by Hiro Ainana
Yeah, me too, Pochi.
Thinking about it logically, though, they were probably for military use only, so I wasn’t sure if we’d have the opportunity to do so.
I might be able to work out a reward with the duke if the upcoming evening party was a success, but even then, I doubted I could negotiate for everyone to be able to join me. And I’d rather ride with my whole group if possible. Perhaps I could see if Tolma had any suggestions when I went to visit him and Viscount Siemmen.
“Master, I would like one, I entreat.”
“Hee-hee, it is cute, isn’t it?”
Nana was reaching out toward the airship, making what could only be described as “grabby hands.”
I wasn’t sure if it was really as cute as Lulu said, though. Maybe we just didn’t have the same aesthetic sense.
“Perhaps master could make you an airship plushie?” Lulu suggested. “It would be cute and soft.”
Nana clapped her hands together once, then turned toward me.
“Master, I would like an airship plushie, I entreat.”
“Sure. Why don’t I show you how to make it, too?”
It wouldn’t hurt for Nana to have a hobby besides combat.
“How to make it? I inquire.”
“Yeah. Then you could make as many plushies as you want, right?”
“I see! That is an excellent idea, master, I commend!”
Nana nodded excitedly, although her expression remained blank as always.
After I made a pinkie promise with Nana, we watched the airship start to come in for a landing on the other side of the duke’s castle.
“I know we were planning to go to the town marketplace, but would everyone like to go see the airship first?”
My question was met with a chorus of enthusiastic yeses.
I’d also like to add that the first person to answer was none other than Miss Karina.
We were riding in one of Count Worgoch’s carriages, so that was probably why we were able to reach the landing site without a problem.
Because beastfolk tended to be frowned upon in the nobles’ quarters, the girls were wearing long hooded cloaks to hide their ears and tails.
“There will be lots of grumpy noblemen around. Try to stay quiet when we get out, okay?”
“Aye-aye, siiir.”
“Our lips are sealed, sir.”
Tama and Pochi nodded and mimed zipping their lips shut. Arisa must have taught them that particular gesture.
When we got out of the carriage, we had a clear view of the huge airship.
I had wanted to watch the landing process, but it was already firmly on the ground with a ramp stretching from the middle of the ship.
“It’s huge!” Arisa exclaimed. “I wonder how long it is?”
“About three hundred feet.”
I calculated the size from the information on my map.
“Seriously?! Why, that’s only about half the size of a zeppelin.”
“I’m impressed you knew that…”
As I admired Arisa’s knowledge of various trivia, we walked up to the rope near the airship. It must have been to prevent entry past that point.
“Don’t go past this rope, okay?”
“’kay.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tama and Pochi responded in small voices without lowering their hoods. I guess they took my warning to heart.
There were more spectators than I’d expected gathered around the rope. Most of them were nobles, but there were a few young ladies in servants’ clothing. Somehow, it was like a crowd of fans eagerly waiting for a celebrity to appear.
“Why, it’s Sir Pendragon! Did you come to greet a friend or something?”
I turned to see Imperial Knight Sir Ipasa Lloyd addressing me from the back of his horse. Apparently, he was patrolling the perimeter of the airship.
“No, I just came out of curiosity. This is my first time seeing an airship. Should I have gotten permission first?”
“No, nobles are allowed to come here without special permission. As well as their companions, of course.”
Sir Ipasa nodded cordially to the beastfolk girls as he added the second half of his response.
I was glad he wasn’t averse to them.
“This is quite a crowd,” I remarked.
“Yeah, that’s because—”
But just as he was about to tell me the reason, a chorus of shrieks drowned him out.
The girls and women in the crowd were screaming things like “Your Highness!” and “Sir Knight!”
The source of their excitement seemed to be the handsome young man in white armor who had just started descending the ramp. According to his AR label, his name was Sharorik Shiga. The detailed description informed me he was the third prince of the Shiga Kingdom.
Two knights who appeared to be his attendants, then an entourage of ten or more—including robed sorcerers, maids, and other servants—followed him.
“Do you know of His Highness Sharorik, Sir Pendragon?”
“No, I’m not familiar,” I answered honestly.
I could find out more with the detailed information in the AR display to a certain extent, but it wouldn’t include any public opinions or rumors.
“He is an associate of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga, and he was granted His Majesty’s permission to wield the Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis.”
“He can use a Holy Sword without the Hero title?”
Noticing that the prince didn’t have the Hero title, I asked the question without thinking.
I was remembering the incident in the Seiryuu City labyrinth. Until I’d gotten the Hero title, I’d taken damage just by holding a Holy Sword.
“Yes, His Majesty can appoint someone as the wielder of Claidheamh Soluis.”
His Majesty means the king, right? There must be some special way to change the master of the sword by using the City Core, then.
The rest of Sir Ipasa’s report detailed a colorful romantic history you might expect to read in a celebrity gossip magazine. He had caused all kinds of problems in the past, so I’d have to make sure he didn’t get near the likes of Nana or Miss Karina.
