Obrecht and I explored the fortress city called Evidna for a while. Going through shops like tourists, we found out that there was no way to send a letter or a telegram. What they used to communicate was through firebird, and many shops were built to facilitate those that were magically illiterate.
Now, a firebird wasn't actually a certain species of bird nor a summoned familiar, but rather, a type of long distance fire spell that required the essence of the recipient. This ensures that only the recipient receives it and there is no delay, since the firebird travels through any type of fire.
There are no schools for officially learning magic that which is available to outside the Sorcerer race; although aptitude to magic is decided by a person's affinity and not race, thus, there are shops for sending and receiving letters like the post office, but not centralized. The shops are owned by individual people.
(A/N: If you've watched Violet Evergarden, it's a bit like the dolls who write and read letters for others because many of the people were illiterate.)
Finding out that the caster needed to know the contents of the letter and that the longer the letter became, the pricier and bigger the fire bird and mana required became, we came to a stalemate.
"...Do you want to try learning that spell? Maybe there's a library we can access to?" I ask Obrecht as we come out of the shop. The owner gave us bad face after asking how to conduct the spell ourselves, chasing us away while saying we're bad for business.
"I can try, but I'm not that quite sure of my aptitude so I'm sorry in advance if I let you down."
Oh. This is rare. Is he feeling insecure?
I wrap my arms around his waist. "...Why are you underestimating my lover? Who gave you the right, huh?" Then I looked and kissed his chin, not forgetting to blush. Yet it also makes want to tease him. "Rather than apologizing for something absurd, my lover should apologize to my lips for poking then with his stubble." Although I whine about it, I continue to rub my lips on his bristly chin.
The friction feels a bit nice.
Obrecht laughs. "Your lover is very well-loved." He tells me with a heated gaze, making me bury my face on his chest.
In a small voice, I confirm, "...Mm. He is."
I take his hand and walk with him to see the market street. By one of the alleyways, I spot an old lady counting apples by the crate. I immediately noticed her the moment she appeared. The crates of fresh red apple fruits surrounding her made her stand out more.
Obrecht, "Would you rather that we eat first and—"
Bump, thump, thump—
"Ai oh, my apples, my apples", she worriedly chased over the rolling melons that fell to the floor with trembling hands and feet.
Obrecht had bumped into an old lady. I could have sworn we were a distance apart from her.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there", Obrecht apologizes first.
"..." I grab an apple and stare at it. It looked quite fresh if you ignore the bruises it for from falling into the cobbled road.
As if she hadn't noticed us yet, the old lady kept crying softly, "How to sell them, what to do if they won't sell anymore", while repeatedly dusting off and wiping the apples on her old worn out robe.
"It's my fault for not looking at the road. Let me compensate you by buying these apples."
At Obrecht's statement, the old woman finally took a look at Obrecht and then at me as if she'd seen her saviors. There were even a few tears lining at the edges of her eyes.
That's right. I suppose the typical person would feel distress and take pity on this old woman who's trying so hard to make a living.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, honey. But are you sure? This Grandma would love it, but it's alright if you can't afford it", she says. "Might not be that costly per apple but it might be too much if you take 'em all."
Obrecht, "How much are they?"
"One silver."
"..." Obrecht, your smile just stiffened.
Although I have no practical experience with the main currency of both Sorcerer's Nation, I know that one gold coin is equivalent to a hundred silver, and one silver coin is around a hundred copper coins. A family could live off comfortably with one gold coin for a couple of years. If they spent it frugally, it may have been possible to stretch to three years.
Close to ten copper coins or less should be enough to but these armful of apples, and yet, she's asking for a silver? I take a closer look at the apples.
...Maybe they're enchanted apples?
Obrecht snaps his fingers in elation, startling me. "So this is what they call daylight robbery!" He amusedly exclaimed.
"..."
Grandma with a twitchy smile, "..."
I break the silence first and draw a silver coin from our (Laris') purse to give her. Faster than the speed of Girtro running at the sight of new snacks, Grandma swaps the coin with an apple. She dumps the rest of the apples in Obrecht's arms.
"Thank you, thank you." She kept repeating her display of gratitude until we walk a little further out the alley and into the market street.
"Were the apples really worth it?"
"...I was hungry."
Obrecht smiled, "Hungry enough to consciously accept a scam?"
"..." I just didn't want to spend anymore time there. I was hungry...
I wipe the apple on my coat that Obrecht is wearing. In ang case, it was dirt resistant.
Was the apple really worth exaggerating the price like that? Maybe the old lady was one of those hidden powerful people that can change your fate—just like in the fables and stories I've read. Could it be that this apple is an actual enchanted apple? No, what if it's a cursed apple instead? Like that lady who loved apples so much, she unhesitatingly ate one given by a dubious old lady...
A dubious old lady...
"...Say, I wouldn't faint and never wake up again if I bite this apple, will I?"
"What?"
"...Nothing", I deny the reality that I just said something extremely stupid, and proceed to take a bite.
"Thief!"
I almost choke. I didn't even get to chew the piece I bit before I almost swallowed it whole.
"How dare you steal my apples so blatantly!" A male vendor grabs the hand that held the bitten apple. He shouts, "You dirty thieves, I'll—ah!"
The apples in Obrecht's possession were doomed to fall, as he grabbed the male vendor's wrist, slowly putting in more strength until the vendor starts groaning in pain.
"Instead of accusing, how are you so sure these are your apples?" I ask him while tapping Obrecht's arm to ease his anger and hold on the vendor. A little more force and he might just snap the vendor's wrist. I'd rather not hide from the law here if I can.
"I—I know my apples!" He says while rubbing his wrist. I stare at him, unmoved. Flustered, he adds, "You—You came from that street, and my—only my crates of apples are there. I only left a while to call my son at our stall so—so he can help me carry them."
"And you left them there", I say, tone flat.
"Y—Yeah", he sweats. "It was just a moment. A—And my negligence doesn't excuse your stealing behaviors!" He regains his confidence.
Obrecht, "But we didn't steal it. We bought it from that old lady for a piece of silver."
"What old lady? We don't have anyone that old in our family. You must be lying! Who would sell apples for a single silver coin?! And why would you even buy such an obvious scam?! Are you mad?"
We, the crazy people, "..."
In the end, I had to pay that grumpy vendor for the apple I ate and for tarnishing his goods. The worst part wasn't even having been intricately scammed to such a degree.
Kruuu~
I hug my stomach glumly.
No. The worst part was missing lunch because we have to deal with the aftermath.