Chapter 397

Presents 2

“”We back~””

“Welcome back. Was Rebecca-san happy?”

“”Yeah! It suits us, she said!””

“I see, I’m glad to hear that.—And so, did you thank her properly?”

“”… Ah!””

After a while, the kids came back smiling, but they seemed to have forgotten to thank Rebecca-san, and when I pointed it out to them, they turned around and ran away again.

“”Back again~””

“I see. Don’t forget to thank the other people as well when you see them.”

“”Yeah~””

I said it mainly to remind myself not to forget, but I had to remind the kids as well.

“Then, let’s continue~ Next up is…”

“”This!””

The present they chose next was from the Knights. It was a stationery set, including quill pens, ink, and letters. Also, there was a book without contents… Is the fact that it’s in the form of a book and not a notepad or a notebook an indication that they should write their own story in it?

“Ah, I see. You can use this as a diary, I guess?”

“”Diary?””

“It’s something to write down memories from the day, things you don’t want to forget.”

“”Ohh~ will write a diary!””

“Then, let’s make it a habit to do it every day before going to bed.”

“”Will do~””

The blank book thankfully became the children’s diary.

It was a gift that had practicality and that I did not have to be afraid of. As expected of the Knights.

“Then, next one.”

“This one and~”

“This one~”

“Smell something tasty~”

“Nice fragrance~”

“Now that you say it, they smell nice.”

It was from the Vassar and Clark families.

“These are… perfume oils?”

No, they looked more like body oils. Each one had a different scent, and it seems that they selected ones with fruity scents that even the kids would like.

“This one smells like Oren~”

“And this one smells like Lemoné~”

“Why don’t you try them right away after a bath?”

“”Yea!””

Since they are the same type of gift but different scents, means that Celestia-san and Olga-san must have taken the trouble to consult with each other to prepare them.

“”What is this~?””

“Is that from Al-sama? I wonder what that is?”

When I opened the thin box that Al-sama gifted, there was an elegant-looking document box(?) with documents inside.

“This is addressed to you guys…”

On the top of the box was a letter addressed to the children, so I handed it to them, and I picked up the papers underneath it.

“Umm… brown, female, eight months? Chestnut, male, one year?”

It looked like living beings, but… what was this list for?

“Allen, Elena, what did the letter say?”

“”Hmn, you see~”

“Said he gifted us.”

“Horses.”

“Horses!? Ah, so these must be papers documenting the type of the horses they are!”

The children’s words revealed the mystery I was falling into.

“Choose whichever.”

“You like.”

“”It says~””

“……”

Is he really gifting us a horse?

Ah, Richard-sama said that riding horses is his hobby, are they perhaps in cahoots!?

“Ah, this doesn’t look like Al-sama’s handwriting. Is it Grace-sama’s?”

When the children showed me the letter, the writing was clearly that of a female.

… So is this was a prank by the entire royal family?… No, yeah, calling it a prank might be rude. Let’s see… a plan? Surprise? No, I think prank is the most appropriate word.

Moreover, there were also three passes to the castle securely enclosed. I guess it means that… we can come to the castle anytime we want.

“… As expected we can’t accept a horse, can we?”

“”We can’t?””

“Since we can’t take it with us on our travels, wouldn’t you feel sad for the horse because it would have to stay at home all the time? We shouldn’t accept it, but let’s ask if we could borrow a horse when we are at the Capital instead. Is that okay?”

“”Yeah, good.””

I’m going to negotiate borrowing rights for a horse for the children’s horseback riding practice.

I have a feeling they will definitely not accept, but it’s a battle we can’t afford to lose, so I will just have to go in strong!

“”This is~?””

“That’s from Cedric-san’s family.”

The next one they chose next was from the Risner family—Cedric-san’s family, and they were books for children to read. More difficult than picture books and easier than novels that an adult would read. They were books that were somewhere in between.

The contents were all adventure stories, so I guess this book was recommended by Theodore-kun and Latis-kun who said they liked those kinds of stories.

“Books I don’t know!”

“Sounds interesting!”

The kids were an active bunch, but they also like to read books, so they were overjoyed.

“”Wow! This is so cute!””

The present from the McPhersons—Larry-san and Helena-san—were porcelain figurines in the shape of Pastel Rabbits.

“So many!”

“Clothes!”

Velio-san and Almeria-san gifted them a lot of everyday clothes. They even got matching outfits with Lucario-kun for them.

“Last one~!”

“Reirei’s?”

“That’s right. It’s from Rein and Lily-chan—Uwah, it’s so heavy!”

When I lifted the box gifted by Lily-chan and Rein, it was heavier than I had expected.

“”Heavy?””

“Yeah, that startled me. Inside is… ahh, of course this would be heavy.”

“”Ohh~ so cute~””

The things inside were figurines made of stone, each one about the size of a child’s two hands, but there were several of them, so the weight added up~

“Ah, that’s Joule!”

“And this is Feat!”

“Then, over here must be Vector, Bolt, and Mile.”

I didn’t introduce them directly to Rein and Lily-chan, but the fact that I had contracted beasts came up in a conversation. I had also jokingly told them about the species, so they must have remembered that.

The town of Kelm is a mining town, so I wonder if this kind of masonry is a specialty over there?

“You have gotten so many presents~”

“”Each was wonderful!””

“Indeed. It seems that everyone chose them carefully with Allen and Elena firmly in mind. That’s delightful.”

“”Yeah, happy!””

Well, some of the presents surprised me, though.

“Then, here’s one from me.”

“”Ohh! Yaayyy~!”

Incidentally, I had a hard time deciding on something, so I’ve gotten something useful for adventures, such as an easy-to-assemble one-person tent, a spear and bow for practice, etc… I know it’s not a usual present, but I decided to go with something safe and something the kids would enjoy.

“I’m sorry I could only prepare something like this~”

“”So happy! Thank you, Oniichan!””

Oh, I also received what seemed to be a present from Syl and the others… A lot of sugar, fruit, and other sweet things. To be honest, I had doubts if these were really gifts, but the timing suggested that they are.

I felt that the presents from their relatives, including myself, were not as good as the ones they received from others.

… I promised myself that I would think harder for their next year’s birthday.