Volume 3 Chapter 31 The Messenger From The Port City Châtillon I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Boar’s Trot Inn stood on a wide street leading to the Adventurer Guild area, but Pigfoot’s father and daughter slept in the back, a secluded main house.
To the left of The Boar’s Trot Inn was a narrow alleyway.
Walking down it led to the tavern’s back door, a well pump, and other installations.
Deeper still, on the right, was a courtyard belonging to Robert’s house.
The courtyard, about as large as the tavern’s hall, boasted numerous flowerbeds.
Lettuces, spinach, scallions, chives, and thyme grew there.
A large apple tree stood proudly as a central feature.
Robert learned about growing this East End-suited variety and its care from a traveling merchant he knew well.
When Kian stepped into the courtyard, Esther, in simple everyday clothes, was watering the vegetables in the front flowerbed with a bucket.
Her usual ponytail was down, her brown hair straight, and she wore simple sandals.
”Good morning, Esther”
”Wha!? It’s, Mr. Kian!? I was startled…. Good morning”
The bucket splashed with a *splat* when she turned around.
Esther switched the bucket to her watering hand and shuffled her feet, hiding behind it.
”I apologize for this shabby appearance”
”It was my fault for dropping by so early. I’m terribly sorry for the abrupt visit.”
”Oh, Mr. Kian, anytime is fine! I even wish you’d stay in the main house instead of a rented room!”
”I doubt Mr. Robert would allow you to bring a man not related to the family into the main house, though”
Kian chuckled and raised a large bottle and a bundle wrapped in leaves in his hand.
”I was back from a fortress expedition. This is a gift. The bottle’s for Mr. Robert. This bundle’s for you.”
”Wow…. Thank you!”
The bottle was heavy, so he handed only the wrapped soap to her.
Esther set down the tub and received the package with both hands.
”I’m so sorry for always troubling you. But I’m really happy! Is it okay if I open it here?”
”Go ahead.”
”Well then, excuse me──wait, what is this?”
”It’s a luxury soap made from olive oil. I’m not too knowledgeable about beauty products, but according to the shopkeeper, it’s quite popular among the upper-class in the fortress.”
”Wahi!? Olive oil soap…? Is it really okay for me to receive such an expensive gift?! Ahhh!”
”I bought it just for you. I’d be glad if you use it without worrying about wasting it.”
”It’s been getting hot lately, so this will surely make my baths even more enjoyable. My uniform shows quite a bit of skin, but even so, the store can get unbelievably hot this time of year. MelMel has been complaining about getting sweaty and smelling bad.”
”Of course you’re going to sweat running around baking bread and working in the hall. There are adventurers who smell awful, but I doubt anyone cares.”
”I, um, do care a bit… I don’t want Mr. Kian to think I smell like sweat. ──Ahhh!”
”…?”
”C-Could it be that you bought the soap for me because I smell bad?!”
”No, not at all! It just happened to be an oil merchant I stumbled upon in the fortress.”
”Do I smell bad?”
”Huh…?”
”No sniffing! It’s banned! I just woke up and haven’t bathed yet!”
Trying to bring his nose close was met with anger.
He had just been warned by Aliona not to sniff women, but he once again showcased his lack of learning ability.
”I’m sorry. I meant no harm. You don’t smell at all when we just pass by or chat.”
”What about in bed? You mentioned once that it smelled, right?”
”Ah, I wouldn’t say it’s completely odorless. I only said that as part of the fun; it’s not an unpleasant smell.”
Just as Kian returned that reply, the door to the main house slammed shut with a loud bang.
”Huff… Ah… Zzz… Hm…? Oh, Kian.”
”Eep, Dad!?”
”Esther, make sure to pick extra lettuce today, will ya?”
A bear-like giant of a man, rubbing his sleepy eyes, ambled over from behind.
He──Robert thrust his hand into the front of his shirt and gave his chest hair a good scratch, making a rustling sound.
”Yo, Kian. Just got back from the fortress, did ya? Good mornin’.”
”Good morning, Mr. Robert.”
”You been eating proper meals? Swing by the hall later, gonna serve up some food.”
”Thank you kindly.”
”Oh, and eat up plenty. An adventurer’s body is their capital. Especially with this heat lately, gotta force-feed yourself if need be. Gotta keep up the energy, even if it means putting on a bit of weight.”
With that, Robert turned his back to fetch a barrel set in the corner of the garden.
Esther, her ample bust bouncing as she walked, called out to his retreating form.
