Chapter 21

"Wow, this is a 100 Al silver coin. I've never seen one before."

At Mura's insistence to see the 100 Al silver coin, Ichirou handed over one of the 25 coins he had received from the old woman.

The 100 Al silver coin was noticeably larger than the 1 Al copper coin or the 10 Al copper coin, and it was made of silver with intricate patterns engraved on it.

Mura happily took the silver coin, tapping it and even lightly biting it, playing with it.

While glancing at Mura, Ichirou turned to the old woman, who was seriously examining the red crystal she had just received.

"Well, madam, I have a proposal."

"Oh, I won't ask who you bought this from, and I won't even ask where you got it. I'll buy it at a fair price next time, so bring as much as you want."

"...You're quick on the uptake."

The old woman, still looking at the red crystal, switched to a matter-of-fact tone as if she knew what Ichirou was going to say.

Although Ichirou was somewhat taken aback by her quick response, he was grateful that the conversation was moving along smoothly.

"When you took out this gem from the bag, you seemed to be choosing something inside. You must have something else, right? With something as valuable as this and the ocarina, I can't imagine you, a country bumpkin, got them through proper means."

"No, I didn't get them through any bad means..."

The old woman, as if suggesting he had stolen them, made Ichirou look troubled, but she continued,

"Oh, I don't really care where you got them. As long as I make a profit, I don't mind."

She then shifted her gaze from the red crystal to Ichirou and smiled slyly.

While Ichirou didn't like being seen as a criminal, he was relieved that she wasn't pressing the issue.

If the red crystal and ocarina could be sold for a considerable amount, he wanted to limit his transactions to one place to avoid drawing attention.

After almost being cheated by the old woman (he was cheated on the ocarina), Ichirou finally developed a sense of crisis and reflected on his previous naivety.

"Is that so?" Ichirou nodded, and the old woman placed the red crystal on a nearby shelf and turned to him.

"So, are you going to sell the other items in the bag? Don't worry, I won't cheat you again. Feel free to bring them out."

With a friendly smile, the old woman rubbed her hands together. Ichirou sighed.

"Unfortunately, that's all I brought today. Besides, if I had other items, just handing them over would make me look like a fool."

"Hmm, I see. I'm glad you understand that much."

The old woman laughed at Ichirou's response and continued,

"You're way too careless. Whether it was by chance or not, it's a good thing you came to me today. If you showed such valuable gems to other shops, you might be suspected of selling stolen goods and the guards might be called. If you showed something like this at a shop run by a government official's family, you'd be in big trouble. Many of the officials in this city are inflexible."

"...Thank you for the advice."

Although it was frustrating to be lectured by someone who had cheated him, the old woman's words hit home.

As Ichirou slumped his shoulders, the old woman sighed and called out to someone in the back of the shop.

"Miss, that shelf can't be opened without my key. You don't need to compare it with the 100 Al silver coins in the shelf; the one I gave you is genuine."

Surprised by the old woman's words, Ichirou looked back and saw Mura, who had moved to the back of the shop, trying to open a drawer in the shelf where the old woman had kept the money.

When called, Mura seemed startled, her shoulders trembling for a moment. She still seemed skeptical about the authenticity of the 100 Al silver coin and was looking at the old woman with a suspicious gaze.

Mura, who had been looking around the shop with a happy expression, now stared at the old woman with obvious hostility, which surprised Ichirou.

The old woman, saying "Oh dear," took a key from her pocket and went to Mura to unlock the shelf.

"Check it as much as you want. I swear by Gaierciol that there's no counterfeit money here."

With that, Mura immediately began comparing the 100 Al silver coin in her hand with the ones in the shelf, her expression serious.

The old woman, still looking at Mura, said,

"Really, this girl is much more serious than you. You should be more careful too!"

She then patted Ichirou's back.

"I'll keep that in mind..."

Ichirou said, hanging his head.

"I hate that old woman. I can't believe she cheated Kazura-sama!"

As soon as they left the old woman's shop, Mura, with a pout, spat out her frustration.

After letting Mura confirm the 100 Al silver coins to her satisfaction, they also bought some nails. Despite Mura's obvious displeasure, the old woman, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, sold them 200 nails for 40 Al and even offered Mura a bag of bean pastries to try to cheer her up, but Mura's mood didn't improve.

Mura, still looking unhappy, took the bean pastries but didn't seem to enjoy them.

"Yeah, it's not good to cheat people. I was too naive, but it was my fault too."

