A Fortune-telling Princess - Chapter 306

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Really? Then I can use that magic circle again next time? That way I should be able to get the next volume too.”
“As many times as you wish.”
At Armis’s immediate nod, I fought desperately to suppress the smile threatening to bloom across my face.
I had officially been granted permission to enter Dragon’s Lair!
When the dragon appeared, I thought I’d never be able to return to the Other World again.
But now it seemed I could see Issia again, and our Lia too.
“Don’t you have any other videos?”
“Of course I do. Would you like to watch a historical drama this time? The Other World is quite the haven for them.”
I selected a recently popular historical drama and started playing it.
“Snacks are essential when watching a long drama.”
I then retrieved a bag of popcorn and a can of cola from Arsian’s subspace storage and handed them to Armis.
“….”
Crunch… crunch… crunch crunch crunch.
Gulp… gulp gulp.
Armis, who had initially brought the popcorn and cola to his mouth without much thought, gradually increased his eating pace. They must suit his taste.
A moment later.
“Is there more?”
“Of course. How about these? They’re made from shrimp….”
At his request for more snacks, I offered a full business smile and retrieved different refreshments to hand to him.
* * *
“Isn’t this going too far?”
“What do you mean?”
“One bag of popcorn for one jewel?”
“But I also threw in dried squid as a service. Do you know how expensive dried squid is in the Other World? Right, Arsian?”
“…Yeah.”
At Camilla’s sharp, insistent gaze, Arsian quickly nodded in agreement.
When he had gone to the Marketplace to purchase dried squid, it hadn’t seemed to cost much in that world’s currency.
And when he bought in bulk, they had even thrown in extra for free.
“If you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it. The supply is limited anyway.”
…Limited supply? Most of the subspace seemed to be packed with such snacks.
But Arsian wisely kept his mouth shut.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it.”
Just as Camilla was about to put the snacks back, Armis quickly snatched them away.
“Take any jewel you want from over there.”
“Yes, thank you. Sir… haha. Armis.”
I swallowed back the honorific that nearly slipped out and retrieved the largest and most expensive-looking jewel from the jewel room.
Perhaps because he was a dragon, he seemed utterly indifferent to whichever jewel I chose.
‘That makes six.’
A smile bloomed across my face as I held the jewel. I had already collected six jewels.
This seemed like adequate compensation for making the journey here.
‘It looks like I’ll keep making purchases going forward.’
Then my gemstone collection will grow even more… hehe.
After Armis first tasted the snacks from the Other World, he continued to demand them afterward.
At first, I gave them to him for free, but from the second time onward, I demanded payment.
‘Gemstones, of course.’
I emphasized how expensive and difficult they were to obtain even in the Other World, and every time I handed over popcorn or cola, I demanded a gemstone as compensation.
“In the dramas, they always seemed so easy to find.”
Of course, suspicious glances naturally followed. As Armis learned about the Other World’s culture by watching dramas, those suspicious looks only deepened.
“That’s because they’re dramas. Dramas are worlds mixed with fiction by nature. If reality and dramas were identical, who would watch them? That wouldn’t be a drama—it would be a documentary.”
Of course, Camilla didn’t bat an eye at those suspicious looks.
Rather, she even put on a deliberately sad expression, as if hurt that he would doubt her.
“If you find it wasteful, you don’t have to buy it. I’m telling you again—I didn’t gather these to sell. I went through so much trouble to obtain them as gifts for people precious to me….”
No, that was a lie. I’m selling them outright. Of course, I plan to give gifts to Duke Sorpel and the little ones, but I have no intention of giving them away for free to anyone else.
‘I’m not a pushover.’
I spent the money from selling my house to buy these—how could I just hand them out? Of course I need to get paid for them. As expensively as possible!
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy them.”
The moment Camilla showed signs of closing up shop, Armis spoke with uncharacteristic urgency.
“You can take as many gemstones as you want. Just bring out some new snacks.”
Armis had also noticed that Camilla was lying to some extent, but he simply let it slide. Gemstones weren’t particularly important to him anyway.
Encountering new things in this boring life was far more valuable than jewels scattered across that realm.
“How about some fried chicken and beer this time?”
“Fried chicken and beer? Are you talking about that food from the drama we just watched?”
“Yes.”
“You have that too?”
“It was the first thing I grabbed when I went to the Other World.”
For the first time, Armis’s eyes—which had been listless and expressionless until now—sparkled with interest.
He had been intensely curious about the taste ever since watching the female protagonist in the drama eat something called chicken and canned beer with such obvious delight.
Camilla approached Arsian and had him retrieve the fried chicken and canned beer this time.
Since Arsian’s subspace had preservation magic cast on it, the chicken and beer remained in their original state from when they were first stored.
‘A subspace is so useful! I wish I had one too later.’
“This should be worth at least three gemstones….”
“Take it.”
‘I should have asked for four.’
The moment I pulled out the chicken, its distinctive savory aroma spread throughout the lair in an instant.
Seeing Armis unable to take his eyes off the chicken, Camilla quickly handed him the food.
Crunch… crunch crunch.
Again, his eating speed gradually accelerated. It seemed twice as fast as the other snacks he’d eaten before.
Watching him with satisfaction, Camilla soon began tidying up the surroundings. It seemed like it was time to leave.
“I think we should be heading out now.”
A full day had passed since meeting Armis. I’d lost count of how many times I’d charged the tablet because of him continuously watching videos.
“Of course.”
Armis agreed to Camilla’s departure far more readily than she’d expected.
Then he closed the tab he’d been watching and rose from his seat. What? Was he planning to see her off?
“Let’s go.”
“…Pardon?”
Let’s go? Not “you go”?
Camilla stared blankly at Armis as he gestured for her to lead the way, then quickly collected herself and asked carefully.
“Um, are you going somewhere too, Armis?”
“Yeah. Where you’re going.”
“…What?”
He’s saying he’s coming with me?
“I need that Shinsu to charge this thing.”
“But you said you could solve it with magic…”
Hadn’t he just said he’d create a magical formula for charging?
“This device is complicated—it’ll take time to develop the formula. So what, you want me to just sit around watching dramas?”
“No, that’s why I gave you plenty of backup batteries.”
Fully charged ones at that. Camilla couldn’t hide her exasperated expression.
‘Honestly, you dragon!’
It wasn’t that the device was complicated—he just wasn’t researching the formula at all because he was glued to watching videos! How was he ever going to research the formula when he was constantly watching content like that?
Camilla, who had planned to obtain that formula once it was complete and distribute it among the machines, grumbled inwardly.
“What? You don’t like me coming along?”
“…That’s not it at all.”
Camilla quickly shook her head. How could she say otherwise when she saw the desolate glint in Armis’s eyes?
“What are you doing?”
“…Yes?”
“Lead the way.”
“…Yes.”
Camilla finally stepped forward and slowly headed outside.
‘What do I do?’
Do I really have to take that being—no, that dragon—back with me? Surely he won’t go out into the human world and start attacking like the Black Dragon did?
‘If he was going to do that, he would’ve done it already.’
After staying quiet for so long, would he really act like that just because I’m taking him out?
‘…Or would he?’
Worst-case scenarios had a way of becoming reality.
‘Ah, whatever.’
I can’t exactly tell him not to come when he’s the one saying he will! And he’s a dragon, no less. What am I supposed to do about it?
Camilla pushed down the rising anxiety and left the Dragon’s Lair with heavy steps.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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