Chapter 5: To the Capital
Two days after Gon’s punishment was decided, the time had finally come for the trade squad of Yuba’s village to depart for the capital.
Despite the early hour of the morning, huge crowds of people had gathered in the village square, where several horse-drawn carriages were standing by. Among them was not only the trade squad, but Hayate’s party as well.
Hayate’s party was heading to the next neighboring village in the direction of the capital, so it was decided that they would accompany the trade squad part of the way. Furthermore, several of Hayate’s attendants would be staying with the trade squad in order to escort the members of Gon’s gang that would become slaves to the capital.
“Hurry! Make sure that none of the annual tax has been left unloaded! The carriage with the prisoners will bring up the rear. And to those escorting: be sure to not take your eyes off of them for even a moment,” Hayate commanded his aides briskly from his horse.
A dozen or so people were running around in a flurry.
“Lord Hayate.” Ruri addressed him from the ground beside his horse.
“Hm? O-Oh. Lady Ruri, how may I assist you?”
“Oh, no. I just wanted to express my gratitude for all that you’ve done to accommodate us, Lord Hayate. You didn’t have to dismount from your horse.”
Hayate had gotten off his horse in a hurry, which made Ruri laugh in amusement.
“A-Ah, no, well... It is fine. I did not do anything deserving of such gratitude — I simply fulfilled my duties as an official of this kingdom. If anything, you should be thanking Lord Rio. He was the one who noticed their intrusion on that night, after all.”
“Yes, I’ll definitely offer Rio my gratitude again later, but I won’t be seeing you again for some time. I couldn’t prepare anything fancy, but if you could accept this...” Ruri stuck out her hand bashfully. It was something packed in a small bag.
“...What’s this?” Hayate cocked his head curiously as he accepted it.
“It’s an amulet for good health and warding off evil. I made it in a rush, so it’s a little frayed...” Ruri said bashfully.
“O-Ooh! I am most indebted! I will treasure it greatly.” Overcome with emotion, Hayate expressed his deepest gratitude.
“Ahaha, I’m glad you like it.”
“Of course. It is the greatest gift one could hope to receive. I wish I could gift you something too, but I am most regrettably not in possession of such an item at this moment. I will bring one with me next time I visit.”
“This is a gift to thank you for taking care of me, so I can’t possibly accept anything else from you. Ah, but please, feel free to visit any time you like. An amulet is barely enough to make up for all you’ve done, but we’ll always welcome you in our boring little village.”
“O-Of course. Then, perhaps on my next vacation...” At Ruri’s strained smile, Hayate hesitantly nodded his head.
“We’ll be waiting for you. Ah, also, Granny wanted to give you something too—” Ruri suddenly remembered. She looked around for Yuba.
“I’m right here. Lord Hayate, there’s a small favor I’d like to ask of you, if you’d care to lend an ear?” Yuba approached as though she had been awaiting her chance.
“Certainly. I will assist you to the best of my ability.” Hayate nodded readily.
“Ruri, you go see Rio and Sayo off,” Yuba said, creating an opportunity for Hayate and herself to be alone.
“Please hand this letter to your father, Lord Gouki,” Yuba said, handing Hayate a rolled-up parchment with emphasis.
“To my father?”
“Yes. It is a very important letter, so I would appreciate it if you handed it over to him in person.”
“I see. Consider it done — I promise you I will deliver it with these very hands.” Hayate accepted the letter with a fierce nod and carefully tucked it away in his clothes.
“I am most grateful.”
“It is of no inconvenience to me, as I would have seen my father once I returned home anyway. For you to be using valuable paper for this, I can assume it must be of a serious matter. Please, leave it to me.”
“Indeed. Then please allow me to repay you at a later date. Let’s see... How about when Lord Hayate comes to visit Ruri?” Yuba said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a small grin.
“D-Did you hear what Ruri and I were saying earlier, by any chance? I-It is not that I am coming to see only Ruri, but I will look forward to it nevertheless,” Hayate said at an oddly rapid pace, sounding almost as though he was giving some kind of an excuse.
“Is that so? Well, that girl is already of age, and I would be more concerned if she remained an old spinster forever. It would be most fortunate if you could visit sooner rather than later.”
“A-As I said, Lady Ruri and I are not...”
Seeing Hayate’s faltering made Yuba huff with laughter and put on a smile. “Yes, so please come visit before she finds another to take her hand in marriage. It wouldn’t be good to come all the way here just to visit a married woman, after all.”
“Uh... That... is a good point.” Hayate widened his eyes and nodded with a strained smile. For some reason, he felt like he was just baited.
Meanwhile, a short distance away from Yuba and Hayate, Rio was talking to the two girls.
“Wow. It feels like so long since I’ve seen you in that outfit, Rio. You wore it when you arrived in the village... and a couple of times during your training, I think?” Ruri commented in amazement at the sight of Rio fully decked out in his gear.
Rio had equipped the complete set of dwarven-made armor he received from the spirit folk village. He wore his black overcoat on top of everything else. During his stay in the village, he had rarely ever fully equipped himself, so it was just as Ruri had said.
