Chapter 427 – Side Story – Flower Magical Girl (1)
A war with the devil’s army that lasted for nearly a hundred years.
The kingdom that fought at the forefront until the very end and eventually fell was the Kingdom of Vale.
Fortunately, the royal family was not cut off and the rebuilding was successful, but it was clear that the name of the Kingdom of Vale disappeared from the map for several months.
After it was rebuilt, the Kingdom of Vale received extensive support from the Lexis Empire.
It was thanks to the Empress accepting Flora’s request as a reward for performing her duty until the end and directly contributing to the eradication of the Demon King.
Thanks to the numerous materials and manpower sent in every day, the reconstruction of the Vale Castle, the capital of the Vale Kingdom, was being carried out quickly.
There were some side effects. When many people come and go in a short period of time, problems inevitably arise.
For example, public security issues were a representative example.
Security problems occurred frequently both inside and outside the city, such as low-quality people sneaking into the city disguised as workers or pickpockets targeting other people’s pockets in the crowd.
However, Bale Castle, the center of reconstruction, was an exception.
This is because part of the support material convoy dispatched directly from the empire remained and helped maintain public order.
However, other cities in the Kingdom of Vale, which had to take care of their own security without the help of the empire, were literally suffering from measles.
We have to rebuild the damaged city, review and distribute the supplies sent by the empire, and in the meantime, we have to catch and hang those who try to secretly put the aid into their own pockets.
This alone is enough to make you lose your mind, but on top of that, there are everything from petty criminals like pickpockets to bandits that seem to occur naturally. The murderous workload was such that officials from the empire complained of PTSD, saying it reminded them of their hometown.
When the empire’s officials were wondering whether they should scout out verified slaves once this was over, a rumor began to spread like a drizzle of rain.
A girl wearing fluttering clothes uses amazing magic to defeat thieves from all over the world and contributes to her security.
The identity of the girl was unknown, but her people called her this.
A magical girl.
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High risk, high return.
This is a virtue that any merchant should pursue. At least that’s what the merchant man thought.
“Being dangerous also means there are no competitors. As a merchant, you can’t miss an opportunity like this, right?”
However, his business partner, a merchant woman, did not seem to think so.
“Do you think you were the only one who thought that? Have you ever wondered why other competitors had the same thoughts as you but didn’t take the risk?”
“Of course it’s because those guys are cowards. Did you see the top name coming this time? How many large tops are there? “You have to take these risks to succeed like them.”
The man waved his finger in the air and recited some of the top names. They were so famous that you could recognize them just by hearing their names.
The woman also heard that the superiors were involved in this matter. It was a shame because the products they handled did not overlap. If the products did overlap, they were so big that they would have given up on commercial flights right away.
The fact that so many top companies participated meant that profitability was certain.
But the woman also had something to say.
The woman looked back at the carriage she and the man were riding in.
A fairly large carriage pulled by two horses. Just looking at the luggage compartment filled with well-packaged goods made my heart feel full.
Looking at this carriage alone, it was not inferior at all compared to carriages rolled on other large platforms.
Still, the difference between the two people and the large top was clear.
“They also have a lot of bodyguards with them.”
The large top carries a lot of items. And there were many escorts accompanying him. In some cases, it went beyond hiring escorts and even created its own escort unit within the top.
It is clear why such large companies jumped into this dangerous business. Because it wasn’t that dangerous for them. It may have cost a little more escort than other places, but that was all.
However, it was a different story for a merchant who only pulled a wagon with the two men. No, the case of the two people was actually more serious.
Because I didn’t hire any of those common escort mercenaries.
The only source of trust and lifeline for the two people was a magic tool carried on a carriage. It was a magic tool that concealed a certain area and made it invisible.
It was a fairly expensive magic tool. Unlike cheap hidden magic tools that are obvious when you look closely, it was very difficult to recognize them outside the range unless you came within the range of the magic tool.
This was the part that the merchant woman did not like.
It was difficult, but not impossible. In other words, it was like a gamble where you had to hope for luck every time you went up.
Although it was said that she had not been lucky so far, the merchant woman did not think that this kind of luck would continue forever. Perhaps the only one who truly thought he could always win in this ongoing gamble was the merchant man.
Even though I know that, I still can’t stop gambling, well, it’s probably because I’m a merchant myself. The merchant woman smiled bitterly.
“Hey, it’s okay. “I won’t die!”
The merchant man smiled cheerfully, as if he wasn’t worried.
I hope so. The merchant woman did not say those words out loud.
No matter how anxious he was, he had already left and was on the road. Even if he wasn’t okay, he had to pray that he was okay.
…
However, very unfortunately, no matter how high the odds are, there will be a day when you lose because of the odds.
And that day was today.
“Run! Run!”
“It’s already running with its wheels falling off!”
The carriage ran. The two horses, which were walking leisurely, lost their tails and played with their legs, and the carriage creaked and screamed.
The well-packaged product could not withstand the shock and fell out of the carriage. Each one of them was a precious commodity, but that wasn’t that important right now.
If you are certain that you will lose in gambling, you should at least try to reduce your losses.
The two people who lost the gamble of safe commercial travel did their best not to lose the stake of their lives.
“I’ll catch up!”
It was a magical beast chasing the two people. As the Demon King’s army collapses, the demonic beast is released from control and runs wild.
