Magic Beast Shop
While having tea with the Queen, who had calmed down and stopped crying, we chatted about all sorts of things.
"Still, Shuko Obachan, you really lived a long life, didn't you?"
"I did~ The last time I saw you, Mirin-chan, was at Mieko's funeral, right? Who would've thought you’d die from overwork on top of being a corporate slave... If Mieko knew, she'd be furious, you know?"
"Ehehe, let's keep that a secret. But to think I'd run into someone I knew this close to home... Ahahaha, it really is a surprise."
"Truly. But, are you going to tell His Majesty about this?"
"If I do... wouldn't that reveal how old you were when you died?"
"Ugh, that's the tricky part. Have you talked to His Majesty about your past life, Mirin-chan?"
"Just a little? Like what kind of work I did, or what kind of things existed in my past life? Shuko Obachan, have you told anyone your age at death?"
"Ah, I told Grandfather and Grandmother."
"By Grandmother, you mean Lady Lindsay?"
"Yes. Do you know her?"
"Of course. She used to be my mother-in-law's personal guard."
"That's right, now that you mention it. Hey, Mirin-chan. Would it be okay if we talked to Grandmother before telling Their Majesties?"
"Yeah, good idea. Let's do that."
The trio of maids returned, showing off the souvenirs they'd brought this time.
"This time, it's the long-awaited Mr. Rice~! But since you probably don't know how to cook it, I made it into cooked rice already. Also, curry roux. If you want to make the curry spicy, sprinkle on some chili powder. Oh, and more dried fruit. Oh, and sousu."
"Joan-chan, what's sousu?"
"It's sauce. So I made something like this... Chalalachatcharan—Kraken-yaki, a takoyaki-style thing~!"
"Yaaaay! I've missed sauce so much~ No okonomiyaki?"
"…… I brought some."
"Like that bar master from that one drama!? You're amazing!! But instead of takoyaki, how did you make the kraken-yaki molds?"
"I had the craftsmen from my territory make them, of course."
"Wowww~ I can really feel the effort of the craftspeople of the Lampail territory~ Well, thanks to them we can eat this though."
"Right~?"
"Miss Joan, is there anything you want?"
When we returned to the terrace with the Queen, His Majesty suddenly asked.
"Huh!? That was so sudden!"
"Well... umm... Holger?"
"Haah~ Why are you so useless outside of work...? Miss Joan, you've been giving us dried fruit and more, so we wanted to give you something in return. Is there anything you'd like?"
"Something I want? Hmm... Nothing in particular right now."
"I see... Then if anything comes up, don’t hesitate to say so."
"Sure..."
I mean, it’s hard to come up with something I want when asked so suddenly...
I can’t think of anything.
Alexander and Holger had heard from Stanley that a member of the Monster Subjugation Unit had made a rude remark to Joan. Wanting to apologize in some way, they thought to give her a gift, but they couldn’t bring themselves to tell her about the insult directly, so they made up an excuse about repaying the dried fruit instead.
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Later, after saying our goodbyes to Their Majesties and on the way back to the royal capital residence, Father and I stopped by the magic beast shop we had visited the other day, through a side alley near the marketplace.
Ding, ding~
"Welcomeee~ Oh? You're the girl who came the other day?"
Said the pink twin-tailed lady.
"Hello! I'm glad you remembered me."
"Of course~! Girls like you don’t usually come to a place like this~ So, what brings you here today?"
"Ah, I’m looking for a collar."
"A collar, huh~ What kind are you looking for~?"
"Umm, I want one for this little one. She's still a pup, so I’d like one that can still be used when she gets bigger."
"Ohh, what a cute puppy~ Then you’ll want an adjustable one~ Hang on a sec... Found it! How about this~?"
She showed me a rugged black leather collar with spiky studs.
"......"
"Pfft, hahaha..."
That’s way too intense for Pearl.
It’s like something a bulldog in an American cartoon would wear...
Even Father started laughing once he imagined it.
Pearl was also shaking her head.
"Umm... do you have something cuter? This one’s a girl."
"Ah~ is that so~? Sorry, then this isn’t right~ Let’s see... How about this one~?"
Next, she brought out a dark pink leather collar with a gold nameplate.
"How cute!"
"You can get a name engraved on the plate too~"
I looked at Pearl, and her eyes were sparkling.
"I’ll take this one! Please engrave the name as Pearl."
"Thanks for your purchase~ The engraving is done at the shop next door, so could you take it there afterward?"
"Also, is it okay if I look around the store a bit more?"
"Go right ahead~ Let me know if you need anything~"
Father and I browsed around the store together.
"Is there anything else you want?"
"Umm, a brush for Snowy and Pearl... and something especially for Snowy too, maybe."
"For Snowy, huh... I can only think of horse gear."
"I’ll ask the lady. Um, excuse me, do you have anything for horses?"
"A horse, huh~? I only really have brushes... Oh! How about this~?"
The lady took something out from a box on the counter. It was a small, adorable flower.
"A flower?"
"This~ is something I made as a hobby~ You could attach it to horse gear, maybe~?"
"Can I take a closer look?"
The finely crafted flower was made from something like clay. It was beautifully colored.
"How did you make this?"
"Want me to show you~?"
Saying that, she pulled out some fine sand from under the counter, took a handful, and in her hand, a small dog took shape.
"Oho~ So you have the earth attribute. That’s a clever way to use magic."
"Thank you~ But I don’t have much mana, so I can only make small things~"
"Can you add a hole at the back of this flower to thread a string through?"
"Sure can~ Like this~?"
"Yes. Can you make five of the same ones?"
"Four more, right~? … Here you go, all done."
"Then I’ll take these too."
"Thank you for your purchase~."
We left the shop with a brush for Snowy, a brush for Pearl, the collar, and five of the small flowers.
I think I’ll thread some ribbon or hair ties through the small flowers and tie them on.
What do you think about this chapter?
