Chapter 40

The street was incredibly noisy.

I held Demian's hand tightly to avoid getting caught in the crowd and carefully looked around at the items.

As expected of the northern region, where many monsters appear, most of the items were weapons, armor, and potions for healing wounds.

'Sure enough, in the north, these kinds of things sell well.'

But that also meant they were quite common.

'The items need to have their own uniqueness.'

I examined the items on the stalls more carefully.

"Interested?"

At that moment, a bearded man looked at me and asked. He seemed to be the owner of the shop.

"Yes, I'm just curious."

Feeling too lazy to explain, I simply smiled like an innocent child.

"Come now, this is quite expensive."

The man waved his hand as if soothing a child.

"Hey, that brat...!"

Suddenly, Ivana, who had been guarding us from behind, jumped forward, and Mei quickly covered her mouth to calm her down.

Instead, she glared at the man with a murderous look.

"Wh-What if you have enough money to take a look... sir."

Perhaps intimidated by Mei's expression, the man's voice became much gentler.

'Should I ask about it without hesitation?'

I pointed at the potion in front of me and asked.

"What is this?"

"It's a potion for healing wounds. No, sir. It's mainly used for minor bruises, but it would be better to just seek out priests. Ha ha..."

His forced smile trembled slightly. Mei's expression must have been quite frightening.

I looked at the potion, lost in thought.

Indeed, at this price, it would be better to just go to a temple.

The empire had two centers.

One was the royal family, and the other was the temple.

Among them, the Central Temple of Grapes was a group with immense divine power.

As befitting a place that preached 'love all,' they would dedicate everything for the sake of pure goodness.

'Just the fact that they sometimes perform purification rituals to treat Duke Shuetsu's madness is enough to show that.'

But to borrow the divine power of the priests, one had to pay a hefty price.

Especially since it hadn't been long since the war ended, more people would be visiting the temples.

War could never truly end.

As long as there were scars on the body, wounds in the heart, and memories, the war would be remembered forever.

'That much faith in the temples must have increased as well.'

But that was the story for those who had money.

The people at the bottom suffered the most from the war.

Those who couldn't even afford food for a day couldn't rely on divine power.

'So, these cheap potions keep selling, I guess.'

While staring at the potion and deep in thought, I heard a question.

"Miss Ely, are you hurt somewhere?"

"Why are you looking at such a potion..."

"Should I call a doctor right away?"

Ivana, Mei, and Asel asked worriedly one after another.

I shook my head quickly and smiled brightly.

"Just curious! I thought maybe I could give this to the Duke when he's sick."

It was a vague excuse, but it seemed to touch the hearts of the three maids.

"How kind..."

"Your heart is so pure."

The three of them clutched their chests with moved expressions.

"Then, Miss Ely, how about buying one as a gift?"

"Gift?"

"Yes. In our territory, it's a custom for children on their first outing to buy gifts for their family."

Ivana explained that because the territory was dangerous, the first outing held great significance.

"...Then, should I buy one?"

I turned my gaze back to the potion and muttered absentmindedly.

'But...'

Would Duke Shuetsu like it? 'That' Duke Shuetsu, this kind of potion?

I couldn't help but chuckle.

He wouldn't even blink at a headache remedy.

'There's no way he'd like this.'

I shook my head to myself.

"Uh-huh. I don't want to buy it. I want to look at something else!"

I said this and led Demian by the hand.

As we left the street, a different scene unfolded.

A variety of dazzling jewelry was displayed, sparkling in the light.

"Beautiful..."

I muttered without realizing it, and the tailor in front of me smiled kindly.

"You have a good eye. Would you like to choose one?"

Unlike the weapon merchant earlier, his expression was polite.

Perhaps because of this, my casual intention to just look around became more serious.

As I examined the items more carefully, a pair of earrings with a particularly clear and blue gemstone caught my eye.

'Ah.'

They looked exactly like Demian's eyes.

Of course, they weren't as clear as diamonds, but the way they sparkled with light reminded me of Demian.

