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Chapter 62

Now that it was finally summer vacation, I fulfilled my promise and headed to the seaside villa owned by Fatima’s family. With me were Selina, Christina, Nell, Lenia, and Irina.

Selina and Christina were not the only ones excited about their second time flying. Even Fatima, Lenia, Nell, and Irina were squealing away and making quite a fuss.

We landed in Gorneb, a location south of Arkrest Kingdom. In Gorneb, the scenic coastline stretched endlessly.

Due to the complex coastline structure, there were only a few large fishing ports. However, there were quite a few villas owned by aristocratic families littered around the place, including Fatima’s family villa.

The sea breeze caressed our cheeks, bringing the smell of the rocky shore. In an instant, it was clear that we had traversed a long distance from Galois town and Bern village to reach this place.

As I was immersed in my reflections, the woman beside me put down her luggage. She then stood there and enjoyed the breeze.

「Wow, it’s been such a long time since I’ve been to the beach! I bet this vacation is going to be ultra fun!」

The bags at Christina’s feet were filled with her clothes, and her longsword was sheathed in a gold-embossed steel scabbard. Meanwhile, Christina’s eyes glimmered in anticipation of the upcoming few days in this place.

「It’ll be a memorable trip.」

「Yeah. I’m sure we’ll make tons of good memories since I’m here with you guys.」

「Welcome, Ms. Fatima. Please come in. We will ensure a peaceful stay for Your Highness and your friends. Once again, we sincerely welcome you.」

An old man, evidently the butler and one of the servants of this place, had his head lowered as he greeted Fatima. Just from the dignified manner of this old butler, it was clear that he was the head of the villa’s servants.

Fatima did not appear panicked upon seeing the old butler. Rather, she seemed to recognize him as she answered him with a smile.

「Yeah. Thanks then, Sebastian. As per my message, my friends are here too.」

「Yes. We’ve made preparations for your friends too.」

This butler named Sebastian lowered his head reverently. Once he did so, the servants and maids behind him all followed suit.

I mused quietly as I regarded this group of people. Ever since I had been reborn as a human, this was the first time I was being treated so respectfully. For a moment, I was a little stunned.

The Dissidia’s villa was a stylish three-storey mansion situated on a cape protruding toward the sea. A stone-paved path led up to it from a gentle slope from the harbor’s mountainous area. Red roof tiles contrasted against its white walls, making the mansion breathtakingly gorgeous. Without a doubt, this mansion had been built such that one could relax and enjoy the sea breeze.

In no time, we got off the carriage that had stopped at the front of Fatima’s villa. Once we did so, we were greeted by the servants lined up neatly before the mansion. With Fatima in the lead, we entered the villa.

Selina took careful steps through the villa’s entrance. However, I was a little different. I had seen unfathomably austere and luxurious temples and castles, ones that Ryuuguu or man-made buildings could never compare to. With such experiences in mind, I was far less nervous.

After confirming that everyone had entered the villa, Fatima smiled widely. She whipped around, putting the hall’s stairway behind her, and faced us before greeting, 「Welcome, everyone! I’ll lead you to your rooms first. Once you’ve put down your luggage, we can go shopping! After that, we’ll have some food and head to the sea for some fun!」

We left the hall and followed the butler to the second floor as he proceeded to show us our rooms. As expected of an aristocrat’s villa, we had each been allocated a room.

At the Magic Academy, I had to share a room with Selina. It had been a long time since I occupied a room by myself.

After I placed my bags in my room, I headed back to the hall. With all our baggage gone, we prepared to leave and do some shopping on the streets of Gorneb.

「Everyone, gather around. I’d like to head out, but Ms. Vaje isn’t here yet. Dran, what time is she coming anyway?」

Fatima was eager to provide directions, but she seemed to realize something. The person I had asked to join us had not arrived yet.

「Fumu… I’ve given her directions and it’s unlikely that she’ll lose her way. She should be here soon… Well, she should be arriving right about now.」

I looked up at the ceiling of the villa and answered Fatima. The fissures emitting from me had led me to notice a certain presence flying toward the villa at top speed. After that, I shifted my gaze from the ceiling to the entrance, and everyone else looked over too. At that very moment, the door knocker rammed fiercely against the door as though whoever it was had been waiting for our attention.

