Peace.
I’d never felt so satisfied before, like that specific sense of relief when “a phone rings in class, yet nobody seems to notice it.”
I thought I’d never feel that way again—and indeed, I couldn’t go back to those days. Back when we’d all huddle together, sneaking phones under the teacher’s nose to play “Crease King Yao Rong”… Huh, why did I suddenly remember that time? Such an impractical thought, while technically part of my “peaceful life” agenda, really shouldn’t be something I dwell on now.
Perhaps noticing my dazed expression, Clarty shook my shoulder, urging me to get moving.
“…Oh, right, let’s go.” It was only later I realized I’d unintentionally let a lonely look slip onto my face.
Walking down the corridor, I noticed the mercenary captain waving at me—seems he saw everything. He didn’t push himself to chase after us, probably to save me some face.
“Thank you.”
“…Going home? Planning to leave this mess for us adults to handle? Heh, next time I see you, I might have to lock you up for a few days.”
He joked with a laugh, his light tone laced with seriousness. Maybe he meant it, or maybe it was just a joke.
“Well, you can try when you actually catch me.”
With that, I followed Clarty out of the “prison.”
Outside, I saw several prisoners and mercenaries lying on the ground—fortunately, none were dead. So I didn’t need to help with healing. Good.
“So, where to next? If possible, I’d like to find my friends first.”
“No problem, but first, we need to meet up with my other group of companions. Then, Miss Hazuki, as long as our ultimate goal is to crush the [Orc Legion], we’ll follow your lead.”
Surprisingly, he was quite agreeable. His tone made it sound like he was the one leading the elves in resisting the orc attacks. Did he grow up in the elves’ homeland? Fourteen isn’t that young. Clarty Kale Ragalov… seems to be from a notable family, especially with that two-part middle name.
Could he be from a noble household?
A gurgle sound made me instinctively touch my stomach, but I wasn’t that hungry yet. I turned to Clarty and saw him stop abruptly.
The answer was obvious.
“(Looking him up and down, waiting for an answer)”
“…Um, I’m… hungry. Sorry… but it’s fine! We can find my companions first, then eat—Ow! Ouch! Ouch!”
Due to the age and gender difference, even though Clarty is short for his kind, he’s still taller than me. I had to reach up with effort, pinch his cheek, and lead him across the street—right towards a tavern. Though they mostly sold drinks, they had food too. Perfect for the situation.
“Ouch! Ouch! Mmph—Miss Hazuki, where are we going?”
“Stop talking, we’re getting you some food. Oh, sorry—really, I shouldn’t have pinched your cheek like that.” Looking at the swollen flesh on Clarty’s cheek, I felt amused… no, sympathetic.
…..
“Yahoo! This drink hits the spot! Boss! Another (hiccup) one!”
“Bro, you got ripped off on entry tax by those mercenaries this morning. And you’re still spending money on drinks here? Really, how good is your mindset?”
“(Hiccup) Well, what else can I do? This is drowning my sorrows! Just a shame about that day’s wages… (Hiccup) Forget it, thinking about bad stuff ruins the mood. Come on! Drink!”
“Keep this up, and when your wife shows up, you’ll be in trouble.”
“I’ll (hiccup) deal with that then…”
…..
“Hey, hey, heard the news? The Orc Legion has reached near the borders of [Feltro] city.”
“What?! That same legion that destroyed [Amalek], the city linking the [Korovet] Kingdom and [Duck Dee]?”
“Yeah! Damn it! The royal family even dispatched the kingdom’s strongest knight order and the Supreme Mage, the [Sky Speaker], to suppress them!”
“Apparently, they’re still on the way. This news only came out yesterday… Well, with the [Sky Speaker] on the job, it should be fine, right?”
“True! The [Sky Speaker]’s magical talent is said to be the best in all of [Gale] continent!”
“But what if the [Sky Speaker] fails too?”
“….”
“…Hey! My dearest friend, don’t be such a downer. Come on, forget it, drinking is what matters!”
“Right, right! Drink up! Tch, kids, scram! Can’t you see adults are talking business?”
Perhaps because we were just two kids with relatively clean clothes, the men drinking loudly didn’t hurl insults at us.
Passing a few more tables, I led Clarty to the counter.
The server was a tall, burly man. His eyes were squinted, but his face looked kind, without a hint of malice.
“Hello, young guests. Not to be rude, but this is a tavern, not a place for children.”
“Thank you, sir. But we’re not here to drink. Could we each have something… uh, filling?”
“Sure thing. You two wait right here.”
The man turned and walked inside.
“Alright, let’s find a table by the window or somewhere inconspicuous.” (Hazuki)
“Huh? Why?” (Clarty)
“…Simple. Either sit where no one can see us, or right in the most obvious spot. Someone might be watching us.”
“Then why sit in the obvious spot? We don’t want attention.”
“At least if we get into trouble, we’ll be witnessed. That gives us one more option for solving it later. Right? Let’s take the window seat.”
…..
“Hey, notice that girl over there? She looks familiar… (pulling out a notice to check)”
“Hehe~ You noticed too, huh? So cute. Makes you wanna just hug and cuddle her~”
“No, look at this notice. This portrait, isn’t it her? And check the bounty below.”
“Wow, ten platinum coins… let’s see, that’s a hundred gold coins! I couldn’t earn that in five months!”
“So, a huge sum is right in front of us. You ready?”
…..
“Is that the bounty target? So cute… and the issuer is Prince Lyle. You think she’s his daughter or something?”
“Shush, don’t say that. Prince Lyle isn’t that old yet. But why set up a bounty specifically to find her? That’s the curious part, don’t you think?”
“More than that, I care about the reward for catching her. Ten platinum coins, with possible extra payment… never dreamed of that.”
“Actually, I did dream about it. But free money is free money. Plus, our competitors—”
“Right, they’re everywhere. Except the owner, everyone in this tavern is our enemy.”
…
“Here you go! The house special—egg fried rice!”
When the man placed two plates of fried rice on the table, I was hesitant—”Sorry, besides bread, I don’t usually like dry food”—but after he added, ‘Give it a try,’ I put a spoonful in my mouth.
“Mmm!! Delicious!!!! So good!!! Sir! What is (stuffing mouth) this? Sooo goood!!”
“Just ordinary egg fried rice. Just… cooked a bit differently.” The man laughed heartily at the sight of me eating and made a ‘YEAH!!’ gesture.
Seems he’s quite confident in his cooking skills and (the language center here is messed up, Red71 I don’t know how to describe it.) felt a proud sense of accomplishment.
Clarty held his spoon, seemingly unsure where to start. By the time I finished my entire plate, his was still piled high.
“(Chewing vigorously) Clarty, don’t you know how to eat it?”
“Huh? No, no! Not that. It’s just… I feel like I’m making you spend money, so it’s a bit…”
“Oh, in that case, just eat! Here, open up!”
“Huh? But, but I—Ah… mmph (chewing) Mmm mmm.”
“Good, right? Sir, your cooking is amazing!”
I gave the man a thumbs-up without reservation. He seemed to stretch his nearly closed eyelids a bit before walking away.
Just walked away? Not collecting payment?
“Huh? Shouldn’t we pay at the counter?”
“Ah, no, I saw him calculating bills directly at other tables. So just—Uh… Clarty, where are your companions right now?”
“Hmm? Probably nearby. According to plan, they’re lying in wait in some alley.”
“Alright then, you’ll have to take me there later!”
Before Clarty could respond, I heard the sound of a crowd gathering.
A situation I’d never experienced was unfolding—
“Grab that girl! She’s the bounty target!!”
