Chapter 823: Harvest Festival Day 5
My plan for the Harvest Festival is to first invite the new slave girls—the silver dragon girls, plus Mira-san, Cosmos-san, and others—to dance, and work my way through them. My reasoning is that those female slaves in particular have shallow connections with the residents, and keeping them waiting too long would just make things boring for them. The veterans are the complete opposite. They’ll likely assume, based on pattern, that dancing with me is inevitable in the end, and I trust they’ll find various ways to occupy themselves until then. There are a lot of them. Without planning, I’d be at a loss, but if I roughly map out the flow and organize things, I can maintain some leeway.
“Emma, over here”
“Master……e, emm, is it really okay for me?”
“There’s no good or bad about it. What’s wrong with dancing with your own dragon?”
“Well……about the order of precedence and such”
“I do as I please. It’s in the order I thought of it”
After letting Princess Ran rest on a nearby bench, I started with Emma, who was close by. I’d instructed Emma to dress up properly, and while she was a bit hesitant, her athletic ability to follow the dance steps was impressive. As a dance partner, she was something to be proud of from any angle. ……She looked about the same age as Princess Ran, making her seem twice my age. But there was a reason I chose Emma next. ……After a few steps, at a natural break, I pulled a pair of earrings from my pocket with a jingle. Seeing them, Emma’s face went blank for a moment before she snapped to attention and stiffened.
“That’s……”
“We had a promise, right? Sorry it feels like an afterthought”
The reason it appears here is that, during the development of the Princess’s brooch, I scrapped the plan multiple times and needed to cool off a bit……but telling Emma that would be insensitive. While working with the notoriously difficult 「Dragon Jewel」, I found myself thinking how nice it was to use ordinary materials……how freeing it felt. I was just messing around, enjoying the process, and before I knew it, they were done. So, I do feel a tiny bit guilty that the design wasn’t strongly inspired by Emma. But, maybe because my mind had been focused on accessory design for a while, even this unconscious creation turned out surprisingly well. I think it has a fun feel to it––pretending to be symmetrical, but only the main gemstone is different. After casually slipping it into my pocket and giving it a quick check for damage, I attached it to Emma’s earlobes, right then left. The small garnet and topaz stones really pop against her artificial-looking white skin and silver hair. Hmm. I did consider using cool-toned gems to match the ice dragon theme, but colors that add accents rather than uniformity create a better palette. Plus, since she’s currently wearing a chic, intricate ethnic costume (or rather, the basic formal attire of Crystal Palace) based on deep green and black, it makes the earrings’ colors stand out even more. Hmm, hmm.
“They suit you well”
Was it Sharon who said wearing too many shiny things leads to fights? From a blacksmith’s perspective, handling full metal armor, competing for glamour based purely on the quantity of sparkle isn’t out of the question. But seeing one item I crafted stand out with a special effect amidst a beautiful girl’s attire is quite a satisfying sight. Nice. How to put it……there’s no waste. Her entire body is flawlessly beautiful, yet the light at her ears draws the gaze, thematically highlighting 「The delicate beauty of a teenage girl on the verge of metamorphosis」. Maybe slightly larger stones would have worked……? I’m a bit surprised I can even think of such specific adjustments. Up until now, I’d only ever focused on the perfection of individual pieces, completely lacking any sense of coordination. I guess Emma’s……the beauty of a dragon girl truly brings out the real power of accessories, beyond just simple addition and subtraction.
“Ah, emm……th, thank you……♪”
Emma timidly, yet genuinely happily, thanks me as I bask in my own satisfaction. I tried to catch a glimpse of her ears, but they weren’t long like an elf’s, so I couldn’t see them. Taking them off felt a bit much, so I hesitated. Then, suddenly struck by an idea, I placed my hand on the stone wall of a nearby house and conjured a sheet of ice as tall as me, like a wall reinforcement. Wiping the ice wall with both hands, it instantly smoothed to a glass-like shine, becoming an impromptu mirror. She gazed at her reflection and sighed.