Among the demonic beasts, there was one with special abilities, and it seemed that he was caught by a demonic beast that could see through his stealth.
What would happen if you were caught by a demonic beast running towards the carriage, constantly teasing its six long legs? I could recognize the two people and even the horses pulling the carriage.
“Throw away your luggage!”
“I threw away everything that could be thrown away!”
I gave up on the ascent and tried to save my life, but the demon beast did not give up easily.
As the horse became tired, the distance between him and the beast gradually decreased.
“Crash!”
“Hold on tight!”
Bang!
The horseman ran alongside the carriage and hit its side. Fortunately, the carriage did not overturn, but the people were not safe either.
“Ahh!”
“Aaaaah!”
The two people, unable to withstand the shock, flew through the air. The carriage, having lost its driver, ran on its own.
Boom, after a few seconds of flight that felt like minutes, the two fell on their backs.
The grass on the floor was soft and fluffy, incongruous with the situation. Thanks to this, the two were able to land safely without breaking anything even though they were thrown off the carriage that was running at full power.
However, it was delicate whether it could be called luck.
The merchant man, who came to his senses before his partner, was filled with despair as he saw the demonic beast approaching slowly as if teasing them.
It would have been better if I had lost consciousness from the shock of falling. If I had done that, I could have died without knowing pain or fear.
Even though he knew it was a futile act, the merchant man stepped in front of the merchant woman who had not yet come to her senses and blocked the witch.
The evil beast’s vicious mouth, dripping with dirty saliva, opened, and the man, who had a premonition of the end, closed his eyes tightly.
And…
“… ?”
The pain I expected did not come.
The puzzled merchant man slowly opened his eyes and looked in front of him.
—-!!
The demon beast was burning with its mouth wide open, ready to devour the merchant man, letting out a scream that could not even be heard.
The merchant man couldn’t even think about how to react to the sight, which was so unexpected, and watched the demon beast burn in a daze.
When the magical beast’s breath was cut off and the body without magical power was turning into a lump of charcoal with a terrible smell, flower petals fell from the sky.
No, what I thought were flower petals was a skirt. A girl came down from the sky, her pink skirt fluttering.
The girl, who had her back to the merchant man, looked at the merchant man by slightly turning her head, as if to prevent even the possibility of the demon’s final struggle. There was a slight worry in that gaze.
It was a (clothes) of a rare design with lots of frills. The merchant man had dealt with various types of clothes as a merchant, but this was his first time seeing clothes like this.
The fluttering wind gently shook the girl’s short skirt. The merchant man’s eyes were focused on a piece of pink cloth that was revealed only briefly, as if he was being sucked in.
“What? “Am I going to die and see nothing?”
It was no wonder the merchant man thought so. When she was on the verge of being killed by an ugly beast, she closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, there was a beautiful girl in front of her that made her eyes widen.
However, the girl in front of her was not in vain, nor was the merchant man dead.
“Are you okay?”
Only after hearing the girl’s voice did the merchant man realize that what he was seeing in front of her was reality.
I lived.
As soon as I realized that fact, my body felt weak. With a sigh, the merchant man sat down.
I wanted to collapse and close my eyes right now, but as a merchant, no, as a person whose life was saved, there was something I had to say first.
“That… Thank you for saving me.”
The merchant man wanted to stand up and bow his back, but his legs had no strength at all, so he sat down and bowed his head.
The girl answered while smiling brightly.
“I’m glad you’re safe. “He saw it from afar and flew over in a hurry, but he was almost late.”
“No, no. It’s not too late at all. Both me and my partner are safe.”
“Thank you for saying that. By the way, is the carriage pulled by two horses yours? It stopped a little distance away.”
“Is that true? Ha… Thank goodness.”
The girl smiled and said to the merchant man who was greatly relieved.
“But from now on, can’t you go around without an escort? I was lucky enough to find it this time, but there is no guarantee that it will happen next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Even my partner always said that, but because I was greedy…”
The merchant man was truly remorseful and reflected. No matter how stubborn you are, you will change a little when you come back after bathing your feet in the river of the underworld.
“Then I’m done! Have a nice trip!”
The girl said hello to the merchant man and tried to fly away into the sky just as she had come.
The merchant man urgently asked the girl one last question.
“Now, wait a minute! How can I repay you? “I don’t have anything right now, but I will definitely repay you, so please at least tell me your name!”
“My name is Pla…”
The girl who was answering in the air paused for a moment. After a short period of time when she seemed to be thinking about everything, she opened her mouth again.
“My name is Flower. “I’m Flower, the magical girl of flowers.”
“Flower…”
The merchant man silently recited the name he had heard. It was obviously a pseudonym, but I didn’t care. What if it is a pseudonym? I heard that my benefactor wants to use a pseudonym.
Even after the girl who called herself Flower left, the merchant man, who was looking up at the sky, belatedly remembered something unexpected.
“But, the magical flower girl?”
A flower?
The merchant man looked at the spot where the witch was. The magical beast, which had maintained its original form even though it was pitch black until the flower came down, was now reduced to ash, and only traces were visible.
“Okay. Fireworks are also flowers…”
The merchant man came to a general understanding and stood up, urging his still trembling legs.
Wake up the unconscious partner and retrieve the carriage. If possible, I wanted to pick up the products I threw away. There was a lot of work to be done.
A few days later.
There has been an increase in sightings of ‘magical girls’ in the city. Even self-proclaimed fans.
