Published at 4th of March 2020 10:23 pm

Volume 5, Act 02: Foreign Goods

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Act 02: Foreign Goods

“Director, are you drinking it again?”

When I went to deliver documents to Director’s Office, there was a smell of coffee in the air.

Now that I think about it, I feel like lately, I only smell coffee whenever I come here.

For me to realise this meant that Director was that addicted to coffee.

“Don’t say that. I’m paying for the beans with my own money.”

“Of course, I know that. But it’s not good if you drink too much. You’ve been drinking it a lot lately, haven’t you?” I pressed, and Director quickly shifted his gaze.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at his attitude.

Although, I couldn’t be assertive since I was the one who spread it around the research institute.

On the day I had coffee at the royal capital, I came back to the research institute and went to the Director’s Office to see if there was a way to make tools for coffee.

He had connections.

It’s hard to see what’s under your nose.

He introduced me to the factory that made the experimental instruments for the research institute.

The people who worked at the factory were called to the research institute, and I explained the tools that I wanted them to make. Then, the exact tools that I had wanted were delivered to the research institute a week later.

I brewed coffee in the dining hall because I had the coffee beans and tools.

It’s a popular drink in the royal capital, so Director was the first to gather in the dining hall because of his interest, and everyone else followed.

Under everyone’s eyes, I used my brand new Nel Drip to brew coffee slowly.

They watched as the black liquid fell in the glass pot and cheered, “Oooh!”

Some people who weren’t familiar with the smell didn’t like it, but most did.

As one would expect from researchers at the Medicinal Herb Research Institute.

They might be tolerant towards unknown scents because they’re used to the smell of medicinal herbs.

There were also a lot of people who were fine with the taste.

Some of the researchers, who already had coffee at the café, said that my coffee was easier to drink than the one offered at the café.

Maybe because coffee made from Nel Drip is lighter than Turkish coffee.

Coffee is popular in the research institute now because of that.

“Please drink it in moderation. In Japan, we even have something called caffeine poisoning. Drinking too much is bad for your health.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be careful. I can’t drink that much in the first place to get poisoned, right?”

“I guess so…”

The thing Director said while smiling wryly is also correct.

At any rate, coffee beans are expensive because they can only be imported from another kingdom.

Therefore, the cup Director was drinking from was also small, and the amount he was drinking wasn’t that much.

He wouldn’t get caffeine poisoning even if he drinks several cups a day.

But, I was still worried.

Because the coffee here is more effective than the coffee, I drank in Japan.

There are reasons other than flavour for why coffee was popular at the research institute.

… In Japan, it gives a false sense of being awake, but that effect is exhibited quite effectively here.

I was surprised when someone who had pulled three all-nighters drank coffee and looked as if he’d freshened up.

Who said that it was alright to call this a potion for sleep abnormal status?

Therefore, I can still remember that the researchers were overjoyed that they can cut their sleep hours if they have coffee as if it was yesterday.

I’ve never been warned not to drink too many potions.

Still, I was worried that they would drink too much because the effects are so great.

The coffee that Director drinks is prepared by the chefs, so I think it’s still better than mine.

The person who stayed up for three nights drank coffee that I had made.

I’m not sure whether my accursed 50% increase is applied to my pharmacy skill or my cooking skill.

After handing the documents to Director, I came across Jude as I walked down the corridor.

Apparently, he had taken some herbs from the warehouse.

We both greeted each other, “Good job,” and headed to the laboratory together.

As we walked, I remembered about the tea party and consulted with Jude.

I wanted to taste things from my hometown even more now since I’ve found coffee.

So, I decided to ask Jude about them since his family’s company handled foodstuff, and he was familiar with vegetation.

“Kome? 1) I’ve never heard of it.”

“Then, what about rice-plants?”

“I haven’t heard of ine 2) either.”

“I see. Too bad.”

I asked about rice first, but sadly, it was a no go.

Even when I tried to explain the characteristics of rice because it might be called something different here, Jude only tilted his head in confusion.

We reached the laboratory while talking, and we both went back to our work. But Jude came back after putting the herbs away.

I tilted my head wondering what he wanted, and he told me that he wanted me to tell him more about rice.

He was going to ask people back at home about it.