“Come to think of it, it’s been over half a year since Sir Rio came to this village...” Sayo folded her fingers over as she counted off the months Rio had been with them.
“Time sure flies. Rio’s one of us villagers now.” Ruri nodded wholeheartedly, then bowed her head. “Rio, please protect Sayo and all of the villagers on your journey. Please,” she said with a serious expression.
“Yes, leave it to me.” Rio nodded his head with a faint smile.
“Thank you. And... I’m sorry.” Ruri said with a somewhat regretful face.
“For what?” Rio tilted his head, unsure of what she was apologizing for.
“I reflected on... what happened a few days ago. The more I thought about everything with a calm disposition, the more I realized I did something terrible to Rio. I thanked you, but I didn’t apologize. That’s why I wanted to say sorry before you left for the capital. I figured it’d be too late if I waited until you came back...”
Ruri explained her reason for apologizing with an expression that conveyed how unbearable she found her own emotions, when Sayo hurriedly cut in.
“U-Umm! In that case, I’d like to apologize to Sir Rio too!”
“No, Sayo. You tried to take action for Rio’s sake before you even thought of yourself. I wasn’t like that.” Ruri shook her head.
“T-That’s not tru—”
“Please wait a minute, you two,” Rio interrupted, sensing that the conversation was about to devolve into bickering. Ruri and Sayo both looked at Rio in unison.
“The root of the problem was my lack of consideration. I was so infuriated; I couldn’t see my surroundings and ended up scaring the two of you. That’s why I should be the one to apologize,” Rio said with a guilty expression.
“That’s not true!”
“That is not true at all!”
Ruri and Sayo’s strong objections overlapped with each other, as though they had planned it in advance.
Rio’s eyes widened in shock for a moment, before he let out an amused laugh. “...Haha.”
“W-What’s so funny?” Ruri and Sayo exchanged glances bashfully.
“How about a handshake?” Rio said, suddenly offering his right hand out to the girls.
“Huh? A handshake?”
“A handshake of reconciliation. We all have things we refuse to concede to, but I would like to meet you two halfway in spite of that. So, let’s shake on it. That way, with this, everything will return to normal,” Rio said, leaving Ruri and Sayo both blinking blankly.
“Y-Yeah. Thanks, and sorry. I’m sorry, Rio...” Ruri came to her senses with a gasp and shook Rio’s hand.
“Sayo, too. May we shake hands?” After his handshake with Ruri, Rio turned to address Sayo, who was still standing there in a daze.
“Huh?! ...Ah, y-yes! I-If that’s all right with you!”
Sayo wiped her hand against her clothes and offered her right hand to Rio in a panic. Rio gave a faint grin and shook her hand, making Sayo immediately freeze with a flush, while Ruri watched the two of them with a pleasant smile on her face.
“...Take these, you two. They’re amulets for good health and warding off evil.”
After Rio let go of Sayo’s hand, Ruri offered them the same amulet she had given Hayate.
“Thank you very much. I’ll treasure it.”
“T-Thank you, Ruri!”
Rio and Sayo gratefully accepted the amulets.
“Yup. Let’s hang out together again when you get back.” Ruri suggested.
“Yes, please,” Rio immediately agreed with a smile.
“Okay, have a good trip. Sayo, make sure you stay by Rio’s side. He’ll protect you no matter what.”
“Huh? O-Okay...” Sayo ducked her head in embarrassment.
“All right! It looks like Lord Hayate’s party is ready. Time to head out!” The leader of the trade squad, Dola, yelled out.
“Right, we’ll be off then. Let’s go, Sayo.”
“Y-Yes!” Rio began walking, Sayo on his heels.
After the other villagers had said their farewells, Rio and Sayo climbed into the horse-drawn carriage headed for the capital. Yuba, Ruri, and the other villagers all saw them off as the carriages finally departed from the village, proceeding down the road toward the capital with a clattering noise.
There was a risk of being attacked by bandits or wild animals while on the road, but the dozen or so villagers were all relatively geared for the occasion. Thankfully, their journey was uneventful, and they pulled up to the next village a little past noon.
Hayate’s party would be splitting off here, but several members of his squad would be remaining with the villagers in order to escort the criminals to the capital.
“Lord Hayate, thank you for everything you’ve done,” Rio called out and bowed. He descended from the horse-drawn carriage he had been riding on to give his parting words to Hayate.
Hayate dismounted from the horse in one smooth movement before brightly responding to Rio.
“No, I have been in your debt as well, Lord Rio. Let us sit down and have a chat again when we have the opportunity. I would also like to spar with you once, if possible. If you ever visit the capital on another occasion, feel free to drop by my home. I would be glad to assist you if need be.”
“Thank you very much. I plan on leaving the village eventually, but I will make sure to stop by before I leave the kingdom.”
“I see... Is that so. I am a bit saddened to hear that, but fate will decide if we are destined to meet again. If anything happens on your way to the capital, please rely on my attendants. Be well.”
“Yes. You take care of yourself, too, Lord Hayate.”
Rio and Hayate exchanged lighthearted words and a firm handshake, then nodded at each other before they parted ways.
After that, the road to the capital continued to be peaceful, and the party proceeded down the road as a fall breeze blew around them.
