AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 109
Episode 10-11
“Even though you’re so small, you’re amazing, Lil’ girl!”
“…I’m not a child.”
“Thanks for taking it down! Whew, that was a close one!”
“Sorry about this, normally the rights to the materials go to the one who took it down, but… could you let me off with just some meat and maybe some fish or gold?”
“…Meat. And fish.”
“Thank you! I’m really sorry. This stuff is meant for the nobles, you see…”
“Alright, since we got permission, let’s start the butchering!”
“Damn it, where are the young guys when you need them? Useless!”
“…Looks delicious.”
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
Barbera, who took down the giant sea serpent that escaped from the processing plant—or as the old men call it, the butchering room—is now surrounded by them.
Despite the intimidating presence of half-naked, muscular, and stern-looking men, Barbera shows no sign of fear.
She responds to them as usual, maybe even more talkative than usual. I guess she’s attracted to the idea of the “sea serpent meat” they’re offering.
“Sorry for the trouble, kid.”
“You guys must be the strangers who were wandering around wanting to buy fish, right?”
“Oh, you knew about that? Word travels fast around here.”
“Well, you know, your face is the sign we don’t usually see around here. Walking around with such beauty, people are bound to talk.”
“Hehe, hehe, calling me a beauty? That kind of flattery won’t work on me! After all, I am a proud elf! Hehe, beauty, me…”
“Your face is totally giving it away, Chloe. So much for the proud elf.”
“Fufu, calling me beautiful… Should I grant you eternal life as a reward?”
“Please don’t, Anna-san. That ‘eternal life’ doesn’t come with life, it makes you undead.”
Chloe is, well, Chloe, and Anna-san is undead, but they’re both beautiful, no doubt about that.
In a port town where most people are tanned, the two of them, with their pale skin, must have stood out. Though Anna-san’s skin is more ghostly than pale.
As for Barbera, who looks about ten, is she a beauty? Cute, maybe? And Barbera’s mother certainly catches the eye too.
“A man walking around the fish market and harbor with three women and a little girl? Yeah, that’s going to attract attention.”
It’s no wonder the fishermen and old men I talked to at the harbor were cold towards me.
If I were in their shoes, I’d probably glare at them too. If someone brought a bunch of beauties to my place in Kasugano and said they wanted to buy some crops, I’d chase them off and sprinkle salt afterwards. Then I’d tell the neighbors.
In tight-knit communities, it’s only natural to be wary of outsiders.
“Wait, isn’t Barbera’s hometown nearby? And even though Barbera lives at the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store now, isn’t her mom a local?”
She just guided us to the fish market earlier, so Barbera’s mom must come here from time to time.
So why did they say she’s “not seen around here”? I wondered as I turned to look back.
“Hey, hey, hey! So you’re the strangers messing around in our territory!”
“Don’t think us seafaring men will be swayed just because you’re showing off some good-looking women!”
“Looks like we’ll have to teach you a little lesson!”
“Don’t worry, we won’t hurt the women. But after that, who knows what might happen!”
From the other side of the processing plant, a group of rough-looking young men swaggered over.
They’re holding clubs and planks of wood.
At their waists, they’ve got curved short swords—cutlasses, I think? But none of them have drawn their weapons.
The atmosphere turned tense, and the women silently stepped in front of me.
Chloe and Anna-san.
Barbera’s mom, though, didn’t seem to care and walked straight over to where Barbera was, still staring at the sea serpent meat. Ah, she’s more interested in the meat than worried about her daughter.
“Hah, how pathetic to be protected by women!”
“Bodyguards, huh? Hah, you don’t even know who’s got our backs. What a sad lot.”
The men didn’t stop.
They surrounded us while hurling insults.
“Naoya-san, what should we do?”
“Man, being a bodyguard sure is tough! What do you mean ‘what should we do’?”
“Hey, don’t lay a hand on the women! Just hold them down!”
“What do you think we’ll do? We’ll capture the women and beat up the men!”
“Hold up, don’t rush. They’re the ones who took down the sea serpent. Let the boss handle this.”
“Please, let’s keep this peaceful. Peaceful.”
“Huh? There’s no way things are gonna be peaceful now, stranger!”
“You think you can just waltz in and stir up trouble at our port? Don’t get cocky!”
“Seriously, this isn’t a joke. Even if you’re provoking us, killing or seriously injuring you would be excessive self-defense.”
“Tch, begging for your life in front of women? How pathetic!”
The thuggish men ignored my pleas and continued to approach.
I noticed a dark aura beginning to emanate around Anna-san—probably because of her magic power. Seeing her ready for action, Chloe took half a step back. It seemed like she’d be handling my protection. Well, that’s reassuring. Or not…
“Please, stop! I’m begging you, I don’t want anyone to get hurt!”
“Hah, don’t worry, we won’t take your life.”
“Yeah, we just plan to make you suffer a bit—worse than death, maybe.”
“Hey, touching the women a little would be unavoidable, right?”
They just don’t get it.
Even though I’m trying to plead for their lives, it’s not reaching them.
And Anna-san’s aura grew stronger with each of their lewd looks and comments.
“Hey, don’t let your guard down. They took down the sea serpent, after all.”
“Sure, they might be strong, but we’ve got our own way of dealing with troublemakers!”
“Boss! We’re counting on you, boss!”
The twenty or so thugs parted to make way.
It seemed the young men guarding the harbor had a bodyguard.
The thugs’ eyes all turned to one man who began to walk slowly towards us.
The man had spiky auburn hair and looked to be in his thirties.
Standing over 180cm tall, his muscular build was evident even through his thin clothing.
His eyes, a menacing red, glared sharply, and a pair of horns jutted out from the sides of his forehead.
When our eyes met, I found myself stopping in my tracks, mouth agape.
I must’ve looked like a complete idiot.
And I wasn’t the only one who froze.
Chloe and Anna-san also stood still.
The only ones who remained unfazed were Barbera and her mother, the two dragons.
“Hmph! Don’t forget the promised booze and meat, Hu-Ma-Ns!”
“Of course, boss!”
“We’ll have plenty prepared, so please take care of this for us, boss!”
The thugs returned to their half-circle formation, groveling and rubbing their hands together in submission.
“Hmph, a sea serpent is nothing but a weakling! Just a little flexing on these arrogant humans, and I’ll have a nice gift for my beloved daughter—”
His slit pupils met mine.
His tail, which had been swaying lazily behind him, came to a sudden stop.
At the tip of his tail, a crimson flame flared up, much like it did when Barbera was surprised.
The man slowly scanned his surroundings.
Then, as his gaze landed on the two dragons sampling the sea serpent’s meat, he froze.
“…Papa.”
“Honey? What exactly is going on here?”
Sweat began to pour down the bodyguard’s face.
His tail drooped, and the flame at its tip dwindled.