40. Rishel's Streets and the Departing Stranger
Today was a day off.
Ever since coming to this world, I'd been doing something every single day. It was a schedule that would make even black companies blush.
I was strolling through the city with Mizuki, taking one last look before we left.
Fam had gone to the church to see Myra.
Cecily and Ira were out together as well.
"Do we look like lovers?"
Mizuki had taken my arm as we walked. It was a line that felt strangely familiar.
"Isn't it more like sugar daddy stuff?"
At the very least, it didn't look like a wholesome relationship.
"...I wonder if they have that here too? Sugar daddy arrangements."
"The words might be different, but yeah, they probably do."
There had to be even shadier things going on.
"Let's change the subject. Is there anywhere you want to go, Mash?"
"I wanna drag you into an alley and do something naughty."
"...Don't say scary stuff like that. Why do you always go straight to lewd topics?"
"Because you're sexy, Mizuki. You're the one who brought it up."
"I'm not lewd, and I wasn't expecting an answer like that."
Why did she get so worked up about it? I knew for a fact that Mizuki was plenty lewd.
"Is that so? Then let's make a bet—who says something lewd first? Loser does a penalty game."
This would settle once and for all who was lewder. I was lewd, sure, but I figured Mizuki was no slouch either.
"Fine by me. You're just planning to make the penalty something naughty anyway, right?"
She didn't seem interested in steering away from lewd topics either.
"That would just make you happy."
"It wouldn't!"
"You got an oil-based marker?"
"Probably..."
Mizuki rummaged through her bag in storage and pulled out an oil-based marker. Storing it kept it from drying out—handy.
"Alright, then. First one to say something lewd has to write 'nose' on their forehead tomorrow and spend the day like that."
If you looked at "nose" upside down, it'd look like a bearded old man.
"Are you serious? Tomorrow we have to greet the caravan members. If you do that, they'll think we're all the same kind of weirdos."
Mizuki seemed confident in her victory.
"What are you misunderstanding? You're the one who's gonna lose."
"...Fine. You're on. Tomorrow, I'll pretend I don't know you. I won't even let Fam near you—you might end up writing 'nose' on yourself."
"So, anywhere you wanna go, Mizuki?"
"I wanna buy the panties Fam has."
"Mizuki... you're 'nose' tomorrow."
"Wha—n-no, panties aren't lewd! The underwear they sell here is crappy quality. But Fam has these really nice ones, and when I asked where she got them, she wouldn't tell me. She said to ask you if I really wanted to know, so I had no choice! It's not lewd!"
Mizuki rattled it off in a rush.
"...If you really don't think that's lewd, say it again. Slowly. Loud enough for everyone to hear."
She'd already said it pretty loudly in her excitement, but I wanted her to realize it herself.
"...Mash, please. Give me another chance."
Her eyes were tearing up. I felt a little bad.
"Fine. Best of three."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Mizuki let out a relieved breath.
"What you're talking about is probably the ones Rakushel gave her. You can't buy them in this world."
"...So you did something lewd like with my polka-dot ones and stole them... ah!"
"Mizuki, too easy! One more and you're 'nose'! Focus on the bet!"
"Ugh... I'm not a lewd girl. This sucks..."
We'd come to Aidan's workshop.
Mizuki was receiving a rapier and a small shield for her arm.
It was apparently called a buckler. The shield she'd had got destroyed in yesterday's fight against the hecatoncheires, so the timing was perfect. When I hefted it, it was surprisingly light despite being metal.
Titanium or duralumin, maybe? Or some special metal unique to this world?
"Show me yer sword. I'll sharpen it fer ya."
I handed my katana to Aidan. He stared at the blade for a bit, then turned his back, crouched down, and started honing it.
Mizuki had gone out to the yard to test her new gear.
"Aidan, I'm leaving this city tomorrow."
"I know."
He answered without stopping his work or turning around.
"Come with us."
He had this workshop and apprentices. I knew it was a long shot.
"Why?"
"Fam needs a role model. For fighting... and for living."
Aidan stood up.
"She already has one."
I knew he meant me. But I wasn't that great. Yesterday, fighting the hecatoncheires, when she gripped my sword, she'd surpassed me. She had a wealth of talent sleeping inside her. But the Fam I cared about was still that flustered girl from the day we met, panicking over her period.
"Aidan, I—"
"Ye might think yerself unreliable, but ye've grown too. Grow together."
"But—"
"No need to rush."
Aidan cut me off. The impatience I wanted to convey to him—maybe it was the same feeling Fam wanted to share with me. That's what it felt like.
Aidan handed back the katana. I took it. Then he offered a wakizashi as well.
"I'm entrustin' it to ya. Two as one. Look after Myra and Ira too."
"Aidan..."
I wished he could forgive me for not being able to say a straightforward "thanks."
Guy emotions like this couldn't be shared directly between men. You needed booze or a joke to convey them. But there was nothing here for that.
Still, I hoped it got through.
I might not be the best role model for Fam.
But I would protect her.
"What were you talking about?"
Mizuki asked after we left Aidan's workshop.
"He gave me a wakizashi. In return, I said I'd let him grope your boobs."
"Muu, two more!"
Mizuki puffed out her cheeks.
"...You're joking, right?"
She looked anxious. Maybe I'd teased too much.
"Yeah. I won't let anyone touch them."
"One more!"
"Wait, that's a set, right? That's cheating!"
"Not cheating."
I didn't want to see Mizuki with "nose" on her forehead, so this worked, but I still hated losing the bet.
Aidan's workshop was on the north side of the city. We emerged by the river that ran north-south through it. It felt like a forested park—trees planted by human hands, landscaped for beauty.
