Chapter 442: Street debut
After dark, I got up and went out to the main street with Sahul. Maia as an attendant. Originally, Laila would have been preferable, but Laila has left with Dianne for Talc in the west.
“……Now, what’s going on?”
The festivities on the boulevard have been going on for a long time. I wondered how they could keep up their strength, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that the people making noise were changing at different times of the day. I asked someone about the situation and he told me that the merchants were overcrowded and that it was mainly a matter of taking up space and that they had to watch the time and take turns to do their business.
“I thought that the local merchants were the ones who had the upper hand in this kind of thing and there was no room for strangers”
When I asked the drunk who told me about the situation, he smiled and shook his head.
“The merchants’ guild is not stupid. Helicon was originally just a small town near the elven forest. Why don’t they take advantage of this opportunity to sell their wares when dragons come and go? Letting a few people have all the sweet juices is not going to be good for the future”
“Let the various merchants do their business to their heart’s content and show that it’s a tasty town……”
“That’s what I mean. However, if you try to make the city too big by having all the businesses there at once, you will not be able to manage it this time. The time-shift system is a desperate measure to avoid letting bad businesses run wild because they can’t get a good look at you”
“Hee……I’m amazed at how well it turns out”
“Where do you think we are? Celesta, the land of business”
The boastful drunkard didn’t seem to realize that I was related to the dragon. I often hear that remembering faces is an important part of a businessman’s job, but I wonder if this is the way it should be. ……And. The reason for coming out on the street this time was the announcement of Sahul’s presence. Laila and Maia do not intend to stay too long this time, but what the residents of Helicon want for as long as possible is the banner of a dragon. With Laila’s drumbeat of 「Safe ally dragon」 as well, there is no reason why it has to be our two. Dragons are the object of worship for lizardmen and their mere presence is enough to make the town prosperous. And keeping Sahul here is also meant to pose (to the command center) as a way of 「Luring military concerns under proper control」 or something. ……By the way, I left Oscar where he was originally, just in case Rika, the girl I was looking for, arrived by a time delay. Anyway, I have to make Sahul’s presence known to the townspeople around tonight. That’s what Dianne left me to do.
“……I don’t have much experience in giving speeches to announce such things”
“I don’t care about anything, so can you hurry up? How long do I have to stand there in a daze?”
“Don’t be impudent. I’ll hit you again until you pass out”
“Gu……You’re a violent woman”
Sahul backed away, holding his hands in front of his face to protect himself from Maia. The 「Dragon」 dignity was not there.
“I’m not good at that kind of thing either. ……What should we do? Let him transform here and parade around town? I think that would give him a shot”
“I don’t think we should do it at night”
No matter how much it is a town of dragons, if a dragon you don’t know is noshing through the streets without any explanation, there will be one of panic. Especially now that bonfires are being lit everywhere for the festival, the sight of a red dragon looking up at you, even if you are a child, is enough to scare you. Just as I was preparing myself to raise my voice, I heard a finger poking me from behind.
“Hmm?”
“Hey there, Master. You seem to be in trouble”
It was Tetes.
“I’m pretty good at that kind of thing”
“……Eh”
“Why are you making such a disgusting face?”
No, I know that you are good at calling out to the public. But I have a bad feeling about entrusting Tetes with poor things. However when I think of the other faces, I think of……. First of all, Sharon, Almeida and Aurora are excluded. They each have their own quirks in attitude, but the white elves around here remind me of the elves of the forest territory. For many years, the forest territory has been nervous about Celesta who try to enter the forest without permission. It is not persecution, but it is a matter of territoriality and if you are too bossy, you will be resented. If we look at the 「Why the white elves」 before we look at Sahul’s problem, the story becomes complicated. Considering this, I think Anzeros and Naris are also a bit of a bad idea. On the other hand, Luna and Hilda are not suitable for introductions. Luna is not the type of person who can talk eloquently to a large number of people and Hilda seems……not to be a person who should be relied upon in times like these. So……is Tetes really the only one left?
“W, Wait a minute, I’ll try my best first”
“If you stand out too much here, you’ll get pulled away when you drink?”
“Gu”
“I don’t drink in places like this, so it doesn’t matter. I mean, I’m just a traveling knight from another country”
“T, That’s true, but”
“Besides, I’m human and I’m still young, so I’m not too wary”
“…………Uh”
When she says that, I start to wonder if it’s okay to leave it to her. I’m probably being too cautious. I don’t see the point in going out of my way to do something weird here.
