Chapter 124
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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 124 – Incognito (After)
“Hmm…”
Just to be on the safe side, Ain pulled up his hood and stepped out the back door of the inn.
The sound of the waves, which was even louder when he steps outside, surrounded him.
“…It’s bright red.”
The dusk of Magna turned the sea red as well.
The color spread to the horizon.
“Then let’s go to the main street.”
Changing direction from the sea, he started to walk towards the center of the city.
From some shadows, he felt a familiar presence. Maybe it was Warren’s subordinates.
“What an amazing crowd! It must have been hard to walk during the day.”
According to Dill’s report, the crowd had dwindled.
But still, like the White Rose in the morning, the place was packed with people.
Ain walked carefully so as not to b.u.mp into people and gradually made his way into the city.
Perhaps because it was the peak of the season, many stalls lined the streets, and the smell of seafood being grilled over charcoal was unbearable.
“d.a.m.n… I want to buy it all and take it back.”
At least he could be sure that he wouldn’t have to wonder what souvenirs to buy for Olivia.
Maybe Olivia would be happy with any food she could see.
“Ahh…”
One shop has a charcoal fire. Another shop grilled it on an iron plate and used a sauce. Then, the aroma of the burning sauce would spread and stimulate Ain’s appet.i.te.
——Gulp.
The more he swallowed his saliva, the more the aroma wafting through the street tickled his nostrils.
He even swiveled his head to look at it.
“Hey, you there, the one in the robe! If you’re interested, go buy some! They’re freshly cooked and delicious!”
The stall owner saw Ain making such a gesture and called out to him.
“Me?”
“Yes, yes, yes! You must be a traveler or an adventurer, right? You’ve come all the way to Magna. You must enjoy the stall street!”
“Is this place called Stall Street?”
“It’s just a street name used by the locals! So what are you going to do with it, brother? You want to buy some?”
He learned something.
Apparently, a street lined with many stalls is called “Stall Street.”
“Hmm, what should I do?”
When he looked at the owner’s stall, he saw a lot of sh.e.l.lfish on skewers. They were fried in fragrant fish sauce and steamed with a delicious aroma.
Then he moved his eyes to the sign that said the price was 100G. That’s a very reasonable price.
“This is not good. I can’t pa.s.s it up. Mister, give me one!”
“Yes, sure!”
He handed Ain one of the well-cooked skewers, and Ain paid for it.
“Thank you, Mister.”
“Yeah! If you like it, come by on your way home! We’re open until late!”
After saying goodbye to the cheerful owner, Ain’s attention shifted to the skewer as he walked away.
“…This is delicious!”
A thick scallop with a wide string. One, two, three… There were five of them all together.
The rich aroma of the fish sauce was also a delight, and Ain swallowed it with gusto.
“Mm-hmm.”
The scallops were pleasantly chewy and resilient, and the sh.e.l.ls were crisp with a crunchy sound.
Each bite was filled with a sweet flavor that spread throughout the mouth.
“I’ll buy more and bring them back. Mother will be happy.”
In any case, it was a good thing that he chose a souvenir.
After one bite, Ain decided to buy another on the way back.
“It’s criminal that such a thing costs 100 G each. I’ll report this to the knight.”
The sh.e.l.lfish on the skewer tasted so good that he blurted out something incomprehensible.
“Hey, hey, you in the robe holding the sh.e.l.lfish skewer over there! That won’t do, you know!”
“Hmm? Me?”
Ain was called again, and he turned his head in that direction.
“Yes, you! You came all the way to Magna, so don’t just eat sh.e.l.lfish. You have to eat fish, too! …Look at this, our signature salted fish!”
——Flap, flap!
The fan blows the air, bringing the aroma into Ain’s waiting face.
Then Ain’s nose twitched, and he moved his feet towards the salted fish.
“It smells delicious, doesn’t it?”
“Right? Our fish, you know, isn’t caught in the morning. It’s much fresher!”
“Not in the morning?”
“Of course it is! We only use the freshest fish that has just been brought in at night!”
——Gulp.
Just like before, Ain swallowed again with bated breath.
