In the Baldia Territory – Meldy’s Retainer?
“……”
“Reed, are you alright? We’ve entered the Baldia Territory now. Just a little more patience.”
“……Yes, Father. After entering the Baldia Territory, the shaking has subsided a bit, I think.”
The journey back to the Baldia Territory from Renalute was quite difficult as expected. Above all, the shaking was so severe that it made me nauseous. Regarding this, I can clearly understand the cause precisely because it was after our trip to Renalute. Due to the lack of commerce and distribution, there likely isn’t enough budget for road maintenance. However, even if there was a budget, I have some doubts whether the technical capacity for maintenance exists…
The distribution routes between nations may become a problem going forward. When I return to the mansion, I should consider if there are any good solutions. Thinking that, I continued battling my nausea for a while.
Ughh……
“Hey, Reed. We’ve arrived at the mansion.”
“Huh….? Ah, Father, my apologies……”
It seems I had dozed off at some point. Woken up by Father, I rubbed my eyes and gazed at him with a blurred focus.
“Don’t worry about it. You seem to be prone to motion sickness, so sleeping was probably easier for you. Get out of the carriage and breathe some fresh air.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Following Father’s instructions, I got out of the carriage. As I was stretching my body with an “Nnnn…..”, I noticed a small figure running quickly towards us.
“Big brotherrr!! Welcomee baaack!!”
The small running figure was Mel, and with that momentum she leapt straight into my chest.
“Mel!! I’m back!!”
As she jumped into me, I spun around on the spot to absorb her momentum, with Mel laughing delightfully “Hehee” in my arms. Shortly after, the maid Danae came chasing after Mel, out of breath.
“Haa….Haa….Lady Meldy, you shouldn’t run so fast, it’s dangerous……Ah!? Lord Reed, welcome back.”
“I’m back, Danae.”
Good, it seems Mel and Danae haven’t changed. As far as I can see, the mansion doesn’t appear to have any particular issues either.
“Heyy~, big brother, where are my souvenirs?”
“Eh, already? The unloading is still happening, so can you wait until tomorrow?”
“Ehhh!!”
It seems she was expecting to get souvenirs right away, as Mel puffed out her cheeks with a dissatisfied look. Then, suddenly from the baggage cart behind us, a knight’s scream rang out “Uwaaahh!?” I instinctively embraced Mel protectively while turning towards the cart the scream came from. Father, Capella, Diana, Reubens and the other knights around were also on alert.
Something must have happened, as tension hung in the air. However, what came tottering out from the problem cart were some familiar-looking monsters. They were making “Nnnn~” cute voices.
The two of them, around the size of cats, slowly approached me while staying cautious. When they came right up to me, I called out in surprise:
“You two, why!? Could it be…you followed us?”
“…What is it? Reed, did you bring them along?”
“No, it’s not like that with them….”
Father seemed quite angry, glaring this way. Due to there being no monsters in the Baldia Territory, it seems everyone present was very intimidated by the two of them. Among them, however, one person in my arms was sparkling with keen interest.
“Ah, how cuuute!! Big brother, are these two the souvenirs?”
“Eh? No, these aren’t souvenirs. They are intelligent monsters that I became friends with in Renalute. They seem to understand our language, so I don’t think they’re dangerous…
Mel slipped out of my hands and approached them with shining eyes. Everyone around was really anxious, but Mel didn’t care and held out both hands to the monsters to greet them.
“My name is Mel. Nice to meet you.”
The two monsters responded by nuzzling their cheeks against Mel’s hands, acting friendly. Mel’s expression brightened at their gestures. Then, with sparkling eyes, she turned to me.
“Big brother, can I keep these two?”
“Eeh?!”
I exclaimed in surprise, but she seemed serious, her gaze stronger than I’d ever seen. However, it wasn’t me who responded, but our father.
“Absolutely not, monsters are dangerous! Mel, even small ones can be vicious!”
“Eh? But these two are fine. See, not scary at all.”
As Mel pet the two monsters’ heads, they suddenly shrank from cat-size down to kitten-size. Then, the black one hopped onto Mel’s shoulder while the white one perched on her head.
“Eeeh?! You two can get that small?! And Mel, are you okay? They’re not too heavy?”
“Yup! Not heavy at all. See?”
Ignoring my surprise, Mel spread her arms and started spinning happily. The kitten monsters scampered along her arms playfully. Everyone there, including Father and I, looked on in shock.
Noticing our stunned mood, Mel stopped spinning. She approached us and gazed up with those cute eyes.
