Chapter 22

Three days had passed. In those three days, we were quite busy, teleporting from one place to the other in order to deal with monsters.

We had gotten quite a lot of kills under our names, hunting from morning to night. I stayed back, observing what else could be improved. All three of them had improved somewhat. The one with least obvious improvement was Maya, but that was because she already had high levels. If anything, her human body hindered her full potential. I could see her being much stronger had she utilized her dragon body instead.

Solicea had gotten accustomed to wielding her spear. She could use it accurately strike targets from a good distance. If the demon king battle played out like it was in the game, she wouldn’t have trouble fighting the spinning pawns that appear. Emori had gotten better as well. She could utilized her spells while moving swiftly. It would be an important requirement in dodging the hands and swords that the demon king utilized.

While not consistently, she may be able to dodge Strasversaus. The demon king didn’t use it in the past, though, the spell only used on certain monsters. I hope he didn’t change that. I couldn’t imagine needing to dodge that consistently.

Today, something was a bit different. Instead of going around just the four of us, like we usually do, Nayala came with us today. She had been glancing at me and Emori the entire trip, though, so I wasn’t sure what she wanted.

“Emori, did Nayala come to talk about something?” I whispered. We arrived in the bottom floor of the dungeon, evident from the flower-shaped symbol on the floor. Above it stood a giant kangaroo.

“This seemed like a fight for giants,” Nayala said. “How about you handle this, Maya?”

Maya turned to look at the giant kangaroo and nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

She ran straight at the kangaroo and began the duel, the two trading blow by blow. Nayala motioned the rest of us to come closer.

“Let’s hold a birthday party for Maya,” she whispered all of a sudden.

“A birthday party?” I murmured, glancing at Maya who was away from us.

“Yeah. I mean, because of the thing that happened last time, she didn't get to celebrate, did she? We should hold one for her now.”

Maya’s birthday coincided during the coup in Nanawak which basically threw all our plans to disarray. We were so busy that we forgot about celebrating it and ended up just giving her congratulations. As a dragon, she didn’t care that much about birthdays, but I do want to do something for her.

“I think that’s a good idea, but what should we do?” Solicea asked.

“What did she like?”

“Gold,” all three of us said the same thing. Our answer only made Nayala even more confused.

“What kind of gold? Necklaces? Rings?”

“All kinds of gold.” Maya didn’t have any particular preference. Like most dragons, as long as it was made of gold, she would like it.

“... I think I have an idea on what to give her.”

Considering Nayala’s position, any gift would be easy for her. All she needed to do was ask. The same could be said for Emori and Solicea, since they have a lot of money. I doubt they would go for something expensive, but they could.

For me, though, it was a whole other issue. I never gave her anything on her birthdays before. Sure, we celebrated it, and I did give her small trinkets, but never anything with flair. In turn, she didn’t give me anything spectacular on my birthday.

Assuming five whole baskets of fresh fish wasn’t spectacular.

Actually, that might be spectacular in its own right.

But since I didn't have the same amount of money or connections, it would take me longer to prepare a gift. The thoughts of these three giving her a special gift, admittedly, scared me a bit. I didn't my gift to be blown away in scale, or worse, wasn't even interesting to Maya.

“When will we be holding this party?”

Nayala’s answer made me shudder. “As fast as possible. We're already a few days past the date.”

I was about to speak when Emori talked first.

“How about two days from now?”

“Sure.”

Well, there goes my planning time.

I wasn't even sure why Maya’s gift became competitive all of sudden.

Then again, not like I ever planned anything for Maya’s birthday. Dragons with their long age place less importance over such events anyway, so no reason for me to be worried.

Maya came back to us, a smug smile on her face. “Done.”

She handed over the magic stone to me. The stone didn't have a demon symbol on it, which meant this monster wasn't a demon-tempered one. I put the stone into my bag.

“Nice one.” Solicea gave her a thumbs up. “Let’s continue.”

“I wonder what I should have for dinner.”

“You’re always thinking about food, Maya.” Solicea patted her back. The two made their way to the stairs, back where we came from.

“Let’s go,” Nayala said, the two of us following after her.

•••

“Maya’s gift?” Emori asked. The two of us walked down Matakuka’s shopping district, not far from the festival we visited the other day.

Emori pondered my question. “No, I haven’t decided.”

Nayala decided that today we would be having a day off. We had killed a lot of demon-tempered monsters, so for today we decided to focus on the party tomorrow. In order to distract Maya, we pulled a lottery to decide who would accompany Maya for the day. Funnily enough, Nayala was the one chosen, so she was the one accompanying Maya on some quests as the rest of us prepared.

