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[1] A mixed bag: Means that it contains a variety of things, esp. expensive items mixed with cheap items.
[2] On the grassy knoll: Means one' grave.
The next day, Julius and I headed to the main shopping district of the royal capital, Astoria.
Well, my "Chloe's Alchemy Shop" was already located in the main shopping district, so stepping outside meant I was already on the main street. A very convenient and great location, I must say.
Yesterday, for some reason, Julius wanted to sleep in my bed. Reluctantly, I gave up my bed and dragged a sofa from the vacant room that serves as a storage space. I set up the sofa in my room and settled down to sleep on it. I don't know who the real master is, but there's no helping it since Julius doesn't listen to what I say.
Having gained the ability to sleep anywhere over these past three years, I slept soundly on the sofa and woke up refreshed. In contrast, Julius showed no signs of stirring at all; I had to wake him up and make him get ready for the morning.
Well, I hadn't bought any clothes yet, so I had Julius wear black, free-size slacks that reached down to his feet. Even though they were tailored for men, they were a bit too short due to Julius's long legs. He was quite picky, with his handsome face and good figure, making him rather unpleasant.
I had him wear unisex sandals. Despite the simple outfit, it accentuated Julius's innate beauty. I threw away all the clothes and shoes Julius had been wearing since they were somewhat dirty. We were going to buy new ones anyway, so there was no need to wash and keep them.
"Julius-san, take a look. This is Chloe's Alchemy Shop in the main shopping district, the most popular and prosperous place in the kingdom of Astoria! It's become so splendid in just three years... I'm sure even your mother on the grassy knoll would be delighted to see this[2]."
"This is the center of the kingdom? It looks more like the countryside."
Julius stopped in the vicinity of the shop's entrance and looked up at my home-slash-shop. The two-story "Chloe's Alchemy Shop" had red brick walls, a black roof, and a sign on the shop's entrance wall. In front of the shop, I had several star-shaped automatic lighting lamps (waterproof) that I had crafted, all hanging down.
Since this might make it seem like a lamp store, I also hung a Chaos Gaze (waterproof) in a birdcage. As the name suggests, Chaos Gaze is an eye. A round eye about the size of a child's head, gently floating inside the birdcage.
"The Dystiana Empire has more than double the land area of the Astoria Kingdom, so it might seem like the countryside to you, but it's prosperous in its own way. Also, there's a saying that those who laugh at the countryside will cry in the countryside."
"Chloe, what's this?"
"Oh my, Julius-san. Are you already interested? Have you developed an interest in alchemy?"
"It's an eye."
Ignoring my smirk, Julius continued to stare at Chaos Gaze inside the birdcage. The red eye of Chaos Gaze occupied a large part of its black iris, and it blinked shyly towards Julius.
"Hello."
Chaos Gaze greeted Julius in a sweet girl's voice. In case you're wondering, it can't actually speak, so the voice is designed to echo directly into your head.
"This is Chaos Gaze. Her nickname is Hime-chan. She greets the people who come to the shop. When someone tries to enter the shop forcibly when it's closed, she can use her Hime-chan Beam to turn them into ashes. She's a security device, so to speak. Unlike you, Julius-san, she's obedient and follows orders. She has a bit of intelligence, so she can distinguish between good and bad people. She can even read their hearts."
Chaos Gaze floated in the birdcage, looking pleased with my explanation.
"Looks like a monster."
"It's not a monster; it's an alchemical creation."
"Did you design something like this yourself?"
"That's right. Alchemy is all about imagination, so my creativity comes into play when it comes to design."
Julius-san looked at me with his red and blue eyes. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he didn't, so I left it at that.
"Today's going to be busy, Julius-san. We'll be buying clothes and weapons for you. Oh wait, now that I think about it, maybe it's not going to be that busy...?"
"Hurry up, you idiot."
Julius, who had started walking before I knew it, called out to me from a slightly distant place while I was standing in front of the shop with my arms crossed. I quickly turned my head in his direction and caught up to him.
Speaking of which, today I'm wearing a lace triangle headkerchief on my head, paired with a red apron dress. I'm usually dressed like this 24/7. The only thing that changes is the color of the apron dress. On my shoulders, I carry an infinite storage bag that's connected to my infinite storage trunk. It looks like a simple cream-colored cloth bag, which I purposely made to look plain so it wouldn't attract thieves.
"Why are you walking ahead of me like that, Julius-san? You don't know the way around, right?"
"No."
"Now who's the idiot here? You might get lost!"
