The Journey (8)
I wandered about diligently, taking in the sights of the territory. The most fascinating discovery by far was that channels of hot spring water ran throughout the entire domain, and even as that water spread in every direction, it remained remarkably warm.
Once it left the source and met the open air, the temperature should have dropped—that was only natural. Why it stayed so warm, I had no idea.
Is the water at the source just that scalding hot?
Leaving the heart of the territory and the shopping district behind, we came out toward the outskirts, where food stalls multiplied. The fare on offer was thoroughly ordinary, but still…
"Shall we buy lunch as we walk around?"
It was still rather early for a midday meal, truth be told.
"If that would be more convenient for you."
Isn't this the whole point of sightseeing? We browsed the surroundings and bought a little of this and that.
As expected—or perhaps inevitably—the most common offering was meat skewers. Most of them were junk food, smothered in heavy seasoning to mask the gamey smell the vendors had failed to remove.
"Frankly, the taste made me worry for my health…"
"It does, doesn't it?"
The young master had no way of knowing that the food I used to eat—back before I was recognized as the Saintess—hadn't been much different.
In those days I often went hungry simply because I couldn't afford to eat. Better to swallow something a little strange than to eat nothing at all. Filling your stomach and taking in nutrients was healthier than starving.
Once we had more or less finished touring the territory, we headed for the theater the young master had mentioned. The building itself was quite large.
I entered with a modest flicker of anticipation, only to be met with—
"I'm sorry. The theater is fully booked at present."
Arriving right on time had been a mistake.
"I never imagined every seat would be taken."
The building was sizable, yet the theater's capacity seemed surprisingly small.
"A pity, but it can't be helped."
Waiting for the next showing would be tedious… and with my expectations shattered, I no longer felt much like watching a play.
"Shall we try another theater?"
"Another one…?"
"Yes. Apparently there is more than one."
There was a smaller theater somewhere as well. I hadn't spotted it while we were walking around earlier. The young master would know better.
"Then let's go."
The other theater was fairly close. The only issues were that the building was rundown and the scale was small. Few people lingered nearby, and the entrance sat in a secluded spot rather than on the main road, making it hard to find.
"How did you know about this place?"
"Haha. Miss Julian, you didn't look at the guidebook, did you?"
Guidebook? The young master carefully drew a map-like booklet from his coat.
"You can buy them at the inn for a fee."
Ah. So even this world has tourist pamphlets.
A large panorama of the city was printed across it, with the names of important shops and districts labeled.
"This theater is listed in the guidebook as well."
It was listed, yes… in truly tiny lettering.
"Can printing produce type this small?"
"A recently developed machine has much better performance."
Hmm.
We went inside and bought tickets. The price was about half what the first theater had charged.
The low cost had drawn a decent number of patrons, yet even so the small theater was not full.
When the time came, a host—or perhaps one of the actors—stepped out for a brief introduction, and the play began.
The story itself was an ordinary romance. No real crisis, no tension—just a convenient tale of two adventurers solving a major incident, realizing their feelings for each other, and returning home in glory.
It was so dull that some people stood up and walked out midway. The young master seated beside me looked bored enough to doze off as well…
When the play ended, the actors came out together for a curtain call. They thanked us for watching, yet no applause rose to meet them.
"Sigh."
Someone has to clap.
When I started applauding, the dozing young master jolted awake and joined in, and the handful of people who had stayed until the end reluctantly followed suit.
"I—I'm sorry."
On the way out, the young master apologized.
"You worked hard driving the carriage, after all."
I showed him I understood, and he looked embarrassed.
"W-what did you think of the play?"
Hmm. How to put it? Perhaps because of my memories from a previous life, it had felt thoroughly ordinary.
"The actors' performances were fine, but the story itself was lacking."
Their gestures were large enough for people in the back to follow, their voices strong, their diction reasonably clear, and they made no major mistakes.
In short, their acting skill was excellent. They simply had no script worthy of that skill…
"Is that so?"
"Yes. With acting that solid, a good script could make them famous."
I didn't know much about theater, but audiences needed a bit of crisis and some stimulating elements to get immersed… The play we had just watched was far too smooth and uneventful.
"Well, it's none of our business either way."
If this theater had any connection to the Church, I might have pointed those things out.
Watching the play had taken up quite a bit of time.
"S-so when are we going to the casino?"
I brought up the casino I had been looking forward to since yesterday.
"The casino doesn't really open properly until after sundown."
So we still have time to kill? In that case, I should buy some of that sparkling water and take it back to the inn.
"Then let's use the remaining time to buy sparkling water and leave it at the inn."
"Do we really have to buy that?"
The young master looked skeptical.
"Yes. It's fascinating water, isn't it? I want to try using it in alchemy."
"Understood."
We returned to the stall selling sparkling water. Compared to the morning, the display had shrunk to about a third of its former size. People were buying more of it than I had expected.
"Oh, so you two really came back?"
"It worked out that way."
I considered how much to buy. The glass bottles weren't particularly large, so the volume of water inside each one was modest. Factoring that in and estimating what I would need for alchemy…
"Should I just buy them all…?"