“I wonder what she’ll like…” Emori stopped in front of a book stall and took a peek. There were some books on sale with various colors decorating their covers. She picked one up.

“What’s this?” I took a peek. The book was written in Azuskran, but it mentioned the word Syla often. It also had a drawing of Amoriaz Keroz Syla, the founder of Syla. I had seen his face several times, both in the school, in the castle, and in books. He held an important part in humanity’s history, regardless of country, so it wasn’t a surprise seeing his face often.

“I wonder where he is now…” Emori murmured.

“Ah, right. They never found his body, did they?”

It was said that he disappeared one day and was never found, no matter how hard people looked for him. Some speculate that he was eaten by a giant, the race that he fought and defeated. That said, there were no sightings of giants after the war, so the validity of that claim was disputed.

It might be because no one survived an encounter with one, but who knows.

“I doubt Maya will be interested in these, though.”

“Yeah, right.” Emori returned the book and we moved on.

“You lived with her longer then me. Don’t you know what she likes?”

“Gold and fish.”

“You won’t get her either of that?”

Fish was out of the question. Well, at least I think it didn’t make sense to give someone fish for their birthday present. Gold, on the other hand… I could afford it, thanks to the magic stones I sold. I didn’t know what to buy her, though. Half of me didn’t want it to be something that could be bought. I mean, she grinded with me. She could buy stuff as well.

“I wonder if she’ll appreciate some land to rule over…”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Maya didn’t strike me as the leader type, unless when she’s acting. Even then her acting wasn’t convincing.

“I’m just kidding.”

I wanted to say something as cliche as she’ll appreciate any gift, but it didn’t feel right. It felt like an excuse because we were stuck, because we didn’t know what she wanted. I myself, while I’ll appreciate any gift people gave me, I have a preference. I think everyone has a preference. Yes, it’s the thought that counts, but you would be happier receiving something you wanted rather than a random handkerchief, wouldn’t you? Even if the differences weren’t big, it’s still there.

“I wish Nayala would just tell us what she’s getting her…” We had asked her that earlier. The answer was simple.

‘It’s a secret,’ she said. It made me feel a bit suspicious. Regardless, she didn’t seem worried in the slightest, meaning she most likely had it sorted out.

“Besides, why did she need to hold it tomorrow?”

It’s a bit too rushed in my opinion. This kind of things needed some preparations, even if not much. Besides, we’re already past the date anyway. Waiting a day or two wouldn’t ruin the party. Not like Maya’s disappointed with us forgetting. She’s a dragon, she’ll have more than double the birthday parties the rest of us would have.

“I think… I think Miss Nayala has a reason for doing that.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I’m not sure, but despite how she looks, Miss Nayala isn’t the type to rush things. She must have a reason for holding it this early.”

“... I wonder if it had something to do with the demon king.”

The quicker we do this, the faster we’ll get the party off our minds. That way, we could focus on fighting the demon king instead. She was the one that brought this up, though. If she’s really worried about the demon king, then she wouldn’t have suggested a party in the first place.

But maybe she thought that we might be planning it behind the scenes, so she decided to speed things up?

I soon realized that mulling this over was pointless. What I know is that I need a gift by tomorrow.

We continued looking around the area. I thought about what Emori needed the most. Maybe it’s because she’s a dragon, or maybe because she simply didn’t care, but I never seen her use any beauty products. To be fair, our village didn’t have anyone that sold them. At the capital, she might be using it. Just because I didn’t see where she placed them, doesn’t mean she didn’t use any.

Ah… this is far more stressful than usual…

Other than some wishes, I didn’t give her much in the past. There was no peer pressure to give her something good, either. Well, back then, I couldn’t give her anything special even if I wanted to.

“... What about this?” Emori looked through the window into a bakery. On display was a pretty pink cake.

“Didn’t we have cakes back at the manor?” If she wanted one, she could ask the maids to make one.

“Well, yeah, but it’s different when your friend is the one that bought it.”

“Is that so?”

Emori nodded. “Back when I was little, Brother once saved a bit from his pocket money to buy me a cake I saw in the city.”

I guess even Prilus has a good side.

“I was happy because I wanted that cake. Back then, I didn't dare ask it from my chef.”

“If you want to give her this, then sure. Let’s go with this cake.”

“How about you, Fortis? You’ll be giving her something else?”

I thought about it for a moment. I had expected Emori to get something wild as well. If all she's getting her is a simple cake, then my worrying seemed pointless.

“You know what, I’ll just go with the cake.”

“Okay.”

We entered the bakery together and bought the cake. We secretly brought it home, then stored it in the kitchen.