"Kazura-sama did nothing wrong. The old woman who cheated Kazura-sama is the one at fault!"

Mura, clearly upset that Ichirou had been cheated, looked up at him with slightly teary eyes.

As Ichirou tried to calm her down, he noticed Rozuru and Tana approaching from the corner of his eye.

They were no longer carrying firewood or furs but had replaced them with bags, indicating they had completed all their transactions.

"Hey, Mura, your parents are over there. They seem to be done with their errands."

When Ichirou said this, Mura's expression brightened, and she called out to her parents and ran towards them.

Ichirou, grateful for their timely appearance, started to follow Mura when he was suddenly hit in the nose by someone's temple from the side, causing him to fall on his butt.

"Ow, that hurts..."

"Sorry! I was looking elsewhere..."

"Hey, Eira, what are you doing!"

Ichirou, holding his nose, saw a maid in a servant's uniform holding her head and groaning, while a beautiful girl in a high-quality white dress rushed to his side, looking flustered.

"My attendant is very sorry! She was looking elsewhere when she saw a child running and accidentally bumped into you... Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine, don't worry about it."

The girl, seemingly unconcerned about getting her dress dirty, squatted down and placed a hand on Ichirou's shoulder with a genuinely worried expression, which left him bewildered.

At first glance, her attire was far superior to that of the people around her, and she even had an attendant, indicating her high status.

It was surprising for someone of such high status to treat a country bumpkin like him so kindly, but more than that, Ichirou felt his face turning red at the girl's beauty.

"Your belongings are spilling out. Eira, help pick them up."

"Yes, I'm very sorry."

At the girl's words, Ichirou looked down and his blood ran cold. The impact of falling had opened the bag, and some of its contents had spilled onto the ground.

However, the items that had fallen out were the bronze pot and wooden cup he had placed at the top of the bag for safety, while the canned food and lantern he had brought from Japan, which were stored at the bottom, had not fallen out.

Ichirou quickly gathered the items that had fallen out and put them back in the bag, along with what the two of them had picked up.

"Oh, there's something under my shoe..."

Just as Ichirou was breathing a sigh of relief after hurriedly putting the visible items back in the bag, the girl bent down and picked up something from under her shoe.

...It was a lighter.

"Sorry! That's also my belongings!"

"Is that so? Here you go... Oh, what is this...!?"

As the girl handed the lighter to Ichirou, she pressed the oddly sunken ignition switch out of curiosity, and it ignited.

The lighter was a one-button type, and Ichirou had set the flame intensity to maximum to light the firewood, so a fairly large flame emerged.

Startled by the flame, the girl pulled her hand back, dropping the lighter.

Eira, the maid in the servant's uniform, also stared in shock at the flame rising from the lighter.

"Liese-sama!"

Startled, the girl—Liese—pulled her hand back, and from the crowd of onlookers, two young men in civilian clothes rushed over.

They were carrying swords on their waists, even in the middle of the city.

"Liese-sama, what happened!?"

"What! The fire just now..."

"You, what are you doing! Don't move!"

As Ichirou tried to pick up the lighter that Liese had dropped, one of the men quickly grabbed his arm and restrained him.

They were probably Liese's bodyguards who had been secretly following her.

"Ouch! I didn't do anything, really!"

Realizing that she was of noble birth, Ichirou inwardly cursed his bad luck while trying to explain, but picking up the lighter would likely be the end of it.

He hoped he wouldn't be executed as a criminal, but he was certain that he would be interrogated about his belongings if he were taken away.

As Ichirou was pessimistically thinking about the end of his peaceful life in the village, Rozuru and the others rushed over.

"Excuse me, did my companion cause any trouble?"

When Rozuru spoke to the man who had grabbed Ichirou's arm, the man glared at him sharply.

"What, are you with him too! He harmed Liese-sama, the daughter of Lord Narson. You will also be questioned, so come to the station!"

"Wait! He did nothing to me!"

"That's right! It was my fault for bumping into him, and he did nothing wrong!"

Rozuru froze for a moment at the mention of Lord Narson's daughter but quickly bowed deeply to apologize.

Ichirou, despite his twisted arm, also bowed and apologized, thinking that things had taken a serious turn.

Ignoring their apologies, the man took out a rope from his waist and tried to restrain Rozuru and the others as well, but Liese and Eira quickly intervened.

Liese had been aware that her father's private soldiers were following her, but this was the first time they had directly interfered.

"However..."

