kscans

Chapter 40 - The City of Richel and the Departing Stranger

Today was a day off. Ever since I came to this world, I'd been doing something every single day. The situation was so bad it would make a sweatshop look pale in comparison. I was walking with Mizuki through the city, taking one last look around. Famu had gone to the church to see Myra. Cecily and Aira were also out together.

"Do you think we look like a couple?"

Mizuki was walking with her arm linked through mine. That line felt familiar.

"More like a sugar daddy arrangement, don't you think?"

At the very least, it probably didn't look like a wholesome relationship.

"...I wonder if they have that in this world? Sugar daddies."

"The term might be different, but I'm sure it exists, right?"

There were probably even seedier things.

"Let's change the subject. Is there anywhere you want to go, Mash?"

"I want to drag you into an alley and do lewd things to you."

"...Don't say scary things. Why do you always talk about pervy stuff?"

"Because you're sexy, Mizuki. You're the one who brought it up, aren't you?"

"I'm not sexy, and I wasn't hoping for that kind of answer."

Why was she getting so worked up? I knew for a fact that Mizuki was sexy.

"You think so? Alright then, let's have a contest to see who says something pervy first. The loser gets a penalty."

This would make it clear which one of us was the pervy one. I was pervy, but I thought Mizuki was just as bad.

"Fine. But you're just going to make the penalty something lewd, aren't you?"

Mizuki didn't seem to want to stray from the lewd topic either.

"If I did that, only you would enjoy it."

"I would not!"

"Do you have a permanent marker?"

"I think so..."

Mizuki rummaged through a bag in her storage and pulled out a permanent marker. It was nice that keeping it in storage prevented it from drying out.

"Alright, then. The first one to say something pervy has to spend all day tomorrow with... hmm, not on the forehead, that's no good... with 'Nose' written on their nose."

If it was on her nose, when viewed upside down, it might look like a mustachioed old man.

"Are you serious? Tomorrow we have to meet and greet the members of the caravan. If you're like that, they'll think we're all the same, and that's a problem."

Mizuki seemed confident of her victory.

"What are you on about? You're the one who's going to lose, Mizuki."

"...Fine. I accept your challenge. I'll just pretend I don't know you tomorrow. I won't let Famu get involved either. Knowing you, you'd probably write 'Nose' on yourself just for the hell of it."

"So, is there anywhere you want to go, Mizuki?"

"I want to buy the underwear Famu has."

"Mizuki... Tomorrow it's 'Nose' for you."

"Wha— N-No, that's not it! Underwear isn't a lewd word! The underwear they sell in this world is bad quality. But Famu has a really nice pair, and when I asked where she got them, she wouldn't tell me. She just told me to ask you, so I had no choice! So it's not lewd!"

Mizuki said, speaking very quickly.

"...If you don't think it's pervy, then try saying it again, slowly, and loud enough for everyone to hear."

She was already speaking quite loudly out of excitement, but I said it to make her aware of it.

"...Mash, please. I want another chance."

Her eyes were welling up with tears. I started to feel a little sorry for her.

"Alright. Best two out of three."

"Okay. Thank you."

Mizuki looked relieved.

"What you're talking about is probably something she got from Laciel. So you can't buy it in this world."

"...You stole it by doing something pervy, just like with my polka-dot ones, didn't you... Ah!"

"You're too easy, Mizuki! One more and you get the 'Nose'! Focus on the competition!"

"Ugh... I'm not a pervy girl. This is so frustrating..."

We had come to Aidan's workshop. Mizuki had just received a rapier and a small shield to be worn on her arm. Apparently, the shield was called a buckler. It was good timing, since Mizuki's shield had been destroyed in yesterday's battle. When he let me hold it, it was incredibly light despite being made of metal. Was it made of titanium or duralumin? Or maybe it was a special metal unique to this world.

"Let me see that sword of yours. I'll sharpen it for you."

I handed my katana to Aidan. He examined the blade for a moment, then turned his back to me, crouched down, and began to sharpen it. Mizuki had gone out into the garden to test her new weapons.

"Aidan, I'm leaving this city tomorrow."

"I know."

Aidan replied without stopping his work. He didn't even turn around.

"I want you to come with me."

