Chapter 223: Drawback of Teleportation?
「……as expected, the royal capital is crowded」
After I Teleported to the building I previously landed with Eric before, I look over the royal capital’s cityscape from there.
Big buildings are lined up in my field of vision, and all sorts of people are coming on going on the street.
Different from Koryatt village, you can’t find any meadows or fields in this place. It is unmistakably a city in a different world.
「Sure enough, Misphilt castle is huge」
A grand castle that shot through the sky, dozens of heads taller than the other buildings.
Overwhelming the viewer, it was so big and beautiful that it will take your breath away each time you saw it.
Just due to that big building alone, one can take pride in the dignity of the country.
However, that looks to be difficult to clean with such size. I wonder how did they clean the top floor’s wall?
I continue staring blankly at the Misphilt castle even while having such a casual thought.
「Though it’d be great if I just stare at the view around while on top of that building like this, it’s been a long time since I came to the royal capital」
I came to the royal capital after much trouble. It would be a great idea to buy things that can only be bought here.
It was around spring when I came here. The ingredients and foods being sold at the market and stalls may have changed since the season has also changed.
While holding the excitement in my chest for arriving at the royal capital after a long time, I use the non-attributed magic Shield in place of the stairs and went down to the back alley.
After descending the stairs to the back alley so that it won’t attract any attention, I’m heading for the shops and stalls lining up the main street.
The number of people suddenly increases just by going out of the back alley to the ordinary street.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been spending my time relaxing in Koryatt village these days that it surprises me after going out to such a place with a lot of people.
I walked among a crowd of people incomparable to this one in my previous life, but it’s interesting to get to experience this.
I continue walking down the street while listening to the conversation and the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
This is the northwestern part of the royal capital, where there is the theater and a lot of high-class shops, so there are a lot of people who come and go through here that look like rich nobles and residents. And there is actually a lot of peaceful touting from the salesperson from the stalls and shops lining up the street, perhaps they also understand this fact.
But if you go to the main street or the market, it will be a tumult of voices. And there is no strange shopkeeper putting socks on daikon.
Oh well, the place I’m heading to is that kind of place.
As I walk while checking on the shops lined up down the street, I arrived in front of the theater.
A circular plaza with stone paving neatly covering it. And the especially prominent theater is located beside it.
It’s been a while since I come here with Eric to watch the Dragon Slayer play. It’s actually nostalgic.
I would have gone to watch the Dragon Slayer play again if Sylvio-niisan and Eleonora-neesan are here with me.
However, I’m alone right now. It might be interesting to watch a different play alone, but it’s kinda lonely somehow.
Let’s come here again next time with someone.
While thinking like that, I move toward the road that stretches from the main street to the central plaza.
As I continue walking to the eastern side of the capital, I saw knights wearing silver armor as they walked down the street. Their armor gave off a dull light as it reflects the light from the sun.
Some have beautiful swords affixed to their waist, while some hold spears and shields in their hands.
I’ve seen two knights patrolling the royal capital side-by-side several times but, this is the first time I saw more than five knights walking together side-by-side.
And perhaps the citizens walking on the street also felt the knights’ solemn atmosphere since they automatically opened up a path for them. I also went to the edge to follow suit.
Immediately after, the knights pass us while their armor is making clanking sounds *gachagacha*.
「What does it mean, ‘search for a brown-haired boy’? Why are we looking for such a boy anyway? In the first place, even if they say a boy, how old is the boy?」
「If I remember correctly, wasn’t it supposed to be around ten years old?」
「If it’s a ‘brown-haired boy around ten years old’, then there are countless of them in the royal capital. Are there any other easier-to-understand features?」
「If anything then it will be his mediocre facial features and his lifeless eyes or something……」
「Lifeless eyes? Is there really such a kid?」
「Don’t ask me. Just that, it seems that this is Layla-sama’s order you know?」
「Setting Kudelia-sama aside, I don’t think that Layla-sama would order us to do something unreasonable……」
「Well, in any case, we will have no choice but to search around this area, right. It’s an order from a princess anyway and it’s important that we searched for him in actuality even if we can’t find him」
「……you’re right」
The knights are having such conversation as they continue to head toward the theater.
A brown-haired boy with lifeless eyes?
Even though I don’t want to admit it, I’ve often been told that my eyes look lifeless. And also, I have brown hair. Although the age is a little way off, you can say that my age is close to ten years old.
