Young master, here it is."
"Young master, it's here."
I said my farewell to the beastkins who expressed their gratitudes exaggeratedly, and arrived at my original goal, the harbor. The daughters of the rabbitkin, who are a 9 years old, and a 6 years old, that I've saved earlier have guided us.
Baskets full of fruits are lined up on the mats. There are small melon-like fruits inside a basket. There are also tachibana citrus and Japanese pears-like fruits. It seems everything is something that are growing wildly in the forest near this town.
"How 'bout it, anything is one penny."
Cheap.
Since we're here already, I buy various things and share it with everyone. Of course, with the rabbitkin girls too. It seems that the children have increased before I knew it, but it's fine. The melon is quite delicious with its watermelon-like thin sweetness, although there are also unripe fruits. I'm buying several of them as souvenirs for Mia.
The fruits peddler laughs while saying, "I'm gonna close my shop early today." jokingly. I wonder if he gets into it halfway through, he distributes the fruits to the children for free. he's a good-natured man.
"Yo nii-san, how 'bout some vegetables good for your health?"
Another man who seem to be attracted to this comes to pitch his vegetables.
No, I didn't come for vegetables.
I could have immediately declined him, but since Pochi and Tama were still chewing half of the melons I had bought, I asked him to show the line up while putting small aprons on the necks of the two. Putting these aprons now might have been too late. Let's clean them with [Soft Wash] before returning to the inn. Lulu will be angry if they return like that.
In the bastket that the man has brought, bitter gourds, paprikas-like vegetables, and red tomatoes!--It's probably tomatoes--are lined up.
Since he says that I can try it, I bite one of the tomatoes. It's a tomato alright, although it's a bit overripe. Seems they're called red fruits around here.
Pochi and Tama also take a bite out of curiosity, but looks like it doesn't suit their palate, their faces look complicated. Children relatively dislike tomatoes don't they.
"Are these all the red fruits you have?"
"There's a lot more on the field. But, it's still a bit more until they're ripe enough for eating."
I rather have ones that aren't this ripe, so I ask him to deliver them to the gate inn. When I gave him 10 copper coins as the payment, he vigorously rowed a small boat upstream as if he had grown wings to fly, and came back with the crops. There seems to be a small farm village on the upstream from here.
◇
Afterwards, we're trying various things like grilled dried oval squids, and grilled dried small fish.
What's with this pied piper of Hamelin situation.
After Pochi and Tama amiably shared their own shares, even though it wasn't excessive, it became like this. Well, they're something I've bought for the two, so they're free to do what they want with it.
However, seems I need to disperse them.
I pick up a decently-sized stone below, and play with it. I thought that it was light, when I check with the AR, it's not a stone, but a coconut-like fruit. It's probably unripe for eating, so it's been thrown away.
The stupid noble shows up his face on the corner of the road.
"There you are, you cursed white beasts! ■■■ ■■"
The people of this town are probably aware of this stupid noble's face.
Both the adults and the children are running away scattered. There's no helping it since the opponent is a level 20 magician. Men who look to be the stupid noble's retainers, and the baronet's personal troop follow behind him. Looking from their expression, they probably also want to stop this stupid noble's act of violence.
Since he's obviously aiming for Tama who is beside me, I throw the coconut to the face of the noble who's chanting fire magic in the downtown. While leaving a comical sound, the stupid noble fell from his horse. Since he was falling on his head, I reluctantly used [Magic Hand] to kill the momentum at a bare minimum.
However, I don't need to concern myself with stopping the retainers from stepping him with their horses do I. His health decreased fast, but thanks to his level 20, he narrowly escaped death.
The retainers dismounted their horses in panic, confiscated a cart from the nearby townspeople, put the stupid noble in it, and carried him to the baronet mansion. Sheesh, what busy guys.
I clap the shoulders of Pochi and Tama who have taken up their wooden swords and stood before me, removing their tensions. The two came forward and guarded me when the stupid noble began to chant magic.
Cheers break out from the townspeople, but please excuse me from this.