Since the contract beasts were still in the taming stage and not suitable for separation from their masters, Aresia invited the escort team to stay in the castle instead of the temporary camp.

Although they couldn’t provide the best accommodation, they made sure not to shortchange them in terms of food.

Charlie noted Aresia’s instructions and made sure to arrange a soldier to lead them. Duru directly asked the soldiers to follow the soldier’s lead. They quickly drove away the beasts and arrived at the campsite.

Aresia stayed behind for a while, observing an area near the farmland that was not far from where they set up camp. There were low houses clustered together, surrounded by fences. They were originally the residences of nearby tenant farmers, or so they thought.

She asked Amos, pointing towards the area, “What are those houses for? They don’t look like they belong here.”

Charlie answered, “We heard that they were built by the help of the Mage Guild. Please rest assured, although these houses were constructed using magic, they are very sturdy.”

Letting mage practitioners build houses meant that they were utilizing the resources available in this world. Fortunately, the Rogest family had considerable wealth and had sponsored many mage practitioners from the Gryphon Legion.

Aresia nodded and asked them to lead the way. She decided to stay in her original accommodation, which wasn’t far from the castle. It was a location on the outskirts of the castle, where a cluster of low houses existed. Originally, they were the residences of nearby tenant farmers, but apparently not anymore.

As Amos arrived, he pointed and asked, “What is this? It doesn’t look like what I expected.”

Charlie replied, “According to what we’ve been told, it was built by the Mage Guild. Please rest assured, even though these houses were constructed using magic, they are very sturdy.”

Aresia stayed behind, and a few servants, including Luna, helped organize the boxes of items she brought. These items were originally stored in her spatial ring but were now being placed outside. There were more than ten boxes that needed to be organized, taking up quite a bit of space.

Charlie, the steward, was not particularly young. In his thirties, he had served Mrs. Megan before taking up the position of head steward in the Rogest territory. However, his health had declined, and he was no longer fit for the job. Mrs. Megan graciously arranged for him to retire, and he was replaced by Martha. Martha had been personally trained by Mrs. Megan, she was an experienced and capable steward.

Aresia remembered Martha from her previous life, so she was not entirely unfamiliar with her. Martha had been groomed by Lady Megan and was highly competent. She efficiently organized the few servants and quickly arranged the items Aresia had brought with her. During the process, she discreetly obtained some information about Aresia’s preferences, which she kept in mind.

While they were organizing, Aresia took a bath in the bathroom, changed into clean clothes, let her long hair down, and immediately had a servant bring a towel to dry her hair.

Aresia sat down and allowed them to dry her hair. At the same time, she stopped Luna, who wanted to serve her, saying, “You’ve worked hard on this journey. Have something to eat and rest for a while. You can come back later tonight.”

Luna’s face warmed up, and she smiled before taking her leave. Someone escorted her to her accommodation.

Aresia couldn’t wait to visit the Magic Tower. Now that she had arrived in the Rogest Territory, her anticipation had grown. However, after a tiring journey, she recognized that rest was necessary. The Magic Tower could wait.

Aresia stayed in her room for the afternoon. In the evening, Martha sent Luna to inform her that the simple banquet was ready. Aresia changed into appropriate attire before leaving her room.

In the castle square, long tables were arranged horizontally on the side closest to the castle. Considering the nature of the guests, half of whom were large-sized magical beasts, the setup was not overly elaborate. Tables and chairs were scattered throughout the square, with ample space between each one to prevent any collisions caused by the beasts. The servants responsible for hospitality were carefully selected and showed enough courage to serve the guests.

To prevent the beasts from becoming agitated by flames, magical ores emitting light were used for illumination. Coupled with the bright moonlight, the lighting in the entire square was sufficient.

The kitchen had prepared a substantial amount of meat for the magical beasts. Since the meat did not require cooking, it was cleaned, cut into chunks, and prepared in advance. Some additional meat had been marinated with special spices favored by carnivorous magical beasts, which was placed in wooden basins and brought to the square.

Once the meat was consumed, additional marinated meat was available nearby. The servants did not add the meat themselves; it was the responsibility of the beast’s contract owners. This was part of the taming process.

Three hundred wooden basins were prepared, corresponding to the number of magical beasts. However, the actual number of people attending was about three hundred, including young ones like Andalucy, the baby of Amos. Aresia adjusted the distribution and returned a portion of the meat to ensure that Andalucy wasn’t shortchanged. She kept a small piece to feed him later.

The Giant Hornbill was not an original magical beast of the Holy Lotean Empire. It belonged to the tropical regions, and its presence was rare in Holy Lotean. It was understandable that young ones like Amos were unfamiliar with it.

When the Giant Hornbill was still very young and had fallen ill. Its condition was critical, and its magical power was weak. It seemed like an ordinary bird at that time. It was on the brink of death when it was found, barely breathing. At that moment, young Kelly couldn’t bear to leave it alone and brought it back to care for it. It was nursed back to health.

Tonight’s banquet was accompanied by elegant music, exquisite decorations, joyful singing, and dancing. The clinking of glasses could be heard, and occasionally, the beasts would howl along with their masters. It was a unique and lively atmosphere.

Warriors and knight-class professionals, including Amos, were not fond of drinking, but after some interaction, Aresia’s presence transformed their attitude. They became more friendly, especially Kelly. After drinking a few glasses, she became slightly tipsy. She approached Aresia with a wine glass, intending to offer her a toast.

“You must try this!   You know, I found Polly. It’s so tiny! It was in a critical condition, on the verge of death, when I found it. At that time, I didn’t even realize it was a magical beast. I thought it was an ordinary bird. Its condition was so pitiful, but it managed to survive. I brought it back and took care of it. It wasn’t long after it hatched. Look, its fur has grown all over, and its eyes are wide open. “

It recovered quickly, masking its identity as a Warcraft.

Kelly consulted a knowledgeable individual about Beast and learned that the Giant Hornbill was a high-level beast with formidable killing power.

“At that moment, we had a deep connection. It would cling to me, begging for food, and nudge its head against me, seeking affection. I felt like it was my little sister, in need of my care.”

“When the adventurers tried to kill Polly, I vehemently opposed and ensured its safety. I knew it didn’t have any aggressive tendencies. We formed a bond during that time.”

“The stubborn adventurers couldn’t change my mind, so in the end, I continued to raise it. Polly turned out to be very impressive and has always been a reliable ally against human enemies. As Polly grew quickly, by the age of three, it was taller than a human. With its size, it didn’t have any natural enemies, and others were afraid. I built a special and spacious cage to keep it in.”

“Living in that cage, Polly’s mood worsened. Except for me, Polly started showing hostility towards others. I truly worried that it might revert to its wild nature and start harming others.”

In the end, Kelly couldn’t bear to end Polly’s life.

Kelly was lucky. At the crossroads of continuing to keep it confined and letting it continue its happy and carefree life, or biting the bullet and ending its life, the Beast Companion Contract came to Holy Lotean.

Kelly was part of a group selected to learn the Beast Companion Contract, while the other group was tasked with selecting their own beast. She learned about the Beast Companion Contract, and immediately chose Polly as her beast companion.

Kelly hugged the Giant Hornbill crouching beside her, rubbing its head gently. The young Polly rubbed against Kelly’s leg.

The Giant Hornbill lowered its head affectionately.

“I won’t confine you anymore.”

Aresia quietly watched their intimate interaction and softly responded, “Hmm.”