Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 44.3

Chapter 44.3   Thanks from the prince

By the time we finalized the contract for the wholesale of the seasoning, the judging for the other chefs was also complete, and the tasting session began. Along with Jasmine and Reich, I sampled the dishes, and every single one was so exquisite that I couldn’t understand how I had managed to win.

As the festival ended, Reich negotiated with the event organizers to obtain the leftover vegetables. I decided to freeze and crush them for additional delivery. It was late, so we stayed at an inn in Buono Village and decided to return to the capital the next day.

The next day, upon returning to the capital, we first visited the principal’s office to explain everything that had happened. The principal was quite surprised about the transition to remote work for the safety management duties but eventually approved our return to the academy alongside our duties.

Regarding Francois, I explained it in a way like, “In case of an emergency at Ashgano Cape, a girl might appear in the classroom instead of me, but please don’t worry about it.” Francois had decided to live as a human from now on, saying something like, “I want to get closer to Aniki, so I’ll live as a human!” Since Francois decided to remain in human form, I figured there was no need to mention the dragon part.

Even though it seemed a bit pointless to just take on a human appearance, it was convenient that Francois was willing to do so.

For the next week or so, I spent my days attending classes at the academy.

One afternoon, during one of these ordinary days, Ian suddenly brought up an important topic while we were having lunch in the cafeteria as usual.

“Hey Hadar, I’ve got something important to discuss.”

“What is it?”

“Remember during the entrance ceremony when I said I’d think of a way to thank you for the gravity control device? Well, it’s ready now, so if possible, could you keep this weekend free?”

Oh right, he did mention something like that. I had completely forgotten.

“Thanks, I’ll definitely keep it free.”

I had initially planned to visit Francois over the weekend, but considering the situation, I decided to limit our interaction to a brief remote lesson in the morning and take a full day off from classes next week to make up for it. Although I returned to the academy sooner than expected, it didn’t mean that my credits were fully secured.

With those thoughts in mind, I responded to Ian’s request.

◇

That weekend, just before noon, I was in the lobby of the inn waiting for Ian while remotely supporting Francois in a battle.

“Hey, Hadar. Are you ready to go?” Ian asked as he arrived to pick me up.

“Sorry, can you give me three more minutes?” I replied.

I had thought Francois would finish the battle by the time Ian arrived, but since he showed up five minutes early, it threw off my timing. Francois was just about to win, though.

“Sure, but what are you doing? You seemed to be just sitting around,” Ian asked.

“Just helping my protégé with some combat training,” I said, finding it easier to explain with a quick demonstration. I projected a hologram of the ongoing battle.

“Oh, is this the girl you mentioned before? The one you subcontracted for? That’s quite an intense fight. And what’s with that strange fighting monkey?”

“That’s the Great Seitan,” I replied.

“The Great Seitan!?” Ian exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at the hologram.

“So, that creature actually exists… I can’t believe I’m witnessing such a rare sight. And she’s holding her own against it?”

“Well, she’s a dragon in human form. She’s about evenly matched with the Great Seitan in a one-on-one fight. I don’t help too much to ensure the quality of her training, just handling any instant-death-level magic.”

“If you can manage that level of fine-tuning, does that mean the Great Seitan isn’t much of a challenge for you?” Ian asked.

“Not really. It would die with one shot from my mana particle cannon,” I said.

“I have no idea what a mana particle cannon is, but anyone fighting like that isn’t trivial,” Ian muttered, still watching the hologram in awe.

While we talked, Francois landed a clean hit on the Great Seitan’s vital point, and it fell dead.

“Good job. Perfect Heal,” I said, sending over a healing spell since Francois didn’t come out of the fight unscathed.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go,” I said, turning to Ian.

“Uh, yeah… I can’t believe what I just saw,” Ian replied, still in shock.

I ended the hologram projection, and Ian, still somewhat dazed, led me out of the inn.

◇

After walking for a while, Ian stopped in front of a luxurious mansion.

“No way… Is this the venue?” I asked, astonished.

I had previously expressed my reluctance to be summoned to the royal palace, and now it seemed they had secured an incredible venue just for this. I felt a bit overwhelmed, considering I had only given them a simple magic tool.

But Ian’s response far exceeded my expectations.

“Hah, so you thought that? We received your gravity manipulation device… just inviting you to a party wouldn’t suffice,” Ian said with a grin.

“What?” I replied, confused.

“This is your villa. Please accept it,” he stated.

“Whaaat!?” I exclaimed.

It turned out the venue wasn’t just a place for the event; it was now my property.

“Let me show you around,” Ian said.

Still trying to wrap my head around it, I followed Ian as he showed me every room.

There was a bedroom with the finest quality bed in the kingdom, a marble bathhouse, a grand living room with a splendid fireplace… every single room was indescribably luxurious.

“Of course, managing such a grand mansion alone would be tough. If you decide to hire maids, the royal family will cover all the personnel expenses. Though, knowing you, Hadar, you might solve even that with magic tools,” Ian added.

“Y-yeah…” I stammered, overwhelmed by the sheer opulence.

“Do you like it?” Ian asked.

“O-of course!” I replied, managing to get the words out.

This was insane. Was it really okay for me to live in such a place?

“I’m glad to hear that. Honestly, receiving your gravity manipulation device, even something like this doesn’t feel like enough of a return… but this was the best I could come up with,” Ian said.

No, seriously, this is more than enough.

“It’s a bit farther from the academy than the inn you were staying at. But if that’s not a problem…” Ian trailed off.

“That’s no issue. I have the cloud from the Great Seitan to use as transport,” I reassured him.

“With that monkey’s cloud, you’d probably arrive in seconds,” Ian chuckled.

For a while, I went around checking the usability of the furniture in each room. Then, out of nowhere, Ian started speaking again.

“Oh, by the way, there’s something else I’ve prepared for today. Can you wait a bit?” he asked.

“Uh, sure,” I responded, surprised that there was more after such a luxurious gift.

To pass the time, I decided to conduct an experiment. I planned to modify the Orichalcum-Adamantite alloy sword I had previously crafted during an exam. When I disassembled the staff used by the Great Seitan, I found parts engraved with a unique magic circle I’d never seen before. I copied the pattern onto a piece of Magisite Mithril and incorporated it into the sword, wondering if it could create a new weapon.

The experiment was a success. The modified sword could change its length when infused with magic.

While it wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, it could be handy for surprise attacks. I likely wouldn’t use it often, but it might come in useful someday.

Just as I was storing the sword with a storage spell…

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s ready now,” Ian called out.

I moved from the living room to the dining room, where an array of sumptuous dishes awaited.

“Y-you mean this is for me?” I stammered.

“Yes, doesn’t it look delicious?” Ian replied.

I thought about how I’d been enjoying feasts since last week as I took my seat. Then, Ian leaned in and whispered proudly to me.

“These dishes were made with the latest seasoning we got from a certain trading company yesterday. It’s not available to the public yet, but through special royal connections, we obtained it. Adding just a bit of it dramatically enhances the umami of the food…”

…Isn’t that just monosodium glutamate?

I decided to keep quiet to not spoil his moment of pride.