[V15C9] The Black Dragon's Errand / The Self-Proclaimed Proper Witch Sighs

There was a young man with black hair sitting on the stone walls of the commoner district in the royal capital. He wore an old-fashioned robe and was squatting down like a cat.

The young man—aka Nero in human form—looked up at the clear blue sky and let out a big yawn.

“Nyafaah…”

After a light stretch, Nero shifted his gaze from the sky down to the streets below.

There were many hills in the area, so this spot at the top of a stone staircase was perfect for looking down on the city.

Nero surveyed the streets with his mysterious golden eyes.

“…So where am I supposed to find Loudmouth’s butcher shop?”

The Black Dragon of Worgan, a First-Class Dangerous Species that had once shaken Ridill to its core, was currently running a shopping errand at Isaac’s request.

He had been asked to, “Use this money to buy as much meat as you can. Look for Dudley-kun, he’ll help you pick out something suitable.”

Thus, Nero set out for the butcher shop run by Glenn’s family… until he lost the map.

And now, here he was, hoping that he might conveniently spot Glenn flying through the sky with flight magic. That was about the only way for Nero to find him.

As Nero continued gazing at the sky, he suddenly heard the shrill voices of two girls.

He casually glanced in their direction to see a girl stuck in the narrow gap between a building and the stone staircase, and another girl trying to help her out.

“It’s no good, Betty. You can’t pull me up by yourself! You need to get an adult!”

“Geez! This is what happens when you act like a child, Anna!”

“I said I’m sorry!”

Both of them seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen years old.

They had similarly colored dirty blonde hair and matching mint-green ribbons. Judging by their similar facial features, they were probably sisters.

The girl who had fallen into the gap had slanted eyes and a ponytail, and her sister at the top of the stairs had freckles and twintails.

By their conversation, it seemed the ponytail girl had been walking on the railing of the stairs, when she slipped and fell into the gap between the stairs and the neighboring building.

She did her best to climb out, but the shrubbery was getting in her way. It was a pretty tall wall to climb without any footholds.

Nero leapt down onto the railings and asked, “How about I pull you up?”

The two girls were stunned by his sudden appearance.

Meanwhile, Nero squatted on the railing and peeked down.

It was a considerable distance, though he could reach the girl if she stretched her arm out. But apparently, humans might injure their shoulders if pulled forcefully in that posture─at least, according to the junior he once pulled out of the underworld.

His junior was a tough guy, and he had grumbled, “I thought my shoulder was going to pop out…” If Nero did the same thing to a child, he might seriously rip off their arm.

Thus, Nero decided to drop down into the gap instead. He easily lifted the surprised girl onto his shoulder.

“You, back up a bit.”

After warning the girl on top of the stairs, Nero jumped up to grab the ledge he had dropped from. Then, he kicked off the wall to land back on the railings.

His unbelievable agility while carrying another person caused both girls to squeal.

“Eh?! No way, no way! How did you do that?!”

“That was so cool! You jumped so high while carrying Anna!”

Pleased by their innocent praises, Nero smirked as he gently let the girl off his shoulder. Both girls crowded around him in excitement.

“Thank you, mister!”

“Thank you so much for saving Anna. Since you’re wearing a robe, are you perhaps a mage…?”

The girl with twintails stared curiously at Nero’s robe, before suddenly gasping in realization.

“Ah! So was that jump using flight magic?”

“No way!” said the other girl. “He didn’t chant anything!”

“But you’re so heavy, Anna. Not even Glenn-nii could jump that high while carrying you!”

“What?! Betty! What do you mean heavy?!”

As Nero listened to the sisters bicker, something clicked in his mind.

(Glenn…? Isn’t that the name of Loudmouth?)

Most commoners were unfamiliar with magic, so they would not think to attribute high jumps with flight magic. Unless these two girls were used to seeing flight magic on a daily basis.

Nero pondered for a moment, then looked at the two girls again.

“About this Glenn guy, does he have a loud voice, use flight magic, and wear a blue robe lately…? Oh, and does his family run a butcher shop?”

“Mister, are you a friend of Glenn-nii?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some business with the guy.”

Nero was here to have Glenn pick out some good meat, and get lots of freebies from him. As a side note, Nero believed that freebies were a guaranteed part of the deal when shopping.

Nero didn’t particularly care about which cut of the meat he got, but humans apparently used different cooking methods depending on the part.

All of Isaac’s dishes were feasts capable of impressing the tongue of a black dragon. Raw meat wasn’t half-bad either, but still.

(He told me to ask for Loudmouth’s recommendation, so that way will give me a better meal.)

Nero started licking his lips at the memory of the meat stew from a while back, as the two girls spoke up in turn.

“If you’re looking for Glenn-nii, he’s on a date with the princess today!”

“And they’re going to the theater! Can you believe it? Glenn-nii, of all people!”

“It’d be a waste not to spy on something that interesting—uh, I mean, we just wanted to keep an eye on them!”

“So we took a shortcut to get ahead of them, but Anna got a little carried away and fell.”

After listening to their story, Nero folded his arms and frowned.

“Hmm…? So you’re telling me Loudmouth is gone for today? I wanted him to pick out some tasty meat for me…”

“You’re looking to buy meat?”

“Oh really? Then we’ll pick it out for you!”

“Since you’re a friend of Glenn-nii and Anna’s savior, we’ll throw in lots of freebies!”

If they were going to give him freebies, then Nero had no reason to refuse.

“Alright, take me there.”

The two girls cheerfully called out, “This way, this way!” and started walking… but after a few steps, the ponytail girl paused and crouched down.

