Chapter: 23. A Day Out Shopping!
“Puhahaha! Xiya, you have to try this! Ebis Mountain Range roasted bird legs, and the roasted mushrooms from Ebis Mountain Range! You wouldn’t believe it, but here are the Magic Octopus Tentacles from Ebis Strait, heaven, this street is simply paradise!”
Xue Fei…
Xiya knew that this was a bit of an exaggeration.
But looking at Xue Fei, who had both hands raised high, praising the food, Xiya had every reason to suspect that if she let Xue Fei eat freely, she would definitely cause the extinction of the species in the Ebis area of the Lizardman Territory.
For the sake of biodiversity and my not-so-rich wallet, Xue Fei shouldn’t overindulge, right?
With her silver hair transformed into black, Xue Fei happily jogged to Xiya’s side.
She carefully tiptoed to offer the skewered roasted Magic Octopus Tentacle right in front of Xiya’s mouth.
Actually, Xiya didn’t really like seafood.
But since it was offered by Xue Fei, should she give it a try…?
Gently brushing aside the golden strands of hair at her side, Xiya slightly bent her legs to lower her stance, opening her mouth to delicately take the octopus tentacle and chew it slowly.
And then… a sparkle shone in her blue eyes!
“Hmm…? This is really quite delicious!”
“Hmm, isn’t it good! You have to trust my taste; I know exactly which street vendors serve good snacks!”
“But Xue Fei… haven’t we only been out shopping for less than an hour…?”
“Isn’t an hour enough to scout for food! I’m just adapting to the local customs!”
“Alright, alright~ I won’t say much today. It’s a rare outing, so go ahead and scout, buy whatever you want, I’ll foot the bill.”
“Yay!! Xiya’s wallet is the best… cough, Xiya is the best!!”
“Did you just say my wallet is the best…?”
“N-no! Absolutely not! You and your wallet are both great!”
Xue Fei handed the whole box of roasted Magic Octopus Tentacles to Xiya, and with her little hands, she made a difficult promise.
“Just… just this once splurge, okay? After we get back, I’ll do the chores, I’ll definitely repay Xiya for spending money!”
“Come on, I already said it, just Xue Fei, I can afford it.”
“You’re really generous!”
And Xiya really couldn’t let Xue Fei do chores anymore…
Remembering when they went to the ice cave to rescue the horse, which had shown a fierce expression like Xue Fei, Xiya thought, letting Xue Fei do household work would definitely be equivalent to making the “house disappear.”
As the name suggests, doing chores would lead to no house left.
With a bitter smile, Xiya took another bite of the octopus tentacle and looked up to observe the condition of the street.
The marketplace atmosphere of the Kingdom of Komir was gradually reviving as the war entered a period of respite, and stall vendors were beginning to return.
The previously empty town streets were now filled with horse-drawn carriages, and the town residents dressed in coarse linen or luxurious silk and satin were either spending extravagantly or bargaining with street vendors to save precious Olus coins during this war-torn period.
As she continued to watch, at some point.
With Olus copper coins in hand, Xue Fei returned to Xiya’s side.
She was holding two large cotton candies, having eaten half of one with a single bite.
“I say, Xue Fei… isn’t one cotton candy worth one copper coin? I gave you a copper coin, so how come you brought back two cotton candies?”
“Ah? Oh, the old lady selling cotton candy over there said I’m lively and outgoing, and I eat more than her granddaughter, so she gave me an extra one. I can only say, your human customs… slurp… are really great!”
“Haha… I think it’s probably just because Xue Fei is cute enough to bring smiles to people.”
“No wonder, so that’s how I got this whole bag?”
“!”
Unbelievably, Xue Fei had hidden a large bag full of snacks behind her!
Xiya looked up and noticed that almost all the simple vendors on the street were waving at Xue Fei, their faces filled with the kind of healing smiles one would have when seeing their granddaughter.
Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles…
If you want to go far without reading, you must be cute enough?
This scene was too eye-catching.
Xiya slapped her forehead and quickly pulled the still munching Xue Fei away from the street.
“Hey…? Why are we leaving! There’s still a place selling grilled fish skewers over there that we haven’t eaten!”
“It’s all your fault for adapting too well to the environment…! Staying in one place is too eye-catching; it’s safer to keep moving.”
