Chapter 24
When my eyes met Luan’s impossibly clear, violet eyes, my face grew unbearably hot.
“Wh-What?! I’ll make you pay back double—no, triple—including your ransom later! So just you wait!”
Flustered by Luan’s earnest attitude, I clenched my fist and punched him lightly in the chest.
“Ugh, Jo… Zoe…”
Having misjudged my strength, Luan clutched his chest where my punch had landed and groaned.
Oh right, Luan’s a patient! I—I just did that out of embarrassment…!
“Ahh… y-you’re not hurt, are you? Nothing’s broken, right?”
I quickly moved closer to check on him.
Then Luan tilted his head slightly and chuckled.
“I’m joking. It would take more than that to hurt me.”
…Should’ve actually broken something, then.
“I seriously thought you were hurt!”
“Ha ha, sorry. You just looked so panicked.”
I glared at him briefly, then continued.
“Anyway, do you remember how you got captured here?”
“Hmm… After you left, a web suddenly wrapped around my entire body. Then I started to lose consciousness.”
So it tried to drag me to its food storage too, but failed and only took Luan…
Feeling guilty, I hesitated before speaking.
“I’m sorry for running away alone.”
Luan gazed at me quietly, then placed his large hand gently on my head and smiled.
“You did very well. If something like this happens again, do the same thing.”
“…What? Luan, I’m apologizing because I really feel bad.”
Was he being sarcastic? Was I supposed to feel worse?
With an expression full of remorse, I looked up at him.
“If you really feel that bad, how about making it double instead of triple…?”
“No deal.”
I cut him off firmly.
Fair’s fair. Got to keep the numbers straight.
“Understood,” he said with a faint smile, sitting up from my lap.
“Ahem. Miss Zoe, forgive me for interrupting your cozy moment, but thank you for rescuing our children.”
That was Quintilla, speaking politely from the side. Thankfully, it looked like the Antlagons had all come safely out of their cocoons.
“C-cozy moment? Oh, no, not at all! Hahaha! I’m just glad the Antlagons are safe!”
Flustered, I stood up quickly and looked at Quintilla.
“Zoe, who are you talking to?”
Luan gave me a puzzled look.
Ah, right… people here can’t understand monsters.
He probably thought I was talking to myself—like someone chatting with their pet earlier.
“Oh, I was talking to Quintilla. She’s the queen of the Antlagons. She said thank you for saving her people!”
At that, Luan’s expression darkened noticeably.
“You can talk with monsters? You understand their language?”
“Yes, why?”
What’s with that suspicious look…? Wait, am I the only one here with this ability?
Sure, I got it because I’m a monster tamer—but this is a game world! An animal RPG!
So I thought there’d be other people like me here…
Luan fell silent for a long while, then said in a meaningful tone,
“Zoe, could it be that you…”
Just as the tension thickened, Quintilla interrupted the moment.
“Um, Miss Zoe? As a token of our gratitude, may we invite you to a feast at the Antlagon Palace? Of course, your… companion is welcome as well.”
“Wait, Q-Quintilla! He’s not my companion!”
Oh gods, she’s been saying this nonsense since earlier!
Luan isn’t mine! …Not yet(?).
My face turned red as I waved my hands frantically.
“…Zoe?”
Luan looked at my flustered face with a curious expression.
“Oh, you said he’s a friend. My apologies,” Quintilla added with an impish smile.
Seeing me all embarrassed, Luan glanced at me again, and I quickly grabbed his apron and said,
“L-Luan, Quintilla wants to invite us to their palace. Come on, let’s go!”
“Zoe, I’m still a patient, remember…”
He clutched his sword-slashed leg as I pulled at him roughly.
“Want me to carry you?”
“I must respectfully decline.”
Luan shook his head firmly, so I let go of his apron and helped him walk slowly, following Quintilla to the palace.
“How is it, Miss Zoe? The special cake made by our Antlagon No. 12?”
“…It’s perfect.”
Tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I gave No. 12 a big thumbs-up.
—Zoe, you’ve got cream all over your face. Hehehe.
—You almost finished that huge thing by yourself… impressive.
—Well, No. 12 is the best cook among us.
Antlagons 1, 2, and 3 chimed in one after another.
But seriously… this cake was amazing.
The cake No. 12 had made was shaped like a beehive, glistening like crystal sugar on the outside. Inside, it was divided into multiple layers and chambers—each filled with different fillings, fruits, honey, and nuts.
It was like tasting an entire dessert course in one bite—pure bliss.
“Oh! This layer’s strawberry!”
I stuffed a big strawberry from inside the cake into my mouth.
“Zoe, you’ll get indigestion. Eat slowly.”
Luan shook his head at my puffed-up cheeks and took an elegant sip of tea.
Wow, and this from the guy who kept warning me earlier about possible poison!
Guess it suits his taste after all.
I glared at him, then stabbed another strawberry with my fork and popped it into my mouth.
Antlagon No. 3 clicked its tongue, looking between the two of us.
—Zoe, eat with a little dignity like that human! Do you even know table manners?
Yeah, yeah. Unlike Luan, I’m just an ignorant fallen noble with zero manners.
“Hehe… Anyway, Miss Zoe, you asked about Arachnecia’s situation earlier, right?”
Quintilla smiled gently as she brought up the subject.
“Ah… gulp Yes. If you want, I can make sure she never sets foot in this territory again.”
I watched her carefully.
This was a delicate matter.
After losing so many Antlagons, Quintilla probably wanted Arachnecia gone forever.
But… it was also true that Arachnecia only attacked to survive—because humans had stolen her habitat.
The weak fall, the strong survive. That’s nature.
But is that wrong? Not necessarily.
The strong eating the weak keeps the balance of the ecosystem.
…Then why did I get so angry when I fought Arachnecia?
Sure, I wanted to teach her a lesson—but was it necessary to be that harsh?
That wasn’t like me at all…
It was as if, in that moment, I was someone else entirely.
Was that what Luan had been trying to say earlier…?
“Hmm, then… how about this?”
Quintilla’s soft, graceful voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“We’ll welcome Arachnecia into our territory.”
“What? Are you sure that’s okay?”
Her answer surprised me.
Of course, I was glad—since I had some sympathy for Arachnecia—but still… was it really fine?
“Yes. Thanks to you, she won’t attack us anymore. We’ll gladly accept her as one of us. Besides, she has nowhere else to go.”
“Still…”
“But on one condition.”
Her kind smile turned sharp as her dark eyes glinted.
Swallowing nervously, I asked,
“Wh-what condition would that be?”