Her feisty expression was gone, and she held her right leg in pain. Apparently, she had hurt it when she fell earlier.

Nero had no clue how to treat human injuries, so he simply lifted the girl and sat her on his shoulder.

“Wah! Whoa, this is amazing! You’re so tall, mister!”

“Right? Right?”

Nero laughed in delight, holding himself back from bragging, I’m even bigger in my real form!

Meanwhile, the other girl started fidgeting as she glanced enviously at her sister on Nero’s shoulder.

“I’m in a good mood,” Nero said, crouching down with a grin. “So I’ll let you ride too, just this once.”

“R-Really? But wouldn’t it be a bit heavy with the two of us…?”

“One or two, what’s the big difference? Come on, hop on already.”

The twintail girl blushed a little as she held down her skirt to sit on Nero’s shoulder.

Once Nero stood back up, the two girls clung to his head and shouted in delight.

“Wow! Wow! We’re so high up!”

“You’re amazing, mister! Even stronger than Glenn-nii!”

“Right? Right? Go ahead, praise me more. Hahaha!”

Nero hummed a cheerful tune as he walked off with the girls on his shoulders.

＊　＊　＊

Melissa had been summoned by her grandmother to a room of the Roseberg family’s main estate. She barely managed to keep herself from sighing in dismay.

Everything about this house was unbearably old-fashioned, from the faded wallpaper to the antique furniture. An optimist might call it a home steeped in historical charm.

But to Melissa, all the walls and furniture reeked of the deep-rooted grudges and dark history of their family, as if soaked in the suffocating smell of medicinal herbs.

Melissa sat across from her grandmother, who was clad in an old-fashioned dress that seemed to embody everything about this house. The same deep green dress she had worn since Melissa’s childhood.

This was in stark contrast to Adeline Albright, who ordered a outfit with the latest fashions at a famous boutique every year.

“This is something that concerns the future of House Roseberg,” her grandmother said, placing two bottles in front of Melissa.

One was a potion, the other a perfume, but they had the same ingredients. They were both the ‘Witch’s Love Potion’—in other words, aphrodisiacs.

“The Silent Witch, Monica Everett, is one of the most talented mages in Ridill. There is no one more fitting to join our family… Do whatever it takes to win her over.”

Raul Roseberg, the current head of House Roseberg, was said to be a second coming of the First Thorn Witch and a genius in his own right.

The elders were proud of Raul aside from a single concern: his lack of an heir.

Raul was an adult man with no fiancée.

Part of the reason was that Raul had never shown much interest in getting engaged, but more importantly, none of the potential candidates received the approval of the elders.

In the past, only women held the title of Thorn Witch. As a result, they created heirs by taking a husband or finding lovers from elsewhere. These partners were always talented mages with an affinity for earth magic.

For example, two generations ago, there was a famous earth mage known as the “Grotto Mage”, and the elders were apparently desperate to bring him into House Roseberg.

They apparently tried everything from flirting, seduction, and even blackmail, but in the end, he managed to escape.

(…I never thought the Little One would catch Grandmother’s eye…)

Now, they had their eyes set on Monica as a potential fiancée for Raul.

Monica was a plain and unimpressive girl, and her affinity was not earth. But it seems her overwhelming talent made them overlook everything else.

The numerous magic formulas she developed, being the only user of chantless magic in the world, and her achievement of defeating three evil dragons… Monica had simply accomplished too much in these past few years.

Melissa had heard rumors of people wanting to bring Monica into their family, but she never imagined she might be caught in the crossfire like this.

(Raul will be leaving soon to study abroad, so they probably want to have them do the deed and seal the deal beforehand… But why do I have to be the one to drug my idiot brother and the Little One… Ugh…)

If it were just some random strangers, Melissa might have found it hilarious and enjoyed the show. However, drugging people she knew made her feel incredibly gross. She didn’t want to see her friends and family getting frisky under the influence of a potion she slipped them.

However, her grandmother would stop at nothing to preserve the bloodline of the First Thorn Witch.

(Ah, why do I have to be such a decent person…)

Melissa could not help sigh inwardly.

“Do you understand, Melissa?” asked her grandmother in a solemn tone.

Melissa had heard this question countless times since childhood.

And her response was always the same.

“Yes, Grandmother.”

That was a lie. Melissa intended to sell the potion for pocket change. A potion made by her grandmother was worth new clothes, shoes, a full set of accessories, and then some.

Right as she started daydreaming about the latest dress from the Flux Company, her grandmother continued speaking with a sharp glare.

“…By the way, I have altered the recipe for this potion. You are to record any differences from the usual version and submit a written report. Be sure to record the dosage and return any leftovers with the bottle.”

“Ugh…”

Her grandmother’s eyes grew even more fierce.

“Do you understand, Melissa?”

“Y-Yes, Grandmother…”

＊　＊　＊

Melissa took the two bottles from her grandmother and trudged off toward the workshop.

She didn’t really have any reason to go, but at times like these, she preferred to be anywhere but the main estate.

(Ugh, what a pain in the ass…)

Melissa wanted to submit a nonsense report, but that wouldn’t work unless she knew the changes to the recipe. At this rate, her grandmother was sure to see through her lies.

She needed someone to test the potion on. A healthy guinea pig that she wouldn’t feel guilty about drugging.

(But Grandmother will get suspicious if I go into town right now… I’ll need to run the tests here… But there’s no way we have someone that convenient…)

As Melissa wallowed in frustration, the workshop eventually came into view.

One of the windows was open, and the sweet scent of simmering fruit drifted out.

“Oh wait, the perfect guy is right there.”

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