Dad Came Back from a Deserted Island Chapter 10

Where the two humans and one divine beast had arrived, was the busiest village in the surrounding area. Its shopping district was thriving, a night market was held every week, and traveling performers frequently visited.

“Woooow! Look over there!”

Eek−eek!Eek-eek!

Vivian was so excited by the unfamiliar sights that she practically snorted with excitement. Seeing her so happy, Kiki let out excited cries of its own.

“First, we’ll exchange the jewels for money and buy a carriage. That way, we can have them deliver our purchases to it. We can buy your clothes afterward, right, Vivi?”

“Okay!”

Honestly, she wouldn’t have minded if he didn’t buy her any clothes at all.

This was her first time seeing so many people and such tall buildings. Clothes were the last thing on her mind.

“We’ll have something delicious at a restaurant and look around, too.”

“Yes, yes! That sounds wonderful!”

Vivian bounced excitedly on her toes.

The carriage came to a stop.

“All right, we’re here. Let’s get down, Princess. Up you go!”

“Up you go!”

Jean lifted Vivian out of the carriage with ease. Since Kiki was clinging to her shoulder, it didn’t need any help getting down.

After looking around, Jean crouched and whispered to Kiki.

“Um, Divine Beast… Just in case, I should warn you not to wander away from us. The people here have never seen a monkey before, so someone might try to sell you.”

Whodoyoutakemefor?!Ifanyonetriesanythingfoolish,I’llturnintoasharkandbitethem!Who do you take me for?! If anyone tries anything foolish, I’ll turn into a shark and bite them!

“He says he’ll turn into a shark and bite them, so we don’t need to worry!”

Jean pressed a hand to his forehead. A shark suddenly appearing among people who had never even seen the sea? He didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Of course, you mustn’t do that… Just stay on Vivian’s shoulder. And Vivi, don’t talk to the Divine Beast while we’re outside. Understand?”

NowIseewhereyougetyourinsolence,Vivian.Youmusthaveinheriteditfromyourfather.Now I see where you get your insolence, Vivian. You must have inherited it from your father.

“Kiki, who did you inherit your insolence from?”

At Vivian’s retort, Kiki fell silent.

Jean took Vivian into a jewelry shop.

Inside stood a large man who appeared to be a guard and another man wearing a monocle behind the counter.

“Welcome.”

The man with the monocle, presumably the shopkeeper, quickly looked the pair over.

Their clothes were neat, but the styles were terribly outdated. The little girl was so thin she didn’t look as though she ate properly. Though both father and daughter were strikingly beautiful, they seemed like ordinary customers.

He had sized them up in an instant.

His eyes widened slightly when he noticed the monkey clinging to the child.

“What kind of animal is that?”

“A monkey. They’re common in the New Continent, far across the sea.”

“Oh? An animal found only in the New Continent. How adorable.”

Heh.Atleasttheoldhumanhasaneyeforthesethings.Heh. At least the old human has an eye for these things.

Hearing that the animal came from the New Continent, the shopkeeper raised his estimation of his customers by a notch.

“Are you looking for a gift?”

“No. I’m here to sell some jewels.”

Jean took out a pouch.

He had brought only enough to fit inside one pouch, since exchanging too many jewels at once might make it harder to get a fair price.

“Ah, I see. I’ll need some time to appraise them. Would you mind waiting a moment?”

“Of course. Vivian, let’s wait here.”

“Yes.”

Having never entered a shop like this before, Vivian felt a little intimidated. She quietly whispered to Kiki, who was perched on her shoulder.

“Isn’t this place amazing? There are so many jewels.”

What’ssospecialabouthavingalotofjewels?What’s so special about having a lot of jewels?

“Oh, right.”

Come to think of it, this divine beast had been sleeping inside a treasure chest filled with jewels. Of course, a few gemstones in a shop wouldn’t impress it.

While Vivian looked around with curious eyes, the shopkeeper finished his appraisal.

“These are fine-quality jewels. May I ask where they came from?”

“They were my wife’s belongings.”

In truth, they had come from the treasure chest.

Jean had sold most of his wife’s possessions when liquidating their assets for his business. He had kept only the pieces she had worn frequently—jewelry he simply couldn’t bring himself to sell.

