Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru Chapter 102

*Johan’s von Wervard point of view .

   First things first, I wanted to know the current state of this city and, if possible, I’d like to hear the stories from the citizens as well .

   That said, we had little freedom of our own . It’s one of those situations where we had to lay low for our own safety . An escort would be provided even if you just wanted a walk in the garden . Despite the fact that we already have our own soldiers from Wind, they even a.s.signed us more Grenze soldiers as escorts .  This is… it’s like we’re being monitored . Am I overthinking it?

   I had planned an escape at midnight despite all the danger, however, an unexpected opportunity revealed itself before I could take action . Apparently, the inspection of the southwest forest was ahead of schedule .
   Philipp had already left the city and there was no way I would miss this chance .

   I decided to keep this a secret from Prince Licht and the others .
   I gave them a reasonable excuse, saying that I was tired from the trip, and would rather go out and play than trouble myself with political affairs .
   It was easy enough to make them think of me as a good-for-nothing lazy prince .
When I was with Philipp, I would often whisper to him with things like ‘that servant girl over there is quite hot’ or ‘I can’t be bothered with all these meetings anymore . ’

   Nacht was waving at me as if he was trying to say something, but I pretended to not notice . I’ll talk to him about this later, giving him something to do now should calm down his curiosity somewhat .
   You’re smart, so do your best and attract Philipp’s attention for me . Because right now, I’m gathering information as a ‘stupid’ prince, you see .

“I’m getting hungry . ”

   On our way back to the mansion, I thought of spoiling my soldiers a bit .

“Ah, well in that case, I shall prepare a meal for you once we get back to the mansion . ”

   Philipp’s escort answered me with an awkward smile .
   His name was Timo . He was about 13 or 14 years of age . His soft hair was the same colour as his slanted, light brown eyes . He was a weak-looking boy dotted all over with tiny freckles .

“You don’t have to bother about that . Let’s just eat out somewhere and go back later . ”

“Eh? B-But-”

   Timo panicked upon my proposal . He was probably ordered by Philipp to keep me locked up in that mansion of his .

“The air smells delicious since a while ago . Are there any meat stalls nearby?”

“Yes, our city is known for its mutton skewers… But it’s not something worthy for a prince such as you . ”

“Hey, I heard that you use plant seeds as spices, right? I heard that you mix truly a wide variety as well, is that true?”

“Yes! And since each shop uses their own mix of spices, it is considered a real pleasure when trying to find the shop that suits your tastes… You are very well-informed . ”

   Timo turned to me after speaking with his eyes seemingly s.h.i.+ning . My face was dyed red and I softly scratched my cheeks .

“I was told this by a merchant that I knew . It’s a long trip from where I’m from, so I’d like to enjoy myself and eat delicious food as much as possible . ”

   Timo, who was convinced that I was truly a good-for-nothing prince, only replied with ‘I see . ’
   Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve been here many times already . And it was your master, Heinz, that taught me that fact about the spices here .

“Please stop the carriage in some place less of prying eyes . ”

   Wind’s soldier immediately nodded and conveyed my instructions to the driver .
   I saw Timo’s confused face when I was trying to stop the carriage . He definitely wanted to stop me from getting out but probably couldn’t find the words to say it .

“Is it okay if we take a short walk?”

“T-That would be a problem! And also, that really stands out…”

“Speaking of which, it is, isn’t it . ”

   I looked down on my own attire and nodded . Nevermind the white blouse and boots, my b.u.t.toned gilet and culotte were both tailored with fine olive-coloured cloth . The embroidery wasn’t anything flashy or eye-catching, but the details and its complexity were impeccable . Anyone could tell it was a work of a skilled craftsman .

“I should be fine if I take my gilet off . ”

   Timo undid the b.u.t.tons on my gilet and gently lifted it off my body . He was caressing the garment as if he was holding something unbelievable . Paying him no mind, once my cravat was removed, I could finally relax my neck .