Several days later, Rio and the others arrived at the capital.
Rio had arrived at the capital of the Karasuki Kingdom.
An enormous structure towered in the middle of the capital, its architecture resembling a Japanese-style castle. Equally large castle walls ran along its perimeter. As one would expect from the capital, the town that surrounded the castle was vast and spread out, bearing a population of tens of thousands of people.
With barely any opportunity to visit the capital, most villagers would get lost immediately. However, Rio’s party were directly led by Dola and Hayate’s aides to their destination: the lodging they would use for the duration of their stay. It went without saying that Hayate’s aides knew where to go, and Dola had apparently visited the capital numerous times before.
Their lodging was a shared accommodation facility managed by the kingdom that could house several dozen guests at once. Traveling merchants and villagers selling their own products, much like Rio’s party, were able to use the lodgings without interruption, so there was a fair demand for them. And because they were renting the space, they had to do all the cooking and laundry themselves during their stay.
Eventually, the party secured a lodging and stopped their carriages.
“All right. We’ll be living here during our stay, so make sure you remember the location, and don’t get lost out there. Make sure you’re accompanied by someone who’s been to the capital before when you go out,” Dola said in a joking manner. Main roads aside, the smaller paths really were like a maze, so his words weren’t completely dismissible as a joke. The younger villagers laughed as they nodded, but the elder ones nudged them. “It’s no laughing matter,” they said.
Dola smiled wryly when he noticed that interaction.
“Okay. Now, I’m going to go out for a bit, so I’ll leave the unpacking of the cargo to you guys. Rio, could you come with me? And... Shin, you too.”
“Yes, sure.” Summoned by Dola, Rio and Shin made their way after him.
After they had walked for a while, Dola explained the reason he had called them out. “We’re going to have Lord Hayate’s subordinates accompany us to take Gon’s group to the internment camp. It’s possible they may require some kind of witness statement, but I’d prefer not to take Sayo, if possible. Sorry Rio, but I’d like you to come along. And you too, Shin, as Sayo’s brother. Is that all right?”
“If that’s all it is, then I don’t mind at all. Please let me see things through until the end.” Rio’s expression tensed as he gave a firm nod.
“Well, I have to see the final moments of the rotten bastard that attacked Sayo,” Shin also agreed with a hateful expression.
Thus, the three of them met up with Hayate’s attendants, who had been waiting a short distance away. Next to them was the carriage with Gon and the others.
“Right. Sorry to keep you waiting,” Dola said to Hayate’s aides.
“No, we don’t mind — this is our job. However, the internment camp is a fair distance away from here. We’d like to depart immediately so that we can arrive before sundown.”
Under the guidance of Hayate’s aides, the party headed toward the internment camp. With their objective being what it was, the atmosphere was rather gloomy and quiet.
After walking for about thirty minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.
Located near the center of the capital was an area where the kingdom’s civil service office buildings were clustered. Once they stopped in front of one particularly large and sturdy-looking building, a security guard approached them. He asked about their business, to which Hayate’s attendant explained their situation. Thanks to that, the process went along smoothly and several officials and guards were called out of the building to release Gon and the others from the carriage.
“Get out!”
Once the door was open, a guard barked out an order to Gon and the others within. Knowing they would be cut down immediately if they tried to flee here, Gon’s group obediently appeared from within the carriage. Their hands were bound, restricting their movement greatly.
“...Eek!” The moment Gon spotted Rio among the crowd of people, he instinctively tried to back away in fright. However, a nearby guard used the pole of his spear to smack him on the head.
“No moving around!”
“Gah!”
The impact was strong enough for Gon to lose balance and topple over. He was restrained where he lay face down, the chained collar snapping shut around his neck.
“F-Fuck. Fuck this...” Gon’s voice was pathetic as his body shook.
Beside him, the men who had assisted Gon were unanimously denying their involvement and claiming they were deceived as the guards indifferently snapped collars around their necks, one after another.
Rio watched on, emotionless.
“Take them away — we will now conduct the necessary procedures. Follow us, please,” an official said to Rio and the others before heading inside.
The guards pulled the chains that were attached to the prisoners’ necks and entered the building with familiar strides.
“We should go, too.”
Dola gave a tired sigh and headed inside the building. Rio also took in a breath before walking forward, and Shin brought up the rear with rather nervous steps.
A surprisingly neat and tidy space welcomed them once they entered the building, with what looked like a reception desk directly opposite the door. Several merchant-like people were waiting in line.
“This place takes in not only criminal slaves, but regular slaves too. That’s why merchants come and go in order to purchase stock,” Dola explained to Shin, who was curiously looking around the room.
After that, Rio and the others were led to a waiting room, where they were told to stand by during the procedures. They waited for several minutes before the door of the waiting room opened.
“Sorry for the wait. But, thanks to the testimony that Lord Hayate provided, the judgment came much quicker than expected. The decision was settled — Gon will be a penal slave, while the others will be contract slaves for their debts,” Hayate’s subordinate said as he entered. He gave his report with a wry smile, feeling relaxed after the procedure had gone smoother than expected.
“Ooh, I’m glad to hear that. Why does it normally take longer?” Dola asked with wide eyes.