He said that his parents knew more about the market, so they might know.

I was grateful and explained what rice was.

“What’re you talking about?”

“Ah, Director.”

Director came after I finished explaining the characteristics of the plant and was describing the features of rice, a staple food.

By the time I noticed, the nearby researchers were also listening in.

I don’t think rice has a medicinal effect, but they might be interested in unknown plants because they’re plant researchers.

Don’t tell me they’re also interested in unknown foods.

I thought jokingly, and Jude explained what it was on my behalf.

“Kome and ine?”

“Yes. As a plant, it’s a rice-plant, and rice after it’s been harvested. But it’s the same thing.”

“Mm, I’ve never heard of it before.”

“I see…”

Even Director, who is familiar with plants, has never heard of it?

All I can do is hope that Jude’s parents know about it.

I thought, and Director gave me a good proposal, “Why don’t you talk about it with Franz?”

“With Franz-san?”

“Yeah. He travelled all around the world a long time ago, so he might know.”

Coffee was from a foreign kingdom.

Like Liz had said the other day, it might be produced in another kingdom.

Franz-san as an excellent merchant, seemed like someone who would research the local products while he travelled.

I can probably have hope with this.

I immediately finished work and sent a letter to Franz-san, then I received a reply a few days later.

At the same time, Jude’s parents also replied about rice.

Oddly enough, both had the same answer.

“Morganhaven?”

“Morgenhaven is a port town to the east of this kingdom.”

I said the name of the town that was written in the letters, and Director, who had been standing next to me, explained.

I remembered what I had learnt in my lectures at the royal palace when he said that it was a port town to the east.

I thought I had heard the name before, but I couldn’t remember it straight away.

“Is it famous for trade?”

“That’s right. You know a lot.”

“I learnt it at my lecture. I couldn’t remember it until you mentioned it though.”

Franz-san’s letter said that he had found a grain similar to the one I had described in the east before, but the name was different.

In this kingdom, imports coming from the east are unloaded at Morgenhaven.

Basically, all the goods that come through there are in high demand, but they might have rice.

That’s what Franz-san wrote.

The letter from Jude’s parents said that they didn’t remember the name, but they had seen a similar grain in Morgenhaven.

Considering the contents of both letters, it’s likely that the grain that Franz-san talked about and the one that Jude’s parents spoke about is one and the same.

Well, I’ll ask Jude’s family to get it for now.

I thought about asking the shop like I always do, but Director suggested, “Why don’t you go to Morgenhaven?”

Huh? Can I go?

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

Morgenhaven is a port town to the east of Slantania Kingdom.

There are a lot of hills around the town, and you can’t see the town until you climb up the highest hill.

As we climbed up the hill, I peeked out of the carriage window and saw a town with sea ahead.

The coachman noticed this and stopped the carriage, so I could gaze at the town.

There were hills in town as well even though they were lower than the one we were on, and there were a lot of slopes.

It looked a little hard to move around in town.

I shifted my eyes towards the harbour and saw several sailing ships stationed there.

There were ships with white sails a little offshore.

Will those ships enter the harbour?

Or are they just departing?

“We’re nearly there,” Jude, who was sitting next to me, said as I looked out the window.

“Yes.”

I pulled my neck back in, corrected my posture, and the carriage started moving again.

A week after Director suggested that I go to Morgenhaven, I decided to take a longish holiday.

Director told me to take my time since I’ve never taken a holiday until now.

I think his words sounded misleading.

It’s not like I’ve never had a holiday before.

But, everyone in the research institute said, “Those aren’t holidays.”

I think I’ve had plenty of holidays making cosmetics for myself, cooking and reading books in the royal palace library, you know?

In any case, it was hard to resist since they might have rice here, so I accepted Director’s offer.

This time, Jude came with me.

Jude also seemed interested in foreign items, so we decided that he might as well come with me.

In addition, knights from the 3rd Knight Order are also with us.

They were not on holiday, but working as guards.

Yup, guards.

Unlike Japan, this kingdom had bandits as well as demons.

The main highways are relatively safe because they are managed by the feudal lords.

However, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t any danger.

So, they were with me this time as guards.

It was a proposal from the royal palace, but I was grateful, so I accepted.

By the way, Captain-san isn’t with us.