“Ah, my apologies. I only asked because there are no certificates of authenticity. The stones are large, clear, and beautifully colored. However, the cutting leaves something to be desired. Here, if you look closely, you’ll see that the facets are rather blunt. The symmetry is off, too. As a result, they may look somewhat dull from certain angles rather than transparent. I doubt they were cut by a particularly skilled jeweler.”

“Is that so?”

Jean’s tone was doubtful. When he had examined the jewels himself, they had appeared flawless.

He suspected the shopkeeper was taking him for a fool and trying to drive down the price.

“I’d say they’re worth around a thousand gold coins in total. That’s a very generous offer.”

A thousand gold coins would cover an ordinary commoner family’s living expenses for several years. In fact, many people would never handle that much money in their entire lives.

However, the offer was only about half of what Jean had estimated based on his past experience. Just as his suspicions were growing, Kiki, perched on Vivian’s shoulder, snorted.

Vivian,thatoldhumanistryingtocheatyourfather.Vivian, that old human is trying to cheat your father.

“Huh?”

AllthejewelsinthatchestcamefromtheImperialPalace.Naturally,they’retop−qualitygemstones,cutbythefinestartisans!Howdarehedisparagethetreasuresthatwerekeptalongsideme!All the jewels in that chest came from the Imperial Palace. Naturally, they’re top-quality gemstones, cut by the finest artisans! How dare he disparage the treasures that were kept alongside me!

The only part of Kiki’s explanation that Vivian fully understood was that the shopkeeper was trying to cheat her father.

But that was all she needed to know. She discreetly tugged at Jean’s sleeve.

“Vivi?”

“Daddy, just a moment.”

Rather than scolding her for interrupting his conversation, Jean bent down to listen. He knew Vivian wasn’t the sort of child to speak up without a reason.

“Daddy, that man is trying to cheat you.”

“……How do you know that?”

“Kiki told me. The chest it was in came from the Imperial Palace, and it’s really angry because all the jewels that were kept with it are top quality.”

“The Imperial Palace…?”

A glint appeared in Jean’s eyes. It was strange enough that a divine beast supposedly left behind by the dragon who founded the Empire had been found on a deserted island rather than in the Imperial Palace.

Something must have happened for it to end up there.

Jean lifted his chin and replied to the shopkeeper.

“Then I’ll have to look elsewhere.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll find someone who can properly recognize the value of these jewels. Do you think I came here without knowing what they’re worth?”

“Sir, we run our business honestly and transparently! We would never undercut customers just because they don’t know much about jewels!”

“Yet you seem to lack the skill to judge the quality of the craftsmanship. Vivi, let’s go. There’s another jewelry shop.”

“Sir! Wait, please! I’ll add another five hundred gold coins!”

At the mention of a competing shop, the owner even came out from behind the counter to try to stop him.

But Jean had already lost any desire to conduct such a major transaction with someone he no longer trusted.

Fortunately, the other jeweler offered an honest price, and Jean was able to make a deal he was quite satisfied with.

With his pouch considerably heavier, Jean smiled at Vivian.

“Thank you, Vivi. I wouldn’t have gotten such a good price without you. I thought the first man’s offer was too low, but without the Divine Beast’s words, I might not have been certain enough to walk away. I might have settled for less than the jewels were worth. Thank you, too, Divine Beast.”

Before his regression, Jean had seen plenty of high-quality jewels, but he had never studied gem appraisal professionally. Besides, he had no way of knowing the current market prices.

Heh.Bowbeforeme,human!Heh. Bow before me, human!

Kiki stood proudly on Vivian’s shoulder, sticking out its chest.

“—Bow!”

Having received her father’s praise, Vivian puffed out her own chest, too.

With his substantial earnings, Jean bought a covered carriage unlike any Vivian had ever seen and hired a coachman. Then he took her hand and headed off to fulfill the day’s main purpose.

They stopped in front of a shop with a refined atmosphere.

Vivian still couldn’t read the sign, so she had no idea what kind of shop it was.

“Daddy, where are we?”

“Somewhere that will make our little princess a beautiful new outfit.”

“Pretty clothes! I’m excited!”

Thengetmesomeclothes,too,human!Then get me some clothes, too, human!