Arc 22: If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
「And, is it good with this?」
「Fuaah....You're absurd as usual...」
I finished renovating [Gintetsu] and jumped off from the rooftop.
The lodging became insufficient after the number of adventurers increased, so I renovated and extended [Gintetsu] and built the second branch as well.
The second branch is a cheap inn with more rooms. Furthermore, it has been certified by the guild, thus making it an inn for adventurers. The place was also made to be near the transition gates.
On the other hand, I had setup the head branch to be a little more expensive in order to keep it as the main lodging for travelers and peddlers. Naturally, it's by no means a ripoff since it made a fresh start as an inn that offers comfort together with the appropriate facilities.
「Just when I was thinking that you came in saying [Please let me renovate it a little], for it to be finished in 2-3 hours.... Words can't describe how amazed I am」
「It's really amazing ~nee...」
The proprietress Mika-san and employee Furueru-san are looking at the newborn [Gintetsu] with blank faces.
「All that's left is, I wonder, how many employees should we hire for this inn that's larger than before?」
「Ah, I have some applicants if that's the case. There are several acquaintances from Leaflet who say they want to work here」
Mika-san's acquaintances? There is no problem then. I go to Leaflet town with Mika-san by [Gate] at once and talk with several of her acquaintances. Since we've asked them to come to Brunhild once they are ready to move, we should be fine on the worker's side with this.
Some people have even said they want to start working immediately, so we've decided to ask them to temporarily return to their homes and have them come back together with their luggage. We are going to take them along when we return to the dukedom.
While we are waiting, Mika-san informs her father, Doran-san, of the current news after a long time has passed. I've decided to take a little walk so that I won't bother them.
While walking in Leaflet which I haven't visited for a long time, I'm thinking about the future of Brunhild.
「I guess all that's left is the replenishment of weapons, armor, and maybe some tools, right? Alba-san's local business is also likely doing its best. If it's transportation by carriage from Brunhild, it will take some time no matter what」
I have given up on it once, but in the end, should I make a car? No, a train would be better in that case, but.... the speed of a horse-drawn carriage is higher. If its loading capacity is increased, then... Ah, won't it be fine to apply [Gravity] to make the carriage's frame light in that case?
I see. I guess it will be fine to create a solid and light frame for an all-purpose carriage. If it's Alba-san, he will likely buy it even if it's expensive. The loading capacity will be far larger if I also apply a simple [Storage] on it as well.
How many vehicles should I try making? Like the [Coach of Perfect Safety] for the exclusive use of a royal family or any other important person. That reminds me, there are no horses in our household's castle. That's because we a~lways use [Gate] for traveling.
All things set aside, It seems like the dungeons are successful. It doesn't look like people are dying so far, but heavily injured people do appear occasionally. Once they descend to the first floor, the power of the magic beasts and monsters in that dungeon immediately rises. Should they show a gap and cannot make that assessment, it will result in them receiving a painful retaliation.
Going by the rumors, it seems like adventurers have broken through up to the fourth floor of [Amaterasu]. Apparently, there were parties that obtained some treasure as well. With this, the number of adventurers diving into the dungeons might increase again.
As I walk while thinking about that, I then have come as far as the front of Zanakku-san's clothing store, so I try paying it a visit for a bit. How nostalgious. It's the first store I entered after I arrived in this world.
However, it surely has been remodeled a great deal. The store has become twice as big. Well, it looks like they are selling things like bathing suits and uniforms. They should be earning enough.
「Welcome. Nice to see you in the "Fashion King Zanakku"」
When I enter the shop, an employee onee-san welcomes me with a smile. This employee, she probably cannot help doing something like that, right…..
This store has also started a branch in Brunhild. I can now say with confidence that its signboard is remarkably gaudy.
I ask the clerk-san to call Zanakku-san, and before long, the person himself appears from the back of the store.
「Well-well-well. Hello there, Your Majesty The Sovereign King. Is there something wrong for you to have come this far to Leaflet?」
「We are still looking to increase the number of workers at our [Gintetsu]. In fact, I have come to invite some of Mika-san's acquaintances. Since I had some time to spare, I've decided to pay this shop a visit for a short while」
「My goodness. So, does that mean that you would like to order a uniform for the new employees? 」
Ah, that's right. I forgot about it. How should I say this? As expected of a skillful trader as usual.
I can't say anything for now since I don't know their sizes, so it has been decided that the order will come from the branch store in Brunhild somewhere in the near future.
「Oh yeah, I thought that I should ask His Majesty, but….. As a matter of fact, there is an order for a dress from a noble-sama in Rodomea, but they are requesting for an unusual, unique design, unlike any others. If it's His Majesty, I wonder if you have the knowledge about that sort of thing….」
「A design of a dress, you say? U~n….. Ah, can you lend me several papers?」
While the clerk-san is bringing in the paper, I take out the smartphone, search for dresses in the net and pick out several designs. After that, I transcript approximately 20 dresses using [Drawing] and give them to Zanakku-san.
「This~, I certainly haven't seen anything like that….. If we use this, the other party will also be satisfied」
「Well, this article is unmistakably a dress that even the royal family doesn't have. If you recommend something along those lines, you will be able to come to an agreement, right? 」
What such noble is searching for is most likely a one-of-a-kind dress, so they would surely be pleased if it's something not even the royal family has.
