55 - Jean-Jacques' Shopping 2
As I asked about the streets we passed and the shops that caught my eye, the carriage turned into a back alley. The road gradually grew narrower, and the buildings visible from the window changed to grimy ones. The buildings were close together, making it hard for sunlight to reach, dark and dim. I could not tell because the windows were closed, but it must have smelled damp.
The shop where the carriage stopped had a shabby storefront. There was a weathered signboard, and the windows were clouded white, as if they had not been wiped. Thick curtains were drawn, and I could not see inside.
...Maybe it is closed?
Since the curtains were closed, it was probably closed for business. I thought so simply, but Jean-Jacques did not seem to think the same. Without showing any particular concern about the closed curtains, he was accompanied by Jasper and got out of the carriage.
"...Is the shop not closed? The curtains are shut."
"Shops around here are not open to the general public, you see. Shops that operate openly are the rare ones, and a shop like that would not set up in a place this deep in."
"So it is a shop that cannot do business openly, is what you are saying."
From Alf's explanation, that seemed to be the case. A grimy storefront in the depths of a back alley, where you could not even tell if it was open. If it were a normal shop conscious of customers, the storefront would be kept clean, and even if they opened for business, they would choose a place facing the street.
"You could call it a secondhand goods dealer, I suppose. A shop that buys and sells tools and ornaments customers no longer use."
"A used goods store."
"It is a bit different, but... well, in a broad sense, it is the same, I suppose. This shop buys various items and wholesales the goods to shops that can sell them at higher prices. It is like one of the wholesalers for a used goods store."
I understood vaguely. They buy goods from customers at this grimy shop, then take them to other shops and sell them.
...Huh? So their income is the middle margin?
In that case, would it not be better for the seller to go directly to the shop that ultimately sells the items, rather than selling to this shop? When I asked Alf about it, it seemed I had misunderstood a little. Apparently, the customers' purpose in selling goods at this shop was not just for money, but also to conceal their identity as the seller by having this shop act as an intermediary.
"...So it means what they are selling is not anything good, right?"
"I think Jean-Jacques sold it here because he himself was aware of that."
...What did Jean-Jacques sell? Was that what made Leonardo-san angry?
But I understood Jean-Jacques' purpose. He wanted to buy back something he had sold at this shop, and that was why he wanted to leave the quarantine zone. I did not know why he had me accompany him, but if Leonardo allowed it and it had meaning for Jean-Jacques, I felt I could indulge him a little longer.
As I waited while making idle conversation with Alf, Jasper returned to the carriage with a tired look on his face.
"Jean-Jacques has started to rage. I leave the rest to you."
"Got it."
Alf got off the carriage, swapping places with Jasper. Jasper sat down on the seat across from me and let out a deep sigh, as if to say he was truly exhausted.
...Jean-Jacques had enough energy to rage, huh.
When I pricked up my ears, I could hear the sound of things breaking occasionally from the direction of the shop. If Jean-Jacques was the source of that, when we returned to the fortress, he would probably be sent back to the basement or the punishment room. As I gazed toward the shop with a restless feeling, Jasper suddenly spoke to me.
"...So you were from Meiyu Village."
"Huh?"
What, out of nowhere? I tilted my head. At the question from Jasper, who rarely opened his mouth except when necessary, I found myself asking back.
"Well, I was born in Meiyu Village, but where did you hear that?"
"Jean-Jacques was saying something to that effect inside the shop."
...Talking about Meiyu Village in a secondhand goods shop? What is that about?
I had even less idea what was going on and tilted my head. I could not understand Jean-Jacques bringing up Meiyu Village at a secondhand goods shop, nor could I understand why Jasper was asking about Meiyu Village. What meaning could it possibly have?
"The report said Meiyu Village was wiped out by this outbreak of Wards Disease, but..."
"Ah, that."
The reason Jasper was concerned about Meiyu Village was revealed in an anticlimactic way. That name was probably written in the report about Wards Disease addressed to the Sedovara Church. Meiyu Village was also the place where the knights first confirmed the recent disease.
"Meiyu Village was completely wiped out except for me. My father kept fighting until the very end, but seeing Leonardo-san who happened to come to the village must have put him at ease, and in the end he died."
"...Did the Daltowas die too?"
"Huh?"
The unexpected mention of the Daltowa couple's name made me let out a strange sound. I never thought I would hear the name of the kind couple from the village after leaving it.
"Do you know Oban-san and them?"
"I am the one surprised here. That you would come up with the names Oban-san and them when you hear the Daltowas. That couple was treated coldly in the village, were they not?"
"Our family was also shunned by the village chief, so we got along well with Oban-san and them."
Aunt Ulary's rolled omelets were the best, I added, and Jasper's expression softened slightly.
...Ah, he smiled a little. That is rare.
It was the first time I had seen Jasper smile with anything other than a polite grin. I was used to seeing him with either a composed expressionless face or a forced smile plastered on, so it felt a bit fresh.
"Because Oban-san and them were shunned, they did not get infected, but they ended up nursing the infected villagers and doing that sort of thing..."
In the end, they caught the infection and died. When I told the story of the Daltowas' end, Jasper simply let out a quiet "I see."
"I had some dealings with them in the past, so I was a bit concerned. I am glad I unexpectedly got to hear how the couple ended up. Thank you."
