Volume 2 Chapter 38 The Ceremony Of Honors
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Revision: Mackenna -> McCutchen
Christy and Kian walked through the back alley of the town.
The path was tricky and narrow in some places, maybe because it was designed to defend against other countries’ armies.
The road didn’t just go straight; it had many twisted steps and often went around behind buildings.
From the main street, it looked organized, but that was actually not true.
(In Azrael, there are many reddish buildings made of dried bricks, and there wasn’t much water in the town.)
But on the twisted stone steps of Izerland Fortress, there were patches of green vine plants growing.
The waterway was also taken care of, with a gentle stream flowing beside the stairs.
”This way!”
At the top of the narrow right-turned stone steps, Christy said this and turned back to Kian.
When Kian climbed up next to her, the path opened up, revealing a bright red gate leading to an eastern town.
It was even more lively than the market street.
Among the noisy crowd, the sound of a huge bell ringing could be heard.
The air was filled with smells of garlic and spicy seasonings, which Kian wasn’t used to from Franz Kingdom, and white smoke from the stalls made it hard to see.
It felt like there were more eastern people walking around.
”There is a special shop in the back alleys of the eastern town that sells a special thread called spirit thread. They even make clothes for magicians like me who use teleportation!”
Going through the red gate, Christy raised her voice, blending in with the crowd’s breath.
Kian puts his arm around her shoulders to protect her, and pushes through the crowd.
”Ms. Christy’s clothes are also from that clothing store?”
”No. I have mine made by a purveyor to the Margrave, further up the keep. There are purveyors who come to the castle.”
”I see”
”The shop is good, so if I say you want clothes in the Eastern style, they will probably make them for you… but they’ll say 5 gold coins are not enough. So, we need to go somewhere else. The place I’m going to show you now can make clothes for 2 people that fit your budget”.
”Is the quality okay?”
I ask Christy, who is trying to go down a quiet back alley.
She just turns her head and glares at Kian.
”What’s wrong? Are you worried about the shop I’m telling you about? There are some strange places, but…”
”I don’t know much about that shop. I was just thinking that if I save a little more money, I can get a really good craftsman. I’m not in a big hurry, so I thought I could wait.”
”The shop owner seems shady, but they should be good at their work. I’ve done business with them several times and have never had a bad job done.”
”But, being in such a back street means that if they make something bad, there is no guarantee I’ll get my money back, right?”
I look at the empty street on the other side of the alley.
The road is narrow, and it doesn’t even seem like a cart can pass through.
The cobblestones are cracked and chipped in places.
”You should see the actual items and decide. If it’s too much trouble here, 5 gold coins won’t be enough. If you save double, ten gold coins, you might be able to order from a shop in the castle, so save that much and come back.”
(Ten gold coins? If I change my ancient bronze coins with Oswald, I might have that much in total. But then, I’ll be broke after that.)
’For now, you should check the shop’s items before deciding. This one is also a bit confident in my appraisals. I can help you better than your poor judgment can.’
(It’s about time you stopped messing with my aesthetic sense. It’s annoying.)
”Here we are. Here we are.”
The place Christy pointed to was a dark-looking shop with oriental-style architecture.
The exterior of the shop is made of brown wood, and it has a nice aged feel to it, which is creepy.
If it was dangerous for a young woman like Christy to walk down a street like this, it was also dangerous for her to go into such a suspicious store.
She said she has done business in this shop many times, but Kian wonders how she felt when she first knocked on the door.
He has a question mark about this black-haired girl’s feelings and thoughts.
”…You found it well, in a place like this.”
”I like to explore. Since this place is so far out, there isn’t much fun stuff to do, right?”
”You don’t look like someone who plays gambling or card games. But I thought you liked to stay inside on your days off.”
”I like to crush herbs by myself. When I’m feeling down, I do that. But mixing herbs is still work for me, not a fun hobby. I like it, but sometimes I want to do other things.”
Saying this, Christy knocked loudly on the sliding door of the shop.
”For me, that was an adventure looking for bookshops and herb shops around town. …I haven’t really liked staying indoors since I was little.”
From the back of the shop, a hoarse voice said, “Yes.”
The shop owner seems to be an old lady.
Christy said, “Let’s go in,” pulled the door, and stepped inside without hesitation.
* * *
The shop owner is a strange but good tailor. When Christy told her the size (it seems she measured the height and finger length earlier when she made the ghost appear), she quickly sketched the clothes design on paper to show.
She said he can pay the full amount later.
The old lady said, “If you don’t like it, I’ll make something else.”
