Chapter 477: Southern Island 4
After dragging me away from her father, Galatia stopped abruptly when we got far enough away from him that I could no longer see him. The port district was originally located on a headland that jutted out from the town, but any attempt to get away from it would lead backwards and inevitably toward the town. The sun was high, but it was painful to see the eyes of the people who seemed to be locals, who were perturbed by the strange scene of a young girl standing there with a man’s hand in hers and beginning to weep raggedly through clenched teeth.
“G, Galatia……hey, what are you going to do now……?”
I’ll let her cry as much as she want……I thought briefly, but it’s not a situation in which such a nice gesture would be appropriate. In short, Galatia, who should have done her best to protect her family against her overprotective parents, threw a tantrum in frustration because she was not allowed to have a satisfying conversation with them and she just ran away while guessing, ruining her own adventure and the results of her hard work. It was absolutely out of control. Her father is even angrier, the harvest that was supposed to clear up the misunderstanding and make him happy has turned to garbage in the muddy water and now I have no clue how to intercede with the authority of a dragon.
“Ugh……egu, uee……b, because……because, damn it……”
“Haa……”
I know what it’s like to want to rebel when someone yells at you over your head and accuses you of something at the beginning of an encounter. I’m still young enough to remember that feeling. If you’re in the prime of your youth, it’s a standard flow to hit your superiors with that. But her father had originally thrown out the fight and the charts when Galatia was in trouble. In the business of violence, face is important and for Dianne to simply throw that away is no mean feat, even if you discount the fact that she was too strong. That’s how important Galatea is. It was natural that he would be concerned because Galatia had disappeared for a whole night and it was natural that he would ask her what was going on if she was having a sloppy conversation with me, 「Enemy」. I can understand that the father was confused and impatient. However, it is difficult for children to see through the human nature that is contained in their parents’ 「Superior」 mannerisms. She may only think that her stubborn and clueless father is just assuming that everything is the child’s height, getting high and blaming her for not getting her way. But if she just fights with him there, she can’t ruin the chart, can she? I’m not sure how I can neatly wrap up the conversation……by making her cry, letting her vent her frustrations and then when she’s satisfied, telling her to make up for it in a pleasant way. At least there was no justification left on Galatia’s side. Galatia stood there crying in tears, unable to say what she was going to do and Maia and I both sighed. I realize now that all of my female slaves have a high mental age. At least none of them would ever go out of their way to do something like this without thinking about the consequences.
I waited for Galatia to stop crying for a few minutes, receiving strange looks from all over the place and then, with a heavy heart, I took her with me into the city of Farahl. Even though Galatia had gotten into a pointless fight, we still had to get our work done.
“Galatia, do you know of any merchant who might be willing to exchange for the treasure of Rabines? If not, I’ll just barter with some random food merchant”
That’s fine, but there’s a slight chance they’ll get suspicious. Even though this is a city that doesn’t care about its past or even pirates once you cross the ocean, I don’t want to be confronted with a cutlass from a military police officer asking where I got the treasure.
“……N. There is a money changer who specializes in pirates at the northernmost point of the western street……”
“Okay”
We headed for the merchant according to Galatia’s instructions. ……When I arrived, the middle-aged vice captain named Alan was trying to exchange money for goods with his men.
“Ah”
“Hmm? What’s this little thing……nn, Galatia!?”
Alan.san saw me raise my voice and was about to be awesome for a moment as if to say, don’t get involved with a pirate, when he recognized Galatia’s figure next to me and stopped with a start. A sailor next to him whispers in his ear.
“Th, The man over there and the girl in the back are part of the dark elf group from yesterday”
“Wh, eh, hey, what are you doing with Galatia……”
“Get out of my way. I don’t have anything to do with you right now”
Galatia still looks down to hide her red eyes and wet nasal voice and while Maia acts as if she doesn’t notice, only her body cuts in between me and Alan-san. In Maia’s hands are about five or six pieces of jewelry with large gems, which seem to be easy and valuable among Rabines’ treasure. A rough estimate would be enough for several homes of an average person.
“I’d like to turn them into gold coins or bills”
The fox beast merchant who was offered the items, as well as Alan-san and his henchmen, could be seen clearing their throats.
“Th, This is……le, let me appraise it a little bit. Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there are a lot of fakes out there. If you look closely, you can find colored glass on a plated base……”
“Hey hey, as expected of that”
I speak involuntarily.
“What’s the matter, we’re the ones paying for it, okay? I know more about jewelry than this young girl……”
“Heather-san, if you’re trying to read the market, you should stop making nasty quibbles and making money”
Galatia points out while sniffing her nose.
