Exhaling, a white breath escaped.

“It seems winter has come already.”

“It’s just beginning. It’ll get colder from now on.”

“…”

It gets even colder than this? The winters in the north are indeed different.

The frigid air, like cutting through her skin, tempted her to go back inside the castle. However, the physician recommended walking, so she endured it.

How much did they walk? A glass dome surrounded by dense trees came into view.

Just a little more. Irene’s steps naturally quickened.
While Irene was almost running towards the greenhouse garden, there was a rustle, and a swoosh.

The bushes shook violently, and something unexpectedly popped out. Startled by the shadow, roughly the size of a person, Irene stopped in surprise.

“Miss!”

Jessie jumped forward to protect Irene, glaring fiercely at the uninvited guest.

“…What is that?”

After a moment, Jessie, out of breath, made a surprised sound when he recognized the intruder.

Irene, who had been tense, also loosened her tension when she saw the intruder’s identity.

Feathery fur, long and slender legs, bright eyes, a cute nose, a long neck, and perked-up ears.

“That’s… a Yomi, right?”

The intruder turned out to be a creature resembling a deer, a magical beast called Yomi. Irene recognized it immediately, having encountered one during a stroll at Esper Castle before.

“No, Yomi.”

Approaching Yomi, Jessie glanced around.

Soon, he spotted a man rushing towards them and clicked his tongue irritably.

“No wonder some magical beasts escape without you noticing.”

The protagonist of this short criticism turned to Jessie, then looked at Irene, bowed quickly in surprise.

“Oh, hello.”

“Not nice to meet you.”

Jessie glared at the man with narrowed eyes.

“Looks like he’s in charge of this Yomi. How did you manage it so that the Yomi, which should be in the east, is in the north?”

“Sorry. As you know, Yomi is mischievous, and we were short-handed, so we thought…”

“Still, management must be thorough. It’s not like you don’t know what happened due to your carelessness. If you don’t want to repeat the same mistake and turn Esper Castle into a chaotic mess, manage it properly, unless you want it to be a mess like a territory.”

Under the harsh scolding, the man couldn’t say anything and bowed deeply.

Certainly, it was the man’s fault for not managing the magical beasts properly, but what could he say even if the blame was placed on him like this?

It wasn’t intentional, and it happened due to a lack of staff…

Looking at the man with a pitiful gaze, Irene then looked at Yomi.

Perhaps… there’s something I can do to help.

“It’s a relief that it was just Yomi who escaped. If it were a gruesome magical beast like Arachne, what would we have done? Of course, magical beasts can’t cause trouble recklessly here, but still…”

“Jessie.”

As Irene called him, Jessie immediately turned to her.

The frightening expression he had been wearing seemed to unravel like a lie.

“You called, Miss?”

“Is the staff severely lacking in dealing with magical beasts right now?”

“What?”

Jessie looked confused at Irene’s sudden question.

Thinking this might be a good opportunity to cover up his mistake, the man quickly replied.
“It’s severely lacking. Originally, one guide is assigned per magical beast, but due to many guides getting seriously injured or killed when magical beasts caused riots, currently, one guide is responsible for two magical beasts.”

While it might be seen as just one more magical beast, from the guide’s perspective, who has to closely manage magical beasts that could go anywhere if neglected, it was a significant problem.

“Moreover, besides managing magical beasts, there are other additional tasks like preparing their food. It’s an even more challenging situation. If possible, I’d want to borrow some extra hands, even if they are just cat’s paws.”

“Then, should I help?”

“What?”

“I might not be able to handle magical beasts entirely, but I can do simple chores.”

“Nonsense!”

Jessie shouted in surprise at the sudden remark.

“It’s absolutely not possible! That’s an unthinkable task!”

“But if there’s a shortage of staff, how can I just stand by?”

Irene placed her hand on her chest and spoke with determination.

“I thought of myself as a parasite just eating and sleeping with nothing to do, but if there’s something I can do, I want to do it.”

“But it’s not just any other task; it’s related to magical beasts. Aren’t you afraid?”

“If it’s a cute magical beast like Yomi, I think I’ll be fine.”

“Mew.”

Seeing Irene’s determination stronger than expected, Jessie made a groaning sound and rubbed his head.

“I won’t do anything dangerous. Just simple chores like cleaning beside you. Please allow it.”

“…”

Unable to refute Irene’s earnest request, Jessie remained silent.

Although there were aspects he didn’t like, ultimately, this wasn’t an issue that Irene could decide or not decide. Everything Irene did was under the permission of Duke Carlos.

“Come to think of it, I should get permission from His Grace, not Jessie.”

Realizing this fact on her own, Irene adjusted her slightly slipping coat and turned around.

“I’ll go get permission from His Grace right away.”

Ah, I should stop her.

Seeing Irene overflowing with enthusiasm for the first time in a while, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

Moreover, Irene doing this meant she was opening her heart to Carlos to some extent. Without saying anything, Jessie followed her as Irene headed to seek permission from Duke Carlos.