I thought he would come with us, but unfortunately, he will be staying at the royal capital.

There are a lot of jobs to do once one becomes captain.

He came to see me when we departed, but he looked really disappointed.

However, I think Captain-san is staying at the royal capital for a different reason.

I wasn’t going on this trip as the 【Saint】but as a normal person.

Why you ask?

You know, a lot of things will be exaggerated if I go as the 【Saint】.

We are moving as a merchant group to avoid that.

The knights are people who would look inconspicuous even if they were dressed as mercenaries.

However, if Captain-san were to be with us, then no matter how incognito we dress, people will still feel that we are an esteemed group.

His shiny aura can’t be hidden even if he dresses as a mercenary…

I feel like that’s the main reason why he stayed at the royal capital.

I will buy him an unusual gift from a foreign kingdom even if I can’t find rice.

Of course, I’ll buy some for Director and the researchers as well.

“Does it look weird?”

“It looks fine. See.”

I checked my appearance just before we entered town, since I was wearing a disguise.

On this trip, I wore a wig and glasses to hide my rare black hair and eyes.

I looked in the hand mirror that Jude had handed me, and I saw myself with brown hair and glasses.

The glasses were non-prescription.

I haven’t worn glasses in a long time, so the bridge of my nose felt itchy

The disguise doesn’t work if someone I know sees me, but it’s not a problem since I made myself less noticeable with a common hair colour.

While I was checking myself out, the carriage entered town, and stopped in front of the inn where we will be staying.

I wanted to get off as soon as possible and stretch my stiff body, since I had been sitting in the carriage for a long time.

Jude got down first, and when I was about to get off, I saw a hand held out in front of me.

Is Jude going to help me down?

I took the outstretched hand, lifted my face to give thanks, and froze.

“Welcome to Morgenhaven.”

“Oscar-san?”

There stood Oscar-san.

Why is he here?

The question must have shown on my face because he gave me an explanation as I got off the carriage.

Oscar-san had come to Morgenhaven for an entirely different reason.

Then, he heard that I was coming to Morgenhaven to search for ingredients and rushed here.

“I had to come to see you since you were here, Sei-sama.”

“You didn’t have to worry about it.”

“I do. We have our shop because of you.”

That’s an exaggeration.

I didn’t say it, but it showed on my face.

I smiled wryly in return, but Oscar-san continued to smile as if he didn’t mind.

Jude checked in at the inn while Oscar-san was explaining things to me, and we were shown to our rooms.

For some reason, Oscar-san was with us.

I thought it was strange, and Oscar-san revealed that he was staying at the same inn.

“This is a good inn. It’s beautiful, and the food is delicious.”

“I see.”

Food, food?

Can I believe that it’s delicious?

I couldn’t help but think when I thought about how food is in this kingdom.

I decided to think about this when we eat, and followed after the person who was showing us to our rooms.

I was guided to a back room on the second floor.

The one before mine is the knights’ room, and the one before theirs is Jude’s room.

The knights were placed next to me so they can guard me.

“Please use this room.”

“Thank you very much.”

The employee opened the door for me, so I went in.

Erm….

It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, so I froze.

This is a pretty nice room, isn’t it?

Does this room match me?

I looked worriedly at the employee, and they replied with a smile.

From their response, I concluded that this was my room.

I smiled awkwardly back at the employee, and they left after saying, “Please take your time.”

Anyway, let’s unpack first.

Having said that, I only had to hang the clothes I brought with me in the closet, so I was finished in no time at all.

When I finished unpacking, there was a knock at the door.

I asked who it was, and heard Jude’s voice, so I opened the door.

“Oh, it’s big!”

“What’s going on?”

“My room is also pretty big, so I was curious to see how your room looked like.”

“I see. So, how is it? Is it bigger than your room?”

I shifted my body so that Jude could see into my room.

He stepped inside, looked around, and exclaimed in admiration, “It’s big, so big. It’s probably the best room in this inn.”

“Huh!? Seriously?”

I was startled when I heard it was the best.

Is it alright for me to stay in such a good room even though I look like someone from a merchant family?

Jude easily rebuked me with a single sentence, “Isn’t it fine?”

