ss3 (1/2)

Gun-Ota - Special IF Side Story (IF series)

■’What if the one who bought Lute was Meiya’ story

Meiya Dragoon is the genius magic tool inventor.

That was common knowledge among the people of the Dragon King clan, who lived on the Dragon continent.

In reality, even if one looked all over the world, there was no other magic tool developer that had accomplishments that were comparable to those of Meiya.

Originally, to develop a new magic tool it took a colossal amount of time, money, and human resource.

However, during her enrollment at the magic university, Meiya invented the ‘Rainbow sword’.

It was a research project on the level of a nation’s, and yet, she accomplished it all by herself.

Of course, in the past there were many people who developed new magic tools like Meiya, but they were all trifling tools.

Tools that were a combination of existing magic tools, or a magic tool that could create fire to replace lighting matches.

On the other hand, the Rainbow sword developed by Meiya could switch the inserted magic stone, allowing the sword to change its attribute to fire, water, wind, etc...

The established theory and common knowledge of the time was that you couldn’t change the inserted attribute magic stone.

However, Meiya smashed that theory and made a sword that could switch its magic stone.

This announcement changed Meiya’s t.i.tle from magic stone professional to ‘Magic Stone Princess’.

When the Rainbow sword went on sale, the adventurers, the kingdom, some cities, legions, etc… all went out to buy it.

There was no end to the advantage of being able to change the attribute depending on the situation.

As a result, the Rainbow sword’s popularity boomed.

Possessing a Rainbow sword also became the status, the proof, of a first cla.s.s adventurer.

Furthermore, Meiya’s outstanding aspects weren’t just her brain.

Her face and figure were also attractive, enough to be a first cla.s.s model.

It was to the point of causing trouble.

The trouble was―a big store merchant who came from the Fairy continent to the Dragon continent to procure stocks fell in love the instant he saw Meiya’s beauty.

He was a capable young merchant; with just his quick wits and the mid-sized store inherited from his parents, he made it into a big store in just a few years.

He used his excessive fortune, the talking technique he cultivated from doing trade, and his good looks as weapons to approach Meiya.

He continuously praised Meiya’s beauty, promised to help sell magic tools she invented, and gave her expensive gifts.

Meiya took an interest in his att.i.tude and invited him to her mansion in the Dragon continent.

She hosted a dinner party as thanks for the gifts.

Maybe because of the alcohol, she was in a good mood, so she told to him.

“I am pleased. I will give you the right to invest in my research.”

Usually, it took an enormous amount of money to develop a magic tool.

For this reason, research and development were usually conducted by an organization of big store merchants, extremely rich people, or countries.

If an individual did it, it was typical to have financial supporters.

If the magic tool was useful and could be sold, the investors would have the right to get a certain percent of the revenue.

However, it was usually a fraud where they researched something that, even if completed, wasn’t profitable.

Due to that, magic tool researchers’ eyes usually would become bloodshot while trying to find a patron.

Generally, 99.9% of the time, a lone magic tool researcher did not have a patron.

In Meiya’s case, it was a different story.

The number of patrons who wanted to invest in the ‘Magic Stone Princess’ was overwhelming.

If a new magic tool was developed with that investment, they could receive a certain percent of the profit.

Naturally, it was such a privilege that if you were a merchant, even your uvula would turn into a hand to try to grab that privilege.

Since she was highly praised by someone not from Dragon race and she was tipsy, she gave him permission on a whim. However, the man misunderstood this.

He took the statement as ‘I want you to invest as Meiya Dragoon’s partner’.

In other words, she wanted him to fund the wife’s magic tool research as a husband.

TL note: oh boy…… - yuus.h.i.+ng

From that day onward, he acted as if he was Meiya’s husband and spread the word around.

Meiya was furious.

She took back his right to invest in her research, and declared that she had absolutely no relation with him from there on.

She banned him from showing his face and even threatened him to not approach her.

The merchants dealing in magic stones and weapons quickly reacted to Meiya’s wrath.

So that they would not get banned from selling the magic tools she developed, they one-sidedly cut off any relations.h.i.+p with the man’s store.

Merchants dealing in other goods gradually withdrew as well.

The Dragon race people living in Fairy continent interpreted it as Meiya’s honor being hurt, and they tore down the man’s store.

They didn’t even care if they got arrested, they just kept attacking.

Due to that, customers didn’t dare go to his shop anymore.