「Just as we were mentioning her…」

「Speak of the devil, you mean.  Well, she’s quite muddleheaded, so I thought she’d be quite late or really early. Turns out she came at the perfect timing.」

Prompted by Sebastian’s gaze, the two servants waiting on the sides of the entrance opened the door. Standing at the front door was Vaje who had her arms crossed across her chest. Her face was sour as she stared back at us.

「Welcome, Ms. Vaje!」

Fatima smiled gently at Vaje, though Vaje was as aloof as ever.

To this crimson dragon who possessed formidable power among land creatures, humans were often considered dispensable beings. Once one understood Vaje’s position, it was easy to accept her attitude.

Vaje, who had flown over by herself, looked at me and let out a snort. After that, she sauntered over to Fatima and handed over the bag in her left hand.

At a glance, this bag was as large as a human head. As Fatima took it over, the sound of metal scuffling against each other could be heard.

My interest was piqued instantly. After all, this was the first time I saw Vaje handing something over to another person. Hazarding a guess, I could only speculate that the bag contained a gift of some sort.

「That one over there kept pestering me about bringing a gift and being polite.」

That “one” should be referring to me. Though, it was common knowledge that one should bring a gift when visiting someone else’s house. I had just tried to pay attention to such formalities.

Fatima pried open the bag and looked inside curiously. The moment she saw its contents, she let out a surprised gasp.

Fumu? What’s so shocking in that bag? 

I peered into the bag too, eager to find out what was inside. The first thing I saw were glittering jewels, gold, and silver that filled up the bag. These were bound to be a portion of the treasures kept in Vaje’s nest. Considering how keen dragons were when it came to searching for treasures and their elevated aesthetic senses, all these were definitely genuine gems.

「It’s fine. I don’t particularly yearn for jewels or money.」

「Huh. Well, it seems like it’s the thought that counts for such things. This is a gift from me. Be quiet and accept it.」

Fatima had extended her arms in a bid to return the bag. Yet, Vaje obstinately refused.

From a bystander’s perspective, Vaje might seem to be picking on Fatima. However, this was simply Vaje’s way of communicating with humans.

Since our group had grown in numbers with Vaje’s arrival, we decided to leave the carriage in the parking lot in the town. Once we did that, we went sightseeing by foot.

In the city of Goreb, the houses of the common folk lined the coast. On the other hand, the manors and villas of the aristocrats were situated high above ground as they towered over the seaside.

Fatima had her arms linked with Nell’s as she excitedly pointed out the various shops lined along the street. At times, she would exclaim that a store cooked delectable fish dishes. At other times, she would say that a different store had terrible service but top-tier food. She would also point out the shop that her mother managed as she introduced the various places to us.

The ladies were impressed with Fatima’s various exclamations and asked her endless questions. However, Vaje, Christina, and I were far less excitable.

「As for this place, it’s famous for its pearl crafts. They farm their own pearls, so the things are pretty cheap too.」

Looking at the price tags in the glass display, I noticed that a number of the items were thankfully within the military budget. With this knowledge in mind, I heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Fatima, Nell, and Christina were listening to the shopkeeper slowly explain each item.

Despite looking as though they would never wear such accessories, Nell and Christina were surprisingly interested in these pearls. Watching them, I could not help feeling that they had a feminine side to them too.

「Selina, is there anything you want? We still have some funds to spare. Let me know if you need to pay.」

「Nah. These items are quite eye-catching, but I’m happy just to admire them.」

Selina was probably the first Lamia to stroll into the shop and browse around so freely. As expected, the shop assistants’ expressions were all tensed up as they remained stiff in their spots.

Fumu, seems like this is quite an educational experience for them.

Whenever magic users or aristocrats visited a shop with their Lamia or magical creatures, it was common practice to leave these magical beings waiting outside the shop.

Fumu, I wonder what they think about Vaje then… huh? 

I immediately caught sight of the dragon girl staring fixedly at the pearls in the glass display.

I recalled that Vaje had been born in the north, a place filled with vast plains and miles away from the wide oceans. It was no surprise then that she had seen very little of things from the sea.

Even though the treasures from Ryoukichi had contained quite a number of pearls and corals, this was probably Vaje’s first time seeing human crafts made from such raw materials. It was no wonder that she was so drawn to them.

Under Vaje’s sparse loincloth, her tail swished up and down like Selina’s. I had to admit, it was surprisingly adorable.

