Chapter 28 - Galio

All eyes turned toward the red carriage as it came to a stop at the side of the bustling street.

The sheer elegance of the vehicle drew the attention of passersby and merchants alike, halting their activities as they watched to see who might emerge.

In this era, carriages were a symbol of wealth and power—rare and luxurious, reserved for the highest of nobles or the extremely affluent.

But even among nobles, few could boast the grandeur of a carriage pulled by two fine horses, like the one now before them.

Ha Joon was the first to step out, his demeanor calm and composed despite the curious stares from the crowd.

He barely acknowledged the onlookers, his focus instead on the task at hand.

Without a word, he reached back into the carriage and gently took Artoria's hand, helping her down with the same careful attention he'd give to a queen.

She had left Excalibur behind, knowing full well that the legendary blade would immediately reveal her identity.

Today, they sought to blend in—at least as much as a pair like them could.

Artoria descended gracefully, her every movement exuding a quiet strength, though her armor was hidden beneath a more modest outfit.

Still, there was an undeniable air of authority about her that caught the crowd's attention even more.

At the other opening in the carriage, Merlin had stepped out, her black hair immediately falling behind her as she looked at the other side.

"Everyone look, it's Lady Merlin!".

"Lady Merlin!".

The onlookers shouted excitedly as they all began cheering and waving at her. They knew better than to try and get too close to someone of royal status.

In response to their praises, Merlin waved back at them with a smile, waiting for Artoria and Ha Joon to enter the store before she did.

Once Ha Joon got inside the store, he let go of Artoria's hand and stood to the side for a while.

'Hmm, Merlin is quite popular, she wasn't kidding when she said she's known throughout Camelot.' He looked at her as she walked in, his eyes narrowing down to her ass, firmly shaped under her tight dress.

[You have arrived at the second store on the main district, would you like me to add this to the other saved locations?]

'Yeah, do that.' replied Ha Joon before he began to follow behind Artoria and Merlin.

Merlin, with one hand on the counter, uttered to the beast man standing at the other side of the counter -

"Galio, been a while, how is business?".

Galio, the beast smiled back at her, "Lady Merlin, it's nice to see you, how wonderful, it's been forever since I saw your face." He said as he began to walk out of the counter to meet with her.

Ha Joon was dumbfounded.

'Is that, a human pig?' He whispered in his mind, watching as Galio got closer.

[Beast people are regular Merchants in Camelot, although humans take the most population, some parts of Camelot are harbored by the beast people.]

'I spent so much time in the castle I almost forgot this was a fantasy world.'

"How may I help the greatest mage in Camelot, do you need new clothing for this fine man?" Glalio voiced out, standing in front of them.

"Oh no, the prime minister is here to take care of us ladies on the contrary." Merlin stepped back a bit with a hint of a smile on her face.

"The prime minister?" Galio paused for a while and took a good second to scan Ha Joon's face.

That was when he recalled, there was news about the newly appointed prime minister, but not everyone knew about this, it hadn't spread that far yet.

"Oh my, forgive my ignorance, it's an honor to have the prime minister of Camelot visit my store." Galio bowed his head.

"Oh child, don't worry about it. It's only natural, mistakes happen." Ha Joon uttered, a warm look on his face as he placed his hand on Galio's shoulder.

Galio looked up at Ha Joon, his eyes sparkling to see such a handsome man standing close to him.

"You can call me Ha Joon," said Ha Joon with an angelic voice and aura.

"Lord Ha Joon." Galio called out, his eyes sparkling like he was in some kind of trance.

The sound of people adding lord to his name was finally starting to sound nice.

'Ahh, this must be what those nobles feel like everyday, it's so freaking amazing!'.

"Tsk!" Merlin clicked her tongue.

"Uhmm, Lord Ha Joon, what can I do for you? Do you need clothes? Shoes, a custom made royal cape?".

"Oh, yeah, I need you to help me get this fine lad- you can make me a custom royal cape?!" Ha Joon tightened his grip on the man's shoulder in excitement.

Galio was a bit surprised, but seeing that someone as important as the prime minister was showing interest in his work- began to overwhelm him. Despite the fact he was just meeting him for the first time.

"Yes Lord Ha Joon, I can, in a matter of days after getting the required materials." Replied Galio.

"Uhhhhhh sweet, so what? Do I give you a sketch? Need my measurements, prices for material, maybe even a bit of-"

Cough-!

Merlin cleared her throat.

This caused Ha Joon to pause when he realized he was already getting too carried away.

He slowly stepped back, his gaze now serious, "We shall discuss the cape later, for now, we need something for this fine young lady".

"Ohh…" Galio looked at Artoria, scanning her body with his eyes, "She appears to be shy, so, what kind of clothes are you looking for."

"Hmm, something a bit like…" Ha Joon began looking around the store.

Meanwhile, at the side, Artoria gently pinched Merlin on the arm.

"Is something wrong?" Merlin asked as she moved her ear towards Artoria's mouth.

"Yes, why are we going shopping for me? I assumed we were just here to check out the clothes for his sake." She whispered to Merlin.

Merlin smiled, "Well it seems like he wants to give you a present, why not take it and indulge him".

"I've never worn dresses like these be-"

"Oh yeah, look, what about this? I think it would look good on you!" Ha Joon voiced out with excitement, holding out a blue dress as he moved towards Artoria.