21st floor of the Mohed Great Dungeon
“Wau!”
I narrowly avoided the fist that was thrown at me. Then, this time, I was targeted from behind with a sword. Activating my acceleration skill for a moment, I dodged his sword and then I sliced off the opponent’s arm with my claws.
“Naive!”
Hearing that voice, I looked up and that’s when I noticed that a thread bomb has exploded. When the white threads covered my body, they clung to me stickily and inhibited my movement. I thought it was over. But that was just a decoy and I was attacked from behind.
“Kyaun!”
The bottom of the opponent’s palm hit me directly and the impact made my body shook and even stirred my internal organs. In addition to that, I was further swept off my feet and I spun around in the air. I then slammed hard into the ground.
“I-, I give up…”
I surrendered. The four children who were my opponents lined up in a row and bowed to me. Father, who was watching the match, stood up and handed a cure mushroom to me.
“Very good. To be able to fight on an equal footing against my four clones, you’ve grown quite a lot.”
“But Father is still way stronger. I’m not able to get a solid hit at all.”
“Don’t be humble. If you fight seriously, you should be able to fight me more fiercely.”
I think that is just my father’s misunderstanding. Indeed, by acquiring the acceleration skill, I have become much stronger. However, father has become even stronger. My blows have no effect on him, he regenerates quickly even if I cut him. He could divide his body, can fly, has many followers and he breathes powerful breath. The more I slice, the more I can’t cut him. Even I, his son, knows that he’s abnormal!
“Mmm-, are you thinking something rude?”
“N-No. I just thought that Father is amazing.”
“Don’t praise me too much. I’ll get carried away easily you see.”
While saying that, my father looks a little happy though. I recently learned that father is a shy person. That’s why he tries to hide it as soon as I praise him. Erna-oneesan said that it is a good thing, but as a child, I don’t really understand it well.
“Haa~, as expected of Pero-sama! Freya is just watching but Freya gets so excited!”
Freya-san hugs me and buries her face in my chest. I still don’t know what she’s really thinking but I infer that she likes me.
“Uhm, Freya-san, isn’t it about time?”
“Ah!? I apologize! Pero-sama’s fluffiness is so wonderful that I got carried away!”
She had a slovenly appearance. Just thinking about how much my fluffiness captivates her makes me feel terrified.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s training. You can now spend your time as you like.”
I feel a little disappointed hearing my father’s words. Training is fun, it’s always full of new discoveries. My goal is to protect my father one day. That is why I want to become even more stronger. As I was thinking about this, my father smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re struggling with, but, it’s important to take a break you know.”
“Understood.”
A leather bag was then handed to me. It’s clinking so I can tell right away that it is money.
“It’s your money. I’m saving it for you so that’s just a part of it. Don’t use it too much.”
“Yes!”
I felt that the money given to me is very heavy. I think it’s because it is filled with my father’s feelings for me. I almost cried so I ran out of the place.
“Eh-, Pero-sama! Wait for me!”
Freya-san chased after me. Apparently, she wants to go to the city with me. The two of us ran through the jungle until we reached the fourth miniature garden. When I touched the stone tablet in the Temple of Teleportation, the destination was displayed in my field of vision.
“Yeah! Yeah!, it’s a date with Pero-sama. I’m really excited.”
“I don’t think it’s a date though…”
I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I looked at Freya-san who was breathing heavily because of excitement. She’s a person who really doesn’t change. But it does feels nice. Then my vision was distorted, the scenery also changed in an instant. A pleasant breeze and a familiar landscape greeted me. No matter how many times I come to the ground, I will never get tired of it.
“I feel like in the mood to paint landscapes.”
“Pero-sama really like painting huh.”
“Yes. I think it’s great to be able to keep what I’ve seen.”
Freya-san smiled sweetly at me. It’s good if it’s always like this, but as soon as I let my guard down, she’ll immediately scream, “Fluffy!”, so I have to be on guard. I don’t hate being petted, but Freya-san is a person who can stroke me all day long if left alone. That’s why I have to be clear that she can’t do it when I don’t want to.
But, is petting someone really that good?
I really doubt it.
When we went inside the city, I met a soldier I knew.
“Oh-, if it isn’t our sacred beast. Are you two shopping together today?”