“I’ll take care of these two myself! I really will!”
“Haah…not afraid of monsters, what an odd child…”
After hearing Mel, Father glanced at me and muttered. Does he think all his children are oddballs? A bit rude, I thought, looking at Mel.
No doubt she won’t back down now. Her stubbornness reminds me of someone, though I won’t say who. Father likely knows Mel’s personality too well, his face troubled. I tugged his sleeve and we began whispering.
“Father, based on their behavior, they undoubtedly understand our language. Plus, they’re likely too powerful for us to simply drive off. While not Mel’s retainer, they’d make perfect guards.”
“Hmm, but even so, monsters are…”
Father looked conflicted, but I pressed on.
“They seem very intelligent. If we drive them off, they’ll probably just return. And if Mel hides them, that’s even harder to manage. Also…”
“Also what?”
“Do you want Mel to dislike you…”
My words made Father glance at Mel. She watched us intently, but looked slightly teary, seemingly anxious. Father sighed heavily. Gazing at Mel warmly, he relented.
“…Very well. Mel, do as you wish. And you’re okay with this too, Reed?”
“Yes, I don’t mind.”
“Really?! Thank you Father, Big Brother!”
Beaming, Mel hugged us both tightly. We couldn’t help but smile back. After the hug, Mel set the two monsters down and cleared her throat cutely.
“The black one is Cookie, and the white one is Biscuit. So you two need to use their names too, okay?”
“Got it. But why those names?”
“Umm, I named them after my favorite snacks…and just because!”
Her bright smile made me chuckle too.
“Ahaha, just because, huh? Well, I think those fit your companions perfectly. It’s nice to meet you, Cookie and Biscuit.”
The kitten-sized pair on Mel’s shoulder and head nodded slightly at my words. Watching this, Father sighed in exasperation.
“Haah…can’t be helped now. Mel, you may need help caring for those two. Reed, you’ll need to help Mel look after them as well.”
“Understood. I can take care of them for now.”
“Very good. But what species of monster are these two?”
As Father asked me this, Mel’s face lit up, showing her own curiosity.
“Big Brother, tell me too! What kind of monsters are these?”
“Well, it seems the black one, Cookie, is a Shadow Cougar monster. Their special ability is changing their body size freely.”
Hearing this, Mel’s eyes shone brightly. She immediately addressed Cookie.
“Wow! So Cookie can get big or small? Show me, show me!”
“…Nyah!”
Cookie nodded at Mel’s request and leapt down from her shoulder. Suddenly, wind seemed to get sucked inwards towards him. In an instant, he had grown immensely larger – like a long-haired cat scaling up to the size of a lion.
This abrupt transformation and his imposing stature made Father’s face tense slightly. Danae beside Mel looked stunned too, eyes wide. Having seen it before in Renalute, I wasn’t fazed. And Mel only looked more enthralled.
“Cookie, amazing!!”
“…Gaauu.”
In his large form, Cookie crouched down before Mel, seemingly inviting her onto his back. Mel gleefully accepted, bouncing excitedly.
“Whoa! So fluffy!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Riding Cookie’s back, Mel nuzzled her face into his plush fur. Yet Cookie didn’t seem to mind at all, almost looking amused. Seeing their interaction put Father and I a bit more at ease. But then Mel made another request of Cookie.
“Hey Cookie, can you get even bigger?”
“……Groooowwwl!!”
“Mel!? That’s, wait……!!”
I was startled by the conversation between her and Cookie, and tried to stop them, but it was too late. At that moment, the wind began to swirl around Cookie again. The gust was even fiercer than before, forcing me to shut my eyes.
Moments later, I cautiously opened them—and there it was. Cookie had grown larger than a carriage… no, she was an enormous cat. Something akin to an elephant in my previous life, or perhaps even bigger. Danae, who had been standing next to Mel, let out a weak, “Ah… ah…” before falling back onto her bottom, trembling.
“Wow, amazing! Cookie’s bigger than you, big brother, and even bigger than father! Look, Father!!”
“Melody!! Stay still!!”
Mel poked her head out from Cookie’s back, waving cheerfully at Father. His face turned pale as he panicked. Everyone unloading the carriage stopped, their eyes wide with shock, seemingly paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t stand idly by and shouted toward Cookie.
“Cookie!! That’s enough! We get it, you’re amazing! Now shrink down and let Mel off!”
“Ehhh?! No way, I like it like this!!”
