Chapter 14: Trading City, Almond
Currently, Rio was running through the forest in the direction of the Bertram Kingdom’s national border.
Two days had passed since his escape from the capital.
During that time he continued to move on foot.
However, by strengthening his body and physical abilities, Rio was able to cover over 300 kilometres a day.
At the current rate, he would be able to cross the border by the end of the day.
Situated along the eastern border of Bertram kingdom was its ally, the Galark Kingdom.
Not only did the Galark Kingdom boast a proud history and national power on par with the Bertram Kingdom, it was also one of the powerhouses of the Yufila continent.
（If I’m lucky, news of my escape will not have reached the Galark Kingdom…）
As a result of becoming a fugitive on the run, Rio was unable to procure a sufficient amount of food.
In the worst case, if news about his fugitive status had already reached the Galark Kingdom, he would have to escape into the wilderness area without any food.
It should be noted that the wilderness area referred to an area in which humanity’s influence did not reach.
There was virtually no contact between the humans and demi-humans. If anything, the two groups were openly hostile to each other.
Periodical means of transportation to Yagumo did not exist. At most, official correspondence between the two nations occurred once every few decades.
There were three possible routes to get to Yagumo: via land, sea, or air.
As the land route was the only viable option, it was inevitable that Rio would have to pass through the demi-human’s territory.
While planning out his route, Rio’s speed decreased greatly. He realised it would take at least two months until he arrived at his destination.
The sea route followed the shoreline but because its speed largely depended on cooperative weather, the route also took a considerable amount of time.
Therefore, if one became careless, the risks of the sea route were far higher than the route by land. The monetary cost was also unrealistic given the risks.
That left the air route which was the safest of the three.
Boasting an average speed of 40 kilometres per hour, it was also considerably easier to defend against monsters than at sea.
There were also a small handful of people who were capable of flight allowing them to freely use the route by air.
Of course taking into account the cost and safety of each route, there was only one realistic choice for Rio.
If he had a choice, he would not choose the land route because of the dangers described earlier but his current situation did not allow him such luxuries.
Nevertheless, Rio was determined to head towards Yagumo. While the name “Yagumo” reminded him of his former life as Amakawa Haruto and aroused his interest, his main motivation was that it was his parent’s home town.
That was Rio’s resolve.
In addition, it would also serve to ease one of his worries.
As a result of his clashing personalities, Rio was unsure as to what he should do.
Although he did know where his target resided, according to the information he managed to gather from the Adventurer’s Guild during his time at the Royal Institute, the man seemed to lead a rather well-known mercenary band and frequently travelled between countries.
While thinking over the matter, he unconsciously applied partial body body and physical reinforcement and explosively accelerated his run.
The highway cut across the plains, avoiding mountainous regions and forest.
If one was prepared to deal with these monsters, they could cross the border without ever setting foot on the highway.
There were only a few low ranked monsters in his path so other than the ones that could keep up with him, he ran past and ignored all the monsters he encountered.
According to the sign he saw when he briefly returned to the highway to regain his bearings, he was quickly closing in on the border.
The Bertram Kingdom stretched horizontally while the Galark Kingdom extended vertically3.
If he was not put on the Galark Kingdom’s wanted list yet, then he needed to restock his food supply and other necessities at a city.
And as promised, he also wanted to send a letter to Seria.
Time became a blur and it already became afternoon.
Needing to check if he had already entered the Galark Kingdom, Rio headed towards the highway.
After several minutes of walking, the forest opened up to reveal the highway.
Looking ahead, he could see smoke rising and faintly make out the shape of city.
By pure luck, he was already near a city.
Confirming neither people nor wagons were nearby, Rio broke into a quick run.
There he should be able to find out whether he was in the Galark Kingdom or not.
Vast fields of wheat, vegetable gardens, vineyards, pastures, and livestock huts greeted him upon arrival at the edge of city.
Off in the distance, a lake with several wagons gathered around could be seen.
This was the city of Almond, under the jurisdiction of Duke Kretia of the Galark Kingdom.
The city was enclosed by three metre tall stone walls and soldiers stood on guard at the entrances. However in contrast to its appearance, the security checks were lax.
Having arrived at the city, Rio learned that he was not on the Galark Kingdom’s wanted list.
There was also the possibility that the information had just not arrived yet but that chances of that were low considering the existence of the magic communication tool4.
Even if the news about him were to be known eventually, he would probably still be alright if he did not attract attention.
Numerous shops and stalls lined the street when he entered the city.
The residents were overflowing with vigor and lively voices could be heard everywhere.
It was impossible for Rio to ignore the rich smell of food after being on the run for so long.
Rio turned towards a street vendor selling grilled beef skewers.
「Oji-san5, is Bertram Kingdom money accepted here?」
What concerned Rio the most at the moment was if the money he brought with him was usable.
He assumed that money from the neighbouring kingdom would accepted but wanted to make sure nonetheless.
「Oh, don’t ya know lad? The Merchant’s Guild is the one responsible for issuing and regulating money for each country. That’s why as long as a country establishes a Merchant’s Guild, they’ll use the same currency.」
（Hee~ So a common international currency is already established even with this world’s level of civilization.）
It seemed Rio’s fear was needless.
He was both relieved and in admiration of the convenience.
「I see, this is the first time I’ve heard of that. Please give me five of those then.」
「Here ya go!」
Handing over 25 copper coins, he received the five grilled beef skewers.
