Chapter 276: Shopping Time with the Girls.

Chapter 276: Shopping Time with the Girls.

Faster! My whelpling, you need to produce your flames faster! With [Volcanic Blaze], you need to learn how to produce fire from anything and everything if you want to realize its full potential! Mother instructed me, pushing me to snap my fingers faster and faster.

Snap, snap, snap; the sound of fingers rubbing against each other echoed inside this clothing store. Every time I did so, fire was created not through my scale-dust, but through my mana. One snap on the left hand and a fire erupted, and when I did it with my right hand, the fire on my left disappeared, replaced by one on the right.

Meanwhile, my ten parallel minds were controlling the scales around me, picking up the clothing the store clerks were handing over to me. With Svena helping out, I was almost able to dress myself using my scales alone. Sadly, the clerks werent as excited since they were scared my fire could catch onto the clothing.

M-Mother, do we really have to practice this right now? I pleaded to Mother to stop since I could see the clerks looking at my flames nervously.

No. Clothing is important since your appearance must be impeccable for a dragon of your status, but you could just make dresses using your scales. Your training is more important than wasting time like this, Hestia. But Mother was strict.

Dammit, for an immortal, you really treat time as any other mortal!

Regardless of Mothers helicopter mum-like behavior, today has been a pretty busy day for me. Mostly cause I had to go around the city a lot to do some mandatory stuff, which I couldn't have done yesterday when we first arrived in Gleisvale.

For example, Aurora had to register ourselves at the hunters, mercenary's and mages guilds. Similar to how we did it in Griffonpeak, it was there to let the guilds know we were around and to allow us to take on jobs if we needed them. While we weren't legally bound to register at the hunters guild although we still did so, as we were a company it was a requirement to keep our guild membership for the mages guild.

Maverina, the mages guild master in Griffonpeak, told us we had to do it. If a mages guild was around in a city, mages had to make sure to announce their appearance since the magical capital, Aleistunum, was responsible for managing them. And they did it through the mages guild. Laws and restrictions, I told myself.

I was also annoyed that I had to announce any custom spells I made for myself, but I do admit they were useful in Griffonpeak when we needed an enchanter for our catalysts. Still, now that we had Tamae around, she could handle our enchanting needs. If it werent for raising Master Kushs prestige as a mages guild member from me being acknowledged as his apprentice, I would have probably wanted to hand in my membership just with how annoying it was.

Speaking about memberships, Mother and the twins were less enthusiastic about being bound down by human laws. In Griffonpeak, I had suggested we get them some party bracelets and also a membership with the hunters and mages guild, but they rejected that idea. At the very least, I managed to persuade them to get IDs despite the fact that they thought it was redundant if they could simply introduce themselves.

When we went over to the mages guild today, the guild leader had already known of our arrival as did anybody else with any amount of influence in this city, apparently. He was pleased to meet me and that I was a member of the guild, but imagine my surprise when he was actually brazen enough to demand that Mother and the twins had to register, stating it was the law of the lands.

Suffice to say, Mother put him into his place. In fact, the whole building was put into its place. I had the feeling no matter how many fire mages they hired, they wouldnt be able to use that plot of land anymore until Mother forgave them and dispelled the ice around it. For a bunch of smarty-pants arcanists, the guild leaders of these mages guilds were pretty up their asses.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.

Cant wait to tell this story to Maverina. Would remind her of that time I made the Sarlenzia company raise the price of fulinoe leaves just for them! Ha, making back our compensation fee and more was pretty funny. Hie hie~

Anyways, after all that guild business, we were now going around upholding the promises I gave the representatives I met yesterday. First, a bunch of merchants wanted to do business with us, so I just sent Amelia, Ellaine, and Haruka with the twins guarding them to handle that stuff. Ellaine could handle herself well enough, but better not take any risks after what Saori told me yesterday about cartels being supported by senators.

With that annoying part delegated to people with a better aptitude to it I wasnt running away it allowed me to visit the shops who just wanted to sell us things to possibly promote them. Like clothing, jewelry, and even that pastry store our merchant trio told me about yesterday.

That pastry store was our first visit and I had to agree with what those three told us. The pastries were nice to eat and delicious, using a lot of sugar, cream, and butter to elevate it into dessert heaven. Still, I didnt think we would lose out to them, but I could see why they were selling well.

In any case, that could be dealt with later on. For now, it was a shopping trip with the girls and I was fully intending to enjoy it~

Ark! Jeez, why do these dresses always have to come with a fucking corset or bustier?! Damn, is there something without a corset around?! The rowdy voice of a certain rebel resounded, nearly drowning out those of others.

Hmm, oh, you are right. These colors do compliment my hair pretty well. Although, the skirt might be a bit too frilly. I could hear somebody comment about herself worriedly, which I guessed belonged to our new chef.

