Come to think of it, Gigi had mentioned how she wanted to start a store
with Angela one day... But he didn't want to drag the conversation out any
further, so he changed the subject.
"...I'm sorry, I asked something very intrusive of you."
"N-No, it's because I acted rudely to begin with. It's my fault... Please
accept my apologies!" Angela bowed her head reflexively at Rio's apology.
"I'm actually rather hungry right now. Could I take two?" Finding it
unproductive to continue their back-and-forth, Rio cut to the chase.
"I-I'm not sure our products would suit the taste of a noble like you,
sir..." Angela replied, ashamed. She was worried that Rio would change his
mind the moment he took a bite of the food. It wasn't strange to meet nobles
like that.
"That's all right. I'm used to stall foods like this," Rio explained with a
strained smile. His words made Angela lower her guard just a little.
"Then... that'll be eight small coppers for two."
"In that case, you can take this. I don't need change," Rio said, offering
one small silver.
"I couldn't possibly accept that..." Angela hurried to take out his change.
For her, a single small silver was over half her usual daily earnings.
"It's to apologize for scaring your child. Please take her to eat something
delicious." Rio shook his head, smiling at the little girl standing quietly.
"But..."
"How about, in exchange, you tell me of any good, trustworthy stores
that stock equipment for traveling? I'm actually not too familiar with the
shops in this area..." Rio bashfully scratched the back of his head in
embarrassment. For a brief moment, Angela stared back at him in
befuddlement— before she broke out into giggles.
"In that case..."
She proceeded to tell Rio about several stores she recommended. He
stored the shop names and their specialties in his head as he watched Angela
prepare the food.
Just as she finished her explanation, the food was done.
"Here you are." Angela offered him the completed sandwich. The
ingredients were enclosed in a crispy baguette, the well-cooked meat and
special salty sauce blending together thickly to waft a savory aroma. It was
enough to make Rio drool.
"Thanks," he said as he accepted the first sandwich.
Picking it up in his hands, he took a hard bite— the commoners seemed
to favor this kind of tough bread. The taste of the juicy meat and salty sauce
spread throughout his mouth. He couldn't help but turn his lips up into a
smile.
"It's delicious," Rio said in great satisfaction, making Angela sigh a
breath of relief.
Just like that, Rio polished up both sandwiches. The little girl working at
the stall looked up at him, watching the way he ate with awe.
"Come again anytime, big bro!"
"C-Cut that out, Sophie!"
As he departed, the little girl— Sophie— called out to Rio with a big
smile. Her attitude had completely flipped from earlier as her wariness of him
softened, then wore off. Angela quickly tried to shush her, worried that she
came across as overly familiar.
"Thank you. I'm going somewhere far away for a while, but I'll come
visit you again soon. Bye bye," Rio said, smiling at Sophie. With a small bow
at Angela, he walked away from the stall as Sophie waved him off
enthusiastically.
He left the back alley and returned to the main street to head
for the shop that Angela had told him of.
...Hm?
After walking for a while, he noticed he was being watched by someone.
Rio stopped in his tracks and glanced around him, but there were so many
people around, he wasn't able to identify the source of the gaze.
Was it just my imagination?
Despite feeling uneasy, Rio continued walking.
◇◇◇
After that, Rio completed his shopping quickly. With the false accusation
of what had happened in the forest currently placed on his head, he wanted to
avoid staying around any longer than necessary. If possible, he wanted to
leave Beltrum by midday.
He had just finished purchasing weapons, clothes, and a backpack to
store his items in. He had sold the casual nobility clothes he had been
wearing for his travel funds. They were high quality, and the price they sold
for reflected that.
Rio had finished changing into his new clothes: a black robe that allowedhim to appear like a rookie adventurer-for-hire with modest funds. All he had
left was to purchase food supplies, when...
"Hey."
Someone called out to Rio from behind. He turned back to see a man
dressed like a hoodlum trying to peer beneath his hood with a glare. Rio
looked back at him skeptically. Perhaps this was the person he had sensed
watching at him earlier...
"What?"
"Ain't ya that Rio kid?"
"...No, I'm not. If you've got the wrong person, I've somewhere to be."
Rio had nearly faltered for a second before he tried to brush the topic away.
But the man stepped in front of him boldly, blocking his way.
"Now... just hold yer horses. Just now there was a wanted poster on the
bulletin board for some brat named Rio. Bein' an information broker 'n all, I
was aware of it sooner than anyone else."
