Tuesday, May 27, 2025

[WN] Dragon Chain Ori : Volume 3 Chapter 5 [Re-Translation]

This is a re-translation.

Volume 3 Chapter 5

 

Invited by Irisdina-san, she and I were walking together in a corner of the commercial district. Many shops lined the street, and perhaps because each store was preparing for dinner soon, a pleasant, appetizing smell began to drift from various places. Here and there, people who seemed to have finished their day's work were on their way home.

Having spent my academy life focused solely on training, I was unfamiliar with this area, but surprisingly, Irisdina-san, who should have been a young lady from a prestigious family, walked briskly ahead.

 

"Um, you seem to be walking without any hesitation, have you been to this area often, Irisdina-san?"

 

I asked Irisdina-san, but perhaps because I was strangely nervous, my voice came out stiff.

But it couldn't be helped, right? I couldn't imagine being invited on a date by the "Black-Haired Princess"…………

 

"Yeah, I sometimes come to the commercial district or the city streets with Somia. Actually, this area is still new to me, so I'm quite looking forward to it."

 

"Heeh…………"

 

I was a little surprised. Arcazam was a city that various countries considered important, so the number of patrolling military police was high, and the security was quite good. However, that wasn't absolute, and there were some poorly secured areas in the commercial district where many people from outside the city gathered, so I thought that people related to important figures in various governments, like her, wouldn't come here often.

 

"Certainly, there are some poorly secured areas in the commercial district, but various things come from all over the continent. There are times when Somia and I can see things we've never seen before, and I like going around those places."

 

At the academy, she was always an exemplary honor student, like a sharpened knight's sword. At least, no one would imagine her innocently strolling through the commercial district.

 

"…………That's a little surprising. From your image at school, I didn't imagine you'd come to such a cluttered place."

 

"No, doesn't walking through unfamiliar places excite you? Well, some of my family members are noisy about it, but I personally find it suffocating if things are too strict."

 

Saying that, Irisdina-san smiled with a happy, innocent face. Drawn by that smile, my cheeks also relaxed.

 

"Besides, I know how to protect myself."

 

As Irisdina-san said that, she tapped the hilt of the rapier she wore at her waist with a confident look. Well, she was one of the highest-ranked students in the academy, and her ability to reach A-rank was not just for show. Nozomu had also caught a glimpse of her ability during the fight with Rugato. At that time, the opponent was on a different level, so she was outmatched, but against ordinary opponents, no one would be able to even scratch her. Thugs in this safe city were nothing to her.

 

"Now, let's go."

 

Saying that, she started walking again, and I hurriedly followed after her.

 

***

 

The commercial district was a place that welcomed many people from outside the city, such as travelers, and various traveling merchants were selling their goods here and buying up goods to sell in other towns. There were many stalls as well, and not only traveling merchants but also small children and couples were walking back and forth on the paved stone streets.

 

"There are so many different shops after all... Is that a candy seller?"

 

What Irisdina-san found was a stall selling various candy crafts. On shelves and tables, not only animals like birds, rabbits, and cows, but also figures of travelers and dancers, and even various depictions of couples were made of colorful candy crafts, and children who seemed to live in this area were gathered around the stall.

In the back of the stall, a stout-looking middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner was making new candy crafts, and the sweet smell of melting sugar filled the air.

 

"Hey, hey, next make a knight candy for me!"

 

"Eh! It's my turn next! Hey, mister, I want a princess!"

 

The children were clamoring noisily, trying to get the stall owner to make their candy.

 

"Just wait a moment. I'll make them for you, so don't rush."

 

The children around them couldn't wait, urging him with "Hurry, hurry," and the stall owner was struggling to deal with the children and make the candy crafts.

At that moment, my eyes suddenly met the stall owner's.

 

"Ah, you two! Could you spare a moment?"

 

The stall owner suddenly stood up and pushed his way through the children towards us.

 

"Hey, could you help me out for a bit? There are too many kids, and I can't keep up. It'll only be for a little while. Of course, I'll pay you. Could you do it for me?"

 

"I think it's fine. The kids look about the same age as Somia, so dealing with them shouldn't be a problem. What do you think, Nozomu-kun?"

 

"I don't mind. Well, I've never made candy myself, but I do cook, so I think I can help with something."

 

"Is that so!! Well then, sorry to trouble you, but I'll leave it to you."

 

The stall owner led me into the stall, and Irisdina-san went towards the children. I didn't really understand what was going on, and candy crafting itself was a first-time experience for me. I was a little uneasy, but it was a good opportunity. I decided to just give it a try.

 

***

 

I was now surrounded by children. I asked them if they wanted to talk since it would take some time for the candy to be made, and the children surprisingly took the bait.

 

"Hey, hey, big sister. Are you a student at that big school?"

 

It seemed that the children started listening to me because I was a student at Solminati. The neat school uniform, based on white, stood out quite a bit. And anyone living in this town must know the Solminati Academy. The children had probably seen the academy students many times in their daily lives. The moment they realized I was a student at the academy, the look in the children's eyes changed.

 

"Ah, that's right. I'm studying various things there."

