Chapter 624: Gloria Takeout 2
“I don’t mean to doubt the words of the clan leader, but is it true that he is a dragon rider? I hope you’re not saying that he just has one flying dragon or something like that”
I was asked this question as we walked toward Gloria-san’s house.
“Well, there was a guy like that a few decades ago”
“Well, if you keep a flying dragon as a pet, I think that’s impressive”
She laughs bitterly. Flying dragons are a bit larger than horses, but they are unmistakably smaller than dragons. Another difference in their morphology is whether they have arms or not. Dragons have four separate legs and wings, but flying dragons don’t have separate wings and arms and when they’re resting, they’re more like birds. The intelligence of a flying dragon is also not that of an animal and the only one I know of that can speak is Euphonica, a holy beast from the holy city of Laika. Well, it is said that any creature that becomes a sacred beast has enough intelligence to be able to speak. And there are not many of them. As I recall, there are no confirmed wild species in Celesta. The flying dragons that are currently flying around as part of the Celesta Special High Speed Brigade, commonly known as the 「Flying Dragon Flight」, as messengers and emergency transport, are said to have been imported from Afilm in their egg state. There are also flying dragons in the eastern mountains, but it is said that it is difficult to ride them because they are not familiar with people. So if there was a private rider of a flying dragon, he would be quite a celebrity.
“I have three dragons. I’ve transformed them all into human bodies. Laila over there and Maia and Emma over there”
“Ho, if you want, I can expose my dragon body”
“N, No, don’t do that here! It’ll cause a fuss”
“Then don’t be suspicious. When the time comes, you can see as much as you want”
“I mean……I don’t know what I’m going to do to prepare for my trip”
“Ah……”
When traveling, you have to pack your luggage with the means of transportation in mind. How much can you take beyond the normal travel gear you would need to carry, including a change of clothes, money and some camping gear?
“I don’t even really know how much a dragon can carry in the first place. Even during the Fire Dragon War, I only saw real dragons a couple of times”
“If I was asked to grab a house, it would be in the way. I can carry five or ten barrels with no trouble”
“……That much?”
“It’s not like they said one dragon could take on a country
……I think carrying capacity and fighting power are two different things. The main reasons people say humans can’t defeat dragons are because of their flying ability and breath. But, well, there’s no point in mixing up explanations.
“Well, I guess it’s safe to say that we’ll be able to take a lot with us”
“Yeah. Well, if you can’t carry it all, I can have you come and get it later. You can go to the end of the continent and back in a week”
That’s right, I said, turning to Laila and the others, and they nodded confidently.
“But that said, the next stop would be Rennesto”
“……Eh, Rennesto is……Renfangas?”
“Umm”
“……Can you go there so easily? There’s a lot of dangerous stuff there and if a dragon gets into the place, it’s not much of a sightseeing trip……”
“I know all the bigwigs, so we’ll be fine. I mean, we’re going there to bring back the soldiers of Renfangas”
As I said that, Tetes and Naris, who were at the back of the group, looked gloomy.
“Haa……we’ll be going home next”
“I guess my carefree dawdling is over……”
Naris, did you think your current escort situation was a 「Carefree Life」? You’ve been doing all sorts of things, like suddenly fighting dragons and doing erotic things in weird places. ……Well, I don’t plan on anything scary happening anymore and I guess I’m comfortable enough with sex to let it be part of my 「Carefree Life」.
“Just get the chores done quickly. It’s Andy Smithson, he’ll be back to fuck us again before too long”
“I wonder if I can just retire without any problems. Even though I’m not as strong as Gold Arm, I’m sure I’ve been a valuable soldier, so Grand Knight Buster might complain……”
“I think the Knight Chief should be more concerned about the rest of us……”
Almeida and Sharon didn’t seem too keen on the idea either, but Gloria-san had a subtle look on her face as the conversation continued without anyone in particular tsk-tsking at the words 「I’ll come back to commit again」 as usual.
“……Those four are……Renfangas soldiers”
“They’re wearing gauntlets, aren’t they?”
“Ah, those are the gauntlets of the rumored Gauntlet Knights……umm, I should be surprised that they are putting all those girls together and letting them get along and talk and I should be surprised that those cute girls are the rumored knights of heroism”
Gloria-san mumbles. The number of surprises are so numerous that it is hard to know where to begin to react. The four of them don’t have any surprising titles, but our female slaves have many surprising personalities, don’t they?
Becker’s group was separated in advance to prepare for takeoff. And we’re helping Gloria get ready.
