The Great Sage Who Did not Remain in Legend - 10.1
Returning to the royal capital, Mergin headed towards Rikka’s diner.
“What, you’re back?” Rikka responded curtly.
“Don’t be so rude. Hey, Chief, I’ve brought plenty of leeks, and there are lots of potatoes too. You need any?” Mergin asked.
“Oh, we could use both.”
“Alright, I’ll leave a bunch of potatoes since they last longer. I’ll come back later to cook dinner.”
“Oh, did you bring something tasty?”
“Mergin, just so you know, I won’t eat poisonous fish,” the landlady interjected.
“It’s duck. Thinking of making duck and leek hot pot.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
“Mergin, while you were gone, two beautiful women came looking for you here twice. What’s going on?” Rikka asked, in a sour mood.
“Beautiful women?”
“Yeah.”
“Nope, no idea.”
Mergin didn’t have many acquaintances. Aside from these three here, and the courtesans at the brothel, whom he knew just by face because the madam wouldn’t let them near him since he never actually engaged with them. There were also the kids in the slums…
“Huh?” Mergin scratched his head.
“Tall beauties. Seriously, no clue?” Rikka asked, leaning in with an irritated expression.
“What did you do to my daughter?” the chief shouted, landing a punch on Mergin who tried to kiss his daughter.
“Hey, Chief, it was a joke. Who’d kiss a kid like her?” Mergin replied.
“I’m not a kid!” protested Rikka.
“You are,” Mergin retorted, dropping his hands on her chest.
Wham! Mergin was punched in the face by Rikka.
“I’m going to the brothel after this…” Mergin sighed.
“Pervert,” Rikka muttered as Mergin walked towards the brothel.
“You’re late. Thought you’d kicked the bucket somewhere,” the old woman said, as foul-mouthed as ever.
“Here, some dried fish and a duck I hunted on the way. Make a stew or something,” Mergin replied.
“This tiny thing?”
“Tiny? Ten ducks ought to be enough,” Mergin scoffed.
“Hmph, why not bring a whole flock next time?”
“If I hunted them all, there’d be no ducks left,” Mergin explained.
“Plenty of ducks out there. Just hunt a whole flock,” she insisted.
“Fine, I’ll leave it here,” Mergin said.
“Bring something better next time,” she ordered.
“Sure, sure.”
Despite her harsh words, she was kind to her own. For the high-priced duck, it was a chance for the popular courtesans or the debutantes to have a taste. Probably why she did it.
After handing over the gifts, Mergin returned to his home and magic bookstore.
“Phew, tired. Time for a bath.”
Even with magic cleansing, a soak was different.
He used magic to fill the tub with hot water.
“Ahh, refreshing.”
Just as Mergin relaxed…
“Still acting like an old man, Mergin,” someone said.
“Hey, don’t just barge in! I always tell you that!” Mergin snapped.
Suddenly, slum kids were in the bathhouse. Never underestimate their stealth. Skills they’d picked up hiding as kids.
Startled, Mergin found the kids happy, joining him in the bath.
“Hey, I always say wash before entering.”
“Come on, it’s cold,” they replied.
The kids had been visiting Mergin’s magic bookstore since he opened it. Three boy orphans. They’d become attached after one meal.
The kids, starved for love, happily sat on Mergin’s lap in the bath, glad to have their heads washed.
“You guys, what were you doing to get this dirty?”
The bathwater was already black. After washing the three, he refilled the tub.
“Well, can’t help it. Our sleeping place is dirty.”
“And we go under the floor to catch rats.”
Rats were an important source of protein for the orphans. They might be smelly, but they were edible meat. They couldn’t rely just on the rice from the soup kitchen.
“Are you hungry?”
“We’re always hungry!”
The children boasted.
“Then, how about eating together at Rikka’s place? I’ll cook today, so the chiefs won’t complain.”
“Really? Yay!”