Hmm, the dress is nice but it really doesnt go well if I get into trouble. The sleeves are too long to use my bow. Considering she mentioned a bow, it had to be our resident archer.

Misaki-san, you should not be using a bow while wearing a dress. And that matter-of-fact tone could only belong to a certain electro wolfkin friend of mine.

After I was done dressing up, I opened the door using my scales and came out of the changing room with Svena and Mother. I looked around, noticing the rest of the girls of Aurora were also done with their changing and over by the mirror to inspect themselves.

The clothing shops had large rooms reserved to try out clothing, divided between private and group intended ones, according to each customer's preferences. These group rooms had separate changing rooms behind doors for everybodys privacy, of course, but a communal room to inspect each others appearances.

So, how does this one look, guys? I asked everybody, drawing their eyes towards me.

This one also has an opening for your wings, huh? They really worked hard to get it finished in a day, Kohaku commented. She herself was wearing an eye-catching yellow-red dress which made her stand out even in a crowd.

Jeez, and I thought Sensei could tailor everything fast. Imagine making six dresses for Hesti-chan to try out in a single night, Kazumi stated, having transformed into her katzune form for right now. With cat ears and a tail, her black dress seemed quite brazen as it was made specifically for katzune tastes, and they liked their clothes to be athletic and free-feeling.

I heard beastmen from Carmaniate, the beastman alliance in the east, sometimes visit or even immigrate using the dwarves train, so Gleisvale merchants also put in the effort to appeal to them also. This really was a hub.

Outside of Saoris, Tasiannas, Mothers, Kazumis, and my clothes, the formal dresses made for humans ranged from late medieval style, basically Gothic, to slight Victorian. In other words, they loved their corsets to accentuate the breasts and the long, flowy skirts. There were also casual dresses available, but they were similar to what Artorian nobles wear.

Now, for the beastmen dresses they had a more refined beastial charm to them. They were less strict with modesty and could be called risque in a way, although not as much as you would expect from modern Earths dresses. Rather, you could say the dresses were there to accentuate the animalistic features we had like our wings, tails, scales, and fur.

I naturally rejected any dresses which even tried to show off my chest 'cause of my missing core, which were three out of six I received from the most noteworthy boutiques in the city. Fortunately, each store gave me both a modest and an eye-catching option, so at least they were being considerate about my tastes.

Speaking about my core, after I had removed it, I noticed a small pebble of crystalized mana had appeared on my chest. Mother told me I had to wait for my core to naturally reform, so this was just the beginning stages. It would take quite a while for it to reform, but even as a small gem, I could probably use [Solar Beam] and enter my overdrive form. Just, it wasnt recommended for obvious reasons.

Back to the topic of dresses, I already saw Kazumis before, and Mothers dress was pretty similar to mine, only they had the wrong proportions. Mothers humanoid form was that of a high elf, but unlike most female elves Id met so far, she was busty. It made me remember how Muraina explained elves were naturally flat and only had their chests grow if they were pregnant or during the first few years after having a child.

Well, she did have a child, so I guess it counts.

Haaaa, do I really have to get a new outfit? Tasianna lamented.

I had heard she was nearly groped yesterday when she visited the black market in her usual maid outfit. Honestly, Tasianna was a strong mage and personally wanted her to dress like one just for my fantasy. Just imagining Tasianna looking like a badass mage in some incredible looking robes made me want Saori to hurry up with it.

Regardless, Tasiannas current dress was also a chance for Saori to learn about elven dress fashion along with how beastmen fashion worked. Although Gleisvale was rarely visited by elves, half-elves were a different question. As such, from the few half-elves who came through the dwarven train, the boutique had a small section reserved for their style.

Not surprising, the dresses the elves like to wear were similar to how Tasianna described them to us in the past. Very few materials were used for them and there was a higher focus on looking elegant while remaining minimalist, which reminded me of Earths preferences. Showing skin was not a problem for elves.

With Saoris dress, you could imagine just how much she hated it even if she didnt admit it to not be rude to the people who made it. Our good wolfkin hated showing off the fur around her arms and legs, and the skirt of a wolfkin dress was usually longer in the back but shorter in the front. The dress she wore was exposing her arms and legs, and I could see how embarrassed she felt.

Chin up, Saori! Its almost over!

Technically, she could have transformed into a higher [Humanization] form to get rid of her fur, but that would mean she couldnt use her lightning. Practicality over fashion.

Urgh, can we just get this over with The other person who disliked her dress was Asaka, voicing her unwillingness to wear a corset. I could imagine everybody didnt want to say it out loud, so we girls smiled wryly as she spoke out what we thought.