“……Well, I’ll leave it to you”
In the end, I’m defeated by the 「If I don’t stand out here, I can join them normally when we drink again」 part.
“Yes yes. This is an announcement about a dragon. Everyone, please come in”
Tetes calls out in a clear voice to the main street, which has turned into an open-air bar. As expected, the crowd was enjoying themselves and since it was a drinking party, it was impossible to attract the attention of everyone, but the word dragon was still effective and many eyes turned to her. I was impressed from the shadows that she knew how to start a conversation that would get people’s attention. ……Because Tetes will take care of me in the future. I hid because it was more reliable to do so. I feel sorry for myself as the one who got the assignment.
“Now, everyone, black dragon Laila and blue dragon Maia are visiting Helicon this time. My name is Tetes Murray and for various reasons I’m taking advantage of the opportunity. I am a well-known fencer in Renfangas”
She also shows herself off and smiles at the drunks nearby.
“And this is Maia-chan, as you know. And, as a matter of fact, the red dragon who met us today is also here. Yes, this boy is Sahul and he is also Laila-san’s guest!”
Tetes introduces Sahul with a bang, making a sound effect with her mouth. This is certainly a unique experience. Only Tetes, with her youth, sociability and ease among humans, would have been able to introduce a dragon in such a gentle but clear manner. Sahul advances slowly as Tetes shows him with both hands.
“N, Nice to meet you. ……Umm, the black dragon told me to stay here, so I’m going to be here for a while……”
“Eh”
“I was expecting a man”
“I thought you were a girl”
The residents were blatantly disappointed when they saw Sahul. In other words, residents with courage.
“Oh, is it wrong to be a man! What’s the matter with these guys, they don’t respect me at all!”
“Well, well, well”
Naturally, Sahul was indignant and Tetes calmed him down.
“Huu, it’s your lack of dignity that’s to blame”
Maia looked down at Sahul with an evil expression I rarely saw on her face.
“I’m a dragon too, you know! Don’t you dare to take me for a fool!!”
“If you get carried away, you won’t just faint this time. A dragon that tries to rampage in vain like that is called a bad dragon”
“Gu……I, I’m not going to let you get away with this”
……Good luck, Sahul. Leaving Sahul aside, the tipsy residents turned their eyes to Maia.
“More importantly, Maia-sama, please sing a song”
“No, no, you should take off your clothes like Laila-sama”
“Idiot, is there anyone who can do anything erotic! I’m sorry, Maia-sama, by the way, please step on my foot!”
“……She’ll freeze the whole town if she get carried away, won’t she?”
“Ooii!? You just called her a bad dragon!”
The town is about to be destroyed by the drunken nonsense. It’s time to go. I’m not sure if I should be the one to mediate this. ……I was about to go to when Hilda appeared and intervened.
“It’s no use forcing her to take off her clothes☆ If she really wants to, she’ll have to fight fairly…♪”
“F, Fight?”
“Well, if you win the game, I’ll take it off☆”
“Really!?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll do it!”
“But if you lose, you’ll be completely naked”
Hilda pointed down. It was probably meant to be right here, right now. The drunks’ throats clacked.
“O, Okay, that’s fine”
“One victory at a time☆”
“Hilda,that kind of thing is Andy-sama……”
“It’s fine, it’s a little entertainment☆ Well, then, let’s play cards☆”
Hilda-san sits at the table by the side while cutting the stack of cards she took out from nowhere. Taking over the flow in no time, on the contrary, Hilda-san handed out the cards face-to-face and took them, even giving a glance at Sahul, who shrewdly turned into a gallery.
———————————–
The next day, Dianne heard about the story and looked stunned.
“If my sister is serious, there’s no way those people can win”
“Eh, was she that strong with the cards!?”
“……It means she hasn’t been playing for 400 years”
The 「Dragon nude」 was consequently exposed to the public. ……Not Maia’s, but Sahul’s. Like all the other dirty drunken men, Sahul had thought nothing of it and took up the challenge. Including Sahul, more than 30 men were stripped naked that night. As a result, Sahul’s debut ended peacefully, but one wonders if this was the right thing to do. Would people remember anything about the third dragon?