AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 129
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 10-32
“Was it the right decision to limit the quantity? Yes, yes, seafood seems to sell well. This is going to work, it’s really going to work.”
“Manager, so we’re sticking to the agreement, right?”
“Yes, thank you for your help.”
“Alright then, I’m off to the port town for a bit. I’ll fill this thing I borrowed with fish and be back tomorrow.”
The iguana by the water’s edge tilted its head, indicating its back. Attached to the usual small backpack was a large-capacity “item pouch” loaned out with permission from Anna-san.
It wasn’t an iguana, but the dragonkin Quano-san, who started to climb down from the water’s edge. He paused mid-step, frozen in a half-crouched position, then suddenly turned his head.
He stared intently beyond the dirt parking lot of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store, gazing into the forest.
“Is something wrong?”
“I sense a massive magical power. Manager, it might be best to evacuate anyone who can’t fight.”
“Huh? Magic power? A monster? But we have security in the forest.”
I followed Quano-san’s gaze. The forest looked the same as always, but further back, closer to the road, there might be some trees swaying. Before I realized it, everyone else was also staring at the forest, just like Quano-san and me.
“Anna-san, what’s the situation?”
“It seems there’s no stopping it. If we don’t mind being seen, we can set up a formation in an open space to handle it.”
“…It’s fine.”
“Yes, even if we can’t stop it, there’s no problem! After all, the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store has me!”
“Hehe, that’s right. I’ll provide backup with a magic that’s completely, no problem at all.”
“Hey, wait, Chloe. And Barbera, Anna-san too!”
Chloe, Barbera, and Anna-san passed by Quano-san and me, heading toward the dirt parking lot. Chloe had an unusually sharp look, and as for Anna-san, her phrasing made it sound like she could also use some “problematic magic.” Please don’t, we don’t want to lose customers. Undead won’t increase, right?
“Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!” “Huff, huff, wait!” “Wait, Leader! There’s people here! If we don’t, it’ll look like we’re dumping our problem on them!” “Damn it, run! We’ll buy some time!”
Four adventurers were running from the road next to the forest. They glanced at the towering Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store with brief relief, but their faces stiffened at the sight of the many customers eating and drinking. They slowed down, stopping short of running into the mall.
“Huh? Why?”
“Whether they attacked it or were just being chased, if they lead a monster into town, they’ll be held responsible.”
“…Huh? But Anna-san, doesn’t that mean it’s bad if they just ran from an unbeatable monster?”
“That’s not necessarily true. Sometimes, the monster gives up halfway.”
“Being an adventurer is brutal. This otherworld is insane. So they decided to take a gamble and stop here?”
“Yes, but in this case, they didn’t need to.”
“Adventurers, worry not! You may flee in this direction! The Holy Knight Chloe will slay any monster!”
Chloe boldly shouted, walking further into the dirt parking lot. The adventurers, wide-eyed, shouted things like “We’re saved!” and “Thank you, Holy Knight!” before starting to run again.
“But why did the monster appear? Looking at them, it doesn’t seem like they recklessly challenged something unbeatable.”
“Barbera-chan is staking her claim on territory. The possibility is—”
Anna-san glanced back, prompting me to do the same.
There, calmly standing, were Barbera’s father and mother.
“…Now that you mention it, this happened before, didn’t it?”
“Yes. Your parents flew in at night, and the next day, something similar occurred. The timing is almost identical.”
“That’s it. It has to be. Thank you, adventurers, for running here. Things could’ve gotten really bad this time.”
I looked up at the sky. It seems that the recent appearance of monsters near the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store might be our fault.
While I muttered complaints to myself, the trees in the forest were knocked over as monsters burst out. There were three of them.
Two of them looked identical, standing about 3 to 4 meters tall, running on short, stout legs. Their foreheads, necks, backs, and sides were covered in what appeared to be thick scales or shells.
Between the two, something large—either a snake or a lizard—appeared. Its chest was puffed out, and it ran on its hind legs, looking somewhat like a chicken with a crown-like crest.
“Giant armadillos… Oh yeah, I remember this monster. Wasn’t it called a basilisk?”
“Wait, did you say giant armored lizards and a basilisk?”
“That’s a terrible combination.”
“Hey, Chloe, we’re going to be okay, right? Anna-san, Barbera, you can win, right?”
“Don’t worry, Manager. It’s partly my fault too, so leave the decoy role to me! I’ll make sure those lizards don’t have their way!”
“Different species, after all. But that’s not the point. Lately, it feels like we’ve been seeing a lot of reptiles…”