Thank goodness beastmen hate wearing corsets too! I thanked the flexible nature of beastmen fashion.

Since all of us were done with changing, we exited the room and walked back to the busy front of the shop. Many ladies were inspecting the clothing in the boutique while their male escorts complimented or praised them, telling them how beautiful they would look in a specific dress.

Speaking about guys, we had our own.

Yo, boys, were done. How do we look~? I asked the bored-looking Tatsuya, Kyouya, Nishio, and Daichi. Outside of Grimnir, all the men in our company were here.

However, for some reason, all four were silent as they stared at us. Not even a squeak came out of their mouths, but I could see they were focused on us with their widened eyes.

U-Uhm do the corsets not hurt? Was the first thing we heard from them and it came from Tatsuya.

We were speechless.

Yes, they are uncomfortable and freaking pain in the butt to wear, so how about you guys say something else so we can get out of them sooner? Asaka complained to the boys with a tired expression.

I have no problems taking orders, Ellaine, Tatsuya stated. Also, I personally think it would be cool to work with you. From one transformer to the other. Well, I dont like the demon, but Im okay, regardless.

Same with me. Kyouya showed a thumbs up. Im better at taking orders than giving them.

Good. Its settled! I announced. Shay and Beth. Would you mind joining them as insurance? Dont fight their fights if you arent needed, though, alright?

[Yes, Princess!] the two agreed immediately.

Outside of Gleisvale, the Centipedeclaw valley was teeming with monsters, making it a good place to hunt. While it didnt provide the best amount of challenge for experienced adventurers, our goal here was to find information. What better way than to go and ask people who frequent potion shops and alchemists?

Which means, Gael, Tasianna, and I will handle investigating the area around the Hearts Healing, Saori followed up. Well try to sneak into the shop and get some information. If we manage to find anything, then your three can just continue on with your training. We still have to deal with Shatureins request, which probably means interacting with the local gangs. Keep your schedules flexible and stay on guard, in case they want to try something. We already angered a cartel on the first day.

Sounds interesting. Ill come with you. Surprisingly, Asaka was the one to offer her hand to Saori. What are you looking at me like that, Segawa-san? You dont want my help?

Saori frowned. I didnt expect you to help out.

Asaka shrugged. Im not doing it for you. Im doing it for myself since I wont be of any use on Hestias side, and Im not in the mood to go out to the forest again after what happened in Belzac. In other words, I have nothing better to do. And, lastly, the stupid garm spirits want to stay around you. Mind helping me out?

It really seemed like Asaka wanted to help out.

After everything on Earth, its hard to rely on you, Hanazawa-san. But Saori still had a wall in between them.

Miss Saori, I dont think its that bad to bring her along with us, Tasianna suggested. If Asaka came with us, Sir Elrick will, too. He might be underleveled compared to us and a liability since he probably will have a hard time working with people like Gael, but he can probably deal with any goons since hes a knight of Aurena. Besides, even if you disregard Sir Elrick and her garm spirits, Asaka is smart enough to catch onto details.

Well, youre overpraising me there, Tasianna. Im not good either in combat, since Im just a healer with a mace to bash people with. Not like you two with your fancy large-scale spells. However, well Okay, I dont have many other arguments, really. I just dont want to stick inside the RV like a NEET, so can I help out, or not?

Haaaaaaa, Saori sighed, scratching her head. Yes, alright. I do not see too much of a problem there. Maybe this trip will help you mature a bit.

Hehe, even Saori doesnt want to admit it, she still acts like a teacher around her former students.

Which meant, only one group was left the Sarlenzia group.

Alright, I havent planned anything with the senator, but I have a feeling they will send another representative when they are ready. Since I didnt go to them today, I told everybody. As such, its time to prepare for the mission Introduce Earthen desserts to Peolynca Part 2! Tamae-chan, I have some ideas for products I want the Sarlenzia company to introduce, so could you help me translate those recipes with the local ingredients?

Oh! Sure, that would be amazing! Tamaes bad mood disappeared instantly once food was mentioned.

I nodded. Amelia. Haruka. How were the merchant visits? What did they want?

Mostly to provide us with business deals since they knew you were affiliated with the Sarlenzia company. Well, since I went to them, things began to smooth out even more once I told them we were opening a branch here, Amelia answered.

We probably left a couple of them disgruntled, considering how they behaved after we announced our plan. It might be a problem for later.

Ahh, dont worry about it. If they dont want to join us, then they will be left behind. Gleisvale is the city of merchants, so we have to play by their rules to win. If they want to lose, then let them continue thinking we are their rivals. Well crush them. I smirked. Also, before I meet up with the senators, we need to get information on them. Who are they? What do they do? Their affiliations? Amelia, please, get somebody from House Helvas or Greenveil to help you with the branch opening. We need to get this finished as soon as possible. Ill handle any problems with the merchant guild with you two, alright?