“It’s not…”

“If you’re a lady from a merchant family, then you’ll stay in a room like this.”

Isn’t that because they’re from wealthy merchant families?

I glared at Jude in doubt, but he didn’t say anything else.

Jude seemed satisfied after looking into my room, so we went to the dining hall on the first floor together.

Everyone decided in advance that we would talk about what we will do after we sorted our luggage.

I went down the stairs, looked around, and saw that the knights had already arrived.

For some reason, Oscar-san was there too.

We approached them, and Oscar waved his hand because he had noticed us.

“Are you taking a break, Oscar-san?”

“No, I was waiting for everyone.”

I asked him, and he told me he was waiting for us.

What the heck does he want?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Oscar told me an interesting story. “A ship carrying ingredients just arrived today.”

“I see.”

“Yup. Sei-sama, you came here for foreign grains, right? It seems like this ship is filled with grains.”

How lucky am I?!

I did a victory pose in my mind, and Jude asked Oscar-san what kind of grains they were.

Unfortunately, Oscar-san didn’t know about the shape of the grain or any other details.

However, he told us that it was a staple food in a foreign kingdom, and my expectations were raised.

It might be in the market tomorrow since it arrived today, so we decided to go see what they were tomorrow morning.

Other foods also arrived today, so I’m very excited to go to the morning market.

Even if they don’t sell it tomorrow, I’ll be staying here for a few days, so it should go up for sale during that time.

Oscar-san said that he would look up the items which aren’t sold at the market while he’s working.

I was really grateful when he said, “If there are any items you need, tell me and I’ll order them.”

I think I’ll take him up on his word at that time.

After talking about tomorrow’s schedule, we decided to rest in our rooms to relieve our fatigue from travelling.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

I feel that the early morning air is a little clearer.

However, that disperses quickly in places with a lot of people.

Even though it hadn’t been that long since the sun had risen, the market was already flourishing with people.

The heat was dreadful.

I knew that the people of this world were early risers, but I still think that it’s incredible for so many people to gather this early in the morning.

“What an amazing crowd. There are a lot of people in the royal capital, but there seem to be as many people here.”

“This is one of the best trading ports in the kingdom. And I think there are more people than usual because a new ship entered port yesterday.”

“I see. That’s true.”

We also set out early in the morning like the people here.

I can admire them, but I can’t criticise them.

We’re the same kind.

Thinking that, I walked around the market while talking to Jude.

There were a lot of items here that I couldn’t find at the royal capital because this was a trading port.

They were all interesting items, and when I unintentionally walked closer to them, Jude quickly followed after me.

I must have acted too freely and uncontrolled because he ended up grabbing my arm.

“Hey, stop staggering.”

“Sorry. It’s unintentional. There are a lot of things that interest me.”

“It’s not unintentional. Gosh.”

I apologised once more to the angry Jude and turned my attention back to the items.

To not make him angry, I told him when something interested me before approaching.

It was more fun than I thought to walk as Jude displayed his knowledge of this world, and I displayed knowledge of my previous world.

“The fresh food isn’t much different from what’s found at the royal capital. I guess only the price is different?”

“That’s right. It’s cheaper here because it’s a speciality in this area.”

“Are handicrafts the only things that come from foreign kingdoms?”

“It’s interesting just to see them.”

“That’s true.”

Even if it’s fabric from another kingdom, it was interesting to see them because they were woven in different patterns than this kingdom.

They’re interesting, but my main objective is food.

I have no time to be captivated by rare handicraft.

I focused back on food, and couldn’t find what I wanted.

I did find tea, coffee and sugar though.

I almost reached my hand out because they were much cheaper than at the royal capital.

I wonder if I should buy them if I can’t find what I want.

“Hmm, it’s not here.”

“What you’re looking for?”

“Yes. Oh, are there any goods from the ship that entered yesterday?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention. Why don’t you ask the people in these shops?”

“Okay.”

We walked to the edge of the market, but I couldn’t see any grains that looked like they came from abroad.

I did find wheat and barley.

I may have overlooked it, so I should ask the people nearby like Jude said.

When we turned back, I heard some people arguing from behind me.

I stopped, looked back, and there was a circle of men at the dock.

“What’s going on?”

“A fight?”

Jude also stopped, and looked dubiously at the ring.

