Wooooooooo! Bang!
The white horse instinctively looked up, as if sensing the sound of lightning striking the clear sky.
‘I caused an accident.’
Amidst the thick dust, a rare steed named Shukrim (♂) raised his head.
[T/N: Gender sign. In biology, gender sign is used to indicate the gender of two test animals. (♂) for men and (♀) for women.]
‘If that damn master (♀) doesn’t come… I’ll be dead.’
Shukrim flared his nostrils wide and looked around.
‘Well, since I’m going to die anyway, I might as well eat a lot before that.’
Ever since he was in the garrison, he heard the humans saying if you want to die good then eat good. He couldn’t understand what dying ‘good’ means but he knew he needed to take care of his own health. With that thought, Shukrim’s eyes lit up.
「Chop chop chop.」
「Chop chop.」
「Chop chop chop. Chop.」
Out of nowhere, a loud noise erupted, drawing passersby and people from the neighboring shops together.
The small store had collapsed.
Today, the weather was clear, the air was clean, and the heat seemed to have eased a bit.
The commuter cart, which usually arrives always full, somehow arrived on time today with a few empty seats to sit in. On the way down to the road, he even found a 10-rule silver coin. 10 rule! That’s the equivalent of a week’s worth of sales.
‘Heh. It seems today is a lucky day.’
Theo, the owner of [Tomma’s Beaf and Bacon], who was humming a cheerful tune on his way to work, turned pale as he saw his store collapse with a thunderous sound.
“Ah. Huh….”
Just now.
With a whooshing sound of wind, an enormous beast, looking like a wolf or perhaps a land dragon of the plains, charged by Theo while he was taking out his keys and slammed into the store door with the force of a storm.
Boom!
A thick cloud of dust rose up.
Claaaaang! Bang!
The small building, elegantly made with wood and sandal materials, collapsed.
No….
I still haven’t paid the franchise fee to Tomma Holdings.
That building… He still has 339 months left on the loan he borrowed from [Tomma & Currency] to build it.
Theo pinched his cheek, not knowing if it was a dream or reality.
Clank.
When Theo raised his head at the metallic noise, he saw the bronze sign he had painstakingly carved, eventually falling and rolling around.
As Theo showed no sign of stopping his self-torture by hitting and pinching his cheek in a daze as if he had lost his mind, the concerned bystanders couldn’t stand it any longer came over and helped him up.
“Oh, are you okay?”
“Uh, uh… Thank you.”
“T, That. At least there was no one inside.”
“….”
Theo, steadying his trembling legs with both hands, took a deep breath before stepping into the horrific scene with the people around him. Once inside, he gaped in shock at the even more bizarre situation unfolding before him.
It was truly astonishing.
The finest dried meat, specifically selected the top-tier (1++) dried beef was being vigorously teared and eaten with gusto by a….
Horse?
Is he seeing it right?
Luke and Marian, who were looking down from the second floor of the management building of [Tomma Horses], covered their noses with handkerchiefs at the rising dust.
“As expected… A legendary horse hybrid. I heard they were only used as war horses, but their strength is truly astonishing.”
In fact, Luke found Marian’s suggestion to use an ‘appetite stimulant’ on the boy’s horse rather unappealing.
Even though Tomma Holdings was blinded by money and had discarded their ethics, humanity, righteousness, and wisdom, it was somehow bothersome for Luke to think that they would use medicine on a horse entrusted by a customer. As the head of the sales headquarters, this was probably his last remnant of business integrity.
However, recalling the extremely gloomy owner from the morning, Luke felt that if he didn’t create a “natural encounter” with the boy, at the very least, he might end up losing a hand.
“Marian. There won’t be any side effects from that appetite stimulant, right? What if it leaves a trace…”
Marian lowered her eyes and spoke confidently.
“Director, you shouldn’t underestimate Hyundai Pharmacy (Modern Pharmacy).”
“Hyundai Pharmacy?”
Marian answered Luke, who asked incredulously.
“Do you remember the owner of the building on Fifth Avenue that [Tomma Holdings] was trying to acquire?”
“That stubborn old man who refused to sell the building?”
“Do you know despite all the pressure we put on him, why was he able to not bow down to us?”
“Stop asking me and just tell me already.”
“That old man! He is none other than the renowned master of ‘Modern Pharmacology’! He is known as the ‘God of Medicine’ who is said to be well-versed in herbs and compounding methods from all over the continent of Asha.”
“…?”
