CH 289.1

It was decided at last night’s meeting with my familiars that I would ask the merchant guild if I could borrow the Old Lady.

「Good morning」

The counter on the first floor was already crowded, even though it was earlier than the normal work hours. “Please come in”, he said while pointing his palm toward the stairs, when I told him that I wanted to meet with the guild master.

When I entered the office on the third floor, I found a small old man sitting in an overly large office chair and Santa Claus sitting on the sofa of the reception set.

「Actually, there’s something that I wanted to consult」

After he urged me to continue, I told him, 『I would like to ask for permission to borrow the Old Lady for a personal purpose』.

The goblin-like guild master and the white-bearded vice-guild master looked at each other briefly.

「Alright」

Goblin Jii-chan easily gives his permission. He writes 『Permission to use Knight』 on a piece of paper and signs it.

When he turns to Santa Claus, he shakes his head slowly while rubbing his beard.

(It’s great that he agreed to approve it so quickly, but isn’t it strange that he didn’t even ask the reason?)

I’ve made up some excuses before coming here like gathering information and such. Goblin Jii-chan smiled when he saw my face wondering why it was going too well.

「You can use it as you see fit, Tauro-kun. It doesn’t matter how damaged it is. But be sure to return it, okay?」

The way he said it was strangely suggestive. I felt an eerie sense as if he saw through me, and looked at Santa Claus again.

As before, he nodded silently while fiddling with his long white beard.

(How much do they know? These people)

The two spirit beasts, Imosuke and Dangorou. I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually knew of their existence in my garden.

I’ve already introduced them to Cool-san and Lightning.

But not Zaratan. There’s no way that they would’ve thought that a 200-meter-long great spirit beast, in the size of the palm of the hand, would be swimming in our pond.

(And it was only last night that we decided to teleport to Spirit Lake)

No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t match. However, it is a fact that they accepted my request without any conditions.

I decided to stop thinking about the details and borrowed it gratefully.

「Well then, I will be borrowing it starting this afternoon」

I took the piece of paper, bowed, and left the room.

(Let’s head to the Knight hangar at the astern gate)

I explained the situation to the slender young mechanic and then went back to the house to talk to my familiars. With the Old Lady, we would be able to reach the eastern lake by the time the stars came out, even if we left late in the afternoon.

With this plan in mind, I walked down the stairs.

In the office after I left, Santa Claus was sitting on the sofa talking to his superior.

「Is it really okay not asking the reason he borrowed the Knight?」

When asked, the guild master narrowed his eyes and replied with a calm expression.

「In Tauro-kun’s case, it’s better to let him do what he wants. He might be able to do something we can’t.」

No matter how well-informed Goblin Jii-chan is, it’s not like he knows everything. This time, he decided to give his employee a free hand after seeing his ability and personality.

「It’s fine even if he can’t. The Knight of the merchant guild has no role to play in dealing with the elves. He only needs to return safely and that will be enough.」

While rubbing his white beard, which he was proud of, Santa Claus expressed his agreement.

***

The dormitory of the knight order is located further north of the Royal Castle, which stands to the north of the central square.

In the cafeteria, Ponytail who was off duty today was having a late breakfast. She spooned some scrambled eggs with lettuce and silently brought them to her mouth.

「Good morning」

Someone greeted her and she looked up to find a big-breasted girl who was her best friend and neighbor standing there.

Also off duty, Busty-chan puts down a tray of mainly boiled sausages and takes a seat across from her.

「Do you want me to introduce you to a man?」

She sticks a sausage with lots of mustard on it with her fork and shakes it from side to side in front of Ponytail. Judging from the way she squinted her eyes and how the corners of her lips were forming a smile, she must have guessed the reason for the wall slam last night.

Ponytail was fingering herself from the front and back on the bed while imagining a battle with her nemesis, Tauro.

「….No thank you. Are you already over Lightning-san?」

Aware of the reddish tint on her nose, she asked in a grumpy voice. Until recently, her best friend in front of her had a crush on a pilot with a wife and child who had been dispatched from the Black Locust country.

Immediately after his return, she had been so depressed that she had been in bed for several days.

「Women, you know, fell in love and grew up」

She replied with a distant look, then quickly returned her gaze to Ponytail, lowering the corners of her eyes, and smiled.

「After one-off love for someone who will never look at you, a love for someone who is kind to you and will always be there for you awaits.」

She tightens her arms while swinging her large breasts from side to side and suddenly begins to talk about romantic encounters. Her best friend, who is in love, seems to be crazy about her new lover.

(Even though you were so into him before. Didn’t he save your life?)

She sighed in exasperation, but nodded her head and just brushed it off.