“……Ah……♪”
The Polka dancers nearby, who had gathered to start the next dance, murmured 「Ooh!」 at the girl’s sudden odd behavior but didn’t panic. It seemed common knowledge by now that Emma was a dragon, and that when an ice dragon felt like it, all sorts of bizarre feats were possible.
“Can you make that kind of mirror a little bigger?”
“It’s a little hard to see with the dirty stonework on the back. Can’t you put some white cloth or something on the back?”
“Don’t call it dirty, you bastard! It’s your house!”
“You don’t take care of it normally, so weeds are growing in the cracks. You should do something about it before the festival”
……No, but I think it’s okay to be a little more afraid of the dragon’s special skills, okay? Someone got frozen solid because of this. Who? It was Fazer, so it’s fine.
Princess Ran and Emma, I deliberately gave them accessories in succession to show the princess that I’m a craftsman, so she shouldn’t feel so pressured about gifts like this. It’s pretty normal for me to make things like that for girls. In fact, since I can’t usually repay them with anything other than erotic favors (and erotic favors are my goal, not my reward), I want them to think I’m working hard to serve my family. Well, there’s still some room for interpretation as to whether female slaves are treated as family. ……I wonder if that message got across. Emma’s over-the-top joy might have backfired a bit, but there’s no time to relax until sunset. So I chug Aunt Lindsey’s Spirit Spring Drink and push on.
“Leda, let’s dance”
“Haa, what a blessing”
“……No, don’t kneel. The music’s already started”
Leda had no issues with physical ability, but she was clumsy. Or rather, she didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings. She often bumped into people and tables. ……She seemed to care about nothing but me. After covering for her a few times, it was the Black Collar Group’s turn next.
“Shario, shall we dance?”
“Dancing with me is pointless. Besides, I’m here not to flirt with you, but strictly……”
“Just dance. Today’s the day for it”
“……Wouldn’t sex be better?”
“If you don’t dance properly, you won’t get any for a while”
“……I don’t want that”
Shario sulked but danced anyway. The way she pressed her body against mine fairly willingly made me guess she didn’t truly hate dancing, but I stopped myself from reading too much into it. Next was Leyla.
“This kind of dance wasn’t part of our palace traditions, so I’m not sure if it will satisfy you”
“……It’s not the kind where you have to hug each other that tightly while dancing”
Instead, Leyla hugged me so tightly it interfered with the steps. I couldn’t tell if she just misunderstood because I looked pleased when Shario pressed her chest against me, or if she was deliberately provoking me. ……She’s got this mix of being naturally clueless, calculating, and lewd all at once. She’s surprisingly hard to read, this girl. Then it was Corti’s turn.
“So if we don’t dance, we get denied sex? But if we dance three times, we get triple the sex?”
“I’d do a triple round anytime if the situation allowed, but don’t have that conversation in Northwestian, okay?”
“Yeah, I know♪”
※We were in the middle of the square, but I spoke in Kalwin language, so the townspeople probably didn’t understand.
……Ah, Princess Ran’s face is clearly red. Well, it’s basically like a regional Valery dialect, and since it’s closer to Northwest Language for Saint Gardo, maybe she understands……. No, she’s the one who got covered in cum, so it’s safe. Let’s call it safe. Then, I head over near 「Leslie House」 and reach out to Mira and the others.
“Since we’re here, Mira and Cima too”
“Dance together, the three of us?”
She responds deadpan, catching the double meaning.
“No, thats impossible”
“We can do it!”
Cima’s somehow fired up, but how do three people dance a couple’s dance? Just as I’m thinking that, after taking hands with Mira, Cima sticks right behind me like an instructor and wraps her hands around both my arms. Wait, hold up. This feels amazing boob-wise, but I’ve got nowhere to put my feet.
