Impatience rose up to the tip of my chin. I quickly pressed Prom.

“Why are you acting like this? Our kids are okay, right?”

“Well…”

Prom tilted his head to the side. With an anxious heart, my right leg automatically trembled.

What the hell. What kind of reaction is that? Could it be that something seriously wrong happened to our kids?

Unaware of my burning insides, Prom silently rubbed his mouth and chin.

Only after some more time passed did he finally open his lips.

“They seem to be larger than average and overflowing with excessive mana, but at first glance, they look very healthy. Well, there shouldn’t be any particular problems.”

Prom shrugged his shoulders. It was a gesture that made me want to hit him. Why unnecessarily keep me in suspense and scare me like that for no reason!

I clenched my fist tightly and was gauging the timing to throw a punch when Aspeiran lightly tapped my shoulder. A gentle gaze that seemed to tell me to calm down.

‘……’

Hmm, I’ll let it slide for the sake of handsome As.

As I released the strength from my fist, Aspeiran turned his gaze to Prom and Romie.

“Don’t just glance over them, but thoroughly examine the condition of the Moonlight Wolves. Check if they are growing properly and if there are any other issues. When the examination is finished, write up a report and submit it.”

Aspeiran waved his hand and created a glowing blue ring around the necks of the Moonlight Wolves. The end of the leash connected to the ring settled in Romie’s hand.

“Keep the Moonlight Wolves in the Magic Tower for the time being. Cooperate with the lab to conduct the examinations.”

At those words, Prom jumped in surprise.

“Wait a minute, Lord! Are you saying you will entrust the lab’s monsters to the Magic Tower?”

“Why, do you have a problem with my decision?”

“It’s just that, anything related to Veltram should naturally be handled by the lab…”

“So you’ll take the Moonlight Wolves that have become adult bodies to the lab? Ho, I guess you’re now confident you can manage the Moonlight Wolves well?”

“…My apologies.”

Prom, who had started to protest, shrank back, unable to say a word under Aspeiran’s fierce gaze. I wasn’t particularly sympathetic, perhaps because of what that human had done.

Aspeiran continued his orders.

“Since the existing mana control devices are broken, make new ones yourself, Romie. You can use whatever you want for materials.”

“Oh, that’s what I’m best at. Leave it to me, Lord.”

“And Shuria.”

Aspeiran turned to look at me. I stood up straight at attention. What mission would be given to me?

After quietly looking down at me, Aspeiran finally issued my mission.

“Rest.”

“…Pardon?”

“Rest. You’re on vacation for the time being.”

Va-vacation? I clung to Aspeiran’s arm at once.

“That can’t be, Lord! Such a big thing happened to the Moonlight Wolves…how can I, their monster breeder, rest? If you allow it, I’ll stay at the Magic Tower and look after the kids!”

“That won’t do. The Magic Tower is a gathering of eccentrics, conducting all sorts of experiments and research, so it’s too dangerous for an ordinary person like you. The Magic Tower folks will take good care of the Moonlight Wolves, so you just rest in the meantime.”

“But…”

My Moonlight Wolves, whom I’ve been with every moment since coming to Roakin, not being by my side… It feels so empty and awkward that I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, and I’m already at a loss as to how to spend time without them…

As I clasped my hands together and started trembling, Romie clicked her tongue.

“Looks like Miss Shuria is already addicted to work. All the more reason you need to practice resting. While the Moonlight Wolves are staying at the Magic Tower, try taking an interest in something other than monsters.”

“But the Moonlight Wolves are my everything!”

“And that’s exactly the problem.”

“Still!”

I hugged my cute furry ones. Now that the kids had grown huge, it was impossible to hold all three at once.

Aspeiran sighed and lightly picked me up.

“Sometimes you have to learn to accept reality.”

“Nooo-”

I cried out like that, but I knew well there was nothing I could do. I slumped in Aspeiran’s hands.

Prom spoke to me as if doing me a favor.

“Well, I’ll give you updates from time to time.”

“Give them to me every day.”

“Sheesh.”

Prom clicked his tongue. I glared at Prom once, then broke free from Aspeiran.

“Romie, if it’s alright, could I see where our kids will be staying for a while?”

“Of course. Come this way.”

Romie kindly showed me in person the place where the Moonlight Wolves would be staying from now on. It was right next to the Magic Tower Master’s laboratory.

“You probably don’t know, but actually, the Magic Tower was originally supposed to take the Moonlight Wolves. That cloud-head worked hard to snatch them away.”

“What? You crazy magicians!”

“This facility was made back then. It’s nice, right?”

The facility Romie showed me was clean and spacious, fully equipped with three large doghouses, individual food bowls, water bowls, and other necessary items.

Not only that, but she also introduced me to three pleasant-looking magicians who proclaimed dogs were the best in the world. She said those people would be taking care of the Moonlight Wolves.

Romie patted my back.

“It’s perfect, right? So don’t worry about the Moonlight Wolves.”

“Yes… Please take good care of them.”

With that, the sudden growth incident of the Moonlight Wolves was settled for now.

After bidding farewell to Romie, I left the Magic Tower with Aspeiran. Prom had disappeared at some point.

“Huh? Lord, I don’t see the lab director.”

“He probably left on his own. He’s a magician too, after all.”