“Rumor has it that the money he makes from Hyundai Pharmacy is enormous. That is why he has funds that do not require selling the building. He is very rich in cash.”
“….”
Marian stared at the completely collapsed store of [Tomma’s Beaf and Bacon] and said.
“That old man guarantees it is the best appetite stimulant. It is 100% effective with 200% no-refund policy, so it cannot be fake. Hoo. Hoo.”
Marian added with a strange smile on her lips.
“Moreover, since the horse entered the stable of [Tomma Horses] yesterday, he wasn’t given a single drop of water and has only been fed the appetite stimulant, so the effect must be incredible!”
This cruel woman. Food… not even giving him food.
Luke furrowed his brow. This morning’s pursuit team incident crossed his mind, and he briefly wondered if he could continue to trust this. Still, since there were results from this situation, he decided to move on for now.
“When the owner of that horse arrives, bring him and the butcher to [Tomma & Currency]. The owner of [Tomma Horses] store also needs repair money because the wall collapsed. He should come along with you.”
“Yes. I understand.”
* * *
After returning to the inn, Klisha washed up and packed her bags before heading down to the first-floor restaurant, thinking about having a late breakfast. The stares of the people in the restaurant felt a bit intense, but considering what happened in the morning, it was understandable.
Before going out for a walk with John and Jones, she had become physically close with them first, so it might have been a bit noisy in the room. What do you call that dynamic among the three of them in technical terms?
Oh, is it what they say a love-triangle?
Klisha felt it was polite to apologize to the people before eating, so she opened her mouth. The nanny always said to maintain basic etiquette when among others.
“Everyone. It was noisy last night because of our ‘love-triangle’ situation. I should have covered their mouths first, therefore, I apologize.”
Klisha stood up after having a satisfying breakfast amidst the people staring at her with wide eyes.
Since the stable said she could pick Shukrim up at noon, she had about two hours to spare.
She thought about bringing him back right away, but since it would take another day to run to the capital, she decided to let Shukrim rest while she also relaxed. Instead, she planned to walk around the City of Myuta during the remaining time and explore its franchise.
When she arrived yesterday and during her early morning walk with the brothers, it was dark and there weren’t many people, so she couldn’t tell. However, it seemed that Myuta was not a bit, but in reality, much more developed than the small provincial town of Schmarin.
“Wow. That one. That’s the ice cream shop that everyone at the gathering wanted to go to.”
Klisha’s eyes sparkled.
“Should I buy one before I leave? I need to replenish my energy for going to the capital anyway.”
As Klisha briskly approached the ice cream shop, sharp red eyes watched her every move.
“Woman?”
A magnificently decorated golden carriage.
The luxurious imported carriage, made from the world’s most expensive acacia tree and red sandalwood appropriately combined, adorned with gold trim and crystals, and draped with the finest silk curtains, slowly passed through the main street, gradually slowing down.
It was twice the size of a regular carriage, and it often obstructed traffic on the busy street. However, other carriages and pedestrians instinctively made way for it.
In the City of Myuta, there was only one person who could ride in such a luxurious imported carriage.
That was the young owner of [Tomma Holdings], which ruled the capitals of Myuta.
Tomma Ryuiken.
The young man with black hair and red eyes, who had attended a breakfast meeting with the Mayor and city officials early in the morning at the City Hall, returned in the magnificent carriage and leaned back into the plush seat.
“Wherever you go. Only corrupt officials.”
As the image of those who were constantly flattering him in hopes of gaining favor came to mind, the young man slightly furrowed his elegant brows.
‘Even if it’s Perza. It’s not much different.’
The young man swept his hair back and opened the window, that was when he spotted a red-haired boy walking by, casually holding a sword roughly wrapped in cloth.
With a slender build and pale skin, sparkling almond-shaped eyes, and vibrant red hair tied back, his delicate neck was exposed like a perfectly ripened tomato.
Shasha Rin.
The young man let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
Are all his subordinates blind? Where on earth did they see a boy?
The boy in context was clearly a ‘young lady.’
The young man got out of the carriage, straightened his collar for a moment, and walked lightly toward the ice cream shop where Klisha was standing.
Klisha seemed completely unaware of the young man standing right behind her, as she focused intently on making her selection.
“Lady. Would you like me buying one for you?”
A gentle breeze blew, slightly tousling Klisha’s loose bangs.
Annoyance flickered in her almond-shaped eyes as she turned around, but it quickly changed to surprise as her eyes landed at the young man in front of her.
“Huh? The Northern Archduke?”
