AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 120
Episode 10-22
It’s the 27th day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
And here I am, once again, flying high above the sky in the middle of the night, before dawn breaks.
“Sorry for the trouble, Miss.”
“By the way, are you alright up here at this altitude? You won’t freeze up again, will you?”
“Haha, thanks for the concern, manager. But hey, it’s not cold, is it?”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
“That’s because the young lady here is a Red Dragon. As long as we’re riding her, there’s no problem.”
“Oh, I see. When she’s in dragon form, there’s fire on her wings, tail, and even her horns.”
“Exactly! If this were a Blue Dragon, I’d be dead in no time!”
“Yeah, that’s not exactly something to brag about. Life seems pretty cheap to you, like Anna-san level cheap.”
I am riding atop Barbara, who is in her dragon form, flying high in the sky.
Along with us is the iguana, who claims to have an idea on how to solve the transportation issue from the port town to the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
Well, more like I’m the one tagging along with the iguana.
“Guo?”
“Oh, nothing! I was just saying how amazing you are, Miss!”
Without Anna-san this time, the ‘Illusion’ spell was cast before departure.
It should hold for a few hours, long enough to get to the port town, as long as there are no battles or landings.
“Ah. What do we do about getting back?”
“Well, we’ll figure something out, right? Flying at night like this means no one will see us!”
“Y-yeah, you’re right. And even if they see us, they wouldn’t dare attack a dragon, would they?”
“Of course not! At most, it’ll just cause a bit of a commotion down below.”
“Oh, that sounds bad. We better be careful… Maybe we should avoid landing directly at Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.”
The trip to the port town takes about two weeks by carriage, but only a few hours with Barbara’s flight.
But this is exactly why we can’t rely on Barbara for the seafood supply run.
Dragons, especially the fantasy species, are strong. If spotted, they cause a huge commotion.
Thanks to a powerful dragon staking its territory, the area around Aion Mall Otherworldly Store is considered safe.
“So, what’s the idea for the transportation method? It’s not Barbara or her parents, right?”
“Can’t ask aniki, the madam, or the young lady here. You’ll find out soon enough, just wait a bit.”
“Fine, I guess. Does it have anything to do with seeing you at the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store a few days before we met at the port town?”
“Don’t rush, don’t rush. But good guess, manager.”
The iguana half-turned, a slight smirk on its face. Cool. Or is it?
Several hours have passed since we took off from the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store in the dead of night.
I’ve been doing these late-night trips for days, but I don’t feel sleepy.
The night sky is slowly getting brighter. Ahead of us, two lights are visible.
“What’s that?”
“Hm? Oh, that’s the lighthouse in the port town. It stays lit all night to spot any water monsters trying to sneak in.”
“I see. So, are we almost there?”
“Guo?”
“No, Miss, keep flying to the island!”
“Island? You mean the one near the port town, where Barbara’s from?”
“Yep, that’s right. Please, Miss!”
“Guooooon!”
Our destination isn’t the port town, but rather the “island” where Barbara’s parents live.
Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since her last homecoming, but Barbara roars excitedly.
“Calm down, Barbara. We don’t want to get spotted, right? It’s fine near the island, so just wait until then.”
I can’t reach her head, so I gently tap her back. Her scales are smooth and slightly warm.
While doing that, Barbara flew past the mainland and over the sea.
“It’s getting a little brighter, but we won’t be seen here, right?”
“Well, there aren’t many humans out at sea, so yeah.”
I gaze at the scenery absentmindedly.
The coastline is now behind us, and my view is just sky and sea.
Below us, small islands dot the ocean. After a while, even those become sparse.
The sea, illuminated by the faint morning light, is calm.
“Guoooon!”
“Oh, you see it, Miss? Look, manager, that’s her homeland!”
The iguana motions with his head to point forward.
Under the gradually brightening sky, I see an island floating on the sea.
Unlike the small islands near the coast, this one is fairly large.
Its outer edges are steep cliffs, with a recessed interior that holds some water. Is that a lake, or has seawater seeped in?
Near the center of the island is a mountain that looks like a crater.
“Is this a caldera? A volcano, maybe?”
No one answers my muttering.
Barbara and the iguana, both excited at the sight of their homeland, don’t seem to hear me.
Well, Barbara can’t speak in her current form, anyway.
“Miss, please take us to the usual spot!”
“Guo.”
Barbara responds with a short roar, as if to say, “I know.”
Her speed slows, and she gradually descends in altitude.
Thanks to this, I can see wyverns flying around the cliffs at the island’s perimeter.
“…Huh? Wait, aren’t there too many wyverns? Are we safe?”
“Don’t worry, manager! There’s no way they’d attack Miss Barbara!”
“Is that so? I’ve seen wyverns attack fire-breathing birds before, but dragons are okay?”
“And here we are, about to land! Welcome to the homeland of Aniki, the madam, and the young lady—and the home of us dragonfolk!”
“Hey, are you listening? I can’t fight, and Chloe and Anna-san aren’t here. Are we really okay?”
“Guooooooon!”
“Right, I’ve got Barbara. Barbara, the strong fantasy species dragon.”
Under the watchful eyes of countless wyverns, Barbara enters her landing approach.
It’s not embarrassing to rely on Barbara, who looks like a 10-year-old in human form but is actually 140 years old.
“This is ‘Twin Dragon Island’!”
“Oh, so Barbara’s parents are the reason behind the island’s name. Interesting.”
The iguana puffs out his chest proudly, snorting with pride.
Barbara lands on a sandy patch between the crater and the water.
It’s the 27th day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
My second trip to the other world seems to have an isolated island as its destination.
Here’s hoping the wyverns don’t attack us.
And that everyone back at the store is successfully preparing for the “Dragon Sale.”