Chapter 22
“M-m-monster! A monster came out of the young master’s lab! Captain of the Guard Yuji! Help me!”
Meanwhile, back at the Zepetto mansion, Head Butler Godora was facing off against a terrifying creature.
The incident occurred in Lupin’s laboratory. The head butler often visited the lab to dust or dispose of scraps of paper. It was a menial task, but one that only those who had been with Lupin for a long time, like Godora and Anna, could handle.
While sorting through the trash, careful not to damage any important materials, Godora spotted a rat. It was curled up in a corner of a purple box, fast asleep.
“It must have been caught in a trap! I should dispose of it quickly.”
The moment Godora lifted the box, Zomrat, startled awake, began to thrash about. The terrified head butler dropped the box, and Zomrat successfully escaped.
“C-c-catch it!”
Despite Head Butler Godora’s command, no one dared to step forward. Even Captain of the Guard Yuji was hopping around helplessly.
“Yuji, what are you doing with that large body of yours?!”
“Do you think this is a matter of strength? Look at that thing! It’s purple!”
Squeak!
The enraged rat twitched its nose. Godora and Yuji huddled together and retreated. The other servants chuckled at the sight.
Zomrat, having claimed victory, squeaked triumphantly.
From Zomrat’s perspective, everything had been absurd. It had only been two days since he had secured his own burrow in a vast field. On his way to gather grass, a zombie had stepped on and destroyed his burrow. Enraged, Zomrat had chased after the zombie and bitten it, inadvertently consuming zombie flesh.
His rat form began to change after that. His body grew larger, his nose was constantly congested, he developed a cough, and he was always hungry. The peaceful, herbivorous rat had to hunt more insects than usual.
Not only was his new lifestyle challenging, but a human and a not-quite-human had put him in a box and brought him to this strange place. Zomrat was furious.
Furthermore, if Zomrat had been smarter, there was one more thing he would have found absurd. Zomrat was male.
Although he was too dimwitted to realize it, he was growing. The various problems he was experiencing were side effects of his rapid growth. They would resolve once his growth spurt ended. He was becoming healthier.
Zomrat wasn’t a terrifying zombie monster. He was just a slightly disgruntled, large rat.
“Bring a broom and sweep it up!”
Godora said, mustering his courage. Sensing danger, Zomrat ran again. He instinctively followed the scent of wood.
It led him to the laboratory used by Lupin’s father, the previous Count, Lehman Zepetto.
As the rat scurried into a hidden corner of the laboratory, the people chasing him were dumbfounded. Only the Count was allowed to enter the previous Count’s laboratory.
Godora sighed and shook his head.
“It seems we’ll need Young Master Lupin to resolve this.”
After confirming that no one was following him, the rat settled down in a corner of the lab and vigorously rubbed his face with his short paws.
The vacuum cleaner was being manufactured, but it wasn’t finished yet. The young master and I promised to return the next day and headed to the lodging provided by Knight Commander Edna. The lodging was a maid’s paradise, with maids taking care of all the meals, laundry, and cleaning.
The fastidious young master already looked displeased. He seemed worried about his sensitive sleeping habits, as he often woke up when his sleeping arrangements changed.
Meals were another issue. He wasn’t picky, but that just meant he didn’t refuse any ingredients. He wasn’t a gourmet, but more of a connoisseur of strange foods, so ordinary, delicious food didn’t impress him.
It had to be either exceptionally delicious or exceptionally strange. Like lukewarm, bland, yet sour corn soup…
“Go back to the lodging first. I’ll do some shopping and join you later.”
We were standing in the central square of the city. I wanted to pick up some additional food for the young master. The lodging’s meals would definitely not be enough.
The young master was tall and well-built for a mage. He was almost the size of a swordsman.
It was probably due to his unique specialization as a doll maker. He would mine rocks to create golems and fell giant trees without damaging them…
At this point, maybe magic was just his hobby, and he should just describe his profession as “heavy lifter.”
“Why? The Knight Commander provided us with lodging and meals. There’s no need to go through the trouble. Let’s go back together.”
“No. You definitely won’t like the food here, so you’ll pick at it and then be sullen later because you’re hungry. You’ve been taught that it’s unseemly to complain about being hungry. And you’re too embarrassed to request specific foods because you’re afraid rumors will spread like, ‘That Count eats his corn soup sour.’ So you’ll just suffer in silence…”
The young master covered my mouth. People passing through the square glanced at us. A well-built nobleman silencing his maid must have been a strange sight. I smiled and waved, trying to signal that everything was fine, but people’s expressions only became more bewildered.
