“But Father said it’s really exciting and told me I could spend my allowance however I want today! Let’s just go take a quick peek!”
“Hmm, well let’s ask the lady at the window if it’s okay first then?”
Seeming to grasp Kurtz’s intent from his drastically changed demeanor, Lucia played along without batting an eye.
Taking Kurtz’s hand, she addressed the woman at the ticket window.
“As his guardian servant, may we be permitted entry?”
“Yes, that’s fine. You’ll need to purchase dragon racing tickets to enter, so please select one from the list here.”
“Young master, do any of the dragons catch your eye?”
“That small black one and the thin red one look fast!”
When Kurtz pointed them out in an innocent voice, the window attendant interjected hesitantly.
“Those are the 16th and 10th favorites respectively…are you sure?”
“Well now…but the young master has taken a liking to them, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah! If I cheer them on, they’ll win for sure!”
“I see. Well then, let’s bet a bit more in hopes they pull through.”
With that, Lucia presented some bills to the attendant.
“500,000 Galds on each of those two dragons, please.”
“Ah, I understand…It would be nice if you could see your favorite dragon win.”
“Yeah! Thank you, big sis!”
Waving at the ticket booth woman with a strained smile, Kurtz gripped the dragon ticket tightly and dashed off, scattering an innocent grin.
He then entered through the entrance and moved to a less crowded shaded area–
“Ah…I feel like my spirit is already exhausted from this ordeal…”
“Don’t worry, young master. I’ll at least praise you for being such a cute and innocent child.”
“Maintaining this child act is taking all my energy, so I don’t have any left to argue…”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll comfort you when we get back, so hang in there a little longer.”
With Lucia patting his shoulder, Kurtz continued his sacrifice of acting like a child.
After wandering around the dragon racing stadium and acting like an innocent child watching the dragons for a while,
Kurtz sat down at the end of a sparse spectator stand and heaved a deep sigh.
“…I’m tired.”
“You must be. I have a soft lap pillow prepared for you.”
“I see…that would probably look appropriately childlike…”
“You seem utterly drained mentally…”
“Well, I’ll refrain from the lap pillow…My plan is to pretend to be a child who got too excited and fell asleep, then have you carry me out right after the race results come out so I can cash in and leave…”
“So your childish suffering isn’t over yet…”
As Lucia gave Kurtz a pitying look, she suddenly cocked her head.
“Come to think of it, why did you have me buy two dragon tickets? I’m guessing the other one is also a high payout, but if there’s a 500 million payout, you didn’t need the other one, right?”
“Ah…while 500 million is the highest ultra-high payout, the purpose for that one is–“
As Kurtz was about to explain, he looked up and noticed a familiar figure in his field of view.
Dull, glowing blue-gray hair.
Golden twin pupils floating in an expressionless face lacking much emotion.
Beside her were two burly men guarding her protectively.
But what caught his eye was the girl’s attire.
A cap resembling a hunting cap.
A long jacket sized for a woman.
The blouse and skirt she wore underneath were also of designs unseen in the imperial capital, making her stand out greatly among the crowd with her composed appearance.
While observing the girl’s behavior from the side, Kurtz muttered in a hushed voice:
“Lucia, I’m going to act like a child again.”
“You’re saying some crazy stuff, but I get it.”
After that brief discussion, Kurtz stood up at the right timing.
“Hey Lucia! My throat is getting dry, so let’s go buy something to drink!”
“But…the race is about to start?”
“It’ll be fine if we hurry! There’s a concession stand right over there–“
With that, Kurtz dashed off while facing backward–
Not stopping his momentum, he intentionally stumbled and fell dramatically between the burly men.
“Whoa!? What the hell!?”
“Watch where you’re going, brat!!”
“I, I’m sorry…I was rushing because I thought the race was starting…!!”
As Kurtz trembled while being glared at by the scarred man and the unshaven bearded man–
“–No, you two are in the way.”
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A slightly accented, flat voice came from the girl.
After restraining the two men, the girl extended a hand toward the sitting Kurtz.
“Young one, are you unharmed?”
“Y, yes…sorry for bumping into you.”
