A Barbaric Proposal Side Story 38

※Nightmare in the Shopping District※

[Fermos] "Ugh, Princess."

An accident had occurred.

Fermos had assumed the children, having been thoroughly defeated by the spicy food, would be exhausted and fast asleep. He never imagined he would find them guarding his door at this early hour of dawn.

[Fermos] "Why are you not sleeping?"

He briefly debated whether to hide the fact that he was heading out to execute their revenge plot. But it was futile. There was no way Princess Shellan wouldn't notice.

[Shellan] "I realized I had to be awake now if I wanted to talk to you, Sir. I’m glad my guess was correct."

[Fermos] "……I understand the sentiment perfectly, but you must sleep well to grow tall, Princess."

[Shellan] "An exception for just one day should be fine. I usually sleep very well."

Her lack of flaws was maddeningly adorable.

[Fermos] "What brings you to see me?"

Please, don't ask to join the revenge plot with that lovely face of yours.

[Shellan] "Lana told me there is a very magnificent old bookstore here."

[Fermos] "Ugh, Princess!"

Fortunately, Shellan didn't seem interested in joining the revenge. However, a second groan escaped his lips.

[Fermos] "Lana... Can you not give me some credit? I specifically hired a Seti servant who doesn't speak the Common Tongue to attend to you for a reason."

Yes, there was a reason. It was to prevent exactly this kind of situation.

[Shellan] "I found the Seti language to be quite fascinating."

There was no way Shellan could have learned Seti well enough to converse in a single night. Fermos could speak Seti, but he hadn't learned it until he was fourteen.

[Shellan] "Ah, it turned out Lana was in the middle of learning the Common Tongue. She had a book that made it very easy to understand. Thanks to that, I was able to learn enough for basic communication. Thank you for giving me such a rare opportunity to study, Sir Fermos."

[Fermos] "I cannot believe this."

His mistake was trusting the word of the Blue Warren manor manager.

[Fermos] "So, you are saying you wish to go to this bookstore?"

[Shellan] "I will take Lana and the manor manager with me. We will travel by carriage, and I swear we will do nothing but look at the shops."

[Fermos] "Haa... This puts me in a difficult position, Princess. Did you not promise to stay inside the manor before we came to Blue Warren?"

[Shellan] "Mm. I did, but I thought negotiations could be flexible depending on the situation."

[Fermos] "No, what kind of fool negotiates like that?"

[Shellan] "Perhaps someone who has urgent business to attend to right now?"

She grinned. She was still adorable, but now she was also a little frightening.

[Shellan] "Someone who desperately hopes that eight-year-old children won't get in the way of that urgent business."

He clenched his jaw tight.

[Fermos] "I believe it is not the duty of a loyal subject to agree when the future ruler of Nauk treats the weight of a promise so lightly. Please reconsider, Princess."

At that, she changed her expression. The smile vanished, replaced by the face of a pouting child.

[Shellan] "I wouldn't be behaving like this if it weren't for the bookstore. Can't you let it slide just this once?"

[Fermos] "The issue is, Princess, you cannot wander around outside of Nauk without an escort. The manor manager may be competent, but he does not possess the martial prowess of a knight. And the worker named Lana goes without saying."

[Shellan] "Is this place that dangerous? Can't even go out without guards? Then how do Lana and the other workers get around?"

[Fermos] "Your status is different. You two hold the rights of succession to Nauk."

[Shellan] "Ah, then it matters even less. No one here knows what Dief and I look like, do they?"

[Fermos] "Variables and accidents can happen anywhere, Princess."

[Shellan] "Since 'anywhere' implies every unspecified location, that would include this manor too. Correct?"

[Fermos] "Uaaagh..."

It seemed Fermos had forgotten how to win against Shellan.

Or perhaps it was simply because he was in a rush. If they kept arguing like this, the sun would rise, and their plan to swiftly sabotage Rambasol’s ship while no one was watching would face a major setback.

As he agonized over the conflict, she stepped closer and tugged firmly on his sleeve.

[Shellan] "Please let us go. I desperately want to go. I was so excited I couldn't sleep a wink."

[Fermos] "Haa..."

He couldn't win.

[Fermos] "……Then take Ashker with you."

Damn it.

He had originally intended to go with just Randall anyway. Losing one person at this stage was regrettable, but there was no other choice. Their plan had become grander than their initial idea, but they would manage somehow.