“I’ve been in this town for decades……and there’s a lot of stuff that’s important to me and a lot of stuff that I don’t feel like I need”
When we were taken into the back of Gloria-san’s home, it was indeed filled with sundries that had been there for decades.
“Is this the studio?”
“Yes, yes. It’s not that fancy”
When it comes to preparing for a trip that may not come back, it is not possible to sort out everything in just a few days or so. The work of pulling out various items by the hands of more than a dozen people and having Gloria-san decide whether she wants to take them or not is quite a painstaking task in itself.
“Even so……there are a lot of girls with strength. I’m not sure I can return those drawers to their original state myself”
“Anzeros is an ace knight who can beat an ogre in a hand-to-hand combat……”
Thanks to the many ace knights and those with similar power, they can move heavy objects that would normally be difficult to move without an ogre or dwarf and it’s a spectacular sight to see them being returned to their original state.
“I bet they’d be great if we called them to do some spring cleaning”
“Yeah, that’s true……that might be a good business”
“I’m kidding. It’s a waste of time and money to have such a great lineup of girls do all the cleaning work……”
“But I don’t want them to do erotic business……almost everyone has been a soldier up until now, so I’m in the middle of thinking about what to do next”
“……Sounds like a complicated situation”
I have to explain that to Gloria-san, but it’s going to take a long time. I wonder why the four gauntlet knights members came to our house and why they have to go home.
“Do you really need this many brushes? Aren’t you saving up too many? Two or three would be enough”
Beatrice brought out a large number of brushes in a wooden box and showed them to me. There are more than two hundred brushes as far as I can see. Nevertheless, an artist’s tools would need to be used in a way that an amateur can’t imagine. However, it is not difficult to imagine that for Beatrice, the artist itself is an unfamiliar existence.
“You know, Beatrice……”
I sighed and tried to explain, but Gloria-san picked up two or three brushes from the box at random.
“Yeah. I definitely need this much. I don’t need anything else”
“Eh?”
“I used to be really picky about brushes, but……in the end, when you’re trying to choose your tools, you lose sight of a lot of things”
“Is that so?”
“Well, it’s better to use good things, but I don’t think using good tools will make you satisfied. It’s more about inspiration. If you miss the moment when your idea and your emotion sync up, no matter how good your tools or skills are, it’s no good. The more you prepare yourself, like a heavy knight, trying to get better tools, the more you miss that moment”
……Is that how it is? I wonder if artists are similar to craftsmen, but in a craftsman’s mindset, where 「Necessity」 exists first, you can never be too prepared with tools and materials. However, according to Gloria’s view, 「Too much provision is not good」.
“Anyone can decorate and it doesn’t matter what time of year. But the moment when emotion is born in a light that no one has ever seen before, that is something outside of the natural senses. If you think about it and analyze it every time, it will pass away. So, if you are going to welcome and express it, it is better to take fewer steps to create it. Fine brushes and expensive pigments make me hesitate to use them for a moment of inspiration, so I add more steps between the moment of inspiration and the moment of creation”
“……Understandable, but not so understandable”
“Ahaha. Well, if it was that easy to realize, I’d be worthless too”
As she said this, Gloria-san picked out her tools with a somewhat refreshed look on her face and selected them. Perhaps half of her words were directed at herself. She says that since she cannot have many tools for her upcoming trip, she should think about valuing those advantages.
Eventually, all of Gloria-san’s travel gear is picked out. They were packed into barrels, making a total of seven, although there was no need for such a thing to be carried.
“Umm, that’s a surprisingly large number”
“Really? I feel like it’s not much, considering it’s out of decades worth of stuff”
“I thought I could squeeze more out of it……but for now, this is fine”
As Gloria-san said that, Laila, Maia and Emma each lifted the barrel onto their shoulders. Laila made one disappear with an illusion. It was probably the usual 「Carrying it in space」 type.
“Well, then, let’s go to the outskirts of town. ……I’m a little tired, though. Smithson-dono, can you give me a lift?”
“Irina, you……well, okay”
“♪”
The others, including Hilda and Fennel, didn’t look particularly tired, but I guess it’s inevitable that Irina would be tired just from walking all the way here and helping with the move. Of course, she didn’t carry anything too heavy. When I carried Irina, everyone looked a little envious and Gloria-san’s face was complicated.
“I can’t believe the chief of the northern clan……is so pampered by humans”
“Kukuku. It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Plus, why is he looking so smug about me……?”
I feel like I’m being a bit sorry for my child, but of course Irina is much older than me.
And so, we leave Harmonium. Our next stop is finally Renesto.