On the second day of the VIP auction, Bilose had to wonder what in the world he was doing.
“A-are you resting today, Lord Cale?”
“I am,” Cale replied, then clicked his tongue. “Agh, I got some on me.” He wiped away the sauce on his mouth. It dawned on him then that during his stay in every country, he ate skewers. He munched on his chicken skewer, standing in front of a toy store.
“Meeeow!”
“Yes, yes. We’ll start with the toy store.”
Cale and his companions were in the southern district of Vegas, which was the area most densely packed with shops. Hordes of tourists walked this street daily.
Bilose snuck a peek at Hilsmann. The vice-captain stood behind Cale, holding an empty magic bag. This isn’t his style. As far as Bilose knew, the man was an uptight and authoritative person aiming to become captain—yet that same man was standing by with a bag to carry gifts and souvenirs for the cats. Bilose couldn’t believe it.
When their eyes met, Bilose caught a faint smile from the vice-captain. Why does that smile evoke the sorrow of a worker with one very eccentric boss?
Unaware of his subordinates’ troubles, Cale reached for the door of the toy store, the first establishment they’d be hitting on this southern street. Even though the auction was already on its second day, Cale didn’t have anything special to attend to. The magic bag he’d handed to Plavin Sinten contained a note with further instructions, so Cale didn’t need to worry about that anymore.
When it comes to that guy, Mary and Tasha should be on the move already.
He didn’t want to attend a beastfolk-themed auction. What could they be auctioning off if not beastfolk themselves?
While the auction’s catalogue did contain a few weapons and items that once belonged to famous beastfolk, the majority of the lots were the remains of beautiful or unique beastfolk: a white lion’s snowy hide, accessories made from a whale’s exquisite blue hair, and other things of that nature. Cale couldn’t take beastfolk children into an auction like that.
Humans are the cruelest of all the races.
Scowling, he made to open the door. Whap! A kitten’s paw slapped the back of Cale’s hand, hard enough to sting.
“Meeeow.”
It was Ohn. What’s her deal? When Cale realized the culprit was her and not Hong, he stared at her in confusion; Ohn never behaved this way. There was a strange shimmer in her eyes—as if she thought he was pathetic, even pitiable.
Feeling odd about receiving such a look from a twelve-year-old, Cale quickly looked at Hong instead. Hong just seemed happy, ears twitching as he checked out the toy store.
‹What are you doing, human?› Raon asked. ‹Hurry up and buy whatever you want!›
Cale flinched. Whatever I want?
Something didn’t add up. Cale had assumed he’d be buying toys for these kids, but for some reason, Raon seemed to think he wanted something here for himself. Cale’s grip on the doorknob went slack.
‹Hmm? Don’t you want to buy toys, human? Hurry up and go in! I’ll be out here people watching. Just make it fast.›
How strange. Cale glanced back at Ohn. She pointed her paw at something, leaving Cale no choice but to look in that direction.
“I should’ve known.”
These children were every bit as vicious as he’d believed. Ohn was pointing at an alley that featured a weapon store and a magical goods shop.
Cale had misjudged the situation. As he reflected on his mistake, he thought about the members of his close circle. Including his sister Lilly, who had turned nine this year, the kids around him all preferred weapons over toys. This was true of the tigers and the wolf children as well.
Damn it.
This fantasy world truly did defy imagination. Cale turned away from the door.
At his sudden change in direction, Bilose called out, “Lord Cale?”
Cale didn’t respond as he made his way to the alley. Hilsmann followed, looking a bit more relaxed. Bilose, however, paled upon entering the weapon store. His gaze darted in the wake of Cale’s pointing finger.
“This. This. That.”
Cale singled out several different swords like it was nothing—though he was only pointing out the ones Raon had told him to pick.
The store’s owner blanked out when confronted with Cale’s rapid-fire selection. “E-excuse me?” Some of the weapons Cale had chosen included a dagger of the highest grade and a greatsword imbued with fire magic. He had accurately pinpointed all of the quality items in the shop.
Frowning at the owner’s vacant expression, Cale tried a simpler method. “From there to here.”
“Sorry?”
“Give me all of them.”
“Huh?!” the owner blurted, flabbergasted that his first customer of the day was a wealthy noble.
The man gaped at Cale, only to see the redhead motioning for him to snap to it and calculate the price. He gathered up the weapons in a rush and scurried over to the counter. Bilose watched these proceedings in silence, blissfully unaware that this was only the beginning.
‹Human! Human! I wanna go to the magical goods shop.›
Damn it.
Cale didn’t let his emotions show as he headed to the next establishment. The owner of the weapon store felt as if Cale was radiating a golden glow, but the only thing on Cale’s mind was Raon’s voice.
‹Mary and Rosalyn would like that magic item.›
Damn it all.
As Cale stood in front of the item Raon spoke of, he quickly realized what the children had been exposed to as they grew up. For the past two years, they’d been surrounded by luxury items. He’d been trying to use their allowances to teach them about controlling their finances.
‹Mm… That’s disappointing. Five gold coins is too expensive. You don’t need to buy it for me, human. Get me something cheap.›
Cale huffed. Brow creasing at Raon’s comment, he gestured to the item the dragon had pointed out. “That one, please.”
Raon doubled down, trying to stop him. ‹Wait, you can buy a mountain of apple pies with five gold coins! I’m okay without it!›
“Meeeow.”
Ohn and Hong also batted his arms in an attempt to restrain him. Far from dissuaded, Cale added, “Ah, I’d actually like three of them.”
‹Why are you buying three of them, human?!› In his shock, Raon’s cry turned to a shout. ‹Are they for Rosalyn and Mary? Your problem is that you’re too nice. And you value friendship too much! This is why I have to stick around to supervise you!›
The six-year-old’s concern made Cale’s frown deepen.
“Doesn’t he seem angry?” Hilsmann whispered in Bilose’s ear.
Bilose had been watching Cale in astonishment, but he smiled at Hilsmann’s comment. “Oh, yes. He does.”
“He always makes that face when he’s doing something for someone else, but he pays close attention to ensure that everyone around him is well taken care of. It’s quite easy to tell what his true feelings are.”
Bilose now understood why Hilsmann was playing the role of a pack mule without complaint. His own gaze also warmed up a bit as he regarded the young noble.
Raon, on the other hand, was worried about Cale. ‹Human, are you okay? This is such a waste! I don’t need that many toys!›
It seemed the black dragon perceived magic devices as toys. Cale snorted at that before mumbling to himself, “It’s not at all wasteful.”
The expense didn’t upset him; compared to his fortune, it was mere pocket change. He had no issue spending what Raon would consider enough money to fit in his paws. It was the thought of all the baggage he needed to tend to these days that gave him a headache.
Raon went quiet. Ohn and Hong calmed down as well, no longer pawing at his arms. Assuming he’d appeased them by buying everything they wanted, Cale nodded in satisfaction. Now that this issue was out of the way, he could do what he came here to do.
“Bilose, where’s the armor store?”
“Armor?”
“Yes. I need martial arts uniforms too.”
“You do?”
“That’s right.” Those were for the wolves and the tigers.
Cale swept through the stores without breaking a sweat. Splurging for the first time in a while left him feeling refreshed.
It really is nice to flex.
He finished his shopping spree by buying some apple pies, then turned toward the others. “Let’s go back.”
Cale returned to the inn at an unhurried pace with his companions quietly trailing behind him. Everyone in the group shared the same thought as they looked at Cale: The only thing he’d purchased for himself was the chicken skewer.
While that fact engraved itself in their memories, Cale had a different thought on his mind. Now that I blew some cash, it’s time to rip somebody off for a lot more.