He had this workshop and his apprentices. I knew it was an impossible request.

"Why?"

"Famu needs a role model. Both for fighting, and for living."

Aidan stood up.

"She already has one."

I knew he was talking about me. But I wasn't worthy of that. Yesterday, when she fought the Hekatonkheires holding my katana, she surpassed me. She had a wealth of talent sleeping within her. But the Famu I thought of was the same girl who was flustered by her own period on the day we met.

"Aidan, I'm—"

"You might think you're unreliable, but you're growing too. You can grow together."

"But—"

"There's no need to rush."

Aidan cut me off. I had a feeling that the impatience I was trying to convey to Aidan was the same feeling Famu was trying to convey to me. He handed the katana back to me. I took it. Then he handed me another sword, a wakizashi.

"I'm entrusting this to you. They are two parts of a whole. Take care of Myra and Aira, too."

"Aidan..."

I hope you can forgive me for not being able to say a simple thank you. Men can't just express these kinds of feelings to each other. We can only do it with the help of alcohol or by turning it into a joke. But there was nothing like that here. Still, I hoped he understood. I might not be a good role model for Famu. But I will protect her.

"What were you two talking about?"

Mizuki asked after we left Aidan's workshop.

"He gave me a wakizashi. As thanks, I've decided to let him grope your boobs."

"Hmph! That's two more!"

Mizuki puffed out her cheeks.

"...That was a lie, right?"

she asked, looking anxious. Maybe I had teased her too much.

"Yeah. I won't let anyone grope them."

"That's one more!"

"Wait, that's part of the same thing. You're cheating!"

"I'm not cheating."

I didn't want to see Mizuki with 'Nose' written on her forehead, so this was fine, but I didn't want to lose the bet.

Aidan's workshop was on the north side of the city. We came out to the bank of the river that ran north-south through the city. It was like a forest park. Manicured trees lined the path, creating an artificially arranged landscape. The river flowed from south to north. A man was selling what I thought were roasted chestnuts. I bought some to try. They were overcooked and not very good. The two of us walked through the park. The stone bridge Famu and I had visited two days ago was visible in the distance.

"It's like Florence."

That's right, I remembered now. That bridge, if I recall correctly, also connected a palace to a government office.

"Have you been there?"

Mizuki shook her head.

"I want to go someday. With you."

She was staring at me.

"What's wrong with this city?"

"We can't really do any sightseeing, can we? I feel like we'd get arrested by soldiers just for looking at the palace..."

That was true, I thought. The palace and bridge here were still in active use. I wondered if, hundreds of years from now, the buildings in this city would become tourist attractions like the palaces in my original world.

"So, what are you going to buy for me?"

she asked with a mischievous smile.

"...I thought it was your idea."

But Famu in her little devil mode was very cute.

"We read Laciel's guidebook together. I thought it was useless when I first got it, but it was actually interesting. I learned that the world is big and there are all sorts of things in it."

"Is that so? Was there a map?"

"I'm not the one who found it, but there was something like a Gyōki-zu map. But the Empire was at the center and the scale was all over the place. Dragons and whales were eating up parts of it, and elephants were trampling on it, so I couldn't really make sense of it. I think they were probably just covering up the parts they didn't know."

I wanted a map. After hearing Myra's stories about the myths, I wanted one even more. But they weren't sold to the general public. Even the guild only sold maps of the surrounding area. But it had been given to us from the start, along with a huge amount of material we couldn't possibly process.

"Let's go to that bench."

Mizuki invited me. We sat down on the bench together. She took 'The World's Guide' out of her storage and showed me the page. My eyes were drawn to the large text that said, 'Treasure sleeps here,' with an arrow pointing to a spot. It looked close to this city. But with this scale, I had no idea how far it really was.

"This is quite an imaginative map... But doesn't it kind of look like Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa? This sea-like thing in the south looks like the Mediterranean."

I didn't know what it was meant to represent, but there were countless white hands reaching out of the water. It was creepy.

"I can't really tell from just that,"

Mizuki murmured.

"What about this river that divides the north and south?"

The river started southeast of our city, Richel, and stretched far to the east.

