Persuasion and Negotiation (2)

After having lunch with Colin, we decided to wander around the streets of the capital.

Although it was far from a leisurely atmosphere, you couldn’t just stay in the mansion every day.

There was a possibility that I might find something I needed.

And unlike before, there was plenty of money in hand.

When I took out the bag in my backpack, I felt a heavy feeling.

It was filled with countless gold coins.

So far, I have not consumed items unless they are necessary for battle.

If you had this much money, it was okay to be a little extravagant.

“Colin. “Is there anything you’d like to have?”

“I’m fine.”

Contrary to his answer, Colin’s eyes wandered here and there as he walked around the mall.

Although Julia treats her in her own way, the salary the receptionist receives may not be much.

Since I received flowers as a gift last time, I thought I would at least return the favor.

“…”

Then, there was a store that caught Colin’s eye.

A clothing store, especially women’s clothing, was on display.

“Do you need new clothes?”

“Oh, no… It’s not that, but… “

Contrary to the answer, I could tell just by looking at him.

As soon as I took Colin into the store, his expression brightened and he started looking at the clothes.

“Everyone, pick the clothes you want to buy. Let’s buy it at this opportunity.”

“Then what do I do with the money…?”

“I’ll pay for everything, so don’t worry, you can choose as much as you want.”

Tyria was also happy with what I said and started choosing clothes.

Celica asked the clerk if there were any clothes that the children could wear rather than her own.

And Kayla.

“…”

My eyes were on my pajamas and underwear.

“Kayla. If you want to buy it, buy it.”

“Yes…?! Oh, no…”

“Are you okay. It’s okay to choose any clothes.”

Then Kayla started to choose clothes, feeling embarrassed.

Most of them were underwear and thin clothing.

‘You will always have to wear a robe, so you will never wear a coat.’

One day, won’t a world come where Kayla can go outside wearing ordinary clothes?

Unfortunately, I expected it would take quite a long time.

Meanwhile, Erina stood still next to me without moving.

“Erina. You choose too.”

“…It’s okay.”

After drinking alcohol, Erina didn’t feel any different.

The cold war was still going on with a subtle distance from me.

“Anyway, do you remember last night?”

“…I don’t remember.”

Erina answered while muttering.

Did I really lose my memory after just one drink?

Or, do they pretend not to know even though they know?

Erina was very good at lying.

To be honest, I had no idea either.

However, judging by the strange frown on his face, it seemed like he didn’t know at all.

“It was the first time I carried you on my back.”

“…Really?”

“Okay. “I had a hard time getting to the mansion.”

She gave a lukewarm response to my words.

Instead, he just stared at me with a puzzled expression.

‘I need to make sure I never touch alcohol again.’

While I was chatting with Erina, other people were happily choosing clothes.

Colin chose two cute dresses, and Celica had several clothes for the kids.

And Tyria was eyeing the gorgeous dress.

A luxurious dress that would be worn at a party or banquet hall.

Perhaps Tyria has never worn it.

“Tyria. Do you want to wear a dress?”

“Uhm… “I can’t really wear it, but I’d like to have at least one pair.”

However, I couldn’t choose because it wasn’t easy to choose one dress among many dresses.

Among them, there was a dress that caught my eye the most.

Golden embroidery that matches Tyria’s blonde hair.

And a light green dress similar to the green clothes she usually wears.

“Tyria. How about this?”

Tyria’s eyes sparkled when she saw the dress I had personally chosen.

Without a moment of hesitation, she picked up the dress and hugged it preciously.

“I’ll take this.”

“It’s okay to choose more.”

“No. “The dress that Seohyun chose is the prettiest.”

Am I trusting my eyes too much?

If you like it, that’s fine, but I was skeptical.

Then, Kayla, who was watching from the side, quietly approached.

“That… “My lord.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you pick out clothes for me too… ?” ?”

I already had a lot of clothes in my hand, but they were all just underwear.

I picked up a light and dark colored dress among clothes that looked a bit ordinary.

It might be inconvenient to have to wear a robe even in the mansion.

At least, I hope that you wear comfortable clothes when you are in your room or with me.

“Cerica. “Would you like to choose one too?”

“Yes! Good!”

Now that it’s like this, I decided to give other people’s clothes as gifts.

For Serika, who often wears a nun’s uniform, I chose a white dress.

I chose clothes with slightly flashy patterns for Colin.

And the remaining person is Erina.

“Erina. “Do you have any clothes you like?”

“…Please choose me too.”

A request from Erina that I haven’t heard in a long time.

I looked for clothes that matched her wishes.

But unlike other people, Erina’s clothes were difficult to choose.

Of course, it will look good no matter what clothes you wear.

‘There must be clothes that fit a little better.’

I wanted to give her clothes other than the white armor and one-piece dress she always wears.

As I was looking through the entire store, there was one piece of clothing that caught my eye.

“Erina. How about this?”