“Yes, being able to apologize properly is admirable.”
With a small smile, the girl took Kurtz’s hand and pulled him up.
To check if Kurtz was unhurt, the girl patted his clothes to dust them off…when Lucia came running over in a panic.
“P, pardon me…young master suddenly started running and…”
“So you’re his guardian?! What were you gonna do if the kid got hurt?!”
“If he was injured, you’d be paying his medical bills!!”
“You two, I understand your concern but your faces and words are frightening.”
“Miss! If you comment on our faces, it’ll hurt our delicate hearts!!”
“These faces were God-given treasures, as were the accents of our homeland!”
“…Just speak softly with gentle expressions then.”
After responding to the men with an exasperated tone, the girl turned back to Kurtz.
“But it was dangerous nonetheless. You must watch where you’re going when walking.”
“Yes…I’ll be careful next time.”
“Good, I’ll give a reward candy to a good child.”
Patting Kurtz’s head, the girl handed him a small wrapped hard candy.
Seeing the candy–Kurtz played the role of a “somewhat smart child.”
“Wow…this is candy from the northern countries, right? I heard the north is plentiful in berries, and children have eaten candies packed with cooked and mixed berry varieties since they were little!”
“Yes. Surprising that you’re so knowledgeable.”
“My father went there for work once before, so I looked it up and remembered!”
“I still enjoy licking them frequently. I’m glad you seem to like it.”
“Yes! Then please accept this snack from me!”
Saying so, Kurtz took out a small box from his pocket.
“It’s a sugary treat called caramel, imported from the southern islands. It’s a souvenir my father acquired through trade – it’s very sweet and delicious!”
“I see…I am interested in southern goods, being in trade myself.”
“Are you also a merchant, big sis?”
“Yes. So I appreciate such gifts sincerely.”
“Great! If we meet again, I’d love to hear your thoughts!”
“Of course. I’ll share my impressions then.”
With relaxed cheeks, the girl accepted the caramel box from Kurtz’s hand.
“Let’s chat again if we cross paths, young one.”
Flatly but with a somewhat friendly air, the girl gave a light wave.
After her figure disappeared from view…Lucia leaned in and whispered:
“…Why is that girl here?”
“So you knew about her too, huh.”
“Of course. She’s famous in the northern regions, after all.”
“Meeting that famous person was my main objective. Now that it’s done, let’s go home.”
Shifting his gaze from the spectator area, Kurtz started walking toward the exit.
His visit to the dragon racing stadium was not just for immediate funds.
Encountering that girl and creating an “obligation” was necessary for his next plan.
Soon after, the sound of a trumpet signaling the start of the race echoed from inside the stadium.
“Let’s head to the exchange counter. It’ll be troublesome if we get caught up in the commotion and have our identities confirmed.”
“Yeah, yeah. This way.”
“…Why are you holding out both hands instead of turning your back?”
“I thought you’d appreciate a princess carry more.”
“I’m getting used to your approaches by now.”
“Even if you get used to it, I like your cute reactions.”
“…We don’t have time for that now, so hurry and give me a back ride to the exchange counter.”
“Alright, I’ll save it for another chance then.”
“Don’t look forward to such chances.”
Climbing onto Lucia’s crouched back, Kurtz closed his eyes.
Afterwards–as expected, screams resembling anguished cries echoed from the spectator stands.
With staff members rushing about in a panic, Lucia called out to a man at the exchange counter.
“Excuse me, are the race results out yet?”
“Eh, yeah…they just came in actually…”
“My young one bought some dragon tickets, but he fell asleep from getting too excited, so I’d like to let him know the results when he wakes up. Could you tell me?”
“Well…that’s unfortunate for the kid, but you may not want to tell him. There was an accident during the race that threw everything into disarray – the popular dragons kept getting eliminated one after another…”
“I see…which dragon took first then?”
“The 16th, 13th and 10th favorites ended up placing. Dragons that nobody would have dared to bet on via combination bets. Anyone who bought tickets for this race must be–“
“Oh! Then we hit the jackpot!!”
Cutting him off excitedly, Lucia reached into the pocket of the Kurtz she was carrying–
“…Huh?”
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