Atelier Tanaka Book 1: Chapter 16

Dragon Extermination 6

On that day, the capital of the Peni Empire, Kalis, was in an uproar.

The reason for this is the huge dragon, Christinas visit.

As Christina landed in the noble mages garden, we were quickly surrounded by knights wearing heavy armour and many people wearing robes and holding staves. Apparently, such a large creature landing in the capital can cause a lot of panic.

That does make sense.

The noble mage tried to calm down everyone.

He explained that this was his ho and why the dragon was here.

Its because you people are so stubborn that you cause all this trouble. He said sothing like this and continued complaining to the knights before letting out a large sigh.

Ah, it seems like he managed to clear everything up. All the guards seed to be leaving to return to their posts. That magic obsessed noble can actually be useful.

Shortly after arriving, Christina seed to already be ready to leave.

I will never forget. I will never forget the na, Saito.. She seed to have so deep aning in her words before she left. However, that na is just a pseudonym and we landed at the noble mages mansion so I should be fine. I gave her a quick nod before she left back to Mount Pepe.

And at the sa ti, the dragon extermination party broke up at that spot.

The next morning. I had t up again with the noble mage at his ho, but I just wanted to return ho already.

Tired.

Im so tired.

I just want to go ho and sleep.

But I still have an important task to complete. Defeating the dragon wasnt the end goal.

From here on I need to show my abilities as an alchemist.

I have to continue Edita Senseis legacy.

With Sophia carrying the luggage and the noble mage who insisted he had to co with, I returned to my atelier.

So, thats why Im currently being trained in dicine.

So, I add the solvent here?

Eh? Yeah, well.

As long as I mix, dissolve, boil, and repeat according to Edita Senseis recipe, I shouldnt ss up. Senseis recipe laid out everything that was necessary for to finish the recipe.

On the other hand, the noble mage seems to see so hidden aning in the mixing procedure Im following. After every move I make he mutters to himself.

Incidentally, when Sophia had finished carrying the luggage to my atelier, she went back ho. She could have at least stayed to have a cup of tea. I even offered so to her but she refused imdiately and ran out of the building.

When she parted with the party it seed like a wave of relief washed over her body.

Her eyes were even sparkling.

The eyes of Sophia that I havent seen in a long ti.

Well, its probably for the best. This way I can focus on creating this dicine.

Ah, sorry, but can I see that green dicine there?

This one?

Thank you.

I continued mixing with my overzealous assistant.

The next day.

We brought the finished dicine to the royal castle in the city of Kalis of the Peni Empire. All of the usual mbers are here , the noble mage, Team Orgy, rcedes, and Sophia.

The political power of that magic obsessed noble is clear here too.

He gave his reason for being here and was imdiately allowed to enter the castle.

Inside the castle, there were nobles, knights, servants, and even several people from foreign countries. Still, we were able to easily pass through all of these people to see the king. That noble mage must have an incredible amount of trust with the king.

Ive heard your reason for coming. Is it true? Lord Fahren, have you managed to create a dicine to cure my daughter?

A man sitting on a large throne. He looked like a typical fantasy king.

Hes even wearing a crown on his head.

He is supposedly the ruler of this country.

Ive heard he accomplished a lot when he was young, but he looks more than capable of doing more at his current age. He appeared to be around the sa age as the noble mage or . His body is massive and reminds of an Arican football player. He has shiny, blonde hair cut to resemble Beethovens hairstyle. There are no signs of balding and I cant see a single grey hair.

However, due to the stress of his daughters condition, he is showing an incredibly tired expression. He seems to be trying to suppress his hope that this cure will actually work. That may be due to there being several other people claiming to have found a cure but the cure never working.

Yes, please give this dicine to her as soon as possible.

The noble mage says this and carries the dicine to the King.

That magic obsessed noble is even allowed to approach the King.

I have no idea how to interact with royalty in this world so I have no choice but to sit back and let the noble mage handle everything. As long as I receive the reward I have no problem with that. I just want everything to go as smoothly as possible.

