Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 317 - Taming the Gift for Home

”To the city?” The mushrooms in Renʼs hair pulsed with renewed interest.

”Itʼs traditional after the tournament,” Liu explained, his night bat perched on his head. ”A small break before the next semester begins. They give us eight hours to go out or receive visitors.”

Ren hadnʼt known this. But his parents wouldnʼt have been able to come anyway, having to work.

”I know someone who could manage the shipment,” Liora continued, bringing him back to the present. ”Sheʼs a merchant who works for my family. I believe I can ask her for a favor.”

”I would appreciate that very much,” Ren responded sincerely.

”Then itʼs decided,” Liora concluded with a smile. ”Weʼll meet tomorrow at the main entrance first thing in the morning to go to the city together.”

Ren noticed that Luna was still avoiding his gaze, her hand clutching something in her pocket.

”Are you coming tomorrow?” Liora asked Larissa.

”Of course,” the Dravenholm responded, her mineral fairy briefly shimmering in the air around her. ”I wouldnʼt miss the opportunity to leave the walls, even if just for a few hours.”

When Larissa accepted Lioraʼs proposal, Luna seemed to want to join them. She took a small step forward, but suddenly a snake appeared at her feet, startling everyone. The black reptile carried a letter in its mouth, which it delivered directly to Luna.

Everyone stared at her. Lunaʼs face turned completely red as she took the new message. She quickly removed the crumpled letter from her pocket, handed it to Mayo, and before anyone could say anything, she merged with the shadows and disappeared.

”What just happened?” Min asked, completely bewildered, his water snake coiling anxiously around his wrist.

Liora and Larissa seemed equally confused, exchanging puzzled glances.

Mayo held the crumpled letter that Luna had been keeping, apparently replaced by the new one. With a mischievous smile, she looked at the group.

”Want to know what it says?” she asked, waving the paper. ”But first I should warn you that it contains cursed words. You might vomit or feel too disgusted reading it.”

Everyone swallowed nervously at the warning. Larissa seemed particularly interested, eyeing the paper with untamed curiosity. She was about to ask to see it when...

”Sheʼs lying,” Ren said calmly, his mana-enhanced eyes detecting the falsehood and exaggeration.

Larissa, who had been distracted by the situation, activated her mana eyes to verify what Ren was saying. ”Heʼs right,” she confirmed, the golden glow fading from her irises.

Mayo giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. ”You caught me!”

”Regardless,” Ren continued, his tone serious, ”itʼs Lunaʼs private matter, and we shouldnʼt read it if she doesnʼt want to share it. My mother always says that peopleʼs secrets should be respected.”

Taro rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement. ”I suppose youʼre right,” he conceded.

”Indeed, your mother is right,” Larissa acknowledged, though it was evident that curiosity hadnʼt completely disappeared from her gaze.

The boys calmed down after a few seconds when Mayo finally tucked the crumpled paper away.

Min moved closer to Ren. ”Are you seriously planning to send everything you have?” he asked in a low voice, his expression concerned.

Ren nodded, determined. ”Thatʼs why I came here in the first place,” he responded. ”Not just to become stronger, but to make sure I pay back their investment.”

A half-smile appeared on Minʼs face. ”You really are different from other kids, arenʼt you?”

Ren sighed. ”Now I have something to do, although I donʼt love the idea... Going to see Finch and getting a cart for the crystals.”

”You donʼt need to worry about carrying all that,” Liora quickly interjected. ”You donʼt need to withdraw small crystals. The merchant Iʼll introduce you to is very popular and will surely be able to exchange them for your parents even if you give her higher denominations... Sheʼll transport everything without issues.”

Ren nodded, grateful for the suggestion. ”Thatʼs more convenient. Iʼll just go get my savings then.”

The boys followed him as he headed toward the academy bank, while Mayo caressed the mysterious letter in her pocket with a mischievous smile on her lips.

♢♢♢♢

Finch and Theodore had had a hellish day...

The tournament bets and corresponding payouts had generated endless lines. The small banking office had never seen such activity, with euphoric or depressed students, auxiliary teachers and professors depending on the outcome of their wagers.

Which appeared to have been the result of many highly improbable situations throughout the week.

”Another day serving the rich and their whims,” Finch sighed dramatically while adjusting his immaculate mustache with a small mirror. ”Isnʼt it tragic, Theodore?”

The white mouse, resting on the counter, nodded solemnly while nibbling on a cookie, its whiskers trembling with each bite.

”And the worst part,” Finch continued with a tragic grimace, ”we missed the grand spectacle! Our mushroom magnate apparently gave an extraordinary exhibition. The entire academy talking about it, and we couldnʼt catch a glimpse to update your book!”

Theodore stopped chewing and dropped his cookie, apparently sharing his ownerʼs disappointment. His tiny paws clutched at his chest in theatrical despair.

”Such is the fate of simple bank workers!” exclaimed Finch, pressing a hand to his forehead. ”Doomed to count the profits of great deeds without ever witnessing them!”

The sound of the door interrupted his theatrical monologue. Finch turned with the speed of someone expecting an important client, and his expression transformed instantly.

”But look who honors us with his presence!” he exclaimed, his voice rising several octaves. ”The mycological magnate himself! The emperor of spores! The baron of luminescent fungi!”

Ren entered calmly, followed by his friends. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with their usual serene rhythm, completely accustomed to Finchʼs grandiloquence.

”Good afternoon, Mr. Finch,” he greeted politely.

”Oh, such modesty!” Finch leaned dramatically over the counter. ”The undisputed champion of the tournament speaks to us as if we were equals. Did you hear that, Theodore? What humility! What nobility!”

The mouse nodded vigorously, standing on its hind legs atop the discarded cookie and raising its tiny arms as if also wanting to show its admiration.

”Youʼve surely come to deposit your tournament winnings, havenʼt you?” Finch continued, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. ”Young Master Min told us about your incredible findings in the collection outing and your processed hide sales being the reason for the high deposits in recent weeks. And now the tournament prize! Perhaps you made a good bet on yourself? You must be close to a million after that!”

Finch quickly pulled out the savings book, opening it with a flourish.

”Five hundred and forty-five thousand crystals so far,” he sang as he flipped through the pages. ”The highest figure of any first-year student in academy history. A true financial prodigy!”

Theodore had taken out a small calculator and seemed to be doing calculations with his tiny paws, as enthusiastic as his owner.

”Actually...” Ren began, but Finch continued his monologue.

”With the tournament prize and your constant earnings, weʼll finally break the million barrier tomorrow when they give you the report!” Finch closed the book with a dramatic thud. ”It will be a historic moment! Theodore and I have been practicing our calligraphy for weeks to write that glorious seven-digit figure.”

”Mr. Finch,” Ren tried again, his mushrooms pulsing more insistently.

”Imagine the possibilities! You could buy several carts with that amount. Or invest in a mushroom plantation! Or hire an army of collecting children for your secret vein!”

”Mr. Finch, Iʼve come to make a withdrawal.”

Silence fell over the office like a stone slab. Finchʼs smile froze on his face.

”A... withdrawal?” he repeated, as if the word were foreign to him.

”Yes, I need to withdraw funds.”

”How much exactly?” Finch asked, his voice dropping several octaves.

”Everything.”

Theodore, who was drinking water from a tiny glass, spat the liquid in a perfect arc. His beady eyes widened to comical proportions.

”E-E-EVERYTHING?” stuttered Finch, clutching his chest. ”Did you say... everything?”

”Everything,” Ren confirmed calmly.

Finch staggered dramatically, clutching the counter to keep from falling. His meticulously trimmed mustache seemed to droop with his spirits.