WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 105: The North

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It was the ninth day since they had left Solenion and headed northwest.

By then, Elbridge's group had taken on the natural appearance of travelers. In other words, they looked tired and grimy.

There was one exception, though: Sonia.

Her black hair shone instead of looking greasy, and her clothes and face were far cleaner than anyone else's.

Elbridge looked at Sonia.

"No matter how I look at it, this is strange."

"What is?"

"I thought you'd be the first one to end up looking like a beggar... Why are you the only one still so clean?"

"I'm a noble who received etiquette training. Maintaining dignity wherever I am is a basic quality."

Surprisingly, everyone in Elbridge's group had completely forgotten that Sonia was a noble. Her behavior and way of speaking had been far removed from anything noble.

The ragged state she had been in when they first met had also played a part.

"Dignity? When we first met in Dickens Viscounty, you looked like a beggar around those people called the Crows or something."

Sonia snorted.

"Don't you know every place has a dress code? There, looking dirty was practically the dress code. If I'd been the only clean one in a place like that, it would've been hard to fit in."

Sonia was good at reading the room.

They could throw her anywhere, and she would probably manage just fine.

As they chatted, they spotted a river flowing from west to east in the distance.

Rombel pointed at it.

"That's the Norens River."

If the Great Forest was the boundary separating the south from the other regions, the Norens River was the boundary that divided the North from everywhere else. People called the land north of the Norens River the North.

A large city stood along the river.

"The shape of that city is unusual."

Unlike ordinary cities, which expanded outward in circles around a lord's castle, temple, or similar landmark, Norens City stretched long and narrow along the river.

It was so large that they could barely see where it ended.

"They wanted easy access to water, so the city naturally took that shape."

"What if the river floods?"

"I've never heard of the Norens River flooding. It doesn't rain much in the North."

Because of its long shape and the river running through its center, Norens City had no walls. The group entered without any inspection.

"But aren't there too many people?"

The Holy City of Solenion was also one of the most crowded and bustling cities around.

Still, Norens City seemed even more densely populated.

"Probably for a reason similar to why Solenion's population increased."

Recently, Solenion had become crowded because refugees who had lost their villages and cities had flocked there. When the world grew chaotic, people tended to gather in safe places.

Solenion filled that role in the east, while Norens City did so in the North.

"See those people wearing unusually thick clothes? They probably came from farther north."

They were not simply wearing an extra layer. Some wore fur clothing with the animal hair still attached.

Even considering Norens City's chilly weather, they looked a little overdressed. Refugees did not have the means to buy new clothes, though. Once winter came, their situation would surely improve.

"So it's much colder farther north?"

"Norens City is the warmest place in the North. Go farther north, and you'll find plenty of people who had lost a few fingers or toes to frostbite. Be careful so that doesn't happen to you."

"...That isn't exactly what I wanted to hear as soon as we arrived in the North. Couldn't you start with something nice? Like the North's advantages?"

Elbridge answered.

"If nothing else, the food in the North is incredible."

"Are northerners good cooks?"

Elbridge shook his head.

"No. They aren't especially skilled at cooking. If we're judging people's cooking alone, the east is probably better."

"But you said the food was delicious."

"That's because the ingredients are on another level. The meat is especially good. Animals in the North are bigger and fattier than animals elsewhere."

"Hmm."

"In the east, meat turns tough and hard to eat if you cook it even a little wrong, right? Meat in the North isn't like that. Even if you cook it roughly or make a small mistake, it's still tender. And it isn't just the texture that's good. It's so fatty that one bite fills your mouth with a rich, savory flavor."

As they talked, the group entered an inn.

The innkeeper asked Elbridge bluntly, "How many?"

"Four. We'd like two rooms, one room for three and one single room. Please prepare bathwater as well."

The innkeeper looked at Elbridge and Sonia, then gave a faint smile.

"We don't have rooms for three. Only doubles. Shall I give you two doubles?"

"Give us three."

Elbridge answered firmly, but Sonia quietly cut in.

"Money's precious. Why don't we just get two double rooms?"

The innkeeper looked between Elbridge and Sonia and smiled lewdly.

"Ahem."

Elbridge could guess the rest without hearing it. Young people these days sure are bold... The innkeeper was probably thinking something along those lines.

A little flustered, Elbridge asked Sonia, "Who are you planning to share a room with?"

Sonia's answer was a little different from what he expected.

"Obviously, I get one to myself. You, Marcus, and Mr. Rombel can share a double room. We need to save money."

"..."

The innkeeper's lewd expression changed. He now looked at Elbridge as if he were trash.

"Just take three rooms at the end of the upper floor. I think that would be better."

"...Let's do that."

The four went upstairs, tossed down their luggage, then immediately returned to the first floor.

The moment they sat down at a table, a server approached and set down two bowls for each of them.

One held stew. The other was empty.

"What? When did we order food?"

Elbridge answered Sonia's question.

"We didn't. At inns in the North, the only things you need to order are alcohol, vegetables, and bread. Meat and stew are free everywhere."

"...Meat is free?"

"Yeah. Large game is everywhere in the North."

When Elbridge stirred the stew with his spoon, large chunks of meat surfaced.

Unlike eastern stew, where meat was used sparingly, northern stew was half meat.

Rombel pointed toward the hearth in a corner of the inn.

"If you want meat, take as much as you like from over there."