There looked to be about twenty bottles left…
"Haha, you mean to purchase every last one?"
The merchant's expression and manner shifted completely.
"If I return the bottles tomorrow, will you refund me?"
I didn't need the bottles—only the contents. The problem was that the moment you broke the seal, the carbonation escaped.
"Well now… that might be a bit difficult."
The merchant declined politely. Time to make use of my status.
"I'm actually a nun, you see…"
I showed him the pendant I always carried and made a point of being a nun of the Metis Church.
"A sister, were you…"
"Yes. Is there any way you could manage it?"
The merchant hesitated, then nodded.
"I can't refund the full amount, but how about fifty percent?"
So if returning a bottle normally got you eighty silver back, he would only give forty?
"I have to take the bottles back myself in the evening so I can refill them. I can't go any higher than that."
Hmm…
"Half is fine, isn't it?"
The young master looked eager to wrap things up.
Well, it wasn't as though I was short on money… It still felt a little wasteful, but…
"All right. We can return them tomorrow?"
"Of course. A sister like you, or the gentleman beside you—once seen, never forgotten. No problem at all."
My hair color was certainly distinctive… and the young master's looks needed no comment.
I bought every remaining bottle of water on the stall—all twenty. Worried the bottles might break on the way, the merchant even threw in a carrying crate free of charge.
"I'll take the luggage."
While the young master gathered the load, I settled the bill… and we headed straight back to the inn.
When we entered, only my older sister was resting there.
"Juli? What's that?"
"It's called sparkling water. A strange water that snaps you wide awake."
I held out a bottle to her.
"Want to try some?"
I offered it with a perfectly ordinary expression, no smile, and she tilted her head. Then she peeled off the wax seal and drank straightaway. Unfortunately she sipped carefully; unlike the young master, she didn't choke or anything dramatic.
"Weird feeling."
"Right? It's so interesting I bought some to try in alchemy. We have to return the bottles, so don't break them."
"Okay."
She eyed the remaining water suspiciously and took another sip.
"It's kind of cool and refreshing."
Sis knows how to drink it… If someone made a proper beverage out of this, it would taste far better… but that wasn't something I could do. No—wait. I knew how carbonation was produced, so I could probably find a method.
"It feels a bit like beer."
Sharp. Beer also produced carbonation during fermentation. The problem was storage; most of the fizz escaped before you ever drank it.
"Probably similar."
The young master, having little acquaintance with cheap drinks like beer, clearly hadn't noticed.
We set the luggage down roughly…
"Are you staying at the inn the whole time, Sis?"
"Why?"
"Want to come to the casino with us?"
I had spent the morning with the young master; now it was only fair to pay attention to my sister as well.
She glanced at the young master, who was still organizing the bags.
"Is that okay?"
Come to think of it, I never asked him.
"Is it all right?"
His expression seemed to shift for an instant, but the change was so fleeting I couldn't read it.
"Of course."
Tch. Not much of a reaction.
"I—I'm sorry for deciding without asking."
"Not at all. I shouldn't monopolize Miss Julian."
In any case, once everything was put away, before we left for the casino again…
"Let's eat dinner first!"
The stay included two meals a day—it would be a waste not to eat them!
The young master laughed and agreed. After the truly terrible food we had had for lunch, the inn's cooking tasted heavenly. He seemed to feel the same; he ate with real appetite.
Watching him enjoy it so much made me happy…
"Have some of this too."
I passed him part of my portion.
"You should eat it yourself, Miss Julian."
"I'm full. I can't manage any more."
Thanks to certain people's relentless pressure, my appetite had grown a little; if I forced myself I could finish everything. But rather than overeat, wasn't it better that someone who ate well should have it?
"Th-then I'll gladly accept."
"Please, don't feel burdened. Eat."
I watched contentedly as he ate.
We finished dinner and prepared to leave for the casino, yet Priest Daniel and Sister Mary still had not returned.
"Where could they have gone to vanish without a word?"
"There's a temple here as well. Perhaps they went there?"
There's a temple here too?
Neither of them had said a single word about it. Had they kept it secret so as not to burden me?
"No need to worry about those two. Let's worry about ourselves."
The young master said as much and finished preparing.
Casinos sometimes attracted light-fingered types, so one had to keep a careful eye on one's coin purse, or so he claimed.
"Have you been to a casino before, Young Master?"
"Not a casino exactly, but I've played simple games with friends."
During his academy days in the capital, he had apparently visited a few underground establishments as well.
"So the capital has them too."
"In truth, Miss Julian simply never goes out at night. After dark, parts of the lower districts turn into red-light and entertainment quarters."
I see…
Places I had no reason to approach, so I had never paid them any mind. According to him, because they were illegal they were poorly regulated and dangerous. By contrast, the entertainment houses in tourist areas were strictly managed, so there was less to worry about. That seemed to contradict his earlier warning about pickpockets… but could anyone really slip past the eyes of two people of Knight Class?
Once my sister had changed and finished preparing, the three of us set out for the casino.