“Well, you see... Normally, even a criminal caught red-handed would undergo an informal trial to receive judgment, but the case was closed this time with just a document examination.”
“I see. In that case, please give Lord Hayate our deepest thanks when you see him again.”
“Of course — I shall let him know. Also, here is the victim compensation paid out from Gon being taken into custody as a penal slave. It contains one gold coin,” Hayate’s aide said, holding out a small bag with the compensation money. A single gold coin was enough for an average household in the capital to live off for several months.
“Oh, wow... So much?” Dola’s eyes widened in shock.
“Well, he was an awfully burly man. His bounty was valued at the highest level.” Hayate’s subordinate shrugged with a wry smile.
“I see...”
“For the remaining contract slaves, you can either have them assessed and bought out immediately by the government office, or put them up for auction. Auctions do take both time and effort, but you could potentially get a much higher price than the instant buyout depending on the qualities of the slaves. Which will you go with?”
“In that case, please go with the buyout,” Dola chose without a moment’s hesitation.
“All right. Then, I shall inform them immediately. Please wait a bit longer until the assessments are done.” The aide nodded, then turned on his heel and left the room once again.
“Boss, is that really okay? Wouldn’t we be able to get more if we put them on auction?” Shin asked Dola.
“It’s fine. This method will cause less trouble in the future, and I don’t wanna see their faces anymore.” Dola replied frankly and shook his head.
“...Fine. It kinda feels anticlimactic, though.” Everything had proceeded so smoothly that Shin didn’t seem quite satisfied.
“Well, this is what it’s like when someone loses their humanity like that. You may not be used to it, but I’ll take you out for a good meal later so you can forget all of this and start anew,” Dola said to clear the strangely depressing atmosphere, ruffling Shin’s head roughly.
“S-Stop that, boss! Not in front of him!”
Shin glanced at Rio and resisted Dola in embarrassment, feeling overly aware of the fact that he was being treated like a child. Rio chuckled with a smile as he watched the two of them in amusement.
By the time Rio and the others had collected their buyout money and left the internment center, the sun was already setting in the sky; most of the day had already passed them by.
“Since we’ve received the compensation money and all, let’s start heading back. I’ll buy you two some of the famous local kamutan!” Dola said on their way back to their lodgings.
“Ooh! Yeah!” Shin cheered happily.
“What’s... kamutan?” Rio asked, having never heard the word before.
“Oh, what? You’ve never had kamutan before?” Shin looked at Rio with a somewhat pleased expression.
“I haven’t. What kind of food is it?”
“I see. Well, how should I put it? It’s a steamy hot bowl of soup with long and thin noodles made of rice flour and wheat flower. You slurp it up, and it tastes great.”
At Rio’s earnest question, Shin gave a simple explanation of kamutan with a smug expression. He moved his hands, making the gesture of slurping noodles.
“...Hmm, that certainly seems good.” Rio could imagine what kind of food kamutan was by Shin’s explanation.
Noodles, huh? Ramen, soba, udon... No, it uses rice flour as well as wheat flour, so maybe it’s something like pho on Earth?
At any rate, his interest was piqued. Rio loved cooking and food in general more than anything, so he was immediately filled with the desire to try it as soon as possible.
“It doesn’t just seem good, it is good. You’ll see once you eat it.”
“You were really touched when you ate it for the first time, too. You even tried to get Sayo to make it for you after you got back to the village... She hadn’t tried it before, so you two ended up fighting, if I recall correctly,” Dola teased Shin boastfully.
Shin recoiled in embarrassment, then flared up at Rio, who watched him in amusement. However, it wasn’t with a hostile attitude: Shin, who had previously avoided having conversations with Rio, was now able to hold proper conversations with him, despite being a tad bit blunt at times.
Perhaps he had a slight change of heart after Rio saved Sayo during the Gon incident.
The three of them chatted energetically as they made their way back to their lodgings. After handing the compensation money they received from the government office to the men waiting at their accommodations, they left once again to get a bite to eat. Since it was their first day in the capital and the fatigue of their journey lingered on, they decided to split into small groups and take turns getting food.
Thus, Rio, Shin, and Dola went out to eat kamutan as planned. They entered Dola’s recommended store, which was a ten minute walk away from their shared accommodation.
“Hey, please get us three large servings of kamutan. With extra meat, too,” Dola ordered with familiarity. A strong “You got it!” could be heard in response from the kitchen.
Minutes later, the rumored kamutan was done.
“Here ya go — three large servings of kamutan with extra meat! Thanks for waiting!” A waiter brought the bowls of kamutan over to Rio’s table cheerfully.
Rio had been asking the other two for more details about kamutan as they waited, but once he saw the real thing, he found it extremely similar to ramen.
However, as it was a food that had been eaten in the Kingdom of Karasuki since ancient times, it probably wasn’t the invention of a reincarnated person, as Liselotte had introduced pasta to the Strahl region, for example.
“It’s tradition to eat kamutan with hearty slurps,” Shin said proudly as he began to eat the noodles.
Rio dug into the steaming-hot kamutan with his chopsticks. First, he took a mouthful of soup; the flavor tasted similar to a light shoyu ramen soup. Next, he scooped up the noodles with practiced movements, and brought them to his mouth.