Despite being thoroughly shunned, they could not abandon the villagers and ended up catching the disease and dying. It was truly a foolish end befitting that couple, though my words were harsh. I could tell Jasper was genuinely saddened by their deaths. His eyes closing lightly might have been him offering a silent prayer.
"Are you from Meiyu Village too, Jasper?"
"I have not been back in over ten years, but I suppose you could say it is my hometown."
Hearing Jasper say he had been treated to dinner at the Daltowas' house many times, I felt a strange sensation. If Jasper had gone back to his hometown a little more often, we might have been invited to the Daltowas' dinner together. If that had happened, I might now be calling him not just 'Jasper' but 'Uncle Jasper' with fondness.
Though the conversation did not exactly flow, as I chatted sporadically with Jasper, Alf came back dragging Jean-Jacques. Jean-Jacques tried to shake off Alf's hand and go back into the shop, insisting they were not done talking, but Alf kept stopping him by hooking his leg or grabbing him by the scruff of the neck.
"Jasper, switch. Disinfect the inside of the shop where Jean-Jacques trashed it."
"Understood."
Jasper efficiently prepared the equipment and disinfectant that had been placed on the seat and carried them out of the carriage. I did not understand the mechanism, but at first glance, it reminded me of the silver cans used for spraying herbicide in my previous life. It was not exactly the same, but I thought it was similar. He poured a mixture of chemicals prepared outside the carriage into a can with shoulder straps and put the lid on.
"Why did Jean-Chack go wild?"
I watched Jasper go into the shop, then turned my gaze to Jean-Jacques, who had been shoved back into the carriage in exchange. Meeting my gaze, Jean-Jacques averted his face awkwardly and pressed his lips together. He apparently had no intention of telling me the reason.
"...There was something he wanted to buy back, but it had already been sold to someone else."
It was Alf who answered in Jean-Jacques' place. Perhaps because he had already raged once, Alf could not let him be as free as before, and he put shackles on Jean-Jacques' hands.
"Jean-Jacques tried to get the shopkeeper to tell him who he sold it to, and they fought."
"Well... that is understandable, is it not?"
I recalled that we had come to this hidden shop in the back alley precisely to conceal who sold the items. If someone was buying goods from a shop like this, the buyer might also want to hide the fact that they made a purchase. Besides, I did not know how personal information was handled in this world, but a merchant's credit was paramount. They could not easily leak information about their customers.
More than that.
"...In the end, why am I being dragged along on Jean-Chack's shopping trip?"
"Why do you not ask Jean-Jacques yourself?"
With a bright smile on his face, Alf urged me on. His face was certainly smiling, but his eyes were not smiling at all. Like Leonardo, Alf seemed to be quite angry with Jean-Jacques. Even though I knew I had not caused the anger, it was a little scary.
"Jean-Chack, did you hear anything from Leonardo-san?"
Since Alf did not seem likely to tell me, I asked Jean-Jacques as urged. In response to my question, Jean-Jacques opened his mouth for a moment as if to answer, but immediately closed it again. There seemed to be something so difficult to say that he could not bring himself to speak. Since I had plenty of time just waiting in the carriage, I patiently waited for Jean-Jacques to feel like saying something.
In the end, Jean-Jacques kept his lips tightly pressed together, sulking, and said nothing until Jasper returned. As I was troubled by Jean-Jacques, who remained silent with a displeased look, Alf muttered, "You had better brace yourself for a couple more punches when we get back to the fortress." At that, Jean-Jacques, who had remained silent until then, gave a single reply of "Yessir."
The reason I had been dragged along on Jean-Jacques' outing was something I ended up hearing from Leonardo himself. Apparently, Jean-Jacques had somehow picked up the ring that was buried with my father's body and sold it off at that shop.
...Selling off grave goods. Even hearing it from Leonardo-san, it was so unthinkable that it took me a while to process it.
But I understood why Jean-Jacques had stubbornly kept his mouth shut in front of me. If it had been the grave goods of a stranger, his conscience might not have pricked him, but the original owner of the sold keepsakes was right in front of him. That would certainly start to bother you in various ways.
...Well, but? He apparently re-buried the grave that was about to be dug up by dogs, and Leonardo-san was worried about it, but it was already buried once, so...
Selling off grave goods was honestly questionable as a human being, but it was something I had already buried with my father's body once. I did not know the value of the ring, but it was not something I needed now. He seemed to be reflecting deeply on it, and I had asked Leonardo to hit him on my behalf, so I did not think I needed to force him to buy it back.
It was just that a lifelong distrust of Jean-Jacques had taken root within me, the realization that this was the kind of person who would sell off grave goods.
...Ah, no. I am angry, after all.
My head was cool, but the shock must have been deep. Rationally, I was trying to let Jean-Jacques' actions slide, trying to forgive him, at least in principle. But there was a simmering, smoldering feeling deep in my gut. I tried to push the thought of the ring to the corner of my mind, to not think about it, but every time I did, I felt irritation and heartburn.
Unable to reconcile reason and my true feelings, I came down with a fever that day for the first time in a while. Was it a stress-induced fever? It was my first high fever since being taken in by Leonardo.
Jean-Jacques earned Tina's distrust!
Next is an interlude from Leonardo's perspective.