“That boy is not just a human”
“Ha……? What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to stop you if you want to get into it. But that’s what I got from Rabines at Red Whale yesterday”
“……Yesterday? Alan was drinking and you served him Bloody Orca?”
“I shouldn’t have done that”
At the fox merchant’s gaze, Alan-san denies it with his breath smelling of alcohol.
“I mean, you can do that”
“……Riddle, huh? I’m sure Galatia-chan is sixteen by now, and it’s not a good idea to get adults involved in strange games……”
“I’m already seventeen! The merchant who is not very discerning will not make it big. Show him the proof”
“……Is it okay, Andy-sama?”
“If this happens, even if I say it out loud, people will doubt me……so don’t cause any damage around you, just for a moment”
“n”
Maia walks out to the loading dock next to the store and pauses with a beep. For a brief moment, the image of a blue dragon, its scales glowing coolly against the blue sky, appears in her eyes with a phantom shock that shakes ones brain.
“Naa!?”
“Geee!?”
The fox merchant and Alan-san’s gang are all surprised.
“……Yesterday, we beat up Rabines and kicked out all his minions. One of these days their ship will come to Farahl, so you can check it out”
“N, No……but if you know enough magic to create the appearance of a dragon with illusions……”
“Andy-sama, may I go wild?”
“No. Or rather, the trembling vice-captain understands better”
While the merchant was still in a cold sweat and unconvinced, Alan-san and his crew were rattled and trembling.
“Alan, do you know anything about this?”
“……I, I told you a while ago……that dark elf group who rode into our Bloody Orca, I finally know what all that bullshit strength is all about……! A bunch of dragons, huh?”
“No, there’s only Maia here and one other dragon and the rest are just soldiers. No, I mean, most of them are Celesta’s knight class and above”
“I don’t get it! I, I’m not supposed to hold a grudge against Celesta’s guys for the final blow!?”
“It’s a complicated situation. I didn’t have any grudge against them, but I had to go to Red Whale”
“Ah, Red Whale……was not Rabines’ secret weapon that did the other four ships, but a dragon that had a weakness for that rotten son of a bitch. That dragon has now defected from Rabines and the other small fries have been driven out by these guys, so we can go back”
“H, How did this happen all of a sudden!? I, I don’t understand why Galatia is with them!”
“…………”
“Yesterday, after you were beaten by my captain, we went around to the ship and had a fight with them”
I explained in place of Galatia, who had fallen silent. ……I think it would have been less complicated if her father had encouraged her to talk like this.
“You’re being reckless……Captain would be furious. Have you been back to Blood Orca yet?”
“……I’m not going back”
“Ah?”
Alan-san looks doubtful. Still pouting?
“I don’t know that old bastard. I’m going to follow him……”
“Don’t decide arbitrarily”
I slap Galatia on the head.
“……Wh, What are you doing!”
“I’m not in need of a woman. I don’t care if you get into a fight with your parents like that”
“Wh……Wh, What are you talking about!? Even though she look like this!”
Galatia pointing at Maia. Yes. Well, there are many others who are younger than Galatia, such as Tetes and Anzeros. But.
“I’m not so young that even the youngest of my girls would get into such a stupid fight with their parents. If you want me to play with you, come to me when you grow up to be an adult inside. I can’t impregnate a woman who can’t feel her parents’ feelings because she’s too dangerous”
Well, not all female slaves are matured. But there are no kids who come to us with weird fights with their parents……no, there might be some suspicious with Aurora. I’m not going to say anything about that.
“Impregnated……”
“I’m not sure how you could get laid and not have anything to do with pregnancy?”
I grinned up at Galatia, who was in a fit of rage. No, well, I have to clarify something here. I’m certainly an erotic man, but I’m not so unprincipled that I’ll eat a woman I have no love for and am not ready for. Galatia is not within the scope of what I want to do and can do to make her happy. Both in love relationships and in terms of position.
“If you want to have my baby, come to me when you can show your father that you are impregnated by me in front of him, when you can say goodbye to your life and be a slave for the rest of your life. All of my female slaves can afford to do that”
“T……Th, That……is……”
Galatia is frightened. And Maia raises her face as if she noticed something.
“……Come”
“N?”
What is it, I think. Maybe Dianne came back ahead of schedule. However, seeing where it came from, a man’s gigantic body shook the ground and landed in front of the money changer, sending chills down his spine again.
“…..Ku, you fucking old bastard!”
