The next morning, after eating breakfast at the inn, we split into three groups to go shopping for items needed to subjugate the undead former girls gathered at the bottom of the vertical shaft.
This was because we decided that too many people would be inefficient and conspicuous.
The first group, led by me, consisted of Alicia, Swan Hilda, Edele, Miralca, and Astarotte, with the invisible Holy Spirit Serena supposedly flying nearby.
I left the escort of the group to Swan Hilda and Edele, and decided to wander through the morning market with half a mind to tease.
“The morning market is incredibly lively, isn’t it?”
“It is, Miralca. This city is located at a transportation hub on the main road.”
“There are so many rare things, I don’t know where to look. But still, there are so many people, it’s hard to walk.”
“Be very careful of pickpockets.”
“Yes, Hal-sama.”
Miralca seemed to be enjoying herself for some reason.
Since becoming human after being a demonkin, she might not be used to crowds due to living under strict discipline at St. Agnes Abbey, but there seemed to be many new and interesting things.
“Miralca, for you to be so naive! Crowds are just a nuisance! You country bumpkin!!”
Swan Hilda, who seemed somewhat accustomed to the world, teased Miralca, who was looking around nervously like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.
“Swan Hilda, don’t bully Miralca.”
“This is just me teaching Miralca about the harshness of the world, Ede-nee.”
Edele admonished them when she saw their interaction.
In response, Swan Hilda claimed it was part of her education.
“Edele-sama, thank you for defending me! That wicked ‘Incompetent Princess’… I hope she gets kicked by a horse and flown away! Hmph!”
Miralca, hugging Edele, took the opportunity to curse Swan Hilda.
“R-really, why did I bring such a worthless person along?”
Swan Hilda slumped her shoulders.
The second group was formed by the vice-leader Elise, Mai, Freya, Kirika, Eria, and Sharon.
Elise was in charge of buying groceries and other items, as she could use the Item Box with Space magic.
Freya, who was also there to keep an eye on them, was the main force of the shopping group.
The third group, led by Ly, included Liliana, Tirna, Dietlinde, and Shera.
This group also had Shera, who could use an Item Box, so they were given the task of buying mainly consumables.
The city of Imman, being a border town, had abundant trade goods decorating the stalls of the street vendors.
“Excuse me, young man, would you like some sweet cut fruit? I’ll give you a good price! It’s very popular with girls, so please buy some!”
As our first group walked along, a middle-aged woman, who looked like a country innkeeper, called out to us.
Behind the middle-aged woman were various fruits and cut fruits processed from them, all displayed.
“Wow, they look delicious!”
Miralca was the one who reacted to the sales pitch.
“It has a wonderful aroma! Hal, I’m thirsty too, I want to eat some.”
Alicia, following Miralca, also succumbed to the sweet aroma of the fruit, so I decided to buy cut fruits for everyone.
Cut fruit is made by peeling fruit, cutting it into appropriate sizes, and skewering it for easy consumption.
Furthermore, for an additional fee, they would drizzle honey or condensed milk on it.
“Innkeeper, please give us cut fruit for everyone.”
“What kind of fruit and toppings would you like?”
“Everyone, order what you like.”
“Hal-sama, you understand! Unlike some ‘Incompetent Princess’!”
Miralca was overjoyed by my generosity, but she didn’t forget to curse Swan Hilda.
Immediately after, Edele, who was standing next to her, bonked me on the head.
It seemed I had crossed the line a bit and was being warned.
“Why am I getting caught in the crossfire here?”
Swan Hilda slumped her shoulders again, but didn’t forget to take her cut fruit.
The Party Members immediately picked up delicious-looking cut fruit, and I paid the innkeeper.
Astarotte was eating her cut fruit with a cheerful expression.
The cut fruit itself did not retain the original shape of the fruit, so it was difficult to tell at first glance what kind of fruit it was.
By the way, Astarotte’s cut fruit had her favorite chocolate sauce drizzled on it, as recommended by the innkeeper.
Beside her, Lulu, who had tagged along, was also eating hers with gusto.
The Vampire sisters had also accompanied them, each in their own groups.
Their current childlike forms were apparently temporary disguises to suppress their abilities, sealed into their young girl forms by the effects of the ‘Seiken-gan’ implanted in their wombs.
The Vampire sisters in their young girl forms could barely use their skills as demons and were nothing more than ill-mouthed brats.
“This fruit is so sweet and juicy! I want to eat it again, so I’d like to know its name.”
Having eaten about half of hers and feeling refreshed, Astarotte asked the innkeeper.
“That is a fruit called [Pai Nipple] from the Southern Nations. Some people call it [Oppai Nipple].”
The innkeeper pointed to a fruit shaped like a breast.
And its protrusion resembled a nipple.