As he spoke, the man bent forward with his eyes peeled to unabashedly
peer at Rio's face. Rio wiped any trace of emotion from his face and stared
back at the man.
"Hey. Cat got yer tongue? Why don't ya say somethin'?"
"Excuse me. I felt your foolish prattle unworthy of my time. Exactly
what does that have to do with me?" Rio asked, voice subdued from holding
back his simmering rage. The man gave a wicked grin.
"Well, to put it bluntly, the description of the brat on the wanted poster
matches yer features exactly. You were wearin' noble clothes at first, so I
couldn't speak to ya so easily, but now yuh've changed into some hood that
avoids drawin' peoples attention. So, as an information broker, everythin'
clicked into place. That's why I spoke up to ya."
"You've got the wrong person." Rio immediately shot down the man's
conjecture.
"Don't try tuh pretend. Ain't many black-haired brats around here. Yer
Rio, ain't ya?"
"I'm not," Rio denied, then began to walk away. But the man rushed up
to stop him.
"Hey, wait!"
"Let go." Rio shot a cold glare at the man who grabbed his shoulder with
familiarity.
"S-Stubborn one, ain't ya?"
"Because you're wrong."
"...Tch, cunnin' brat y' are. Well, whatever. But hey, you seem to be
doin' quite well for yerself. How much money you got on ya?"
It was just one question after another. The man continued to flap his
tongue about endlessly, but Rio figured out his motive with those last words.
His aim was blackmail.
He should have just reported Rio right away, but he foolishly let his
greed lead him astray.
Well, that makes it all the better for me, Rio thought coldly.
"I've had enough of this. I'm not opposed to using my right to strike on
you, understood?" Rio said, reaching for the knife hidden at his waist
threateningly.
Right to strike referred to a law where nobility had the power to cut down
any commoner that affronted them, on the spot, without a trial. Of course,
Rio was not a noble, but because he had been dressed as one until just before,
he figured he could use the man's misunderstanding to threaten him right
back.
Just as he predicted, fear flashed in the man's eyes.
"H-Heh, that's a bluff. How about I kick up a fuss 'n yell for the soldiers
right here 'n now? We may be outside the city walls, but the security here's
pretty decent. Not a lot of 'em, but they still patrol this area. Ain't gonna
matter to me if soldiers come, but you'd be in trouble, wouldn't ya?" The
man asked in a high-pitched voice, as though he was trying to convince
himself.
"Not particularly. Would you like to try?" Rio replied indifferently.
"Y-You're sure about that?"
"You don't need to check with me before you yell. We'll see who gets
into trouble once you do," Rio replied pleasantly, making the man bite his lip.
In the face of such a big fish, the man felt conflicted.
"...If you're done here, I'll be going now." With a frosty nod at the
frustrated expression on the man, Rio left, concealing himself within the
crowds of people and heading towards the exit of the capital.
He didn't notice the small figure observing him from afar at all.
◇◇◇
Three days had passed since Rio left the capital of Beltrant.
He continued his beeline towards the east, aiming for the faraway lands
of the Yagumo region. By making full use of his essence to enhance his
physical abilities and body, he had almost reached the country that
neighbored Beltrum— the Kingdom of Galarc.
Still, his near-supernatural speed would have attracted unwanted
attention if he used the roads, so he moved through the mountain forests
instead. Because of that decision, his route was made needlessly tougher:
there was a higher chance of encounters with monsters and other dangerous
beasts, resulting in fatigue accumulating in his physical body. However,
while Beltrum was wider horizontally, Galarc was wider vertically — this
meant that it wouldn't take Rio as much time to cross the country
horizontally.
East of the Kingdom of Galarc was the Wilderness — a wide area of land
that existed outside of human control. There were no roads nor maps drawn
of it, and the terrain itself was rugged, so Rio foresaw a drop in his movement
speed when he reached that point. And while the Yagumo region was just
beyond the Wilderness, it was said that following the trackless paths on foot
could take years. The beasts and monsters that could be encountered in the
area were far more ferocious than those found within the Strahl region,
making the journey itself life-threatening.
Despite this, Rio chose to head towards Yagumo anyway — he wanted to
see the ancestral hometown that his mother spoke of in his childhood, build
graves for his parents, and organize the complicated feelings stowed away in
his heart.
