Uh....

　A thud and a thrust up from her buttocks sent a jolt through her, waking the girl halfway from her shallow sleep. Her dark blue eyes opened thinly and she opened her small mouth to make a cute, absent-mouthed gesture. Her black hair, which was growing on both shoulders, swayed softly with the movement.

''........''

　Half-eyed, I checked out the window and saw that we had just left the mountain road and the royal capital was just coming into view in the distance. At the head of the girl's dragon carriage, an earth dragon with rugged black scales is running through the wind. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

　The girl has never ridden on a dragon cart before, but it is much faster than she expected.

''It's still a little while before we arrive.''
'Yeah...'

　The pure white fox on the girl's lap opens its mouth in boredom, its three tails wagging as it opens its mouth. The girl breaks her gaze from the outside, stroking the fox's back with her hand, which is completely hidden in her sleeve. She looked next to her and saw that the young blonde man had just finished looking out the window as well. The man noticed the girl's gaze and smiled a rather pretentious smile.

'Nice to meet you, young lady. I'm Erial. And your daughter?
...Rotia.
Oh, right. Rotia, from the looks of it, you need something in King's Landing too?
'Well, I wanted to meet a certain alchemist...'

　Rotia replies in a flat voice that doesn't let her emotions show, but the man who called himself Erial doesn't seem to care. He still has the same smile on his face and snorts with a huff. His face was very well defined, so his uncomfortable movements were oddly odd.

''I can't help but feel a little jealous of that alchemist for wanting to meet someone as pretty as your daughter.
Huh....I see.

　Erial can say lines that are embarrassing to utter without a care in the world, but Rotia's reaction is not good. She did not move a single eyebrow and remained expressionless. Erial, who had stepped on the assumption that there would be some kind of reaction, was puzzled by this.

　However, he quickly changes the topic.

''What about that fox on your lap?　Three tails, and from the looks of it, it's not your average fox...
...pet?

　When Rotia said that while tilting her head, the fox grumpily tapped her knee with his tail. Apparently, he didn't like what Rotia said. Although Rotia herself doesn't seem to have any intention of correcting it.

''Heh, I see.''

　Erial looked at Rotia like that and understood that she was not interested in expanding the conversation. It was close to the first time in Erial's life to talk to a woman and not get such a great response. It's obvious that if you continue to broach the topic of Rotia, you won't get the response you want.

''I'm an S-class adventurer based in the royal capital. I'm in the middle of finishing a request, so why don't you have a cup of tea when you get to the capital?
No, thank you, sir.

　Rotia said this without the slightest interest, and then she turned her face down and closed her eyes. He must have fallen asleep again. The switch is very quick.
　Erial, who froze with a smile, eventually put a hand to his forehead and shook his head from side to side, as if to say, 'Oh dear.

'I don't have time for this either. I have to go see Raffy as soon as possible...''

　Erial ruffled her hair and smiled quietly to herself.


　******


Hot.....

　Rulimes collapses languidly on the table, looking hatefully at the sunlight pouring in relentlessly through the window. But even that table is warmed by the sunlight, so it only feels extra hot.

　The season is already summer. The room is also reasonably hot, enough to deprive me of the energy to move.

　While an unspeakable moan escapes from Rulimes, Wraith also has a languid expression on his face.

''Master, shut up for a minute. I'm working hard right now.''
Hurry up...

　Wraith fills a bottle with finely crushed blue-white ore and places some of it in the corner of the room. The ore, called cold stone, immediately begins to emit cold air and slowly cools the room. It's an essential ore in the hot summer months.

"Ahhhh, I'm coming back to life!

　Lurimes squirmed in the easing heat and stretched his hands out on the table in a squishy fashion.
　Wraith checked the cold stone he had set up to make sure it was intact and slung his beloved bag over his shoulder.

'Here you go. Well, I'm going out.
What? It's hot as hell out here!
''I heard that you have to apply to the guild to open a store, so I'm going to go talk to them. Master, don't stay at home too much.
Haha, I'm really going to open a store. Well, good luck with that!

　Lurimes waves her hand without force with a flutter. Wraith's advice vainly, there is no option for her to go outside.
　Wraiths also go outside with a proper wave of their hands back.

　As soon as you open the door, the sunshine irritates your skin as it bites down on you. Wraith unintentionally blocked the sunlight with her hand and looked up at the sky.
　There was not a single cloud in the sky that welcomed summer, and the sky that filled his vision was a clear blue sky. It's a view that's no wonder it's so hot.

''Let's get going.''

　I made my way through the crowd as I was accustomed to doing. As I did so, I noticed something.
　There are many people dressed strangely uncommonly. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but the fact remains that I don't remember seeing much of them in the royal capital.

　I arrived at the guild, wondering why I hadn't seen them before. There were more people inside than usual, and there were some unfamiliar looking people that I had seen before coming to the guild.

　Wraith tilts his head, but goes to the front of Amelia as usual.

''Ah, Wraith-san, hello.''
Hello.
What's going on today?
'I've come to talk to you for a minute to open up the store but there are a lot of people I'm not familiar with today.

　Amelia nodded in agreement when Lace mentioned her doubts.

''Is this your first time here, Lace-san? It's just this time of year, the time of year when the dragon carriage visits.''
Dragon Wheel?
'Yes. It is called a dragon cart because the cart is pulled by a type of dragon called a jiryu. It regularly carries exotic people and goods.
Wow, that sounds interesting.

　Aside from people, I have a certain amount of interest in goods as an alchemist. There may be some rare materials among them.

''I think I'll be staying in the royal capital for a while, so if you're interested, I think you can go and take a look.'' -- and, well, that's why many people are not used to seeing it now.
I see.

　Speaking of dragons, Wraith has recently seen a type of dragon called a crystal dragon. Although earth dragons lose in terms of rarity compared to crystal dragons, they are still a type of dragon, but they are few in number and valuable.

　Earth dragons are extremely valuable, especially as a means of transportation. It is useful for the majority of humans who cannot use the super difficult magic of transference, like Rulimes, it is a useful existence.

''Well, leaving the dragon wheel aside for now, let's talk about opening a store, shall we?
'Yes. I talked to an acquaintance of mine and he told me that I needed to apply to the guild to open a store. I don't know all the details, so I thought I'd ask Amelia to talk to you about it.
I see. Hmm, well, of course you have to go through the paperwork, but there's also a small screening process.

　Seeing Wraith tilt her head, Amelia chuckles.

''Even if it's called judging, it's a formality, so you don't have to take it that seriously. Probably because we're just asking you to make a potion for us.
Well, that's something.

　To the extent of making potions, it's an everyday occurrence for Wraith. It's not something to panic about, even if it's an examination. Wraith, who had been getting a little defensive, breathes a sigh of relief.

''Well then, Wraith-san, over here.