When he heard that it was so fresh, there was no way he wouldn’t want to eat it. Some fish are better aged… depending on the fish and the way it was prepared.
But even so, if it was something you could eat at a stall like this, fresh food seemed more delicious.
“The sh.e.l.lfish isn’t bad either, but go eat some fish, brother! …150G each! Go ahead and try one!”
“Here, 150G.”
There was nothing more to say.
He decided to eat before talking and paid for the fish.
“Nice one, brother! Yes, thank you! You can eat the whole fish, bones, and head, so go ahead and eat it all!”
And with that, he was handed a piece of grilled salted fish.
As he held it in his hand, the smell of the charcoal combined with the oil from the fish made Ain’s saliva flow even more.
The fish is about 15 centimeters long.
According to the stall owner, he could eat the whole thing.
“Itadakimasu!”
Ain murmurs to the skewer and puts it in his mouth, starting with the belly.
“Munch… munch…”
The fat still sizzles on the skin.
When he bit into it, he thought it might burn, but Ain’s mouth couldn’t stop.
“Mmm…mm…”
Behind the crispy skin, there was thick white meat that was piping hot.
The flavor of the meat was light, but the aroma of the fat and the charcoal accentuated the flavor just right.
“As expected from Magna. Even the salt is different.
The salt was so coa.r.s.e you could almost hear it crunch. It was sprinkled to the point of being a little salty, which was a delight for the light meat.
“This is too good for 150g. I’ll have to tell my grandfather about this.”
As for Sylvird, there was nothing he could do, even if he was taught such a thing.
He could only salivate and look frustrated.
“All right. I’ll buy this before I return.”
There was probably nothing wrong with this stall street.
After all, this was what he got from the first two stalls.
“This is a scary place. How much power do they have hidden in them?”
He ate the remaining fish and sh.e.l.lfish with gusto and threw the skewers into a nearby trash can.
“Oh, Traveler-san! Look at my skewers! They are delicious!”
——That’s what he wanted.
Ain’s tour of the street stalls was about to get into full swing.
＊＊＊
“Whew… I ate way too much.”
How many stalls has he visited since then?
Everything tasted so good that even Ain couldn’t decide which one to buy as a souvenir.
“It’s hard to choose one…”
While resting his bloated belly, Ain thought about what he should bring back for Olivia.
He sat down on a bench at the end of the street and thought about it while taking a break.
The place where he is now was a short distance from the stall street.
As he walked along, he approached a larger street.
“Hmm. But it’s hard to throw away the first sh.e.l.lfish, so it’s hard to decide.”
It would be too much to buy all the ones he liked.
“I think I’ll take a break and think about it.”
First, he had to deal with his bloated belly.
Maybe it was because he had walked a lot and eaten a lot, but his body felt quite heavy.
Every time he repeated a breath, he felt as if the seafood he had chewed was soaking into his body, and he surrendered to such lazy feelings.
He rested in this way for a few minutes.
The person sitting next to him got up, and someone sat in his place.
The person dressed in a robe like Ain, looking tired, sat down.
——Ah, what a feeling of familiarity.
The more Ain thought about it, the more he found these coincidences amusing.
“…As expected, my legs are getting a little tired.”
He could not see the face, but he guessed from the voice that it was a woman.
As she spoke this soliloquy, she began to rub her feet.
“…..”
Did she also keep walking?
Ain thought so and looked at her brazenly.
“As expected, I can’t stay out in the open…”
——…Ah, what’s that?
The next word was ‘stay out in the open.’
Hearing this, Ain was curious to know what kind of situation she was in.
He was curious about what had happened to her when he heard that she was staying out in the open even after coming to Magna.
“Really, I should have found a place to stay earlier…”
Hearing her say that with a loud sigh, Ain understood the situation a little better.
Maybe she had come all the way to Magna because they were coming, too.
Thinking about that, he felt like giving her a helping hand.
Taking a deep breath, Ain opened his mouth to her.
“…Um.”
“…..?”
She stopped the hand that was rubbing her leg and looked at Ain. Ain thought about being ignored but was relieved when she answered.
“Excuse me. Could it be that you don’t have a place to stay tonight… or something like that?”
