To the fief after a long time!
So, the members who went out to the town were Mariel-chan, Ruby, Sei, Byakko-sama, Suzaku-sama, Oniisama, Kurogane, Mashiro, and me. Since Shin and Miria were not there, we decided to ride in one carriage instead of dividing into two carriages, but originally all of us were over capacity to ride in one carriage. So, we had Mashiro and Byakko-sama turn into their Sacred Beast forms and had them ride on my and Sei’s laps, respectively.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in this form.”
Byakko-sama said as he was relaxing on Sei’s lap. Indeed, since he was always in human form at the academy, it may have been a while since he was in his cub form.
“Cu… cute…!”
Mariel-chan, sitting across from me, stared at Byakko-sama with sparkling eyes and muttered softly.
“I only show my weak form to you… yes because it’s you… yes. So nice…”
… Mariel-san yo? Stop indulging in delusions with your friends and family.
“Ufufu, aren’t you saying some rather good lines? Let’s hear that story slowly and carefully later.”
“Fufu… exactly what I wanted.”
…Ruby, you too?
Did I just hear the two of them laughing “kusa, kusa, kusa…” or was it my imagination…
The carriage soon entered the lively town and stopped near the Artisan district. Oniisama handed the driver some money and told him to kill some time. The driver seemed happy, so it seemed like he had given him a generous allowance. Oniisama, isn’t what you are doing too perfect? I don’t think it’s something someone of Oniisama’s age should be doing.
“Well, Christea. We’re going to see Galvano Ojisama, right?”
“Yes. Oh, that’s right, Kurogane. Could you go to the Adventurer’s Guild and check if there are any shortages of Orcs? If there are any other materials that are in short supply as well, I would like you to deliver them.”
“Aye, got it.”
After seeing Kurogane off as he immediately headed for the Adventurer’s Guild, we headed for Galvano Ojisama’s shop in the Artisan district, where adventurers and merchants come and go.
Galvano Ojisama’s shop faces the street and is small, but there is a forge and a residence with a garden in the back. According to him, he only displays samples of weapons and armor, and doesn’t actually sell anything in the store, so it’s okay for the store to be small. Galvano Ojisama is a top-notch blacksmith, and his motto is to make weapons that suit the person he sees, so he doesn’t mass-produce. In the past, I used to take advantage of Ojisama’s generosity and often warped to the garden and entered through the back door, but today I have friends with me, so I won’t do anything illegal and will enter through the store properly.
“Good morning… oh, he’s not here. Galvano Ojisama, are you here?”
I called out to the back of the store, but there was no response. Maybe he’s still sleeping. Depending on his mood, he may have closed the store and immersed himself in forging, or he may have drunk too much the night before and slept until noon. Which one is it today?
“I’m sorry, could you wait a moment while I go check in the back?”
I tell Mariel-chan and Sei to wait.
“Oh, yes.”
“Okay.”
“Tea, let me go with you.”
“I’m going too!”
Oniisama and Mashiro also know Galvano Ojisama, so it’s okay. The three of us headed to the forge behind the counter.
“Oh my, he’s not here either…”
The furnace was still unlit, and everything was quiet.
“So, he’s probably still sleeping…”
It would be rude to wake him up, but we have business today and came all the way here using the warping room. We can’t just give up and go home. We went further in and entered the living space.
“Ugh… this smell…”
Everyone covered their mouths at the choking smell. And when we looked at the source of the smell…
“Ojisama!”
Ojisama was lying on the floor.