“Good morning, Dad!”

That morning, Lil Wilson had managed to wake up early and ran straight into Ian’s room. She had decided to become his alarm clock.

However, contrary to her expectations, Ian was already awake. Lil puffed up her cheeks in mild annoyance. Ian laughed heartily when he heard her story. This only made Lil pout even more.

“Sorry about that, but thanks for coming to wake me up.”

Ian scooped Lil up and headed for the entrance.

“The divine beasts are coming to greet us again today, right? I wonder what kind will show up this time?”

“Yeah! I’m excited to see what kind of divine beast will visit today!”

Cheered up once again, Lil began imagining the divine beasts waiting outside. She hoped they would be fluffy like always.

When Ian opened the front door, an unexpected sight greeted them.

A large group covered the entire entrance, basking in the sunlight.

With just a glance, Ian could see lions, tigers, leopards — the entire feline lineup of divine beasts was present. Lil was ecstatic.

A lion noticed the two and approached.

‘So, you’re the interpreter? We all came to show our faces.’

It seemed the entire group had noticed them and turned their heads toward the pair while lounging comfortably. There was a laid-back, easygoing atmosphere.

Ian set Lil down.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Lil. Wow, so many of you came!”

‘It was supposed to be our turn today, but everyone was too impatient and followed along. Please forgive us.’

The lion bowed its head apologetically.

“It’s okay! I’m really happy to meet all of you!”

With that, Lil greeted the tigers and leopards too. Since they invited her to join their sunbathing, she nestled among the leopards. Surrounded by their fluffy fur, it felt incredibly comforting.

Ian smiled warmly at the scene. Then, one of the lions approached him, carrying a rabbit-like magical creature in its mouth. The lion looked over at Lil.

“Is that a gift for Lil?”

The lion nodded and placed the catch on the ground.

“Thank you! Lil will be so happy.”

Ian took the creature away to drain the blood so it could be prepared deliciously.

In the meantime, Ian left Lil in the divine beasts’ care. He also left Louis behind, as he felt uneasy relying solely on Kohaku to watch her, and then headed to the kitchen.

At some point, Lil had fallen asleep. The combination of the warm sun and the fluffy fur was more relaxing than she had expected. She awoke to the sound of the breakfast bell. The feline tribe seemed to realize their time was up, and one by one, they promised to visit again before leaving.

‘Lil, take this.’

A tiger approached her, holding a stone in its mouth.

‘Humans like these things, right?’

It was a beautiful red stone. Lil thanked the tiger, and the group of divine beasts departed.

Waving goodbye, Lil turned back to find Ian waiting for her.

“Dad! The tiger gave me a present!”

Lil excitedly showed Ian the stone she had received.

“This is amazing… a large ruby in its raw form. Once polished, it’ll become an even more beautiful gemstone.”

Lil was delighted to receive something so pretty. Though Ian said it would shine even brighter when polished, she decided to keep it just as it was.

“Earlier, the lion gave us some meat too. Let’s have it for dinner tonight.”

Lil suddenly realized she hadn’t thanked the lion yet. She promised herself to make sure she did next time.

In the afternoon, everyone went out to patrol the forest. Lil realized too late that she’d forgotten to ask the lions about the state of the forest. Since there was nothing she could do now, she decided to ask Louis when he returned.

That day’s caretaker was Martin.

After seeing everyone off, Lil returned to the base with Martin.

“Lil, do you have any plans today?”

Lil shook her head.

“Then, would you join me for tea? Making tea is my hobby.”

Of course, such a refined hobby seemed fitting for someone like Martin. Lil agreed to join him for tea.

“Huh? It’s tea, but it’s sweet!”

Martin’s tea was incredibly delicious. When she asked, Martin explained that he blended the tea leaves himself. Even Kohaku seemed to enjoy it.

Enjoying tasty sweets while drinking tea — what a peaceful time. Lil felt her heart grow calm.

Martin was a great conversationalist, so Lil never felt bored. She became engrossed in his stories. By the end of the day, she felt much wiser, and Martin seemed all the more impressive to her.

Martin even taught her how to brew tea. Lil decided to make some for her father next time.

“Did you memorize the steps?”

Lil smiled and nodded.

“That’s great. My skill is ‘Memory,’ you see. So I don’t know how much normal people can remember. If you ever forget, feel free to ask me anytime.”

What an incredibly useful skill! Lil felt a twinge of envy.

Later, Martin showed her one of his drawings. It was so lifelike it seemed like the real thing. Apparently, the memory skill could be used in various ways. Lil decided she wanted to study more about skills.

That night was a meat party. While patrolling the forest, the Silver Wolf Tribe had brought back more game. Since it was getting colder, they decided to make a hot pot and keep adding meat to it as they went.

That evening, Milena joined them for dinner. Milena was a widow who lived alone, so dining with the knights was a rare joy for her.

Lil also found the hot pot delightful. Sharing a lively meal with everyone made the food taste even better.

She felt like she could keep eating forever.

“Food really is mysterious,” Lil laughed.