The revenue plummeted, and the shops he had previously been doing business with also declined.

A wealthy merchant lost his fortune in an instant.

Afterward, this was widely spread amongst the merchants as a famous anecdote, ‘the Meiya Dragoon Investment Incident’.

In the house of that genius magic tool inventor Meiya Dragoon, nicknamed Magic Stone Princess, a new trader requested an audience.

He came all the way from the Fairy continent to Meiya’s house in the Dragon continent to request her to take a look at a boy and two magic tools.

Meiya was sitting on the sofa in the guest room, facing the trader and a slave boy who was standing behind him.

So that the slave boy could meet Meiya, he was bathed and was wearing clean clothes.

However, the collar on his neck was the proof that he was a slave.

“......And? What exactly is it that you wanted me to take a look at?”

Meiya spoke with a voice that sounded like she was in a bad mood.

There were many reasons for that.

Right now her new magic tool research wasn’t progressing.

In the midst of that, this guy came here using a connection and, being a little pushy, he requested that he ‘wanted to meet’.

As if that wasn’t enough, he seemed to want to sell her a slave child.

Regarding the slave trade, Meiya herself was neither for nor against it.

However, she didn’t want to get involved.

Since it wasn’t a nice thing to look at.

道具を発見したから是非見て欲しい』と懇願されたからだ。

Even so she still agreed to meet this slave merchant, because the introduction was from a merchant she was on friendly term with, and he pet.i.tioned that ‘I’ve discovered really wonderful magic tools so without fail I want you to take a look at them’.

(If it wasn’t for that, there’s no way I would meet a slave merchant.)

However, the magic tools he strongly recommended, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t interested in them.

Still, she guessed that they were just useless things branded ‘great inventions’ again.

A magic tool my acquaintance and I developed, or a magic tool discovered from ancient ruin, I want you to take a look. I want you to buy it. I want you to recognize my ability and take me as disciple―stuff like that.

Most of time, they were just trash.

(This time as well is probably nothing special. I’ll find fault in this slave merchant and ridicule him!)

Meiya smiled maliciously and recrossed her slender legs.

The slave merchant, who didn’t know of her intentions, gave a business smile and started advertising the magic tools he brought.

“I truly thank you for taking your precious time to see me! This time I have shamelessly intruded on you because I have discovered a valuable magic tool that I wanted the genius magic tool inventor to take a look at.”

“Enough with the saucy speech. What is it that you wanted me to see?”

“Yes, at once. Oi, Lute! Put the wooden box on the table.”

“.....Yes, master.”

The slave boy called Lute put two wooden boxes at his feet on the table in front of Meiya. When he opened the lid, it revealed two metal nuggets inside.

TL note : moist nugget, lel - yuus.h.i.+n

“? These are magic tools?”

When you get to Meiya’s level, you had the insight to discern ‘what kind of thing?’ a magic tool was with just one glance.

However, what the ones before her eyes were, she had absolutely no idea.

“Please don’t hesitate and feel it with your hands. The bullets have been removed so it won’t explode or anything.”

“.............”

There was a word the slave merchant said that Meiya didn’t understand, but apparently the magic tool before her eyes was some kind of weapon.

It seemed that, for now, it didn’t have this ‘bullet’ thing so it wasn’t dangerous.

While being a little nervous, Meiya reached for the small magic tool called ‘S&W M10 revolver’ first.

“! What an elaborately made magic tool!”

After tampering with the ‘S&W M10 revolver’ in her hand for a short time, she could already understand how advanced the magic tool, which had been a.s.sembled from many parts, was.

(Making such uniform grooves inside this small of a pipe…! I can’t even imagine how this was made! Furthermore, it’s made up of detailed parts…...The person who made this is a freak (word of praise)!)

TL note: the word is ‘hentai’, yes, he was praised as a ‘hentai’ by the one who rubbed a knife with her cheeks and almost came, who didn’t even realized that her cheeks were cut

It seemed to be a weapon, but as a weapon, it was too delicate.

It was more like a work of art, Meiya judged.

Axe and sword to strike, to smash the enemy, or to block an enemy’s attack.

With the exception of the bow, normal weapons were things like that.

However this magic tool, despite being made with metal, was made up from many small parts, so if you used it to block attacks, the chance of malfunction was high.

Holding doubt about his ideology, and horrified by the overly high tech, she branded the creator of this weapon a ‘freak (word of praise)’.

