"Could it be... that Jennifer?"

"Yes, the man with a bit of gray hair, who always wears a white coat, and looks like he's in his late thirties."

"That's definitely Jennifer Cornet."

So Jennifer has a full name... wait, does that mean he's nobility?

It doesn’t seem right, though, since he doesn’t act like one.

"Why do you look so puzzled? Isn't it usually the other way around?"

"I honestly don’t know much about him. All I know is that he's a scholar in the capital who studies monsters."

Judging by their reaction, Jennifer is a pretty impressive person.

I suspected as much after he personally handed the letter to the Guild Master.

Jennifer became a noble, with the honorary title of Lord Arcanist.

Apparently, an Arcanist Lord is a noble who receives an annual pension but doesn't own any land.

That doesn't sound particularly amazing, but just having a title feels impressive.

So he wasn’t just an ordinary scholar after all.

To me, he was just a quirky, reliable person.

As it turns out, Jennifer was recognized for devising a solution to a historic famine several years ago.

He pioneered a way to make monster-based food as palatable as regular meals, breaking a longstanding taboo.

Some monster-based foods he created with the Marquis of Endlord are now specialties of Akoup and the surrounding lands.

For example, there's "Grass Pork," produced from cave-dwelling boars called Cave Boars that were bred to graze on grass in meadows.

Then there’s "Demon Salmon," a carnivorous monster salmon once feared for its ferocity, now bred to willingly bite at the bait.

Most monsters mature in about a week, making them an abundant food source to help prevent famine.

However, their rapid growth and supply nearly disrupted the market, so the capital imposed restrictions on Jennifer’s innovations.

He only did it to help people, so it seems a bit unfair.

Because of this, the Baron has started distancing himself from the capital, opting to trade with distant regions instead... which I completely understand.

"So Jennifer really has saved many lives," I said.

"Absolutely. Even the merchants who used to avoid this place now bend over backward to do business here. In Akoup, Jennifer is well-respected."

"Actually, I’m more curious about how you know him, Bruno."

"Oh, well, when he came to capture Ivy, we ended up fighting him off."

"You fought him off!?"

"And we became friends afterward, so he's helped me with a lot of things."

"How can you skip so many details! How did you get close from there?"

"Actually, Jennifer was the one who named Ivy’s species—Gigant Ivy Turtle."

"What did he call it?"

"Jennifer Jennifer Jennifer."

Pfft!

Yeah, I thought it was a funny name when I first heard it.

So did Ivy, apparently—she’s nibbling my ear in protest!

I guess if people laughed at my species, I wouldn’t like it either.

The girls kept chatting, imagining what it would be like if Ivy's kind lived together in a pond somewhere.

"It would be terrifying, wouldn't it?" they said, laughing.

Listening quietly, I started to wonder if Ivy had family or others of her kind out there.

I’d like to help her find them someday.

If I think about it, Ivy’s like me living alone in a goblin settlement.

No wonder it might be stressful.

Once I’ve saved enough money, maybe we can go look for her kin with Jennifer’s help.

Just then, Ivy suddenly became heavier on my shoulder, and I laughed.

"Alright, alright, I get it, Ivy!"

Seeing her make friends so easily, though, I take back what I said earlier.

Maybe she’s not as stressed as I thought.