WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Abood

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◈ The Saviour Embarks on a Nameless Journey

Chapter 34: Rumors

We had been lodging at the magistrate’s house for two days.

For me and Marius, that was fine enough. But Alina and Io needed ample rest. A bath, a roof to keep off the night dew, and clean beds to sleep in.

During the daytime, they spent their hours teaching and learning the practical ways of fighting from knights and mages. That is, Alina and Io did.

Since their training environment had always been like this, the two were already used to being surrounded by knights.

The magistrate’s house was said to be an old lineage that had endured for generations. From what I heard, its bloodline was even finer than that of the local lord.

Though lords came and went, this family had long served as magistrates, watching over this land for ages.

They seemed beloved by the townsfolk as well, and likely, even if another were appointed, the management of this place would not go half so smoothly.

“You must possess some very old traditions or written records, do you not?”

Pressed by Marius’s gentle but insistent smile, the magistrate allowed him access to the books that compiled their genealogy and the land’s lore.

Naturally, he was forbidden from taking them out of the room, so now Marius, too, had shut himself up inside the magistrate’s house.

As for me, I wandered about the town alone.

There is knowledge one can only glean from books, aye, but there is also knowledge that can only be gained by seeing and hearing with one’s own eyes and ears.

I say, why must I coop myself up in some room when the weather is this fair!

I had just been freed from paperwork, so why in blazes must I bury myself in books!

The town’s old buildings were well maintained, and the pathways were swept clean by its residents. In the square, here and there were people carrying flowers, likely as offerings to the goddess’s temple.

Most came to pray in the morning, but those who had to work from early hours would slip away at midday to offer their prayers.

The royal capital was crowded, noisy, and ever-changing. By contrast, this town was small, filled with people who had lived here for generations.

It seemed a stable place, little touched by change. Judging from the condition of its buildings, it had likely suffered no great damage even when the Demon King appeared.

A town greatly under the goddess’s influence, no doubt.

“Pyaa.”

As I passed the temple and crossed the square, a fine smell wafted into my nose. And before I even noticed it, that little creature gave its “pyaa.”

Truly, I wonder if this thing is really a sacred beast. Well, I was starting to feel the hunger myself.

Drawn by the smell, I stepped into a shop. The tables and chairs set outside in the square were full, but within the shop, I managed to find a seat.

“Today it’s meat pie and sauté. The meat pie is ready right away, which will it be?”

At this shop, the custom was to order at the counter before sitting down.

“I’ll have both.”

“And drink?”

“Bring me some.”

Unlike the royal capital, most eateries here only prepared one or two dishes for the day. Some places might serve nothing but a single stew.

“Ah, forgive me. I’ll pay extra, but could you make a boiled egg?”

Since Pya was wriggling on my back, I asked for its sake.

They said they could, so I ordered it as well. As soon as I sat down, the wine and a meat pie were brought out.

“Pyaa.”

The little creature hopped onto my lap and cried at the pie.

“Wait now, I take the first bite!”

Among animals, the order of eating is the order of rank.

The meat pies had been baked in batches, and perhaps left for a time in a hearth of glowing coals, for it was a little on the dry side.

A thick layer of ketchup covered the top, and inside was chicken mixed with sauce, with a single boiled egg. Seems I needn’t have ordered that extra boiled egg after all.

I had thought it would be beef or pork, but come to think of it, this townfolk had said they eat nothing but fowl. Fresh out of the oven, perhaps it would taste better than this.

“Here, eat.”

I brought the plate closer, and in the blink of an eye it was devoured.

Its mouth didn’t look all that large, yet it ate with startling speed. It possessed some strange mechanism unlike any beast I’d seen before. Perhaps it truly was a sacred beast after all?

For now, I wiped the ketchup from its face. I’d not have it smeared upon my back.

The drink was beer, and a fine one at that. This, however, I would not share with Pyaa.

As I sipped, I let my ears wander to the conversations around me.

The talk was of the monsters that had appeared, how the young girls had slain them, and all the tales that had grown fins and tails in the retelling.

Merchants’ chatter, rumors of beasts in other lands, new tools made from monster materials, which roads were safe, what each town desired. Talk of seeds to sow in the fields—

While I was drinking, the sautéed chicken arrived, along with bread spread with a green dip. The dip was thick and sticky, tasting like something between butter and cheese. Its true origin was a fruit commonly harvested in this town.

On its own the flavor was faint, but once baked, it changed taste. They said this dip had also been roasted once before being mashed.

The accompanying vegetables were a touch over-charred, which was a pity, but the sauté itself was splendid: the skin crisp, the meat juicy, nothing to complain of.

I gave half to Pya as well. One advantage of having this creature around is that I get to sample many dishes in small portions.

On the other hand, if I wish to eat in peace and at length, I must first feed it until it’s stuffed like an eggplant.

As for the rumors about how we had slain and carried the monster, most were favorable.

Yet the ‘state of the highway,’ so they said, had grown fins and back fins and swum off on its own, so I’ll need to be more careful next time. The only trouble is, I’ve no notion of how I should be careful.

Footnotes:

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