Kian was wary of the appearance of the store, thinking that they might be scamming him, but to his surprise, the business relationship seems to be in order.
After the old lady showed them the Tengu and Fox masks and copied them, Kian and Christy thanked her and left the shop.
”I don’t have any other work. I can do it right away. Come and pick it up later,” she said in a broken voice that sounded suspicious. (Kian told the old woman that he could speak Eastern common language, but she continued to speak in broken Western common language, perhaps because she was hard of hearing or senile.)
After they left the restaurant, Christy said she was hungry, so they went back to the central street of the Eastern Street and had a late lunch at a food stall.
”I’m tired… This is definitely muscle pain.”
Christy sat down hard on the fallen stone wall and let out a big breath.
In her hands, she had a big ‘Shumai (Chinese food)’ and fried rice with vegetables and meat.
Kian had ordered the same thing.
Of course, she sat next to him, but the girl with black hair didn’t say anything.
It was surprising because he thought she would definitely complain about something.
”You don’t like exercising, but you enjoy walking?”
”What about it, is that bad?”
Christy puffed up her lips and bit into the steamed dumpling wrapped in dough──’Shumai’.
It was so big that it would take 3 or 4 bites for her to finish it.
Juice from the meat popped out, but Christy seemed to be used to it and ate without getting messy.
Kian tried it too, and it was really delicious.
Since it’s a street food, it was rich in flavor and had a lot of oil, but sometimes meals like this aren’t so bad.
Since Christy was eating, Kian had no choice but to eat too, and this was a chance to enjoy some unhealthy food.
”Do you come to this eastern street often?”
”Yes. As I said before, I enjoy walking.”
The black-haired magician said this and swung her legs wrapped in a blue dress.
The wall was so high that her feet couldn’t reach the steps.
”That’s surprising. From the looks of it, I thought you liked more sophisticated streets. I thought you’d never even go near a dirty slum.”
”Does it look like that?”
”Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?”
”Every morning”
”Then you know that you take care of your beauty. You keep your skin moisturized, wash your hair properly, and put on makeup and dress up in a pretty dress when you go out.”
”I think that’s normal…”
”Your normality is not normal. Your appearance is very sophisticated. It seems like you don’t fit in well with this sleazy street. But”
Kian’s eyes softened, he put down the plate of food and made a rectangle with the fingers of both hands.
A simple picture frame.
Inside the square made by fingers, there is a picture of Christy with black hair blowing in the wind, against a busy street of Eastern people and a big red gate.
”When I see it like this, it’s not so bad. You have a lovely hobby.”
Saying this with a big smile, Christy turned her face away with her black eyes moving.
Her cheeks were a little rosy.
”Is something wrong?”
”N-no, it’s nothing!”
Christy said this quickly, then started scooping up the fried rice with a spoon.
Kian was secretly looking at the magician’s shiny, oily lips while feeling excited.
Today, he was wearing a coat so she wouldn’t notice his excitement.
Even if he stood up or got excited, it should feel normal.
’It feels good that my lord is liked by girls. I hope you will be my knight one day.’
(I think there is some misunderstanding, but I am my own ally.)
’Then I will be your girl. That way you will protect me, right?’
It’s not the first time ‘glasses’ has said something strange, but lately, it’s starting to bother him more.
It feels a bit too obvious.
She agrees with the idea of him having more girls in the group, but she still act like she is the number one.
To act like a main wife after being together for just a month is pretty bold.
However, since she knows where the ancient equipment is, it’s not good to clash with her.
Kian suppressed his inner thoughts and spoke to ‘glasses’.
(Where is the ancient equipment hidden in this fortress?)
’Above’
(Above?)
Kian narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky in front of him.
It is hidden by the unique architecture of the Eastern street, but beyond that should be the main castle where Margrave and his female magicians live.
If he looks closely, he can see a small, shining red dot in the distance.
That seems to be hidden ancient equipment.
(Why is it hidden in such a hard-to-reach place? It’s impossible to get into the main castle by normal means.)
’But you have connections now’
(Is it really worth going there just for that equipment? If it’s not good, I won’t accept it.)
’I guarantee the quality. At least, it is something you cannot find in a regular weapon shop.’
”……”
”Hey, you look worried. Is something wrong?”
While he was talking to ‘glasses’, Christy, who had just finished eating, peeked in from the side.
Kian quickly smiled and shook his head.
”No. Just thinking a little.”
”I understand. This town feels strange because it stands out from the castle town. It makes me feel a bit nostalgic.”
”Ms. Christy, were you born in the great eastern country, Shin?”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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