Its easier for him to hand over the dicine rather than arguing that I am the one that created it. I sincerely doubt the King would take dicine from so stranger from a foreign land and give it to his daughter. Even if her condition is severe, I doubt he would ever do that.

You there, bring this to my daughter imdiately!

Yes!

The king gives an order to soone nearby and a man that looked like a knight quickly ran up to take the dicine.

All of the party mbers that were watching this were currently kneeling before the King. Even in this world, it seems to be common practice to lower your body to soone important like him.

I will take it to her right away.

He took the dicine and quickly ran out of the great hall.

Im guessing thats the direction the princess is in.

But, Fahren, is it true you managed to obtain the liver of a red dragon?

The King asks the noble mage this.

Yes. Regarding the loss of the airship, it is as I reported to you earlier. However, on our journey, we managed to obtain even larger magic stones. I, Lord Fahren, promise to create an even greater airship.

Im not concerned with the lost airship. Im more interested in how you managed to defeat the red dragon. This dragon is said to be the strongest and fiercest type of dragon. More so, Ive heard that these companions were the only ones that went with you.

To kill a dragon, the quality of your companions is more important than quantity.

.Well, if you say so Lord Fahren. That must be the case.

Yes

Wow. The King must really trust this ossan.

They must have a history together.

If possible, Id like to witness the effects of the dicine with my own eyes. This may be a selfish request, but can you allow us to see the royal princess?

Thats fine. If youre by her side my daughter will be relieved.

Thank you.

Though, Lord Fahren, even though Ive heard the story several tis, its still a surprising story to hear.

Why do you say that?

Well, how did you know that youd need the liver of a red dragon to create the dicine?

Ill give you a detailed explanation of the story later. For now, Id like to make sure the royal princess is okay. Besides, it is a rather complicated story.

The ossan seed to glance over to .

He doesnt an to give credit to ?

I understand. I would also like to see the effects with my own eyes.

I see youre as stubborn as always..

Stubbornness can also be a virtue. I have no reason to be humble.

Still, Im quite surprised at how the King acts with the noble mage. I had heard that the King was above all other nobles in the country and that he even acted this way, but he seems to be on really good terms with the noble mage. So of the other nobility in the room seed to be annoyed and are turning their eyes away from the pair.

Thanks to that, the other mbers of the party are able to follow along without anyone questioning us.

Nice, noble mage.

These two people continued exchanging words for a little while.

But, after a while, the King nodded to end their conversation.

Well, this is the room she is in.

There was a large wooden door that stood before us.

With a loud BAN the door suddenly opened.

Everyone stared at the now opened door.

Then, from within the room, a girls voice could be heard.

F-F-Father.

Its likely that she has been sleeping all this ti up until now. In addition to the knight in armour and the nobility in their robes, there was a beautiful girl in her sleepwear. The fabric was rather thin, and beneath her sleepwear, you could see the outline of her body. She had rather big breasts and a big butt and her waist was thin. Nice body.

It was a perfect body for most n.

I want to train her royal pussy.

The King was the first one to say sothing.

Oh, Angelica!?

Father! Im able to move my body again!

How..

Many other people, mostly n, began crowding around the entrance to the room. She runs to her fathers arms not minding how short her sleepwear really is.

With tears in her eyes, the girl called Angelica embraced her father.

Y-You can move!? Youre okay!? Angelica!

Yes! I can move! I can move as if wings were growing from my back.

Oooooooohhhhh!

The King lets out a great yell as he is overco with emotion.

Just like his daughter, there are tears in his eyes.

Apparently, the dicine worked rather quickly. According to Edita Senseis notes, this disease wasnt actually a disease, it was a curse. Well, I guess theyre kind of similar.

It seems like she has been eating regularly. She doesnt seem too thin and is actually kind of thick. Her healthy legs that Ive been watching for quite so ti now are evidence of this. Ive heard that even if youre bedridden massaging the legs is enough to keep them healthy.

Looking at her now, Id guess shes rather strong. I had imagined her being much frailer. I was able to see her entire body between the ti she took the dicine and ran up to her father. This princess is really amazing.

