AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 125
Episode 10-27
“Alright, Human! Pick any one you like and I’ll lend it to you!”
Barbera Papa declared, satisfied after enjoying the salt-crusted roast of the Unicorn Fish and the fried fish that resembled horse mackerel.
Behind him were dozens of wyverns. The beach seemed too narrow, with some of the wyverns bumping into each other.
Oh, now they’re starting to fight, swinging their wing claws around and grinding their head horns against each other.
“Are they delinquents or something? Huh, the wyverns by the sea seem to be neatly lined up and behaving calmly.”
“Fufu, that side is under my jurisdiction. If you’re going to use them as transport, wouldn’t the tamer sea wyverns be better?”
“Hmph, what if they’re attacked on the way and the food doesn’t make it? It would be better to choose the mountain wyverns, which are more aggressive but have superior combat power.”
“Oh my, even for you, I can’t overlook that remark. Are you saying the sea wyverns are weaker?”
“…No fighting.”
Barbera hugged the two, stopping them as they were about to clash their horns.
Do dragons and wyverns have a habit of clashing their horns when they fight? It does seem like the right use for them, though.
“…Naoya should choose.”
“Hmm, if Barbera says so, I have no choice. Now, Human, which mountain wyvern will you pick?”
“My, Barbera-chan seems to like this human quite a bit. Naoya, for stable flight and obedience, the sea wyverns are more suitable for transport, you know?”
“Uh… Even if you pass it to me… I still don’t really understand what ‘transport’ means in this context…”
The intimidating focus of the “Crimson Ancient Dragon King” and “Water Dragon Queen” was now directed at me.
Barbera Papa crossed his arms, and Barbera Mama smiled, exerting pressure.
I dropped my gaze to the ground. Not because I was afraid to make eye contact.
“Calm down, Aniki, Ane-san.”
The Iguana, shaking its small hat and tiny backpack, stepped forward slowly.
“Manager-san, ‘transport’ refers to using the wyverns, who are the familiars of Aniki and Ane-san. If they let us borrow them, we could shuttle between the port town and your store.”
“But wouldn’t the wyverns also cause a commotion if seen? Just like the dragons?”
“That won’t happen. Wyverns won’t attack humans unless provoked.”
“Are wyverns herbivores despite their appearance?”
“Nope, they’re carnivores. They’ll attack monsters and livestock. They don’t attack humans because there’s not much meat on them, but if challenged and they win, they might eat them.”
“That’s no good! That would still cause trouble! It would probably lead to a subjugation request by adventurers.”
“You’re a worrier, Manager-san. Even if they do fight, it won’t be as bad as with dragons, and there won’t be any issues if they fly high up.”
“Still sounds super risky… Wait, if there’s no problem, why doesn’t everyone just use them instead of carriages? Flying would be more convenient, wouldn’t it?”
“Hah, that’s because if you tried to tame them without permission, the owner of the familiar might show up and kill you, right?”
“Hmph, I don’t acknowledge any small fry who lack wisdom as my familiars!”
“Fufu, he says that, but it doesn’t feel bad to be adored by them. They’re like pets, really.”
“Calling them pets… Monsters treated like mere pets.”
“Aniki and Ane-san have given their permission. Besides, if it’s just me and the Manager-san, there shouldn’t be any other problems. Now, it’s up to you to choose which one, Manager-san!”
The Iguana tilted its head, pointing to the group of wyverns.
Looking closely, the wyverns near the forest had a hint of red on their horns and wings, while those by the shoreline had blue in the same places.
I guess that’s the difference between the mountain wyverns and the sea wyverns. Probably.
“Since it’s for transportation, maybe the more docile sea wyverns would be better?”
“Oh? So you choose them over me? You’ve got some nerve, Human.”
“Eek! Considering we’d be moving away from the sea, maybe the mountain wyverns would be better!”
“Oh, but the sea wyverns can function away from the sea, you know?”
“Guh… The pressure from Barbera Papa and Mama is intense. What a hassle—no, it’s not! I could never say that to these legendary dragons!”
Being glared at so fiercely, I decided to make an excuse. What a hassle this is.
“That’s it! I don’t know much about wyverns, so Barbera, you choose for me!”
“Oh! What a splendid idea, human!”
“Fufu, can you say that if my beloved daughter ends up choosing my wyvern?”
“…Alright. Leave it to me!”
Barbera responded confidently, raising both hands in a decisive gesture.
Her tail was slapping the beach with vigor, the flames at the tip burning fiercely. Her expression didn’t change, but she seemed pleased to be entrusted with the task.
For some reason, Barbera picked up a fragment of the fallen salt crust.
With determined steps on the sand, she walked among the wyverns, stopping occasionally to observe them closely.
She would stop, scrutinize a wyvern, nod thoughtfully, and then continue her search.
Even though she looked about 10 years old, the wyverns seemed to know she was actually a dragon inside and behaved calmly. Her parents also watched her work in quiet admiration.
Finally, Barbera stopped in front of a particular wyvern.
She circled around it, inspecting it closely, patting its body here and there, gazing into its eyes, and then offering the piece of salt crust.
The wyvern licked it with a flick of its tongue and made a soft cooing sound. Barbera nodded in satisfaction.
“…This one.”
“Hm, this one?”
“Oh my, are you choosing this child?”
Barbera grabbed the lower jaw of the wyvern she had chosen and began to walk toward me. The wyvern followed her pace without any resistance, matching its steps to her small stride. A wyvern that’s mindful of a child’s steps… What is a monster, really? Well, I guess it’s already quite attached to her.
“I’ll go with the one Barbera chose… Wait, are its horns different colors on each side? And the wings, too?”
“…Yes. Both Papa and Mama are in it!”
“I see, a sort of hybrid. Is that okay, Papa-san, Mama-san?”
“Kuhuhu, I see, I see! We are a bonded pair for eternity! Yes, it is the perfect choice! As expected of my beloved child!”
“Oh my, you! Of course, it’s fine, Naoya.”
It seemed that the wyvern Barbera chose was a mix of a mountain wyvern and a sea wyvern—a hybrid, perhaps. Looking back at the rest of the wyverns, there were no others with mixed colors.
“Alright! Then it’s settled with this one, Manager-san!”
“So this solves the transport issue between the port town and Aion Mall Otherworldly Store… Thank you, Iguana-san? And thank you, Barbera’s Papa-san and Mama-san. Thank you too, Barbera.”
I gently patted Barbera on the head as she returned.
Standing beside her, the wyvern looked at me with quiet, curious eyes. I tentatively stroked its cheek.
Both Barbera and the wyvern narrowed their eyes in delight.
It’s the 27th day since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
It seems the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store has acquired a new mode of transport, its own flying means.
A private aerial transport for Aion Mall, huh.
Wait, isn’t this more equipped than the Aion Malls in Japan? This other world is terrifying, but it might be the best place ever. Oh, Aion Mall is the best!