The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 228. A Casual Stroll Through the Domain Capital

228. 228. A Casual Stroll Through the Domain Capital

Having finished our business with the Dornesia Company, we decided to enjoy the domain capital after a long while. So, first, we decided to visit the furniture store affiliated with the Dornesia Company.

Apparently, that furniture store was selling a table made from an Earth Dragon’s shell. And Mr. Carant had strongly recommended that we visit it.

I was also curious to see what had become of the materials I sold. So, upon visiting the furniture store, we found that the Earth Dragon-made table was proudly displayed in the most prominent exhibition space.

That table was large enough to seat six people. It had a solid, dignified presence.

The tabletop was carefully crafted from the deep-colored shell of the Earth Dragon we defeated at that time. And the way the hue subtly changed depending on the angle kept the viewer from growing bored. The Earth Dragon reliefs carved into the edge of the table were stylish, too.

It seemed like a very expensive piece—and sure enough, its price was a staggering ten million G.

Moreover, two of them had already been sold. And this one was apparently the last. Seems like money really does exist where it exists.

Of course, I was interested. But even so, ten million G for a table is too expensive. And it’s way too big to put in my room. I gave a polite smile to the clerk who approached rubbing his hands together and quickly left the furniture store.

After that, we strolled around the domain capital. However, we made sure to walk away from the central area.

That’s because before, we had a close call with Derixir at a high-class restaurant, which turned into a bit of a hassle. It would be wise not to get too close to areas where nobles come and go.

As I thought about that while walking, we gradually moved away from the glittering atmosphere of the center. A lively, cluttered downtown scene began to spread before us.

Street stalls selling suspicious trinkets that could be either junk or treasures. Food stalls drawing in customers with delicious smells and loud voices. And kids playing tag.

Even though it’s the domain capital, the outskirts aren’t any different from Grandain. As I was taking in that kind of scenery—

“Oh? Hey!”

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind. It was a deep male voice.

Come to think of it, while there may be no nobles in this area, that doesn’t mean the security is good either. I must’ve caught the attention of some shady guy—I stiffened my face and turned around—

“I knew it! Ain’t that you, Matsunaga-san!?”

There stood a burly man with a beard, smiling at me.

Of course, I knew who he was. He was the leader of the adventurer group Lady Levia had hired as escorts during our journey to the domain capital before.

I had thought “leader” referred to his role as the one in charge. But it turned out that “Leader” was his actual name, which made things a bit confusing.

(Note: See C48 for their first encounter with “Leader”.)

“Long time no see, Leader-san.”

“Yeah! Been a while! What’re you doing in a place like this?”

“Oh, we just came to the capital to buy a few things. And figured we’d take a little stroll while we were at it.”

“Ah, that’s right, you’re a traveling merchant, huh. You always carry so little that I nearly forgot. And the missus, long time no see to you too. Still a beauty as ever—that kid I haven’t seen before though, could it be your child?”

“C-Child!? That’s right! Actually, yes! This child is the crystallization of love between me and my husband—”

“This child is a bodyguard Lady Levia assigned to us. Things have been a bit dangerous lately, you see.”

“Muuuuh!”

Isezaki-san puffed out her cheeks in frustration as I cut in. Seems she’s still fully committed to the husband-and-wife setup. But if we add any more settings, it’s going to get too complicated. So let’s stop there.

“I’m Colin! Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah, likewise.”

Leader cheerfully replied to Colin’s bow. He was scratching his bearded chin.

“She seems kinda young to be a bodyguard, though… but hey, who knows what nobles are thinking, right? Well, whatever. Still, seems like you’re as close as ever with Lady Levia.”

“Yes, thanks to her, we’ve been given quite a few favors.”

“That so, huh. That’s a great help for a merchant. …By the way, since it’s been a while, how about we grab a bite together? My treat.”

Leader nodded toward a nearby skewer stand. I had some things I wanted to ask too, so it was perfect. We followed him to the food stand.

◇◇◇ 

After being treated to a mountain of skewered Earth Rat meat at the food stall, we moved to a nearby bench. The moment we sat down, Leader looked up at us with upturned eyes. 

“…Uhh, it’d be real nice if you could cover the drinks… *glance glance*” 

Yeah, other stalls were selling drinks, but he passed them by. So I figured he’d do this. 

I really don’t want to see a bearded middle-aged man begging cutely. I decided to just give in to his request quickly. 

“Sure. But we just ran out of cola, you see…” 

“Ehh!? You don’t have cola…?” 

Leader dropped his shoulders with a face like he was about to die. 

So he *was* after the cola. But there hasn’t been any reason to stockpile it lately. So I’d already finished drinking what I had. What I did have was— 

“Ah, right. Back when you were our escort, didn’t you complain about not being able to drink alcohol? I do have some booze, but… I guess drinking in the middle of the day is no good?” 

“Huh, booze? Then booze it is! I’m not working anymore today!” 

Leader leaned forward eagerly. He looked even happier than when he heard about cola. In that case, no problem. 

I pulled out a chilled canned beer from [Storage Space]. I then poured it into a paper cup before handing it over. Leader peeked into the cup. 

“Ooh… Is this ale?” 

“Well, something similar.” 

Technically, it’s different. But let’s not fuss over the details. 

“Guess I’ll try a sip—” 

Leader tilted the cup all at once. 

“—!!” 

His eyes widened. And he gulped down the entire contents of the paper cup in one go. Then— 

“*BUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP!*” 

He let out a massive belch. 

Startled by the sudden roar, Colin crouched into a wary stance. And Isezaki-san froze in place with a forced smile. Come to think of it, he let out a similar burp when he drank cola too… 

Meanwhile, completely unaware of those around him, Leader’s eyes lit up. 

“What the hell is this! Like cola-level strong carbonation, with a crisp bitterness and throat-feel different from ale! And it’s ice cold…! This is the best booze I’ve ever had!!” 

Right, drinks are normally served at room temperature here, huh. There are beers on Earth that are served warm. But still, beer is best ice cold. 

“I’m glad you liked it. I’ve got more if you want seconds.” 

“I do, I do! Ahh… and the alcohol content is hitting pretty good too. This booze is amazing. Still, running into you by chance like this—guess I’m lucky today. This morning, Dag and Rochas went off to the brothel. So if they can’t have this, serves ‘em right. I’m gonna brag about this later, wahahaha!” 

Dag and Rochas are Leader’s party members. I’m happy he’s enjoying himself. But come on, don’t talk about that kind of stuff in front of Isezaki-san and Colin. Time to change the subject. 

“By the way, Leader-san. This is the first time we’ve been to the domain capital since we came with you all. Has anything changed around here since then?” 

“Oh, as a traveling merchant, you gotta stay sharp about the world’s movements. I’ll tell you what I know—” 

And with that, Leader began telling us about the recent state of the domain capital.