“No hurry, no hurry~ Hey, you always seem to forget. Didn’t we agree earlier? When we’re out, what should you call me?”
“Snow… oh right, I should call you Shaya.”
“Exactly! My current identity is just an ordinary little girl from the human race, your friend, Shaya!”
“Where are you ordinary…”
Even though Xue Fei had changed her silver hair to black and her appearance was somewhat different, it couldn’t hide her inherently lively aura and adorable face.
Today, Xue Fei wore a pure white dress, completely contrasting with her previously black Gothic-style dress.
This was Xiya’s dress from when she was a child, and on Xue Fei, it made her look like a lively and charming beauty—just in her younger version.
As for Xiya, she wore a long dress that didn’t accentuate her figure and a pair of long brown leather boots.
If one didn’t know she was a hero, just one glance would definitely lead to the judgment that she was a noble lady with unparalleled beauty.
Xiya, just to be safe, asked again.
“Xue… Shaya, you only said the setup was a friend, but the key is I usually don’t have any friends… uh… what’s that expression of yours?”
“Woo… Xiya, no friends… so pitiful. It’s okay, strong individuals are always lonely; I can understand.”
“Don’t focus on such sad things! I’m begging you!! I don’t have friends because I’m usually too busy… it’s definitely not because I can’t make friends!”
“Ah, I understand, I understand~ After all, it’s Xiya.”
“!”
Xiya’s face turned red with anger, but she had no room to refute.
Because not having friends was just not having friends; saying more would only be self-deprecating.
Xue Fei continued to stroll forward, holding her head and looking around at the vendors while humming a little tune in response.
“If something really happens, we can just adapt~ Identities or whatever can all be explained. It’s a small problem compared to dealing with those nobles in the Demon King’s Castle who keep petitioning for military expeditions every day~”
“I can’t imagine what kind of life you led before…”
“Let’s not talk about me; what about you, Xiya… as a hero, is it really okay to walk around the street so openly?”
“Ordinary people haven’t seen me much.” Xiya’s gaze was also observing the surroundings, “Even if they have seen me, they wouldn’t dare recognize me.”
As she spoke, her tone gradually revealed some helplessness.
“In this country’s order, even if commoners recognize a noble, it doesn’t do them any good. Speaking out would only bring themselves trouble, especially during war, when order is even more chaotic, nobles extort the common people, and they try to avoid nobles at all costs.”
“Wow, nobles in your country are quite arrogant, they wouldn’t be like that in the Demon Territory.”
“Are the nobles there very kind?”
“No, nobles there sometimes directly rob food from the common people.”
“……”
“But that noble who robbed food and bullied the common people seems to have ended up dead at the hands of the common people too; it’s well-deserved punishment.”
“?!”
Common… the people are fierce?
This just shows the difference in culture.
The kingdom values order, while the demon race values not only order but also power.
As they chatted, a slightly abrupt but pleasant sound like silver bells suddenly rang out.
“Lady Xue Fei is so pretty! Even looking different is beautiful!”
“Hahahah, such sweet words! You can say more… uh, who is speaking?”
Hearing the voice, Xue Fei looked down at the sword sheath hidden with magic to avoid being too conspicuous at Xiya’s waist…
—The Holy Sword [Siletra].
Others couldn’t see it, but Xue Fei could see the invisible blade.
Wow… a sword that can talk really is a wonder!
“You perverted sword… how can you still talk after being in the sheath?”
“Yes, yes! Occasionally, we wake up and can say a few words!”
“I should have just left you at home.”
“Woo… I won’t cause any trouble… I just want to remind Lady Xue Fei that it seems the only store on this street is right next to us; didn’t you say you wanted to buy something? Once we pass by the back, there won’t be any left.”
A store?
What store?
Hearing this, Xiya looked up and saw a young girl standing at the door of the store with a beaming smile, beckoning customers, while the wooden sign in front of the store had the words “Lingerie” written on it in Olus script.
Oh, oh… little Siletra, that’s a great reminder!
We need to hurry… hurry and buy a set of underwear that belongs to Xue Fei.
Because every time she thought about this, Xiya would feel a strange sense of guilt.
Ugh, to be honest, what Xue Fei is wearing right now… is still my underwear!