She picked up the bigger magic tool called ‘AK47’ next.

Compared to the revolver, this one appeared to be simpler, but just one look at the technological strength of this one still sent chills down her spine.

While she was shocked by the completely impossible to understand magic tools, the slave merchant made an even more shocking remark.

“This time, I want Meiya-sama to buy the boy who made these two magic tools, Lute.”

“......Yes?”

Meiya stared hungrily at the boy named Lute.

“......Maybe I misheard. You said the boy made these magic tools?”

“Yes, exactly so.”

The slave merchant a.s.serted with a smile.

Meiya’s face became red with anger.

“Enough with the joke! As if this illiterate looking slave could make something this high tech! And you said it’s a weapon, but how do you defeat enemy with this? I’m not so free that I can play with you. Please go home!”

“It is as Meiya-sama said, without seeing it first hand, you can’t understand the magnificence of these small arms, right? My mistake. I will demonstrate, can I use your garden?”

“..........”

Even though he received Meiya’s wrath full on, the slave merchant’s facial expression didn’t change and he still wore that business smile.

He had that much faith in the magic tools he had brought.

As a magic tool developer, it was impossible to not be interested in a magic tool he put that much faith in.

“......Understood. Let me see its performance. If it’s something worthless, I’ll immediately chase you out of my house.”

“Thank you! Well then, without further ado, I will prepare. Lute, I’m counting on you!”

“......Yes, I understand.”

The slave boy, Lute, took the ‘S&W M10 revolver’ and ‘AK47’ out of the wooden box, and then headed for the courtyard with the instruction of the maids.

In the courtyard, he set up bricks five meters away and took out small cylinders from another box.

He inserted the small cylinders into the ‘S&W M10 revolver’ and ‘AK47’ one by one.

Meiya was puzzled and looked at the slave merchant.

“What exactly is he doing?”

“He’s loading exclusive cartridges into each gun.”

“Cartridge?”

“It’s hard to explain…...I think you will understand once you see it.”

After he finished preparing, Lute held out the ‘S&W M10 revolver’.

He aimed at the bricks that were about five meters ahead.

BANG!

“!?”

Meiya cowered at the sound of the unexpected explosion.

Meiya was shocked not just by the sound, but also by the destruction of the brick that was 5m away.

Lute continued to shoot all the bullets in the revolver.

Next he took the AK47 and aimed.

Fire!

Baang! Bababababababa!

This time, the bullets flew out continuously and smashed the bricks.

(Wha, whawhawhat was that!? What exactly was that!?)

Meiya was so shocked by the scene before her eyes, she went into a panic.

However, her pride was high, even amongst the dragon race.

She desperately tried to not show the shock on her face.

“How was it, Meiya-sama? Magic tools this rare are nowhere to be found, right? ―Meiya-sama? What’s wrong? Your legs are shaking”

“No, nononothing, it’s nothing, my legs are just shaking because it’s cold.”

“I think the weather is fine today though, the sun is also up and s.h.i.+ning….”

“I, I, I’m just sensitive to the cold! Leaving that aside, those magic tools, and that slave boy who made them, I’ll b, b, buy them for you!”

“Really! Thank you very much!”

“It’s not like my legs shook because of the ‘guns’? and I’m buying the creator as well to understand them or anything, okay! I just thought that it was good material for killing time! Don’t misunderstand, okay!”

Meiya, being tsundere for the first time, paid the asking price in full, without haggling, and bought the two magic tools and their creator, the slave boy, Lute.

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

About 3 months had pa.s.sed since Meiya bought Lute.

“Meiya-sama, the tea has been prepared.”

“Thanks, Lute. I’m coming.”

Lute’s magic prevention collar had been removed, and he was wearing the Dragon race’s traditional clothes, which were called Dragon Kungfu.

He called out to Meiya, who was in her own room.

The snappy att.i.tude she had when she first met him was nowhere to be found now.

Instead, she replied with a soft voice, as if she had been called by someone of the opposite s.e.x who she had given her heart to.

Meiya didn’t come out of the room immediately, checking her hair in front of the full length mirror, using her fingers to rub her cheeks, and checking her clothes carefully.

That Meiya Dragoon took the time to prepare her appearance, just to meet Lute.

If the other servants witnessed this, their hearts would probably stop due to the shock.

(Okay! I’m cute and beautiful today too!)