What an erotic fruit this was!
During the First Expedition Trip, I had traveled to the Southern Nations, but I had never seen a fruit called [Pai Nipple].
Perhaps it wasn’t cultivated in the places I visited, or it wasn’t the fruiting season.
“…I feel like I’m eating cannibalism.”
“I… I feel embarrassed.”
Upon seeing the [Pai Nipple], Astarotte and Alicia glanced at each other’s chests and gave wry smiles.
Their complexions seemed to be slightly flushed.
Of course, they were wearing masks modeled after Valkyries, so this was a guess based on their exposed mouths, but it likely wasn’t far off.
“Then, which of these fruits am I eating? The flesh is soft and very sweet.”
Edele was the next to ask, and Swan Hilda and Miralca were also eating the same cut fruit.
“Ah, that’s a variety of [Banto] called [Peach Buttocks] originating from the Eastern Nations.”
The [Peach Buttocks] pointed out by the innkeeper had a lewd shape that evoked the firm buttocks of a young girl.
The three who heard this fact gave wry smiles.
Incidentally, [Peach Buttocks] are delicate fruits and cannot withstand long-distance travel.
Apparently, the trees that sprouted from seeds brought by Saintess Tachibana, whom they learned about in Yappe town, were planted on the outskirts.
We focused on visiting street vendors selling food and enjoyed snacking as we went.
“Master! It’s an emergency! The members of the second group have just saved a girl who attempted suicide by jumping from the stone wall of Elgerblard Castle into the reservoir! She’s bleeding from her head and unconscious. Please save her!”
As our first group was leisurely enjoying our snacks, something with two pairs of wings outstretched and gliding descended.
At first, I thought it was a large bird or a stray fairy, but upon closer inspection, it was Holy Spirit Serena.
However, she usually flew through the air with more grace, and she seemed to be in a hurry.
I had been wondering why I hadn’t sensed Holy Spirit Serena’s presence for a while, and it turned out she was with the second group.
And then, there was a report that Holy Spirit Serena had rescued an unknown girl.
Moreover, she was injured in the head during the fall and was unconscious.
“Calm down, Serena. Tell me the situation concisely once you’ve calmed down.”
“M-Master, just now, we–”
Upon hearing my words, Holy Spirit Serena perched on my right shoulder, took a breath, and began to speak.
The situation was that Elise, who was gluttonous, had won a fierce budget negotiation with Freya, the capable accountant, and had finished procuring the desired ingredients and preserved foods. They were taking a break in the green park with the reservoir, which was like a moat built next to Elgerblard Castle, serving as a water source for daily life.
Various ornamental plants were planted in the area, making it a place of relaxation for the residents of Imman.
Elise apparently wanted to eat the sweets she bought with the leftover budget from bargaining as soon as possible.
In a way… it seemed that the second group was also enjoying snacking at their own pace.
Perhaps Freya intended to use the “carrot and stick” approach.
It was there, in that relaxing spot, that Elise headed to a bench on the promenade around the reservoir, which was less crowded, to immediately enjoy the spoils of war – her sweets.
Still… Elise never changes.
And just as she was about to indulge in snacking, the highlight of any shopping trip, the girl in question leaned over the stone wall of Elgerblard Castle and jumped into the reservoir.
The stone wall of the castle was apparently slightly sloped.
The girl, who had attempted to commit suicide by jumping, fell onto the surface of the reservoir while hitting the stone wall, and disappeared into the water with a dramatic splash.
Normally, this would be a difficult situation to rescue someone from.
And if there were people around, it would have caused a huge commotion.
However, she seemed to have chosen a time when no one was around.
The members of the second group, sitting on the bench and about to snack, couldn’t see her due to the branches and leaves of the lush ornamental trees obscuring their view, so apparently she hadn’t noticed their presence.
At this point, only the second group could save her life.
However, as they had been trained as adventurers, they were able to act precisely without panic.
That is, the wizards Elise and Eria rescued her using water-attribute magic.
However, the girl was bleeding from her head and unconscious due to contact with the stone wall during the fall.
Therefore, they sent Holy Spirit Serena to ask me for help.
“Thank you for contacting me, Serena. Let’s head there immediately.”
I praised Holy Spirit Serena, who had contacted me in such a hurry.
“I’m glad I could be of service. But now that I think about it, I could have used Healing magic myself.”
It seemed that Elise and the others were in complete disarray due to the sudden incident.
“Well then, let’s hurry and rendezvous with the second group led by Elise. We’re heading to the green park with the reservoir next to Elgerblard Castle. Serena, please lead the way!”
“Master, understood.”
Thank you for reading.
episode41-12 The Many Trials and Tribulations, Running All Over the Place ②
is scheduled to be posted at 0:00 on April 1st.
