36 – Auction (1)
Two peaceful days passed without any incidents.
Life in the Grand Castle was truly satisfying to an indescribable degree. The bed was comfortable, the food was delicious, there was warm water and a clean bathroom, and even the clothes were comfortable and made of high-quality materials.
“Good, good … “
“… Why did you come all the way here today?”
Before I left through the grand north gate and came to the forest early in the morning, I told the party members ahead of time about my plans.
Today was the day when the dragon stone auction starts at two in the afternoon. So I came out early to prepare beforehand.
“I came to retrieve your scales.”
“… Now?”
“Yes. It’s better to do it quickly.”
“It’s not like it would take more time anyway…”
“Oh, are you going to question everything according to the contract again?”
“… Of course not.”
The forest was calm, and there were no people. It seemed that there would be no problem even if Caius revealed himself.
“Then let’s do it here.”
“…Cruel human.”
“What?”
“Oh, never mind.”
This kid keeps walking on the tightrope.
After releasing the polymorph, Caius returned to his original form as a giant dragon. Fortunately, the dense trees of the forest covered his appearance, making it unlikely to be seen from outside.
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“Just crouch down a bit. There are trees, but you might still be visible.”
Caius obediently lowered his head and lay down. I nodded satisfactorily and continued the story.
“Then, pull it out for me.”
“Do I have to pull it out myself?”
It would be better to pull it out myself.
“Should I do it? But I might take a long time to pull it out because I’m a bit weak. I might also feel more pain…”
“Oh, I got it! I’ll do it!”
That’s what I expected from the beginning.
“How many scales are there?”
“How many do you need?”
I turned around and asked. Of course, I hadn’t come to the forest alone. Either they were worried I might escape, or two party members accompanied me.
“Uh?”
It was Ser-Ariah who responded, while the other person, Clara, had adequately defended me yesterday. Since both of them knew that I had gained magic powers, there was no problem bringing them along.
Ser-Ariah lifted the bottle to his lips, took a drink, and then replied to my question.
“How much is possible?”
“If you draw too much at once, you’ll complain about being in pain later. So, let’s draw a moderate amount now and draw again later.”
“hahahaha, sounds good!”
Although Caius looked at us with eyes that seemed to see us as demons, I didn’t pay attention.
You can’t call someone a demon just because they saved a bastard who caused trouble in the middle of the capital city.
“I’ll need about 20 arrows. Additionally, I need 10 more for myself. Just a total of 30.”
“It doesn’t seem like such a small number, contrary to what you’re saying…”
“You won’t do it?”
“I… I never said that!”
Caius grumbled as he began plucking the scales on his back with his fingers. It must have been somewhat painful, but judging by the lack of any itching, it seemed like he was just being dramatic.
“Also, pull out one fang and one claw. And give me one of your horns.”
“…The horn really hurts.”
“It’s better than dying.”
Caius replied, trembling with his head lowered.
“Why not just trim them instead of pulling them out? Judging by your request, you’re probably planning to make some kind of potion again, aren’t you?”
“So you know?”
“If I’m the one making it, I don’t necessarily need both horns.”
“Well, that’s different for what I’m trying to make. I need a whole horn.”
“…Different?”
“Yeah, you see…”
I commanded.
“Quickly, pull out the horn and give it to me.”
“….”
Caesius executed the order with a short scream indicating real pain.
Although it may seem cruel, since they all grow back over time, there is no harm to their lives.
Successfully obtaining all the necessary by-products like that.
Wow, this is a creation economy. A method of infinite production of byproducts without even killing the dragon!
“Here, Aria.”
“Oh! Thank you, Allen!”
Ser-Aria received the scales and expressed gratitude to Caius as well.
“hahahaha, did you say Caius? Thanks, I’ll make good use of it!”
“…Sure.”
“It’s nothing worth calling a favor, but how about a drink?”
“…I’m good with not having alcohol.”
Surprisingly, she doesn’t like alcohol. Considering the fact that she belongs to a long-lived species, I thought she would enjoy drinking.
“Hmm…”
While I’ve heard that dragons like treasure, I’ve never heard that they like alcohol.
“Then Allen, are we going back now?”
“We still have some time until 2 o’clock, should we make it right away?”
“…here?”
Clara asked, raising her head with a puzzled expression as if asking if we can make something in this empty forest.
“I brought the supplies.”
