NOVEL NEXT Chapter 220 - Divine Cat Mii-chan, We Have an Unexpected Visitor
220 Divine Cat Mii-chan, We Have an Unexpected Visitor
The long line for ale has started to ease up. Now it looks like the second-round customers are waiting.
On the main stage, street performers are showcasing their talents. The staff from the Commercial Guild are running around, busy as ever. So far, there have been no disturbances, and the festival mood remains enjoyable.
In this world, festivals like this are a rare sight. I’ve heard that especially in large cities, events like this don’t often happen. On the contrary, villages tend to get festive during harvest festivals or weddings. It seems similar issues that modern Japan faces, like weakened neighborhood associations and growing distance between neighbors, also affect big cities here.
The booth of the Divine Cat Trading Company is packed with visitors. Next to our booth, there’s a stand by “Grand Wilhelm Nord.” It seems the head chef isn’t here, but I recognize one of the cooks from the kitchen. The vendor is one of the maids who once served us, and whenever she has a spare moment, I can see her petting Mii-chan. I definitely want to buy something from them later; no way the head chef would allow them to serve anything subpar.
“Yo!”
“F-Father!”
Chris shouted in surprise, and when I looked… it was King Ret.
“Are you working hard, my daughter?”
“I-Is it alright for you to be here in such a place?”
“Is it okay for you to leave your position, King Ret?”
“Don’t worry, this is just an avatar of my body. It doesn’t have much power. Now, for the ale!”
Dimensional dragons—so convenient and so free.
Having no choice, I set up a seat for him at the edge of the back area.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
I handed him some ale and also brought out some fried chicken and French fries from my storage.
“This is crispy and juicy, really delicious.”
He downed the ale in one go.
“Ahhh, another!”
“If you can come freely, why not buy the drinks yourself?”
“Well, I could, but this avatar has a lot of restrictions, so I don’t like using it much.”
“Then why come today despite those restrictions?”
“I wanted to drink some good ale.”
Of course. I understand the feeling, but really, dimensional dragon?
“Oh, and there’s something I wanted to tell Nero.”
“What is it?”
As we talked, I continued to chill ale after ale and place them on the counter. The saleswomen were too busy to overhear, so I figured it was fine to keep the conversation going.
“The Goblin King and the Demon King of the West have finally started their war.”
“For real!?”
“For real.”
I had heard they were in a standoff along the highway, but it seems the battle has finally begun. This means the conflict is spreading. Now, three Demon Kings are fighting in this area. The lack of information about the Orc King is unsettling.
“What’s the Demon King of the West like?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know…?”
“All I know is that he’s an ancient Demon King. He once sent an emissary, but the guy was so annoying, I turned him to charcoal.”
Charcoal… So, he burned him. As expected of an absolute powerhouse.
“Can I share this information with others?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Things have gotten complicated. While it would be ideal for the Demon Kings to destroy each other, as King Fang mentioned, there’s no guarantee other Demon Kings won’t be provoked to act. There are apparently two Demon King candidates near Hildenburg. I need to inform the Duke… Wait, is that the Duke himself standing in front of the “Grand Wilhelm Nord” booth?
I rushed to pull him to the back. He was with his butler and Carl, one of the Royal Guards.
“It’s been a while, Lutz.”
The Duke looked puzzled as he stared at King Ret. Carl reached for his sword, upset that the Duke had been addressed so casually, but the butler stopped him.
“It’s King Ret.”
“Wh-what!?”
The Duke tried to kneel but was stopped by the butler. King Ret didn’t seem to care, casually drinking his ale. The Duke instructed Carl to stand guard further away and told the butler to buy some food before sitting in the chair I’d prepared.
“I’m glad to see you’re well, King Ret. It’s an honor to see your face…”
“Ah, I’m here incognito. Speak normally.”
“Ha… I see. But why have you come alone? If you’d informed us, we could’ve made arrangements.”
“I told you, I’m here incognito. I didn’t come to see Lutz. I just came to mooch some ale off Nero.”
You came to mooch!? Well, I’m getting plenty of money from him, so I guess it’s fine.
“I could provide as much ale as you’d like.”
“Nero’s ale tastes the best. Nero.”
I handed ale to the Duke as well. His butler, who had just returned, tasted it first before letting the Duke drink.
“Such distrust… Have you lost your sense of judgment?”
“…”
“You’ve become a dull old man.”
“…”
King Ret sure has a sharp tongue. The Duke was left speechless, and the butler’s face was twitching.
“Well, well, the Duke has his position to uphold. Come on, keep drinking. It’s a festival after all.”
That’s what I said, but I kept pouring and chilling ale non-stop. This is getting exhausting.
I want to cuddle Mii-chan!
“Mii~”