Hi, I got a cockatrice egg.

　Lasse and his friends come to the town of Dexsi with the cockatrice eggs, go to the back door of an inn on the town's central street and knock on the door.
　A clattering sound comes from inside the back door, and a well-dressed woman opens it.

We had a lot of egg orders today. If you were a little bit later, I would have come to get them myself.

It was just fine. It's hot off the mold. How many do you want to have today?

Well, we have a lot of people here today, so give me three.

"Yes, every time!

　Lasse takes the cockatrice eggs out of the cart and hands them to the woman.
　At first glance, it looks like a livestock farmer has come to deliver, but the problem is that the eggs are ten times the size of an ordinary chicken.

You really came to sell cockatrice eggs. And at the inn?

Yes, the cockatrice eggs in this restaurant are very good. The owner, who is the head chef, was so amused by them that he bought them for me, and they were so popular that they are now a regular purchase for him. Now I have regular customers.

Cockatrice is so rare. People are so excited about it that they order it!

　The woman carries a large egg dangerously into the store.
　And after carrying the last egg, she comes out again with a cloth bag.

Here's today's egg money. Check it out.

　Lasse takes the money out of the leather bag he received and checks the number of coins.

Indeed, I have received one silver and 50 coppers.

　Lasse takes a leather bag from his pocket and puts the money in his own bag and returns the leather bag to the woman.

Who's that girl, by the way?　You look like you're wearing pretty good clothes. Is this yours, by any chance?

　A woman holding up her pinky finger then.

?

　But Letty, who doesn't know what that means, cranes her neck to see what it means.

"She's an old work colleague of mine.

　But Lasse brushed aside the woman's pursuit.

What a pain in the ass!　If you're a man, go for it!

　A woman blasting Lasse on the back with a bang.

That kind of thing is for another time.

"What are you talking about?　Get the game over with!

"Haha, in due course.

"Oh dear. ......

　The woman waved her hand dismissively at Lasse's attitude of arm-pushing to the curtain.

"Well, we'll just be here.

When we run out of eggs again, please!

　To the woman's farewell, Lasse returned to the cart, waving his hand in reply.
　And Letty, who had been watching the woman's conversation, has an unconvincing frown on her face.

"What's the matter with you?

"Isn't 50 coppers a cockatrice egg is cheap?

　Normally, ten hen's eggs would sell for about ten copper coins.
　And a cockatrice egg is ten times the size of a hen's egg, so a simple quantity is about the same as ten hen's eggs.
　So, 50 coppers is equivalent to selling a hen's egg for five times as much.

　Although the price of the cockatrice egg may seem high, considering the danger of the cockatrice monster, the price of 50 coppers is unbelievably low.
　After all, it is a fearsome monster that can turn humans to stone just by looking at it.
　And despite its huge body, it is nimble and massive.
　You'll be able to see that it's not worth the 50 coppers after a desperate chase with the cockatrice.

"Our cockatrice isn't a wild cockatrice. And I know how to do it. In that sense, cockatrice eggs are easy to find on our farm.

But that cockatrice would still have attacked you!　You can't get seriously hurt if something happens!　

　Letty had just been chased and the horror of that moment flashed through her mind.

Well, it's a price to pay for a stronger connection to the town.

"Connection?

The cockatrice eggs are now the specialty of this town. When there are specialties, people want to eat them. Traveling merchants and adventurers come in for a rare egg. They'd make a fortune, and that's why some choose this town as a stopping point for their stay. If the town, which is also the end of the dragon carriage, had a specialty, wouldn't you be tempted to stop here for breakfast or lunch before the carriage launched?　That way, the other stores will be enriched along the way.

　Lasse explains why he deliberately sells his eggs cheaply.

"So you're selling your eggs cheap to be the person this town needs?

　At Letty's question, Lasse shakes his head in the affirmative.

"What's that?　Why do you want to bother with that?　It's easier to come back to the army then!　Even your salary can be negotiated to go up ......!

　From Letty's behavior, Lasse realizes that she really wants Lasse to come back to her.
　He understood from the reports from Ketsey that she has a good feeling for Lasse.
　But there's a difference between hearing it from someone else and feeling it for yourself.

(Letty and Merck were the only ones who didn't discriminate against me as a wizard from the moment we met.



　I suddenly remember the time I was with them, Lasse.
　It's not that there were no other demon handlers, but the existence of a powerful demon-handler was a distraction even within the army.
　It's not that there were no other demon handlers, but his presence with powerful demons made him stand out even among the demon handlers.

　It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Letty asked for a match with Lasse's dragons and Merck recognized the value of Lasse's demons as strategically beneficial.
　Despite the differences, they were important to Lasse, who looked straight at them.

"While we're at it, why don't we take a look at the demons at work?

"Huh?

　Lasse pointed to the back of the town.
　Letty stared at the tip of her finger, wondering what was going on, and saw a clothed humanoid bird demon, Kikimora.

"Is that one of Lasse's followers?

"Oh, it's a demon called Kikimora, and it's good at weaving.

"Weaving?　Even though it's a demon?

　Letty rolls her eyes at the mention of weaving.
　The word demon is usually associated with fearsome beings. That's why it is common knowledge that demons used by wizards are demons that are meant to fight.

Aye, she's a crafty demon. She's not good at fighting, but she's very good at such things. Originally, I sent him to help an old weaver who was injured, but now the old lady thinks he's a good weaver and he's working for her as her personal assistant.

You're a handy guy.

　Letty nods in admiration.

Yeah, I heard that he is now consulting with the weavers in this town to create new fabrics and embroidery based on the folds he has seen in various places. I'm not an expert in cloth, so I don't know what I'm talking about.

"Heh!　New fabric!

　Unexpectedly bitten and pushed by Lasse.

(They're quite biting. You're a girl, so you're interested in fashion?

What do you say we ask him if we can get some of the fabric from the prototype as a souvenir?

Can I?

　Letty was furiously pleased with Lasse's proposal.
　Lasse is glad to see such a scene, and he's glad to see her see the demons at work.

Now, let's go check out the other demons.

"Yeah!

　The

　Later, when Letty saw the demons working with Lasse, she was completely drained of all the venom.

"The demons seemed to be enjoying their work.

Yeah, I don't get scared of the townspeople these days.

"It's funny how the unicorns are so popular with the grandmothers.

　The unicorn screaming in a crowd of old women was so funny that Letty laughed at the couscous.

It looked really fun. ......

　Letty's mind was mixed.
　The general has ordered me to use the power of the demons Lasse follows to defend the country.
　She understands that it was the right decision.

(But she was laughing, demons and people of this town.)

　Letty was surprised to see the demons working with smiles on their faces.
　The demons she knew were the incarnation of violence on the battlefield, crushing their enemies without mercy.
　Dominating the skies, overrunning the earth, dragging it into the water.
　Everywhere the demons of Lasse were active, everywhere they showed their terrible power to their enemies and allies.

　It was an unbelievable shock to her that such demons could live so harmoniously with the people of the town.

(I thought demons were creatures that could only fight. But at least the demons in Lasse are different. What am I supposed to do then?　(Taking those kids out into the fray again to take the smiles off their faces?

　Letty's mind was disturbed by a thousand paths.
　You will find that you will be able to get a good deal more than you expected.

Hey, can we have lunch now?

"Huh?

　Letty, who was deeply troubled, tired of the emptiness at Lasse's sudden suggestion.

"You've come all the way to this town, you should eat the delicious food that can only be found here!

　Now her tongue is going to have a dreamlike experience.