第418話~出張帰り~
翌日。俺は朝から城下町に作ったハーピィ達の集合住宅へと足を運んでいた。
「「「ぱぱー!」」」
「おああぁぁぁぁっ!?」
そして元気いっぱいのハーピィちゃん達に突撃を受けて押し倒されていた。一人二人ならともかく、五人以上で突撃されるともうどうしようもない。成すすべもなく転倒させられ、群がられる。
まぁ、別に殴る蹴るの暴行を受けるわけでなく、ふわふわの羽毛が生えている翼でモフモフされたり抱きしめられたり、あちこちに頬ずりされたりするだけなので何も問題はない。
「暫く留守にしてたから寂しかったみたいやねぇ」
「あ、あわわ......み、みんな、もう少し手加減して」
羽毛塗れになってしまっている俺を大人のハーピィさん達が救出してくれる。まだ俺に対する愛情表現をし足りない子供達から不満の声が上がるが、彼女達はそれを跳ね除けて俺を大人達の部屋へと引っ張っていった。
「旦那様、この度もお勤めご苦労さまどしたなぁ」
「それなりにな。ああ、これお土産ね。後で子供達にも食べさせてやってくれ」
そう言ってドラゴニス山岳王国で買い付けてきたスイートコーンっぽい作物を乾燥させたものや粉に挽いたもの、それを使った料理などを渡していく。あと、フライングバイターの肉と、山羊っぽい家畜の肉。それにドラゴニス山岳王国で買い付けてきた毛織物や宝飾品などもお土産として渡す。
「この毛織物ええねぇ。あったかそうやわぁ」
「わぁ、きらきら!」
「お肉は保冷庫に入れておきますわね」
「ああ、その肉は歯ごたえが凄いから、焼き肉にする時はあまり厚く切らないほうがいいぞ。あと、骨と一緒に煮込むと良い出汁が出る。スープにするか、煮込んだほうが美味いかもしれん。焼き肉も悪くないが、珍味だったな」
「はぁい」
俺の忠告に返事をしてハーピィさん達がお土産を食料庫に運んでいく。ハーピィさん達の住宅には俺の権限で魔道具の大型保冷庫を置いてあるからな。浄化の魔道具も組み込んだ最新型だ。調理場の調理器具などもハーピィさん達が使いやすいように工夫したものを各種取り揃えてある。
「皆大きくなってきたよな。ハーピィは早熟だって言ってたっけ」
「せやねぇ、うちらは飛べんとすぐ死ぬさかい」
「地面を走るのも不得意ってわけじゃないけど、やっぱ飛ぶのと比べるとねー」
「大型種の中には走るほうが得意な子もいましてよ?」
「小型種にもいるよー」
走るほうが得意な大型ハーピィ......ダチョウとかエミューとかか? 小型種にもいるのか。まぁ意外と走るというか、歩くのが早い鳥っているものだよな。俺もよくコンビニの駐車場とかで結構な速度で歩き回る白黒の小鳥を見た覚えがある。
元々鳥ってのは恐竜を祖先に持つって話だったし、地を駆けていた頃の習性をそのまま残している種ってのも多いのかもしれないな。そう言えばドラゴンや飛竜が空を飛ぶのも、ハーピィ達が空を飛ぶのも原理的には同じなのかもとかアイラとか魔道士達が言っていた気がするな。意外とハーピィとドラゴンって近縁種なのかもしれんな。
暫く大人ハーピィさん達に歓待された後、少し落ち着いたハーピィちゃん達と再び交流してからハーピィ達の集合住宅ことハーピィタワーを後にする。
「おつかれェ。早かったねェ?」
ハーピィタワーから出ると、俺専用の人力車――いや、鬼力車か?――の前で待っていたシュメルが声をかけてきた。その側にはトズメとベラの姿もある。
「もっとゆっくりしたいところだったけど、シュメル達を待たせているし、城でやることもあるからな」
「私達のことは気にしないでも良いんだけどね。これも仕事なんだし」
「気にかけてもらえるのは嬉しいっすけどね」
にっかりと快活な笑みを浮かべつつ、ベラが鬼力車に乗り込むための踏み台を地面に置いてくれたので、礼を言いながら鬼力車に乗り込む。これは俺がドラゴニス山岳王国に行っている間に研究開発部で作られたもので、俺が鬼娘達だけを護衛として引き連れてメリネスブルグ内を安全に移動するために作られたものだ。搭乗席を守るようにアイラが開発した新型物理結界が展開されるようになっており、弓矢やクロスボウ、果ては魔銃による狙撃までをも防御できるようになっている。
「しかし、俺が居ない間になかなかに大仰なものを作ったよな」
「あたしらとしてはこっちのほうがやりやすくて助かるけどねェ。やっぱ身軽なのが一番さね」
「身軽な上に頑丈で小回りが利くの。なかなかのものでしょう?」
「トズメが滅茶苦茶ドヤ顔してるっす」
この鬼力車は俺の護衛を専属で引き受けている鬼娘達のうちの一人、青肌サイクロプスのトズメが考案したものであるらしい。前々から市内を箱型馬車で移動するのはかえって的が大きすぎて危険だと思っていたらしく、研究開発部の木工職人や鍛冶職人、それに魔道士達と一緒にこの鬼力車の開発を進めていたのだとか。予算はシルフィとメルティが承認したらしい。なんだかんだで過保護だよね、彼女達は。
「んじゃァ城に帰るよォ?」
「頼んだ。なんか一緒に歩けば良いだけなのに、こうして車を引かせるのはどうにも気が咎めるなぁ」
「良いじゃない。実際偉いんだから。それらしくふんぞり返っておけば良いのよ」
「そっすよ。それに旦那を守るのは嫁の仕事っすから」
「コースケはアタシらで守る必要もないくらい強いけどねェ。まぁ、お貴族様には外聞ってもんもあるもんだし、大人しく運ばれておきなァ」
そう言ってシュメルがニヤリと笑みを浮かべる。まぁ、シュメル達自身がそう言うならここは黙って従っておくとしよう。彼女達もこころなしか満足げだし。
次は城に帰ってエレン達と会った後、研究開発部に顔を出してから執務室でドラゴニス山岳王国に行っている間に溜まった各種プロジェクトの決済処理か。やることが多いなぁ。
419 Episode 418 - Business Return -
The next day, I was walking to the Harpies' dwelling in the castle town.
