Chapter 264 – An Unchanged Friend!
We exited the Mappa Go and headed towards Leodorf.
As it was the main base of Count Leodor, there was lots of traffic going in and out of the town.
Unlike the humans of the royal capital, everyone was wearing warm clothing. Still, it felt quite nostalgic.
Perhaps it was because Count Leodor’s child, Rish, had been weak to the cold.
Eventually, the walls and gate came into view.
The walls were high, and the moat was deep. They had impressive defenses.
However, there were few guards up on the ramparts, and it did not look like they were prepared for anything.
When we finally arrived in front of the gate, we saw that there were guards standing there.
Though, they let us and others travel through without any trouble. No one was stopped. It showed how peaceful things were.
Fule looked at the town spread out before us.
“Woah! It sure feels like a town.”
“That’s because it is a town… Well, I suppose there is nothing that stands out in particular.”
As Rienna said, it looked like any town you would see in the country. As it snowed in the winter, the roof tended to be narrow. That was the only difference in terms of architecture.
There were stores and houses lining the streets, and a plaza in the center. I saw that tools and medicine were being sold. It seemed like you could get just about anything.
“Alright. Let’s go shopping then.”
And so we decided to shop in Leodorf. The first place we headed to was the clothing store.
However, Sheorl had already become a place where you could buy nearly anything.
And so even after seeing the products in various stores, Rienna and Fule did not pick anything up.
“Both of you. Is there a problem?”
“Uh, no. I just don’t know if we should buy clothes when we already have them.”
“In general, we only bought clothes when our old ones were worn out. Also, we made clothes and shoes when we could.”
“Money is important.”
“That’s true, but…”
They were both quite stingy…
It was a good thing, but we had plenty of money. In the first place, we had bought gifts and souvenirs before, which were not necessities.
“…In that case, I will choose a gift for you two.”
“Huh? Oh, you don’t have to worry about us.”
“Yes, yes. That would just be a waste.”
They said, but I picked up a scarf from the shelf.
“The Mappa Go is warm, but my neck was still a little cold. It would not hurt to have these. Let’s see… This white one for Rienna, and this green one for Fule. What do you think?”
I handed them the scarves.
“Lord Heal… Thank you.”
“Your taste is not bad.”
They both said apologetically, and then wrapped the scarves around their necks.
“Oh, it’s warm!”
“It really is. And they are so soft and fluffy!”
It wasn’t as if they hated being fashionable…
Then, a female clerk approached us.
“Ah, you have a wonderful eye! After all, this is the cloud cotton found only in the great mountain ranges of Heltia!”
“Cloud cotton!? Do you mean that cotton where you can only gather a few barrels each year?”
“Yes. It is very populars with royals and nobles.”
She was not lying. I had seen it a few times in the palace.
Fule then asked,
“It does feel nice. But it must be expensive…”
“Yes. Each cost three pieces of gold.”
“Three pieces of gold!?”
Rienna and Fule’s eyes widened.
They quickly folded the scarves neatly and returned them to the shelf.
“I’m sorry. Lord Heal, I appreciate the offer, but it’s fine.”
“No, no. I don’t care how much it costs…well, it is a little expensive. But allow me to buy it. Besides, it really suits you.”
“…S-suits me?”
“If-if you insist, Lord Heal…I suppose I can accept…”
Rienna and Fule said happily.
And so it was decided. Not only that, but I also bought clothes and shoes for them as well. It would be nice to dress like Sanfaris people if we were to head to the capital.
Well, it was also true that the ryukin armor could transform, so there was no actual need to buy the clothes. But it was enough that the two were happy.
After that, we also bought tools and books for the people back in Sheorl.
Mappa had also gone shopping as well, as I had seen him walking around with a bag full of books and tools on his back.
In total, we used around thirty in gold.
The merchants soon caught wind of us, and spread rumors that we were nobles who were looking to buy things. And so we were pulled into all kinds of places with promises of low prices.
When all of that was done, we sat down on the terrace of a tea house in order to rest.
I took a sip of tea and sighed.
“While no one tried to rob us on the streets…it was still tiring.”
“But it was also fun. We do not get to experience something like this normally.”
“Besides, Lord Heal chose some clothes for us.”
Rienna and Fule were also satisfied.
Mappa was entranced while looking at a wooden carving of a bear. He petted the contours of its back and seemed to be having a good time.
“I’m glad you all had fun. However, we didn’t get much information. It seems like there is little fighting here.”
