Read Novel Full Chapter 418 – Return from a Business Trip
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Chapter 418 – Return from a Business Trip
The next day. I had been visiting the harpies’ residence I had built in the castle city since the morning.
“””Papaaa!”””
“Ohhhhh!”
And I was attacked and pushed down by the energetic harpies. One or two may be enough, but when five or more attack you, there is nothing you can do. I was helplessly knocked down and swarmed.
Well, I was not beaten, kicked, or otherwise assaulted, just smothered with fluffy, feathery wings, hugged, and rubbed on the cheeks here and there, so there was no problem.
“Looks like you’ve been missed for a while, huh?”
“Oh, aww… E-everyone, go easy on me.”
The adult harpies rescue me from the feathery mess I’ve become. The children, who had not yet expressed their affection for me, voiced their displeasure, but the girls brushed it off and pulled me into the adult room.
“Danna-sama, I was so happy to see you again.”
“That’s nice. Oh, here’s a souvenir for you. Please feed it to the children later.”
With these words, I gave them dried and ground corn-like plants that I had bought in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom, as well as dishes made from them. I also gave them meat from flying biters and goat-like animals. I also give them woolen cloth and jewelry that I bought in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom as souvenirs.
“This wool cloth is beautiful. It looks so warm.”
“Wow, it’s shiny!”
“I’ll put the meat in the refrigerator.”
“Oh, this meat is very tough, so don’t cut it too thick when you cook it. Also, if you cook it with the bones, you can get a good broth out of it. It may taste better in a soup or stew. Grilled meat is not bad, but it was a delicacy.”
“Yes.”
Heeding my advice, the harpies carry their souvenirs to the storeroom. I’ve placed a large cold-storage magic tool under my authority in the harpies’ residence. It is the latest model, which also contains the magic tools of purification. The cooking utensils in the kitchen are also well-equipped for easy use by the harpies.
“Everybody grows up, don’t they? I remember you saying that a harpy matures early.”
“Well, you know, if we can’t fly, we’ll die soon.”
“Walking on the ground isn’t necessarily a weakness, but it’s not as good as flying.”
“Some of the larger breeds are better at running, aren’t they?”
“Even some of the smaller breeds.”
There are large harpies that are better at running… like ostriches and emus? Even some small breeds? Well, there are birds that run or walk surprisingly fast. I remember seeing black and white birds in grocery store parking lots, walking around at pretty high speeds.
It was originally said that birds are descended from dinosaurs, and there may be many species that have retained the habits they had when they walked on the ground. Come to think of it, I think Isla and the mages said that dragons and flying dragons flying in the sky and harpies flying in the sky might be the same in principle. Perhaps harpies and dragons are more closely related than we thought.
After being greeted by the adult harpies for a while, I interacted with the harpies again after they calmed down a bit and then left the harpy tower, which is the harpy living complex.
“Thanks for the good work. You’re back early, aren’t you?”
When I came out of the Harpy Tower, I found Shumel waiting for me in front of my own rickshaw―no, Oni rickshaw? She called out to me. At her side were Tozume and Bella.
“I wish I had more time, but Shumel and the others are waiting for me, and I have things to do at the castle.”
“Don’t worry about us. It’s part of the job.”
“I’m glad you care, though.”
With a pleasant smile on her face, Bella placed a stepladder on the ground for me to get into the Oni rickshaw, and I thanked her and climbed into the Oni rickshaw. This was built by the Research and Development Department while I was in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom so that I could travel safely within Merinesburg with only the Oni girls as my escort. A new type of physical barrier developed by Isla is used to protect the boarding area, and it is designed to defend against sniper fire from bows and arrows, crossbows, and even magic rifles.
“However, they have built something quite magnificent while I was away.”
“As for us, it’s easier for us to do things this way. It’s best to be light.”
“It’s light yet sturdy and maneuverable. It’s quite something, isn’t it?”
“Tozume looks extremely smug.”
It seems that this Oni rickshaw was invented by Tozume, a blue-skinned cyclops, one of the Oni girls who is exclusively assigned to escort me. For a long time, she had been thinking that it would be too much of a target and too dangerous to use a cart to get around the city, so she had been working with the woodworkers, blacksmiths, and mages in the Research and Development Department to develop this Oni rickshaw. The budget was apparently approved by Sylphy and Melty. They are very overprotective, aren’t they?
“Let’s get back to the castle, okay?”
“I’m counting on you. I feel a little uncomfortable making you pull a cart like this when we could just walk together.”
“It’s okay. You’re actually a big shot. You should just stand there like a big shot.”
“That’s right. Besides, it is a wife’s job to protect her husband.”
“Kosuke is so strong that you don’t even need us to protect you. Well, a nobleman has a reputation to uphold, so you should be carried along.”
Shumel smiles as she says this. Well, if Shumel and the others say so, I’ll just go along with it without saying a word. The girls seem somewhat pleased.
Next, after returning to the castle and meeting with Ellen and the others, I’ll visit the Research and Development Department and then go to the office to catch up on the various projects that have piled up while I’ve been in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom. There is so much to do.