He removed his hand and grabbed my shoulder.
“Listen, Estella. Outside…”
“I won’t reveal your… unique taste in food.”
“Yes. And if possible, please don’t call it ‘unique’ either.”
“Alright, then… distinctive palate.”
“…”
He looked around hesitantly and then said,
“I won’t deny what you’re saying.”
“That your palate is distinctive? Or that you get sullen when you’re hungry?”
“…Anyway. If you’re going somewhere, let’s go together.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest? You must be tired after fighting zombies. Humans need to take care of their bodies. I’m not tired at all.”
I patted his shoulder and told him to go back and rest.
“Your role is to follow and attend to me. That’s why I brought you.”
“Oh, come on, just order the staff at the lodging to do that. Nobles have people for that.”
“They’re them, and you’re you.”
“No way, I don’t want to. I want to do what I enjoy. I like cooking. Carrying your luggage and fetching your pen isn’t fun.”
The young master rubbed his face.
“There’s a limit to how much you can act like Anna…”
“So you’re really not letting me go?”
I knew he would give in. He would be the one suffering if he was hungry. And he must have been exhausted.
He rushed to Raguel City and fought zombies, met the strange Knight Commander…
“We have to move quickly tomorrow as well. After you receive the vacuum cleaner, we have to find the person Knight Commander Raguel mentioned. There should be information about her at the lodging. And then we’re going straight home. Really.”
He sounded like he was changing the subject, but I knew. This was permission.
“I’ll be back soon! I know the way. Don’t skip meals just because you don’t like the food! Is there anything else you want?”
He whispered shyly,
“…What are you going to make?”
“Sour corn soup? And some normal, delicious meat dishes.”
“Come back quickly.”
“Of course! Trust me!”
I pushed him towards the lodging and strode off. I thought it would be nice to take a leisurely stroll through the square while shopping.
Raguel City, true to its nickname Metal City, was filled with mechanical contraptions. As if they had an abundance of metal, the shop doors were made of metal, the decorative flagpoles were metal, even the chairs and tables were gleaming metal.
What caught my eye were the clockwork machines lined up in the food district. They were intricate wooden devices that dried meat with a noisy clatter. I thought the dried meat would be delicious if I chopped it up and added it to the soup.
What should I buy? I stood at a stall, carefully examining the chunks of meat moving like art pieces. The owner, noticing my presence, greeted me enthusiastically.
“Welcome, pretty lady! I have cow, chicken, pig, duck, raccoon beak, legs, swallow tails, everything! The thinly sliced, wood-smoked pork is especially popular these days.”
The owner looked me up and down, then lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Judging by your attire, you must be a maid serving someone important?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Estella, serving Count Lupin Zepetto, a man of… distinctive taste.”
“A Count with a distinctive palate, you say. Then how about some monster meat?”
“Monster meat?”
I couldn’t help but be intrigued. I had heard that there were monsters outside human settlements. But they were rare, and I had never heard of them being used for food.
“If he has a distinctive palate, shouldn’t he eat something special?”
“That’s true.”
The owner pointed towards the back of his shop with his thumb and whispered,
“I have some in the back. Monster meat. Wouldn’t it be nice to impress your master? You’re quite pretty, you might even become his concubine.”
“Don’t say such things. Our young master isn’t like that!”
The owner seemed to think I was being shy, but that wasn’t the case.
“Our young master isn’t some fool who plays with dolls instead of having a lover!”
The owner’s expression turned puzzled.
To think he saw our young master as some immature boy who played with dolls in his room. I couldn’t buy anything from this shop! Just as I was about to turn away…
“I heard you have something special here. Can I see it?”
A beautiful woman, as tall as the young master, approached the stall. Her brown hair had a mystical violet sheen, and her lips were a vibrant red. Her form-fitting, luxurious dress shimmered smoothly.
What a beauty! A potential Countess candidate!
“Miss, you’re looking for something special? Shall we look together? I’m Estella, the maid of Count Lupin Zepetto (a very handsome man), by the way. Who are your parents, to have such a beautiful daughter?”
The owner led the beautiful woman inside the shop, and I followed along.
Completely forgetting the young master’s warning not to follow strangers.