As I'm drawing the designs for the mittens and shoes that match those dresses, a single man suddenly enters the store with a force almost as if he is smashing through the door. Just when I'm thinking who it is, isn't it Balar-san from [Weapon Shop Bear Eight]? I was surprised. It's as if a bear suddenly entered a shop….
「Ma~, Master Zanakku! A dragon! A dragon has appeared! Quickly escape!」
「Wha~ !?」
A dragon!? As I jump outside the store in confusion, there is a flying green dragon darkening the skies.
It has red eyes on a rugged green scales and a great number of fiendish-looking thorns adorn its tail. Its size is approximately the same as the black dragon I've met before. One thing that is different is that this green dragon has two back legs and large wings instead of its forefeet in comparison to the black dragon who has four legs. Is that a subspecies of a dragon, a [Wyvern]?
(TL: written as "飛竜" (Hiryu[Flying dragon]), read as "ワイバーン" – wyvern)
「Gogaaaaaaaa!!」
Each time the wyvern roars, the town falls into panic. It then spits out large flame bullets from its mouth after it raises its crooked neck to the ground.
「Hey~」
I leap into the sky with [Fly] and stop in between of those flame bullets it has attacked with. I then invoke magic while holding my hand out.
「Absorb」
I absorb those lump of flames as I restore them back to magic power. It's a non-attribute magic [Absorb]. This magic reverts a phenomenon that has been created with magic into magic power and absorbs it. A dragon-breath attack converts the magic power inside the body into fire-attribute magic. If that's the case, it should be possible to absorb it too.
However, it was really dangerous. Should the town been hit, it might have turned into a sea of flames by now!
「KURUAAAAAAAAAA!!」
The wyvern turns its angry eyes here simply because I'm being a hindrance. This rascal. I'm the one who's feeling angry now.
I instantly accelerate, draw near the wyvern and give it a kick in the guts. I also simultaneously invoke on it the magic that increases its weight.
「Gravity」
Losing its flying ability with a jerk due to the sudden increase of its own weight, the wyvern falls down to the central street. The street has already been evacuated so there is no damage.
All the while, the wyvern is trying to escape from the curse of weight some way or another, but as I also land on its back vigorously while having my own weight increased with [Gravity]. As such, its backbone breaks with a snap and it dies.
「Good grief….. What a troublemaker」
Cheers erupt from the town while I'm looking at the body of the dragon that's no longer moving. Relieved townspeople start approaching the location where I and the defeated wyvern are.
「Good gracious…. As I've thought, this is amazing. To defeat a flying dragon just like that…. We've been saved due to His Majesty staying in this town」
Zanakku-san murmurs while gazing at the dead wyvern. Balar-san opens his eyes wide and looks in my direction. From the opposite to the spectators' side, Mika-san and Doran-san come rushing too.
「This is….. You have defeated something unthinkable… again. I'm glad that the town was not damaged, but… By the way, what are you going to do now with it?」
「I don't particularly need it. That's right. I will offer its meat to Doran-san's place. I'm certain that dragon meat has good flavor based from what I've heard. Its skin will go to Zanakku-san. It should become materials for items like a leather jacket or so. The bones will go to Balar-san. I believe they will be considerably useful as raw materials for your weapons 」
Everyone slowly gapes at what I've said, but eventually Mika-san draws closer in panic.
「Wa~ Wa~ Wait, do you understand!? Dragons are the source of supreme raw materials, you know!? Are you okay with giving them up just like that!?」
「I currently don't need them. These should help everyone, right? It's not a form of repayment, but I will be glad if you receive it.」
I've only spent a short time in this town, but I've learned various things here. Therefore, I'm certainly indebted to the people here. It will calm me if they can receive and be delighted with something like this.
「Ah, please be careful when tearing off the thorns on the tail. It looks like they have poison on them」
「E~to, is that so? I understand」
Doran-san promptly starts to handle the wyvern deftly with a stripping knife.
However, why did this wyvern appear here?... If it was looking for something to eat, there should be a lot of one-horned wolves if it went to the forest south from here. It's like it had pin pointedly aimed at this place.
I've heard from Rerisha-san that this should be related to the eyewitnesses reports of dragon sightings frequently happening these days.
Low-ranked dragons were said to have appeared in Yuuron, Nokia and Sandora. Though this wyvern is a subspecies, it's also a low-ranked dragon. Are the low-ranked dragons beginning to attack humans? It seems like it's no mistake that something is happening to the dragons…..
「What's this?」
Doran-san raises his voice while stripping off the scales. Right after the head has been removed, it looks like he had seen something at the part of the head where he tried to strip the skin off.
When I peek at the spot Doran-san is looking at, there is something driven right into the central part of the skull. Upon carefully pulling it out, we've noticed that it's a needle about 30cm in length. Though its size is closer to a skewer rather than a needle. It seems that it has reached as far as the brain. I can feel the magic power it is carrying for some reason.
「Was, by chance, the dragon being manipulated with this?」
While looking at the suspicious skewer that has been erupted, I've started sweating unpleasantly while wondering if this possibly isn't an artifact that fell down from the [Warehouse] too. I then put it away inside the [Storage]. I should try asking Shizuka's group about it later. They might know something about it.
However, that's a problem. If this is an artifact that has the power to manipulate dragons, then what happened today is a result of a wire-puller manipulating those guys from somewhere.
Fuu, I have a premonition that something troublesome is bound to happen again. My premonition is somehow god-like when it comes to things like these, much to my regret.