Cookie glanced at me and Father’s expressions, and perhaps realizing Cookie’d overdone it, began to shrink down. Bit by bit, Cookie returned to thr usual size, small enough to sit on Mel’s shoulder. Mel, who had been riding on her back, was gently set down on the ground.
“……Meow.”
“Aww, it’s over already? That’s no fun~!”
With Cookie back to thr small size and Mel safely on the ground, Father let out a sigh of relief. But his expression immediately shifted, and he bellowed furiously.
“Cookie! Growing bigger than a carriage is strictly forbidden! Never do it again! If you do… I’ll shave off your fur!!”
“Ehh?! Father, you’re the worst!!”
“……Meowww…”
I think I understood what Cookie just said—it was probably something like, “Nooo!” At that moment, Biscuit, in her white kitten form, reached up and lightly patted Cookie’s head with her paw. It was adorable. Father, meanwhile, placed a hand to his forehead and glared at me.
“……Can Biscuit do the same thing?”
“Eh, I’m not sure. She’s a slime that mimics Cookie’s form, so I doubt she can grow that large.”
“Biscuit is… a [slime]…?”
Father’s face froze in disbelief. Biscuit, seemingly offended by his reaction, dispelled her kitten form. In her place appeared a translucent, pale-blue, orb-like slime.
“What the…!?”
Father was utterly stunned. I recall being equally shocked when I first saw her. While I was reminiscing, Mel’s cheerful voice rang out.
“Wow! Biscuit, you can transform! And you’re so cool and refreshing!”
Mel hugged Biscuit in her slime form and then… posed a question.
“Hey, could you transform into me too, maybe?”
“Mel, I don’t think even Biscuit can manage that.”
“?!?! ……!!!!!!”
Oh no. I might have stepped on a landmine. I say that because even though Biscuit’s slime form had no facial expression, I somehow felt a [dark aura] emanating from her. Biscuit leapt out of Mel’s arms, and just like Cookie, a whirlwind began to swirl around her.
Her shape started to glow and transform, shifting rapidly into a humanoid form.
What is this? It feels like I’ve seen something similar in my past life—like a transformation sequence from a show. When the light faded, Biscuit stood there, looking exactly like Mel. Even her height and clothing were identical. Biscuit, now in Mel’s form, struck a triumphant pose, placing her hands on her hips with a smug look that seemed to say, “How about that? Impressed, aren’t you!?”
“Biscuit, you’re amazing!! Now there are two of me! Look, Father, look!!”
Mel grabbed both of Biscuit’s hands, beaming adorably as she looked at me and Father. At that moment, Biscuit’s expression shifted to one of regret. “I went too far…” it seemed to say. Her smug face was gone. It seems that while she can’t speak, her emotions are much more visible in human form.
Seeing the incredible feats performed by Cookie and Biscuit left everyone, including Father and me, stunned and speechless. Eventually, Father snapped back to reality. His brow furrowed deeply, and with a grim expression, he muttered,
“……We’ll impose a gag order.”
“Eh? I’m sorry, Father, what did you just say?”
“I said, we’ll impose a gag order. Listen carefully—all of you here must forget what you just witnessed. Do not speak of this to anyone.”
At Father’s command, the knights returned to their tasks as if nothing had happened. With his usual stern expression, Father turned to Biscuit, who was still in Mel’s form. She flinched, her eyes welling up with tears. She clung to one of Father’s legs, looking up at him pleadingly. Mel, mirroring her movements, clung to his other leg.
“Father, I’m sorry! So please don’t be mad at Cookie and Biscuit anymore!”
“……!? A-Alright, I get it, just let go, both of you…”
“……Meow.”
Watching from a distance, Cookie murmured something. I have a hunch he said, “He’s such a pushover.” Slowly but surely, I feel like I’m starting to understand Cookie and Biscuit’s personalities. Ah, right, there’s something I forgot to mention.
“Oh, by the way, Cookie and Biscuit are kind of like a married couple.”
“Huh? Big brother, are they really married?”
“Yeah, just like Father and Mother.”
“Wow, really? Then, let’s get along even better from now on, you two!”
Mel’s cheerful words were met with nods from both Cookie and Biscuit. Father, meanwhile, rubbed his forehead with a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping. While all this was happening, the last of the carriage’s cargo was unloaded and carried into the mansion.
TLNOTE :
Volume 1 is licensed to English, buy the official release when it’s out!
Let’s hope the official Licensee won’t stop me doing fan translation 🙏
PS.: Please check the Internet Archive if what you’re looking for is no longer on this website. *wink *wink
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
