Day eight. We descended from the rocky shelf and headed for the bazaar.
From up high, the bazaar looked like a doughnut. Tents encircled a large lake like a ring of sugar, with a slight tinge of green surrounding them beyond that. Come to think of it, I hadn't had one of those sweet fried snacks in a while.
"How lovely, we've finally made it." "Indeed. It's only been seven days, but it felt like such a long way." "There were nothing but monsters, after all."
The ground wasn't desert. It was reddish-brown earth that looked nutrient-poor, littered with fist-sized rocks. It resembled the terrain of the Demon Continent. That made it much easier to walk on. The temperature had also dropped considerably. The difference between the far side of the rocky shelf and this side was remarkable.
By the time we neared the bazaar, it was evening. Bats flitted about over the reddish-brown earth. I braced myself—succubus? But the bats just flew around. They didn't swoop down to attack, and there was no succubus at their center. Just ordinary bats.
Still, monsters could lurk this close to the bazaar. I moved forward with caution.
Kyeeeee…
As we drew near the bazaar, I heard the cry of a griffin. I heightened my vigilance.
"What could that be?" "They're fighting."
Elinalise stared ahead and said. I couldn't see anything yet.
"Who?" "Who knows."
I asked again, but got a curt reply. We pressed closer to the bazaar. Then, I spotted several humans and griffons.
Four humans. Five griffons.
No, strictly speaking, not four humans. Six.
Two were sprawled on the ground. A third was crouching with his head in his hands. The rest were locked in combat with the griffons. Three against five. The remaining three wielded broad-bladed swords and coordinated fairly well together. But the signs of fatigue on them were plain to see.
"Shall we lend a hand?"
I asked Elinalise for formality's sake, and she shrugged. Which was it going to be?
"I'll leave it up to you."
Leaving them to die would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Might as well help out.
"Let's help them." "Understood. I'll provide cover!" "Roger!"
Elinalise broke into a run. At the same time, I launched magic at a griffin perched at a higher elevation.
It hit. Perhaps because it hadn't been paying attention to me.
Still, it managed to dodge at the last moment. Not a fatal blow. The griffin tumbled down, scattering feathers. Elinalise pounced on it without hesitation and drove her sword into its neck.
I pummeled them one after another with stone cannons. I dispatched the second with a single shot. The third one dodged.
The griffons noticed my presence. But right in front of them were armed men, and between them and me stood Elinalise, who had a reputation for solid defense. This meant I was free to rain magic without restraint. There was no way we'd lose from here. I mowed them down.
"KyeeeeeEEEEE!"
The last one tried to flee. I fired a stone cannon into its retreating back and finished it off. You can't just leave a wounded beast to roam free.
Combat over. Elinalise and I approached.
"Oh, it's over!?"
The crouching man raised his head. He looked around, relief plain on his face. The warriors who had been fighting the griffons walked toward him.
"What are you doing!? Get searching, now!"
The man issued orders to one of the warriors. The one who received them sprinted off at full speed.
"What a disaster… Why are there griffons all the way out here…"
The man who gave the order stayed behind with the other two and headed toward us.
"You saved us. Let me thank you."
The man wore something like a yellow gown over a red robe, with a turban atop that. A red dot sat on his forehead. He looked every bit the desert merchant.
He was lean, with a longish mustache. But he had no dignity about him. He gave off a petty air. Oddly enough, that was somewhat reassuring.
"Not at all. We each help the other when times are tough." "Normally people just walk away."
He thanked me in Fighting God Language, so I answered. I could understand it clearly and speak it well enough. This should be fine.
"May the blessings of the wind be upon you."
With that, he pivoted on his heel. He walked back toward his fallen companions. Curt, to say the least.
"…"
The remaining two wore red armor. Hanging from their waists were thick skirt-like waist cloths. Heavier armament than the Central Continent average.
At their waists hung curved swords. Thick-bladed and broad. Over a meter in length easily. I'd seen plenty of swords like that on the Demon Continent. They were likely effective against large monsters.
The swords were big, the armor heavy. That might be why they'd been outmatched against swift opponents like griffons.
"A mage, huh. That's rare."
The one who muttered that was a large, powerfully built man. A big tattoo on his face. An eyepatch over his left eye. Nearly two meters tall. Around forty, maybe. His bearing spoke of experience.
"Hey, bro. Is she, maybe, a succubus?"
The other was a woman. She was staring at Elinalise as she said it.
Tan skin, a breastplate, and a skirt-like waist cloth. Hidden beneath her clothes, but she looked fairly muscular. Probably around twenty.