“Alright, Master, just move your feet like you normally would. I’ll trace your steps perfectly. You won’t step on me”
“No, I will step on you. Absolutely will”
Plus, the stares from everyone around us are intense.
“If Cima says she can do it, she usually can. Just go for it without worrying. Even if you mess up, only Cima gets hurt”
“I must live up to Mira’s passionate trust in my talent!”
“……Well, I’m not saying I don’t trust you, so I won’t nitpick”
I think the key point of Mira’s statement is that only Cima gets hurt. Her oddly positive attitude probably just means Cima is the type to focus on the good aspects, not that she’s an idiot who doesn’t listen to the rest of the statement. Probably. So, calming my nerves, I boldly put my foot out……and indeed, Cima matched it perfectly, as if our feet were glued together, skillfully following the dance. And Mira also flawlessly executes the steps on the opposite side. Sandwiched between two glamorous dark elves, I dance this mysterious dance that’s sort of like a pair dance, sort of not. Even two people can get their feet tangled, so three people executing these irregular steps is, in a way, acrobatics. Maybe these two are actually talented like Nord-san and Lukino-san, after all. ……Though saying that probably just means I don’t understand the talent of these two dancers at all. ……And then.
“Aidaaaah!? You’re stepping on it!?”
“If it’s in the way, I’ll step on it, of course”
“This is where you should be showing a little more remorse, right!?”
In the end, it was Mira who stepped on Cima’s foot. ……Well, Cima was clinging to my back, so she couldn’t see her own feet. Yeah.
After that was over, I took a breather and thought about how to invite the remaining three. I took a sip of my spirit spring drink and looked over at Nord-san and the others……but they weren’t there. Then I realized they’d gathered behind me.
“Little brother~n♪ Let’s play~♪”
“You danced with Mira and the others, so we can’t be left out, right~?”
“We’ve been dancing nonstop since the opening, so we’re a bit tired. We need to dance to rest, right~♪”
Hold on, Cosmos. I kinda get what you’re saying, but it’s still kinda hard to follow as a sentence. Still, if the three of them came over here, it saves me some trouble.
“Alright, then, once the next performance starts, we’ll go in order”
“But first, we’re soaked in sweat, so we need to change”
“Yeah, I guess. Even though it’s cool……”
“We’re drenched, you know? Want to change at our shop?”
Since the three said they needed to change, I thought I’d be unexpectedly kept waiting……but then.
“We’re supposed to be naughty slaves, right? How about this?”
Music faintly drifted in from outside. Nord-san smiled slightly, took my hand inside 「Leslie House」, and started stepping. We shed our sweat-soaked clothes, standing completely naked.
“Dancing with your cock inside me might be nice too♪”
Shedding her own sweat-soaked costume, Lukino-san also made a bold suggestion. Had the lewd dance under the moonlight the other night awakened both of them to this kind of taste?
“It’s a good idea, but honestly, our hip heights don’t match up. Dancing while still inside might be a bit tricky, don’t you think?”
And Cosmos-san, without needing any awakening, was a master lewd who embraced every erotic kink wholeheartedly.
“But maybe we could try dancing awkwardly? No one’s watching anyway, and if it works out, it’d be funny♪”
Gloria-san put down her paintbrush. ……Wait.
“Why are you just naturally blending in?”
“I’m terrible at dancing, so I was trying to stay out of the square. Then you guys suddenly barged in and started being pervy, so I had no choice but to paint, right?”
“Tsk tsk tsk. No way, Gloria. Everyone’s naked, so you can’t be the only one clothed”
“Oh, that’s what you meant. Sorry”
Cosmos told her to start undressing, but that wasn’t the real issue. ……But I did thoroughly enjoy the secret in-store nude dance. Holding the enchanting dancers who had everyone in a frenzy just moments ago, now bare-skinned in my arms as I danced, filled me with an indescribable sense of superiority, needless to say.