By the way, the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga were holders of a title granted to the strongest Holy Knights in the Shiga Kingdom.
Thanking Sir Ipasa for the explanation, I turned my gaze back toward the prince. He wore an irritable expression and didn’t so much as wave to the crowd of young women fawning over him. I guess he wasn’t the sociable type.
As soon as the prince stepped down from the ramp onto the carpet leading to his carriage, his maids rushed forward to scatter flower petals at his feet, like you’d see at a wedding.
Suddenly, he lifted his eyes and focused on a flying wooden horse that was taking off from the duke’s castle.
Maybe he knew Miss Ringrande?
“Ah!”
The short cry drew my attention to one of the flower girls, who had tripped and fallen in a most unladylike manner. Fortunately, her skirt landed in a way that wasn’t too revealing, but that was the least of her problems.
She had flung her flower basket into the air as she fell, and now, it was directly on the prince’s head. Evidently, it had hit him in the face while his attention was elsewhere.
The basket perched over his handsome features was like something out of a romantic comedy.
“Wh-why, you…” His voice seemed far sharper than it needed to be.
“I-I-I’m so sorry!”
The prince was trembling with embarrassment and rage.
The apologetic maidservant looked familiar. It was the girl who had helped me at the banquet the night before.
“How insolent. Off with her head!” the prince ordered in a voice that was shaking with anger.
…Huh? Seriously? Feudalism is terrifying.
Stunned by the sudden development, I nonetheless took a penny coin out of Storage, intending to stealthily intervene.
“Yes, sir. Sorry, missy, I have to obey His H
ighness’s orders!”
With a sadistic smile, the prince’s young knight attendant raised his sword.
I bent the edges of the coin to make it curve in the air as I waited for the right moment. This way, I should be able to prevent the boy’s act of brutality without revealing my identity.
However, as it turned out, the bent coin never came into play.
“…That’s enough.”
The other knight, a much older man, stood in front of the girl, stopping the blow with his large shield.
“What’s this? Swordsman of Shiga or no, Sir Reilus, should you really be defying His Highness’s orders?”
“By the Holy Shield bequeathed on me by His Majesty, I cannot let this injustice pass before my eyes.”
It looked like the old knight was charged with keeping an eye on the short-tempered prince.
“Hmph! Stubborn old fool. Very well, I shall overlook it this once. See that the duke metes out a suitable punishment.”
The sullen prince snapped at the old knight and the butler who came rushing over from the carriage.
“Tch. And here I was all excited to cut down a girl…,” the young knight grumbled as he followed after the prince.
What a dangerous pair. I would have to avoid them both when I went to the duke’s castle.
“Thank goodness Sir Reilus jumped in.”
Sir Ipasa returned from the other side of the rope. In all likelihood, he had been rushing in to save the maidservant, too.
The prince’s behavior made me want to write off feudal societies entirely, but at least there were nobles like the old knight and Sir Ipasa. I guess I shouldn’t make such sweeping generalizations.
After our visit to the airship, we piled back into the carriage to visit the old capital marketplace, which extended from the largest gate to the port.
We climbed out of the carriage in a parking area near the gate and walked from there.
“Crowded.” Mia’s eyes widened.
“Yes, it must be because of the tournament. It’s like a melting pot of all kinds of people!”
Arisa offered her own impressions with much less surprise.
There were dark-skinned humans (which I hadn’t yet seen in this world), humans with Asian-like features, and many kinds of beastfolk.
Of course, I also noticed plenty of people with Shigan features, as well as people from other kingdoms, including some dressed in sari-like outfits or nomad attire.
Unlike the quiet nobles’ quarter, the harbor ward was crowded even by the standards of modern-day Japan.
Not only that, but a strange excitement filled the air, like the liveliness of a market in Southeast Asia. Swept up in the mood, the rest of our group was in even higher spirits than usual.
“Melting pooot?”
“Is that tasty, sir?”
“Pochi, you’re always thinking about food.” Lulu giggled at the pair.
“Hey, look at that!”
“Oh? I’ve never seen these here before.”
Arisa pulled me by my sleeve to point out a particular table, stocked with an incredible variety of items. The large river must make for prosperous trade.
“They’re a little sour but still tasty! Oh, I know! Let’s eat them with sugar and condensed milk when we get back!”
The source of Arisa’s excitement was a batch of fresh strawberries.
She always has a taste for the classics.
“Yummy?”
Mia indicated her interest, too.
“Condemned miiilk?”
“I’m sure the sugar will make it sweet and yummy, sir.”
Tama tilted her head curiously, while Pochi nodded with baseless confidence.
“All right, I’ll make some when we get home.”
“Hooray!”
The younger kids were overjoyed at my rash promise.
Mixing the milk and sugar would be a bit of a pain, but I did have a Water Magic spell for whipping cream and such, so it should be fine. Once we passed the section of fresh fruits and vegetables, we emerged into an area full of preserved food.
Of course, I had already stored our spoils so far in the Garage Bag. Recognizing the magic item, a few thieves made a pass at it, but the beastfolk girls and Miss Karina’s maids dispatched them without any difficulty.