"What did she say?"
Elinalise was bewildered, not understanding the words. She didn't speak Fighting God Language.
"'Is that woman a succubus,' she said." "Well, she's not entirely wrong." "You're just going to admit it?" "But I don't give off that awful smell." "For men, it's a pleasant smell."
The big man slapped the woman on the head.
"You idiot! There's no such thing as a succubus traveling with a man! What kind of thing is that to say after we've been helped!" "But bro, you said that when you see a woman while bats are flying, think 'succubus'!"
The woman whined in a pathetic voice. The accent was so thick I couldn't catch every word. If I picked out the individual words I could understand, but it was a bit of a struggle.
"That's exactly why everyone calls you a blockhead!"
The man's speech, by contrast, was clear. Whether it was proper or not, I don't know, but it was easy for me to understand.
"Hmph."
The big man let out a sigh. He looked down at Elinalise and apologized.
"Sorry about that. Don't take it the wrong way. This one here… her name's Carmelita, but she's thick in the head."
Elinalise looked at me with a troubled expression. She didn't understand the words.
"…What is he saying? Is he making advances on me or something?" "The woman next to him called Elinalise a succubus. He's apologizing for that." "Oh, I see. I'll graciously accept his apology."
Elinalise flashed the big man a devastating smile. I could see him blush.
"She says not to worry about it." "I-Is that so? She doesn't understand your language?" "Correct. I'm serving as interpreter."
The big man was looking at Elinalise with undisguised interest. I could more or less guess what he was thinking. What a beautiful woman, probably. Or maybe, she's flat-chested. Elinalise seemed accustomed to that kind of gaze and was completely unbothered. She even gave off a vaguely proud air.
The man tore his gaze away from Elinalise and looked at me.
"…My name is Baribadom. Allow me to formally thank you." "I'm Rudeus Greyrat. This is Elinalise." "Understood. If anything comes up—" "Hey, what are you dawdling for!?"
Baribadom was mid-sentence when the man from earlier shouted.
"Hurry up and search for the cargo!" "Right, sorry. My master will certainly send his thanks later."
Baribadom and Carmelita ran off to rejoin the man. The three huddled briefly, exchanged words, then split into two groups and bolted in different directions. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
"How cold. They could have at least given us a proper thank-you."
Elinalise grumbled. She wasn't after a reward for saying that.
"The wounded are still lying there…"
I looked at their companions on the ground. If they needed treatment, I could cast a healing spell. That was my intention, but—
"Are they dead?"
They didn't even make a motion toward treating them. Had it been obvious all along?
"This one's a young girl."
One of them was a young woman. Eighteen, maybe. A griffin's sharp beak had likely split her skull open. There was a gaping hole in her forehead. Instant death.
"Is leaving corpses unburied some kind of custom on this continent?" "Not very honorable for adventurers." "They didn't seem to be adventurers, though."
We chatted as I burned and buried the bodies with magic. Not even burying your comrades—how heartless.
The warrior from earlier, what was his name, Baribadom? He said he'd repay us later. But I hadn't even asked the name of the mustached man. Without even giving a contact, how did he plan to deliver his thanks?
Did he expect us to track him down? Find him and demand payment? Was that their custom?
…Well, whatever. He probably never intended to thank us in the first place. It just meant that I, the one who helped, was too soft-hearted.
"Shall we be on our way then?" "Yes, let's."
And so, we arrived at the bazaar.
---
We entered the bazaar. By then the sun had set. But the surroundings were bright. Just like a festival, bonfires burned here and there.
Around the bonfires, cloth was spread on the ground like rugs. Men and women sat upon them, eating cheerfully. It reminded me of a hanami gathering. Everyone wore turbans. The colors and patterns of their clothes varied, but they had a strong ethnic feel.
Elinalise and I must have stuck out. But sticking out didn't really matter.
"I'm hungry." "You're right."
Seeing people eat makes your stomach grow. Some things never change across worlds. Still, finding lodging should come first.
Just as I was thinking that, a man called out to us.
"Hey, you two! Want something to eat? I'll put out a spread for three shinsa!"
He seemed to be selling off food his group couldn't finish themselves. We accepted his invitation, neither one more willing than the other. Nothing good comes from an empty stomach. When I moved to sit on the cloth, the hawker held out his palm.
"Cash up front—the food's already made."
I took three copper coins from my purse and handed them over. He gave me a puzzled look.
