Chapter 68

Today, somehow... an update ('ω')

Gah, I'll do my best!

"Hey, hey, what's going on!?"

I instructed Silk to stay at the stairs and pushed through the crowd to reach Marina and the others.

"Once again, get out of here!"

Marina's clear voice echoed with a threatening tone.

This isn't good.

If we're not careful, this could turn into a bloodbath.

"I'm coming through, okay?"

Finally reaching the center, I moved in front of the table causing the commotion and stood before Marina.

Good. They haven't drawn their weapons yet.

"What's going on, Marina?"

"Yuk! These guys—..."

Before Marina could explain, one of the three men slammed a wooden mug on the table.

The smell of alcohol wafted from him. He's pretty drunk.

"Hey, you, barkeep!"

"Um, Alice, bar!"

The men shouted, as if trying to stop me from approaching.

Salmterian, huh...!

Ah, looking closely, the kilts wrapped around their waists are Salmterian.

"These guys suddenly came in and tried to make us serve them drinks."

Nene's pupils narrowed, and her hair and tail stood on end.

I see, I can guess what happened.

Let's see, how did it go? Wait a moment...

"Paag aari, ko shira. Ei saawa aco. Ra hat"

Considering the possibility that the common language of the kingdom might not work, I called out in broken Salmterian, recalling what I could.

The men looked at each other in surprise.

"What did you say, Yuk?"

"I told them, 'Everyone is my precious family and comrades.' I think it's correct."

After a while, the men reluctantly left the adventurer's guild.

As they left, the onlookers gradually dispersed.

If they weren't going to help, they might as well have sat down and had a drink.

Anyway, it's a good thing it didn't get serious.

I let out a small sigh and turned to Marina and the others.

"Everyone, are you okay?"

Seeing the commotion had settled, Silk ran over.

"Yeah. They just touched my shoulder a bit... Rain helped with <Shock>."

"They were about to cut off my head, you know."

Nene muttered, still exuding a dangerous aura.

Those guys would probably have done it...

They should be grateful to me.

However, we should have been more cautious with Salmterians coming in.

"Sorry, it was my oversight."

"What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"

I patted Marina's worried head and shook my head.

"No, it was my mistake. We shouldn't have come in a group of three with Salmterian adventurers here."

Salmteria is an extremely patriarchal country.

It's their tradition, their faith, and their way of life.

Women in that country are considered property of the household.

They are only allowed to bear children, do housework, and help with the family business. They are human-shaped property.

Our values in the Kingdom of Vermelia are completely different.

Probably, the concept of independent women as individuals is incomprehensible to them.

Young women like Marina, without male or household protection, must seem like treasure chests in a dungeon to them.

With their heads completely turned by their drunkenness, they forgot this wasn't Salmteria and immediately demanded drinks from what they considered their property... and met resistance.

"That's weird!"

"I know it seems strange, but that's how Salmteria is."

Marina, who had been angry, suddenly returned to a serious expression and tilted her head.

"Then why did they leave?"

"Indeed. If they considered you property, they could have been more forceful..."

"It's because I'm a man. Salmteria is a country where faith and law are intertwined, and the punishment for crimes is quite severe."

"Like what?"

"The punishment is the same as the crime. If those guys had—putting it bluntly—tried to steal you as property, they would be in a position where they could be stolen from by anyone else in the name of the gods. They would be constantly at risk of being stolen from by others."

Marina nodded, understanding.

"So, you were asserting our ownership, Yuk?"

"The nuance is different... but it seems to have gotten through."

I'm glad the Salmterian I studied a few years ago worked.

It's good to be prepared for anything.

"Hmm..."

"What's wrong, Marina?"

"Hey, Yuk. Let's make matching outfits. That way, they'll know we belong to you, right?"

"Belong to me...?"

I understand what you're trying to say, but I'd rather not give the wrong impression to others.

"Well, I guess it would be clearer for Salmterians. Okay, I'll think about it quickly."

It's important for the safety of my companions, so I should hurry.

But being caught in trouble in a place that's not even a dungeon feels like a setback.

"Alright, let's stop here... and head to the inn."

"Already found one?"

Marina, who is quick to move on, leaned forward.

"The guild master kindly introduced us. Let's rest and prepare for the national request."

"I'm already exhausted... I want to go, rest, and eat some delicious food!"

"Same here."

Following Silk, Marina and Nene left the adventurer's guild.

Rain, who had been silently watching the situation, tugged at the hem of my clothes.

"Hey, Yuk. Can I ask one thing?"

"What is it?"

"You got the Salmterian wrong."

Rain said with a wry smile and ran after Silk.

Left behind, I clutched my head.

...What did I say?

How was it ('ω')?

I made a pretty bad mistake, but I won't say what it was.

If you're curious about what I said or found it interesting, please change the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★ to support me!

Thank you very much!