Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Fountain Pen Frenzy
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The merchant, completely oblivious that he was now pitching to the 'five people in the world least likely to buy a Mayches fountain pen,' grinned from ear to ear.
“Take your time looking~.”
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the material and grip felt entirely different from Mayches' own.
It had a bit of a cheap disposable vibe, you might say? It was so light that it wouldn't strain me at all to hold.
For anyone who didn't expect top-tier quality from a souvenir, it was something worth picking up with a smile.
“Does that one catch your eye? You siblings really do have similar tastes.”
Daluh asked in a teasing tone.
My friends and I picked up on the mischief glinting in his eyes, but the merchant must have seen it as a sales opportunity and launched into fountain pen praise mode.
“As expected from people who know trends. This item sells out so fast we can't keep it in stock. Do you know who owns this fountain pen? None other than Mayches Rudelriz, Count of Ileneias's light and salt!”
“…Wow! Light and… salt!”
“Picture it. Using this stylish fountain pen. Studying? You'll have the genius Lord Rudelriz's blessing in a flash~! Signing important documents? A total hurricane of coolness! Or maybe creating? Write a novel, and it'll flow like a single stroke per book!”
Ooh…? Imagining myself stylishly twirling the fountain pen, I had to admit it looked pretty cool.
I started getting genuinely hypnotized, like staring at a swinging pocket watch.
“And on top of that, didn't the Count just take on the prestigious role of Pilgrim Representative? That's why we have this!”
The merchant gestured with his palm to the spot next to the Mayches fountain pen (merch).
Our eyes, drawn in by his antlion-pit explanation, naturally followed.
“Butterfly and Leaf-Adorned Rudelriz Fountain Pen Pilgrim Parade Special Edition! Man, you have no idea how hard I haggled with the workshop owner to bring these in at this price. He was nitpicking the quality left and right while trying to buy them cheap from me.”
“Gasp, really?”
“Oh, absolutely! You can't get this anywhere else. Even if others look similar, the quality is on another level—please keep that in mind.”
“Wow…….”
In that case… shouldn't I buy one……?
Why did passing this up feel like it'd keep me up for two weeks straight?
Truth be told, I could just go home and ask Mayches for the original fountain pen, and he'd hand it over coolly……. But it wouldn't have the butterfly and leaves……
This must be why tourism thrives.
In a tourist's shoes, I couldn't help but let my mind wander and my wallet open.
Spending this much to indulge right now didn't feel like a big deal at all.
“You folks are lucky—normally these sell out in under five minutes.”
I stared holes into the fountain pen blessed with butterflies, leaves, and Mayches' aura.
Yeah, I have to buy it!
With that thought, I reached for the wallet summon button on my wheelchair—the one Mayches had prepared.
But Calipan beat me to it by a step, handing the merchant a single gold coin! That coin was worth about 100 gold.
“I'll take all the fountain pens. No need for change.”
What! He stole my thunder! And by the slimmest margin!
Left feeling like I'd missed out on cheap Mayches blessings, I blankly looked up at Calipan.
“I'll hold onto this until we head back…….”
Calipan, about to say something to me, spotted me gazing up at him and shut his mouth.
Isn't that too much? Not leaving even one for the person behind you?
“Th-thank you, sir! Please, browse more at your leisure~.”
Calipan kept locking eyes with me the whole time.
My expression must have been a sight. He suddenly burst out laughing—puhaha. Dumbfounded, I muttered.
“…Funny?”
Then Yan started clutching his stomach and cracking up too.
The shrewd merchant swiftly packed the fountain pens and handed them over to Calipan before he could change his mind. Then he pulled out box after box from under his stall.
“If you're interested in Lord Rudelriz's items, you'll love these too!”
The merchant seemed eager to fan the flames of our little auction.
Even without looking at the items yet, I felt a small, dark desire sprouting in my chest to outbid Calipan.
Stealing Mayches merch from me……?
“These don't come around every day! Take this one—it's the dazzling Ileneias Future Homage Special!”