The noodles had a unique texture from the rice flour, but it was springy and elastic. The meat wasn’t chashu, but it was seasoned appropriately and suited the noodles and soup well.
...It’s good.
It had been a long time since he had eaten something similar to ramen. In actuality, if the noodles had been made from wheat, the soup altered a little, and with chashu, the kamutan would have been exactly the same as ramen.
I should try making ramen someday, Rio thought, his mouth turning up into a happy smile.
The next day, before noon...
Beneath the dazzling blue sky of the capital, Rio walked through the shopping district of the castle town with Sayo, having been requested to buy luxury items by the rest of the trade squad.
As for the others in the trade squad: some had gone out to sell their village’s products, some were out buying large amounts of necessities, while others stayed behind to watch over their accommodations.
“There really are a lot of people in the capital,” Sayo said curiously as she watched the road.
“Is this your first time in the capital?” Rio asked from where he was walking beside her.
“Yes. My brother has visited before, but I’ve always stayed at home. He would always tell me all sorts of stories, so I really wanted to see it for myself!”
“I heard about it. Shin pestered you to make kamutan and you two ended up fighting, or something?”
“Yeah. He just kept bragging about how he went to the capital, so I got a little fed up. I can’t make food I’ve never eaten before, so I got mad,” Sayo said with a shy grin.
“Did you end up making it?”
“It didn’t work out. It came out kinda slimy and sticky...”
“Soup aside, you need more than just rice flour and wheat flour to make the noodles. If you don’t have the knowledge, it’d be impossible to make.”
“Huh? Do you know how to make it, Sir Rio?”
“Yes. While it wasn’t kamutan, I have made other noodles before.”
“U-Umm... Could you teach me sometime, then?” Sayo asked cautiously.
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind. Let’s try making it together when we return to the village,” Rio replied with a nod.
“Thank you very much! I actually haven’t eaten it yet...”
“Then, how about we go eat it together after this? Since we’re in the capital and all,” Rio offered as a suggestion after Sayo had happily thanked him.
“Yes! I’d love to!” Sayo nodded enthusiastically.
“Let’s keep an eye out for a restaurant while we’re buying the items everyone requested.”
With that, the two of them decided to go eat kamutan for lunch. Yet...
The store Dola took us to is far from here, so I don’t know which store to go to... Rio thought without letting it show on his face. He wanted to take a chance so that Sayo could eat delicious food, but unfortunately, he had no experience visiting the Kingdom of Karasuki.
Perhaps this group matchup wasn’t the best one for going shopping together... We don’t even know where to find restaurants. It’s Sayo’s first time in the capital, too. We don’t have any idea of what’s around...
He had asked the members of the trade squad their reasoning behind grouping them this way before they left to go shopping, but they had forced it upon him for some unknown reason. Sure enough, the two of them had to walk around all morning in search of the items, comparing market prices and stock quality.
It was more like they were sightseeing than shopping; fortunately, Sayo was in a good mood from being with Rio, and didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied. She was innocently enjoying her time shopping.
Rio had been secretly worried the incident with Gon had left her traumatized, but Sayo showed no indication of such a thing as she willfully insisted on her own participation in the trade squad. It was reassuring.
“Sir Rio, why don’t we just ask a local if there’s a store they recommend?” Sayo said with a carefree smile.
“...You’re right. Let’s ask someone in the next store we go to.” Rio set aside his needless worries and nodded, his smile small.
Well, as long as Sayo is having fun, he reasoned. Thankfully, the amount of luxuries they had to buy wasn’t that much, so the two of them continued walking around the shopping district.
“You two youngins, over there. On a date, are we?” A young woman called out to Rio and Sayo. She seemed to be selling trinkets for women, and she had her stock set out on a mat in front of her.
“Huh? M-Me? Eh, ah, no... Erm...” Sayo tried to respond with something, confused. Sayo realized the merchant woman was talking to her and flushed bright red.
“We came to the capital to sell our village’s products. It’s just a shopping trip,” Rio explained on behalf of the naive Sayo.
It was clear the merchant woman was trying to strike up a conversation for the sake of business. While it normally would have been best to ignore her and keep walking, Sayo had stopped with goodwill in mind, so it was a bit hard to leave now.
“I see. Is that so... Hmm...” The merchant woman nodded vaguely and looked at Sayo, who was still acting embarrassed. Sayo’s cheeks turned scarlet under the woman’s gaze, who seemed to see right through her.
“How about it, mister? A souvenir to remember your stroll through the capital with such a cute lady by your side?” The woman grinned, turning to target Rio instead.
“T-That’s not true! And I’d feel bad! Ah, and we’re not on a date!” Sayo shook her head in a panic.
Rio glanced at the items lined on the mat. For a street stall, the items were arranged neatly and seemed to be of good quality.
“You’re a natural at this, miss. Sayo, is there anything you want?” Rio asked Sayo with a faint, wry smile.
He wanted to give her something as a small token of his gratitude for taking care of him, as well as to apologize for causing trouble during the Gon incident.
