “Kamarin,” and he’d just been ordered around like a dog.
“Stand! Lie down! Roll over!”
『……』
Kamarin, being an intelligent monster, chose to pretend he didn’t hear. He wanted more pomegranate potion, but the humiliation was unbearable.
『I… can’t understand this human. Give me more potion.』
But Amelie wasn’t easy to fool.
“Stop saying nonsense and listen carefully. Do you know how concentrated this potion is? Nina, keep talking.”
“K-Kamarin! H-how dare you talk so rudely to Miss Amelie!”
『You insolent human! Don’t you dare give me orders!』
“Kamarin!”
Amelie’s sharp voice made him flinch. She defended Nina,
“Nina’s usually timid. Can’t you see how much she must’ve endured to even scold you? Stop fighting and be more flexible.”
Kamarin was speechless.
‘Timid? She just yelled at me at the top of her lungs…’
He had a lot to say, but if he rebelled against the only person on his side, he really would end up locked in a research lab for life.
『Fine. I’ll… be flexible.』
“Phew… thank goodness.”
Nina let out a sigh of relief. She had been scared Kamarin might break the cage someday and attack her.
Once things settled, Amelie smiled softly and prepared the next step.
“Alright, now let’s do the familiar bond.”
Kamarin saw her pull out a thin needle from her pouch and asked,
『Why are you taking that out?』
“The needle? Obviously, I have to draw blood.”
『…Wait. It’s not my blood, right?』
Amelie looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Of course it’s your blood. Whose else would it be?”
The moment she said it, Kamarin panicked and thrashed around.
『No! Why should I give my precious blood to you?!』
“It’s required for the familiar bond!”
『No! I refuse! I—I have a fear of blood!』
“Since when does a monster have a fear of blood? Stop lying and hold still! Nina, grab him!”
“Eek~!”
A full-blown commotion broke out.
Meanwhile…
“Here it is, my lord.”
“Good work.”
Christan stacked the additional documents Gerard had brought onto his already piled-up desk and returned to the report he was writing. His neat handwriting quickly filled the paper.
“You’re pushing yourself too much right after returning.”
“It’s better to finish quickly and rest than to put it off.”
“…Understood.”
Reports about the subjugation of rifts had to be written directly by the leader of the squad. It was annoying but unavoidable.
At that moment, Gerard noticed faint vibrations coming from somewhere and tilted his head.
“Lady Winterpull and the monster seem to be making a ruckus. Should we check?”
“They’ll manage…”
Christan didn’t even look up from his report. The noise was distracting, but not enough to stop him.
“If you visited her over something small like this, Lady Winterpull would be thrilled.”
“That’s exactly why I’m not going.”
“Huh? Why…?”
Christan didn’t bother answering. Gerard, however, seemed to interpret his silence oddly and said something strange,
“Ah, I see. You failed in love before because you were too pushy. This time you’re playing hard to get, right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Lady Britney, I mean… now Countess Britney.”
And just like that, Gerard had hit another trigger.