   Timo undid the b.u.t.tons on my gilet and gently lifted it off my body . He was caressing the garment as if he was holding something unbelievable . Paying him no mind, once my cravat was removed, I could finally relax my neck .

“Your Highness, please take this . ”

   One of the guards offered me a brown overcoat .
   How considerate . But still, was it really his place to do something like this? While I still had my doubts, the soldiers started to take off their armour one by one . Apparently, these soldiers can travel light, too .
If I had to make a hypothesis, though, Nacht likely prepared this for me in advance . What a reliable friend you are .

    The nights and I continued to prepare ourselves for walking in the town . At that sight, Timo gave up on stopping us . Surely he must be crying inside right now, though the person himself never said it out loud . Can’t blame him for wanting to keep it a secret .

“Where can I find a delicious shop? Do you have any recommendations?”

“Yes . There is a good one located just ahead of us . ”

“Then, shall we get going?”

“…There are many people walking in the streets, so please make sure to stay close . ”

   Timo dropped his shoulders and breathed a sigh as he said so . I, in turn, nodded with a smile to his words .
   I casually took in my surroundings as I strolled behind him .

   Brick buildings were lined up in such a way that you could still see the surrounding high city walls . It still looked the exact same as my previous visit . The bustling pa.s.serby weren’t suspicious or strange in any way either . However, I did feel there were more people with different hair colours and skin tones than before . Trading had became popular after all, so there was bound to be more folks from foreign countries coming to conduct business here .

   Seeing this reminded me of the time I had read about a certain dark-skinned tribe that lived somewhere in the southwestern forest .
   I was worried for them because of the deforestation razing their homes, so I wondered if they had come to live in the city . I hadn’t seen anyone that matched that tribe’s description as of yet, though .

“It’s that shop over there, sir . ”

   Timo pointed to a shop that was already lined up with a long queue . It seemed to be very popular .

“I will go buy it myself . Please wait a moment . ” Timo informed me before running away .

    He looked back towards me once more, saying “Please never leave that spot,” and finally joined the queue while I stood at the edge of the street with my knights, patiently waiting .

   As I leaned against a house, a child’s voice could be heard . Looking up, it seemed to have come from the second storey window . It appeared that the girl wanted to go play outside, but her mother was scolding her and refused to let her go . I became amused and smiled inside .
   But as the mother’s voice kept getting louder, I could no longer hold that smile . She was clearly using a voice too harsh to reprimand a child . In fact, it even sounded like she was begging for her child not to go .

   But as the mother’s voice kept getting louder, I could no longer hold that smile . She was clearly using a voice too harsh to reprimand a child . In fact, it even sounded like she was begging for her child not to go .

“…?” I c.o.c.ked my head .

   Why would the mother be so desperate to stop her child? I could understand her feelings if it was nighttime, but this was just before noon . Soldiers may be rough, but none of them would ever be aggressive towards children . Lord Heinz would never allow such a thing .

   Then why?
   The first thing that came to mind was the disease .

   A disease could easily be lethal if a child or someone elderly were to catch it .
   I looked around carefully once more . Although there were a lot of people moving about the streets, there were no children or any elderly among them . There were few women out, too . And if I looked more closely, the majority of people in the streets were male merchants .

“…I see . ”

   I put my hand under my chin and thought of something .
   The number of foreigners was overflowing in this city, but that’s not all . The citizen count was so small and incredibly noticeable . Many people of Grenze have ivory skin, coupled with light brown hair and matching eyes . Those colours were highly common in Wind, but if you overlooked this street and regarded the city as a whole, you would see that only half the people here had those features .

   Where did the rest of the citizens go?
   Was it like the parent and child on the second floor, living in closed doors? Or could it be-

“Somewhere else, huh?”

“Thank you for your patience!”

   Almost at the same time I muttered, Timo came back .

“Welcome back . Sorry for making you wait in line by yourself . ”

“Not at all . I’m used to lining up here, so it doesn’t bother me . More importantly, please eat it while it’s still hot!”