……that, isn’t that me?
But I don’t think I did something to warrant a search by the knights. No wait, I entered the country illegally using Teleport, but it would probably be impossible to identify that it was me.
I should have done nothing wrong. It might just be a boy who has similar features to me who unexpectedly did something bad.
Let’s not get close to the area around the theater since I feel a disquieting atmosphere over there with knights prowling around. It’s best to not get involved with anything troublesome.
◆
Moving to the central main street from the theater area, I looked into the stalls and shops lining up the street from one side.
I knew it, just as I thought, the ingredients changes in accordance with the changing of the season.
I talk to a shopkeeper who looked to be free and gathered information about unfamiliar ingredients and then store the ingredients using Space magic after buying them. Furthermore, I also get some wood and scrap iron used up for making reversi and other toys, and also threads and cloths.
After I finish replenishing those, I take a break while going to a juice stall. It was a juice stall I went to and drank with Ra-chan and Mina.
The juice menu has mostly changed into something that I don’t know, maybe it’s because the season had changed and the seasonal fruit at that time has ended.
And it’s probably because it’s summer. It looks like there are a lot of citrus fruits with a refreshing aftertaste.
I order a fresh juice called Breath juice from the vendor.
As I drank the bright green juice, a slight sweetness, and a sharp, refreshing mint-like flavor.
As I try to instinctively exhale, a refreshing exhalation of air as if I had eaten mint.
「I see, so that’s why it’s called Breath juice」
I was expecting a refreshing fruit juice, but this is also not bad.
As I drank the juice while being impressed by it, the oneesan who sold the fruit juice called out to me.
「Ooh, what an amazing boy, to be able to drink that without changing your expression even once. A lot of adults will even change their expression when they drank that」
Perhaps she thought that it was interesting I can drink it normally, the oneesan was looking at me with a somewhat-interested look.
「It’s delicious and sweet you know. And I feel refreshed because of the refreshing breath I exhale」
「Ooh, I’m glad to meet someone who understands the taste of this drink. Some rude guys have been treating this juice as a punishment game lately」
For someone who enjoyed mint-flavored food in my previous life, this kind of characteristic in taste is still light.
Just that, it would probably be unbearable for people who are not too familiar with the taste.
Though I also don’t know why they start using it as a punishment game.
「Guess those people don’t understand how delicious this drink is then」
「Yeah, really. I have to figure out a way to make it easier to drink for people」
The oneesan continues to serve the other customers after she said that.
Maybe it’s because she’s been living here opening a stall that she got such a strong commercial spirit. As long as that oneesan keeps on improving herself, then that juice stall would also keep on selling juice for a long time.
The Breath juice is unpopular right now, but someday, it might become a popular juice everyone asks for and a product to sell.
I sit on a step at the edge of the street while thinking about it.
Shortly after that, I saw children playing with something interesting on the other side.
「Gooー! My top! Send them flying!」
「Don’t lose, my top!」
「E, eh? My top is not spinning? What happened?」
What those children are playing with is the thing I thought of, the spinning top that Lazareth ojiichan’s company commercialized.
The trial products have only just reached the territory back home but, it appears that they have already started selling the products over here.
Oh well, there was no problem with the trial products and no complaints in particular.
I have no intention of fervently spreading and selling the toys.
It’s enough as long as I got a sum of money that I’m satisfied with, where I can use it as I like even when I just living my life leisurely in the future. I don’t expect any more than that.
As for things like productions, troublesome dealings, and marketing, that will be Tori and Ojiichan’s area of expertise. I’m going to put my nose as far away as possible from such things.
I want to go to Ojiichan’s house since I’ve arrived in the royal capital, but I’m sure that they’re going to ask me how I came here. Or rather, they will definitely ask that. It’s a shame, but let’s drop by next time.
「Hey, how can I spin the top?」
「You need to coil the string more neatly. You won’t be able to spin them if you coil the string in such a sloppy manner」
「Then, how do you coil them?」
「Lend it to me for a sec. I’ll coil it up for you」
Somehow it makes me feel strange when I look at the unknown children playing with the toy I thought of.
'That, I thought of that you know?' What would happen if I say that to them. They’ll probably curse me thinking I’m lying.