When she came out of the room, Lute was waiting in the hallway.

Meiya desperately controlled her face to keep it from becoming slack.

As the master, showing that kind of face to the other servants wouldn’t be good discipline.

With Lute leading the way, Meiya moved to the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the preparations for drinking tea were finished.

When she reached her seat, Lute pulled out the chair with experienced hands.

“Thank you.”

“Please, I’m Meiya-sama’s butler after all.”

Lute smiled and prepared the tea.

“Some fruits from the Fairy continent just came in today, so I tried making spring rolls, by rolling then deep frying them, it’s [Fried fruit spring rolls].”

“Oh my, looks delicious―Mmmn, the sweet and sour taste of the fruits and the crunchy skin texture made it so delicious.”

“Please, it’s nothing great.”

Even as Lute replied, his hands didn’t stop.

He was pouring chacha tea for Meiya.

Chacha―the light brown tea that was loved and mainly consumed in the Dragon continent; it resembled oolong tea.

Similarly to the scented tea often drunk in other continents, just a small mistake in the preparation process could make the taste drop.

That was why, even as he was speaking, he still seriously focused on the task so that he could make the best tea for Meiya.

Meiya happily stared at that serious face of his from the side.

From within her chest, the sound ‘kyun, kyun’ just kept playing, almost like a broken instrument.

“Here you go, Meiya-sama.”

“Th, thank you.”

Lute placed the tea he had earnestly prepared in front of Meiya, with a smile on his face.

Meiya heart almost stopped because of the smile that was directed at her.

(Jeez, Lute, you… on top of being cool, his smile is so cute it’s criminal! I almost forgot to breathe for a moment there! Jeez, this master-killer! But, I like this part of him toooooooooooooo~!!!)

TL note: kya-ha! ( > ω < )=”” -=””>

TL note: best girl! - rei_hunter

While screaming with all her might in her head, Meiya held her cool expression and took the newly brewed chacha tea.

“Nice smell. The taste is… very delicious, too. Compared to the beginning, you’ve improved a lot, haven’t you? With this, you’re plenty good enough to pa.s.s.”

“Thank you. This, too, is thanks to Meiya-sama and the other servants’ guidance.”

“No, it was all because Lute tried his best.”

Meiya sipped the tea Lute had brewed once again.

“Haaa~ It really is delicious.”

She leaned back and crossed her legs.

Soft rays of sunlight fell from the sky, and in the courtyard, little birds cheerfully chirped and flirted.

In her hands was the tea Lute had poured for her.

In front of her were his handmade tea snacks.

(This is happiness…… this is paradise…...)

TL note: no, paradise is in bed - a certain virgin translator

She looked at Lute, his eyes met with hers, and he smiled.

Her face went red till the tips of her ears, even she, herself, could feel that.

Meiya happily smiled back from the bottom of her heart.

(I really am glad that I bought Lute)

As she enjoyed sunbathing, Meiya recalled the day when she bought Lute.

After she bought Lute, she had him take a bath and a meal.

After the meal, they went to the living room, and while drinking tea, she listened to his story about why he had become a slave, and about the S&W M10 revolver and AK47.

He created the guns because he ‘wanted to save people in trouble and people looking for help’ in the future.

As for why he became a slave, it seemed that he got tricked by a rookie adventurer hunter and got sold.

Then, he taught her how to make the S&W M10 revolver and AK47.

(To think that these marvelous magic tools were made from that magic liquid metal, I can’t believe it)

Meiya was shocked by that fact, and she was also interested in the special characteristic of magic liquid metal that Lute had discovered, so she listened carefully.

Maybe Lute was happy with Meiya’s att.i.tude, because he talked like a broken dam.

In the past, he told Eru, who was like a parent to him, about the magnificence of magic liquid metal, but she didn’t have any interest in it.

He talked to Meiya as if venting that anger.

Lute also taught Meiya how to make smokeless gun powder with magic.

While requesting Lute to teach her, Meiya also learned the technique to make a gun.

To Meiya, that was a very happy time.

Ideas, techniques, profound knowledge―they were all exciting things that Meiya herself couldn’t even imagine.

At first, she couldn’t tolerate asking Lute to teach her, but she forgot that grudge soon after.

Lute’s teaching was that stimulating and wonderful.

(Ah~ah, I really am glad that I bought Lute!)

Meiya thought again, while eating snacks and drinking tea.

On a whim, she suggested.