"It's because you're slow."
"Julius-san, I saw you were interested in Hime-chan, so I explained everything to her. But she's probably crying right now because you made her misunderstand with that passionate gaze of yours."
"Does it have a gender?"
"It does. It had a girl's voice, didn't it? A sweet, enchanting, beautiful girl's voice."
"How tasteless."
"Do you have a problem with my sense of beauty, Julius-san? Just because you have such a good face..." I said while walking side by side with Julius in the main shopping district.
The main shopping district had a large fountain in the center, with shops arranged in a circular pattern around it.
The land around the fountain, being in the center, is a prime location, so many popular and high-end shops are lined up there. Among them are numerous pastry shops favored by nobles, perfume shops for the wealthy, clothing stores, restaurants, and so on.
If you were to take a step into the alley, you'd find more down-to-earth shops.
My alchemy shop wasn't a high-end store, but alchemical items could fetch prices that could buy Julius alone, depending on the item, so it's quite a mixed bag[1].
"Julius-san, the weapons and armor shop for adventurers is right in front of my shop, on the right side of the alley."
In front of the fountain, you could see families taking a break, and couples enjoying themselves. When people spotted me, they waved, so I waved back. Julius looked at me with a skeptical expression as I continued to greet people on the street.
"Didn't your Seigrit Duchy family fall into ruin due to some wrongdoing? People seem awfully comfortable around you." Julius said.
"Why do you seem a bit disappointed, Julius-san? Were you hoping for people to throw stones at me while I walk around, saying, 'You're Chloe of the Seigrit family!'? Isn't that a bit harsh?"
"I didn't expect it, but I anticipated it."
"Those days are long gone. It's been three years since I was abandoned, and the situation has changed, you know. Now, everyone in town is sympathetic to me, and they're all rather kind. My sincerity, Chloe-chan's sincerity, has healed the hearts of the people in town. You can even call me an angel if you like."
Julius fell silent again. I wished he would stop doing that, making me feel like I stumbled over my words. I wondered if I should add a new constraint to the magic lock: no silence.
"You... you were probably more entertaining when you directed your resentment at the royal family three years ago," Julius said with a mocking tone as we left the sunlit circular square. We walked through a shaded alleyway lined with cafes, candy shops, locksmiths, watch shops, and various other stores.
I looked up at him, unimpressed. "Why do you say that? Besides, this Chloe-chan wasn't harboring any resentment towards the royal family because she didn't have time for that. Also, it took at least three years for me to earn enough money through alchemy to buy someone like you. So it's impossible."
"Three years can turn a ragged nobody into an ordinary person, huh...?"
"What's wrong with being an ordinary person? Some people prefer a simple, ordinary girl, you know. But I guess you have peculiar tastes, Julius-san," I teased.
Unfortunately, I wasn't the villainous boss character he seemed to be hoping for. Given his previous role as a general, maybe he just enjoyed warfare.
"I'll make sure to satisfy your bloodthirsty desires, Julius-san, by having you battle strong monsters. And I'm going to make you work tirelessly like a cart horse, so let's buy you some good weapons."
Julius retorted with a rather unsettling perspective, "There's no such thing as a good or bad weapon. With any kind of weapon, you can kill a person by swinging it."
"Are you some kind of berserker? What's with that way of thinking? We need better weapons for a stronger you, to defeat tougher monsters, and to make a profit for our alchemy shop. That's why tools are very important. Don't talk like some primitive person who doesn't understand how to use tools properly. Were you raised by wolves or something?"
"Chloe, I want a flying dragon," Julius declared, completely ignoring my words. His tone made it sound as if I couldn't possibly refuse him.
"Dragons are expensive, you know. And where in the world would we keep one? They're usually kept in the knight's garrisons, the vast gardens of the royal family, or even in the extensive estate of my Seigrit Duchy family. Julius-san alone is already big, so we certainly don't have the space for a dragon at my house. Also, can you at least give me back my bed?"
"If we have a flying dragon, I can use it to fly. It'll increase our travel speed and reduce expenses. It will also improve the efficiency of your material gathering or whatever it is you're after."
"That might be true, but..."
"And you don't seem to mind me sleeping in your bed. So, I won't give it back."
"Why are you so stubborn about that?"
I sighed deeply. It was only the second day since I'd bought Julius, and it felt like I was being rolled around in the palm of his hand. But instead of feeling manipulated, I felt like I was dancing happily.
A flying dragon, huh? Maybe I should consider getting one, even though they're expensive.