Well, it’s nothing more than reproducing the toys - spinning top and reversi - from my previous world, so it’s not something I can take pride in.
I watch the children playing tops while drinking the Breath juice.
「Here, you hold it horizontally like this and then you throw it. Try it」
The boy coiled up the string of the top and explain how to throw the top, then give it to the girl after she nodded.
The girl then moves her arm as though she was thinking about what the boy taught her.
After confirming the movement, the girl vigorously threw the top with an expression that looks like she was resolved to do it.
The rotational energy from the string is transferred to the top as it left the string and falls to the ground.
「Ahh! It spins! My top is spinning! Thank you!」
「O, ou, glad you can do it」
Being thanked by the girl with an innocent smile on her face, the embarrassed boy unintentionally scratches his head.
I feel like an adolescence-like development is happening in front of me somehow.
How strange. Although I should have been of the same age as those boys, it doesn’t feel like that at all.
Speaking of the people playing tops with me, it would be the bad company Torr and Asmo. Then the middle-aged adventurers, Roomba and Gates.
I wonder what is this, this difference………
It getting painful seeing the scene in front of me, so I stood up from the steps and left that place.
「Juice! Juice! 」
After that, as I only walk down the street aimlessly, I heard a familiar, childish voice from the front.
Twintail-ed hair with color that is between gold and brown and tied with red ribbon.
The girls - dressed in pure white one-piece with short sleeves - came skipping over toward me, looking to be in a good mood.
There’s no mistaking it. That’s Ra-chan.
The moment I’m certain of that, Ra-chan widened her eyes, I guess she also noticed me.
「……eh? It’s Al!?」
Ra-chan points towards me while yelling in surprise.
This is bad. There is an extremely high chance that Shelka is also here with her if Ra-chan is here.
It’s going to be a nuisance - in various meanings - if she found out that I’m here.
I don’t see Shelka or the maid right now. If I’m going to run away then now’s the time.
I’m feeling sorry for Ra-chan, but I ignored her calling out to me and escaped toward the side street.
「Ah! Why are you running away!」
I teleported to the roof of a building on the other side while listening to Ra-chan’s seemingly angry-voice calling out to me from the back.
The feeling as if my body is slightly floating, and the instant change of view.
Ra-chan looked into the side street where I escaped to at the same time as I lowered my stance to hide my body on the roof.
「Al―!………eh? Not here?」
「What’s wrong Ranna-sama!? It’s dangerous to run off like that!?」
Ra-chan looked at the side street curiously for several seconds. And a young maid-san hurriedly rushed over to her from the back.
It seems that it was not the maid-san who carried Bram like a sack of rice.
I’m a bit relieved about that.
「Ranna-sama, what is the matter for you to look into the side street?」
「Al was here」
「Al? Could it possibly be the Alfried-sama that Ranna sama usually talked about?」
「Uu? Un, maybe」
No no, Ra-chan. You should nod confidently right there. My name is Alfried after all.
I guess she pick up that name because I was only called by my nickname in the past and she probably only has a faint memory of my real name.
「But we have not heard any news about Slowlett house being in the royal capital? And the eldest daughter - Eleonora-sama - seems to have returned to their territory some time ago. It’s quite rare for their family to come to the royal capital so the news will immediately be passed around if they came to the royal capital」
Is my family a rare monster or something?
Oh well, we have a hero called Dragon Slayer after all. It may be understandable for the news to spread.
「But, I saw Al mon!」
「Ha, haa. But, he does not appear to be here, right?」
「That’s why I say, it’s strange!」
Ra-chan puffed her cheeks and say that, I guess she’s really unhappy that I’m not there. On the other hand, maid-san looks truly troubled.
However, I can’t show my face right now.
Ra-chan looked for me for some time and maid-san also keep her company while being reluctant about it.
But, they can’t find me who is hiding on the roof of a building on the other side.
「Ranna-sama, it seems that there is no one here? You still have magic practice in the mansion after this, let’s buy juice and return, shall we」
「……un」
Ra-chan still nodded despite being unhappy about it, I guess she understood that I’m not there.
「……I want to play with Al and Eric again」
The Teleport of Space magic is convenient magic where I can go wherever but, the bottleneck is that I can’t carelessly meet with my acquaintance……
Realizing the drawback of Teleport, I returned to Koryatt village while holding an indescribable feeling in my chest.
here
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