“Fweh... I-It’s all right! I couldn’t ask that of you!” Sayo stuck both her hands out in front of her and shook her head furiously. Her overreaction mimicked a small animal, making Rio laugh in amusement.
“There’s no need to hold back. I’ve been in your care, too, so it’s a thank you present.”
“He’s right. If a man offers to buy a woman a present, then it’s only polite to accept it. Go on, now — at least take a look.” At Rio’s offer, the merchant woman laughed and beckoned Sayo closer.
“Eh, ah... Then, just a look...”
Despite her bewilderment, Sayo decided to look at the items on display. She hesitated at first, but found the items were all to her liking, and a sparkle gradually appeared in her eyes.
“Anything interest you?”
“Erm, stuff like this one I think is cute...” At the merchant woman’s question, Sayo pointed to a flower hairpin that was simple, but cute.
“Ooh, you sure have a good eye, miss! That’s a one-of-a-kind.”
“Umm, is it expensive?”
“Hmm, let’s see. How does two silver coins sound?” The merchant woman asked somewhat cautiously.
Sayo had actually chosen one of the more expensive items available on display. In wasn’t impossible for commoners to buy, but the price was enough to be quite a hit to the wallet if purchased without consideration.
“S-Silver coins?! S-Sir Rio, it’s fine! I... I don’t need it after all!”
As soon as Sayo heard the price, she declined the gift in shock. It was a great amount of money to an average village girl like her.
“I don’t mind. If you like it, Sayo, I’ll buy it for you.” Rio showed no sign of concern for the price and expressed his willingness to purchase it.
“...Huh?” Sayo’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ooh. You’ve got it, mister. But, maybe you should learn how to buy things at a market a bit better...” The merchant woman suggested in surprise.
However, Rio shook his head with a gentle smile.
“I don’t back down because of the price when it comes to a gift for a girl. That price is fine.”
“Ahaha, wonderful! Then, I should’ve made it a little more expensive, huh?” The woman laughed heartily.
“Is this the one you want, then, Sayo?” Rio took two silver coins from his wallet and checked with her one last time.
“Eh? Ah, b-but...”
Sayo hesitantly looked between the hairpin and Rio. The hairpin was extremely attractive, and the thought of receiving a present from Rio made her unbearably happy, but the price was high enough to scare her.
“I-I don’t want it after all—” Just as Sayo tried to say that, Rio paid for the hairpin.
“Okay, miss. Give me that one, please.”
It was clear from Sayo’s reaction that she had taken a liking to this hairpin, so he went ahead and bought it anyway. Knowing Sayo’s personality, he figured she would’ve rejected him if he hadn’t done it this way.
Sayo watched Rio hand over the money with a dazed expression.
“Thanks for the purchase! Would you like a box to protect it, or do you want to put it on right away?” The merchant picked up the hairpin and a box. She stood up and approached Sayo.
“Eh, ah, umm... Y-Yes please!”
“Here, I’ll put it on for you. Stay still for a moment.” Sayo nodded timidly as the merchant woman put the hairpin in her hair. She froze in a dream-like trance as the hairpin was set in place for her.
“It suits you so well! Don’t you think so, too, mister?” the woman asked after fixing the hairpin to Sayo’s loosely tied hair.
“Yes, I think it’s lovely,” Rio agreed with a smile.
“T-Thank you very much! Really, Sir Rio.” Sayo finally returned to her senses and bobbed her head at Rio furiously.
“Not a problem. Shall we go, now? We still have other things to buy.” Rio shook his head, then suggested they went on their way. However, he suddenly remembered something, and asked the woman about kamutan.
“...Oh, that’s right. Miss, do you know of any good kamutan stores around here?”
“If it’s kamutan you’re after, then the food and dining stores are gathered toward that area over there. There’s a store called Kuma that’s quite reputable. It gets very crowded during lunch, so it’d be best to set aside some time when you go,” she replied, pointing toward the area where the restaurants were located.
“I see. Thank you very much.”
“Of course. I did sell something good, after all.” The merchant woman shook her head, then approached Sayo at a jog’s pace and whispered in her ear with a wink. “...Ah, Miss Sayo, wasn’t it? You have to do your best to win him over. This boy seems like quite the catch.”
“?!” Sayo looked down and flushed.
“Well, then! Please come again, if you ever have the chance to!” The merchant woman stepped away from Sayo and bid them farewell with a smile.
“Will do. Let’s go, Sayo.” Rio had been watching the two of them talk silently, but at the merchant woman’s farewell, he responded with a faint smile of his own. Then, he gestured at Sayo, and began walking.
Sayo started to walk after him, but turned back to bow at the merchant woman before she left. The woman waved with a smile.
There was a spring in Sayo’s steps as she hurried to catch up to Rio.
After they ate kamutan at the store the merchant woman recommended, Rio and Sayo returned to the shopping district to resume their shopping for luxuries.
The main road had shops lining both sides, with a row of stalls down the middle that split the road into two. With plenty of pedestrian traffic, the road was crowded with the bustle of all kinds of people. Among them, Rio and Sayo were allowing the crowd to sweep them along, looking at the stores as they walked by them.
“T-There are even more people now.”