Thank you, Father. Thank you so much! It seems like a dream that Im able to walk on my own feet again. Im the happiest person in the world!

The princess continues talking while hugging her father.

You could hear several mbers of the audience let out audible awws.

The large crowd that had gathered quietly left them on their own.

Please, enjoy this family ti together.

The next day we were once again at the castle.

Rather, we had stayed in the castle overnight at the request of the king.

And now, the noble mage was saying it is ti for our reward.

There are only ten days left until the debt on my house needs to be collected. Im pretty happy that I can get all of that debt resolved so soon.

Thank you! Its thanks to you that my daughter has been cured!

The king said this to us with a bright smile showing on his face.

Were currently in the sa spot as yesterday, the great hall of the royal castle.

In addition to the King, there were a large number of nobles dressed in luxurious clothing lined up on either side of the King. This scene reminds of Jacques-Louis Davids painting of Napoleons coronation. Maybe its not that extravagant.

Id expect as much from you, Lord Fahren. Sincerely, thank you for everything youve done.

The King says this in a tearful voice.

I am a virgin that has no real family. Seeing how much he cares for his daughter makes think that marriage sounds rather appealing, but if I had a daughter that looked like the Princess I cant be confident I would be able to resist spying on her in the bath.

If it were the usual , I would claim that I did this alone, but not today. On this one occasion, I would not have been able to accomplish this on my own.

Truly, what a day this is.To hear those words coming from you of all people.

It was all thanks to this man here that we were able to create the dicine. He obtained the dragons liver and even made the dicine himself.

..You, raise your head and tell your na.

Yes, my na is Tanaka.

Tanaka? That is a strange na and you look different than the people of my country.

This is bad, I said my family na out of habit.

Most people of this world dont seem to have a last na. It would seem even more strange to him for sure as almost all commoners do not have a last na. Well, it should be fine. I plan for this to be the first and last ti I speak with the King.

Yes, I belong to a group of nomadic people. I decided to travel on my own so ti ago.

Nomadic people?

Everything Im doing is to get gold. I try to make up a story in order to not be rude.

But the face of the King just looked confused.

Suddenly, a voice that ca from the side of spoke up.

Your grace, please give an opportunity to speak.

Its the blonde haired Lolita.

She has remained silent up until now, so why does she feel the need to speak now?

Oh, Richards daughter was also helping. To put yourself in such danger in order to save my daughter, you truly have my thanks. I plan to visit with your father. Perhaps Ill give him so land and the title of Viscount.

The atmosphere seed to have changed after the King said these words. It was mainly due to the aristocrats quietly talking amongst themselves. It seems by giving her father the title of Viscount, the power structure of the country has changed. Well, that has nothing to do with a commoner like .

In response to the Kings words, another man standing next to him spoke up.

Another ossan that had been standing by the throne. He was standing there the entire ti yesterday as well. Is he perhaps in the number two position in this country? Id imagine he has the title of minister or sothing similar.

Your majesty, that title is a bit much.

Oh, are you saying that the reward is too much for the person that saved my daughter? I think the title is perfect after everything Richards daughter has done.

S-Still, that title holds too much power in the country.

Ive decided on this as a reward. Do you have anything else to say, Pri Minister Mordred?

N-No.

I would expect soone capable of defeating a red dragon is more than worthy of such a title. I am convinced that if its this person, they will be more than able to proudly represent that title.

.Yes, I agree with you.

If so, dont bother speaking up in the first place.

Right.

The King and the Pri Minister.

I would assu the King is in the top position and the Minister is the second in power of this country. From my position at the bottom, it is impossible to understand the full responsibilities of each of them. Its like a minion of a large company trying to understand the job of the President.

I rember hearing sothing about the power of the nobility when I was at the school, but what I do know is that the Peni Empire is a very large country and has a very complex power structure in place. Thanks to my position as a commoner, I doubt Ill ever fully understand that structure.

The nobility seems to be like typical nobles youd find in any dieval setting.

Oh, more importantly, what is that blonde lolita trying to do?

