Chapter 63

"Sorry, I was silent."

With an apologetic look, yet a smile that resembled a child who was pleased with a successful prank, Cary said.

"Well, I was able to be genuinely surprised because you were silent. Thank you... so, why is there a town here?"

A town... yes, it was a town.

Although it wasn't a town with houses or such, it had many stalls and shops, and even something like a simple rest area.

"Mr. Ichi, this is not a town. It cannot be recognized as a town because it is neither in Arandelle nor in Dakat."

Indeed, I had just left Arandelle and had not yet entered Dakat.

I see, this place is not part of either territory.

"Living on the bridge is not allowed, and building fixed structures is also not allowed, but doing business is permitted. Originally, merchants from Arandelle and Dakat conducted transactions here. Taking advantage of this system, children who fished in the river and sold their catch here began to appear. After that, many stalls selling bentos, souvenirs, and miscellaneous goods opened one after another, leading to the current state. Since no taxes are required for business here, it has become a paradise for merchants."

"Hmm... But you said living here is not allowed. So, where do the shopkeepers live? If they had to pay border taxes every time they went home, even if they didn't have to pay taxes on their business, it would be tough, right?"

"You'll understand if you look under the bridge."

At Cary's suggestion, I peered under the bridge.

Under the bridge piers, there were many rafts, and small huts stood on them.

Rope ladders hung from the bridge to the rafts.

A brown-skinned woman wearing a T-shirt-like top and shorts appeared from one of the huts, grabbed the rope ladder, and started climbing.

So, they live there and do business on the bridge.

What resilient merchants.

I confirmed this and returned to the carriage.

"Still, this is an interesting town. I'd like to take a look around."

"Yes, let's stop the carriage and explore."

"Is there a stable!?"

"Yes, it's a bit more expensive."

There's no way grass could grow around here, and it would take up space.

Cary led me to a place a little further along the bridge.

I entrusted the carriage to Fuyun there.

For an additional fee, they could transport the carriage to the stable on the Dakat side, so I requested that.

I heard Haru firmly tell the stable owner, "Listen to this person. But if someone tries to take you to a strange place, fight back," and the owner chuckled.

As a precaution, I put the luggage back in the item bag.

"By the way, I'll give you this."

I took out a pouch and gave it to the two of them.

"Master, what is this money for?"

"Money to have fun. One thousand cents each."

"That's too much."

Yeah, ten silver coins, which would be about 100,000 yen in Japanese currency.

Not many people walk around with 100,000 yen at a festival.

I understand it's a luxurious way to spend money.

"Thanks to Cary, we saved 4,500 cents on the purchase price, so it's okay to use it freely. If you don't use it, you can save it. And Cary, you must always be with me or Haru."

"Mr. Ichi, are you treating Cary like a child? I'm almost 17, you know."

Cary said, sounding sulky.

I was treating her like a child.

Did I do something wrong?

"Master is worried about Cary."

Haru explained.

Right, that's a nice follow-up.

"I'm only half-strong, so no one worries about me. I envy Cary."

Haru said this in a slightly downcast voice.

Is this dangerous?

When you're with two girls, you have to treat them equally, right?

...I wonder how many times harder the protagonists in games and anime with five or six girls must be suffering?

"Ah... but it's our first time in this town, so why don't we stay together? I get lonely on my own too."

"Okay♪"

So, we decided to stay together.

There were many food stalls, just like at a festival.

We bought a sandwich that resembled a hamburger, made with meat and lettuce, for four cents each, along with bottles of water, and walked around the town while eating.

There was a shop selling wooden trinkets and dolls, and the two of them were discussing something.

I thought, "So, they are girls," but then,

"Is this brooch three cents!? The material is a shell, but the design is intricate. If I buy all the stock and sell it... I should sell it in that town."

"This wooden doll... it resembles the wooden puppet in the castle. I wanted to practice swordsmanship with a doll when I grow up. Shopkeeper, do you have any larger dolls?"

"Could I have all these brooches? Yes, all of them. And if you have any kind of certificate proving I bought them in this town, could I have that too? The information about the supplier is the most sought-after by other merchants."

"Is this the largest size? Hmm, that's a shame. I guess I'll have to build one myself from logs. This doll will be a good sample. This wooden puppet... Pil-chan? Is that its name? It's hard to cut something with a name, but it's good practice. I'll take one."

...Huh?

This is not at all what I thought girls' shopping conversations would be like.

Is this what girls' shopping is like?

Seeing Haru carefully holding a wooden doll about a meter tall and Cary happily holding a bag full of shell brooches, I tilted my head in confusion.

As we moved toward the middle of the bridge, there were more street performances and event stalls.

Stone chairs were lined up, and people were sitting there watching the performances.

A William Tell-style performance where a man shot an apple off someone's head with a bow and arrow was quite impressive.

However, the man shooting the arrow was a [Bowsman: Lv23], so there was probably some skill correction involved.

Incidentally, the performance was by an apple vendor, so we bought about ten apples for 20 cents. Cary said it was a bit expensive, but I told her the extra cost was a tip.

In the midst of this, there were also stalls with few customers.

"...What is this?"

I looked curiously at what was placed in the stall.

It was a silver sword embedded in a rock.

A sign in front of it explained the sword's history.

[The legendary sword Excalibur, which only a hero can draw]

Sorry, there was a setting mistake, and it was marked as completed.

I have corrected it.