After finishing her meal, Ponytail said goodbye to her best friend, who kept saying, “I have a date today,” and left the cafeteria.

(What should I do now? Should I just go to the store like this)

The store she meant was a low-class brothel where she worked part-time while serving as a pilot for the knight order, 『Uniform Store』.

Although it’s a part-time job, she’s not doing it for money. It’s about finding a place to fight the enemy she hates.

(I went there yesterday evening, but there was no appointment. However, he might’ve come after that)

What she meant by “that guy” was her former classmate from pilot school, who is now a pilot for the merchant guild Knights. Ponytail doesn’t like his unfair way of fighting.

(I will never acknowledge it. That kind of guy)

Even though he’s just a private knight’s pilot, her superior values him more than the knight order. Then what about him when they’re on top of the bed? It is just as bad she would even call it a violation.

(But it’s okay. I’m getting stronger too)

Last night’s image training was enough. She thought to herself that there was no way she could fall behind with a surprise hit from her rear gate.

As she felt fighting spirit welling up in the pit of her stomach, she headed to the 『Uniform Store』.

「Ah, you come at the perfect time 」

The concierge old man was sweeping the lobby with a broom. When he spotted her, he straightened his back and smiled, while holding his waist with his hand.

Ponytail’s lower abdomen, believing that there was a reservation for her, overflows with hot fighting spirit. Literally.

「I was wondering if you would be interested in participating in our upcoming joint event」

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Her shoulders slumped a little and she listened to his explanation.

The event he mentioned earlier was a gathering of low-class brothels, and they invited their regular customers to attend. It was said that this event had been held occasionally in the past, but this time it was being held on a larger scale because of the sponsorship.

「An alley in the entertainment district. We’re going to rent out a whole street there. It’s going to be amazing」

A table and chairs in a quiet lobby. After inviting her to sit there, the concierge brought in a wooden box from the office behind the counter.

Then he laid it out on the table, a short cane wand and a stick about the thickness and length of a thumb.

「Do you know this? This is a new toy invented by the 『Revolutioner of the Industry』.」

He urged Ponytail, who had a dubious expression on her face, to pick up the thumbstick. He then pointed the tip of the wand at her fist.

Since she had been told that it was a toy, Ponytail looked at the end of the wand without any sense of danger.

「Then, hold it tight, okay?」

With a small wave, light flies from the tip of the wand to her fist.

「Eek–!!」

Ponytail let out a yelp and dropped the thumbstick. This is because the thumbstick suddenly vibrated violently in her hand.

When the concierge old man saw this, a smile appeared on his face, as if a child succeeded in pulling off a prank.

「The way we play it is to shoot each other with this wand. What comes out of the wand is a harmless Light Arrow that only blinds you for a moment, but when it hits, the wand shakes.」

When he explained this much, even Ponytail could understand. After all, she is one of those women who works in a brothel.

(So you fight with these in your stomach. And if you get hit by a light arrow, the stick inside will vibrate, huh)

Remembering the thumbstick’s violent shaking earlier, she felt her stomach’s muscles tense up.

The concierge old man placed the wand on the table and continued his explanation. The sponsor is the famous revolutioner and the purpose is to promote this toy, apparently.

「If we can show how strong we are in this event, it will help the store get more famous. If that happens, I think we can attract more customers」

“You’re an active pilot so this kind of thing is what you do for a living, right?” He asked. Ponytail puffed out her chest and stared back with confident eyes.

「For the record, I’m strong, you know? I don’t know if the opponent is a girl from another store or a customer, but wouldn’t it be bad to beat them up?」

After narrowing his eyes, the concierge old man shook his head from side to side.

「There’s no need to worry about that. It seems they got bored right away because the women’s side is too weak and beaten up one-sidedly」

A brothel that built a large set in the store that resembled the royal capital has begun to focus on the play with these toys. It seems that the players were analyzed based on their achievements there.

Thinking in a rather positive atmosphere, the concierge added.

「Of course, I need your help, but if possible, I would also like you to get some help from your friend. Can you please talk to her?」

The friend here must have been the braided Busty-chan. Before she too became a member of the knight order, she used to sit on the platform here in the store, wearing her pilot school uniform.

「I’ll lend you two sets of this toy, can you please consider it?」

He put the toys in a cloth bag and handed it to Ponytail.

This store has been a great help to her. And Ponytail, who is basically conscientious, agreed to think about it and left the store.

Ponytail headed straight to the Kingdom knight order headquarters and returned to her room. She closed the door, locked it, and placed the wand and thumbstick set on the table.

(…..I need to try it myself before I tell this to others)