"What's this?" "They're copper coins from the Kingdom of Ranoa." "What kingdom? I can't use these."
So it was true—Ranoa Kingdom's currency wasn't accepted here. Of course. I'd planned to exchange money eventually, but I didn't have any on hand right now.
"Would this work instead?"
While I was wondering what to do, Elinalise placed something in the hawker's hand. A metal ring. He picked it up, brought it close to his face, and examined it carefully. He then nodded with a satisfied "Thanks," and went off to look for other customers.
"In situations like this, you use goods."
Hmph. A benefit of experience, I suppose. Quick judgment on her part.
"Elinalise, you really are dependable." "Flattery won't get you anything."
We sat on the cloth. Somehow, it felt oddly nostalgic. Probably because I'd barely sat on the floor lately. It was like sitting on a rug in a traditional Japanese house.
"Coming right up!"
We hadn't even ordered, but the food was already served.
A thick, white soup that looked like stewed beans and meat and potatoes. Then steamed meat with what seemed to be a spicy seasoning. And some exotic sour fruit I couldn't quite identify, drizzled with a sweet sauce.
Sweet soup, spicy meat, and sweet-sour fruit. It was the kind of combination that made me crave carbs. But it actually worked surprisingly well.
The soup especially was good. At first glance it looked like white meat-and-potato stew, but the mushy part turned out to be rice porridge. In other words, it was a kind of okayu.
I never expected to find rice here. There were surely no rice paddies, so it must have been dry-farmed. I vaguely recalled hearing that rice could be grown in tropical regions too. A welcome surprise.
Yep. Rice really is the best. I devoured it in no time. Just eating rice made me feel like I could do anything. I was a hundred times more energized. I wondered if we could somehow grow rice in the Northern Lands. If I had Aisha study agriculture, maybe it could work. No, I didn't want to raise my little sister as a farmer just to suit my own convenience.
"Oh my, even the ever-particular Rudeus has nothing to complain about today." "It was just that good, honestly."
I even asked for seconds.
I had no intention of criticizing Sylphie's cooking on a regular basis. But still—rice is different. It'd be even better with egg and soy sauce.
That was right. Maybe soy sauce existed on this continent. For eggs, I could use those from the Garuda or whatever it was called. Birds lay eggs. Rice was here. Eggs could be had. Then there was just one thing left: soy sauce.
"Well then, shall we find an inn?"
But this wasn't a sightseeing trip. After rescuing Paul, if we had time to spare I could look around, but this time it would have to wait. This wasn't a vacation.
"We should probably look for a guide starting tomorrow."
Looking around, shops in the surrounding area were starting to close for the night. Some had already extinguished their lights and turned in. They went to sleep awfully early. At this rate, hiring anyone would be out of the question.
The hawker from before was still around, so I asked him.
"Excuse me. Are there any inns around here?" "Inns? There's nothing like that. Sleep wherever you like."
That was the reply. This bazaar had no inn to speak of, and travelers without tents simply camped outdoors as a matter of course. For us, we could just build a shelter and call it a night.
"So where will we sleep?" "Near the water seems popular." "Then let's go a little further out."
We discussed it and picked a spot. We'd set up camp roughly between the two large tents.
Near the large tents meant heavy guard presence. No one would try to pull anything with that kind of security nearby. Shady characters wouldn't dare.
I built the shelter a bit bigger than necessary. It took a bit of time, but it was more spacious than a shelter—perfect for spending the night. Though come sunrise, it would get sweltering inside. Night use only.
"Well, we've made it this far—good work today." "Yes, good work."
We set down our bags and let out a sigh of relief.
"Halfway there. Let's keep our guard up." "First things first: tomorrow, we prepare what we need and look for a guide."
We briefly reviewed the plan for the next day.
Restock supplies. Secure currency. Confirm the route to Laplace. Search for a guide. That was all for now.
I also maintained my equipment. Polished sword and shield, checked armor and robe for damage. By now this was routine.
Equipment check complete. Made the bed using blankets. All that was left was to sleep.
Just at that point, Elinalise stood up.
"Well then, I'll be right back."
The way she said it, you'd think she was stepping out to the corner store. I tilted my head.
"Where?"
Elinalise answered with a rueful smile.
"Man-hunting."
She put it that way deliberately, but essentially she was replenishing her curse.
"It's still within the window, right?"
The curse in Elinalise's body would activate roughly every two weeks to a month. A magic tool extended that to two or three times as long. So it should hold for at least a month. It had been two weeks since she last saw Cliff. It was probably about time.
