"What should I give in thanks? Would one of my scales do?"
"Hey! Stop that!!"
Kaiser suddenly offered to give his scales as thanks for the ID card, but Tristan-sama stopped him with everything he had.
… Yeah, handing over a Leviathan's scale would basically be the same as declaring his true identity after we just went to all the trouble of hiding it. That'd be a no-go for sure.
"Kaiser, the thank-you gift is already set out there. They'll accept the jeweled branch, so let's save the scales for another occasion."
"And when would that occasion be!? There will never be such an occasion!!"
"I see, understood. Then, when there comes a time you wish to ask me for something, I'll bring one of my scales."
"I said stop that!!"
I don't know when this supposed "other occasion" would ever come, but if we declare that the jeweled branch is the reward this time, then it should be accepted without issue.
"By the way, aside from the king, everyone has been awfully quiet, hasn't it~―Patrick, Matthew, is it because I am a monster that you don't even want to speak with me?"
Since Kaiser had arrived, no one except Tristan-sama had opened their mouth. It must have been bothering him. Especially since Patrick and Matthew, who already knew him, also remained silent.
"That's not the case."
"Yes, not at all. But in His Majesty's presence, we can't exactly act as we usually do."
"I see. If that's the reason, then I'm relieved."
Well, considering who's gathered here, it's no surprise Patrick and Matthew found it hard to speak up.
Ah, speaking of Patrick and Matthew—!
"Oh right, Tristan-sama, changing the subject, I'd like to give a reward or rather a special bonus to the four who were dispatched this time. That's alright, isn't it?"
"Takumi, at least phrase it as 'May I?' when asking."
"May I? Thank you very much."
"Hey!?"
On this matter, I pushed forward with the "seize permission" policy.
"Ah, or… does that mean you'd like something too, Tristan-sama? Then how about some dragon meat, golden salmon, and pink rock salt we got from the Dungeon of Scorching Heat?"
"No, what I meant was the way you ask permission—!"
"Father, just from the way Takumi framed the question, it's obvious he was set on getting permission. If you grant it quickly, you'll spare yourself from having more and more things piled on."
"… That's true. Fine, Takumi, do as you like."
"Thank you! Then I'll add Majesta fruit too!"
"Hey!?"
Thanks to Austin-sama's backing, I got permission without issue.
Or rather… Austin-sama really gets me, huh. And to say that instead of scolding me for being rude to the king—that's some real generosity.
"I apologize for my rudeness."
"Cut it out, that gives me goosebumps!"
"How cruel! I was just apologizing honestly!"
I straightforwardly apologized for pushing things so forcefully, but Tristan-sama rubbed his arms as if I'd given him the creeps.
"No, you're the cruel one here. I am the king, you know?"
"Eh, so would you prefer I knelt and humbly petitioned you instead?"
"Stop that too!"
So both casual over-familiarity and overly formal reverence are wrong, huh. That middle ground is definitely the hardest to strike…
"… Takumi-san, you really do push through with sheer force of will, don't you."
Patrick-san muttered in quiet exasperation, but I pretended not to hear. Well, from a noble's perspective, my attitude toward the king must be completely out of line.
"Anyway, as for the rest—"
After that, there were various reports… or maybe more like interrogations? Tristan-sama and the others asked questions, and we answered whatever we could. In the end, Tristan-sama looked utterly drained—or rather, exhausted from shouting so much—but I think we covered most of the major points.
That said, he did say he'd like to hold another meeting sometime. I agreed, of course. It's natural that he'd remember things he forgot to ask later. Plus, there's the policies stemming from today's discussions—like the handling of the jeweled branches, and updates about the Pastel Rabbits. Especially the Pastel Rabbits—since we were the ones who brought it up, I made sure to express our intent to follow through properly before we left the castle.
Ah, Kaiser didn't return to the sea, but came back to the Ruven estate with us. It'll be better to send him back after he receives his ID card. After all, he'll need it whenever he comes from the sea to town on his own. So until then, he'll stay with us.
Tristan-sama and the people of the Guardia Kingdom really have taken such good care of us—or maybe I should say, we've been causing them enormous trouble. Before, I always just felt guilty, but lately I've come to think: "We're giving them plenty of benefits, so please put up with us." Whether that's good or bad, I don't know… but for the sake of our freedom, that'll be our stance for a while.
… Still, yeah, I do feel bad about it. I'd like to hold back on the unreasonable requests, but somehow they always slip out.
So in the end, I circle back to the conclusion that the "please accept this" gift-attack strategy is the best. Which means—going forward, my goal will be to keep finding new things to use as gifts!