Setting all of that aside for now, though... At the moment, the time had
just ticked into the afternoon hours. Rio would soon be crossing the border
into the Kingdom of Galarc.
I should check the roads just once. There may be a city nearby where I
can make a pit stop.
Once Rio came to that decision, he approached a towering tree nearby
and scaled its tall trunk in the blink of an eye. From the top, he looked around
at his surroundings and calculated his position using the sun. He directed his
gaze towards the direction he needed to go towards, and spotted puffs of
smoke rising into the air in the distance. It was probably being produced by a
human settlement; the amount of smoke heavily suggested that it was a city.
With his destination decided, Rio climbed down from the tree. Once he
was safely on his feet, he took a guess at the location of the road towards the city and ran towards it. While he did come across a number of goblins and
orcs along the way, he left them in the dust of his overwhelming speed. It
would be a waste of time and energy to stop and fight each and every one of
them, like some kind of righteous fool, so the most he did was intercept a
pack of nimble wolves that surrounded him as he passed by, as a warning to
them.
Rio skillfully evaded the dense overgrowth as he ran with light-footed
steps. About ten minutes of running later, he spotted a road weaving through
the forest. He slowed down, stepping firmly on the ground to kill his
momentum and onto the road with a hop. The road was about ten meters
wide, which was enough for a horse-drawn carriage to easily pass through.
Once he confirmed that there was no one else nearby, he set off at a speed
that wouldn't cause suspicion if he was spotted.
Roughly twenty to thirty minutes later, he arrived at his destination city.
The road into the city was occupied with visiting carriages and travelers
on foot. Rio followed them from behind at a distance. The lands near the city
were scattered with wheat fields, vegetable farms, vineyards, pastures, and
cattle barns; Rio could spot farmers working here and there. Then, after
following the road for a while, the walls surrounding the city came into view.
The city still appeared to be under development, as there seemed to be
sections of the wall that were still being constructed. Rio could see several
figures energetically working away.
I hope my wanted status hasn't reached Galarc yet... As he gazed upon
the people going about their lives from afar, Rio considered his current
issues.
At present, Beltrum and Galarc were allied. If the Kingdom of Beltrum
sought action from Galarc, then Rio's wanted poster might have validity
within this country, too.
And there was something else to keep in mind: in the Strahl region, there
were ancient artifacts known as enchanted airships. They could fly through
the air at an average speed of a little under 50 knots, so it was more than
possible that notice of his situation had already reached Galarc.
I'll have to check the bulletin board near the city gate first. If everything
seems okay, I'll go find some food. Then I have to send a letter to Professor
Celia and let her know I'm safe... Rio counted off his tasks on his fingers.
He was actually rather low on food stock at the moment. The problem of
the wanted poster at the capital caused him to flee the country early,prioritizing his escape over buying more food. That was why he absolutely
had to restock on supplies for his journey here in the Kingdom of Galarc
before he ventured into the Wilderness.
Rio readied himself and put on the hood of the robe he had purchased in
Beltrum.
He walked to the gate that acted as the entrance to the city. Next to the
gate was a bulletin board with various official notices posted on it. Among
them were detailed wanted posters, and Rio cast his glance over them one by
one.
My name... doesn't seem to be here.
Unable to find himself on the board, Rio let out a sigh of relief. His
expression relaxed now that he knew he'd be able to pass through the gate
into the city.
And with that, understandably, his hunger suddenly increased tenfold.
Other than small water breaks, he hadn't consumed anything while on the
run.
Next to the gate — right beside the bulletin board — were rows of
various street stalls cramped together like a marketplace. There were cheap-
looking bars and inns too. Because the gates were closed at night, setups like
this could be found outside any large city's walls.
But right now, Rio was drawn towards the food stalls more than anything
else. There were probably plenty of delicious restaurants inside the city walls,
but he wasn't interested in going out of his way to find them.
I can buy something at a stall while I gather what ever information I can.
Lured by the mouth-watering smells, Rio let his feet carry him forward.
He came to a stop in front of a stall selling grilled beef skewers. There were
no other customers at the moment, so he stepped forward.
"Sir? Please give me three skewers."
"Sounds good. That'll be six small coppers."
Rio put in his order with a friendly smile, to which the owner replied in a
cheerful voice.
"Here's a large copper."
"Righto. Here's your four small coppers-worth of change... and here're
the goods. Eat up."