   I was handed a mutton skewer .
   The smell of perfectly grilled meat and an abundance of spices excited my nostrils .

“Ah, standing would be a problem . Let me prepare a place for you to eat . ”

“You don’t have to bother with that . Why would anybody on this earth try to mind their etiquette when eating meat skewers?”

   When in Rome, do as the Romans do . Timo was taken by surprise and froze when he saw me bite on the meat skewer .

“You don’t have to bother with that . Why would anybody on this earth try to mind their etiquette when eating meat skewers?”

   When in Rome, do as the Romans do . Timo was taken by surprise and froze when he saw me bite on the meat skewer .
   As soon as the mutton was inside my mouth, a unique aroma permeated my nose . A taste not belonging to any cattle or pig gushed out as I chewed carefully into the delicate meat . As per usual, the smell was strong, but it’s so appetizing .

“How does it taste?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious . The meat that they used here is quite soft . ”

   Timo swallowed and breathed out a sigh in relief while laughing nervously . Since mutton, along with various spices were used, there were many people who didn’t like them . He was probably worried that it wouldn’t suit my tastes . But, sorry to say, I’ve had these plenty of times already .

“They apparently used a younger sheep for the meat . Since the stink gets worse as the sheep aged, they said that some people in the city didn’t like that . ”

“Is that right . ”

   I think it’s very tasty, though .
   Thinking so, I decided to come back for more later .

   The soldiers that were drinking away at the bar said they liked the smell, too . I guess some people do like the skewer’s scent, after all .
   While pondering those things, I began to realise something that was worrisome .

   With either both the people near the border nor the citizens in this town, I had yet to see one person that I recognised .

   Speaking of my acquaintances in this town, they were comprised of only Heinz’s men, which only numbered a handful .
   This is only the first time I’ve been out, so it’s natural there’s a chance I won’t meet with any one of them, but…isn’t it weird that I don’t know any of the soldiers currently protecting the mansion?

   Don’t tell me… Are all of them Philipp’s soldiers?
   Then where did all of Lord Heinz’s soldiers go?

“Let’s go back to the mansion once we’ve finished eating . ”

“Ah, sure…”

   I answered Timo’s suggestion as I looked up to the sky above .

 .

 .

*Johan’s von Wervard point of view

 .

   First things first, I wanted to know the current state of this city and, if possible, I’d like to hear the stories from the citizens as well

   That said, we had little freedom of our own . It’s one of those situations where we had to lay low for our own safety . An escort would be provided even if you just wanted a walk in the garden . Despite the fact that we already have our own soldiers from Wind, they even a.s.signed us more Grenze soldiers as escorts .  This is… it’s like we’re being monitored . Am I overthinking it?.

   I had planned an escape at midnight despite all the danger, however, an unexpected opportunity revealed itself before I could take action . Apparently, the inspection of the southwest forest was ahead of schedule    Philipp had already left the city and there was no way I would miss this chance

   I decided to keep this a secret from Prince Licht and the others    I gave them a reasonable excuse, saying that I was tired from the trip, and would rather go out and play than trouble myself with political affairs    It was easy enough to make them think of me as a good-for-nothing lazy prince When I was with Philipp, I would often whisper to him with things like ‘that servant girl over there is quite hot’ or ‘I can’t be bothered with all these meetings anymore . ’.

   Nacht was waving at me as if he was trying to say something, but I pretended to not notice . I’ll talk to him about this later, giving him something to do now should calm down his curiosity somewhat    You’re smart, so do your best and attract Philipp’s attention for me . Because right now, I’m gathering information as a ‘stupid’ prince, you see

“I’m getting hungry . ”.

   On our way back to the mansion, I thought of spoiling my soldiers a bit

“Ah, well in that case, I shall prepare a meal for you once we get back to the mansion . ”.