The knights, who were guarding us, also noticed the incident and came to us.

When I stared at them, I saw a tall man in the middle of the circle with a dreadful expression lashing out at the people around him.

His long hair which was tied to the back was black and curly.

Black hair is rare in this kingdom, so he might be a foreigner.

I listened in on their conversation and I heard words like ‘treatment’ and ‘mage’.

Is someone injured?

“Maybe someone’s injured?”

“Injured?”

“It seems like they’re talking about treatment.”

“I heard that there was an incident at the docks yesterday.”

“An incident?” I asked, and a knight explained what he had heard this morning.

“I heard people got crushed because the boxes collapsed.”

Apparently, there had been gossip about it in the dining hall this morning, and he heard it.

“Do you understand what he’s saying, Sei?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You have good ears. Actually…”

Perhaps because the black-haired man was agitated, his native language would slip out here and there, and the people were confused because they had a difficult time understanding him.

The knight informed me of this.

I could generally understand the language of this world as a privilege for being summoned, so I didn’t notice this at all.

Injured people…?

It might be a race against time, judging from the black-haired man’s behaviour.

Do I have to buckle up here?

“Ah, Sei!” Jude raised his voice in surprise, but I ignored him and walked towards the circle of people.

I raised a hand and restrained the knight who tried to stop me.

It’s okay. I won’t do anything weird.

I asked the people who noticed me approaching, “Would you like me to interpret?” They must have thought I was here to help because they smiled and nodded.

I looked up at the man, who was a head taller than me and was met with maroon eyes.

The man looked at me suspiciously, and I smiled to reassure him.

“Who’re you?”

『Nice to meet you, I’m Sei. Do you mind if I interpret for you? 』

『You understand my language?! Please! 』

I focused on the man’s language and was able to speak it.

This privilege is so convenient.

I told the surrounding people what the black-haired man said, but they looked conflicted.

The black-haired man was stunned when the people shook their heads and looked at me.

I expected that they would react like that.

Because the man was looking for a mage.

It was true that there had been an incident at the port yesterday.

It seemed that this man’s subordinates were injured at that time.

Apparently, several people were injured, and one of them was particularly bad, and even if he drank potions, the results were disappointing.

So, this black-haired man was looking for a mage who could heal that person.

However, even if there are doctors in Morgenhaven, there aren’t any mages.

It’s no surprise considering the mage situation in this kingdom.

All the mages who could use recovery magic to heal serious injuries all worked at the royal palace, and they didn’t leave the royal capital unless it was for subjugation missions.

The black-haired man asked for an explanation, so I explained that there were no mages in this town. Then, he frowned and looked down.

The people around us also looked miserable, but when they found out that there was nothing they could do, they gradually left the circle.

Hmm.

There certainly aren’t any full-time mages that can use recovery magic in Morgenhaven.

But, you know…

I glanced at Jude, and he shook his head with so much momentum that I seem to be hearing a buzzing noise.

The knights also looked bitter and waved their hands a little in rejection.

I thought so.

I could probably heal him.

But, people would definitely talk about me if I heal such a serious injury.

Jude and the knights appealed with gestures to stop me because they knew this.

Of course, I know this too, but I have to do something since I got involved.

I know I can do it, so it’s excruciating to leave without doing anything.

I want to help him somehow.

After worrying for a bit, I exhaled deeply and lifted my face vigorously.

『Mm, this may be abrupt, but I have something I would like to ask…』

『What is it?』

『Did you use an Intermediate Potion?』

『That’s right. They gave it to me when I asked for the most effective potion in this town.』

『Is that so?』

Luckily he used an Intermediate Potion.

Am I the lucky one or is he?

No doubt, it’s him.

This person definitely has good luck.

If he said that he used an Intermediate Potion, then I can pass it to him without any problems.

I fished through the bag that I hung on my shoulders for outings and took out a potion from inside.

I offered it to the man, and he looked at it suspiciously.

『What’s this?』

『An HP Potion. I take it with me in case something happens, but please take it. I hope it will help your subordinates even if just by a little.』

『… Thanks.』

He probably thought it was only for peace of mind.

But still, I waved at him as he smiled while looking like he was going to cry, and I returned to where Jude and the knights were waiting.