[Shellan] "Thank you, Sir Fermos. Thank you so much!"

She beamed and shook his sleeve back and forth.

[Shellan] "This is going to be the most exciting day of the year!"

[Fermos] "I am honored to hear that."

Eventually, even Fermos cracked a smile.

Fine. If she’s that happy.

Sabotaging the ship with just Randall would require a bit more effort than planned, but seeing her delight made it worthwhile.

[Fermos] "Then please be careful, and careful again. You must stay with Ashker at all times."

[Shellan] "Yes, I will."

And so, the day of revenge began.

---

Transactions in Blue Warren were fundamentally swift. No deal took longer than two days; if it did, the deal was considered void.

In other words, two days were plenty of time.

SPLASH!

[Randall] "Ah, what a waste. It would have been nice to keep it as a souvenir. I could have hung it on my wall and smiled every time I looked at it."

[Fermos] "Then dive in and retrieve it now. It’s probably still sinking."

[Randall] "Can't you do it for me?"

[Fermos] "Good grief. Have you developed a talent for speaking nonsense in such a short time?"

They exchanged this banter as they threw the ship’s wheel, which they had just ripped from the Rambasol crew's vessel, into the sea.

Hauling such a massive trophy back with just two people was impossible. They would have developed muscle pain before even leaving Blue Warren.

[Fermos] "Rather than a trophy, I’d prefer to watch their faces when they realize it’s gone."

[Randall] "Ah, that would be nice. But considering they only left two guys on the ship, they must all be dead drunk, don't you think?"

It would be well past sunrise before they sobered up enough to inspect the ship. It made Fermos feel slightly annoyed that they had rushed so much at the crack of dawn.

[Fermos] "True enough. Let’s abandon our lingering regrets and go."

[Randall] "We must."

Now it was time to move to the commercial district and act like wealthy patrons.

---

This is a disaster...

Honestly, Ashker was feeling frantic. He intended to finish this outing as quickly as possible and then join the revenge plot.

[Dief] "Wow, what is that over there!"

[Shellan] "I don't know! But it looks amazing!"

However, it seemed his hopes were doomed.

They were only at the entrance of the street where the bookstore was located.

The shops of Blue Warren—ancient ones, flashy ones, brand new ones, cutting-edge ones, and indescribably tacky ones—were clustered together without any standard or order.

For anyone setting foot here for the first time, it was natural for their eyes to spin as if they had seen another world. Even more so if those people were eight years old.

[Ashker] "Forgive me, Princess, but to visit the bookstore here..."

[Dief] "I want to go there first!"

Dief grabbed Shellan’s arm and dashed into the shop that caught his eye first. It was impossible to tell exactly what they sold, but seeing model ships and grandfather clocks through the window, it appeared to be a general store.

The type of shop didn't matter; what mattered was that Ashker’s words were no longer reaching their ears.

Clang-ling!

A loud bell chimed as the children pushed the door open together.

[Children] "Hello!"

[Shopkeeper] "Huh? Kids...? Oh my, welcome!"

The shopkeeper, who had turned toward the door with a sour expression at the sound of children's voices, suddenly brightened. With a merchant's sharp eye, he had instantly recognized that their attire was far from ordinary.

[Shopkeeper] "What are you looking for?"

[Dief] "We’re just looking!"

[Shellan] "What is this? Is it a clock or a compass? What do you call that? What species is that weird-looking bird? It doesn't look like a bird that lives in the southern continent!"

Before Ashker could intervene, they had surrounded the shopkeeper, eagerly exploring the store.

[Ashker] "Ugh... This is going to be difficult."

He glanced anxiously at the clocks hanging all over the shop. By now, Fermos and Randall would be in the middle of having their fun.

[Ashker] "Why am I even here?"

He muttered, his voice filled with a sense of injustice.

[Shellan] "Sir Ashker!"

[Ashker] "Huh? Yes? Princess?"

Shellan, who had trotted out from the back of the shop, grabbed his sleeve. Her eyes were sparkling as she asked:

[Shellan] "Please lend me some money!"

[Ashker] "Wh-what?"

[Shellan] "The allowance I brought isn't enough. I need a lot more."

[Ashker] "Ah... I see."

And so, not only was he excluded from the revenge plot, but his pockets were about to be emptied as well.

But the shopping street of Blue Warren was very long, and the twins’ shopping spree had only just begun.