Black Iron Magician

「Why did Touko-chan suddenly disappear? She said that she would go with us, right? Did she have an urgent business?」

「Lily-san decided to stay, so maybe Touko is taking care of her. Despite what she said, her devotion to her master is something to learn from.」

「When I went into the corridor of the inn, I saw Touko instantly wrapped in flames and disappeared. Was that just my imagination…?」

「Come on, Hund-kun. Touko-chan doesn’t use flames like Nell-san, you know? It was just your imagination!」

「I-I see? Well, if Haruna says so, then it was probably just my imagination. Okay, I won’t think about it anymore.」

「…… I have a bad feeling about it.」

Chinatsu feels a little uneasy about the disappearance of Touko and the sudden flames. However, there is nothing she can do now, so she could only pray for Touko’s safety.

「By the way, Chinatsu-chan, are you going to buy souvenirs for someone? It seems like you’re writing something on your notepad.」

「Ah, yes. I’m the vice leader of the Magic Knight Order, so I’m going to buy some for the knights. I mean, I and Nell-shishō have been absent for a long time, so I have to at least do this much. I’ve already bought souvenirs at Damaya for Wee-chan and our classmates, but… well, the souvenirs here are completely different. Should I buy some for everyone here too? What do you think, Haruna?」

「I’m thinking of stripping off the materials of rare monsters and using them as souvenirs!」

「T-That’s quite reasonable. Certainly, high-ranked materials are valuable, and they can be used to make armor or weapons…. However, you have to choose the right people to give them to, okay?」

「Yes!」

Even when climbing the snowy mountains, Haruna was collecting a large amount of souvenirs.

「Hou, gifts for your subordinates and acquaintances, huh. Chinatsu and Haruna are thoughtful girls after all. Well, I guess I will also buy something for my subordinates.」

「That’s good! Ah, but you have a lot of subordinates, right, Hund-kun? Should I share some of my souvenirs?」

「I’ll just accept the feelings. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m buying for all of them. With my position, it’s not something I can give away casually. I’m sure buying for the Four Heavenly King of the Sea Demons will be enough. I will buy meat for Tanga. As for Urbul, he prefers puzzles. I wonder if this shop has them?」

Hund looks around the area with Haruna, who has already prepared the souvenirs. Then, someone suddenly handed a product.

「If you want a puzzle, how about this one? It’s a popular puzzle with a view of Dragon God’s Island and flying dragons.」

The person who handed them the puzzle set was a woman who seemed to be a clerk at the shop. She’s wearing a triangle bandana and a common apron for clerks, so she must be one.

「Oh, thank you. I guess it’s just right for a souvenir… hm?」

「Dear customer, it’s embarrassing if you stare at me like that. Ufufu.」

She’s indeed a beautiful woman, but the reason why Hund stared at her wasn’t because she’s beautiful or something like that. Besides, it wasn’t only Hund. Haruna and Chinatsu were also staring at her.

「Clerk-oneesan, are those horns?」

Yes, it was because of the horns. The clerk has two fine horns on her head. No matter how they look at them, those are not fake horns.

「Ah, you mean these horns? Yes, they are real dragon’s horns. I could remove it if I want to, but the customers prefer it this way.」

「Um, could it be that you’re a dragon….?」

When Chinatsu asked so in a reserved manner, the clerk smiled.

「Correct! This Onee-san is a dragon in human form! And you know what? I’ve been waiting for you while working hard here!」

She took off her bandana and untied her hair. At the same time, she spread her wings. Being a clerk is her temporary figure, so it’s no wonder that her apron has a badge with ‘In Training’ letters on it.

「You are Haruna-chan and Chinatsu-chan, right? I’ve heard about you from my husband, Rimudo. I heard that you are girls with a promising future. Also, I heard that you are cute, so I couldn’t help but come here. And yes, you’re so cute and small that I want to use you as hugging pillows!」

She pointed her finger at Haruna and Chinatsu and started to poke their cheeks. Moreover, she even hugs the two of them. While the two are struggling, Hund, who’s being left out, quickly returned to his sense.

「Ah, uh, are you Rimudo-dono’s wife?」

「Ara? Ara ara, I’m sorry that I got carried away with the two cute girls. Once again, I’m Rimudo’s wife, Satella Baha. …… If you call me 『Satella-obahan』, I’ll kill you immediately, okay?」

「I won’t! I will never say that!」

「Ah, did I scare you too much? Recently, my rebellious children often said that as a joke, so giving them a good scare as a discipline has become a habit. It was just a joke, of course, so please don’t worry about it. But well, there are some things you can’t joke about ♪」

「T-That’s right…. Yeah, discipline is important….」

Feeling pressure even though she didn’t change her smile, Hund was convinced that it wasn’t a joke when she said she would kill him. Also, he’s convinced that Satella is of a higher rank than him.

「Setting the joke aside, if these girls are Haruna-chan and Chinatsu-chan, then… you’re that Deris-san? You somehow look pale, or rather, you’re deep blue! Are you okay!? I-I didn’t know that my discipline has such an effect on humans…!」

「Satella-san, Satella-san. That person isn’t Shishō, but Hund-kun. Also, his color is originally like that.」

Then, Haruna introduced Hund-kun――

「――Oh, so you’re the rumored Hund-san!」

「U-Umu. By the way, what kind of rumor?」

「I’ve heard from my husband that there’s a promising newcomer who joined the Great Eight Demons recently. He said that the newcomer picked a fight with the senior Great Eight Demons on the first day. My husband praised you that you’re an ambitious youngster who has the guts, you know?」

「Hund-kun, did you do that manga-like thing!? Was the opponent Lily-san!?」

「N-No, I was ignorant at that time, and I was paying for my mistakes.」

「There you go again. You’re always modest~」

Hund feels embarrassed, but he doesn’t feel bad about it. Then, as the target moved to Hund, Chinatsu regained her composure.

「Um, by the way, did Satella-san come here to say hello?」

「Hm? Hmm, my hobby is working part-time, so I’m also doing various jobs. But the main reason is――」

「Eh?」

「Whoa.」

Haruna and Chinatsu are hugged by Satella again. It’s the second time, so they don’t resist that much.

「――to abdu, to kidna, I mean, to invite you to my house ♪」