[V11C16] The Lively Employees of the Flux Company

Monica had recommended the Flux Company, where Lana served as president, to Melissa a while back.

Not only did Melissa remember that, but she had apparently already shipped a set of fabrics to be used for her future dress.

“I’ve been wanting to drop by ever since they said I would be going to Sazandol~!”

Melissa was clearly in high spirits as they walked through the streets under Monica’s guidance.

Ray’s mumble of “See, she just wants to go shopping after all…” didn’t even seem to reach her ears.

While leading the way, Monica occasionally glanced sideways, anxiously searching for any possible sign of Nero. She ended up jumping slightly each time she caught a glimpse of a cat in the corner of her eye.

(Nero must be… going out for a walk. He should be back soon…)

But what if, for some reason, Nero did not return? Or even worse, what if he reappears as an enemy?

Simply thinking about the possibility caused the clutches of anxiety to wrap around Monica’s heart.

After walking through the city with such depressing thoughts, Monica reached a street in the commercial district lined with upscale stores.

The main building of the Flux Company, for taking order and product delivery, was also located on this street. Their workshops for sewing and engraving were placed separately in the industrial district, but Lana generally stayed in the main building.

(I shouldn’t make a gloomy face in front of Lana.)

It had been quite a while since the last time Monica saw Lana. If they were going to meet, she wanted to do so with a smile.

Monica pushed up her cheeks with both hands, took a deep breath, then opened the door to the shop.

——Toom-toom.

For some reason, she was greeted by the sound of a trumpet echoing from the back of the building.

The Flux Company was not the type of apparel store to line up their products for display. If anything, the main room seemed more like a salon, maintaining a calm, high-class atmosphere.

In which case, why was there someone playing a trumpet inside?

Monica looked around for the source of the sound, only to be interrupted by a man and girl coming out and raising their voices in excitement.

“Waha! It worked! My mini magical device sensed their presence and played a sound!”

“Whoa, this is pretty cool! I wanna try too! Do I just close the door and open it again?”

“No, it’s not about the door; you just need to move in front of the device I installed on the wall! Now we can get music without stepping on any pedals!”

“Ah, well those pedals were pretty fun too. I liked them.”

A small girl with black hair tied into a bun was conversing with a tall, black-haired man right in front of Monica and the others, completely ignoring their potential customers.

Both were people who Monica was familiar with, although one wasn’t exactly human.

After almost blacking out for an instant, Monica voiced their names with quivering lips.

“…K-Karina…? Nero…? Eh? Eh…?”

Standing at the counter was Karina, the young girl from the Empire who had once called herself a pseudo-maid.

Next to her was Nero, a robed man whose true identity was none other than the Black Dragon of Worgan, as well as the main subject of the prophecy.

“Huh? Oh, it’s Monica-chan! Waha, welcome!”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s just you Monica. You’re finally back!”

Karina and Nero gave her a casual greeting, like employees greeting a regular customer.

But why were the two inside Lana’s store in the first place?

Failing to comprehend the situation, Monica stood frozen until she was poked by Melissa from behind.

“Come on, Moni-Moni. Hurry up and go inside.”

“…T-This store looks so fancy… It even smells nice… A slug like me wearing a garbage bag doesn’t belong here… The entire building is denying my existence… Ugh…”

Caught between Nero and Karina in the front and Melissa and Ray in the back, Monica could do little aside from letting out a pathetic whimper with her eyes spinning.

At that moment, Lana appeared from the back of the shop.

“Karina, tell me first if you’re going to install any magical devices in my shop! …Oh, Monica! I didn’t know you were here. Welcome back!”

“Lana… ugh… wah…!”

Overwhelmed by the entire situation, Monica dove into Lana’s arms with watery eyes.

Too many things were going on, so the moment she saw Lana’s face, she felt relieved to the point of tears.

＊　＊　＊

Lana greeted Melissa and Ray with a flawless smile, then guided the group to a reception room at the back of the shop.

Melissa naturally sat right in the center of the sofa, with Monica sitting to her left, and the uncomfortable-looking Ray huddled on the right edge of the sofa.

“Sorry for all the noise.”

Lana, who was seated on the opposite sofa, apologized with a wry smile, glancing at Karina and Nero. The pair was waving from the corner of the room.

