"Nnn... hot..."

Cranberry murmured and opened her sleepy eyes.

The room was dark but outside the window, the sky was slowly brightening indicating that the sunrise was near.

The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around.

"Oh."

She soon found the reason for the unusually high temperature she was experiencing.

The baby griffin sleeping peacefully beside her was spreading her wing and covering her with it like with a blanket.

"Graough? (Oh! Master, are you awake now?)"

Zombie raised his head and groaned at her from the other side of the baby griffin.

"Wha-aa-at time it is...?"

Cranberry yawned.

"Graough. (We still have over two hours until breakfast.) Graough. (Your follower should arrive around the same time too.)"

Zombie explained raising two fingers.

"Ah... I see, goodnight."

Cranberry nodded, closed her eyes, and got back to sleep without a moment of hesitation.

"Graough?! (Master?!)"

Zombie growled and got up, but when she saw the peaceful face of his master clinging to the baby griffin like a pillow, he decided to not disturb her.

And like that, right before the scheduled breakfast, a simple carriage, with the crest of the Hope family painted on the door, arrived in front of the Pride's mansion.

Of course, Cranberry was already there, looking at it expectantly while Zombie was away with the baby griffin.

Those two were supposed to show up after breakfast to surprise Mary.

The carriage door opened and a girl came out.

She was tall and her long light-brown hair reached all the way to her thighs.

She had a pretty face and gentle almond-shaped eyes.

And looked around seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Young lady Pride, it's such a pleasure to..."

She curtsied and greeted Cranberry in a friendly voice.

"Haa..."

Cranberry breathed out heavily and looked up at the sky.

"...meet you. We've met before but I didn't have the chance to introduce myself. My name is..."

The tall girl continued unperturbed, with the same friendly smile plastered on her face.

"I didn't want to know your name then and I still don't want to know now. Where is Mary?"

Cranberry interrupted her and leaned to the side looking inside the carriage.

And indeed, Mary and her wolf monster, Arion, were there, blocked by the tall girl.

"It's been a long time since we saw each other."

"Lady Cranberry!"

Cranberry waved towards Mary and the brown-haired girl that hadn't really grown much taller since she was ten, aside from her chest that is, started hurriedly bowing from behind the tall girl.

"Young lady Pride, I am Mary's guardian during this visit. Wouldn't it be more convenient to know my name?"

The self-proclaimed guardian smiled and moved so that she'd block Cranberry's vision.

"..."

Cranberry looked at her with disgust.

"There's no need for a guard, there are no dangerous monsters in the fifty-mile radius. Unless you brought some with you."

She scoffed at her.

"Move aside."

She demanded in an ice-cold voice.

"Eh?! But what about the griffin...?!"

Mary yelped shocked which caused both Cranberry and the tall girl to look at each other in surprise.

"Um... Mary, the adventurers took down all of them down already, remember...?"

The tall girl tilted her head and asked confused.

"I'm so sorry for her, young lady Pride, this girl says some strange things from time to time. Please bear with her."

The tall girl hurriedly apologized, making Mary blush from the embarrassment.

"Since you already know that it's safe around here, you can stay in the carriage and wait for Mary there."

Cranberry shrugged, not really concerned about Mary's odd comment, and pointed back at the carriage.

"Ah! B-but, young lady Pride, isn't Mary supposed to stay here for a whole week...?"

The tall girl was taken aback.

"She is welcomed to stay here, you're not. Do you want me to break your nose again?"

Cranberry's sharp words and the evil glare made the tall girl cower and back off.

"Mary, mutt, let's go, the breakfast should be ready, I have to apologize but my mother isn't feeling well today and my father is by her side so they, most likely, won't be joining us today."

Cranberry said with an extremely satisfied voice not fit for the things she was saying.

"I-is that so...?"

Mary jumped out of the carriage and Arion followed her.

As soon as his paws touched the ground he started sniffing and looking around, his tail was wagging like crazy.

"Zombie will join us after breakfast, he doesn't eat so I let him do whatever he wants during the meals."

"You let him do whatever he wants?!"

For some reason, Cranberry's comment caused Mary to blush like a tomato and grab her burning cheeks with her arms.

"...Were you always this weird or...?"

Cranberry sighed and massaged her forehead.

"Raor, raor..."

The wolf monster growled and shook his head as if he complained over his master's behavior.

"I get the feeling that you're trying to talk bad about me, Arion..."

Mary squinted her eyes at the wolf, but the monster conveniently looked away.

"If you don't want to eat, be my guest, but won't you need lots of energy for the training? You want us to make you stronger, right?"

"Raor!"

"Ah! We're coming!"

Cranberry called to them from inside the mansion and both Mary and Arion flinched and followed after her, leaving the tall girl behind.

As soon as they went inside Cranberry shut the door behind them, making both the girl and her wolf jump.

"Say, that annoying girl..."

Cranberry glared at Mary.

"Oh, she's a nice person, actually. She sometimes acts rough but she always wants the best for m..."

"Can I kill her?"

"RAOR?!"

"EH?!"

Cranberry's cold voice sent chills down the spines of the other two.

"I can't stand people who treat me like an idiot."

She growled in a low voice, looking really pissed off, her hand was subconsciously searching for her baseball bat even though she didn't have it with her.

"N-no, I swear that she doesn't think that!"

Mary hurriedly waved her hands and started explaining.

"She's putting all her focus on the magic studies, and hasn't properly learned the etiquette or common sense!"

Cranberry raised her brow at Mary.

"Really now..."

The red-haired girl looked mockingly to the side.

"She insulted me, was let off easy, and she now pretends that everything's fine?"

She spat out words and seemed to be getting even angrier than before.

"B-but...!"

Mary reached towards her, but she backed off as soon as she saw Cranberry's eyes.

"If you think that I'll simply forget the insults, without a propped apology, then you can just go straight back to the carriage and get the hell out of my house."

"...raor... roaor...!"

The wolf monster growled in a hushed voice and looked up at his master.

Mary looked at him and nodded.

"I'm aware of how much pride Pride family has and I want to sincerely apologize on behalf of my father's best student."

Mary clenched her hands and lowered her head towards Cranberry.

"Could you please don't punish her? She's a crucial character in my story...!"

She pleaded without straightening her back.

"...how do you know she's so important...?"

"..."

Cranberry asked but the only answer was Mary flinching at the question.

"Haa... you are really putting me in a bad mood, you know...?"

"..."

Cranberry sighed and complained, but once again Mary didn't answer and kept lowering her head.

"..."

"..."

"...fine, I won't harm her as long as she won't step inside the mansion."

Cranberry folded in, although she got extremely annoyed because of that.

"Thank you, lady Cranberry! I'll go warn her right away!"

Mary exclaimed happily and rushed to the door.

Cranberry glared after her while frowning.

"Your master used up all my patience and hospitality for some trash. She better not overstep her line as my follower again."

Her voice alone made Arion shiver and start whimpering, the wolf monster didn't even dare to look her in the eyes.