“Ooh, dried grapes, huh? That would be great in a cheese soufflé.”
“Mm. Dried figs.”
Evidently, dried fruit was a popular dessert for ordinary folk. It seemed expensive, though; the ability to eat it frequently would probably depend on one’s economic status.
We stocked up on smoked fish and meat, as well as any dried bonito and shellfish I could get my hands on.
Everyone was quite pleased by the time we left that area, and then we arrived in a section full of daily necessities and fashionable supplies.
“They’ve got lipstick and face powder!”
“You’re too young for that stuff, Arisa. This lipstick might suit Nana or Lady Karina, though, don’t you think?”
“Master, please apply it, I request.”
“I—I suppose I wouldn’t mind if you put it on for me as well.”
Miss Karina did her best to piggyback on Nana’s supplication. Unfortunately, unlike modern Japan, there weren’t any samples for testing, so I had to buy it before we could try it out.
I did get to see Miss Karina sheepishly closing her eyes and puckering her lips, though. I felt like I got a pretty good deal.
“Master, could we purchase this soap and a pumice stone?”
“Sure. How about this sachet, too? It smells nice and sweet. Would you like me to buy you one?”
When I saw Liza demurely picking out everyday necessities, I wanted to treat her to something, too.
“B-but sir, to buy something so expensive for a mere slave would be—”
She started to refuse, but not quite as swiftly as usual. The scent of the sachet seemed to appeal to her.
“You always take such good care of everyone, Liza. You deserve to be rewarded from time to time.”
After some additional persuading on my part, Liza meekly accepted the sachet.
As I was enjoying shopping with everyone, an alarming conversation suddenly reached my ears.
“…You say you’re going to assassinate him, but how are you going to defeat the Holy Swordsman prince and one of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga?”
“What, you think I’m gonna fight ’em head-on? Yeah, right. I’ll use poison.”
“Hmm. Hydra poison would certainly do the trick, but it’s not easy to get that stuff here…”
It was great that my “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on an assassination plot and all, but I couldn’t tell where in the crowd it was coming from.
I listened closer, trying to pinpoint the source.
But this time, I heard a different voice.
“I made a deal with that criminal guild. They’re going to cause a disturbance while we sneak into the duke’s dungeon and rescue our brethren.”
“Now we’ll definitely get promoted!”
…Another sinister plot. So there were several groups of criminals around.
The former men were members of a criminal guild, while the latter seemed to be leftover members of the Wings of Freedom.
I checked on the map, but there were so many members of the lawless guild around that I couldn’t tell who was talking. The conversation had ceased, too, so I was out of luck there.
On the other hand, I found the Wings of Freedom dregs pretty quickly.
As it turned out, they were already in trouble: The scheming pair was completely encircled by old capital guards.
It didn’t look like I’d be needed this time. This place had pretty good guards, as far as I could tell.
“Master, they’re selling something unusual there.”
When Lulu called out to me, I closed my map search for now and looked where she was pointing.
“Is that meat jelly?”
“I’m surpris
ed you know such a humble food for common people, sir,” the shopkeeper said, eyebrows raised. “Are you really a nobleman?”
So it’s only popular with commoners here? But it’s so good.
“I am, albeit a newly minted one,” I replied with a smile.
I ordered enough for everyone to try it.
The wobbly texture of the jellied broth was a big hit with the kids. With better ingredients and presentation, it could be popular with nobles as well.
While I was musing on this, the younger kids had already moved on to a new target.
“Something smells good, sir.”
“Ooh, I’d know that smell anywhere! Someone’s cooking with soy sauce.” Arisa searched the area eagerly. “There it is. Squid teriyaki! Private Pochi, Private Tama, secure the suspects at once!”
“Secuuure.”
“You’re under arrest, sir.”
Tama, Pochi, and Arisa went running up to the stall. Mia followed after them, drawn in by their enthusiasm, but she probably wouldn’t be able to eat it. Liza and Lulu followed the younger girls at a calmer pace.
…That really does smell good.
I decided to put any extraneous thoughts aside to enjoy our tour of the old capital in peace.
“Master!”
Nana pulled on my arm. She tugged me in the opposite direction of the others, where she had found something else that caught her interest.
“…Master?” Liza noticed my absence at once.
“Watch the kids, please. We’ll be back in just a minute.”
With my map, it wouldn’t take long to meet up again.
Besides, Nana was pressing my arm into her chest in a decidedly pleasant way.
She ended up leading me toward two ratfolk children. They were right across the main street.
As it turned out, they weren’t ratfolk at all—the way their heads bobbed as they walked and the slickness of their skin said differently. My AR display revealed that they were sealfolk sisters.
“The movement of those larvae does not compute. It is inefficient, yet I cannot look away, I report.”
So the kids were what Nana wanted to see. Their unusual gait certainly was cute.
After watching for a moment, we turned back to rejoin the others. My arm was very happy, but I didn’t want to worry everyone by staying away too long.
