Chapter 3/5
Side Story. Rosaria Quest (6)
"Well, it's something like that. I brought him here to pay off his debt, so it's like a groom being taken in."
"A groom being taken in?"
"It's when a man goes to a woman's house, like a strategic marriage."
"Ah, I think I know what you mean."
As soon as she heard the term "strategic marriage," Rosaria understood and nodded her head.
"Strategic marriage is bad."
"Why do you think strategic marriage is bad, little magician?"
"Our master said that strategic marriages are only for bad people. A marriage between people who love each other is the best."
Rosaria made a thumbs-up gesture and said.
'It seems the master had a hard time with strategic marriages.'
Arienna smiled uncomfortably.
"Well, if I hadn't brought him here, he might have been beaten to death. I brought him here to live like a human being. Right?"
"Yes, I am always grateful to you."
"But you're fooling around with others?"
"Arienna!"
Dandelion cried out in a voice that seemed like he was about to burst into tears.
Listening to their conversation, Yuria suddenly became curious about Dandelion.
"How did you end up in debt?"
"He was born so kind... No, he's a foolish person who can't hurt others and can't pass by someone in need. That's why he went into debt, for 30 people's worth."
"3, 30 people?"
Yuria was surprised by the unexpected number.
He had no ability, but he was the type to meddle in others' affairs.
Dandelion was the most convenient person to take advantage of.
"But how did you two meet?"
"It's a funny story... I also received help from this man. I asked him to tell me a good place to buy medicinal herbs, and he said he'd help me. I had never seen anyone so pure and helpful in bargaining. So..."
I fell for him.
Arienna swallowed those words and smiled.
It was a brief smile, and when she looked back at Dandelion, she glared at him coldly.
"Well, it would be nice if he were only kind to me, but that nature is a huge stumbling block now. He's flirting with women here and there, like a dog in heat. If he were ugly, it would have been cute to see him struggle on a tree he couldn't climb, but with his looks like a leech…”
"Flirting? What are you talking about, Arienna! I've never looked at anyone else!"
"You're joking. I saw you with my own two eyes, drooling over a woman with big breasts and hitting on her, and you're going to talk nonsense again?"
"Well, that's because she asked if there were any suitable flowers to match her fiancé, and I tried to put a flower on her chest!"
"Oh, really? From what I saw, your gaze was a bit lower. And you touched her body quite a bit."
"Well, if the needle were to get stuck in her beautiful skin, it would be a big deal."
"Big breasts are beautiful, right? Yeah, it's better than having them on a woman like a gum stuck to my shoe. A beast that doesn't know gratitude. Oh, right, that's why I turned you into a dog, remember?"
"Arienna, you have no idea how many people I've hurt in this form! Please, put away your anger and undo this form!"
"If you stay at home, you won't have to worry about that, right? That's why I made you like this."
As the argument continued, Dandelion let out a groan.
"Ugh... Okay. Arienna, if you really want me to stay at home, I will. I'm a man who can't help you, so I'll just live off of you."
When he started to speak weakly, Arienna secretly glanced at him with a guilty face.
Then she scratched the back of her head as if annoyed.
"Ugh, I'm too soft-hearted. I'm disqualified as a magician."
Arienna raised her wand and concentrated her mana, lifting the curse placed on Dandelion's body.
The fur receded into his body, and his snout gradually shortened. A tall, handsome blonde man appeared.
He was naked.
Larksper's speed was as fast as light.
He covered Rosaria and Yuria's eyes.
Dandelion reveled in the joy of his face.
"Ah! I finally got my original form back. How glad I am for this soft skin!"
"Cover your lower body, you beast."
After living in the wild for so long, a sense of shame finally caught up with him.
"Huh? Oh no! I showed the kids something they shouldn't see! Arienna, do you have clothes?"
"I left them in the bedroom, you scalded man."
Dandelion hurriedly ran and got dressed.
After a while, seeing him properly dressed, Larksper uncovered the eyes of the two.
"Oh my."
"Wow."
Yuria and Rosaria exclaimed in admiration.
Yuria, who was weak for handsome men, couldn't take her eyes off Dandelion.
"Who are you, sir?"
"My name is Dandelion, young lady."
"Don't lie. Dandelion was a werewolf!"
"Ha ha! I returned to my original form as the magic was lifted."
Dandelion responded with a refreshing smile.
His face, which felt like a considerate older brother, made anyone feel comfortable.
