Chapter 47

"It's rare to see a child customer."

The young man at the stall had dreadlocks and a somewhat eccentric outfit, but he was stylish. His skin color was a similar brown to Kugaru's, so he might have come from a distant southern country.

"Wow, so beautiful!"

I picked up a necklace that caught my eye and couldn't help but exclaim. The pendant on the thin leather cord was a large, sky-blue stone. Looking at the stone, which was as clear as ice, reminded me of Mother's eyes.

(I wonder what Mother is doing right now. Is she worried about me...?)

Thinking about Mother made me feel lonely, so I quietly put the necklace back in its original place. Looking at Kugaru, who was squatting next to me, I saw that after carefully examining the items, he had also picked up a necklace. This one also had a large natural stone on a thin leather cord, but the stone was a fiery red.

"This..."

Kugaru put the necklace down once, took a pouch from his pocket, and handed everything to the young man. The young man counted the money and said,

"This is extra."

He returned a silver coin to Kugaru. Hmm? What's with that beautiful color of money? I didn't have any... or rather, it was probably better that I didn't. It clearly looked more valuable than the other coins, and if I had given it to the lady, I might have ended up carrying three or four large paper bags. Scary...

I don't know who put the money in the backpack, but giving such a large sum to a child is really questionable.

While I was thinking about how I had casually handed over all my money without knowing its value, Kugaru was receiving the necklace from the young man.

"Kugaru, that's great."

I didn't know he was interested in accessories, but this kind of style really suits him. The red stone matches Kugaru perfectly. Kugaru nodded happily and offered the necklace to me.

"Huh?"

Realizing Kugaru's intention, I widened my eyes.

"Are you giving it to me? To me?"

Kugaru nodded again and carefully placed the necklace around my neck over my raincoat. The stone, the same color as Kugaru's eyes, glowed passionately on my chest. The red stood out even more because of my white raincoat and hair.

"Thank you, Kugaru!"

"Good job, kid."

The young man at the stall also smiled, following my excited reaction. Kugaru, seeing me with the red stone, also smiled contentedly.

After that, we walked down the main street, each holding one end of the paper bag containing the Legans. We still had some silver coins left, so we could buy anything we wanted. However, it seemed better not to buy anything that would add to our luggage. Although I was tempted by the food, I needed to consume a large amount of Legans, so I couldn't satisfy my hunger with other things.

"Does Kugaru not need to buy anything for himself? You still have money, right?"

"I don't really want anything."

"Is that so? Then, let's go out of the city. There are fewer shops, and the Legans are heavy... Wait, they're not heavy...?"

I frowned, looking down at the brown paper bag between Kugaru and me. It had been so heavy that it hurt my arms, but now it felt as light as air.

"Why!?"

I hurriedly opened the bag, only to find it was empty. It really contained nothing but air.

"..."

An illusion?

The cause was quickly apparent. There was a hole in the bottom of the paper bag, about the size of two Legans. No doubt about it, the contents had fallen out through this hole.

Carrying the large, heavy paper bag with Kugaru's help was difficult, and I knew it had been rubbing against the stone pavement whenever I let my guard down. I had tried to lift it with more strength each time, but it must have torn without me noticing. Even though I was distracted by talking to Kugaru and looking around the city, I didn't expect to make such a clumsy mistake.

Feeling like a fox caught by a fox, I looked at the empty paper bag and then turned around. I couldn't see any Legans in the visible range. They should have been scattered along the path we had taken, but we had walked a considerable distance from one end of the main street to the other, so I couldn't tell where we had started or ended.

"Let's go back, Kugaru."

Holding the bag with the hole, we ran back the way we came. What if they had been stepped on by the many people? I felt sad just thinking about it.

"There you are. Did you drop these?"

"Finally caught up."

Kind people from the city had picked up the Legans and chased after us. Some had even run with the Legans piled in their aprons and hats.

"Thank you so much!"

My voice trembled with emotion. Everyone was so kind.

"Here you go."

"Be careful."

The Legans were put back into the paper bag on the ground, and the amount was almost back to what it was originally. Thank goodness!

I thanked the people who had helped us again, and they waved and smiled as they left.

"Good thing we met such nice people."

Even Kugaru, who usually had no interest in humans, nodded in agreement. I turned to the now heavy paper bag. With the hole, lifting it would just repeat the tragedy. We had no new bag or tape to reinforce it.

While I was racking my brain, someone offered a hand. A large, slightly sunburned hand skillfully supported the bottom of the bag, covering the hole.

"I'll give you a new bag. Come with me."

The man turned and started walking. Kugaru and I followed him, bobbing along.

"Thank you."

The man had a large piece of dark green cloth wrapped around his head and body like a cloak. His hairstyle and clothing were hard to see, but he was tall and broad-shouldered. He carried a sword at his waist but looked like a traveler. Despite his intimidating appearance, his low voice had a gentle tone.

"Follow me."

He turned slightly, still carrying the Legans, and led us down a narrow alley. We stopped in a dark, empty space between two buildings. Was there a new bag here?

The man turned to us without a word and removed the cloth from his head. He had short, desert-colored hair and a beard. His features were distinct, with large eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. Combined with his large build, he had a bear-like presence. Not a gentle bear in a zoo, but a dangerous wild grizzly...

While I was forming this impression, the man placed the paper bag on the ground and approached me.

"Come here."

He smiled wickedly and reached out his hand. At that moment, I finally felt a sense of danger.