Chapter 15: Kulo Hode

Chapter 15: Kulo Hode

After resting for a bit at Yake’s home, Aelgiss couldn’t wait to have him show her around the small town. She was super curious about what this world, 300 years in the future, was like.

“Ah… okay, okay! I’ll take you, just stop shaking my arm!”

Yake felt a little embarrassed looking at Aelgiss, who had been tugging on his arm since earlier. This little princess had such a strange personality! Even though she was already 1100 years old, she acted just like a teenage girl. But he needed to head out anyway to buy some gear and potions for their next adventure, so it was a good opportunity to let her explore the town.

“Come on, hurry up and take me! Let’s go!”

Without giving Yake a moment to breathe, Aelgiss yanked his hand and pulled him out the door. Reluctantly, Yake followed her out.

“Yake, make sure to show little Aelgiss a good time in the town! This will be a great start for your relationship.”

Reina stood at the doorway, encouraging Yake to take Aelgiss out in the town, hoping he’d earn some affection points— a good beginning for their future life together.

【What do you mean by a ‘good start’? I’m human, and Aelgiss is from the Blood Clan. There’s no way we could actually be together, you know? Not to mention the ridiculous lifespan difference. And there’s also that whole reproductive isolation thing!】

Yake silently scoffed inwardly as he took Aelgiss to a local department store he frequented.

“Yo, is that little Yake? What brings you here today? Huh? Who’s this cute little girl? Did Aunt Reina pick her up?”

With very few customers in the store, the boss was lazily dozing off at the counter. But as soon as Yake stepped in, the boss perked right up, spotting Yake holding the golden-haired little girl.

“Sort of. It’s a long story. I’m showing her around this town. Aelgiss, let me introduce you. This is Kulo Hode, the owner of the department store.”

“Yo! Nice to meet you, cutie. If you need anything, just let me know! I can get anything in this town. Even the mayor’s underwear from yesterday!”

Yake introduced Aelgiss to the store owner Kulo, who greeted her enthusiastically.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Aelgiss Platin, the Blood… uh…”

Just as Aelgiss was about to complete her introduction, the word “Blood” slipped out, and Yake quickly covered her mouth.

“Blood? Do you want some blood? That’s a bit tough, but if you have enough money, it’s not impossible!”

Hearing Aelgiss mention “blood,” Kulo mistakenly thought the little girl was asking for it. Although blood was hard to come by, he felt that with his connections and a little cash, it wouldn’t be impossible to manage.

“Never mind, never mind! Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Yake laughed while telling Kulo to forget what he overheard, bending down to whisper to Aelgiss.

“Ael, from now on, it’s better not to mention your title as the Blood Clan Little Princess here. The Blood Clan has been missing for 300 years. For your safety, I recommend keeping that identity hidden for now.”

Though he didn’t know the reason behind the Blood Clan’s sudden disappearance, it was clear that something must have happened 300 years ago when an entire race vanished. Plus, since Aelgiss had been sealed in ruins, there must have been someone after her. From Yake’s years of experience as an adventurer, he figured this little princess was definitely being pursued. So for safety’s sake, keeping the identity secret was a wise choice.

“Okay, I’ll do as you say for now.”

Aelgiss decided to listen to Yake’s advice. Indeed, before unraveling the truth, she had to conceal her identity as the Blood Clan Little Princess. If that identity were exposed, it could put both her and Yake in danger.

“By the way, Kulo bro. Do you have any potions? I used up a ton while exploring the ruins with Karito and the others last time!”

After urging Aelgiss not to reveal her identity, Yake turned to Kulo, asking if he had any potions since he’d exhausted his supplies during the last adventure.

“Potions? Sure! What type do you need? I’ve got it all here!”

Kulo brought out two boxes of potions and set them on the counter, ready for Yake to pick through. The potion types were few; aside from the ones that restored stamina and magic, there were speed-boosting, strength-enhancing potions, and even curses-ending potions. For an adventurer like Yake, he needed at least three of each.

Meanwhile, Aelgiss curiously stood on her tiptoes, examining the potions.

“Uh-huh, I’ll take these.”

Yake carefully selected from the potions Kulo had displayed. Although these potions weren’t the best, they were at least better than the super potions Karito used. After all, this was just a small town with no comparison to the resource-rich capital.

“Alright, that’ll be 4 silver coins and 20 copper coins.”

Kulo calculated the total cost of the potions and quoted the price to Yake.

“Wow, that’s steep! Kulo bro, did you raise the prices again?”

Yake was shocked at the price, remembering last time he visited it wasn’t so high.

“Can’t help it! Rent is going up too. I have to raise prices to survive.”

Kulo looked just as helpless. Even in this bustling street, the rent for shops wasn’t cheap.

“Alright, here’s 4 silver coins and 20 copper coins.”

Yake didn’t feel like arguing about the price any longer, tossing the coins to Kulo before turning to leave the store with Aelgiss.

“I’m not sure if I should say something or not.”

Once they stepped out of the store, Aelgiss spoke up. She’d been wanting to say something during their potion-buying session but decided against it with Kulo present.

“Ah? What is it? Just say it.”

Yake turned to the little princess, unsure what she wanted to share.

“If you ever want potions, you can just tell me. I know a thing or two about alchemy. Back in the palace, I learned a bit from Hikari. I could whip up over 1000 bottles of those potions you just bought in one night.”

Aelgiss revealed this harsh truth to Yake, watching his reaction.

“What? Why didn’t you mention it earlier?! If you had, I wouldn’t have bought them!”

Upon realizing Aelgiss only brought this up after he had spent his money, Yake felt a wave of agony wash over him.

“I didn’t say anything in front of the shopkeeper! Gotta give him some face, right?”

Had Aelgiss pointed out her potion-making skills earlier, Yake might have unknowingly offended Kulo.