Chapter 137: Date

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Translator: Soafp

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The day after Ashera’s arm treatment.

After breakfast, El and Marl announced they had something to discuss with Mom. Suspecting it was about their engagement, Mom decided to invite El and Marl to her bedroom for a detailed conversation.

Everyone else could guess what the talk was about, but being excluded from such an important discussion… Well, it was understandable for Grandpa, but watching Dad’s dejected reaction was pitiful. Eventually, it seemed Mom remembered him and called him over. He walked to the bedroom, looking thrilled. Is that really okay, Dad…?

Although it would be some time before Marl officially became El’s fiancée due to pending matters with Tab, she would likely start being treated as El’s fiancée within the mansion. To avoid getting in the way, Ashera and I decided to leave the house and take a stroll.

Surprisingly, since arriving in the capital, we hadn't gone out in the city together. When I asked Ashera where she wanted to go, she mentioned wanting some accessories. We asked Seria for recommendations on where to buy them, and he offered to arrange a carriage, but we politely declined. Instead, we decided to go out fully armed.

I didn't dislike this attire, but going on a date in armor… I’d really like to see Ashera dressed as a town girl!

After shopping for accessories, I vowed to buy clothes that suited her.

At the General Store

We were now browsing accessories in a general store. The shop had a hodgepodge of items, from ceramic cups to clothing buttons and hairpins. It seemed like this world’s general stores specialized in selling out single items. Once these hairpins were gone, they'd be impossible to find again.

“Ashera, have you found anything you like?”

“Hmm… Not really.”

“Alright. Take your time.”

“Okay.”

I had learned from modern Japan: never rush a woman while shopping! I remembered being shown nearly identical clothes at different stores, being told about the slight differences in collar shape, color shade, fabric thickness… When I asked if she was even planning to buy anything, she got furious.

The reaction was so unlike her usual gentle demeanor that I found myself apologizing in formal language.

Since then, whenever I shop with a woman, I make sure not to rush, complain, or show any signs of irritation.

As for Ashera, she looked at the same items multiple times before finally deciding not to buy anything.

I planned to praise Ashera's sense of financial restraint for not buying unnecessary items, even if I had wanted to gift them to her.

Next, I moved to fulfill my desire to buy her clothes. I had already asked at the general store for recommendations on where local girls shopped. Good job, me!

The clothing store had several girls around Ashera's age, all dressed adorably and picking out clothes.

“Ashera, let me know if there's any outfit you like.”

At my words, the girls turned around, eyeing my armored appearance and sighing at Ashera’s robe. I overheard their whispers:

“Isn't that girl cute?” “Yeah, yeah, why is she in a robe? Such a waste.” “Is the boy with her her younger brother?”

Sure, I was two years younger, but that last comment hurt my fragile heart…

I spoke to Ashera a bit louder than necessary.

“I'll buy you anything you like because I'm your ‘fiancé.'”

Of course, I emphasized the word “fiancé.”

Ashera seemed not to buy clothes often and didn’t know which ones to choose. She looked a bit troubled…

I asked a shop assistant to recommend some clothes for Ashera.

“What kind of items are you looking for?”

“I’d like something that looks cute, something that gives a mature vibe, and one or two outfits for everyday wear.”

“Oh, that would amount to quite a sum…”

“Ah, it’s fine. Consider it a down payment.”

I handed over a platinum coin that I had exchanged earlier to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper’s eyes sparkled as he accepted it.

“Alright, then, this way please.”

Ashera was led by a female shop assistant to the back, seemingly to be measured.

“Customer, I believe you’ll also be pleased with our custom-made items…”

“Understood. I’ll have one of those too.”

“Thank you very much. And what about clothing?”

“Except for what she’s wearing, please have everything else delivered to the Blue Ring residence.”

“Blue Ring… Of the Reversi right?”

“That’s right. Please refer to it as ‘Ashera’s belongings.'”

“Understood.”

“As for the remaining payment, would you like to settle it now or later?”

“Since there’s the price of the custom-made item, it would be convenient to pay later.”

“Got it. Then, could you please visit Butler Seria?”

“Yes, understood.”

The girls who had been watching us from a distance seemed to have heard that I was a noble and quickly left the shop, as if fleeing. Apparently, this wasn’t the kind of store frequented by nobles. Conversely, it seemed like a good place to buy clothes for walking around the city.

I asked the shopkeeper to prepare two or three outfits that would suit me. Since I wasn’t particularly interested in clothes myself, I left it all up to him.

One hour later

Ashera, who had been measured and made to try on various clothes, looked exhausted.

“Are you tired?”

“A little…”

Ashera was now wearing a cute outfit with blue as the main color, topped with a coat. She looked like an adorable town girl from every angle.

I had also taken off my armor and was wearing normal civilian clothes. However, I was equipped with knives on my right thigh and left leg.

I had the shopkeeper pack up my armor into a box, and the remaining items were to be delivered to the Blue Ring residence.

Since I had made quite a few demands, I handed over a generous tip before leaving the shop.

Other than me carrying the box, we probably looked like an ordinary couple. Enjoying the feeling of blending into the city, we walked slowly.

“Ashera, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“Um, not particularly.”

“I see. How about stopping by the armor shop?”

“Armor? Yeah, let’s go.”

Ashera seemed more excited about going to the armor shop than she did about going to the clothing store.

On the way, we stopped at food stalls for snacks before heading to the armor shop.

Upon entering the armor shop, we were greeted by the usual unfriendly old man behind the counter.

“Long time no see, old man.”

“Oh, it’s the Wyvern kid. You been keepin’ well?”

“Yeah. I’m here today to request some modifications to my armor.”

