A Date, or Market Research

Author: Iwashi-zukushi
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3388fm/10/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

“Nngh~~!!
It’s been so long—I never thought sea air could feel this good!”

So saying, I stretched, large.
I stretched my arms and my back, then drew in a deep breath, and fresh air rushed into my lungs.
I felt it mix with the carbon dioxide that had pooled in the depths of them, felt the air change over, and slowly let it out.
That alone seemed to refresh my mood; a strange thing.

“Fufu. I feel as if this is the first time I’ve seen a face that looks like you.”

Gerda’s voice came from behind me, sounding amused.
I turned, and I was probably wearing a slightly sheepish look.

“Sorry, I got a bit carried away.
And I made an unreasonable request when you have work besides.”
“No, I would rather you not mind that. It was assigned as work by Her Majesty as well, after all.”

I bobbed my head, and Gerda laughed and waved it off.
That unguarded smile let me relax, a little.

“I’m glad to hear you say so.”
“Yes, you’re welcome.
Now then, where shall I show you.
You said a date, but you want to look around town and investigate, I take it?”

Her perceptiveness was sharp enough that I could not help laughing.
The Demon King went without saying, but Gerda, too, picked up quite well on what I meant to say.
…The Demon King picked up a little too well, I thought.

“Yes… all sorts of things.
The atmosphere of the town, what’s sold at the market, what’s easy to get hold of.”
“I understand wanting to know what’s sold, but do you need the atmosphere of the town as well?”
“Yes, actually. I’ll explain that later.”

I winked at Gerda, who did not seem quite convinced.

The royal capital of the Kingdom of Shutraumgard: Shutraumburg.
The names around here were, I thought, taken from the Demon King being Shutraum.
Incidentally, demonfolk were strongly individualistic, and often had no family names.

Now then, that Shutraumgard: an island nation south of the continent I had lived on.
I still did not know the whole of it, but this royal capital seemed to have a fairly warm climate.
That said, not so much that one would call it tropical.
In sunlight rather stronger than in the country I had come from, we first walked toward the market.

“Asha, are you all right?
You came from the north, so you will not be used to the heat.”
“Ah, I’m fine, not at this level yet.”

I smiled back at Gerda’s concern and lightly wiped my brow.
The season now was the end of spring, so it was about time for it to start getting hot.
It was an island nation, but the humidity was low and dry; there was none of Japan’s muggy heat.
It reminded me faintly of Okinawa, though the temperature was not that high.
Even so, it was the sort of warmth that would raise a light sweat if we walked for a while.

“It isn’t much farther to the market. We can buy something to drink there, and rest afterward.”

From what she said, it was less than a kilometer to the market.
In my talk with the Demon King I had said I had to be prepared for five kilometers on a side, but in practice it seemed safe to think of it as narrower.
The main functions of the town were concentrated in at most a kilometer on a side, and the human residential district was almost all around that.

“Thank you for being so considerate.
The market—is it run by humans after all?”
“No, other races take part as well.
The iron goods the dwarves make are indispensable to daily life, and the elves are basically self-sufficient, but they sometimes bring things taken from the forest.
That said, they live on the outskirts of town and in the woods, so in the streets themselves it is mostly humans.”

Yes. Now that she mentioned it, it was obvious in a way, but elves and dwarves had been offering sacrifices as well.
Humans were overwhelmingly more numerous by population, but there were a fair number of other races too.

“In that case, if I narrow it for now to humans and the races near them, I feel like I might still be able to manage.”
“Yes. And I hear the elves are skilled with medicinal herbs and have healing magic of their own, and the dwarves’ sturdiness is famous. For the time being I think you would do well to think mainly of humans.”

I nodded at Gerda’s words.
…Even so, I was also thinking I had to be prepared to deal with forty thousand.

“If we have to go quite far, I will carry you and fly, so tell me without reservation.”
“Ahaha, I’d rather that didn’t happen if possible, but if it does, I’ll ask.”

I answered with a laugh.
Being carried and flown through the sky.
In anime and manga it was a situation to long for, but in practice… it was rather frightening, on the point of stability.
Gerda could probably lift me with ease, but even so.
It was not as if there would be no turbulence.

“Ah, leave it to me.
—Oh, while we were talking, we’re at the market.”
“Ah, you’re right. I see, so this is the market here.”

Shops lined an open street.
There was a fair amount of coming and going, but… one could not call the air lively.
The older people, especially, had dark expressions. Well, that was only to be expected.
They had lived on this island for decades; a life with no end in sight would feel stifling.

“Oh, if it isn’t Gerda.”
“Well, Elma. I’m glad you look well.”

We had come to a cafeteria—or rather, a café-like shop—run by a middle-aged woman who still looked relatively energetic, even among them.
She seemed to know Gerda, and they exchanged light small talk.
Then she glanced at me.

“This young lady I don’t recognize… perhaps?”
“Ah, as you guessed. This is Asha; I hope you’ll look after her too, Elma.
Especially since she is the new apothecary.”
“Is that so? That’s good to hear.
Since Granny Dia passed, I haven’t been able to catch so much as a cold in peace.”
“A-ahaha… I’m Asha. I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
“Yes, please do. I run this cafeteria. Name’s Elma.”

I bowed with a smile to match Elma’s, and inwardly sagged.
The conversation had confirmed it again: besides me, there was no apothecary.
A heavy responsibility…

“We’re showing her around so she can get a look at the town, and thought we’d rest a little.
Anything to drink, and something light to nibble?”

So saying, Gerda headed for a table by the window and sat.
I took the seat across from her.

“I’ve got lemon water for drinks, but as for nibbles, lunch hours are over.
And if it’s olives in salt, you’ll be wanting wine, won’t you?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but I wonder about Asha.
We still mean to walk, so it would be hard if she got drunk.”

She said it while glancing at my face.
Hmm, she didn’t have to worry about me.
But then, that was Gerda’s character, I supposed.

“I can drink, but I’m not that strong.
I’ll just have lemon water, so Gerda, please have wine?”
“No, it wouldn’t sit right, me enjoying myself alone and leaving you out.”

Elma laughed at the reserved Gerda, without a hint of reserve herself.

“Oh, come now. To you, Gerda, wine is practically water, isn’t it?”
“It’s true I hardly get drunk.
But the wine here is rather good, you see. I don’t want to taste it with a guilty conscience.”

As she said it, Gerda winked.
…It did not seem deliberate. Was she a natural? A natural, and like this?
Ah, and now Elma was making a happy face too.

What is with this country, is everyone in it a heartbreaker!? I shouted inwardly.

“That wine—is it made in this country? Or imported?”
“Ah, everything we handle is domestic. We’ve been getting it from people who’ve been at it for ages.”

Elma puffed out her chest, proud.
That pride seemed to rest not on herself for handling such wine, but on the people who made it.
I was a little envious, perhaps.

“Then, is there anything like that wine distilled and made stronger?”
“There is, there is. …What, are you unexpectedly fond of drink?”
“I’ll only say I’m not opposed to it.”

I returned a bright smile to Elma’s probing, teasing grin.
The things I wanted seemed reasonably obtainable, I thought, relieved.