This was something she probably didn’t want to hear, but he hoped she would forgive him this one time. If he didn’t know what it was, even Ain couldn’t help her.
“Y-yes… Actually, I didn’t know it would be so crowded.”
Her answer ended exactly as Ain had imagined.
Even if she was not here for Ain and the others, it was not nice to see a woman staying out in the open. Ain also began to want to do something about it.
“Haha, I see. It really is a huge crowd.”
However, she might get confused if he suddenly offered to introduce her to an inn. So, he decided to start with small talk.
“Really… I didn’t know Magna was such a lively place.”
“It is. I’ve been here a few times myself and I’m always surprised.”
“Ara, is that so? …Do you live nearby?”
It seems that this was her first time in Magna.
However, Ain had only been here a few times at most, so there was not much difference.
“Hmm… I actually live in the royal capital. Besides, they don’t usually let me leave so easily.”
“Fufu. I was wondering if you were an adventurer… but you are actually a n.o.ble, aren’t you?”
Ain answered her question, confusing the conversation a bit.
He was by no means lying, so there was no particular sense of guilt.
“A n.o.ble, huh… I’m not a n.o.ble, but you could say I’m in an awkward position.”
——I’m royalty.
There was no way he could say that, and he just smiled bitterly.
“Then I won’t ask for details. It would be better for you, wouldn’t it?”
“Haha… Indeed, I am sorry.”
It was helpful that she understood so quickly. But Ain felt strange talking to this woman.
She seemed refined, like a n.o.blewoman, and she seemed to resemble someone else.
“Then how about a thank you for not chasing it too deeply?”
But this was convenient. Since she was kind enough to be considerate, he decided to take advantage of it.
“Ara. You spoke to a traveler like me. Shouldn’t I thank you for that?”
“If you had to thank me for a mere conversation, the merchants would be dead.”
Her answer puzzled him for a moment, but he thought it was a good one.
Before she could answer with more inquisitiveness, Ain stood up quickly.
“I know an inn that has rooms even at times like this. I’ve heard of it, so I’ll take you there.”
“An inn?”
“Yes. You don’t have a place to stay, do you? I haven’t checked it out myself, but my aunt told me about it. Well, my aunt is not very reliable either…”
He had heard about it from Katima.
Apparently, it’s a building for n.o.bles in times of trouble.
He heard that the rooms there were always available, so the n.o.bles could visit at any time.
Also, if it was such an inn, it was easy to tell at a glance, so there was no problem.
“I’ve “forced” myself out of the house, so let’s hurry over there, shall we? This way, please.”
Seeing that she was also getting up, Ain a.s.sumed that she had agreed with him.
So Ain walked about two steps ahead of her, looking for an inn where n.o.bles would stay.
“(Oh, come to think of it, I didn’t ask her about her budget or anything…)”
If it came down to it, he’d pay for it himself.
If it came out of the salary he received for his work, it would not be unfair to the people. Ain thought so.
＊＊＊
As it turned out, the desired inn, where the n.o.bles stayed, was easy to find.
However, the owner of the inn stared at Ain and the woman with suspicious eyes.
“Well, it’s not that we don’t have any rooms, but if you ask me if I can get them for you right now…”
He answered Ain with a well-defined look.
——Well, it’s not the kind of room they would normally rent to adventurers or travelers.
And Ain could understand the innkeeper’s thoughts. But he did not want to worry about that right now, so he did not give up and continued to talk.
“I’ll wait until it’s ready, can’t you please?”
He kept a humble att.i.tude, but he made it clear in his words that he would not give up.
“I’m sorry if I make you wait…”
“I’m tired, so I’m going to sit down and rest. Can you manage?”
Ain did not give up at all and threw words at the innkeeper.
“If it’s money, it’ll be fine. Please.”
“Mmm…”
The innkeeper, who was beginning to worry, crossed his arms and began to think.
…If push comes to shove, should he take off his hood and show his face? Since he doesn’t want to use his power, it’s a last resort.
“U-um. You don’t have to go that far…”
The woman he had brought here raised a worried voice, but at this time of the day, there was no choice but to take lodging this way.
