Chapter 25
○○○
As I arrive in the city, the first place I head to is the gathering spot for guides.
Luckily, there’s a kid there just hanging around looking to make some quick cash, so I call out to them.
「Hey, I was hoping to get a guide.
You see, this is my first time in this city, so I don’t know anything about it at all.」
The kid touches the brim of their hat and puts on a cheeky expression.
「Hmm? I don’t mind, but hey mister, you got money?」
!?
「It’s just, you know, from the looks of you mister, you don’t really seem like you’ve got much dough. I mean, I’ll take you wherever as long as I get paid.」
Mister…
Being called 「mister」 at this moment deals a heavy blow to my psyche.
I mean, I’m not even twenty years old yet!
「Kiddo, I’ve got money alright.」
Who are you calling mister?! What an insolent brat!
Fine then! I’ll show you the power of an adult!
「You know what this is?」
I pull out a gold coin from my magic bag, pinching it between my fingers to show it off.
「A g-gold coin… but hey, if it’s just one gold coin-」
「Who said I only have one gold coin?」
「No way…」
「That’s right. Your ‘no way’ is spot on. I’m-」
I pause for a moment, then grab a fistful of gold coins, as many as I can hold, from my magic bag. I hold them right up to the kid’s face to show off.
The kid’s eyes go wide at the glimmer of gold. Feeling somewhat vindicated, I declare, 「-rich.」
Not at all convincing.
But even though I’m aware of it, I just can’t stop myself. That’s the kind of guy I am.
「Mister!」
「Hmm? ‘Mister’? Just who are you referring to with this ‘mister’ of yours?」
「Huh…?」
「Listen up. I’m not even twenty yet. I think you get what I’m saying, right? About the attitude you ought to be taking!」
As I’m thinking things like 「Money is power! Money is everything in this world!」 like some villain from a gambling manga,
「Uhh, sorry! That was rude of me to say!」
The kid takes off their hat and bows their head.
From under the hat, long brown hair tied back falls with a whoosh.
Surprisingly, the kid is a girl.
「As long as you get it.」
As I’m feeling quite pleased with myself for my magnanimity,
「So then… uncle?」
The kid tilts her head, gauging my reaction.
「Well now! Aren’t you a bold one!!」
This calls for some education!
I had absolutely no intention of budging on the matter of what I was to be called.
I won’t accept any opinions from you all saying I should just put up with that much.
○○○
「Big brotherrr! Can’t you walk any faster?」
The tomboyish little girl, who agreed to guide me for the modest price of four gold coins (enough to live frugally for 4 months), raises her voice as if to hurry me along.
「Kid, walk a little slower will ya? A guide is basically in the service industry, you know.」
Perhaps from an excess of energy, the girl comes trotting up to me.
「Hey, quit it with the ‘kid’ stuff! I’ve got a proper name my parents gave me – Milan!」
A new fact comes to light here.
The girl – Milan – is a tomboy.
Without letting my inner shock show, I continue conversing with her.
「My bad, Milan. That’s a nice name though. Refined, sophisticated, and above all, strong-sounding.」
「Right? I like it too! Hehe!」
She’s genuinely pleased to have her name praised, touching a finger to the underside of her nose.
「Oh, and this is the central market! If there’s anything at all to be found in the city, this is the place!」
As I set foot in the market, the first thing that strikes me is the incredible liveliness. Everyone is desperate to attract even one more customer, but the customers are enjoying that energy too as they shop.
I didn’t dislike the clamor I felt in that moment. If anything, I felt a heat like that of a Japanese festival, and it evoked a slight sense of nostalgia.
○○○
Most of the shops have simple, basic structures. Some are even assembled from tents, and going a bit further, there are quite a few stalls that just have their wares laid out on mats, like a street vendor.
「I bought all the milled wheat they had. Let’s see, what else-」
As I have Milan wait on me, I continue perusing the goods.
「This spice seems cumin-ish? Ah well, that’s fine! Hey mister, gimme all you’ve got of this and this and this and this!」
「I’m glad you’re buying, but if I sell everything I’ve got, it’ll be a problem for my other customers.」
The muscular shopkeeper protests, but like slapping him with a wad of bills, I use the power of money to bull through and shut him up, thoroughly enjoying my shopping.
The herbs and spices I was originally looking for were much easier to find than I expected, in proportion to the number and variety of shops.
Flaunting the unpleasant air of the nouveau riche, I threw myself into bulk buying with gusto.
Incidentally, knowledge of herbs, spices and such had long since been scraped dry by the Heroes summoned in successive generations.
They really go overboard, but considering it’s thanks to them that I can get my hands on these seasonings, I can hardly speak ill of them.
As I continue looking over the goods, I find assorted dried fruits (the basis for sweetness) and nuts (fun to chew on) that I was looking for. I waste no time in buying them and tossing them into my magic bag one after another.
The shopping spree continues.
『Aww yeah! I’m like a shopping dynamo!』 I think to myself such utter nonsense as I buy without hesitation anything that catches my eye.
They say shopping is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, after all.
Eventually, I find the fruit shop I was looking for to get something for Sena, but here too, I show no restraint.
「Hey boss, I’ll take all the fruit from here to here.」
The fruit shop owner looks at me coldly, probably thinking I’m just window shopping. 「Well, that’s it for business today!」 or something like that.
Oho, I wonder how long he can keep that look on his face?
I deliberately jangle a sack full of gold coins. Hearing that sound, the shopkeeper moves his hands up and down like a broken toy, giggling 「Heheh」 to express his delight.
「Hah! The shopping has only just begun!」 I mutter to myself. Hearing this, Milan lets out a groan, but I pretend not to notice.
If you enjoy it and wish to see more, please consider giving it a 5-star rating for the series on NU. Click Here.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link