CH.334 Dropping off Nel and Unika

CH.334 Dropping off Nel and Unika

[Brian POV]Because of a POV change between chapters.

Come morning, well it was after 11 am, so calling this morning might not be correct, Alice, Lua and I joined our two guests for breakfast.

I had Tinkhec and Bistro Butcher prepare it for us, so we had quite the lineup of monster meats available, alongside some other not so protein heavy options like bread and fruits. We even had some donuts for dessert. For drinks, we had tea or freshly squeezed fruit juice. And blood for Lua, but our guests probably won’t be having that.

Spoiler[collapse]

“So, how did you sleep?” I asked the two as we ate.

“The beds you offered us were very fine, thank you.” Nel offered a quite formal response.

“... I ... I slept well.” Unika answered. “... I also really enjoyed the bath. ... and I’d like to thank miss Nudy... for washing my clothes. ... as well as... the black haired lady... for her help.”

“ ... they did that for her?” I heard Nel muttering.

Did she not take advantage of my extra services? Well, that’s on her for not doing so. But I’m happy to hear that Unika took advantage of them. Hopefully it at least partially makes up for the bullshit mission Nel gave to her.

“I see. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay. And Unika, I’ll make sure you get a chance to thank my maids before I return you to the surface.”

“... surface? What do you mean by that?” Nel asked.

“Nothing you need to know. But speaking of returning you, I did have a question about it. Well, mainly for you, Nel. You went from the capital to Green Town inside Unika’s Tamer’s Paradise, didn’t you?”

“And what if I did?” Nel asked.

“Nothing. As I said, some rulebraking is fine with me, as I do it myself. I was just wondering, do you want me to drop you off in the Green town, or would you prefer I take you directly to the capital?”

“... you could do that?”

“It is quite simple. So, which do you prefer?”

“... I’ll go to the capital then.” Nel answered.

“Alright. Make sure you pay Unika before you leave, as if you don’t, I’ll chase you down and make sure you pay her for the trouble you put her in.” I said, while making my voice a bit more intimidating.

“I... I will.” Nel quickly responded.

“... umm. What about me?” Unika then asked.

“Well, you are quite a bit easier.” I told her. “I will be returning you to the Green town. From there, you can go wherever you want. And if you want a ride back to the capital, I do have space in my carriage, so you can ride back with us.

“... Yes. I’d like that. ... the ride to the capital, I mean.” Unika said carefully.

“Well, that was a lot more simple than I thought. I assumed at least one of you would reject my plan.” I admitted to the duo.

“Do we even have the power to do so?” Nel asked. “We are in your domain. What can we do, except listen to you?”

“A lot of things, but I don’t want to tell you my weaknesses.”

I was able to obtain some info from Unika about Nel. Nel had apparently seen Unika practice her Tamer’s Paradise skill, and she had noticed that Unika could take a person inside. Nel then promised to pay Unika a good sum of money, if Unika would help her get into the Green dungeon. And because Unika’s family wasn’t in the greatest financial situation, Unika agreed on the job and that is how she ended up where we met up with her.

Her family consisted of her, her mother and her younger brother. Her father was an adventurer like her, but he died on a quest some time ago. Her mother worked as a waitress in a small restaurant, but that barely paid for their house, so both Unika and her brother needed to work for food money. Her brother worked some odd jobs around the city, while also going to a cheap magic school on the side, as apparently her brother had a decent affinity towards light magic, and both Unika and her mother wanted him to realize that potential. And while the magic school was on the cheap side, it did still cost some money, so Unika was working hard for both food money, as well as her brother’s education, so a well paying easy job was definitely something Unika wanted to take on. Even if it was a bit shady.

“... So Brian... What are you going to do about that?” Alice teasingly asked.

“Umm... nothing?”

“Really? You aren’t going to offer her a job? Or maybe offer to teach her younger brother?”

“I mean, I could, but... what do you think, Unika? Do you want a job working for me?” I just asked her.

“Eh? I ... no. I mean yes. I mean... what kind of job would this be? I would like to know more.”

“Nothing much. I will move you to live on HomeBase, and from there, you will be an adventurer I can call for when I need you. Actually, I would like you to teach Einar, a tamer that already works for me, how to use that Tamer’s Paradise skill. Also, I can hire your mother as a maid, and I have access to great magicians who can teach your brother. But in return, you will work for me whenever I need extra hands with jobs. Oh and outside of those times, you will be free to keep working as an adventurer, if you want. Or you can pick up some tasks on HomeBase.”

“... is this... is this a joke?” Unika asked.

“I wouldn’t joke about this. The offer is true. Sure you will be basically a test subject for some plans I have for HomeBase, but it isn’t like I’ll poke or probe you. ... well, Lua might.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry. Should I have said bite and suck blood?” I kept the joke going, earning myself a slap on the head.

“Come on. You know you will do it. It is part of the medical check-up that you came up with.” I pointed out.

“Using Blood Magic and sucking blood are two completely different things.” Lua argued.

“... is ... is this normal?” Unika asked.

“Almost a daily occurrence between either Master and Miss Lucia or Master and Miss Alice.” Agunan answered.

“... is your Master someone... I should work for?” Unika then asked.

“That is a question only you can answer. I dedicated my life to him, as he is stronger than I am. That is how a dragon lives.” Agunan told her. “I cannot tell you how to live, but I can tell you this. In my 900 years of life, I have never experienced as many things as quickly, or grown more powerful faster, than during the time I’ve spent with my Master. So if you wish to gain experience and grow stronger, I believe working for him is what you should do. ... and rest assured. My Master does take care of those that are close to him. If you work for him, anything you may need, he will get. That is just who he is.”

“... I see. Thank you, Lord Dragon.”

“Agunan.”

“... yes?”

“My name. Please do call me Agunan.”

“Yes, Lord Agunan. My name is Unika.”

“If you do end up working for my Master, make sure to drop the ‘lord’. He doesn’t like that sort of thing.”