   Philipp’s escort answered me with an awkward smile    His name was Timo . He was about 13 or 14 years of age . His soft hair was the same colour as his slanted, light brown eyes . He was a weak-looking boy dotted all over with tiny freckles

“You don’t have to bother about that . Let’s just eat out somewhere and go back later . ”.

“Eh? B-But-”.

   Timo panicked upon my proposal . He was probably ordered by Philipp to keep me locked up in that mansion of his

“The air smells delicious since a while ago . Are there any meat stalls nearby?”.

“Yes, our city is known for its mutton skewers… But it’s not something worthy for a prince such as you . ”.

“Hey, I heard that you use plant seeds as spices, right? I heard that you mix truly a wide variety as well, is that true?”.

“Yes! And since each shop uses their own mix of spices, it is considered a real pleasure when trying to find the shop that suits your tastes… You are very well-informed . ”.

   Timo turned to me after speaking with his eyes seemingly s.h.i.+ning . My face was dyed red and I softly scratched my cheeks

“I was told this by a merchant that I knew . It’s a long trip from where I’m from, so I’d like to enjoy myself and eat delicious food as much as possible . ”.

   Timo, who was convinced that I was truly a good-for-nothing prince, only replied with ‘I see . ’.    Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve been here many times already . And it was your master, Heinz, that taught me that fact about the spices here

“Please stop the carriage in some place less of prying eyes . ”.

   Wind’s soldier immediately nodded and conveyed my instructions to the driver    I saw Timo’s confused face when I was trying to stop the carriage . He definitely wanted to stop me from getting out but probably couldn’t find the words to say it

“Is it okay if we take a short walk?”.

“T-That would be a problem! And also, that really stands out…”.

“Speaking of which, it is, isn’t it . ”.

   I looked down on my own attire and nodded . Nevermind the white blouse and boots, my b.u.t.toned gilet and culotte were both tailored with fine olive-coloured cloth . The embroidery wasn’t anything flashy or eye-catching, but the details and its complexity were impeccable . Anyone could tell it was a work of a skilled craftsman

“I should be fine if I take my gilet off . ”.

   Timo undid the b.u.t.tons on my gilet and gently lifted it off my body . He was caressing the garment as if he was holding something unbelievable . Paying him no mind, once my cravat was removed, I could finally relax my neck

“Your Highness, please take this . ”.

   One of the guards offered me a brown overcoat    How considerate . But still, was it really his place to do something like this? While I still had my doubts, the soldiers started to take off their armour one by one . Apparently, these soldiers can travel light, too If I had to make a hypothesis, though, Nacht likely prepared this for me in advance . What a reliable friend you are

    The nights and I continued to prepare ourselves for walking in the town . At that sight, Timo gave up on stopping us . Surely he must be crying inside right now, though the person himself never said it out loud . Can’t blame him for wanting to keep it a secret

“Where can I find a delicious shop? Do you have any recommendations?”.

“Yes . There is a good one located just ahead of us . ”.

“Then, shall we get going?”.

“…There are many people walking in the streets, so please make sure to stay close . ”.

   Timo dropped his shoulders and breathed a sigh as he said so . I, in turn, nodded with a smile to his words    I casually took in my surroundings as I strolled behind him

   Brick buildings were lined up in such a way that you could still see the surrounding high city walls . It still looked the exact same as my previous visit . The bustling pa.s.serby weren’t suspicious or strange in any way either . However, I did feel there were more people with different hair colours and skin tones than before . Trading had became popular after all, so there was bound to be more folks from foreign countries coming to conduct business here

   Seeing this reminded me of the time I had read about a certain dark-skinned tribe that lived somewhere in the southwestern forest    I was worried for them because of the deforestation razing their homes, so I wondered if they had come to live in the city . I hadn’t seen anyone that matched that tribe’s description as of yet, though

“It’s that shop over there, sir . ”.

