To the Sea
“Dragon meat.”
“When will we eat it?”
“Huh? N~…”
To eat it, we needed to dismantle it. However, dismantling a Blue Dragon… If we asked the Adventurers’ Guild for help, it would likely cause a commotion. So, do we need to dismantle it ourselves?
“Can I… even dismantle it?”
“”Can’t you?””
“Cleanly and efficiently… might be difficult. But if I just cut off parts, like scales and skin from a certain area and remove the bones, would that work?”
“”Then, let’s do that!””
“Alright, alright. I’ll cut a managable portion we’ll eat and left the dismantling for later.”
I selected a portion small enough to handle and stored the rest of the dragon in the Infinite Storage for dismantling at a later date.
“That’s it for now. We’ll dismantle the rest when it’s time to eat.”
“”Yeah.””
“Well then, Kaiser. You would be basically returning to where you came from, but we were planning to head to the sea.”
I informed Kaiser of our plans.
“If I can accompany you guys, it doesn’t matter where we go. If you’re going to the sea, how about visiting the Blue Waters Shrine? The folks there have been wanting to see you again.”
“The Miko Himesama and others? Come to think of it, we haven’t seen them since leaving Bailey. We haven’t introduced Joule and the others, either. Shall we go?”
“”Let’s go~””
The plan was set in motion, even though we had only decided to go to the sea.
“Alright, let’s go~”
I mounted Joule, while Allen and Elena rode Feat.
Kaiser remained in human form and hopped onto Vector.
(Let’s go~)
“Ohh, you’ve got some strong legs there.”
It was Vector’s first time carrying a passenger on his back, and he eagerly galloped with a speed befitting the word “dash.” What’s more, Kaiser handled the ride with ease and composure.
Once we reached the sea, it was time for a long swim. While Joule and the others had played in shallow waters and lakes before, they had never done a full-fledged long swim. However, with Radian included, they quickly picked up the skill.
“Hello, it’s been a while.”
“”Hello~””
“Oh my! You came, welcome!”
Upon arriving at the underwater mermaid village, the Miko Himesama, the village chief Gard-san, and the mermaid Mirena, whom we had met the first time we were here, warmly welcomed us.
“Thank you for the mermaid bracelets. Thanks to them, my Contracted Beasts could come along today.”
“They are splendid Contracted Beasts~ and your little contract beasts are so adorable~ I’m glad the mermaid bracelets have been useful~ Do you have enough of them? I’ve prepared a few more since just in case, and I can give them to you later.”
“No, no! There are still some left, so we have plenty.”
“Well, you seem to have plans to increase the number of your Contract Beasts, so please take them!”
“Ehh~…”
“Besides, it’s okay to pass them on to your acquaintances, Takumi-sama.”
“That’s very kind of you…”
Predicting an increase in Contracted Beasts… That’s quite a prediction. Oh, but we have plans for a wyvern, so it’s not that of an overstatement?
Well, as for me, I’m happy to have an expanding family.
“Miko Himesama, don’t forget to give them that as well.”
“Oh, right!”
“That?”
“National costume? Can I call it that? We have prepared traditional attire that the Merfolk like for you and the children, Takumi-sama.”
Among the Merfolk, some wore swimsuit-like attire befitting the image of mermaids, while others donned a more traditional robe-like outfits. When she mentioned “national costume,” it was likely referring to those robes.
“Here you go.”
It seemed that Mirena-san promptly brought over the clothing.
Indeed, it was the robe-like attire. But there was also a yukata-like outfit.
“This one is for relaxing at home.”
The yukata was probably meant for lounging.
“I had various things made for myself as well. In fact, the attire I’m wearing now was made by the Merfolk.”
“Oh, really?”
“Fufu, we thought our attire would stand out in human towns, so we used Takumi-sama’s clothes as a reference to create them.”
“No wonder it looked similar!”
I had thought it was just a coincidence, but it seemed they had used the clothes I was wearing as a reference.
“”Wana wear!””
“Of course. I’ll help you change. Which one would you like to put on?”
“”Both!””
Mirena-san agreed to assist Allen and Elena with their clothing. First, they decided to try on the traditional robes. Despite the intricate craftsmanship, it seemed like they could easily be slipped on.
“”How is it?””
“Oh, it suits you both~”
(Yeah, yeah, it looks great~)
(It’s different from your usual style, but I think it suits you very well~)
“”Yay~””
The kids didn’t exactly have a traditional Japanese appearance, but they surprisingly looked good in the Japanese attire as well.
“But, maybe it’s better not to walk around town wearing that?”
“”Why~?””
“Because you’d stand out due to its uniqueness.”
It would definitely attract a lot of attention.
“”What about parties?””
“Parties? Oh, for a birthday party or something, it might be fine. But I think we should consult with Rebecca-san first. If we make it more flashy…”
“”Okay~”
“Then, I’ll prepare ceremonial attire for you! It’ll be extra sparkly and elegant!”
“”You will!?””
“Yes, leave it to me.”
“”Thank you!””
It seemed they also had more elaborate ceremonial attire available, and Allen and Elena quickly agreed to have those made.
“Takumi, how does it look?”
“”How?””
“It suits all three of you very well. It looks very comfortable.”
The kids had also tried on the summer kimonos (jinbei), and for some reason, Kaiser had joined in the excitement.
“But… we’re just receiving gifts~”
“You don’t need to worry about that at all. We’re indebted to you in many ways.”
Since our trip to the sea was decided rather suddenly, we hadn’t prepared any souvenirs or gifts.
“But it’s making me somewhat uneasy~ Oh, do you eat fruits?”
“Oh my! We’re delighted.”
“You have fruits we’ve never seen before~””
I took various kinds of fruits out of my Infinite Storage, and the Miko Himesama and Mirena-san seemed quite pleased. Since they didn’t have easy access to fruits, I provided a generous amount.
“Miko Himesama, haven’t you forgotten something important?”
As the conversation settled, Gard-san whispered something to the Miko Himesama. She appeared to have suddenly remembered and looked a bit flustered.
“My, oh my, I completely forgot!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Takumi-sama, there’s something I’d like to request from you.”
“A request? What is it?”
It seemed there was something she wanted to ask me about.
“That… Takumi-sama, could you visit the Cerulean Shrine?”
“The Cerulean Shrine?”
A term I wasn’t familiar with came up.