“Alright, now it’s time to prepare for the party.”

Emori set the bag filled with various decorations down on the ground. “We should set up after Maya went to sleep.”

“Hmm… That means the second floor is off limits.”

We didn’t want to risk Maya discovering us as we were preparing. Maya did go out with me to grind during the night back when we were little. I don’t doubt her ability to stay out late. Her waking up would ruin the surprise, so it’s best if we took a more careful approach.

“That means we need to keep these somewhere hidden.”

We began looking for a place to store the decorations in the kitchen. One of the maids arrived and offered us help. We eventually stored it in the kitchen’s storeroom, hidden behind some food ingredients. After we finished, we moved back to the second floor where our rooms were.

“Alright, time to get some sleep before tonight. Good night, Emori.”

“The sun hasn’t even gone down.” Emori snickered. “But good night.”

We parted ways and took some rest.

•••

I woke up for dinner, then hung around with the others in the living room before bed. We all returned to our room at the same time, then waited for roughly an hour for Maya to sleep. After that, I carefully stepped back out. I checked the hallways, making sure it was clear. I put the image of Emori and Solicea in my mind then used the symbol Connect.

“… Hallway is clear.”

“Roger.”

“Heading out now.”

Emori and Solicea appeared from their rooms, closing the door behind them with great care and tip-toeing above the carpet floor. The carpet flooring helped in reducing the sound of our steps, but we still tip-toed regardless. We made our way down to the first floor.

“Phew…” Solicea let out a breath of relief. Emori brought her index finger in front of her mouth.

“Not yet.”

“Ah, you're right.” Solicea nodded, the three of us carefully made our way to the kitchen.

The three of us headed to the storage room and took out the decorations, before returning to the living room.

“Alright, time to get to work.”

I began dividing tasks, then we all worked in silence, not wanting to wake Maya. Maya's pretty sensitive to sound, after all. Other than some necessary guidances, we didn't say anything.

“I think the banner should be a bit to the left,” Solicea instructed.

“Here?” Emori asked. Solicea nodded. I used tape to stick it into place. Solicea sat down on the sofa and took some balloons, blowing into them. She made sure none of them was too large and pop, as the pop might wake Maya up. Emori tried tugging on the banner, making sure it was sticking.

“Is it enough?” I asked. Emori nodded and got off the stairs. It's now my turn to take the stairs.

Emori handed the balloons Solicea had finished blowing to me. Using the same tape, I stuck them to various parts of the walls.

“I’m surprised we’re allowed to do decorations in the first place,” I murmured as I continued sticking the brightly colored balloons onto the wall.

“Miss Nayala probably pulled some strings to get us permission.”

Considering the power Nayala wielded, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had such authority. Doing all this for a birthday party seemed excessive, though.

“That’s all the balloons.” Solicea handed the last one to Emori. I stuck it on the wall then climbed down. I moved the stairs and began hanging up other decorations. We took another hour to complete all preparations.

“Alright, this is great.”

We took one last look at the room. After confirming that everything is in place, we returned to our rooms.

•••

We woke up early the next morning to prepare for the surprise. Emori got guard duty. We tasked her with guiding Maya into the living room, where all the decorations were, while me and Solicea prepared for the surprise.

“Where’s Princess Nayala?” Solicea asked.

“I have no idea.” I hadn’t gotten any news, either. I just hope that she wouldn’t Connect to Emori and to either of us instead. That was unlikely, considering just how close they are, but I could only hope. I didn’t want all our hard work to be ruined.

… Maybe it's a bad idea to put Emori in guide duty.

It was just a spur of the moment lottery we put no thought into.

“They’re coming.” Solicea elbowed me, knocking my mind back to the matter at hand. We ran to our positions, hiding behind some potted plants near the entrance to the living room. Their footsteps grew louder, the chatter between them becoming clearer.

“It's not that hard. You should give it a try.”

“I’ll… I'll consider it.”

The second she entered, we jumped out of our hising spots. “Happy birthday Maya!”

Our sudden appearance caused her to take a step back.

“Wait… it’s my birthday?”

“Don’t say you forgot?”

She rested her chin on her hand. “When was my birthday, again? Oh, right… A few days ago.”

“We’re too busy to celebrate then, so we’ll celebrate now. Happy birthday, Maya.”

“Happy birthday.”

We all congratulated Maya, then brought her to the center of the living room, where the cake I and Emori bought yesterday was waiting. It had two candles, one with the number two and the other with the number four. Both candles had been lit up.

“Make a wish.”