”Ah, um, Dad? You heard what I said earlier, right?”
”──Huh? What’re you on about?”
”Oh, good! I’m glad you didn’t hear that.”
”What’s this? Ah, Kian, what’s with that huge bottle?”
”It’s a souvenir from the fortress. A commercial-sized bottle of olive oil.”
”Wha!?”
Robert’s eyes snapped wide awake; he tossed the barrel aside and hurriedly approached.
Taking the bottle from Kian, he hefted it to check the weight and peered through the bottom.
Finally, he stared, eyes wide, at the picture burned onto the bottle’s stopper.
”This is olive oil from the high-end shops in the fortress! You sure it’s okay for me to have this!? This must be worth at least 2 silver coins!”
”Eighteen copper coins, actually. If you exchange it through the current currency traders at the fortress, it would be roughly that amount, I believe.”
”Oh… This is a massive help. With this, I can work on new recipes. I was planning to offer some fancy dishes for the nobles and wealthy merchants at next month’s summer market. You know how folks from Châtillon love their olive oil, right? See, this stuff is worth more than double the cooking oil we use here?”
”I cannot say what oil ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ uses, but olive oil is certainly more expensive than the usual kind.”
”People mostly use oils made from animals. Every time, people procure the most popular one, but a bottle like this one usually costs around 7 or 8 large copper coins. Oh, and you buy butter in bulk as well, right?”
”Ah, yes. I use it for my confections. Fruits and almond milk are pricey, so it doesn’t stand out, but the expenses really add up. Well, since it’s popular, I keep at it, but if it suddenly stops selling one day, it could lead to pretty heavy debt…”
”Mr. Robert’s confections, huh? ──Her Excellency seems to quite like them.”
”Huh? What’s that, Kakka (Her Excellency)?”
”Indeed. Actually, I have a letter for you, Mr. Robert. Here you go.”
He pulls out Maribel’s letter from his pocket and extends it to the bear-like man.
While Robert fumbled with the seal, Kian retrieved the insecticide that Aliona had asked for from his backpack.
”This is the potion I was instructed to deliver from Ms. Aliona. You must have placed the order before, right?”
”Ah, yes. Thank you! Ms. Aliona’s potions are incredibly effective; I tend to push my luck a bit.”
”They’re ridiculously cheap too! At first, I was worried that I might end up selling my soul in exchange for the deal, but she just sells a variety of things for mere coins. It’s truly a blessing.”
Robert rustles the letter open with a crinkle.
Esther inspected the bottle of insecticide before placing it on the ground.
”I should probably do something to thank Ms. Aliona next time. I wonder what would be good…”
”──Hey, Kian.”
”Yes?”
”Um, this letter… It’s addressed from Maribel Danofen, isn’t it?”
The bear-like man’s voice trembled.
He had started reading the letter while absentmindedly picking his nose, but now he had turned pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
”Maribel…? Huh?”
Esther leaned in closer to peek at the contents of the letter.
It was clear that someone else had written the body of the letter, but the final signature and the family crest seal were pressed by none other than Maribel herself.
The Pigfoot duo read the letter in silence, exchanging glances after a full 3 minutes had passed.
”Huh?” “Um, Mr. Kian? This says the Princess of the fortress is coming here…?”
”That’s right. Her Excellency Maribel wishes to stay at ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn,’ where I reside, during her inspection of the summer market next month.”
”Wha… What?”
Robert looked up at the sky.
Meanwhile, Esther was spinning her eyes around in circles.
”Oh my, oh my goodness! The Princess is coming…? But, it’s not a festival──?”
”This isn’t a bad joke, is it, Kian?”
”No. I received this directly from Her Excellency.”
”I see. When I was an advanced-rank Adventurer, I did business with the previous lord a few times. But honestly, I never thought I’d be involved with a Princess through my innkeeping.”
Beside the stunned Robert, Esther clenched her fists and started flapping her arms.
”Dad! This is serious! The Princess is coming here! We can’t have a Princess in a place like this! It would be so rude!”
”A place like this!? I worked hard to build this inn!”
”And we’ve got some weird employees too. MoiMoi might actually try to talk to the Princess like that! If that happens, we’ll get a royal reprimand from the guards!”
”Maybe we should hold a manners training session for the staff…? Nah, I’m not going to pander to anyone. Instead of teaching them to flatter, I should clean up the inn and prepare a whole new menu. Esther, I’m starting research on new pastries tonight!”
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply