Chapter 678: Mid-Summer Islands 8
“What do you think?”
“Oh, it’s good, it’s good. A casual look suits you, Emma
“I don’t mean to wear it sloppily, but……”
“No, it’s not that, how can I put it……it feels like a princess was guarding me, but this time it feels more like a proper female warrior”
“I don’t really know, but……if you like it”
The clothes Emma had prepared at the thrift store were the same type of tunic as Galatia’s everyday clothes, but Emma’s neat style and natural cool and dignified atmosphere, combined with the vivid blues and greens that stand out against her silver hair, gave it a worldly feel compared to the traditional costumes she had worn up until now at Crystal Palace, while still exuding a girlish freshness and the dynamism of a maritime nation. She still has the elegance and grace of a dragon, and although it gives the impression of being a little too noble, it is within the acceptable range.
“You look good no matter what you wear, or rather, your clothes look inferior…… in a way, you’re a happy and in a way scary customer, as a kimono shop owner”
The old lady at the thrift shop praised her.
“I don’t know how you got this slave, but you’ll never find one like it again. Take good care of it, will you?”
“That’s great”
In the end, I pushed through with the conversation about (Slaves), so I let it go without clearing up any misunderstandings. She’s a female slave (planned), but she’s a little different from what the old lady thinks. Not different, but different.
“……I’ll serve you to the bone so that you’ll take good care of her forever
Emma, too, declares this with a blush on her cheeks, whether she understands or not, amidst the soft misunderstanding.
————————————
Dinner was a grand affair at Farar’s tavern. I mean, just entering the tavern with all of us was a bit of a buzz, and when we took our seats, men with ulterior motives were buying drinks for Fennel and Neia, who were sitting at the end of the bar one after the other. They were all pale-skinned beauties, which is rare in this country, so they seemed to stand out.
“E, Emm, I can’t help it.”
“I don’t drink much……”
Neither Fennel nor Neia is much of a drinker. It’s not that they can’t drink, but they only drink enough to get drunk when they’re with family or when they feel really safe. They must be very cautious. No, maybe I’m just too cautious because I always leave it to Dianne and Laila.
“Men are so hard to deal with. If there are so many high quality women gathered here, you would think they would notice something”
“What do you mean? It just looks like a group of beautiful women coming out unprotected, doesn’t it?”
“One or two of them would have been fine, but if there were more than ten of them, you would have thought it was a group for some reason. There’s no way they’d be defenseless and not think about anything”
With these words, Irina sipped her drink, causing the owner to panic. He thought a child was drinking.
“H, Hey, hey, kids shouldn’t drink that kind of alcohol. You’ll die”
“I won’t die. How old do you think I am?”
“……Ten or eleven?”
“Add at least two more! No, I’m 154 to begin with!”
She’s estimated to be younger than the continent. Maybe it’s because her skin is too beautiful. No matter where you’re born, children have soft skin, and it gets rough as they get older. In this climate where the sea breeze and sunlight can be rough, Irina’s skin, which is polished by the silver clan and Polka´s miraculous spring, shines like a child’s.
“I’m kidding. Elves age like humans until they grow up, right? I know that, no matter how few there are around here”
“Some don’t grow up like me! And there are short people, too!”
“Even so……”
“She’s fully grown. She’s three times older than me”
Fennel defends herself, having shaken off the pick-up man. And then, Irina and the owner of the store both look confused at the same time.
“That’s true, but when you say three times older, it makes me feel a bit awkward……”
“So even a girl like this is older than me……”
The shopkeeper looks a little over forty. As usual, her rough skin from living by the sea may make her look a little older. ……I still find it hard to believe that Fennel is the same age as my mother. I guess it’s normal when you’re over 100 years old like Irina or Naris.
“By the way, the best of them all is that dark elf over there”
Laila pointed at Hilda while she drank her drink, which she had bought from a guy who was looking for Fennel. Hilda was chatting with Anzeros and the others, but when Laila pointed out, she turned one ear. ……Ah, it works that way too. She moved only one ear as if to point at Laila.
“……Laila-chan?”
“Don’t overreact when I didn’t say your age”
“Seriously! It’s good manners to end that topic right away! Excuse me!”
“I don’t understand how a woman can get angry at her age either”
Hilda patted the tall Laila on the shoulder. Laila is a good girl, and she didn’t spill a drop of wine from her cup even though she was being slapped.
“I suppose I shouldn’t ask for specific numbers”
“……I’m.480 years old”
“You’re going to tell me?”
“I don’t want people to make excessive assumptions☆”
The owner of the store finally looked stunned.
“……Can I ask something while I’m at it? What’s up with you guys? You don’t seem like just any other travelers, but if you need to be considerate, I’ll warn the regulars”
“Well, maybe saying just anybody is misleading, but they’re not rich or anything, so I don’t think you need to worry about it. ……Those girls are Ace Knights, so they can protect themselves☆”
“I see. …Are they Ace Knights? Are they in the Celesta Navy?”
“Not the Navy, are they? I mean, in Celesta, even if you’re dishonorably discharged from the military, you can still be an Ace Knight. The title of Ace Knight can’t be taken away, right? Once you get it, you’re an Ace Knight for life☆”
“Why are strong people from Celesta here when they’re not even in the navy……no, how can I get so involved? Don’t dig up too much information”
“You’re very respectful of our privacy, aren’t you?”