Maya approached the cake and closed her eyes. After that, she took a deep breath and did one powerful blow, blowing off both the candles in one go. We all clapped as the flames disappeared. Emori made a sudden turn, facing away. Not long after, she turned back to us.

“Miss Nayala will be a bit late, but she promised to bring you a gift. Please wait for it.”

“Okay,” Maya answered with excitement. “Let’s eat the cake, I’m starving.” Maya took the cake to the dining room. One of the maids brought us utensils and set it down on the table. Using the knife, Maya cut the cake into smaller slices.

“It’s great to be able to celebrate Maya’s birthday,” Emori murmured, standing beside me. I nodded in response. It was something I do every year, but celebrating it with my friends was a unique experience.

Maya then took the slices and put them on a plate, handing them to everyone present. We enjoyed the cake together, chatting about all sorts of things, when footsteps arrived at the front door.

“Happy birthday Maya, sorry I'm late.” Nayala showed her face and with a wide grin, walked up to Maya.

“Thank you.” Maya smiled in return. “Want some cake?”

“Oh, sure.” Nayala took a slice and set it down in front of an empty seat. “Ah, thank you.” One of the maids handed over a long, thin thing wrapped in bright yellow wrapping paper. It even had a pink bow on it.

“Here's a gift for me.”

“Can I open it?”

“Of course.”

“What is that?” I stood up and took a closer look. Maya began unwrapping from the top, a bright golden tip shining underneath the morning light.

“Gold?” Solicea murmured, looking curiously.

“What did you give her?” I looked up at Nayala, who had a smug smile on her face.

“Something interesting, to say the least.”

“Interesting, huh…”

We all inched closer, curious to what kind of thing was hiding underneath the wrapping paper. As if noticing our anticipation, Maya began opening it slower than earlier, occasionally glancing at us.

“Come on, just open it.” I urged her.

“You're no fun.” Maya pouted, but opened it anyway, revealing a musket coated in gold.

“Wow…”

“Is that…?”

“Where did you even get this?”

“It's beautiful.”

Yes. Underneath that wrapping paper was a 1:1 scale golden musket. Not sure if it was made of gold or coated with gold, but it was clearly a musket, the same one the soldiers used.

“This isn't a working musket, is it?” Maya asked, swinging it over, examining it like some gun in a shooter game.

“Yep, a state-of-the-art, one-on-one scale, fully functional, gold coated musket!” Nayala said with a hint of pride.

“I… I’ll cherish it! Thank you very much!” Maya looked at it with shining eyes.

Well, her gift definitely blows ours out of the water. On that note, what did Solicea give her, I wonder?

Nayala looked super happy with Maya’s reaction. “You can use it as well, if you want. If anything, you should use it. It'll definitely help in the coming battles.”

Maya hugged the weapon. “I will.”

“Oh, here are some ammo. They're not gold coated, though.”

She handed over a box full of ammo to her.

“Are there any scenarios where she would need that?” I asked. Maya’s own physical strength was already much. She could handle most enemies thrown her way. Her punches were quicker as well. One advantage might be its long range capabilities, but she preferred to get up close and personal. Maybe someone else wielding it for her would be more effective.

“Well, you never know, do you? Maya might be an excellent sharpshooter. Besides, some monsters are so large that you can shoot at them from far away.”

Nayala had a point. One of the advantages of muskets was that, when used by a skilled shooter, it had greater accuracy compared to magic. Depending on the spell, there was a minimum size for the magic circle required for aiming.

A musket can hit the eye of a monster, for example, while a spell could hit its face. Still, I couldn't envision many scenarios where we would need such a level of accuracy.

“I don't mind someone else using it, but I'm quite interested in using it, so we'll see,” Maya said.

On one side, Maya not using it seemed to be a bit of a waste. It's her gift, after all. At the same time, I could see many other scenarios where it would be useful in the hands of someone that didn't have superhuman strength.

“We'll teach you how to use it later. For now, let's party,” Nayala said. Some more maids brought in more food for our celebration.

I was still concerned with her gift. I mean, who gives their friend a gun for birthdays? But I decided to leave that for some other time. For now, I decided to focus on the party.

“What did you bring? It smelled delicious.” Emori approached the maid tasked with bringing in the food.

“Where should I set this, Your Highness?” The maid asked.

“Just set it down there.” Nayala pointed toward an empty spot on the table. The maid put the box down and opened it, revealing its contents.

“Pizza!”

The pizza in this world looked different from the common pizza back on Earth. Instead of being round, it was rectangular. There were no other differences, though. No pineapples, either.

We shared the food and continued eating until full, before moving to the living room and playing some games, enjoying ourselves for the rest of the day.