“It’s past noon, after all. More people are coming out after eating lunch. If you see a good store, let’s go inside.” They spoke as they walked, when...
“How dare you!” an angry voice yelled.
“Kya!” Sayo’s timid frame trembled with a flinch.
After a moment, confused voices began to stir around them.
“What? What is it?”
“Is it a fight? What’s going on?”
“Damn, I can’t see.”
“Hey, it looks like the mercenaries are messing with a woman and her kid.”
“No way!”
And so on. The chatter grew louder.
Rio enhanced his hearing ability with spirit arts to pick up on fragments of the conversation, before he heard angry voices from down the road once again.
“Insolent brat! Watch where you’re walking!”
“The rude one here is you, mere mercenary! Just who do you think you’re addressing?!” It seemed like a man and woman were arguing; a man’s gruff yelling voice and a woman’s dignified but enraged voice could be heard in that order. Following the outburst, from the same direction of the argument, a girl’s cute voice could be heard.
“Kya?!”
And then, after a beat: “What are you doing?!”
“Lady Komomo!”
“Oi, wait!” the woman’s uneasy voice said. It seemed as though the situation was turning into a crisis, but Rio couldn’t see anything from where he was.
“Move it!” A man’s voice could be heard some distance away; the crowd standing before Rio suddenly parted down the middle. Down that newly-made path a single mercenary-like man came running. He held a dagger in his right hand and a young girl tucked under his left arm as he ran, all the while threatening those who were in his way. The girl was unconscious, her head loosely hanging down.
“Move! Move it!” The man yelled in anger.
“Ah...” Perhaps she feared the man approaching her from the front, as Sayo stood still, unable to move. She had just been assaulted by Gon a few days prior, so her reaction was understandable.
“Tch.” The approaching man saw Rio and Sayo standing still in his path, and clicked his tongue. He decided to disregard them, and charge ahead anyway. However, without drawing his sword from the sheath at his waist, Rio leaped out in front, empty-handed. He then braced himself ready to receive the man’s body, unarmed.
At first, he dodged the man’s hand, which held a thrust-out dagger. Then, he skillfully knocked the man’s feet out from underneath him; his body spun once in the air. The man looked dazed.
Rio grabbed the girl from under the man’s arm and brought her closer to him, tucking her under his arm instead and driving his fist into the man’s solar plexus at the same time. Immediately, the man’s body collapsed on the ground.
“Guh...” The man let go of the dagger and slumped over, unconscious. It was all over in a flash.
“W... Woooooo!” The crowd was stunned for a moment, before they burst into cheers.
Looks of admiration were thrown in Rio’s direction; he gave a forced smile and ignored the attention, checking on the girl under his arm instead.
The girl was still young — around ten years old, it seemed. Her face was extremely refined, making her a very cute girl indeed.
She’s just knocked out. Either took a blow that knocked her out, or she was drugged into this state. Or, maybe it was done with sleeping spirit arts...
Rio briefly searched the flow of essence within the girl’s body and found no traces of tampering, so he decided it was most likely one of the first two options. Just in case she had been drugged, he cast a detoxifying spirit art as well.
There should be no fear for her life, now, at least. Next is...
After taking the necessary precautions with the girl, Rio glanced over at Sayo, who was staring blankly at him.
“Sayo. Are you all right?” Rio asked with a slightly awkward smile.
“Y-Yes! I’m fine.” Sayo returned to her senses and nodded furiously.
“Lady Komomo?!”
A woman appeared — she saw Rio carrying the girl named Komomo, with the sight of the kidnapper collapsed on the ground next to him, and immediately understood what was going on. She ran over to Rio in a hurry, and Rio offered the girl he was carrying in his arms to the woman.
“Here you go. She’s been knocked out, but her life shouldn’t be in danger.”
“I-I am sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much. If only I were more capable...” The woman took Komomo and bowed her head with a regretful expression.
“If you want to apologize to someone, save it for that girl when she wakes up. This man is unconscious right now... What would you like to do?” Rio asked. He shook his head and picked up the man’s dagger from the ground and held it out to the woman.
“As soon as the security guards get here, I’ll let them escort him to the internment center and make him confess who he was working for.”
“I see... Well, it seems like the guards have just arrived.” As the two spoke, guards that had heard the commotion came running.
Rio heard them asking what had happened and looked at them, which drew the woman’s attention to them.
“Over here!” she yelled.
Rio took that chance to approach Sayo. “Let’s go, Sayo,” he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her along as he started to walk off.
“Eh? Ah, but... Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’d like to stay out of any trouble, if possible,” Rio said with a bitter smile at Sayo’s confusion.
“Ah, wait! Hold on!” The woman whose name he didn’t know called out in a fluster from behind him as she realized they were leaving. However, Rio took Sayo and promptly disappeared into the crowd of people.
After that, they somehow managed to finish their shopping by evening, and returned to their lodgings. Once they went inside, the women of the squad immediately took notice of the hairpin in Sayo’s hair, then hounded Sayo with questions, until she turned bright red, as she usually did.
Rio managed to get away before he got involved by pretending to talk about the day’s sales with the other men. The sales were going well, and they expected to depart for the village within a few days.