Seeming to find the display in front of her captivating, Vaje stuck her hand into the large pouch hanging from the side of her loincloth. Using those claws that could easily slice a human’s neck and a large palm covered in sturdy scales, she rummaged through her treasures.

In no time, she pulled out diamonds and sapphires the size of eyeballs, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and rod-shaped lumps of mithril.

Vaje probably had no concept of human currency. As a result, she had grabbed a random bunch of jewels instead as payment and dumped everything on top of the glass display.

The sound of clattering echoed in the shop as the female shop assistant froze in shock at what was probably the first dragonian customer she had encountered.

「Give me everything from here to here.」

Vaje’s claws screeched as it hit the glass case and pointed out the entire range of items.

「Uh. O-Okay.」

「What? Isn’t this enough?」

「No, this is more than enough.」

The shop assistant’s face was ashen as she raised her hands and waved fervently. Just watching her fumble in sheer terror roused my pity.

「Then get on with it.」

Any ordinary human would have felt like a mouse on the verge of being gobbled up by a snake under Vaje’s bone-chilling gaze. It was hard not to pity the poor shop assistant. Vaje’s entire behavior was more than a simple urging in this case.

「Y-Yes! I’ll pack it for you right away. Please give me a moment.」

「Huh, you’re asking your customers to wait? What a… Ack!」

It was not like I couldn’t understand Vaje’s line of thought. Yet, it seemed like she was going overboard with her comment. I yanked her tail and intervened immediately.

「Come on, Vaje. Don’t cause trouble for the shop assistants. I’m sorry. This fella’s not used to interacting with humans.」

「This fella?!」

「Hey, calm down. You aren’t glaring at me, but at these shop assistants. They’re terrified. Think about your strength and who you are when interacting with others.」

「Tch. Still as naggy as ever, aren’t you?」

While I was conversing with Vaje, Fatima and the others had come over. The moment their eyes landed on the treasures scattered on the glass display, they sighed in admiration.

「Wow, are these all yours, Vaje? Amazing! You’re quite rich, aren’t you?」

「Are these all real? Unbelievable!」

Vaje seemed to have cheered up upon hearing the praises from Fatima and Nell. She let out a snort and grunted in reply. Regardless of Vaje’s mood, it seemed like all she did was grunt. At this point, it was probably a habit of hers.

「Huh, this is normal for someone of a dragon lineage.」

The moment Vaje mentioned a dragon lineage, Christina, Selina, and the rest shifted their gazes toward me. After all, they knew that I was born in a lineage of dragons too.

Fumu, better to keep them off my case.

「Perhaps in the past, but I have nothing now. Don’t expect anything from me.」

「Is that so?」

The frank reply had come from Christina.

Well, I had to admit that if I put my heart to it, I could probably generate enough gems to cover all the lands and enough gold to fill the seas. However, ruining the economy was definitely a big no-no.

「Sorry for being a useless guy.」

I pretended to be hurt and a troubled expression instantly appeared on Christina’s face. Though, she clearly knew that I was in no way upset. I was just teasing her since she was a good friend of mine.

「What? A man’s worth is not measured by the number of treasures he owns.」

Even though I agreed with whatever Christina had said, I could not dispel the feeling that I would truly be useless if I did nothing here. As a result, I secretly bought pearl crafts for everyone, including every single person who had helped me in the village, before I left the shop.

It was not hard to imagine how happy everyone would be when I handed out these gifts to them.

After that, we visited a few other shops for aristocrats and ended up taking a break at a cafe. While we sat together, certain displeasing rumors caught my attention.

Four noble ladies who seemed to be spending their free time at the cafe had their fans spread open. Moreover, these fans were the currently fashionable openwork types. They had covered their mouths with their fans, though their words were not in the slightest bit muffled as they chattered softly with each other.

According to them, there had been many brutal murders by a mysterious killer in the night over the past few months. The victims of these murders had all been common folk too. For some reason, footprints had been left at the murder scene. These footprints were not that of humans but appeared to be webbed. Hence, there were speculations that the perpetrator was not human, but an ocean spirit or the merfolk that lived near the sea. These ladies even mentioned that the killer might be an Ocean Demon summoned by an evil cult.

Somehow, these four ladies seemed to be discussing this matter excitedly, despite the fact that countless people had died. It was as though they were chatting about some spectacle or performance with an utter lack of caution or sympathy.

Watching them, it was clear that these ladies felt no pity for the affairs of dead strangers. After all, to them, the common folk were insignificant existences.