Yuria could understand Arienna's feelings as she looked at Dandelion.
'I can see why she would say that.'
With a refreshing smile and a prominent nose, he looked like the prince of her dreams, only needing a crown and a white horse.
She felt a desire to possess him as if he were a delicate princess.
Though Yuria had a face that easily fell in love, Dandelion had a national treasure-level appearance that all women would desire.
As she stared at him, Arienna looked at him with her chin raised.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Don’t covet my stuff?"
Yuria, who had her true feelings exposed, shouted in denial.
"W-what are you talking about! I have someone I'm interested in."
"Well, that's a relief. It's annoying to have a rival."
Arienna giggled.
"Returning to a human body makes me feel all the more refreshed. Thank you, our little magicians, and the honorable orc warrior."
Dandelion courteously greeted each of them.
"It's okay!"
"But if the magician was your wife from the beginning, there would be no need to worry so much. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, Arienna has her own reputation. I was afraid Arienna would dislike me and want a divorce, so it was hard to bring it up."
"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? I spent 5,000 UP to pay off your debt, you think I'd just let you go?"
Arienna spoke gruffly, but Dandelion held her right hand with both of his and said.
"I don't want to let you go either, Arienna. Please don't say anything cruel like leaving me."
"…Wh-what embarrassing things are you doing in front of the kids? You silly… man…"
"Oh my."
"Wow."
Yuria and Rosaria exclaimed in admiration.
Yuria, who was weak for handsome men, couldn't take her eyes off Dandelion.
Arienna punched Dandelion's chest with her left fist.
"Oh, by the way, Arienna. I'm sorry, but can you lend me 300 UP?"
Arienna's excited face soured in an instant.
"300 UP? Where did this fire victim get into trouble again?"
"I got into this because you arbitrarily cursed me. I secretly ate a chicken from a farm. I have to pay back double the amount."
"What? Double? Why did you make such a promise? You foolish idiot!"
"That's how it is. If you don't pay, these young ladies and the orc warrior won't be able to get back the precious items they've put up as collateral."
"Ugh…!"
Arienna let out a groan with an unhappy expression.
Then, she waved her hand and took out money from the container where the funds were kept and put it in a pouch.
"Thanks, cough!"
She threw the money pouch containing exactly 300 UP directly at Dandelion's face.
"If you do something stupid like paying for someone else's debt again, I'll turn you into a dog, not a werewolf! Got it!?"
"Yes, I understand."
Arienna stood up from her seat.
"Let's go. This time, I'll go with you."
"You're coming with us?"
Arienna's face turned red at the question.
"Huh? So what? I have to go clean up your mess. Who else would go?"
"No, I'm just happy that you're coming with us. Please don't be angry."
The witch of the forest never leaves her territory easily.
It was a principle to bring the other party into her forest range, even if there was an urgent matter, as it always involved danger.
Dandelion looked at Arienna like that and smiled purely.
Arienna smiled bitterly, as if she found even that smile annoying.
* * *
Having become human, Dandelion returned to Dun Luster Village with Arienna.
Dandelion took the lead and approached the owner of the poultry farm to greet her.
"Hello, madam?"
When the handsome blonde man approached her and spoke, she forgot about her broom sweeping and blinked her eyes.
"… Who are you?"
"I came to apologize once more for the trouble I caused you recently."
"What wrong did you do? I'm not sure..." The owner of the chicken farm asked in a slightly different tone from their first meeting.
The owner was unfamiliar to Dandelion.
Dandelion introduced himself again, realizing the confusion.
"I'm Dandelion. I'm the guy you called a wolf."
"What? The werewolf? Oh my, has the curse been lifted?"
"Yes, it has! Haha! I'm sorry for eating your chickens without permission, madam."
As he bowed his head politely to apologize, the lady burst into a carefree laugh.
"Oh, no, it's okay, haha! You can eat them if you're hungry. I'm the one who should apologize, young man. Did I surprise you?"
"No, it was a natural reaction."
"Wow, you seem a bit reserved. I don't know if I should treat you to a meal or something. Would you like to have a meal together?"
"Oh, no thank you. Haha! I'll just receive your generous heart, madam."
The owner, who seemed like a general, began to give Dandelion instructions.
Arianna glared at Dandelion as he chuckled, as if disliking his cheerful demeanor. Conscious of her gaze, Dandelion quickly handed over 300 UP.