“That’s the rule of Farar. No, I should say it’s wisdom of life. ……Everything is possible on the other side of the sea. If you are talking about things you don’t know or don’t understand the meaning of, there is no end to it. It is not unusual to find people who have crossed the sea and left their past behind, which they don’t want to talk about. The present is all that matters, and the past is the past. It’s best not to dwell on the past”
“I see. ……If everyone could just accept that, the world would be a much more peaceful place”
“The only thing is that it’s wise to stay out of the affairs of people you don’t know, and even if you do something wrong here, it doesn’t mean you’ll get off scot-free tomorrow”
“That’s true, but if people don’t worry about unnecessary things and start arguing, I think they can get along pretty well”
“Maybe. We’re the ones who do that, so the ones who don’t, I don’t know about that though. ……Glass is empty, would you like another?”
“I’ll take one. If possible, I’d like a drink that is typical of Farar☆”
“Okay. I wonder if this is Robinsons 5. It’s a good year”
“What does 5 mean?”
“The age of the wine. Next year it will be six. I don’t think it’s counted much in other places”
“Yes, that’s right. You have to be very rich to drink long-aged wine by designation”
“I don’t know whether the continent is advanced or not. Here you go”
Hilda drinks the liquor recommended by the owner with relish. I like it. It’s nice. I’d like to drink too, but I’m busy mediating between Beatrice and Galatia, who are standing on either side of me, so I don’t get drunk carelessly.
“I’m a hero in my hometown”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”
“Uu~……eh, ace knight, same! Strong!”
Beatrice, who until now had stubbornly spoken only in Kalwin language, was trying her best to speak in Northwestern in order to appeal to Galatia that she was more amazing than she was. That in itself is something to be cheered, but in the end, she is still trying to pick a fight, and it would be a waste of time to quickly translate or silence her. The result is that U have to sit in the middle of the room, on edge, but trying not to engage each other directly.
“I, strong, home, best!”
“……What are you talking about?”
“I’m, top!”
“Top”
“Top!”
“……There’s nothing but a ceiling”
“Uuuu!”
For Galatia, she was at a loss to react to the fact that the guy who had only been speaking in a strange language up until now was now trying his best to complain about strange things in katakana. During sex, I could tell by the way she was moving that she wanted to interrupt something (I also made analogies based on my reactions), but if she was going to say something directly, she needed to speak in proper sentences so that I could respond. And what Beatrice is claiming is just an argument that is difficult to respond to in the first place, even if it was properly conveyed.
“……M, Mou! It’s not fair if you don’t let her speak my language too! Say so!”
“No, Beatrice. You are the foreigner here. If you don’t speak my language, you’re going to have a hard time in the future”
“Uuuh!”
“Come on”
“……I´m hero, an ace knight, is the same, but strong, up!”
“…………Beatrice”
I stroked her black hair, which was stiff with tide.
“Let’s study properly”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Not at all”
Maybe she’s trying to say, 「」I’m a brave hero and I’m as strong as an ace knight, so I’m better than you!」, but it was still messed up. Galatia kept looking at me with a dubious look on her face. I mean, to Galatia, Kalwin is a completely foreign language, but Beatrice has been living in a Northwestern-speaking country for a while, so she understands a little of what Galatia is saying. But since she had not tried to speak it, she could not assemble it when the time came. That must be frustrating.
“Teach me how to say it properly!”
“If you just repeat what you’ve said, you’ll forget it. Keep what you want to say in your mind and learn more about the way people speak. You need to grasp the meaning of what you are saying by imitating it yourself. Then, when you feel you can speak properly, you can say it again”
“Don’t be mean!”
“If you can say it the way you want, it’s not true. My female slaves don’t get higher in the pecking order just because they’re strong or because they came from a great family”
“Uh……”
“If you want to compete with Galatia on something more, that’s fine. You can compete with Galatia on other things, like erotic techniques, cooking, sewing, and so on. I don’t forbid you to compete and win personally”
“That’s not……”
“If you say you can’t do it, you’ll never be able to do it”
I pat Beatrice on the head again.
“Good for you for trying to speak for yourself. You’re trying to use two words now. That’s a good thing. Not about the content, though. ……We all believe you can do more”
“……Uh”
“I speak your language too, so there’s no reason you can’t speak ours. I’m just a blacksmith’s son. You’re a hero, aren’t you?”
“……It’s not fair to talk like that”
“Cooking and sewing, too. You can do it. Try to do better than Galatia and win”
Even if she wins, it won’t raise her rank as a female slave, but it’s good for them to work hard together. A relationship where they improve each other, like that between Angelos and Aurora, is beneficial for them. It would be good if she could build such a relationship with Galatia, not just pick a fight……but maybe it’s a bit premature. But there are very few people who can be Beatrice’s rival, soberly. Neia is in many ways no match for her, and even Tetes, who is close to her in age and might be able to compete with her in temperament, is in fact so different in ability that she can lightly play with Galatia. There are many things that Beatrice doesn’t have, such as magic skills and intrigue, and there is too much difference between them to be rivals.
“H, Hey, what are you talking about?”
Galatia tugs at my sleeve. I can’t explain, so I laugh and cover it up.
“Beatrice just got free the other day”
“……From what?”
“A lot of things. So please forgive her”
“……Y, Yes but”
“Fine, fine. You’re a good girl
“No, don’t be like that, you’re like my dad!”
……I thought to myself, I’m a very old man. I wanted to act like a 「Big brother」, but somehow I felt like a father trying to soothe his child. I’m not in the age bracket that I’ve never been in before, but Beatrice and Galatia are both childlike. I accept that I should treat someone my age like an adult, accept it, and accept that it’s normal.
“……Is this how men age?”
I feel a little sad. I’d like to think that I’m not old enough to be called an old man.