“Sei…” I shrugged at Jude, who looked like he wanted to say something and urged him to go back to where we came from.

I spoke when we were away from the docks, and the black-haired man couldn’t hear us anymore, “I didn’t use magic. But, just a little… I had to if it could help him through the worst.”

“That potion is…” Jude began but shut his mouth, and I smiled wryly in return.

The potion I gave to the man was one of the potions I had put into my bag in case something happened.

It’s an Advanced HP Potion that I had made.

If his subordinate’s condition doesn’t improve even after drinking that then he could only be healed with recovery magic.

I know that the effects are high, but it’s still called an Advanced Potion.

Even if someone says that the effects are better than normal Advanced Potions, I can just pretend to not know what they are talking about by saying I got it from my family.

This was self-satisfaction since I couldn’t use magic.

I want him to overlook this much.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

After the commotion at the docks, we went to a nearby shop to ask the vendors about the shipment, but the grains which came from the foreign kingdom only consisted of wheat and beans, I couldn’t find rice.

However, the shipment from the ship that had caused the accident hadn’t appeared in the market yet, so we decided to visit the market on another day and went back to the inn.

The morning after, I was having breakfast with Jude and Oscar-san in the dining hall, that’s when we heard a commotion at the entrance.

I looked back, wondering what was happening, and I saw the black-haired man from yesterday smiling this way.

I looked around, but everyone looked surprised, and it didn’t seem like he knew anyone here.

While doing so, the man came up to the table where I was sitting.

『So, you were at this inn!』

『Erm…』

『Pardon me, but do you want something from Ojou-sama?』

When I opened my mouth, Oscar-san, who was sitting at the same table, stood up and slipped between the man and me.

I think he’s an excellent person who could talk about my temporary social status instantly.

Was he wary of the man who had suddenly approached me?

Oscar-san had a smile on his face, but he had a stiff aura about him.

The man widened his eyes in surprise at Oscar’s attitude, but he soon corrected his posture and named himself.

He was the captain of a ship that came from Saidera Kingdom, and his name is Ceylan.

The potion I had given him yesterday was helpful, and his subordinate had recovered to the point where he could work straight away.

The subordinate had injured his leg and was prepared to cut it off, but he didn’t have to thanks to the potion.

Ceylan-san had been looking for me since yesterday to say thank you because he had noticed that the potion was expensive from its effects.

I’m glad I gave him the potion before they cut off the man’s leg.

His leg wouldn’t grow back if he’d taken the potion after it’d been severed off.

『I want to thank you again. Thanks.』

『I’m glad it was useful.』

I smiled back at Ceylan-san, who was thanking me.

I thought this was the end of it, but it wasn’t.

He begged to pay for the cost of the potion.

『The potion was that effective. I can’t receive it for free.』

『Erm…』

I thought he would say something about the effects, but I didn’t expect him to mention the price.

It was one of my reserve potions, but it was originally excess stock from the research institute.

I had thrust it in my bag in case of emergency since it wasn’t being used, so it felt uncomfortable to receive money for it.

I can’t sell it in the first place because of the effects, so I couldn’t put a price on it.

I wonder if I can just get him to pay market price.

In that case, I felt like it would be problematic later.

I was at a loss on what to do, and Oscar-san helped me.

『The potion that Ojou-sama gave you was something the Master had specially prepared for Ojou-sama…』

『Really?』

『Yes. So, if you want to pay for it, then you would need to present a considerable amount of money.』

『I see… If the money I have on hand isn’t enough, then I’d like to pay for it after I sell the load.』

『That’s fine, but it’s hard for us to charge you for it later since it was Ojou-sama’s goodwill.』

I listened to their conversation, and Oscar-san landed at a good point.

He added that Ceylan-san could show us his load, and sell it to me for cheap if there’s something I want.

Ceylan-san willingly accepted, and we went to the ship right away.

Oscar-san’s offer was extremely helpful since we were waiting for Ceylan-san’s load to be dropped off at the market.

We went to the docks, and I thought we were going to enter the ship, but we were guided to the warehouse instead.

There was an accident, but the load had already been moved to the warehouse.

It was dim inside the warehouse. They must have cast magic in here because it was colder than outside.

