Chapter 7

"Then this way."

I went out to the garden at the back of the store with the shopkeeper.

It was the same garden where I had met Louise.

Back then, my purpose was to find a "special item," so I was taken straight to Louise.

"Please, feel free to look around."

The shopkeeper said this and let me roam freely.

I looked around.

"Is there a Mushufushu around here?"

I asked the shopkeeper.

"Mushufushu... the one with four stomachs, right?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, we have one. This way."

Saying that, the shopkeeper started walking, and I followed.

The Mushufushu is a small species, as the shopkeeper pointed out, with four stomachs.

Despite being small, it has elastic body tissue that can expand to nearly the size of a medium species depending on the situation.

Its body swells according to the contents of its stomachs.

However, three of the four stomachs are not used for digestion.

They are not connected to the intestines.

They are dead-end stomachs with no digestive function.

In other words, they are storage rooms.

Just like how bears store fat to survive the winter, the Mushufushu stores large amounts of food in its three stomachs.

That's the kind of species it is.

I was brought to one of these Mushufushu.

It was about one size smaller than Louise.

But when it uses all three stomachs, its body can swell to several times the size of Louise.

I know it's a species that can inflate like a balloon.

"This is it."

"Um, can we be alone for a moment?"

"Of course."

The shopkeeper nodded and stepped back, putting some distance between us.

Just like when I met Louise, the dragon merchant was being considerate not to eavesdrop on the dragon knight's secrets.

Seeing the shopkeeper leave, I turned to the Mushufushu.

"Hi, my name is Sylia."

"..."

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

"..."

I started with a harmless question to break the ice, but the Mushufushu just looked at me coldly without answering.

"It's a problem if you don't answer."

"Why should I answer a human? Are you an idiot?"

"It's not impossible; there are humans who can understand you."

"Huh, that's impossible—wait, what!?"

The Mushufushu looked at me with surprise.

"What did you just say? You can understand me?"

"That's right."

"No way! Why?"

I smiled.

I'm used to this kind of exchange.

"I was born this way. By the way, I wasn't raised by dragons."

"I can't believe it. Is such a thing even possible...?"

"Look at me."

The Mushufushu was speechless, eyes wide.

It was the same silence as before, but this time it was out of strong interest, not indifference.

"Anyway, answer my previous question. Are you a boy or a girl?"

"What are you talking about? It's obvious I'm female."

"You're a girl, then."

I smiled.

"I want to buy you. What do you think?"

"Huh? Just buy me."

"Is that okay?"

"Why are you even asking? You'd just force it anyway. Humans are all despicable beasts."

"I'm a bit different from regular dragon knights."

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to come with me willingly. Because you can understand me."

"Understand...?"

The Mushufushu pondered my words, staring at me.

"Right, because you can understand me. I don't want to bring someone who doesn't want to come. I want to bring someone who understands and agrees."

"Sure, but you'll just force it in the end."

"I won't. If you say no, I'll be disappointed, but I'll give up."

"Huh?"

"But I hope you'll come with me willingly."

"Why?"

"Talking to you seems fun, and you're cute."

"What—"

The Mushufushu was taken aback, at a loss for words.

"What are you saying? Humans don't usually say things like that."

"Ah, do you not like being called cute? Should I say beautiful instead?"

"Wha—"

The Mushufushu was speechless again.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression, eyes wide.

"What do you think? If you don't want to, just say no. I won't force you."

"Wait, I didn't say no!"

"Really? So, will you come with me?"

"..."

After a moment, the Mushufushu looked at me seriously and asked.

"I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"Don't give me a name."

"Don't give you a name?"

That's a strange condition.

"Why?"

"I already have a name."

"Oh, I see. In that case, sure."

"Really?"

"Of course, you already have a name. What is it?"

"..."

After a pause, the Mushufushu answered.

"Colette."

"Colette, that's a nice name."

I nodded, looking at the Mushufushu—Colette.