I inwardly cheered.
No way Calipan would buy his own merch with his own money, right? You've already got the original!
The other stuff, maybe not, but Calipan's merch? That I could snag.
Unaware where my thinking had gone wrong, I leaned in toward the stall, eyes gleaming with a hint of madness.
“…….”
But the moment I saw what was on the rotating display rack, I was speechless.
“Ah! As expected, you have a good eye. This is basically a must-have now. Total craze!”
“…….”
The merchant spun the rack around as he explained.
“From commoners to the highest nobles, everyone's after it. We only carry genuine products from the Gebenhouz Merchant Guild, of course!”
Dazedly watching the spinning rack, I awkwardly spoke up.
“This bracelet is…….”
It was the bracelet from the escape room game—the proof of clearing it.
The one I'd handmade and shared with Mayches' friends… and now it was being mass-produced and sold without my knowledge.
“Exactly! The hot item that Ileneias's futures have been wearing lately! Comes in all colors—pick your favorite. The bestseller's the original white-and-gray mix. How about it?”
“Ah…….”
Without thinking, I fiddled with the bracelet on my own wrist. The merchant noticed.
“Aha! You already have the original. In that case, how about this butterfly and leaf-adorned one, only available during the parade?”
“Ah, uh, that's cool.”
I stammered.
What threw me off most was that I couldn't just laugh it off in the moment.
Hadn't I been fired up about buying Mayches' fountain pen just moments ago?
In hindsight, it was no big deal. I was just… a bit flustered.
“…….”
Hoping the moment to brush it off with a laugh hadn't passed, I looked up.
For some reason, the merchant was staring not at me, but behind me.
“…I see! Then I'll…….”
“Here you are, White Flame.”
At that instant, a slender breeze grazed the side of my nose.
The wind swam gently to my left, as if seeking its master.
I'd felt a similar sensation in the Rudelriz garden once, so I turned my gaze left, chasing the invisible movement.
Under the sunlight, the cocoa-brown hair sparkled even softer and warmer, like cream folded in.
“Bam……! Eep.”
Gotta break that habit of blurting the first syllable when startled!
But right now, my slip-up wasn't the issue. Something that needed silencing had popped up 'bam' right here.
I glanced at the frozen merchant.
As expected of someone hawking wares along the parade route, he seemed to recognize the face of Pilgrim Representative Bamper.
…So the face-obscuring magic wasn't even active!
I'd pinned faint hopes on Bamper's nonchalance, but now I hurriedly said to him.
“R-robe… At least wear the robe properly……!”
That's right.
Unbelievably, Bamper—the Bamper from the illustrious Orelot family, who would smoothly claim the title of Orelot ruler Aquilos one day……
The Crown Prince of this empire……
Had shown up in the Orelot market with his face fully exposed!
“Is my eyesight failing? No way that's…….”
“Gah! I definitely saw him at the Orelot parade two years ago!”
“But there's no way he'd be here……!”
The surrounding chatter had already shifted from lively buzz to hushed murmurs.
No need to look around—people had clearly clocked the identity of this astonishing newcomer who'd appeared out of nowhere in the market.
Oblivious or not, Bamper leisurely picked up a small, cute teacup from the Ileneias Future collection and examined it.
“Oh, my item's turned into a teacup now. Makes sense—I have been buying a lot of teapot sets lately.”
He shook the teacup in the air a few times.
“Light enough for even the weakest grip. They nailed the intent.”
The merchant went pale and dropped to his knees on the ground.
He tried to, anyway.
His knee only half-bent in mid-air before freezing, like he'd hit an invisible wall.
Bamper smiled faintly.
“No need to draw attention. We'll save the formalities for next time.”
Total nonsense.
Still, thanks to his words, the crowd—torn between greeting him or not—seemed to get the cue.
Their eyes returned to their own business, but it was obvious every ounce of their attention was fixed our way.
“Y-Your Highness, please forgive me! This fool didn't realize he'd offend Your esteemed presence! I-I've committed a mortal sin!”