Thus, they received the items that Rosaria, Yuria, and Larksper had left as collateral in their entirety.
After confirming that there were no problems, Arianna nodded her head and spoke.
"That settles the debt... Thank you again for finding us, little girls and the orc warrior."
"Don't call me 'little'. I have kids, you know..."
"Shut up. Don't act like a kid."
Arianna growled, and Dandelion became quiet again.
Then, the owner of the chicken farm continued speaking.
"Young mages and orc warrior, you did well. If you go to the adventurer's guild, they will pay you for the quest. It may be a small amount of money for people like you."
Then, Rosaria strongly shook her head.
"No, it's valuable money! It's a reserve fund for the future use of the hero party!"
The fact that they had taken their first step towards completing the quest and receiving the reward was important. Whether it was a large sum of money or a small sum of money, Rosaria didn't care at all.
"Hero Party? Then who's the hero?"
"I'm the hero!"
"You?"
The little magician girl in a gray hat and robe becomes the hero.
At that, Arienna laughed out loud, finding Rosaria cute.
It wasn't a mocking laugh.
It was a laugh that came from her cuteness and pure expectations.
"That's right, little magician. A girl as understanding and kind as you will undoubtedly become a great hero."
Arienna and Dandelion returned to the forest.
Rosaria and Yuria reported the completion of the quest to their parents.
As if waiting for them, two sky chariots landed side by side in Dun Luster Village.
No, there were three.
An extra chariot came from the empire.
Yuria Frenda, who welcomed her father, Zekeheil Frenda, asked as she saw the people getting off the chariots.
"Who are they?"
"They're the imperial envoys. They were sent here when they heard that the leader of the Balton Alliance was present."
"They sent them directly from the empire?"
From the time the Kalton Mountains were conquered, the empire tried to exert influence there.
However, the chance for the empire to meet the leader of the Barchan Alliance was like picking stars from the sky.
The orc chieftain, who valued honor, did not even try to negotiate with the empire in the first place.
There were few opportunities to meet and confront them like this.
"Daughter, thanks to you, I can help the empire in a good way."
Zekeheil spoke proudly, but Yuria was not very happy.
'It's good to be an imperial magician...'
It was undeniably a good thing to be helpful to the great empire, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.
"Next time..."
"Huh?"
"Could you tell me when the envoys are coming?"
"Ah, I see. I'll do that."
Zekeheil was puzzled by Yuria's sudden displeasure.
The reunion of Rosaria and Reed continued.
"Dad!"
"Did you have fun?"
"Yes! It was so much fun. There was a werewolf catching chickens, but actually, it was..."
"Let's talk about that later. We'll go home and tell everyone."
"Okay! Oh, I'm going to turn it into a fairy tale and show it!"
Rosaria, feeling uplifted by the successful adventure, climbed onto the chariot.
Reed patted Larksper's shoulder.
"You did a great job."
"I'll go anywhere my brother needs me."
Larksper, beating his chest and smiling.
"Shall I join you in talking with the envoys? It seems like it could be a headache."
"Hmm... No. I can handle it myself."
Having learned about human policies and values, Larksper had a sense of how to talk to the envoys.
Being a strong man in practice, he faced the envoys alone.
Rosaria showed her hand-drawn pictures along with the dog and told her adventure story.
There was no Demon King or hero, but it was a very interesting story.
* * *
"Arienna, let's go."
"Stay away, you lustful one. Walk one meter away from me."
"What are you talking about? Then we won't look like a couple, will we? Are you embarrassed by me?"
"I am embarrassed. I feel like I'm going to die of embarrassment. You have no idea how embarrassing it is to be with a man whose head is full of flowers."
"Then I understand. I'm sorry for being such a terrible man."
"…I really can't hate you. I'll lift the one-meter approach ban. Come here."
"Thank you, Arienna."
"Hmph. You're really like a dog. Why do your emotions sway back and forth like reeds?"
"Isn't it because I love you?"
"You say you love me, but you're always flirting."
"What are you talking about! I'm always grateful for your kindness and devotion."
"Fine. Be grateful for the rest of your life, you fool. Don't even skip a day."
"I will. I'll be like that for the rest of my life. So I wish you would tell me you love me too."
"No way. I'm not a child."
"Is that so?"
"…."
"…."
"I love you, you idiot."
"I love you too."
This is a July summer commemorative illustration.
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