I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (WN)

Chapter 2473 - Movie Watching with Kaori ⑨

Since Chris-san also had plans, we didn’t linger for a long conversation. After talking for a bit, Kaori-san and I left the castle together, exited beyond the imperial castle grounds, and then used a teleportation magic item to move to my house.

We could have teleported directly into my room, but Kaori-san said she wanted to see the exterior, so we teleported to the area in front of the entrance instead.

[Ooh…… this is amazing. I mean, when I was brought here by Illness-san before, we teleported into the entrance hall, so I knew it was big, but…… seeing it from the outside is overwhelming. It’s like a mansion, or rather, it’s about the size of a luxury hotel.]

[I’m completely wasting all that space, though……]

[Ahaha, yeah, at this size you’d really need to employ a ton of people or you’d never make full use of it. And not just the house itself…… the garden is incredible too! It’s so well-maintained it feels like a stylish garden park, almost like a tourist attraction. Even though the house itself is the same shape, the atmosphere is totally different from Lilia-san’s residence.]

As Kaori-san said, the exterior of the house is almost identical to Lilia-san’s mansion, but the garden is completely different. Nebula and Illness-san carried out a large-scale renovation here, so it bears no resemblance to the garden at Lilia-san’s estate.

The garden at Lilia-san’s residence has a very aristocratic feel, carefully arranged in symmetrical patterns, complete with fountains, and wide enough for carriages to pass through from the gate. Because of that, there are comparatively fewer flowers and trees.

In contrast, my house is designed with the assumption that you enter on foot rather than by carriage. There are grassy areas and gentle hills so that Bell and Lynn can play easily, giving it a feel closer to a natural park.

[……Kaori-san, since we’re at it, would you like to take a look around the garden?]

[Really? Unn, with such an amazing garden, I’d love to walk around and see it properly.]

[Then let’s take a light stroll around.]

She seemed genuinely interested in the garden, so before going inside the house, we decided to walk around it together.

The garden at my house is quite large, so even one lap covers a fair distance, but since Nebula and Illness-san paid close attention to the scenery, you can enjoy it like sightseeing, looking at beautiful flowers along the way, which I think is really nice.

Kaori-san looked like she was having fun, occasionally stopping to admire flowerbeds and the like.

After strolling together for a while, I spotted Bell and Lynn a little distance away. I couldn’t see Sela, so she was probably in Sieg-san’s room right now.

[O- Ohh, so those are the pets you’re so proud of, Kaito-kun. A Behemoth really does have an incredible presence……]

[They’re both good kids. Bell, Lynn, come here~~]

[Gau!]

[Kyui!]

Both Bell and Lynn are smart, so when they saw that I was with Kaori-san, they didn’t come over on their own, probably to avoid getting in the way, but when I called them, they both came trotting over, looking happy.

[Behemoths really do have insane amounts of mana, don’t they? Way more than you’d ever see in monsters from the Human Realm…… E- Errr, is it okay if I touch them? They won’t bite, will they?]

[It’s fine. Lynn only dislikes being touched around her neck, but anywhere else is no problem. Bell has…… preferences, you could say. She’s a bit prideful, and especially when it’s someone with less mana than her, she tends to make a slightly displeased face. There are exceptions though……]

[Ahh, a lot of high-ranking monsters are like that. If anything, White Dragons are also high-ranking monsters, so their pride should be pretty strong too…… Errr, then can I start by petting Lynn-chan?]

[Kyukui!]

Since I’ve properly trained Bell, she won’t growl or bite, but depending on the person, she could look visibly displeased. At first, I thought she simply rejected anyone she didn’t like, but it turns out she seems to judge people based on mana capacity. In general, she dislikes being touched by those with low mana…… people weaker than herself.

That said, there are a few exceptions. For example, she’s known Aoi-chan and Hina-chan for quite a while now, so she doesn’t mind being petted by them. She’ll even let them ride on her back, making a face that clearly says “Good grief, I guess it can’t be helped”. Because of that, it seems that mana capacity mainly affects her first impression when meeting someone for the first time.

Lynn, on the other hand, has no such issues. Perhaps due to Dragon instincts, she doesn’t like anyone other than me, whom she recognizes as her mate, touching the area beneath her neck where her reverse scales are. Aside from that, she doesn’t mind people petting her at all.

Even now, as Kaori-san reached out and stroked her head, Lynn looked thoroughly content.

[They’re really friendly and cute.]

[Probably because Lynn used to belong to a Flying Dragon Flight, so she’s simply used to people.]

[I see…… errr, then what about Bell-chan…… is it okay if I pet her?]

[……Gau.]

[Eh? Is this really okay? My mana is lower than Bell-chan’s, but…… she doesn’t seem to dislike it?]

[No, if anything, with that reaction there’s absolutely no problem…… That’s surprisingly a good first impression…… Ah, I get it!]

When Kaori-san asked cautiously, Bell let out a short cry and lowered her head slightly. This reaction was unexpectedly favorable, similar to how she reacts to someone with greater mana than herself…… In other words, someone she considers stronger than her.

Of course, if you look purely at mana capacity, Kaori-san’s mana shouldn’t exceed Bell’s, who already possesses an enormous amount of mana even for an adult Behemoth…… And yet, that was when I realized that Kaori-san met one of the exception conditions.

[It’s not confirmed, but it seems that she also recognizes people who possess a True Blessing as being above her.]

[Ah, that must be because I have Olivia-sama’s blessing.]

That’s right, another of the exceptions is a True Blessing. It isn’t completely certain, but Bell is relatively obedient around Mom and Dad, and she doesn’t make an unhappy face when they pet her either.

I had suspected that this might be due to their having received Fate-san’s True Blessing, and seeing how Bell behaved around Kaori-san this time pretty much confirmed it.

I don’t know whether it’s True Blessings in general or specifically True Blessings from a Supreme God, but at the very least, Bell seems to recognize Kaori-san as someone above her and allowed herself to be petted calmly.

[Ooh! Amazing, this feels incredible. I’d heard about it, but you can really tell how particular you are, Kaito-kun.]

[Oh……?]

Of course, Bell’s coat is something I’m very proud of, it’s the ultimate texture, refined through extreme attention to detail. But the fact that Kaori-san noticed it with just one stroke shows that she has an excellent sense for discerning quality.

[As expected of Kaori-san. I’m very particular about Bell’s coat gloss, you know. If I go into detail……]

[Eh? Into detail? Ah, why do I feel like I just set myself up for a dangerous topic……?]

[First of all, the fur in this area is slightly softer than elsewhere……]

Given the opportunity, I figured I’d explain a bit about those particular details……

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [His affection may shoot through the roof, but anything related to his pets are topics you absolutely must not casually bring up with Kaito. It’s the same as the okonomiyaki talk with Akane, but Kaori really does step on conversational landmines without thinking sometimes……]

? ? ? : [When it comes to topics like that, his doting-parent switch flips to ON instantly, after all.]