Pah!
"Ahhhhh!?"
And the energetic Harpies were pushing me down in a rampage. One or two of them, if five or more of them charge, there's nothing we can do. You'll fall without success, and you'll be swarmed.
Well, I don't get assaulted by beating and kicking, I just get fluffed, hugged, and cheeked around with fluffy feathers.
"I've been away for a while, so I feel like I missed you."
"Ah, wow... look, everybody, just a little more relaxed"
The adult Harpies will rescue me from my feathers. The children who had not yet expressed their love for me raised their voices of dissatisfaction, but they jumped away and pulled me into the adults' room.
Milord, thank you for your service this time.
"Pretty good. Oh, this is a souvenir. I'll feed them to the kids later."
That's why we hand over the sweet corn-like crops we bought in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom, dried, ground, and cooked. And the meat of a flying biter and the flesh of a goat-like livestock. They also give souvenirs such as woolen fabrics and jewelry bought in the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom.
"This wool textile, yeah." I see, I see. "
Wow, sparkling!
I'll put the meat in the cold storage.
"Oh, that meat has a great texture, so it's better not to cut it too thickly when it comes to roasting meat." Also, if it is simmered with bone, it will produce a good stock. It might be better to soup it or simmer it. Yakiniku isn't bad, but it was a delicacy. "
"Ahhhh!"
Replying to my advice, Harpy and the others take the souvenirs to the pantry. I have a large magic cold storage in Harpy's house under my authority. It was the latest model to incorporate the Purifying Magic Tool. There are also a variety of cooking utensils in the cooking area that Harpy and the others have devised to make it easy to use.
"Everyone's getting bigger." I thought Harpy said it was premature. "
Shit, we're gonna die if we don't fly.
It's not that I'm not good at running on the ground, but compared to flying after all...
Some of the bigger species are better at running.
There are also small species ~
Large harpies that are better at running... ostrichs and emus? Are there any other small species? Well, some birds run surprisingly fast. I also often remember seeing little black and white birds walking around at a fairly fast speed in a convenience store parking lot.
Originally, birds were said to have dinosaurs as their ancestors, and many species may have retained the habits they had when they ran through the land. Speaking of which, I think the Dragons and Dragons fly and the Harpies fly in principle the same way, or Aira and the mages. Perhaps Harpy and the Dragon were unexpectedly related species.
After being welcomed by the adult harpies for a while, I will interact with the calm harpies again before leaving the harpy tower as the collective residence of the harpies.
Here you go. You're early, aren't you?
When I stepped out of the Harpy Tower, Schmel, who was waiting for me in front of my own rickshaw--no, Ghost Rickshaw ?--, called out to me. On that side, there was also a figure of tozumi and bella.
I wanted to go slower, but I've been waiting for Schmel and the others, and I've got work to do in the castle.
"It's okay if you don't mind us." This is my job, too. "
I'm glad you cared, though.
While smiling cheerfully, Bella placed a stepping stone on the ground to get into the Ghost Rickshaw, so she got into the Ghost Rickshaw with a thank you. This was created in the R&D Department while I was travelling to the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom, to allow me to travel safely through Merinethburg with only my demon daughters as escorts. The new physical barrier developed by Isla to protect the passenger seat has been developed, and it can even defend against sniping with bows and arrows, crossbows, and even magic guns.
But while I was gone, you made something quite exaggerated.
"As for us, it's easier to do this way and it's helpful." After all, it's best to be casual. "
"It's sturdy on top of my body, and it's easy to turn around. It's pretty good, isn't it?"
"The toads are making a mess of faces."
It seems that this Ghost Rickshaw was conceived by the blue-skinned cyclops tozume, one of the demon daughters who exclusively took on my guard. It seems that he thought it was too big and dangerous to travel around the city in a box carriage, so he was working with carpenters, blacksmiths, and magicians in the R&D Department to develop this ghost carriage. The budget was approved by Silphi and Melty. Somehow they're overprotective, aren't they?
"I'm going back to the castle?"
"I've asked you to just walk with me, and I can't help but blame you for pulling the car like this."
"It's good, because it's really great." You just have to keep it that way. "
"That's right, and it's my daughter-in-law's job to protect her husband."
"Course skating is strong enough that I don't have to protect it." Well, the nobility has a lot of news about the outside world, so don't be carried quietly. "
That said, Shumel smiles. Well, if that's what Schmel and the others say, I'll keep quiet here. The girls were satisfied, too.
Next, after returning to the castle and meeting with Ellen and the others, I will go to the R&D Department and go to the office to settle the various projects that have accumulated while going to the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom. There's a lot of work to be done.
Goshujin-sama to Yuku Isekai Survival!
ご主人様とゆく異世界サバイバル！
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/goshujin-sama-to-yuku-isekai-survival/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Mature Seinen Slice of Life
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