"Release him. I won't say it again."

"...Yes."

When Liese ordered the man with a no-nonsense tone, he reluctantly released Ichirou.

Rozuru, confirming that Ichirou was free, bowed deeply.

Ichirou and the others followed Rozuru's lead and bowed deeply to Liese.

"Thank you, Liese-sama. We will take our leave now."

"Wait. The thing that fell earlier... Oh, where is it?"

As Ichirou and the others were about to leave, Liese searched the ground for the lighter she had dropped, but it was nowhere to be found.

Rozuru, noticing this, said, "Excuse me," and pushed Ichirou's back, leading them towards the entrance of the square.

"Kazura-sama"

A little distance away from Liese and the others, Ichirou took Mura's hand, and in her hand was the lighter she had secretly picked up from the ground while they were talking.

Ichirou, noticing this, took the lighter from Mura and put it in the bag.

"Thank you. You saved me."

Mura, whose head was patted, said happily,

"Sure!"

And she held hands with Ichirou again, looking satisfied.

"That was really close. If Liese-sama hadn't said that, who knows what would have happened."

"Liese-sama... The man who grabbed my arm called her the daughter of Lord Narson."

When Ichirou said this to Rozuru, who looked relieved, Rozuru nodded.

"Yes. I've heard that despite her young age, Liese-sama is very kind and compassionate towards commoners. It seems to be true. She is indeed the daughter of Lord Narson."

"I've also heard that many influential people from the surrounding areas are courting her. With her reputation, beauty, and being the daughter of the Istear family, it's no wonder. And I've heard that she is also quite skilled with swords and spears, despite her young age."

As Rozuru and Tana walked, impressed, Ichirou nodded.

"Hmm, they say that 'Heaven does not give two blessings to one person,' but there are indeed exceptional people."

"Heaven does not give two blessings to one person?"

Rozuru and Tana tilted their heads slightly at the proverb Ichirou had said.

"It's a proverb from my country, meaning that Heaven does not give a person too many good qualities or talents."

As Ichirou explained, they spotted Barretta standing at the entrance of the square.

Barretta also noticed them, waved, and walked over.

"You were with Rozuru and the others. Did you buy the nails?"

"Yes, we managed to buy about 200. We can start building the water wheel now."

Barretta smiled in relief at Ichirou's words.

"Kazura-sama's gem sold for 2500 Al!"

"What!?"

"Shh, don't say it so loudly!"

Ichirou quickly covered Mura's mouth and explained the incident at the general store to Barretta and the others, who were wide-eyed in surprise.

That night, in a rather luxurious room lit by candlelight, Liese was having dinner with her parents.

The room, about 12 tatami mats in size, was set up by Lord Narson specifically for family meals.

The floor was covered with a carpet made of animal fur, and a fireplace was installed on the wall, though it was not currently lit.

The window was open, and the garden, illuminated by candles placed around the estate, was visible beyond it.

The night breeze, typical of summer, was pleasant, and the sounds of insects created a serene atmosphere.

The long table where the three of them were eating was not particularly large; adding two more place settings would fill it.

Tonight's menu included grilled river fish sprinkled with salt, a soup of beans and leafy vegetables, bread, and cut fruit for dessert.

In the center of the table was a large platter of stir-fried meat and vegetables.

"Liese, many people come to propose to you every month. Have you found anyone you like?"

While eating the flaky fish with a fork, her father asked. Liese, sighing inwardly, responded with a slightly troubled smile.

"No... Everyone who comes to meet me is very nice, but I'm not ready to think about marriage yet..."

Liese's response made Narson nod with a smile.

"Well, there's no need to rush. I'm sure you'll find a good man eventually. If you like him, it doesn't matter if he's a commoner. However, if he becomes part of the Istear family, I will train him thoroughly."

Liese, thinking to herself that he was already training Isaac, smiled and said, "Thank you."

While she appreciated the consideration that a commoner would be acceptable, she had no intention of marrying anyone outside the nobility.

She was grateful that she wouldn't be forced to marry someone chosen by her parents, but she wanted to marry a wealthy noble.

Liese had never lived a particularly difficult life, but compared to other nobles and the royal family, her life lacked the glamour she desired.

While her personal attire and the rooms for receiving guests from other territories were relatively luxurious, she was otherwise required to live frugally.

The Istear family's finances had deteriorated significantly over the past decade due to the war with Barbe, and the austerity measures had become even more stringent, making a luxurious life a distant dream.

Four years ago, when she