“Yes. I think it’s about time to buy a weapon.”
“Now that Pero-sama mentioned it, the gauntlet you are equipped before is gone.”
“Well, it’s broken because I’ve grown a bit. Now I planned to buy something a little bigger.”
The soldier waved his hand and said, “As long as Pero-sama is here, our kingdom is safe.” What he expects is me as a sacred beast. He probably thinks that I will eventually become the guardian beast of the kingdom. Of course, I don’t deny that. It’s an undeniable fact that I am a sacred beast and I also want to protect a lot of people. However, when asked if it is more important than my father, I would definitely answer no.
“Pero-sama, there’s a food stall over there! Are you hungry?”
“You just want to eat, don’t you Freya-san? It certainly smells good though.”
There is a stall in the direction Freya-san pointed. A savory smell wafts through the air and many customers are lined up waiting for their food. I was intrigued so I decided to line up with Freya-san.
“It’s a skewer. It’s very dark in color but it looks delicious.”
When it’s her turn, Freya-san frolics like a child. Skewers are being grilled at the stall. The meat is swirled on a rectangular metal box, and when it is moderately cooked, the skewer is dipped in a jar. The jar is filled with thick brown liquid. After the skewers are soaked in the liquid for a minute, they are grilled on the box again. When I peeked inside the box, I saw that the red heated charcoal was making a sizzling sound because of the falling fat and juice. Thinking that it was a rare dish in Mana, I looked up at the cook. He wore a mask and a gray cloth over his head.
“Uh-…… Suketarou-san?”
“Katakata”
He shakes his head as if to say I’m mistaken. But no matter how I look at it, it’s Suketarou-san. The best proof is the golden body that can be seen through the gap on the gray cloth. With a familiar movement, he offered us a skewer and with a flip, he told us, “Please keep it a secret from master.” Perhaps it was a hush money, he also gave us one more skewer.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t see you.”
“Katakata”
Suketarou-san then waved us off.
“I thought I hadn’t seen Suketarou-san lately. I guess he was working at a place like that.”
“Well, we have more free time after the war ended so I guess he started doing business as a hobby.”
Suketarou is like a general who leads the group. However, there must have been nothing left to do because the tasks were mostly done by his subordinates. The result is that he ended up doing his own food stall. Suketarou’s ability to act cannot be underestimated.
I put the skewer in my mouth. The sweet and salty taste was delicious.
“Is this teriyaki sauce?”
“It seems to be, maybe it’s the yakitori that Tanaka-dono was talking about.”
My father once said, “When you drink sake, yakitori is the most suitable dish.”
I think it was me, Freya-san, and Suketarou-san who were present at time. I’m sure that after that, he learned how to make it from my father and put it into practice. The reason why he want us to keep silent is probably because of that.
“As soon as your father finds out, he’ll come to Mana for sure.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’ll eat up all the food from the stall in no time.”
I laughed. Father has an eye for delicious food, so yakitori would be an easy prey. I can imagine Suketarou-san panicking. When we finished eating the yakitori, we decided to go to the furniture shop together.
“Hmmm-, what to choose for the new bed…”
“Decide quickly. I’m tired of waiting.”
“Just wait a little longer. I don’t get a chance like this very often so let me choose more slowly.”
“They’re all the same.”
When we went to the furniture store, I saw Erna-oneesan and Liz-san in front of the store. Moreover, Erna-oneesan is expressing her hesitation as she looks inside the store. I decided to talk to Liz-san.
“Liz-san, were you able to buy a bed?”
“Hn. Bought it.”
She nods slightly, her eyes half-closed. Liz-san doesn’t talk much and sometimes has a snarky tongue but she’s not a bad person by any means. I think she just doesn’t know how to interact with people. According to what I heard from Father, she has been sick for a long time, so it can’t be helped that she’s not good at socializing with others. If I were in the same situation, I might have become silent like Liz-san.
“Ah-, that one is good too! Hmm, but this one isn’t bad either… Eh? Pero-kun?”
Erna-oneesan seemed to just noticed me. I got closer to take a look inside the store.
“Are you struggling about choosing that big bed?”
“That’s right. Isn’t it every girl’s dream to have a canopy bed? Shinichi gave me a lot of money, so I thought I’d splurge and buy it.”
“But it won’t be able to fit it into the room you know.”