While shopping, we had asked the store clerks about the town and the recent situation of the land. But at least when it came to the Leodor territories and the north, there were no big problems.
On this continent, Sanfaris overwhelmed the other countries in terms of military might. If a large-scale battle did occur, it would be because Sanfaris had applied too much pressure somewhere. In other words, wars rarely happened.
Fule ate a cookie as she said,
“So it’s that peaceful here then. It might be like this the whole journey towards the royal capital. That being said, perhaps we should only do shopping in this town…”
“Thirty pieces of gold. It’s the kind of money we would never have even seen before.”
Rienna chuckled, and I nodded.
“Even I have never done shopping on this level before. Still, if we do find something we want, we should buy it. After all, we won’t be back for a long time after returning to Sheorl.”
They agreed with this.
Rienna sipped her tea and then said,
“Still, this tea really is delicious.”
“The snacks and food are good as well. As the fish are from a river, they are a little different from Sheorl fish.”
Fule was also impressed.
Mappa had taken a liking to the sweets as well, as he early stuffed them into his mouth.
“Well, there were so many stores and merchants, and they all recommended this place… Hey, did you order that?”
The waiter brought over a large cake that was covered in white cream. It was high enough to reach your knees.
The waiter then placed it on the table.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! Here is our speciality! The Heltia Mountain Special! A little extra snow this year!”
“That’s a long name. And who the hell ordered this!?”
Fule said. But we both shook our heads.
“Um, sorry. But we didn’t order this.”
“No. It was from the customer over there.”
The waiter’s eyes went to the person sitting behind me.
I looked and saw that there was a young woman with brown hair sitting on a chair and looking at us.
She wore platinum armor, and when our eyes met, her long hair swayed, and then she hid behind her chair.
“Who are you?”
The voice asked from behind the chair.
“He-heal?”
“Huh? Yes…”
I answered, and then the girl jumped out of her seat and started to stare at me.
Then she scowled, and her golden eyes started to water up.
“…It is you, Heal!!”
She said as she dashed towards me.
“Uh…are you Rish, by any chance?”
“Yes! Rish of Leodor! You remembered me!?”
“Uh, yes.”
If I was being honest, I could not tell by her physical appearance.
I only thought it could be Rish, because we were in Leodor territory, and because the crest was visible on her armor.
Still, she had changed so much.
The Rish I had played with as a child had hair that covered her face, and she was very shy. However, her hair was now parted to show her forehead and pretty face.
Her eyes had a sharpness, which gave her a more mature look. She was also much taller, which made it even harder to recognize her.
She must have seen my confusion, as she quickly moved away and straightened her posture.
“Ah, even though we are old friends, I was acting rudely… And especially when you have company.”
“Ah, please don’t mind us.”
Rienna answered with a smile. However, she was staring hard at Rish.
Rish must have been intimidated, as she looked at me as if embarrassed.
“So-sorry! I really am acting strangely! I got carried away!”
“It-it’s fine. Just calm down!”
Rish had always suffered from anxiety. She wasn’t like that around me, but it affected her around others.
And so I changed the subject in order to make her calm down.
“Mo-more importantly, what’s with this giant cake?”
“Tha-that…I thought it would make you happy…!”
“Uh, but it’s way too big…”
“I-I’m sorry!! I’m so stupid and clumsy! I’ll have them take it away immediately!”
Rish said as she reached out for the cake.
By reflex, I reached out and grabbed her arm.
“If you carry it, then you will definitely drop it. You should leave it to the waiter.”
Fule chuckled as if she fully believed this would happen. However, she quickly spoke gently.
“But they worked hard to make this. Let’s just eat it. It looks so delicious!”
Mappa and Rienna nodded as well.
“I’ve never seen a cake this big. I would definitely like to taste it.”
“Well, that’s what they are all saying. So we will enjoy it then. Still, Rish. You must eat with us. As we could not finish it by ourselves.”
“Fi-fine!”
Rish pulled her chair over and tried to sit down.
However, she missed, and fell to the floor.
“Ouch..”
“A-are you alright?”
“A cake of this size is not going to run away, so there is no rush.”
Rienna and Fule got up and supported Rish by the shoulders.
“I-I’m sorry.”
She apologized as she sat down in her seat.
Uh, is that the not-too-overused trope of a childhood friend with a strong clumsy attribute when dealing with MC? Well, it’s not too bad.
Thanks for the chapter! Awesome translation! May God bless you!