“Galatia”
Yes, it was her father. I involuntarily shrank back to use Maia as a shield. The sailors led by Alan-san were already peeking in fearfully from outside the store, and the fox merchant, unable to keep up with the conversation, watched the proceedings with his mouth half-open.
“What are you……ah, it doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing!”
“……You are!”
The old man doesn’t take Galatia’s cries to heart and slowly opens his hand. Inside was a square folded nautical chart, there in an untied form.
“Ah…….”
Then her father opens it carefully with his big hand. It should have been wet, blotchy and soggy, but it was still completely untouched. It was only slightly blotchy.
“……I threw it in the mud”
“I froze it”
“Eh?”
“……Mud. Just in time”
Maia mumbles and turns her face to me, looking a little bit proud of herself. Nice. I pat her.
“You were going……to take this back, weren’t you?”
“Uh…….”
“Idiots”
The father suddenly rips off the unfolded nautical chart, lights it on fire with a candle from the room light and releases it into the street.
“A, Aah……wh, what the hell did you do, you fucking old man!!!”
“It’s the same thing you just did. I don’t need it. I don’t need that thing. ……What kind of a foolhardy thing did you do for a piece of paper like that?”
“B, But……what I just got back……!”
“I told you I could handle it. I told you that I could handle it. But you……did you follow them to bring it back? How stupid can you be? How much better would it have been to play around in Farahl? That’s why you’ll always be less than half a man”
“Wh, What……what’s the fun in denying what others do!?”
“Don’t weigh the dangers to yourself so lightly!!”
The father blackmailed. Galatia’s tail quivered in surprise and she bit her lip in frustration. Her desperately built-up bravado was about to be blown away and she seemed to be barely holding it together with her two canine teeth.
“I’d give my charts, my ship, or my heart to anyone for your safety! Why did you risk your life to get the charts back when you could just look them up and make them again without having to go back? No one will ever be able to replace you again!”
“……D, Don’t tell me you’re going to give me your heart so easily, father”
“Parents eventually die leaving their children as much as they can. There’s no reverse. When you die, whatever’s left behind won’t mean anything to me. Don’t ever do this to me again!”
……Ah. What a clumsy, pure father. I wonder how many fathers, no matter how much they love their children, can say this in this tone. It’s not a sweet vow to please his children. It is not a beautiful vainglory to put up for others to see. It’s just a belief that he will carry it through. That’s all. It’s not about being thought well of. It’s not about getting love back. It’s just the way you and I are. He is a great father who says this even in front of his subordinates. Even as a first-year father, I wish I could be like this to my children.
“U, Uuh……I, I mean, if it wasn’t there……it wouldn’t work…so, aa……!!”
In the end, Galatia started crying again. Her father patted her head, seemingly roughly, as if grabbing it and waited for her to calm down. Everyone, including me and Alan-san, waited fearfully for Galatia to stop crying.
——————————————-
“……That’s why I saw Galatia naked, but other than that, I didn’t do anything special. We can go back to Red Whale Island right now and we would very much like you to return soon”
“……I see. Did you see it?”
It’s supposed to be a big event where the home base unexpectedly returns, but Galatia´s father seems to only care about the fact that I saw Galatea naked, so I’m hiding behind Maia again and reporting it. By the way, the redemption of Rabines treasure and the purchase of food went as smoothly as if I had lied to him after he gave me a quick glare. The Red Whale Pirates are an official pirate group, which means that they are a quasi-navy or maritime mercenary group that can act with a certain degree of authority during war in Lapal.
“Galatia is……pure hearted. Since she was seen, you might have intended to marry her. ……When Galatia wanted to do so……you know, young man?”
“E, Emm……I already have a child and female slave……or rather, I have about 20 women who are like my wives”
“……Tau”
“I, If possible, I’d like you to think of it as a dog bite and forget about it……”
“I once had a dog that bit Galatia at the Red Whale Fort and I beat him to death on the spot and Galatia cried”
“…………”
That would be a traumatic experience for a child to have a pet executed in front of them. But rather than because of Galatia’s cuteness, I think Galatia understood that 「Even dogs won’t allow anything that doesn’t suit her」. ……As expected, this old man has a limit to clumsiness. So, will I be beaten to death?
“If you had forcibly taken her chastity, I would have stabbed you to death. But you don’t have to be so afraid”
“Maia, help me”
“If you touch Andy-sama, I’ll kill you”
I have Maia, who is on my side, protect me with all my might. ……Seeing that, Galatia let out a complicated sigh. Now, it’s a bit of a mystery what she’s up against.