Freshly cooked boar and venison stood beside the hearth, dripping seasoning and fat. Other guests casually carved off pieces and carried them away.

The group did the same, cutting themselves generous portions.

The first large bite brought the salty taste of seasoning, followed by the flavor of the meat itself. They barely had to chew before the meat seemed to melt away.

Sonia gave her assessment.

"This is better than the food our family chef used to make. It's too fatty to eat much of it, though."

Rombel immediately raised a hand and called over a server.

"One each."

The server set down four tiny thumb-sized cups and filled them with clear liquor.

Rombel said, "Better than the North's meat is the North's liquor. It's a little expensive, but if you've come to the North, you have to drink it."

The four of them knocked it back in one go.

A hot sensation passed down their throats and into their stomachs.

It felt as though they could draw a picture of their insides. Their mouths felt refreshed as the grease washed away.

Soon, their fingertips and toes grew warm and faintly numb.

Rombel smiled contentedly.

"This takes me back. When I came into an inn exhausted enough to collapse from the slightest touch and drank northern firewater, it felt like my whole body was melting away."

After that, Rombel and Sonia focused on eating.

Just as their somewhat early meal was coming to an end.

Bang-

The inn's door flew open with a loud noise.

Reasonable, ordinary customers opened inn doors quietly.

In other words, someone who opened a door loudly was not a reasonable, ordinary customer. They were the sort of people with some purpose in mind who wanted to draw attention.

'Did a gang come to collect protection money?'

Elbridge's prediction was completely wrong.

The people who entered were tall, long-eared, and beautiful.

There were three elves, two men and one woman.

The elves shouted as soon as they appeared.

"Put down your spoons right now! You there! Don't get up from your seat!"

The inn's guests quietly began swearing.

"Th-those fucking bastards. They're here again. Again..."

Elbridge did not know what was going on, but judging by the people's reactions, this seemed to happen often.

"Won't you shut your mouth? You there! I said don't move!"

Two of the elves looked around, making sure no one moved, while the elf at the front approached the hearth. More precisely, the meat skewered beside it.

The elf lifted a well-roasted deer hind leg by its skewer and examined it closely.

Then, in a voice loud enough to make the sky fall, they cried out, "Aah, aaaaaah! Johannes! Johannes! No!"

As the elf burst into tears, another approached. The second elf lifted a rack of boar ribs that had been skewered beside the deer hind leg and inspected it thoroughly.

"This is Aurelius."

"Aurelius! Have you ended up like this too...? You bastards!"

While the two elves made a loud scene, the third drew a sword.

The guests shrank back, and the elves swept their surroundings with gleaming eyes.

"I never imagined you would commit such a horrible act. Humans, what grudge did you have against us that you ate our friends?"

Marcus and Sonia looked at the innkeeper. Had the innkeeper stolen deer and boars raised by the elves, then cooked them?

The innkeeper quietly explained, "Don't fall for this common bullshit. I've seen about ten Johannesses and twenty Aureliuses."

There was no way the sharp-eared elves had failed to hear that.

All three elves drew their swords and approached the innkeeper. The atmosphere was so hostile that a fight could have broken out at any moment.

The innkeeper only grumbled and pressed several silver coins into their hands.

"Can't you just go away?"

The elf who seemed to be their leader wiped away tears and changed the subject.

"Do not feel wronged. This money will be used for Johannes and Aurelius's funeral."

"Funeral or whatever, just don't ever come back. Please..."

The elves then went around to each table where guests were eating.

After checking the meat in the stew at a nearby table, an elf glared fiercely at the customer.

The customer grumbled and put down a few coins.

"This is all I have."

"If we search you and find more, something unfortunate may happen to you, human."

"If you're suspicious, search me. Damn it, my luck is awful. You shook me down three days ago, and now you're back again..."

Then a male elf approached Elbridge's table.

The group's meal was nearly finished. There was no stew or even a chunk of meat left on the table. Only empty plates remained.

"We don't have any meat. What are you going to do about that?"

Marcus looked at the elf with an annoyed expression.

As though accustomed to this situation, the elf licked the grease from Marcus's empty plate.

Then he said, "This is the taste of Aurelius."

He then dipped a fingertip into the grease around Sonia's mouth, even though she had already cleared away her empty plate, and tasted it.

"This is the taste of Johannes."

"...Is he insane?"

Marcus looked at Elbridge in disbelief.

He was asking whether they should beat the elf up and throw him out, or simply hand over the money.

After thinking it over, Elbridge shook his head.

They were currently disguised as merchants to conceal their identities. It would be foolish to reveal themselves just to save a few coins.

Fortunately, it did not take much money to send the elves away.

When Elbridge handed over four silver coins, the elf obediently withdrew.

"Johannes and Aurelius would have hoped their deaths were not in vain. Enjoy your meal. May our friends become your strength."

The three elves had swept in like a storm, extorted money, then left with polite farewells.

Sonia spoke uneasily.

"Aren't elves supposed to be a noble race?"

Elbridge shook his head.

"Children are shy around everyone, and young people are shy around the opposite sex. Once people become adults, though, everyone gets a little shameless. The older they get, the farther they grow from shame and shyness."

Elbridge looked out the door the elves had left through.

"Give it another five hundred or a thousand years, and they become elves. It's rare to find people as crazy as elves."

Footnotes:

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