I, the Villainous Prince, Buy the Ruined Villainess with Money - Chapter 24-25

Chapter 24: A Date?

…Hold on, hold on.

I turned down the carriage ride home and decided to walk while shopping. That part was fine, but…

Could this possibly turn into a date in our school uniforms?

In fact, wouldn’t this make it our first date?

“Master? Why did you stop walking?”

“N-No, I was just thinking about something. (Eh!? Is this a date!?)”

“Is something worrying you?”

“Ahem… By the way, do you know where the store is? The place with the best weapons in the entire capital would be ideal.”

“I have a general map in my head. But whether they will agree to sell to us…”

“Then lead the way. (Aaaah! Idiot! You should escort her!)”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

If this was going to happen, I should have studied the map properly.

The capital is huge, and grasping everything is difficult.

On the other hand, Yulia really knows her way around.

“The capital is vast, yet you know the weapon shops well.”

“…Crown Prince Kyle once said he wanted to go.”

…Aaaaaah!? You stupid Alvis from the past!

Why are you making her remember her old boyfriend!

That’s the one thing you’re absolutely not supposed to do!

…Still, acting obviously jealous here would be strange.

“Oh? My brother wanted to go to a weapon shop?”

“Yes. He said he admired adventurers. That he wanted to travel using only his own strength, regardless of status, or go into dungeons with trusted companions.”

“Hah, that’s just like him. Something like that would never be allowed.”

Now that memories from my previous life have returned, I have become more tolerant about differences in status.

Even so, being royalty—especially the crown prince—is no light responsibility.

Naturally, it would not be permitted, and it would cause nothing but trouble for everyone involved.

If he got even a minor injury, it could mean the death penalty for those responsible.

“You’re right. In the end, His Majesty strongly opposed it. I tried to stop him too, but he really wanted to do it.”

“Then he should have just abandoned the throne and become a commoner.”

“In that case, Master, you would be the crown prince?”

“That would be troublesome in its own way…”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

Good, it looks like the mood didn’t turn dark.

To think I would stumble right at the start of a date.

I need to come up with some clever conversation.

“By the way, have you gotten used to the house?”

“Yes. Yorba and Sebas are both truly kind to me. I am so grateful to you, Master.”

“Hmph, words are easy to say. (I’m glad! She’s not feeling uncomfortable!)”

“Then, perhaps I should offer my service instead…”

“I refuse. For starters, I have no intention of letting someone whose ears are red to the tips do that.”

“Auu…”

S-So cute!

Her face says “I can do it, you know?” yet only her ears are bright red!

What kind of dere is this!? Kuudere!?

“Heh heh heh, it seems it’s still too soon for you to handle me.”

“Muu… I will improve.”

“I’ll wait without expectations. (If you actually did it I’d ascend to heaven, so please don’t!)”

While we were having that conversation, a weapon shop sign came into view.

Walking through town in our uniforms already made me feel like the goal was accomplished.

For now, we went inside and browsed casually.

“Hmm, I can’t tell the quality of weapons, but even to an amateur eye, everything looks impressive.”

“Yes, that’s right. I think the fact that they’re made by dwarves makes a big difference.”

“Dwarves… Right.”

I had forgotten again, but this is a fantasy world.

Though fewer in number compared to humans, other races do exist.

There are dwarves, beastkin, and elves.

They generally live separately from humans, so interactions are rare.

“Yes. Also, I forgot to mention earlier… Dwarves apparently only sell to people they like.”

“Oh, is that so… So how does that work?”

“Hmph, you came here knowing that?”

When I turned around, there stood a dwarf who looked exactly as I had imagined.

—

Chapter 25: Encounter with a Dwarf

He was under 160 cm tall, with a sturdy build like a bodybuilder.

His jaw sported a thick beard, and his facial features were quite rugged.

He looked just like a classic dwarf.

He glared at me intimidatingly.

“I’m sorry. My master told me to take him to the best shop.”

“Letting a girl guide you? That guy isn’t fit to call himself a man. Your uniform is from that academy, right? This is why I can’t stand nobles. Every last one of them thinks it’s only natural for others to wait on them.”

“M-My master isn’t like that at all! This time, I guided him because I truly wanted to be helpful!”

Yulia stepped forward in front of me to explain.

…So that’s how it was… I was touched.

From the emotion, tears almost welled up in my eyes.

But if things stayed like this, a man… no, my favorite would lose face.

“Hmph. That’s some old-fashioned thinking for this day and age.”

“What did you say?”

“Sure, if you force it on someone as an order, that would be different. But this time, she said she wanted to guide me. In that case, isn’t accepting her kind offer also what a man would do?”

“Master…”

“Hmm… You might have a point there. I could have been outargued on this one.”

It’s pointless to fuss over because someone is a man or a woman.

You just handle things flexibly depending on the situation.

It doesn’t matter who’s above or below.

“Still, I understand your policy of no first-time customers. Yulia, thank you for guiding me. For now, let’s try another shop.”

“N-No, I’m sorry I couldn’t be useful.”

“Why put yourself down? You met my request, so don’t worry about it (Don’t feel down!)”

“…Hehe. You’re as kind as ever.”

“What are you talking about (Yes! She praised me!)”

As we turned to leave, he grabbed my shoulder.

“Shop owner, what’s wrong?”

“It seems my judgment was off. I’m sorry. Like this.”

“Raise your head. If you’re going to go that far, make it up to me some other way (Sell me something for my favorite!)”

“That’s the plan. For now, let me take you to the back of the shop.”

Instead of the front, he opened a door and led us inside.

It was a workshop, lined with weapons and armor.

Unlike the ones in the front, even an amateur like me could tell these were high quality.

“Hmm. These clearly look excellent.”

“Th-This is… amazing.”

“Of course it is. The ones out front are for selling. These are more like my personal hobby.”

“I see…”

So he doesn’t sell his best work to humans.

That’s why, in the true sense, he only sells to people he approves of.

“But I don’t remember doing anything to earn your approval?”

“Hmph. If you get it, that’s fine. Take this as my apology.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll accept without holding back.”

Yes! Now I can buy weapons or armor for my favorite!

Then, Yulia next to me started to laugh.

“…Hehe.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought you two are similar.”

“”We’re not similar?””

…We said it at the same time.

He seemed offended too and glared at me silently.

“”…””

“”Don’t lump us together.””

We overlapped again.

Even our wording was exactly the same.

“Hehe… Ahaha…!”

“She laughed… (So precious…)”

It wasn’t just a smile. It was genuine laughter.

This was the first time I had seen it.

It went beyond precious and felt dazzling.

“Hmph. So she’s not just a doll.”

“S-Sorry.”

“Do I look like the kind of small-minded man who would get upset over something like that?”

“I agree. I don’t mind being laughed at by a woman.”

Hmm. This dwarf knows what’s up.

I held out my hand, and the dwarf silently shook it.

“I’m Garon, a dwarf.”

“I’m Alvis. This is my maid, Yulia.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Yes, likewise. It’s been a while since I met a noble who makes me want to work.”

He said that and grinned broadly.

I didn’t quite get it, but being liked was the best outcome.

Now… let me show you my favorite-supporting skills (Sharp gaze).