That estimation was on the mark, as Rio and the others left for the village several days later. Thus, their trades at the capital ended safely, and their journey back to the village proceeded without incident.
Just as Rio and the others arrived back at the village, Hayate had also finished his duties and returned to the capital. After storing the land tax in the royal castle’s storehouses, he went straight home to the Saga family’s mansion.
As he went through the gates of his family home, the retainers of his house came out to greet him. The head of the Saga family — his father, Gouki — had ordered him to see him immediately upon his return. Hayate had intended on doing so anyway in order to greet him upon his return. However, he noticed the air around the family retainers was rather tense.
“Did something happen?” he asked one of them. Once he had been told that his little sister, Komomo, had nearly been kidnapped, he hurried to Gouki’s room without bothering to change.
“Excuse me, father. It is Hayate. I have just returned home.”
“Hm... Enter. Have you heard yet?” Gouki granted Hayate permission to enter his room, then immediately cut to the chase once they were facing each other.
“Yes — that Komomo was nearly kidnapped.”
“They got us good. Aiming for the only day of the month Komomo secretly goes to the market for field study,” Gouki uttered, vexed.
“Are you saying that the crime was planned in advance?” Hayate questioned.
“Indeed. The apprehended perpetrator confessed. Apparently, one of the servants in our house leaked the information. I’ve an idea regarding the mastermind behind it, but I lack proof. So, I’ve decided to conduct a sting operation to capture the servant. We should get results immediately,” Gouki reported on the situation indifferently, letting a cold and dark smile peek through.
“I see your response is as quick as always. How is Komomo...?”
“Happy and healthy in mind and body. She’s been devoting herself to training day and night because of her embarrassment.”
“I see. Miss Aoi has done well.”
Hayate sighed in relief to hear that his little sister Komomo was healthy. While they may have let someone make the first move, the Saga family’s bodyguards were excellent, reliable, and trustworthy.
For the record, Aoi was Komomo’s personal attendant, and the person in charge of protecting her and her surroundings. Because Aoi accompanied Komomo absolutely everywhere, Hayate assumed the one that saved Komomo had been Aoi.
“Actually, an unknown boy was the one that saved Komomo and apprehended the perpetrator. One with splendid skills, at that.” Gouki corrected Hayate with an expression that conveyed he was at a complete loss.
“Oh? What a wonderful person he must be. I would love to pay him a visit and express my gratitude. Where might I find him?” Impressed, Hayate inquired after his whereabouts without thinking.
“As I said, it was an unknown boy. One who disappeared immediately, that is. We have no idea who or what he is.” Gouki sighed listlessly and shook his head.
“That... is a problem.”
“Indeed — it’s a problem. We can’t even thank him. Well... That’s all I have to inform you of for now. Has anything changed on your side?”
“No, there have been no signs of anyone targeting me as of yet...”
“I see.”
Hayate placed a hand against his mouth in thought, then recalled the letter tucked into his chest pocket and took it out. “...Oh, but there is something. This is unrelated to Komomo, but Lady Yuba entrusted me with a letter for you, father.”
“Oh? From Lady Yuba, you say. Let me have a look.”
Gouki accepted the letter from Hayate and opened it with a refined gesture that was unsuiting of his stern physique. He then unrolled the scroll, shifted his center of gravity, and stared intently at the letter.
It’s hard to believe there is anyone so foolish as to wrong this family with my father as the head...
As Gouki read the letter, Hayate contemplated over Komomo’s kidnapping attempt.
Gouki was a renowned military figure, said to be the strongest in the Kingdom of Karasuki and feared for his second name, the Fierce God Gouki. There were tales of how he once caused ten thousand enemies to tremble in the war with the neighboring Kingdom of Rokuren.
He was generally strict with his family, too, especially during Hayate’s training, which was a time when he truly acted like a demon. However, he was much softer in front of his daughter, Komomo.
As Hayate was lost in such thoughts, Gouki muttered his name.
“...Hayate.”
His voice was wavering slightly. No, not just his voice — the hands that clutched the letter, and his boulder-like body, were both faintly trembling.
He had evidently been shaken by something.
“Y-Yes. What is it?” Hayate asked in a high-pitched voice, his eyes widening in surprise.
“And so, you met Sir R-... I mean, a boy named Rio?” Gouki asked about Rio for some reason.
“Yes. We interacted during my stay at Lady Yuba’s residence...”
“What kind of boy was he?”
“...He had a good-natured personality. Gentle and polite, he was a very serious boy. He seemed to be a practitioner of martial arts, as his skills showed. He was most certainly a person of interest. I almost wanted to invite him to our family, if he was not serving anyone else. I believe you would have liked him, too, father.” Despite finding the question strange, Hayate spoke about his impression of Rio honestly.
“Fool. You’ve no idea...” Gouki muttered with a huff, but it was too quiet to reach Hayate’s ears.
“Yes?” Hayate tilted his head.
Gouki chuckled to himself with a grin and stood up straight. “I will be taking Kayoko out of the house for a while. You wait on the estate with Komomo.”
With that, Gouki walked out of the room.
“...What was that about?” Hayate muttered in a daze to no one in particular, now alone in the room.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login