CH 154

“I don't dislike unexpected developments, but it's not my cup of tea.”

Translated by Dawn

“I don’t dislike unexpected developments, but it’s not my cup of tea.”

“I am sorry to keep you waiting. I am the lord of this city, Count Lazen von Varendalkr.”

“Rolando. I’m an adventurer. Have you heard the story from your daughter?”

“Yes, to some extent.”

“Then please verify this.”

I hand over the Mithril First Class Medal through the bars, and Lazen received it and verified it. By the way, I am still inside the cell.

The reason for my presence in the cell was simply because I was focused on producing a large quantity of takoyaki and sweet potatoes. Despite being repeatedly told by the guard captain, Balm, to leave the cell until the female knight and the lord arrived, I chose to stay. It was my way of implicitly conveying the message, “You’re the ones who threw me in here, no?”

Even when receiving the Mithril First Class Medal from me, the lord, Lazen seemed to have some thoughts about it, as he furrowed his brow and accepted the medal with a complex expression.

“…There’s no mistake, this is the genuine Mithril First Class Medal.”

“So, this kid… no, young man is the hero who repelled the demons that attacked the labyrinth city?”

“Yes, this medal is crafted using a special technique. It is impossible to counterfeit.”

“…….”

Upon hearing the words of the female knight’s father, Lazen, Balm posed a question. Seeing him nod in response, the female knight fell silent.

Whether aware of her demeanor or not, Lazen addressed me with a sense of impatience, as if he could no longer contain himself.

“Why are you in the prison cell, Rolando-dono?”

“Because I was told to stay here.”

“Who on earth would tell you that?”

I explained the entire incident without hiding anything. As I continued my explanation, Lazen’s face grew stern, and eventually, he ended up glaring at the female knight.

“Do you understand what you’ve done, Lazenda?”

“Yes…”

In response to Lazen’s words, Lazenda meekly replied. Wait, so the female knight’s name is Razenda. I just found that out.

From there, Lazen continued to apologize and lecture his daughter Lazenda, but I had no intention of meddling in someone else’s family affairs. So I decided to get to the main point promptly.

‘I spoiled her too much, thinking of her as a memento of my late wife. I never expected her to do something like this…”

“I apologize. I…”

“Sorry, but can we leave that for later? Also, how long am I supposed to stay in here?”

“Oh, right. My apologies for not realizing it. Balm, unlock the cell.”

“Understood, right away.”

I put aside Balm’s repeated urging to “come out” and asked Lazen how long they planned to keep the country’s hero locked up.

Lazen, in a fluster, ordered Balm to unlock the cell and finally set me free. Well, with my power, I could easily destroy an iron cage like that in an instant. However, doing so would risk being labeled as a monster, so I behaved and refrained from such actions this time.

Now that I had ample time for production activities, it was time to confirm “that” in this town. With that in mind, I was about to venture out into the town, but of course, there was someone who wouldn’t allow it.

“Where are you heading, Rolando-dono?”

“I have plans to stay at an inn tonight.”

“In that case, how about staying at my mansion? As an apology for the rudeness you’ve experienced, I insist that you stay as my guest.”

“Hmm.”

Now, what should I do? It’s true that Lazen should apologize to me in some way for taking responsibility for his daughter’s misconduct. However, in addition to that, I was really curious about confirming “that thing” that had become my hobby. Even though this was a neighboring country, I couldn’t help but wonder if “that thing” was also applied in this country.

Separate from that, I believe it was necessary to accept the gesture of apology from the lord, Lazen. Otherwise, there would be no point in summoning him here.

If his apology came in the form of an invitation to his mansion, I should accept it to maintain his reputation. However, not confirming “that thing” would not be good for my mental well-being. It was a situation where not accepting either one would be bad for me.

(I know, let’s stay at Lazen’s mansion and just simply check “that thing”. Yes, let’s do that)

Afterward, I decided to accept Lazen’s hospitality but made an excuse about it still being early in the day and expressed my desire to explore the town. Somehow, I managed to leave the place. Lazen suggested providing an escort, but when questioned about whether they could provide a guard stronger than myself, they couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer. So, I obtained permission to proceed on my own.

“All right, let’s go and confirm it.”

Without further ado, I headed straight to confirm “that thing,” and indeed, it was there. It had become somewhat of a familiar pattern, so I’ll spare you the details. The name of the inn was “Spring Breeze Stream,” with the landlady named Tesana and her daughter named Tesa.

At the Adventurer’s Guild, there was a glasses-wearing, big-breast receptionist named Larian, a junior receptionist named Ukol, and a smooth-skinned dismantler named Pageld. …Mhm, I felt satisfied with these findings.

Curious to see if there was anything else unusual, I took a stroll through the market, and to my surprise, I discovered “soybeans.”

“Give me this!”

“Th-thank you for your purchase…”

The shopkeeper seemed slightly taken aback by my forceful manner, but I paid no attention to such trivial matters. It was possible that my “Intimidation” skill might have been unintentionally activated, but I paid no attention to that either. It was an important matter, after all—(omitted).

With the long-awaited soybeans in my possession, a path toward making miso and soy sauce became clear. With this progress, I started to think that I might find rice easily as well. Without thinking much, I casually asked the shopkeeper who was selling soybeans about it.

“Do you happen to know about a grain called rice?”

“Rice? Are you referring to hulled wheat?”

‘Hulled wheat? What is that?”

“It’s similar to wheat, but instead of grinding it into a flour-like wheat, it’s a grain that you eat the small, grain-like parts.”

“That’s probably it. Where can I buy it? Tell me, tell me right now!”

“O-Okay! I understand. Please, let go of my collar! I can’t breathe!”

…Oh, oops. I must have lost myself in the thought that I might be able to get my hands on rice, which was my former soul’s primary food. I almost ended up killing the shopkeeper. …Well, if it’s necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so… No, never mind.

After calming down, I gently (?) listened to the shopkeeper’s explanation. It seemed that rice was a rare grain with limited distribution, cultivated in some villages within the Saverdales Duchy. The shopkeeper happened to come across it and decided to jokingly put it on sale in the store.

“Did you just jokingly put out my rice?!”

“Hi-hiii, I-I’m so sorry!!”

Upon hearing my outcry mixed with intimidation, the shopkeeper shrunk back in fear. Realizing that, I regained my composure and asked them gently about where I could find a larger quantity of rice.

“Where can I go to get a large amount of this rice? Tell me, spill it out, inform me.”

“I-I feel like I’m being threatened…”

I don’t care about that. It’s your fault for not telling me… I thought to myself, but if I were to upset the shopkeeper now, I might not get the crucial information I need. So, I asked politely.

“Where can I go to get this rice? Just tell me already.”

“Well, there’s no reason for me to hide it, so I don’t mind.”

According to the information provided by the shopkeeper, there was a village beyond the capital of the Saverdales Principality where rice was cultivated, and it was also traded to some extent in the capital. …Okay, I’ve decided that my next destination is the capital. I need to go there as fast as I could.

However, considering that there was a reception in the form of the lord’s apology today, I decided to deal with that first before proceeding. The anticipation of getting rice soon put me in a good mood.

Having finished touring the border town, it was now approaching evening, so I headed toward the mansion of the lord where I would be staying tonight.