I brought a backpack with me, carrying the shell I peeled off from the rare creature.
I took out various things from the bag and spread them on the ground. Sergey-Aria and Clara watched quietly and then spoke.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since Allen made me a meal! We even used the provisions he brought beforehand in the previous dungeon.”
“A meal?”
“…Yes.”
Clara said.
“…Allen made delicious food for me.”
It sounded like a compliment… But there was something nuanced, always having delicious food like that, it felt peculiar.
Nevertheless, what they said seems to be true. The only skills I could find in my pitiful stat window were [Ingredient Preparation], [Quick Cooking], and such.
“It’s about time for lunch…”
“hahahaha, it wouldn’t be bad to eat here before we leave!”
“Then I’ll make you food, so stop drinking that damn alcohol and do as I say.”
“Hmm? Do I have something to do?”
Originally, I didn’t have to do it, but because I had to cook, I needed help.
“If I have to make medicine and cook, I don’t have enough hands.”
“Oh, I see! What should I do?”
“Just wait and see.”
I took out a cooking bag attached to my backpack. The ingredients inside the magically preserved cooling bag were still fresh and edible.
“Kaisius, are you going to eat too?”
“…After tearing this apart, you weren’t even thinking of giving me food?”
“…You asked for something unnecessary.”
“I have to give you food, um.
Before making food, I had to mix the potion. I put eleven pieces of dragon scales that Kaius tore off earlier, one claw, and one horn into a deep pot.
Next, I put in the shells that were torn off from Rare. Then, I pounded them with a pestle until they were all well crushed.
“Like this….”
I took a bottle of Mana Potion that can easily be purchased on the market and put it in. I put it on the burning bonfire.
“Now, Aria. Keep stirring it clockwise.”
“Do I just have to do that?”
“Yeah
Sera-Aria gently poured the contents of the pot after receiving the ladle.
“But Allen, this smells terrible.”
“Well… Of course.”
As expected, since it wasn’t filled with delicious ingredients but rather with inedible ones, there was no way it could taste good. The rule that what is good for the body is bitter also applied within the game.
“…Are we having dinner now?”
“Yeah, we are.”
“…What’s on the menu?”
“Curious?”
In response to Clara’s question, I playfully replied. Upon hearing that, Clara seemed slightly surprised and hesitantly spoke.
“…I’m sorry, I should just eat whatever is given…”
“Ah, no. It’s not like that. It was just a joke!”
“…A joke?”
“Yeah, a joke.”
“…I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was a joke…”
“…There’s no need to apologize for such a little thing.”
I thought I had gotten a lot better recently, but it seemed that it wasn’t completely resolved yet.
‘I have a long way to go.’
For now, what I was going to make was ‘pork and vegetable fried rice.’ Even though I had no memory of my previous life, I never forgot the recipes. I could even make dishes out of dungeon monsters.
Is this the muscle memory of a porter…?
First, roasting the meat in a clumsy iron pan, cutting clean vegetables and putting them in, seasoning them properly. As the ingredients roasted, a delicious smell wafted up, neutralizing the strong smell rising from the pot making medicine.
Clara’s expression brightened considerably, and Serra, who had been frowning deeply as she lifted the pot, also showed an approving expression.
“You’re quite good at cooking.”
“It’s the role of the party’s odd job man….”
Cassius spoke as if in wonder.
“You didn’t seem particularly interested in cooking.”
“What kind of talk is that? It’s a bad habit to judge people by their appearance, you.”
“I didn’t mean that… with magic, you wouldn’t be too far from having to cook for yourself. People with magic abilities would be quite well treated in human society, wouldn’t they?”
“Is that what you meant?”
“You always interpret my words negatively.”
Humans are insignificant creatures, so how can you interpret it positively?
“Magic is not something you’re born with.”
“…Huh? What are you talking about? Can humans acquire magic through nurture?”
“It’s too bothersome to explain. Just know that.”
It would be strange to make a big deal out of what the Demon Lord left behind. I already noticed that it wasn’t the original soul of my body, and they might know something strange as well.
We better discuss such matters when we’re alone together.
“Allen, is this boiling? Oh, the color is changing too!”
“Oh.”
It was evidence that everything was going wrong.
“Now quickly stir in the opposite direction! Counterclockwise!”
“Uh, okay!”
