The first order of business was making the rounds to greet everyone.

Since the most important meeting with the Marquis was already done, the rest should go relatively smoothly.

"I’m Rey."

"Lady Rey, I’ve heard much about you. Once again, I’m honored to make your acquaintance."

"...Hmph, likewise."

"How dare you...! What kind of attitude is that toward Lady Maria?!"

Maria politely bowed to Rey, who for some reason snorted loudly, and Hamill reacted with outrage. It was an odd scene, but the meeting concluded without incident.

However...

"Hey, Bruno! What’s the meaning of this?! Why... why are there monsters in the domain?!"

"O-hohohoho! So many of them!"

The haughty Insect Queen, Icicle, was not so easily dealt with. Even after I explained that she currently bore no ill will, Hamill, with his rigid mindset, was hard to convince. It took some time to make her understand.

Unlike the muttering Hamill, who kept asking why there were monsters, Maria seemed to adapt fairly quickly to the situation.

"Pleased to meet you. Icicle, I understand you’re not an evil monster."

"That’s right! I’m destined to become not just any small-time villain, but the ultimate evil overlord! O-hohohohoho!"

I mean, Icicle, doesn’t that technically make you an evil monster?

"My, what a promising future that sounds like."

"I am the epitome of potential! I’ll become the Demon King of the future! O-hohohohoho!"

"Icicle! Come to think of it, your outfit today is different than usual!"

I interrupted her before she spilled too much unnecessary information and revealed everything. But I was genuinely curious.

Unlike her usual dress, she was now clad in something resembling heavy armor, with a large helmet completely enclosing her face. If the front hadn’t been transparent, I might not have recognized her at all.

"I’m currently assisting the Marquis and Jennifer with some work."

"—Wait, is Jennifer here too?!"

"Yes, he mentioned he would be coming again soon."

After briefly crossing paths with Jennifer during the incident in the Dark Forest, I hadn’t had a chance to speak with him since. There were many things I wanted to discuss and thank him for, but he was always on the move, too busy to catch.

Thinking about it, it made sense. With Icicle, one of the ten Demon Kings, here, Jennifer would naturally take notice and show up eventually. Perhaps the best way to find Jennifer would be to place a rare monster like Icicle in one spot and wait for him to come.

Imagining Jennifer walking into such a trap, I continued listening to Icicle.

Apparently, he was working on selectively breeding a domesticated species of magical bees. She had already succeeded in creating a strain more resistant to the cold than before.

"With a bit more effort, I believe we can start beekeeping here in Akoup."

"Mii!"

Ivy chirped excitedly, likely remembering the honey-filled days we spent in Viscount Batten’s territory on the way to Icicle’s place.

‘Hurry up and bring honey to Akoup too!’ she seemed to say, urging Icicle on. Hey, that’s not very polite!

"But why are you dressed like that?"

"Ah, it’s because the pheromones used during the selective breeding process smell awful."

So Icicle’s pheromones smell bad... who knew?

Nevertheless, it seemed she was fitting in with the town. She said she wasn’t feared anymore, even while walking around Akoup.

Thanks to Ivy and the other low-level monsters, the townspeople had developed a tolerance for such things. At this point, one or two monsters didn’t seem to faze anyone.

---

As I watched Ivy enjoy the honey Icicle had been experimenting with, a voice called out from behind me.

"Bruno... I need to talk to you later."

The voice belonged to Rey, who was unusually serious. She seemed to have something important to share with me. Understanding this, I met her gaze and nodded firmly.