It would be bad if she tried to say sothing to make lose my reward.

I wouldnt be able to save my ho.

That would be the worst.

My assumption was entirely different than what she actually said.

I will vouch for this man. Please, believe .

What? You trust this man?

Yes. I swear on the honour of the FitzClarence na.

Fumu..

The blonde haired lolita speaks in a formal tone.

Really, Im just surprised shes trying to defend .

The noble mage also spoke up at this ti.

I feel the sa way as the daughter of the FitzClarence family.

Thanks to these two, the expression of the King seed to relax.

Thank you both so much. It makes happy seeing them vouch for .

I understand. I will believe in the words of Lord Fahren and the daughter of the FitzClarence family. You said your na was Tanaka? Im truly grateful for the work youve done.

A few surprised voices could be heard from the surrounding crowd.

Apparently, this was a really exceptional response from the King.

I just thought he was showing his gratitude, but now Im starting to feel nervous after hearing the reaction from the crowd. Im starting to think if it wasnt for those two speaking up, I may be going back to jail soon.

After all, this is a feudal society.

Ahahaha! Its more than you deserve when Im just taking you at your word.

Does this an Im safe?

Is there anything you want?

I would like to thank you for believing in my words. However, it is as Lord Fahren said, this would have been impossible without every mber of the party.

That is the absolute truth.

It was only as a party that we were able to achieve this goal. Every mber of the party was important. It makes happy thinking about it. Its a great feeling to accomplish sothing as a group.

Its the kind of feeling I could never get while working for a company.

The only reason we were able to achieve our goal, was because we all worked together. Thats why I wish for the reward to be divided equally among everyone. It is a humble request, but the only reward I want is money.

I see. If that is your wish, I am more than willing to grant it.

Thank you.

Yes!

I was able to obtain the gold I needed.

I rember hearing rumours that the King was stingy, so I was unsure if hed grant my request, but it appears he quickly accepted my request. I guess his daughter was really that important to him.

Bring the reward here.

The King says this.

In response, one of the knights nearby approached with a large tal box in his hands.

To you, for the great service you have done for our country, I give you 1000 gold coins.

Haha! Thank you. I will receive it gratefully!

With my head lowered, I received the tal box with both of my hands.

It was quite heavy.

After receiving the reward, we went to the noble mages house.

Were now eting to split up the reward between everyone. When it cos to 1000 gold pieces, its incredibly heavy. So we needed sowhere appropriate to divvy up the reward.

And so, we are now in the drawing room of the noble mages mansion.

Everyone, thank you for bearing with . I will now start deciding on how to split up the reward.

This man was assuming the position of manager to decide on our pay.

I look at everyone sitting on the sofa.

It kind of reminds of a net ga.

The reward from the King is 1000 gold pieces divided among seven people, therefore you will each receive 142 gold pieces. As for the little leftover gold and the gold you will get for selling the various materials you collected, that will all be used to cover the costs of the lost airship.

This ti, I was the one that played the biggest part.

However, I really didnt want to ask for more than everyone else.

Is that okay with you?

Yeah, Im fine with that.

..If so, I have no complaints either.

I collected my share of the reward without complaint.

I expected the airship to have a higher cost. Unless all of the materials we collected from the dragon really sold for that much. Or maybe, theyre just forgiving a good amount of the costs because we saved the princess. I dont know, but either way, Im thankful its taken care of.

And nobody else seed to have any complaints about the reward.

Or so I thought.

Please, wait a mont.

The blonde lolita spoke up.

As usual, this loli bitch is good at causing a disturbance.

Although, she did surprise when she spoke up in front of the King.

Did you have sothing you needed to say?

Why did we all receive an equal reward?

I just thought that was the fairest way of dividing up the reward.

Is she trying to get more money? When we were adventuring before, she didnt seem to need any money. Now that it is a larger amount has her attitude changed?

Then, I dont need the reward! You should have it.

Eh? You dont want it? Even for nobility that amount should be rather impressive.

Thats because..I was no help at all. Especially near the end. I was just an inconvenience to everyone.