“Karina was training at a workshop in Ambard, as part of Ridill’s technology exchange program with the Empire. There, it seems she saw some accessories I designed, and got really interested in them…”

“Yeah, that’s right. I had the count write a letter of recommendation, so I’m staying at this workshop now! Everything designed by President Colette is just super cute; she’s a natural genius at cuteness!”

Though Karina chatted away with a bright smile, Monica could not help but voice her doubts.

“Um… but Karina, I thought you were working as a maid in the palace…? What happened to your maid duties?”

Indeed, Karina had been an attendant of the Imperial Princess Cecilia, accompanying her during her visit to Ridill.

In which case, how in the world did she become an apprentice craftswoman in Sazandol, so far from the capital?

Karina answered Monica’s confusion in a nonchalant tone.

“Oh, um, I guess I’m both a maid and a craftswoman!”

“…”

An incredibly sloppy and unconvincing explanation.

“To be honest, if you asked what kind of craftswoman I am, that’s a bit hard to answer. I do practically everything, from goldsmithing to pottery to whatever. Oh, but I guess sculpting is my specialty.”

“I-I see…?”

Swept away by her enthusiasm, Monica gave a somewhat reluctant nod, and Karina continued with a smile.

“Actually Monica-chan, I’ve been hoping to see again ever since coming to Sazandol. It super surprised me to hear that you were friends with both President Colette and Bartholomew-san! What a huge coincidence!”

Now that she had (mostly?) grasped Karina’s situation, Monica next turned to Bartholomew, aka Nero.

Bartholomew Alexander was the name of the protagonist in Nero’s favorite adventure novel, as well as one of the few names that he bothered to remember. Nero often went by Bartholomew when using a pseudonym.

“So, Ne…erm, Bartholomew-san. Why are you here exactly?”

Monica asked the question in a slightly angry tone, but Nero crossed his arms and explained with a confident smirk.

“Oh, you know, I’m the bouncer for this shop.”

“…Bouncer?”

Monica cast a skeptical look, until Lana cheerfully chimed in to Nero’s support.

“That’s right! Bartholomew-san has started dropping by recently.”

“Yeah, Lana gives me snacks and stuff,” Nero followed.

Just hearing this exchange made Monica feel incredibly apologetic. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that, in her absence, Nero was begging Lana for food!

Seeing Monica turn pale, Lana followed up with a smile.

“The other day, a drunkard wandered into the shop and started causing a ruckus, but Bartholomew-san helped us kick him out!”

“Piece of cake,” Nero said.

“He also helps us with odd jobs, like transporting goods between our workshops and the storefront.”

“Yeah, I’m a capable kitty… er, a capable man!”

Apparently, Nero had visited Lana’s store on a whim, then started doing odd jobs in exchange for food.

Today, the employee working at the counter was out with a cold, so he and Karina had been managing the store instead.

(Things have gotten really weird while I was gone…)

Although Monica was happy to be reunited with Nero, she felt a migraine for reasons unrelated to the ominous prophecy.

As Monica held her head, she heard a murmur coming from right behind herself.

“…Take him back, please.”

“Fugyah!?”

Monica turned around to see Lana’s secretary Clifford Anderson, a man with thick glasses and distinctive black hair, standing behind her with a grim face.

“Lana is too nice to him. It’s unfair,” Clifford said, glaring at Nero with genuine resentment.

As a reminder, this was the man who had once asked Monica to “sell her time with Lana”. Clearly, he was not pleased to see Lana taking a liking to Nero.

Ignoring the aura of irritation radiating from Clifford, Lana addressed him with a stern attitude.

“It’s not like you’re any good at manual labor, Cliff. You couldn’t be our bouncer even if you tried.”

“…”

“More importantly, it’s about time for you guys to return to your posts. We have an important customer today.”

By “important customer”, Lana was clearly referring to Melissa, who had been unusually quiet ever since their arrival at the shop.

“Moni-Moni, you actually have a surprising amount of friends, huh?” Melissa said, glancing at Monica.

“…”

Monica couldn’t bring herself to admit that most of her friends were gathered in this room.

Lana trusts Nero because he is Monica’s acquaintance, and Nero trusts Lana because she is Monica’s friend.

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