Now then, since time is of the essence, we decided to head back to the town of Akoup. Of course, we made sure to greet Viscount Batten beforehand.

“To think you’d bring along such a powerful monster without taming it…”

“Haha… Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s really because of Ivy.”

“I’ve been warned by the Marquis to not be surprised no matter what happens, so I’m fine. However… this might become a bit troublesome in other towns. Even with Lord Logan’s presence…”

The Viscount hummed in distress, clearly uneasy about us bringing Icicle into Akoup.

Ivy, noticing his demeanor, seemed to make up her mind about something.

“Miih!”

“Mm… Well, it can’t be helped, I suppose.”

Ivy swiftly connected a thread of magical energy to Icicle. Just like with Sanshita, that thread extended to me as well.

It appeared that Ivy had tamed Icicle in the same way she had tamed Sanshita. And once again, I was inexplicably included in their master-servant relationship.

The Viscount’s eyes widened as he stared in astonishment at the inexplicable series of events that unfolded in mere moments.

“I… I’m not surprised by anything, I assure you! Please convey that to the Marquis as well.”

The Viscount, seemingly under strict orders from the Marquis, refused to admit he was shocked.

“Taming a Demon King’s officer! As expected of both Ivy and Bruno! You accomplish the unthinkable with ease!”

“U-umm… What should I do? My master, Ivy, has turned one of the Demon King’s subordinates into an ally. I feel like I should destroy her immediately, but… ugh…”

Logan roared with laughter, while Rey looked deeply troubled, muttering something I couldn’t quite catch.

And with that, we left the town of Für behind.

At a glance, Icicle’s appearance could pass for a human. Her silhouette was humanoid, and if you just assumed her excessively flamboyant dress was a stylistic choice, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

Still, taking the Viscount’s advice into account, any trouble would likely end up burdening the Marquis again. We decided to avoid populated areas and take a detour.

Riding in a four-horse carriage prepared by Logan, we followed a less-traveled but somewhat dangerous road that branched off from the main route.

Ivy, seemingly displeased by the carriage’s swaying, floated leisurely in the air. Icicle, despite looking cramped, stayed inside the carriage. Having her fly through the air would draw far too much attention. For the sake of fostering camaraderie, Rey and I also spent our time inside the carriage.

“…”
“…”

But, well… how should I put it? The atmosphere was painfully awkward. Even when I tried to start a conversation:

“Ah.”
“Indeed.”

Their responses were curt and dismissive. It was glaringly obvious that the two didn’t think highly of each other.

The problem arose when, after spending too much time in the confined space of the carriage, the tension finally reached its breaking point.

“Enough! I refuse to accept her presence any longer!”

“That’s my line! Just looking at you irritates me to no end! Would you kindly get out of my sight?”

“What did you say? Acting all high and mighty for an uninvited tagalong!”

“How dare you!”

Before I knew it, the two were glaring daggers at each other… and then, they started wrestling right there in the carriage.

—Ivy, help!

This is way beyond anything I can handle on my own!