 

"Wow!! Isn't that the school to become a knight?! So will you become a knight in the future? That's so cool, I want to go there too!"

 

One boy was excitedly shouting, "Amazing, amazing," but the eyes of the other children were also sparkling like this boy's. Perhaps for the children, Solminati Academy was a place they longed for.

The children were about the same age as Somia. Being looked at with the same pure and innocent eyes as my younger sister made me feel strangely happy.

 

Certainly, it was a fact that many graduates of the academy were recruited by various countries and held various important positions, and the countries of the continent had established this academy and provided substantial support in order to cultivate such highly skilled personnel.

A knight was one of the positions for those who served the country, and some did go down that path. The children thinking that a Solminati Academy student = knight wasn't entirely correct, but in a sense, it wasn't wrong either.

 

"Is that so. Then what do you want to do as a knight?"

 

"I want to become strong!! I want to become strong and defeat bad guys and protect everyone!"

 

The boy answered my question without hesitation. His eyes were sparkling.

 

"I see. It's good to have a goal, but you'll have to work hard to become what you aim for."

 

"Yeah. That's why when I grow up, I'm going to big sister's school!"

 

I listened to each of the children's future dreams. The children all told me their dreams with such joy.

 

"I want to be a knight." "I want to be an adventurer." "I want to be a confectioner." "I want to make lots of beautiful clothes."

 

The children who told me their stories were all full of dreams, and listening to them made me feel strangely happy, as if I was receiving some of their energy.

 

(That's right, I want to protect many people, including Somia, and above all... I want to continue to be Somia's goal.)

 

That was my own goal, the reason I kept running. Somia, who had never been held in her mother's arms. I had tried to be a mother to my younger sister in place of our deceased mother, and more than anything, I wanted to be an older sister that my younger sister could be proud of.

For that reason, I had devoted myself to grueling training, and I was able to endure it.

 

Suddenly, Nozomu-kun, making candy in the stall, caught my eye. What was his reason for fighting? What was the reason he continued to run even after his ability suppression manifested and he was told he couldn't become any stronger?

And what happened to him after the rumors with Lisa-san that spread when he was a first-year student?

I had only known him for a few weeks. There still wasn't enough time for him and me to understand each other.

 

***

 

While Irisdina-san was entertaining the children, I was helping the stall owner with making candy and putting the made candy into a pot over the fire to melt it.

I myself had never made candy or sweets, but I had cooked for myself while living alone and at my master's place, and I had also made simple meals in the forest. Although, that was limited to when I could secure a safe place in the forest.

What I was doing was simply putting the specified amounts of starch syrup, sugar, and other ingredients into a pot, stirring them, and heating them over the fire to boil. The stall owner would look at the viscosity and color of the candy I had boiled, and at just the right time, he would take the candy out of the pot, use a wooden stick, and quickly make delicate shapes with practiced hands. His movements had no hesitation, and he would quickly make princess and knight candy crafts.

Incidentally, I tried to make one myself, but I couldn't handle the softened, dripping candy well with the wooden stick, and it ended up a mess.

 

"……Your technique is amazing…………"

 

"Well, I've been running a candy shop for quite a long time now. I've gotten used to it, you know."

 

I didn't know much about candy crafts, but I felt that his skill in skillfully turning various things into candy crafts was quite something. In fact, the candy I made wasn't a craft at all. It had clearly become an overly avant-garde art object.

 

"Um, why do you run a candy shop?"

 

I was curious about the reason he had honed his candy-making skills to this extent. Candy crafting clearly took a lot of effort, and the price wasn't particularly high compared to that effort. It probably wasn't worth the labor he put in.

 

"Originally, I liked eating more than making. I used to buy and compare various candies. Eventually, I wasn't satisfied just eating them myself. That's how I started making various things myself. Seeing everyone's surprised faces when they saw the candy I made, and then their smiles when they ate it, made me happier than anything. Before I knew it... that's how it is."

 

Even as he spoke, the stall owner's hands didn't stop. The softened candy writhed in his hands as if it were alive.

 

"But still, making candy is the most fun for me. It's not very profitable, and there are tough times, but it's fun, so it doesn't bother me at all. Although, my wife often gets angry at me because I get so engrossed that I forget the time, I want to keep doing this job forever."

 

While making delicate shapes with the candy, the stall owner's face was lively. He must really love candy. It was the smile of someone who was doing what they truly wanted to do.

 

"Something I want to keep doing forever... a dream..."

 

A dream that I myself once had. A dream that I had already lost, a dream that I had turned my back on.

I was a little envious of the stall owner who could talk about his dream like that.

 

"Alright, here you go. Don't fight, eat them peacefully."

 

"Waaaaaaah!!"

 

"Amazing! They look just like the princess and knight from the picture book!!"

 

The children swarmed around the finished candy, eager to get their hands on it. They were like ants swarming sugar, but their faces, stuffed with candy and beaming with perfect smiles, made not only Irisdina-san and the candy shop owner but also the passersby naturally smile.

Looking at them, I felt a little bit of energy welling up inside me. It was a scene I had never seen when I was alone. Before I knew it, I found myself smiling naturally.

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