   Timo pointed to a shop that was already lined up with a long queue . It seemed to be very popular

“I will go buy it myself . Please wait a moment . ” Timo informed me before running away

    He looked back towards me once more, saying “Please never leave that spot,” and finally joined the queue while I stood at the edge of the street with my knights, patiently waiting

   As I leaned against a house, a child’s voice could be heard . Looking up, it seemed to have come from the second storey window . It appeared that the girl wanted to go play outside, but her mother was scolding her and refused to let her go . I became amused and smiled inside    But as the mother’s voice kept getting louder, I could no longer hold that smile . She was clearly using a voice too harsh to reprimand a child . In fact, it even sounded like she was begging for her child not to go

“…?” I c.o.c.ked my head

   Why would the mother be so desperate to stop her child? I could understand her feelings if it was nighttime, but this was just before noon . Soldiers may be rough, but none of them would ever be aggressive towards children . Lord Heinz would never allow such a thing

   Then why?.    The first thing that came to mind was the disease

   A disease could easily be lethal if a child or someone elderly were to catch it    I looked around carefully once more . Although there were a lot of people moving about the streets, there were no children or any elderly among them . There were few women out, too . And if I looked more closely, the majority of people in the streets were male merchants

“…I see . ”.

   I put my hand under my chin and thought of something    The number of foreigners was overflowing in this city, but that’s not all . The citizen count was so small and incredibly noticeable . Many people of Grenze have ivory skin, coupled with light brown hair and matching eyes . Those colours were highly common in Wind, but if you overlooked this street and regarded the city as a whole, you would see that only half the people here had those features

   Where did the rest of the citizens go?.    Was it like the parent and child on the second floor, living in closed doors? Or could it be-.

“Somewhere else, huh?”.

“Thank you for your patience!”.

   Almost at the same time I muttered, Timo came back

“Welcome back . Sorry for making you wait in line by yourself . ”.

“Not at all . I’m used to lining up here, so it doesn’t bother me . More importantly, please eat it while it’s still hot!”.

   I was handed a mutton skewer    The smell of perfectly grilled meat and an abundance of spices excited my nostrils

“Ah, standing would be a problem . Let me prepare a place for you to eat . ”.

“You don’t have to bother with that . Why would anybody on this earth try to mind their etiquette when eating meat skewers?”.

   When in Rome, do as the Romans do . Timo was taken by surprise and froze when he saw me bite on the meat skewer    As soon as the mutton was inside my mouth, a unique aroma permeated my nose . A taste not belonging to any cattle or pig gushed out as I chewed carefully into the delicate meat . As per usual, the smell was strong, but it’s so appetizing

“How does it taste?”.

“Yeah, it’s delicious . The meat that they used here is quite soft . ”.

   Timo swallowed and breathed out a sigh in relief while laughing nervously . Since mutton, along with various spices were used, there were many people who didn’t like them . He was probably worried that it wouldn’t suit my tastes . But, sorry to say, I’ve had these plenty of times already

“They apparently used a younger sheep for the meat . Since the stink gets worse as the sheep aged, they said that some people in the city didn’t like that . ”.

“Is that right . ”.

   I think it’s very tasty, though    Thinking so, I decided to come back for more later

   The soldiers that were drinking away at the bar said they liked the smell, too . I guess some people do like the skewer’s scent, after all    While pondering those things, I began to realise something that was worrisome

   With either both the people near the border nor the citizens in this town, I had yet to see one person that I recognised

   Speaking of my acquaintances in this town, they were comprised of only Heinz’s men, which only numbered a handful    This is only the first time I’ve been out, so it’s natural there’s a chance I won’t meet with any one of them, but…isn’t it weird that I don’t know any of the soldiers currently protecting the mansion?.

   Don’t tell me… Are all of them Philipp’s soldiers?.    Then where did all of Lord Heinz’s soldiers go?.

“Let’s go back to the mansion once we’ve finished eating . ”.

“Ah, sure…”.

   I answered Timo’s suggestion as I looked up to the sky above