“Modifications, eh?”

“Yeah, I want you to make some attachments for verniers on the back and both shoulders of this armor…”

I explained that I wanted the attachments made of mithril to make it easier for magic to pass through.

I also showed the old man an actual space kick and demonstrated the still-inexperienced verniers.

“…So, I want you to make attachments like this with mithril to make it easier for magic to pass through.”

“That’s all well and good, but if you’re using mithril, it’s gonna cost you quite a bit.”

“How much will it be?”

“Well, let’s see… how about one divine silver coin and five platinum coins?”

“Understood.”

I took out a divine silver coin and five platinum coins from my pocket and handed them to the old man.

“You’re paying up front, huh…”

“It’ll be easier for you this way too, won’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

Ashera listened to our conversation with keen interest.

“By the way, who’s that girl?”

“Oh, she’s my fiancée, Ashera.”

“I’m Ashera. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I’m just making armor for the Wyvern kid here. Call me Borg. Nice to meet you.”

“So that’s your name, old man.”

“Ah? You never asked, so I never told.”

“I see. I’m Aldo. Nice to meet you, Borg.”

“I know. Blood-soaked Shura-dono.”

“Hey, don’t use that nickname…”

“Hahaha, just kidding. Anyway, nice to have you on board again, Aldo.”

I shrugged in response.

After chatting with the old man, now Borg, for a while, we left the armor shop. It seemed they would start working on the armor modifications as soon as possible.

Once completed, they would deliver it to the Blue Ring residence, which was incredibly helpful considering our upcoming dungeon exploration.

As we walked towards the Blue Ring mansion, Ashera started speaking.

“Aldo, I want you to teach me Vernier.”

“Vernier, huh? It does seem like a good fit for your fighting style.”

“Yeah. And I also want to summon a shield like you and Ashera.”

“A magical shield, huh?”

“Aldo, can you teach me?”

Ashera’s irresistible charm when she made that request with puppy-dog eyes was quite something.

“Alright. I’ll train you when we get back, but we’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow or later since we’ll be busy.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“However, it might be difficult to modify your robe for Vernier…”

“Yeah, that’s true… but I think we can install the shield mechanism in the gauntlets.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s consult Borg about it next time.”

“Understood.”

“But remember, you’ll need to practice before you can use Vernier. And we’ll have to test if it works with your forearms like mine.”

“Yeah.”

We continued chatting like this as we made our way back to the Blue Ring mansion.

Upon our return, El and Marl greeted us. The two of them were holding hands, looking blissful.

“El, looks like everything went well.”

“Yes. We received approval for the engagement with Marl.”

“I see. Congratulations again, El, Marl.”

“Congratulations, Elphas, Marl.”

“Thank you. Nii-sama, Ashera Nee-sama.”

“Thank you. Aldo, Ashera.”

“Now, we just need to talk to Tab. And about the new species…”

“I’m sure father will approve.”

“Really? Tab is surprisingly strong.”

“Father looks up to Aldo, so he should be pleased if we become family.”

Marl said this. Me, looked up to?… Even if he felt grateful, there’s no way that’s the case with Tab.

Since the four of us were together, I wanted to discuss something I’d been thinking about.

“I have something to discuss. How about we go up to the roof again?”

At my words, the three of them nodded eagerly.

El carried Marl and used space kick to transport her to the roof.

There was still snow, but all four of us were users of air conditioning magic, so the temperature was irrelevant.

Just like yesterday, we sat on the roof in the order of Ashera, me, El, and Marl.

“I’ve been thinking for a while now, but regardless of what happens, we’re going to need money. And not just any money, but enough to establish a country.”

“That’s true… but how do we earn that kind of money?”

“One way is through our earnings as adventurers. Just from that one Wyvern, I got six divine silver coins. At this rate, how much could we get from an Earth Dragon…”

“That’s true. But divine silver coins alone won’t be enough to establish a country…”

“Yeah, you’re right. Even divine red and divine gold coins are insufficient.”

“How are we going to earn it?”

“I’m thinking of starting a business.”

“A business?”

“Specifically, I’m thinking of making magical tools.”

“Magical tools…”

“In fact, I’ve already asked Rosa to prototype various magical tools.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Once they’re completed, I plan to sell them…”

“Is there an issue?”

“Yeah, I plan to do the production at the Blue Ring estate.”

“Production of magical tools…”

“If we don’t do that, the profit margin won’t be…”

“I see.”

“So, I’ll go talk to Grandpa and Dad about it. I wanted to tell you guys first.”

Saying so, I stood up. The faces of the three showed a mix of surprise and hope.

I plan to head to the study right away.

By the way, divine red coins are made of adamantite, and divine gold coins are made of orichalcum. Divine red coins are worth ten times divine silver coins, so 10 million. Divine gold coins are worth ten times divine red coins, equivalent to 100 million yen.

Both are just the size of a fingertip, indicating their value. I wonder how much swords and armor made of adamantite or orichalcum would cost…

First, I’ll start with the magical water heater. It was completed quite some time ago, but I’ve been struggling to black box the magic circle. I want the magic circle to disappear when opened.

Recently, Rosa taught me a material that disappears when exposed to air, and I succeeded in making a magic circle by soaking it in water. I wrote the magic circle inside a sealed box, and when opened without following the procedure, it disappears in just five seconds.

I’m thinking of further developing this and selling it.

Next, I definitely want to work on the toilet. I want both a bidet toilet seat and a flush toilet. It’s okay if the flushing part can be dismantled, but the bidet function is absolutely necessary.

With these thoughts in mind, I headed to the study where Grandpa and Dad were.