"Yes. But I'd like to buy one here while I can." "I see…"
This trip was three months round trip, and we were budgeting four in case of anything. Even if the curse's maximum interval was three months, she'd need to make one visit regardless. It was unavoidable either way.
"Understood. Have fun." "I will. You can go ahead and sleep." "Then I'll take you up on that—oh, do you understand what I'm saying?" "It's not necessary. This sort of thing is pretty much the same everywhere."
Elinalise said that and stepped out of the shelter.
---
The next morning, I jolted awake to the shout of "Ants!" A phalanx ant attack!
…Not really. For the first time in a while, I'd gotten a full night's sleep.
The dream was nice too. Aisha and Norn kept insisting on piggyback rides. When I put Norn on my shoulders, Aisha started wailing; when I put Aisha on, Norn started crying. In the end, Sylphie showed up and claimed my shoulders like a bully. When I told her to take turns on the swing, Sylphie said "No way, this is mine!" and made Aisha and Norn cry. She'd appeared as a giant Sylphie, but once she sat on my shoulders she shrank down to about seven years old.
A pretty good dream. When I woke up, I couldn't help but grin. Thanks to that, I was in excellent spirits.
Glancing to the side, I saw Elinalise sleeping with a satisfied look on her conspicuously glowing skin. She'd had a good time last night, apparently. Poor Cliff.
---
Come morning, the bazaar had transformed completely. The quiet atmosphere of the night had vanished, replaced by a lively scene. Goods were arrayed in front of the tents, and merchants were bellowing at the top of their lungs.
"Melons! I need them gone by tomorrow!" "Griffin claws! Thirty shinsa right now!" "Anyone selling Nania cloth? I'll trade for Tocco fruit!"
Merchants shouted prices for their goods, and customers shouted back even louder. Deals were made in currency and through bartering. In the thick crowd, that was the scene unfolding. Some were arguing, but since they were merchants, it never got bloody.
"Vega glass bottles! I'm not carrying any further east! Anyone want to buy?!"
What caught my eye was glass. There was apparently a specialty glass region nearby. Square glass bottles with beautiful patterns lined the place from wall to wall. They resembled whiskey bottles, perhaps. Some were colored. The surfaces were smooth.
In terms of glass, Vegalit seemed more technologically advanced. The Central Continent had glass too, but it was thin, rough, and low in transparency. Naturally, even Vegalit was nowhere near modern Japan's level. Still, there were some with a handmade charm and interesting shapes. Maybe I'd pick one up on the way back as a souvenir.
"Rudeus, we didn't come here for sightseeing." "I know."
Amid the bustling scenery, we set about our predetermined tasks.
First: money. The currency here was called "shinsa." I thought this might be the first time I'd heard an actual currency unit since coming to this world.
It was somewhat novel. On the Central Continent, it had always been gold coins or silver coins. Though in form they were the same—round metal discs with crude patterns stamped on them. I had a faint memory of seeing them once when Eris and I passed through Eastport.
I sold off some of the goods we'd brought and got hold of local currency. Bartering might be the norm here, but having cash was reassuring.
Goods from the Northern Central Continent fetched good prices. To my surprise, cheap dried meat sold for three times its value. With a little effort, I could've gotten even more. If someone carried this region's specialty—glass—back to Ranoa, they could make a killing. I'd pass, though; it would attract the wrong kind of attention.
For now, I aimed to have about five thousand shinsa on hand for immediate expenses. I didn't know how much would be sufficient, but last night's meal had cost three shinsa. Five thousand should be more than enough.
With money in hand, I gathered information on the labyrinth city of Laplace. Laplace was apparently a large town, and information was easy to come by. It lay roughly a month's travel north of this bazaar. Just as Nanahoshi had told us.
I asked about the route as well.
"The standard way is to detour around the desert through the Nkots region, but there have been a lot of bandits lately, so it's dangerous. A clever merchant cuts straight through the Ucho desert. Head north from the landmark to the east, reach the oasis, then follow the westward road from there. Once you can see the Kara mountain range, keep the mountains on your left as you head north and you'll reach the next oasis. East of that oasis, the desert thins out. Cut through there and exit to the east, then head northwest and you'll pick up the first route."
Completely incomprehensible.
There were too many proper nouns, and the landmarks were all mountains and deserts. I understood that there were two routes, but without having traveled across Vegalit before, you'd get lost for sure.
"Do you not sell maps?"
I tried asking. Maps would be useful. Knowing your general position was reassuring. But the answer was discouraging.
