TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
TL: ALT
Chapter 31 – Rumors of Pickpockets and Baron Moye
While waiting for the lord to return, they decided to explore the town.
Wataru and the others left the inn in the business district and decided to check out the shops in the area first.
There were clothing stores, accessory stores, medicine stores, shoe stores, and bag stores.
Each of these specialty stores lined the street, and there were restaurants in between.
There were also food stalls set up in the small intersection, and they gave off a delicious smell.
Although she had just eaten breakfast, Aire was already drooling and sniffing at the food stalls.
“I thought the same thing yesterday, but it’s so lively here.”
“Yes, it really is. No wonder it’s an area directly controlled by the Lord. The people walking around here all seem to have a certain energy about them.”
“Aww, can I buy that steamed potato thing, too, Master?”
“Can’t help it. Just one, though.”
“Yay! Thanks!”
With a light step, Aire leaves.
Wataru and Mariel follow her, smiling wryly, but due to the crowd, someone bumps Wataru’s shoulder hard.
“Oops…”
“Are you okay, Master? “
“Yes, thank you.”
“Master!”
Wataru was easily pushed and caught by Mariel, but he was surprised when he heard Aire’s sharp voice.
The next moment, Aire ran through the crowd at high speed towards them.
Then she grabbed the man who had bumped into Wataru by the neck and pulled him to the ground.
“Gwaaah! What are you doing?”
“Hey, hey, you don’t have to go that far.”
“This guy is a pickpocket!”
“Eh… is that right? My wallet!”
“F-forgive me… Gyaaah!?”
After a dull cracking sound, the man’s arm was bent at an unusual angle.
Aire, with a stern expression on her face, had broken the man’s arm.
Wataru couldn’t tell if she broke it with her bare hands or with a wooden sword because the movement was too fast, but the result was that the man’s arm was broken.
“(This is going too far. Why don’t we just hand him over to the guards?)”
Wataru considered a more moderate approach, but Mariel also looked at the man as if it were natural.
The group of people watching from a distance also didn’t seem surprised or judgmental about the incident itself.
“My arm, my arm!”
“You’re lucky she only broke one of your arms and didn’t take your life.”
“There won’t be a next time, so go. Here, Master, your wallet. I told you before, but you have to make sure your bag is closed properly, and you hold on to it tightly.”
“I’m sorry… I was told that, but I’ll be more careful.”
“I was distracted by the food, too, so I’m sorry.”
When Aire hung her head in shame, Wataru thought she was holding back.
If she had wanted to, she could have killed the pickpocket instantly, like twisting the monster’s neck.
The fact that she only used one arm showed that she knew how not to make a problem out of it.
The man was kicked away by Aire and fled the scene on all fours.
After that, the commotion seemed to end, and the people of the city returned to their normal routines, blending into the crowd.
“(They don’t arrest people for petty theft…)”
Wataru was surprised by the difference in common sense and muttered as if escaping from reality,
“I’ll have some steamed potatoes too…”
○○○
The potatoes, a specialty of the area, were delicious.
Compared to the potatoes Wataru usually eats, they were paler and whiter.
The boiled Moye potatoes were soft and melted in the mouth.
The Moye potatoes, generously sprinkled with salt and butter on the surface, were a violent mixture of salt, sweetness, and the aroma of butter, and they were delicious.
“Delicious, delicious! I’m going to eat some more!”
“You have a sensitive tongue, Aire, so eat it calmly.”
“Hoff, hoff! It’s hot but delicious!”
They sat side by side on a couch next to the food stand and nibbled at the potatoes.
Whether fried, grilled, or mashed and made into a salad, they would all be delicious.
“(I thought Japanese food was better, but the ingredients in this world can’t be underestimated…)”
Wataru was reminded of the possibilities of this world.
If cross-breeding were done, new varieties could be created that were resistant to disease, that produced large harvests, or that were not dependent on the season or soil.
When he thought about it like that, there was a good chance that even a single agricultural crop could turn into a treasure trove.
“Master, there’s some food on your mouth. Mmm, it’s delicious.”
“S-sorry… hey, you!”
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
Mariel reached up to her mouth and flicked the food off with her fingertip, then brought it straight back to her mouth.
Wataru’s eyes widened in surprise and Mariel narrowed her eyes and flicked her tongue.
Wataru, determined to make her regret it in the future, changed the subject.
“I think there are a lot of shops in this city that sell accessories.”
“That’s because the lord is a collector!”
The plump lady at the stall answered his question with a cheerful clink.
The question was clarified from an unexpected source.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“If a good ornament is made and the enchanter performs a wonderful enchantment, it will be added to the collection.”
“Haa, I see.”
“Maybe you can even become a retainer, so everyone works hard. Even if the quality is mediocre, the lord will sell it for you outside.”
“The lord himself is also in the business?”
“Haha, of course not. It seems that there are positions like retainer merchants who buy and sell things.”
“Wow… he’s amazing.”
“Yes, ever since the current generation came to power, the economy of our territory has been booming. The lord is amazing!”
Wataru swallowed his saliva as he listened to the old lady laughing happily.
“(The Equal Trade Law…)”
This is a policy that aims to stabilize prices and secure financial resources by reducing the middlemen’s profits earned by merchants through the lord’s own trading activities.
As an official, he would certainly be able to sharpen his economic sense by having his subordinates become merchants.
The more outstanding Baron Moye was, the more difficult the negotiations would be.
Wataru suddenly felt his throat tighten as he anticipated the severity of the upcoming negotiations.
After finishing his steamed potatoes, Wataru went to the medicine shops.
He bought potions for chronic illnesses.
The potions he had sold to Ryota had been well received, and he would probably have to buy more in the future, but there wasn’t much in stock at Minamifune-machi.
This was because the potions for chronic diseases were sold at a reasonable price, and in most cases, they were used instead of the more expensive potions.
It must have been difficult to mass-produce a potion that was expensive, time-consuming, and required magic.
Wataru decided to take a look at the accessories the next day, but he had to change his plans on short notice.
Baron Moye had granted him an audience.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Thanks for the treat. 👍
LikeLike
Considering the region’s specialty, the MC has enough potential leverage to stop worrying about failed negotiations with the lord. If anything, he should worry about showing off too much, enough to tempt someone into kidnapping him for extortion, or even robbery and being permanently silenced afterwards. Some say that everything has a price, even the moral values and good name of a noble, and he might unwittingly offer a prize too tempting to ignore.
LikeLike