'Should I buy one?'

I glanced at Demian beside me. He was also looking at the other jewelry with curiosity.

"I'll take this one."

I made a shushing gesture to the merchant, who carefully packaged the jewelry for me.

As I held the earrings close to my chest, I could feel Asel's envious gaze on the box.

Then, I suddenly remembered what Ivana had said.

'This territory places great importance on the gifts bought on the first outing.'

Even if the relationship was formed under the Duke's protection, the people in the ducal castle were all kind to me.

'...Should I buy one?'

I had never bought anything for someone else before, so it felt strange.

'Will they like my gift?'

What if they don't?

While hesitating with these thoughts, I felt a warm hand on mine.

"Ely?"

"A, Demian. Did you finish buying everything?"

I snapped out of my thoughts.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly hid the package behind my back.

"Yep, I finished."

"Th-Then let's go somewhere else."

I looked up at the maids and said,

"I want to look around with just the two of us!"

"Huh?"

Asel looked shocked, as if she had just received a breakup notice.

"There are so many people here. It's dangerous for just the two of you to walk around."

"But..."

"I'll go with you."

At that moment, a low voice cut in.

It was the knight who had given me a handkerchief at the training ground.

'Right. I remember we came with the knights.'

I had completely forgotten about their presence while moving with the maids.

Of course, it also meant they had hidden their presence well.

I looked up at the knight.

His bulky body, fierce expression, and narrow eyes.

No one would easily approach him.

"Sir Rainer, if you go with us, I'll feel much safer..."

Ivana hesitated, but I quickly said,

"Sir Rainer, please go with us!"

He nodded at my words.

Ivana said, seemingly helpless,

"Then we'll wait here. Sir Rainer, please take good care of the young master and Miss Ely."

With a worried expression, Sir Rainer nodded silently.

* * *

"Hmm..."

Having successfully distanced myself from the maids, I looked at the items in front of me and racked my brain.

"Ely, is it difficult?"

"Yep. I don't know what to buy. I've chosen something for Ivana and Mei, but what does Asel like... Ah, Demian, are you bored?"

"No, not at all."

Demian shook his head firmly.

"Just... envious."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing."

Demian mumbled so softly that I could barely hear him.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but I needed to choose quickly and return, so I focused on the items in front of me again.

"Oh, this is pretty."

At that moment, a couple approached our stall.

They were with a child around my age with tanned hair.

"Feel free to look around. They're not expensive, but they're quite valuable items."

"Ah, really? The shiny ones are so beautiful."

"Would you like to pick one?"

The couple, who seemed to be parents, asked the child.

The child nodded with a stiff face.

Then, as if on cue, people started gathering one by one.

The merchant smiled widely as the crowd suddenly grew.

'If I keep this up, I'll lose Demian.'

I thought I should leave quickly and led Demian by the hand.

"Can I have one of these?"

"Oh, thank you."

As the merchant turned to make the transaction, the child with tanned hair reached out and very secretly hid an item in his hand.

"Shall we look at something else?"

The woman, having confirmed the child's clenched fist, smiled naturally and left.

Oh. I was impressed.

'I'm seeing the technique I taught Demian right in front of me.'

Feeling a new sense of excitement, I couldn't help but chuckle.

I could have just ignored it since it wasn't my property, but thinking that this might be a place where I would do business in the future, I couldn't stay silent.

I reached out and grabbed the child's wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"What, what is it!"

"I saw what you just did."

I smiled and the child's face stiffened.

"What are you talking about?"

"W-What did our child do?"

The couple pulled the child toward them, flustered.

It seemed like a desperate attempt to avoid drawing attention.

'I found it.'

The first gift for the Duke.

I took a deep breath, puffing out my chest.

Then—

"Sir Rainer—!"

I called out with all my might to the strongest adult in the square.

If I said the child was a thief, he would be ignored just because he's a child.

In such a situation, an adult who couldn't be ignored was needed.

Sir Rainer, like a mountain, approached where we were.

Someone let out a frightened squeak.