The river flowed south to north.
There was a guy selling what I thought were roasted chestnuts. I tried some. They were overcooked and not great.
We walked through the park together.
I could see the stone bridge Fam and I had visited the day before yesterday.
"It looks like Florence."
That's right—I remembered now. That bridge connected a palace to the town hall, I think.
"You've been?"
Mizuki shook her head.
"Wanna go someday. Together." She stared right at me.
"This city not good enough?"
"We can't really sightsee. We'd probably get arrested just staring at the palace..."
True, I thought. The palace and bridge here were still in active use. In a few hundred years, would this city's buildings become tourist attractions like the ones back home?
"So, what're you gonna buy me?" She grinned mischievously.
"...I figured Fam put you up to it."
But impish Fam had been adorable.
"We read Rakushel's guidebook together. I thought it'd just be a hassle, but it was fun. Made me realize how big the world is and all it holds."
"Yeah? Any maps?"
"I didn't find it myself, but there was something like an old pilgrim map. Empire-centric, though—no sense of scale. Dragons and whales devouring parts, elephants trampling others. Kinda confusing. Probably fudging the unknown bits."
I wanted a map. Even more after hearing Myra's myths. But nothing for civilians. The guild only sold local ones. Rakushel had given us one from the start, buried in a mountain of data we couldn't process.
"Let's hit a bench."
Mizuki led the way. We sat, and she pulled The World Walker's Guide from storage, flipping to a page. "Treasure sleepeth here, verily" was scrawled big with an arrow. Looked close to the city. But the tiny scale made distances impossible to gauge.
"Pretty creative map... but doesn't it kinda look like Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa? That sea to the south looks like the Mediterranean."
No idea what the gimmick was, but countless white hands reached from underwater. Creepy.
"Alone, hard to say," Mizuki murmured.
"What about this river splitting north-south?"
It stretched east from southeast of our Rishel.
"Uh, what river runs east through central Europe? I remember from some 'What the heck!' mnemonic... But is this even a river? It turns into a cat's whisker at the end."
The punchy phrase drowned out the name.
"What kinda mnemonic is that?! The caravan route has a boat section, so I figured that river. See? Doesn't it look European to you?"
"...Hmm. Kinda, now that you mention it. Weird."
Like me, Mizuki peered at the map. Her breath tickled. Our lips were close.
I looked away from the map, scanning around. Just the roasted-nut guy.
"What's up?"
Mizuki followed suit. Her eyes stopped on the nut seller too.
"Mizuki, let's buy more nuts."
I bought a bunch from the guy—as souvenirs. Could hand them out to the caravan tomorrow.
He left smiling. No one in sight.
"C-Can't wait till night?" Mizuki said.
"Your loss."
She threw her arms around me. I hugged her back.
She looked up with moist eyes and closed them.
I pressed my lips to hers.
"Was it really my loss?"
Mizuki smirked playfully.
"...Tie?"
I asked, and she snuggled closer.
"So, what do you want me to buy you, Mizuki?"
"You had that wristwatch, right? I want one."
"For real? That's the same model as the one from the first moon landing."
"You had no place to spend money anyway, right? So you bought it as a 'present to yourself,' huh?"
Mizuki struck hard.
"...Spot on. But say stuff like that and some girls cry. Watch it. Also, no tools to resize it for your wrist."
The face was too big for her anyway. I pulled the watch from storage and handed it over.
"I'll treasure it. Someday, I'll wear it to the moon."
Still time. We kissed again, then linked arms and walked along the river.
We were late getting back to the inn.
"You're late!"
Cecily yelled as we entered.
The usually bustling dining hall was quiet today. The usual long-term guests sat at tables without eating.
"Something up?"
I sat with Fam, Cecily, and Ira.
"It's our last day, so everyone at the inn wanted to drink together. We were waiting," Fam said.
"Got it. Drinks on me tonight!"
Cheers erupted, and the rowdy feast began.
I passed around the roasted nuts with the flow.
"Shu-sama, you look so cool with two blades," Fam said.
"Y-Yeah?"
First time I could remember being called cool sober. Would've been nicer if she weren't tipsy.
She stared at her half-empty ale mug after one sip.
"Let me equip myself too."
"Better than with wine, but your face is red already. Swords are for sober hands."
"...Understood."
Fam deflated.
"Mizuki..."
"Wh-What? Mash said he'd cover it. Just one."
Classic Mizuki. I turned to Cecily.
"You hold your liquor okay, Cecily?"
"I think so..."
She glanced at Ira, whose table already had empty mugs scattered.
"Like water. Won't upset my stomach."
This city's water wasn't exactly hygienic. My water magic let me get clean stuff early, but I'd never seen mages selling it.
Heard medieval folk drank ale like water. Made sense? But alcohol processing needed more water too, right?
"Hee hee, I'll drink this place dry and trouble you."
Ira downed her ale in one go and grinned defiantly. A bit creepy—better to drink merry. Remember, if I suffer, you slaves do too.
"Mash isn't drinking at all. It's your money anyway—drink up!"
No, it's my money, so I care.
But Cecily urged me, so I drank.
"There we go. If the host doesn't drink, no one relaxes. Kahahaha! Another ale!"
Cecily was already sloshed. Drunken idiot.
And so, our last night in the city faded into lively revelry.
Thank you for reading up to here. The Rishel arc is now complete.
Starting next time, we'll have a special side story (three parts). It's set just a little in the future.
To everyone who liked, bookmarked, and rated: thank you so much.
Thanks to all who gave me motivation.