The blonde haired lolita looks heartbroken.

I guess I was completely wrong.

Thats why I dont need any of the reward!

Then, a voice from the other side of the room could be heard.

If thats the case, I wont accept my share either.

Allen

As usual, he is showing a cheerful smile.

I didnt help any more than Ester. Besides, just the fact that I was a mber of the party that succeeded in killing a dragon is enough of a reward.

I-I see..

This guy is too handso.

I bet the girls get wet just hearing him speak. I bet even so guys get that way.

Well, Im glad that Im not gay.

The paynt for the airship can be taken out of the gold you get for selling the materials from the red dragon. As for the rest of the reward, I will graciously accept it and use it to fund my research.

I understand. Then, I will distribute it now.

Thats convenient. My reward will now be three tis the amount.

With that much money, I feel like I could slack off at ho for a while.

That takes care of everything concerning your paynt. Is everyone satisfied?

Nobody seed to have any problems with how the reward was distributed.

With this, the dragon extermination is complete.

The MVP of this quest is the little girl from town and I dont even know her na.

Thank you, little girl.

Thanks to your advice, I was able to defeat the dragon.

After receiving our paynt, this issue had been settled.

Ive finally returned ho.

Ho.

My ho.

After returning ho from the noble mages house, I was now lying in bed. As I was counting the stains on the ceiling, I was thinking about all the different ways I could decorate my ho.

Then, I could hear what sounded like soone knocking on my front door.

I must have a visitor.

I walked to the front door, wondering who could be at the door. After opening it, I saw soone that reminded of the military police.

It was one of the people that had co to visit earlier.

Im guessing hes here to check if Im able to pay or not.

Fortunately, I had the required amount on hand. Once I pay him, Ill have one less thing to worry about.

Are you ready to pay?

Yes, of course.

Its been quite a while now.

Really, its only been a few weeks, but it feels much longer.

Finally, I can truly call myself a hoowner so I have no real reason to complain. I can repaint the walls, build a dog house in the garden, and, if I wanted to, I could completely remodel the entire building.

I dont know if I deserve such a privilege at this stage in my life.

Owning a ho is sothing usually reserved for later in life.

But from today onward, I own my own ho.

However, there is sothing I need to know.

Im still rather cynical and need to be absolutely sure about this.

Ah, Id like to know one thing.

What is it?

Theres no remaining debt on this house, right? Aside from the costs of maintaining and operating this house, theres no chance of so ridiculous debt that would never be normal suddenly appearing?

..What do you an?

Sothing like, old docunts that werent filled out properly or maybe a sudden, outrageous increase to the taxes of this property.

Well, in regards to that, Im not sure I can answer.

If any of these once in a lifeti events occur, please refer your boss to that noble mageAh, at that ti, Ill ask Lord Fahren for assistance.

..

The strongest legend.

I learned the importance of bluffing in the battle against Christina.

As soon as I ntioned that noble mages na, the face of this military police guy went white.

The effect is extraordinary.

Though, I have received promises from them, in this fantasy world its completely aningless. After all, this city is very similar to a dieval city. I doubt the nobility of this city are too happy that a soy sauce faced foreigner owns a house in town.

I understand. You wont have to deal with any obstacles like that. Of course, youll also be setting up an atelier here, right? If that is the case youll most likely need an assistant. If youd like, I could help you find one.

I-I-I understand. T-T-That wont be necessary..

Thank you.

The military police guy showed a smile.

Im not a god so its impossible for to know everything going on in this city. If sothing happens in the city, I dont know who benefits from it and who iS damaged by it.

However, there is one thing Im absolutely sure of, and that is that the na of the noble mage is incredibly powerful.

With this, even if a powerful person were to accost , I would be able to win. Well, maybe not if it were Esters father.

Well then, is everything settled?

O-Of course. Then, please excuse .

The military police guy left and I closed the door behind him.

Fuu

I finally feel a sense of relief.

If I think about it, I feel even more relieved than when the fight with Christina ended.

Ah, it feels great. Ive finally got it.

My own house (Atelier)