I see. Without worrying about it further, I walked side by side with Aspeiran.

“What should I do while the kids are gone…”

“Why don’t you try making some poop cookies in the kitchen?”

“They were peanut cookies, not poop cookies. If you keep teasing me, I’ll bring all my failed cookies to you from now on.”

“Go ahead. But you’re saying those were your most successful cookies?”

“Lord!”

We exchanged silly conversation as the surrounding scenery whizzed by. Thanks to that, I could tell As had used a speed-increasing spell.

‘Wouldn’t spatial movement be faster and more convenient? Our As must really like walking.’

Before I knew it, we had arrived in front of the lab. Aspeiran fixed my wind-tousled hair.

“I’m going to be busy for a while, so it’ll be hard for me to keep you company during your vacation.”

“Hmph.”

“What’s with the ‘hmph’?”

As laughed. Pretending to pinch my pouting lips, he said,

“I’ll keep the Vencho you brought until we have time to drink it together.”

“You can just try it now, I can make it again later!”

“This is meaningful because it’s the first one you made. So I’ll keep it safe. Now, go on inside.”

Leaving somewhat sentimental words, Aspeiran turned around. The empty spot left after he disappeared with spatial movement felt lonely.

To comfort my empty heart, I looked up at the night sky. Countless stars twinkling so vividly they seemed ready to pour down at any moment.

How long had I been standing there like that? In the distance, I saw Prom staggering towards the lab.

‘What, I thought he went ahead?’

He looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, so I quickly ran to Prom.

“Director! I thought you went ahead!”

“Huff, the Lord, huff, told me to, huff, come separately, huff, so I walked… Huff, huff.”

What? I can only hear him saying he walked.

“Why didn’t you use spatial movement? You’re a magician too, Director.”

Prom stopped and caught his breath for a moment. Then he shouted,

“The Velo castle has a wide-area technique that interferes with spatial perception, so average magicians can’t properly use spatial movement! Only spatial magic experts like the Lord can accurately move to target coordinates. Achoo!”

A loud sneeze was added to the end of his rambling explanation. Looking closely, the tip of Prom’s nose and ears were frozen red.

“Director, you look very cold. Are you alright? You might catch a cold, so warm up and rest today.”

“It’s fine. I won’t catch a cold just from being outside for a few dozen minutes. I’ll be going in first.”

Prom entered the building with a staggering gait.

Watching his back, I had an uneasy feeling.

Uneasy feelings are never wrong. It was the same this time too.

Just because he was ‘only outside for a few dozen minutes’, our delicate lab director caught a severe cold.

Furthermore, the cold spread to three other researchers as well. What in the world did the researchers do together last night?

Anyway, I found the researchers collapsed as a group when I went to the cafeteria for breakfast, and I screamed and immediately contacted Rumel.

After that, the feverish patients were urgently moved to the infirmary in Kronen Palace. It was truly a hectic morning.

I should go eat a late breakfast and rest now. I rubbed my tired shoulders and asked the researchers,

“I’ll be heading back to the lab now. Anyone need anything?”

“Me~”

Sek spoke weakly, having lost his usual languid attitude. Seeing him like that made me feel a bit sorry for him.

I approached him, harboring the faintly rising sympathy in my heart.

“What do you need?”

“Well, if it’s alright, could you write the observation log for me? It’s really important to me, so I’m asking.”

“Observation log?”

As I looked puzzled, Sek held out a key.

“It’s the key to the greenhouse I manage. I’m researching a new tree recently brought from Veltram called the ‘silver plate tree’, and it would be troublesome to skip even a day of the observation log. It shouldn’t be difficult.”

Sek explained in detail the location of the greenhouse, the location of the tree, and how to write the observation log.

I nodded.

“Don’t worry, Sek. I’ll show you a perfect observation log!”

“Please…”

Having finished his business, Sek immediately fell asleep. I took the key and went straight back to the lab.

“He said when you enter the main hall, push the grandfather clock you see straight ahead to the side and there will be a door, right?”

I pushed the grandfather clock to the side as instructed. Behind the clock that slid aside more smoothly than expected, there really was a single keyhole.

When I inserted the greenhouse key I received from Sek and turned it, the wall slid open and a huge glass greenhouse appeared.

“Wow…”

The sizable greenhouse was almost at the level of a botanical garden. I couldn’t close my mouth.

“I can’t believe there was a place like this!”

From the outside, it was just white bricks, so I had no idea! No wonder the building seemed large compared to the actual square footage.

I wanted to look around the greenhouse to my heart’s content, but I forcibly suppressed the urge. Sek had said there were man-eating plants here too. I don’t want to die eaten by a plant.

Recalling Sek’s explanation, I searched for the path this way and that. Before long, a tree with shimmering silver leaves caught my eye.

I went closer and read the sign stuck in front of the tree. ‘Silver plate tree’.

This was definitely the tree Sek had asked me to observe. As proof, on the table next to the tree, there was a notebook with “Observation Log” written on it.

I picked up the notebook and flipped through it. As Sek said, it didn’t look difficult to fill out.

“Alright, I can do this much with no problem. I’ll show off my skills.”

I danced a little jig, holding the notebook.

And so, amidst the researchers’ group cold commotion, the empty breeding room, and the suddenly entrusted important task, my first vacation began.

My life’s worst vacation that I would never forget.