I momentarily left the cooking I was doing to Clara and looked at the pot being stirred by Ser-Aria. When the bluish color that had changed suddenly swirled in the opposite direction, it gradually turned slightly reddish and transformed into a violet hue.
“Wow, Allen. Are you going to eat this?”
“… I have to.”
It really looks disgustingly unappetizing.
Even excluding the broken shell of the rare, the remnants of the ingredients retained their original form, so the visual was beyond belief.
However, it was necessary. It was the key to alleviate my pitiful state.
Congratulations! The Hidden Elixir has been combined! The [Dragon Potency Potion] has been created!
This was it.
“It’s done.”
“Is it fully completed?… Well, I don’t think I can swallow it no matter what.”
“I have no intention of making you eat it.”
I turned off the fire and picked up the ladle. It was hot, tasted terrible, and had a strong smell…
‘I have to eat it all.’
I closed my eyes tightly and took a bite. And then, I was slightly surprised and stopped speaking.
“…It doesn’t have any taste at all.”
“Oh, really?”
“Well, the smell is quite strong though….”
It was just truly flavorless. Except for being hot, I could swallow it. And the effect of taking the potion immediately showed up.
– All stats have increased.
As soon as I saw that message, I diligently drank it all from the ladle. Since it was made with only one potion, there wasn’t much quantity, and I quickly finished it all.
– All stats have increased.
After drinking even the last ladle, I noticed a smell coming out of my mouth that pierced my nostrils.
“…It seems like there’s a strange smell coming from my mouth.”
“Poohahahaha, Allen. Do you want to disinfect with alcohol?”
It seems like a pretty good idea.
“Huh.”
“I’ll give you a special one!”
I took the bottle of liquor that Ser-Aria had handed over. The strong alcoholic smell stung my nose, but it was much better than the smell of medicine. I almost emptied half the bottle before saying,
“Now I will survive…”
“You’re not getting drunk, Allen?”
I won’t get drunk at this point because of you guys.
Then the status…
“…Allen, this.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Clara had been holding a pan all this time. Yeah, let’s cook and check. She added rice to the ingredients she was frying and stir-fried them until they were crispy.
“It looks delicious!”
“…Yeah, it looks tasty.”
They had prepared a lot, thinking that the four of them would eat. Cassius suggested sharing the rice.
“We should eat it with polymorph.”
“Did you intend to eat it in that state?”
“If we fill our stomachs like this, we won’t need to eat polymorph for a week.”
“…Just eat rice every day.”
To fill the dragon’s stomach, it seems like it wouldn’t be enough even to give a whole cow.
Caius transformed into a human form and took a bite of the fried rice I handed to him.
“It’s more delicious than I thought.”
“Mm! It’s delicious, Allen!”
“…It’s delicious.”
I was relieved that everyone had a good reaction.
To hear that the food is delicious.
Perhaps it’s not the only moment when a porter feels his worth…?
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“When the promised period is over, I hope to feel this kind of atmosphere in terms of battle.”
Thinking that way, I scooped up a spoonful of fried rice.
…It tastes good.
“Everyone, enjoy your meal.”
It was Erin. She was watching Allen and his group. It wasn’t surveillance. She just came to call the team members who hadn’t come yet, as the auction was about to start.
“Erin, can’t we just go eat…?”
Frey, who was beside her, seemed unable to bear it and let out a sigh as if she could not stand it. The dignity that a maiden should have in the face of appetite was completely abandoned.
“…Anyway, since I came to pick you up. Do as you please~.”
“Really?”
“I’ll wait for you at the gate~ Go get Frey.”
“Okay!”
Frey dashed out of the bushes and shouted.
“They’re starting the auction soon! Were you all just eating something delicious here?”
As Frey approached, Allen and the other party members were busy explaining that it wasn’t like that. Then, they naturally handed the remaining food to Frey and gathered to eat.
Erin, who was quietly observing Allen, who got along quite well with the girls, let out a small sigh.
“…I brought it upon myself.”
Erin felt a bit of regret. Regret for the actions of her past.
However, if given the chance to make that same choice again, Erin would have chosen it once more. Because it was the right answer. Because it was for everyone… no, for Allen’s sake.
Even so…
Erin looked at Allen. Sometimes she would chuckle in disbelief, or force a smile… but there were also times when she could genuinely smile, like now.
Not for herself, but for other girls.
“…There’s no need to laugh so genuinely like that.”