"Umm, what was the name of that river in the center of Europe that flows east? I think I remember it with a joke like, 'Dan-ube, don't you be silly!'... But is this even a river? It turns into cat whiskers at the end."

The impact of her words was so strong I couldn't think of anything else.

"What kind of mnemonic is that?! Our caravan route includes a part where we travel by boat, so I thought it might be that river. So, does it still not look like Europe to you?"

"...Hmm. But now that you say it, it's strange, but I can kind of see it."

Mizuki was peering at the map just like I was. I could feel her breath. Her lips were close. I looked away from the map and scanned our surroundings. There was only the man selling chestnuts.

"What's wrong?"

Mizuki followed my gaze and looked around. Her eyes also stopped at the man selling chestnuts.

"Mizuki, let's buy some more chestnuts."

I bought some nuts from the man. I bought a large amount as souvenirs. It would be good to hand them out to the caravan members tomorrow. The man smiled and walked away. There was no one else in sight.

"C-Can't you wait until tonight?"

Mizuki said.

"You lose, Mizuki."

Mizuki hugged me. I hugged her back. She looked up at me with moist eyes, then closed them. I pressed my lips against hers.

"Did I really lose?"

Mizuki smiled mischievously.

"...Shall we call it a draw?"

When I asked, Mizuki pressed closer.

"So, what did you want me to buy you?"

"You had a wristwatch, right? I want that."

"Are you serious? That's the same model as the watch that went to the moon for the first time."

"You didn't have anything else to spend your money on, did you? So you bought it as a 'present to yourself,' right?"

Mizuki's words cut deep.

"...You're right, but saying things like that can make some people cry, you know. Be careful. Besides, I don't have the tools to adjust it to your wrist size."

The watch face was too big for her wrist anyway. I took the watch out of my storage and handed it to Mizuki.

"I'll treasure it. Someday, I'll wear this watch and go to the moon."

There was still time. I kissed her once more, and then we walked along the river, arm in arm.

We were late getting back to the inn.

"You're late!"

Cecily shouted as soon as we entered. The usually bustling dining hall was quiet tonight. Looking around, I saw the familiar faces of the long-term guests sitting at their tables without any food.

"Did something happen?"

I asked as I sat down at the table with Famu, Cecily, and Aira.

"Since it's our last night, we all decided to have a drink together and were waiting for you,"

Famu said.

"I see. Well then, drinks are on me tonight!"

A cheer went up in the dining hall, and from there, a rowdy party began. Taking advantage of the mood, I handed out the roasted chestnuts.

"Master, you look very cool with two swords,"

Famu said.

"Y-You think so?"

I felt like it was the first time in my life I'd ever been called cool. I would have been happier if she'd said it while she was sober, though. I stared at the half-empty glass of ale she had taken a sip of.

"Let me try them on, too."

"It's better than with the wine, but your face is already red. You can hold the swords when you're sober."

"...Okay."

Famu looked dejected.

"Mizuki..."

"Wh-what? Mash said he's paying, so I just had one, that's all."

It was the usual Mizuki. I turned my gaze to Cecily.

"Can you hold your liquor, Cecily?"

"I think I'm about average..."

she said, looking at Aira. In front of Aira, several empty tankards were already rolling on the table.

"It's just like water. My stomach doesn't get upset when I drink alcohol."

It was true that the water in this city was far from sanitary. Since I had water magic, I was able to get clean water early on, but I've never seen a mage selling water. I've heard that in medieval times, people drank alcohol instead of water, but I wonder if that's true. I've also heard that drinking alcohol requires even more water to process the alcohol.

"Heeheehee, I'll drink all the alcohol in this inn and cause you trouble."

Aira then downed her ale in one go and smiled defiantly. It was a little creepy, so I wished she would drink more cheerfully. I also wished she wouldn't forget that if I was in trouble, she, as my slave, would be too.

"You're not drinking at all, Mash. It's your money, so don't worry about it and drink up!"

No, it was my money, so of course I was worried. But Cecily urged me on, so I had no choice but to drink.

"That's right. If the one paying isn't drinking, no one else can drink without worrying. Kyahahaha! Another ale!"

It seemed Cecily was already drunk. Damn drunkard. And so, our last night in this city passed by in a lively blur.