To the famished Rio, it could be said to be highest grade of seasoning.
Although it was slightly chewy and nowhere near the quality of meat nobles ate, the five skewers disappeared into his stomach in no time.
「You eat heartily, lad!」
「Of course since it’s delicious. By the way Oji-san, could you tell me a bit about this country? I only arrived recently.」
The Oji-san gave him an understanding look.
「Lad, you give off them adventurer vibes. Even though ya seem like quite the brat, yer actually polite. Alright, leave it to me!」
Despite using an easy-to-approach way of speaking, it seemed the Oji-san was still able to perceive his polite tone.
The Oji-san began cheerfully talking to Rio.
The Galark and Bertram Kingdoms shared an alliance to oppose their old enemy, the Proxia Empire. However, they were currently stuck in a stalemate. The current hot topic was however the love affairs of the Galark Kingdom’s royal family, not that Rio cared.
「…and as for this city, there’s Duke Kretia’s daughter, the most talented woman in the Galark Kingdom, Liselotte-sama. Lad, have ya ever heard of the meat soup『Men6』?」
Hearing the Oji-san’s talk, the man from a neighbouring unpopular stall also joined in.
Not forgetting to advertise his own business, the man cleverly inserted himself into the conversation.
「Meat soup『Men』? Hee~ That sounds pretty good too. Then one bowl please.」
Interested in the pronunciation of the name『Men』, Rio decided to order a bowl.
He paid 12 copper coins and waited for it be prepared.
「Why, Aniki. I think we need to have a lil’ chat after this.」
The Oji-san who was talking to Rio had his customer stolen and displayed a sullen expression.
「Hehe, well he’s kinda like me younger brother. Anyways, this meat soup『Men』was devised by Liselotte-sama. Here ya go, thanks for waiting!」
Apparently, the two men were siblings.
Looking at the bowl placed in front of him, Rio froze.
「This is…」
What appeared strongly resembled Soup Pasta.
There was no doubt about it, the ingredients were only vegetables and meat.
「Was this conceived by the duke’s daughter?」
「This『Men』…『Pasta』… 『Men』,『Noodles7』. I see…」
Rio muttered under his breath in understanding.
It was not a word from this world.
He began eating to ascertain the taste.
The seasoning was simply salt.
If garlic, Hawk Claw Chilli8, pepper, consomme, and olive oil were used in the seasoning, it would lean more towards Rio’s preferences.
（It’d be good if I can get some dried noodles for my journey. And rice… can’t be found here so I guess barley will have to do as a substitute.）
「These aren’t dry『Noodles』? Do you by any chance have them dried?」
If fresh pasta was possible, then creating dried noodles should not be very difficult.
Thinking so, Rio inquired at once.
「Oh! There are dried 『Noodles』made for exporting. If yer looking to buy some, head to a shop managed by the Rikka Firm. It’s under the direct management of Liselotte-sama. But lad, could it be that ya already knew of these『Noodles』?」
「Hou~ You like it that much eh? Hehe, as expected of Liselotte-sama!」
The two brothers proclaimed with satisfied expressions.
「Liselotte-sama, huh? How amazing is she?」
Interested in the duke’s daughter who created this『Pasta』, Rio casually threw the question.
And then, the pair of brothers began recounting all her achievements.
It was said, that she successfully graduated from the Falark Kingdom Royal Institute while skipping grades.
It was said, that she spearheaded an agricultural revolution in Duke Kretia’s territory.
It was said, she introduced a variety of novel forms of entertainment.
It was said, that she manages the largest business in the city, the Rikka firm from behind the scenes.
And so, Liselotte’s various exploits were described.
「I see, she sure is an amazing person.」
Rio muttered in amazement.
「Yup. She doesn’t act arrogant to us commoners either. She often comes down to the market for inspections; she even smiled at me the other day.」
「Whatcha say!? I can’t ignore what ya just said even if yer Aniki!」
She had already become an idol.
Rio was still amazed how these two men who were clearly over 30 could say such things about her.
「I can fully comprehend the extent of your love towards Liselotte-sama.」
「Tha— That’s right! The two of us would gladly lay down our lives for Liselotte-sama!」
Hearing the two desperately trying to explain themselves, Rio could only smile wryly.
「Anyway, other stalls also sell food whose recipes were also created by Liselotte-sama. They’re all seriously delicious! My recommendation is the meat 『Manjuu9』!」
（Meat『Manjuu』huh…? The pronunciation is a bit off but there’s no doubt about it.）
She was able to draw up plans that nobody had ever thought of one after another.
Using his other self’s knowledge, Rio was able to arrive at a conclusion.
『Men』had to be『Noodles』because there did not exist any ingredient in this world quite like it. There was also no dish corresponding to『Meat Bun』or meat『Manjuu』in this world either. The names were obviously taken from the Japanese words『Noodles』and『Meat Bun』.10
（The one called Liselotte is a reincarnated person like me. Furthermore, she’s also Japanese.）
It was unexpected but Rio found a fellow reincarnator in this different world.
1. Since he cuts through the forest while the highway winds around, he can cover more distance in the same amount of time.
3. Horizontal: East to West; Vertical: North to South.
5. Uncle
7. Noodles here is written in Kanji as 麺.
9. Meat bun, written in Katakana (マンジュー)
10. This was difficult to translate, “Men” and “Manjuu” are written in Katakana while “Noodles” and “Meat Bun” are written in Kanji.