"Colette, will you come with me?"

"..."

After a moment, Colette looked at me and said.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but don't get the wrong idea! It's not because I like you or because you called me cute!"

"Okay."

"It's because you said I could keep my name! Other humans would just impose their own names, and I hate that!"

"I understand."

It seems this name is very important to her.

So, I'll call her Colette no matter what.

In fact, it's just calling her by the name she already has, so it's the simplest and most natural thing to do.

"Then it's settled."

I called the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, understanding that we had come to an agreement, approached with a smile.

"I'll take Colette."

"You've already given her a name?"

"No, it's the name she already had."

"..."

The shopkeeper didn't pry further.

I thought for a moment that he might be quite shrewd.

"Please take her with you."

"What about payment?"

"Installments are fine. I'll send you the bill later. You can pay whenever you like."

"Alright, thank you."

This is probably because he wants to maintain a connection with the princess—something I also aimed for, so I understood his feelings and decided not to say anything more, just to take Colette home.

☆

I didn't take Colette back home but led her out of the city to the mountains.

It was the Milleaf mountain, which I could faintly see from the city of Boalcel.

I brought Colette here.

"What are we doing here?"

"Mining, I guess."

"Max?"

"Sort of, but not exactly."

I smiled slightly.

Well, it can't be helped if it turns out that way.

"We're going to collect ore."

"Ore?"

"Yeah, this mountain has natural Kebanium ore exposed on the surface... Ah, here it is."

Walking a bit on the mountain path, I found and picked up a piece.

At first glance, it's just a rock, but it has blue spots that reflect light.

"This blue, shiny part is Kebanium ore."

"Hmm, what can you do with this?"

"Not sure."

"Not sure?"

"I don't know the details, but it has various uses, and the city's buyers will purchase it."

"Really?"

"So, here's the Kebanium ore."

I held it out to her.

"Eat it."

"Why?"

"The Mushufushu has three stomachs for storage. Can you store the Kebanium ore and carry it to the city?"

"I see."

"What do you think? If it's not possible, we can think of something else."

"Pfft, I can do that easily."

"Great, thank you. I'm glad you're here."

"Don't get the wrong idea! It's not for you. I'm doing this to protect my name. Don't misunderstand!"

"I understand."

Colette emphasized this point several times.

Not to change her name.

It must be very important to her.

I have no intention of changing her name to something else.

"Then, please do it."

"This is easy."

"Right, by the way, I almost forgot, this is important."

"What?"

"I'm here today to explain, but I want you to do this on your own."

"..."

After a moment of confusion, Colette looked at me with disbelief.

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to do this on your own. Come here, collect the Kebanium ore, and take it to the buyer in Boalcel. I want you to do this repeatedly on your own, at a comfortable pace."

"Alone? Just me alone?"

"Yes."

"Supervision?"

"Supervision?"

"Yeah, humans usually have someone supervise, right?"

"No, I won't."

"Wh-What? If you slack off, what will you do?"

"I trust you."

"..."

Colette looked at me for a moment, then said with a disbelieving expression.

"Are you an idiot?"

"That's a bit harsh."

"You're an idiot. What do you mean by 'I trust you'?"

"It's because it's you, Colette."

"Huh?"

"I believe in you, Colette."

"..."

Colette was speechless, staring at me in shock.

"Is that a problem? Really?"

"No, it's not a problem."

"Will you do it, then?"

"Pfft, fine, I'll do it."

"Great, thank you."

We had come to an agreement.

I explained the procedure to Colette.

Collect Kebanium from the Milleaf mountain, take it to the buyer in Boalcel, and get the money.

I also asked the buyer to cooperate.

I requested that Colette come alone, spit out the ore, and receive the payment.

It was a simple arrangement, and with Colette's and the buyer's cooperation, the system was set up.

I stayed with Colette, watching the entire process without interfering.

From mining to cashing out, everything went smoothly.

Using Colette, I had created a stable source of income.