After exchanging the currency, Rio took the food in his hands. The beef
skewer was seasoned simply with just salt, but it was freshly grilled, and it let
off a hunger-enticing scent. Perfect for filling a hungry stomach. The meat itself wasn't high quality, and it was rather tough to chew on, but Rio
polished off the skewers in an instant.
"Hehe. You sure eat well, boy," the owner said happily as he rubbed his
nose.
"That's because you cooked it well, sir. By the way, could you tell me a
little bit about this country? I've actually come here from the countryside of a
much smaller nation," Rio asked in a polite but friendly tone.
"Sure thing. You must be a rookie adventurer. Am I right, boy? Most
rookie adventurers your age get jaded early on, but from what I can see, you
don't appear too haughty, so you're doing well. If you wanna use this city as
your base, I'll welcome you here."
"Thanks." Rio wasn't exactly an adventurer, but he didn't feel the need
to correct the man either, so he let the comment slide.
"Right, so you wanted to know about this country. Well, there's the
Proxia Empire to the north, who we squabble with by way of the smaller
nations between us. We have an alliance with Beltrum, located to our west.
Then there's the Kingdom of Centostella to the south, who we aren't on bad
terms with, either. This is a pretty comfortable place to live in, if you ask me.
Especially in this city."
"It's a small city, but it seems lively and bustling with people." Rio
voiced the thought he'd had earlier while he watched the workers.
"You got that right! And it's all thanks to—"
"— the way Lady Liselotte's governed this trade city, Amande! How
about it, boy? Wanna try some 'pasta' soup? It's a kind of 'men' food that
Lady Liselotte invented."
The skewer stall owner was building up the tension in his speech, when
the owner of the stall next to him suddenly butted in. He had just seen off his
last few customers.
"Aww, bro. I was just about to say that myself." The skewer stall owner
sulked at having the spotlight stolen from him.
"Hehe. Don't say that, little bro. You were gonna recommend that boy
over here, weren't you?"
Apparently, these two were brothers. The older brother apologized,
making the little brother brighten up with a smile.
Liselotte... Wait, did he just say 'pasta' and 'men'?
As the two brothers chit-chatted, Rio's ears zeroed in on the vocabulary
that had appeared in their conversation, because 'pasta' and 'men' were two words that Rio— no, Amakawa Haruto— was quite familiar with. 'Pasta'
was a type of Italian cuisine, while 'men' was the Japanese word for noodles,
which derived from the Chinese word 'mein.' Neither were foods that Rio
had experienced eating in this world before.
There was no way the inhabitants of this world should have known those
words.
"Pasta soup and... men, you say?" Rio asked hesitantly.
"Yep. Pasta's a type of food that's made from processed wheat. Lady
Liselotte says it's a type of men. The only place you can eat it outside of the
city walls is at my bro's stall," the skewer stall owner explained proudly.
"Then... can I get one serving of that pasta soup, please?" In this case,
seeing was believing — so Rio decided to go ahead and order it.
"That's the spirit! Normally, I'd charge eight small coppers... but since
you just came from the countryside, I'll give you a discount. That'll be four
small coppers, just for you, boy."
With the stall owner's discount, Rio handed him four small copper coins
with thanks.
"Pleasure doing business. I'ma cook it up right now, so just sit tight.
While you're waiting, you can hear all about the wonderful Lady Liselotte
from my bro."
"Then, if you're willing to oblige?" Interest piqued by the talk of this
pasta-inventing Liselotte girl, Rio decided to go along with the man's
suggestion. He turned to face the skewer stall owner.
"Righto, leave it to me. Lady Liselotte is the governess of the city of
Amande. She's the daughter of Duke Cretia, and she graduated from the
Royal Academy of Galarc when she was ten years old. Duke Cretia left her in
charge of governing this town shortly after her graduation," the skewer stall
owner explained evenly.
The trading city of Amande was a small city created by logging the trees
in the forest. It was located on the westmost outreaches of Duke Cretia's
territory in the west of Galarc. It was only half a year ago that Liselotte
assumed the post of Governess of Amande; ever since she came into power,
the town that had been nothing more than a pit stop for travelers had rapidly
progressed in development. Now, Amande was on track to become a vital
trading site that connected the west side of Beltrum and the east side of
Galarc. The population was around 1,000, but the hustle and bustle of the city
far surpassed that number.