“Owner. I’ve finished bringing in the goods, so I’ll take my leave now.”
As everyone began to worry, a man walked past Ain and the woman while they were talking. He seemed to be bringing in food and had a large basket in his hand.
——Thud!
“Oops… I’m sorry, sir!”
He lost his balance and b.u.mped into Ain. And then Ain’s hood fluttered back, revealing his face.
“…C-Customer…?”
It was impossible not to recognize Ain’s face.
Not only the owner but also the man pa.s.sing by looked at him with a surprised expression.
They were all speechless and just looked at each other in astonishment.
The robed woman, on the other hand, did not understand what had happened. She just looked at him curiously, wondering what had happened.
“A-ahaha… I’m sorry, that’s how it is. Would it be alright if I ask you to prepare a room for this…”
So Ain asked the owner once again.
“O-o-o-of course! H-hey! Show this customer through!”
The owner called another employee and asked him to show the customer in.
“Please wait! How much is the price…?”
Ain, who had completely forgotten, was reminded by the woman’s words.
“The payment here is… Um, what should I do?”
The owner looked at Ain as he said this.
He showed the woman the price list, but he was probably worried about Ain’s reaction.
“I-it’s okay… I have it with me, so I’ll take two days, please.”
The woman in the robe answered before Ain could say anything.
“…V-very well. You can pay in your room, so we’ll let you through first.”
Hearing these words, Ain finally felt relieved.
“Thank goodness. In any case, please rest well.”
He had already shown his face completely, but there was no way he could hide it now.
With a smile on his face, Ain bid the robed woman farewell.
“Thank you very much…! I’d like to thank you in some way…”
“That much is enough. Please let her go to her room.”
“Of course! Please be careful on the stairs…”
Then the guide started walking in front of the woman, and the woman looked back and forth between the guide and Ain.
“T-Thank you very, very much!”
Bowing again and again, she finally made her way through the stairs.
After a few moments, she was out of sight, and Ain was glad to have been able to help her.
“…I’m visiting the city in secret. May I ask you to keep quiet?”
Seeing Ain’s worried smile, not only the owner but everyone in the inn agreed.
“Understood…! If it is Your Highness’ word, I will honor it with my life!”
“N-no, you don’t have to go that far.”
After saying this, Ain also tried to leave the inn.
But in the end, he was stopped by the owner…
“Yo-Your Highness! I don’t mean to be rude, but… could you please shake my hand?”
Ain wondered what it was, but it turned out to be this.
Ain readily agreed and returned to the owner’s side.
“Yes. Sorry for asking something unreasonable, thank you.”
Then, he wrapped his hands around the owner’s hand.
“I won’t wash these hands for the rest of my life.”
“Please just wash them…”
So ends Ain’s first incognito.
In the end, he bought some souvenirs for Olivia and returned to the inn with a happy look on his face.
＊＊＊
“Huh? No way, seriously…?”
Lili watched from a blind spot outside the inn.
She remembered Ain and the woman who had just walked next to him.
“Eeeehh… what is she doing? Did she come all the way here? On a boat that looks like the kind that carries livestock…?”
She had seen a shocking sight.
Lili began to wonder what she should do.
“The wife of an archduke? All the way across dangerous waters to this Magna alone? This is a lie, isn’t it? How much more determined can you be? Elena-sama…”
There is no need to add the word “sama” anymore, but she calls her that out of old habit.
“Actually, it is questionable if she is really alone… There’s just not enough information.”
She put her hand to her mouth and thought about where to start.
“Should I contact Warren-sama…?”
This matter was out of her control.
After coming to this conclusion, she decided to contact Warren first.
“Even though it is a former, I don’t feel good about having my boss on that livestock boat… Well, what should I do now… Elena-sama?”
Still, she should be commended for coming all the way to Ishtalika and for her bravery.
“…Ah, maybe I should just kidnap her and ask her to stay in the royal capital?”
Lili chuckled to herself.
“Well, kidnapping is not an option… but since she infiltrated this far, she is responsible for her own safety.”
Finally, her expression changed to a grin, and she said, “This is getting fun, isn’t it?”
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