I followed Ship Captain-san as I rubbed my arms since it was cold.

The goods they had stored here were going to be sold in this kingdom, so there were a lot of wheat products.

『Mm, are there any speciality products from your kingdom, Ceylan-san?』

『Specialty products…? Oh yes, it doesn’t sell well here, so there isn’t much, but…』

I asked Ceylan-san, who had guided us here even though he was the ship’s captain if there were any rare products, and he took us to a corner of the room.

He showed us spices that were used in Saidera Kingdom.

The spices were Japanese pepper and distinctive star anise.

I got excited because they were spices I had seen in Japan.

They’re spices used in Chinese food!

There was a high possibility that they would have rice since they had these spices.

And my expectations were met.

When I asked him if there were things other than spices, he took me to another corner, and I finally found it.

『Rice!!!!!』I raised my voice because I was so moved, and Jude, Oscar-san and Ceylan-san were all surprised.

But, I was so focused on the rice in front of me, so I didn’t care about what was happening around me.

『Ojou-san, do you know about rice?』

『Yes!』

When I replied to Ceylan-san who had asked this timidly, he bent back a little, probably because I was too excited.

However, he regained his composure right away and talked about the rice.

Rice is a staple food eaten in some areas of Saidera.

It’s a secret that I was startled when he told me that I knew a lot about rice even though it doesn’t get imported in Slantania much.

I promptly told him that I was interested in it because I had seen it in an illustration book, and he seemed to have understood.

They hadn’t expected the rice to sell, so there wasn’t much, but I bought what I could without hesitation.

I don’t know when I would be able to repurchase it.

But then, he saw my buying habits and told me he would bring more next time and Oscar-san immediately started talking business.

“Amazing…”

“Isn’t it…”

Jude and I whispered as we watched Oscar-san.

They also talked about the sale of spices, and the business conversation made me blink in surprise.

Furthermore, he was really shrewd as he bargained while making use of the potion incident.

『Excuse me…』

『Yes?』

I turned back when I was suddenly spoken to and saw a boy holding a tray.

He was probably from the same kingdom as Ceylan-san since he had black hair as well.

He looked around the same age as Liz, but is he a sailor?

On top of the tray were several steamy mugs.

I wonder what he wants. I shifted my eyes from the mug to the boy, and he offered me the mug while looking embarrassed.

『It’s cold in the warehouse, so please drink this soup to warm up.』

『Thank you very much!』

When I took the mug and wrapped my hands around it, the heat gradually warmed me up.

The boy introduced himself while smiling warmly.

He was a sailor on Ceylan-san’s ship and was the person who had escaped danger with the potion.

I’m delighted that such a young child didn’t have to lose his leg.

It was hard to get him to stop lowering his head as he thanked me many times.

By the end of the many thank yous, the heat from the mug had warmed my hands.

It’s probably time to drink the mug of hot soup.

Then, when I put the mug to my mouth, the aroma of the soup that tickled my nose stopped my movements.

This aroma…

It was hard to see what the soup looked like in this dim warehouse, but I know this smell.

My heart raced in anticipation, and I drank the soup. It had a nostalgic taste.

The back of my nose felt numb, and the edge of my mouth trembled.

I drank more soup as I held back the tears that were threatening to fall.

『It’s a soup from my hometown. Does it suit your tastes? 』

『Yes. It’s very delicious.』

“Jude? Do you like it?”

“Yeah. It has a strange flavour, but it’s delicious.”

『He also says it’s delicious.』

『Really?!』

It suits Jude’s tastes.

When we told him that it was delicious, the boy grinned happily.

“It has a strange flavour, but what are the ingredients?”

I interpreted Jude’s question, and the boy answered in embarrassment, 『It’s a seasoning in my hometown called miso.』

Miso soup.

It really has been a long time since I’ve drank it like this.

I didn’t think I would feel so nostalgic that it would stimulate my tear glands.

The boy said it was easy to make, so it was tastier in his hometown, and Jude replied in admiration.

As the boy said, miso soup made by dissolving miso in hot water wasn’t enough when compared to the ones I drank in Japan.

But, the miso soup that I hadn’t drank in a long time was really delicious.

1. ↑ Rice.

2. ↑ Rice-plants

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