The outfit in my hand was a white dress that looked quite flashy.

I thought about clothes in other colors, but the color that suits Erina best is white.

“… Yes?”

I thought it was definitely an outfit that suited her, so I tried to gift it to her.

Suddenly, Erina looked at me with a puzzled expression.

The atmosphere became strange not only for her but also around her.

The moment I wondered if I had made a mistake.

“Seohyun. Are you serious?”

“What’s the matter. I think it would suit Erina.”

“It’s a wedding dress… ?”

I felt shocked as if I had been hit in the back by Colin’s words.

A wedding dress. Anyone can see that it’s not an ordinary white dress.

Although it looked a little flashy, it wasn’t something a bride would wear at a wedding.

But it seems like everyone knows that except me.

In particular, I only realized my mistake when I saw Kayla’s expression harden.

I hurriedly withdrew my hand and tried to retrieve the dress.

“Thank you…”

Erina quickly took the wedding dress and hugged it preciously.

Although it wasn’t his intention, his expression brightened as if he truly liked the gift.

Is it because I’ve only seen a gloomy or stiff appearance?

When I saw the pure joy, the thought of explaining my mistake disappeared.

“Erina. Do you like the clothes?”

“Yes. “I love it.”

If you like it so much, is there any reason to take it back?

I just paid the price to the clerk and left the clothing store.

A smile appeared on Erina’s face, as if she wanted to try on the clothes right away.

On the other hand, the mood of other people was unusual.

Serika and Colin were having a conversation, talking about new clothes.

Tyria and Kayla were walking with their mouths closed.

He clearly seemed to be concerned about giving Erina a wedding dress as a gift.

‘I was stupid.’

In the end, it was my fault for not being able to distinguish between an ordinary dress and a wedding dress.

***

“So. “What brought you here?”

It’s been a while since Julia came to the mansion.

And Schnella was with her.

“If you’re going to go out drinking, go to a bar instead.”

“I came to work today.”

Unusually, Julia responded in an irritated voice.

Then Schnella glared at her with sharp eyes.

“Chief. Are you planning on taking your anger out on Seohyun?”

“…Tsk.”

Julia looked dissatisfied, but didn’t say anything.

I don’t know what happened, but it looks like Schnella was quite upset.

“Aren’t you the head of the request? Schnella is the deputy director.”

“Okay. “There is no such thing as a low point.”

“It wasn’t an insult, I was just giving advice.”

“What advice? “I threw away all the liquor bottles in my room.”

“For your information, I tried to break all the glasses, but I held back.”

Yulia’s mouth fell silent at Schnella’s words.

Judging from what she said, it looks like they got into a fight because of Julia’s drinking.

Just yesterday she had drinks with me in the evening.

I thought I heard at first glance that Schnella had also given permission.

It looks like he lied and drank alcohol secretly.

Schnella was sure to be angry because she drank herself to death at a bar under the pretext of coming to pick me up.

“Listen carefully to Schnella.”

“Why are you doing this too? “Stop nagging.”

Julia’s expression was soured, but a small smile appeared on Schnella’s face.

After the petty argument, we moved on to the main topic.

“I heard you told the King that you would go over to the Demon World.”

“Has the rumor already spread?”

“How many people do you know in the palace?”

As expected, I couldn’t beat Julia with just one connection.

“No matter how much you think about it, it’s impossible. First, you have to wait in the central battlefield and then advance with the knights.”

“It’s not unreasonable. “We alone are enough.”

“You probably know better than me what kind of place the Demon World is.”

“I can say this because I know it well. “I have to go to the demon world and subdue the demon lord.”

Yulia sighed deeply at my strong words.

I knew how much she cared about me.

This time, I couldn’t back down.

Also, I never felt like I was being convinced.

Rather, I thought now was the best time.

“There is only one Blade left, Makiela.”

Julia pondered the name Machiela with a puzzled expression.

No matter how well-informed you are, you don’t seem to know much about Makiela.

But I was different. Haven’t you already dealt with her directly in the first episode?

Makiella was hiding in a cave in the mountains, west of the Demon World.

There, they conducted numerous experiments and created monsters that would be active in war.

In particular, Chimera could be said to be her masterpiece.

A lion’s head with huge wings, a tiger’s body and a tail.

In addition, the orcs seen in the central battlefield also had abnormal bodies.

‘Just kill Machielina and it’s over.’

A big reason why the Demon King’s army can continue to fight even if it is defeated one after another.

This is because Makiella’s test subjects are filling the empty space.

As time passes, Makiela creates stronger demons and harasses the protagonist.

On top of that, there was no way to quickly subdue them since they were locked in a cave in the demon world.

In other words, if only she was killed, the Demon King’s army would practically be half destroyed.

“I plan to head to the Demon World in the next two weeks.”

“…You’re too hasty. “Please consider our position as well.”

That’s how Julia and I got into a fight that we couldn’t back down from.