"Maps? Who the hell would make something like that?"
Apparently this continent had no Inō Tadataka. So, as originally planned, we'd have to hire a guide.
"Then where would I find someone who knows the way to Laplace?"
I asked with confidence that someone like that existed. But again, the response was disappointing.
"Someone who knows the way, sure, but a guy who'd look for customers at a waypoint like this? No chance." "Really?" "Well, normally you'd look at a trading hub, wouldn't you?" "Of course."
Thinking about it, it was obvious. Why hadn't I realized this earlier?
Elinalise had said it was natural to hire a guide. Her experience was that when traveling unfamiliar land, you'd hire a guide at the entry town. The idea of starting a journey from a waypoint using a teleportation magic circle had probably never crossed her mind. That's where the gap had crept in.
Things weren't going according to plan. But there was no point in panicking. Most things don't go according to plan. We'd only been traveling for two weeks. Considering that a normal journey could take nearly a year, things had been going too smoothly if anything.
"What would you do in a situation like this, Elinalise?" "I'd push through on my own. But honestly, I never want to cross a desert again." "Agreed." "So what do we do?" "…Well. What about following a merchant heading to Laplace?" "That sounds good. Let's do that."
Aisha had hitched with a caravan to travel quickly. I'd take a page from her book. Not for speed, but for navigation.
"Do you know of any merchants heading to Laplace?"
Just like with a guide, there probably weren't many recruiting guards at a place like this. But Elinalise was an S-class adventurer, and I was a Water Saint-class mage. If we offered money, they might agree to let us accompany them.
Thinking that, I kept asking around. Surprisingly few merchants were heading to Laplace from here. Most were headed east to a town called Kinkara.
However, they weren't nonexistent. Laplace was called a labyrinth city for good reason—countless labyrinths dotted the surrounding area. It was a source of magic items. Some merchants made their living buying magic items there and selling them at a premium in other towns. One such merchant carried magic stones and magic crystals from the southwest, passed through here, and continued on to Laplace.
"Though I don't know if he's here right now. In another few months he'd definitely pass through…"
Hearing that made me uneasy. If that was the case, it might be better to hitch with a different merchant heading east. As a trading hub, we could hire a guide there.
Keeping that in mind, I continued asking around. Plenty of merchants went to Kinkara, but none to Laplace. Maybe Kinkara was the better option after all. Just as I was starting to think that, we got a hit.
"If that's the case, there's a fellow named Garvan. He should have his tent set up on the west side of the lake. Go check."
We decided to look for the merchant named Garvan.
Garvan was a man who had made his fortune trading between Laplace and Tenorio. He carried magic stones to Laplace and brought back magic items. He owned six camels and apparently pulled in a decent income.
Once we had the name, it didn't take long to find him.
It wasn't an especially large tent. Six camels were tethered outside, just as described.
As we approached, a dark-skinned woman emerged from inside. She wore a breastplate and a skirt-like waist cloth. Hidden beneath her clothes, but she looked like she had considerable strength.
Actually, I'd seen her face yesterday. It was the woman warrior, Carmelita.
"You! You're the one from yesterday!"
She pointed at me in surprise. So she did remember.
The petty man who'd been crouching yesterday turned out to be Garvan. Helping people really does come back around.
---
Garvan welcomed us warmly.
"Yesterday when we came back, you'd already vanished. Quite the surprise."
Apparently they'd been searching for their runaway cargo—camels. They'd recovered the camels and returned only to find us already gone.
The cremation and burial of their companions' bodies had also been completed, and they'd been looking to thank us but couldn't find us. He said they'd searched quite thoroughly.
Then say so, I wanted to tell him. But maybe that was just how things worked here. Cargo first. Everything else after.
"Since fate has brought us together, how about you serve as my escort?"
Garvan needed to replenish his guards. Two had died the day before—naturally.
"How about six hundred shinsa to Laplace, meals included? Hm?"
He'd apparently been wanting to make this kind of deal all along. He heaped praise on us for our impressive griffin-slaying skills and whatnot. You were crouching down and didn't even see the fight, did you.
That said, this suited us just fine.
"We'll accept the escort job to Laplace." "Oh, wonderful! If you're interested, I could even put you on a permanent contract. I've never seen a mage of your caliber. We could throw in lodging too… but if I said ten thousand a year, Baribadom would complain. How about eight thousand shinsa?" "We have our own objectives, so perhaps another time."
I shut it down quickly before the deal ballooned any further.
And so, we secured a guide for the journey to Laplace. Just a little further now.