“Ugh, you’re right…”
Pulled back to reality, Erna-oneesan fell to her knees with a thud. The other day, father went out to buy a bed but he wasn’t able to buy anything. So today, Erna-oneesan came to the city with Liz-san, and as expected, Erna-oneesan seemed to be having the most fun.
“I think it will be able to fit if you can make the room bigger… but that’s impossible, right?”
“Make the room bigger… That’s right! Make the room bigger! Why didn’t I think of that!”
Erna-oneesan suddenly stands up and rushed inside the store. She then bought the bed with a canopy. I wasn’t sure if I should stop her, but I decided to see if she has come up with a good idea.
“Now I can sleep peacefully in a bed with canopy! This is great!”
“Are you sure it is okay? Father will be angry if you can’t put it in the room you know.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s possible with my power!”
Then Erna-oneesan leaves with Liz-san with a big smile. Feeling a bit of anxiety, Freya-san and I walked into the furniture store.
“Welcome”
The clerk greeted us. I decided to ask the clerk a question before looking at the bed.
“Uhm, do you have a bed my size?”
“Of course we do. Well, it was made a long time ago so the design is inevitably outdated, but it can be used sufficiently. As inventory clearance, we will give you a discount of about 50%.”
When we went to the second floor of the store, there is a large sized bed on display. I suspect that it was built for a dragoneut. Lying on the bed, I feel satisfied as the size is not bad.
“Then please give me this one.”
“Certainly! Would you like us to deliver it to your home?”
I shake my head. After paying the clerk, I stored the bed in the bangle. Like Erna-oneesan, Freya-san and I also received permission from Father to use the bangle. So even if I don’t have the bangle with me, I can still put things in and took them out freely. After completing the purchase, we head to Rodman-san’s Weapon Store. I also need to buy a weapon. When I opened the door of the store, I saw Rodman-san exhaling smoke from the tobacco pipe.
“Hello”
“Welcome! Hoh-, are you two going on a date today!?”
“No. We are just buying something.”
“It’s a date!”
We spoke at the same time and Freya-san insists it’s a date. She had a serious look as she emphasized that. Both Rodman and I could only nod at such strange pressure.
“Yes, this is a date.”, I could only follow-up.
“Hahahaha! It’s nice to be young!”
Rodman-san began to laugh and pulled something from under the counter.
“This is-?”
“I made it at the request of Tanaka-kun. I have already received the money for it.”
It was a marine blue gauntlet. It was a perfect fit when I put it on my hand. When I poured some magic on it, water gushed out from the gauntlet. I turned my gaze to Rodman-san.
“It’s made of an alloy of aquatium and steel, just like the one you used before. However, the attributes are different, so I think it will be easier for Pero-kun to use it now.”
“Yes, it seems to be very easy to use. Father told you to change the attribute?”
“Yeah. Tanaka-kun said that if possible, water-type weapon would be better so I went all the way to the royal capital to buy the materials. Please use it with care.”
“Thank you very much.”
I thanked Rodman-san and I’m grateful to father. I vow to use this weapon with care.
“Hn?”
Suddenly, I found something unfamiliar in the store. Even though it is a weapon shop, there is a necklace on display. When I looked closely, I can see that there is a small stone attached on it as decoration. The stone color varies from red, green, brown and blue.
“Uhm…, what is this?”
“It’s a ‘substitute stone’ that arrived recently. It said to be able to save the owner’s life. But from the looks of it, it’s just a stone though. This kind of item is often bought by adventurers so I decided to sell it here as well.”
“Ohh-, a substitute stone huh.”
I looked at the necklace and come up with a good idea. I bought five necklaces from Rodman-san and gave the one with red stone on it to Freya-san.
“C-Can I have it!?”
“Take it. This stone will help Freya-san when you are in danger.”
“Aaaaaaaaah! I received a present from Pero-sama! I will cherish it for the rest of my life! No, I’ll put it in the safe and keep it as an heirloom!”
“Please wear it properly.”
Freya-san is super excited from joy. Just when I think her excitement has reached its climax, the whites of her eyes suddenly turned upwards and with a thud, she fell to the floor. I hurriedly picked her up and realized that she had fainted.
Sigh.
I decided to carry Freya-san on my back and go home.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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