It was time for me to act like a proper leader. Hearing me give out all these orders made me feel kinda giddy inside. Like I was finally growing up.

Hiehie. Mother giggled, but didnt say anything so I continued.

Oh, and I have a plan with the restaurant, so Tamae could you But before I could end my sentence, Tamae seemed to have figured out what I wanted.

If you are talking about serving people food, that might be a problem.

Huh? Why? Shouldnt the chefs and waiters we trained at House Helvas be ready?

Yes, they are, Tamae confirmed, but smiled wryly afterward. However, they still are refusing to serve their skills to commoners.

What?! Ellaine burst out. No, you informed us about it before. Thats why the others of the Magical Biscuits were helping out, but are you saying after two weeks after I left Griffonpeak that none of them are willing to help?!

Y-Yes. Tamae looked troubled. Was this the reason why she wasnt looking so good before. Misaki and the others knew about it, but I also have to admit I was asking them to help out despite them wanting to stop beforehand to continue training. They really only helped out of the goodness of their hearts, but I cant continue being selfish. This restaurant is something I wanted, so I need to take responsibility for it.

I apologize, Tamae-san. Nishio bowed deeply, but Tamae told him to stop.

This cant be Ellaine massaged her temples. Why aren't Father or Mother saying anything?! Brother? They should know and educate our servants better! This is preposterous!

Well, you should know that Duke Greenveil wanted to expand the whole yeast and pastry business, correct? He just made a deal with the new Duke Equevanna, so your family has been too busy helping them. They should be going from Firwood to Cedaraille and then to Ullistar. They told me not to tell you, since you might be worried they might be working themselves to death.

Oh goodness Ellaine stated anxiously. What about Barathan? Manuella? They should be helping out.

Mister Barathen is managing the new yeast guild in Firwood while Miss Manuella is handling the one in Cedaraille with Duke Greenveils head attendant. Any other attendant from the two families are in the Equevanna duchy, to make sure our secrets arent accidentally leaked. I dont think Duke Equevanna would do anything to compromise this new relationship, but neither he nor Duke Greenveil trusts the nobles currently inside the Equevanna duchy.

The power vacuum was still very much present after the previous Duke Equevanna had to step down and with the whole noble purge. I was sure some nobles would like to ride this storm as if a new age was coming, but I could imagine some rats narrowly dodging the purge. The two dukes were just being safe since losing the yeast recipe to a competitor meant I would lose out too.

And, since there is nobody I can call to help with this, my restaurant crew hasnt been doing what I want. I cant get them to work for the lower city, saying their talents and training were wasted on them.

Are you serious?! Ellaine was outraged. Josine! Svena! I thought that both of you managed to recruit and hire proper attendants to help out! What is the meaning of this?!

L-Lady Ellaine, I am unforgivable! Josine bowed down with Svena.

My deepest apologies, Lady Ellaine! Lady Hestia! I was sure we got the best of the best and we also informed them we might also serve commoners. Most of them came from schwertnoble houses or have worked in a magnobles house. They were recommended by their former employees!

Yes technically, we promised them that they would be serving rich merchants. Specifically. W-We have made a mistake and forgot to inform them of the lower city restaurant. This is our mistake, Lady Ellaine.

Oh goodness, so it was a communication issue. Dammit.

Urgh! Ellaine covered her face and breathed in deeply. She knew we couldnt force them if that was the case. She might be a noble, but nobles also had to act like ones especially towards their employees. We couldnt afford a bad reputation.

No problem then. Let them work for the noble restaurant, then.

Which means, we had to adapt.

Hestia? Ellaine looked at me in confusion. So, are you planning on scraping the idea to serve the commoners here and simply focus on the wealthy?

Nope, I stated, confusing everybody. Tamae-chan, make sure your crew for the noble restaurant will actually work well enough. Their work contract stated something we overlooked, so it is now our responsibility to handle it ourselves. We need to act properly, not them. As such, I will get you people who will help you.

You will? From where? Hesti-chan, we cant just take on random people, since we need to trust these people with my recipes so they dont expose them. The people Josine and Svena hired are all nice people, and I believe they are enthusiastic about working with us, especially since I think they are planning to stay around after I taught them my recipes. The chefs loved them and wanted to learn more from me.

Thats good to hear! We wont force people to stay if they didnt want to, but we had to make sure they didnt tell these recipes to others.

Dont worry about that. I can get you some helpers who we can all trust, I assured her before turning to Yorshka. Hey, Yorshka, mind coming with me to a trip to Griffonpeak and Firwood?

Huh? For what? she asked but I couldnt help but smirk.

Im gonna meet up with a few of my fans~