CH 104

The store was located at the corner of a crossroad where a boulevard and a three-meter wide back alley intersected, and on the premises facing the boulevard, there was an open terrace with tables lined up with parasols, like an open café. The walls of the store had larger windows than other stores to let in enough sunlight so that we could see what was going on inside even from a distance.

My first impression was that it was a stylish café that you would find in a Japanese city. However, there is one difference from Japan. There was one difference between the people in this café: a young woman in a classy dress that hugged her stomach and an elegant man in a flashy feathered hat were elegantly having tea, and a group of women with cat ears and dog ears popping out on their heads were happily eating something. It was a picture that could not have been found in Japan, or rather on the modern Earth.

“Hmm, I’m curious, just a little…”

It’s hard to enter in this outfit, isn’t it? I mean, with a spear and everything.

Even a quick glance from the outside of the store told me that it was a high-end establishment. The customers inside the store were also wearing high-quality clothes, which was somewhat different from the people in the south. I felt that way. Of course, there were no adventurer-like people.

Well, to begin with, it’s a store with an overwhelmingly small percentage of male customers, and it doesn’t seem like the kind of place you’d go into alone. Even if I were dressed formally, I wouldn’t have been able to enter.

Hmmm, too bad though. I finally found something in this world that wasn’t a standard meal like stew or soup, and all I could do was look…

I approached the fence that surrounded the open terrace.

I glanced at the nearest table and saw baked goods like madeleines on a wooden plate and drinks in fine-looking ceramic cups. [T/N: So apparently madeleines are tiny finger-food French butter cakes in the shape of a shell. They are eaten with coffee or tea. This is according to Google-sensei.]

There was no chocolate or whipped cream on the baked goods. I wondered if it was a simple cake-type pastry. Since milk is available in the dungeon, it’s not surprising that butter or cream could be made, so it could be a pastry using such things.

As for the drink, I’m not sure about it… I’m not sure if it’s tea, a coffee-like drink, or an herbal tea, but it’s got steam coming out of it, so at least it’s not alcohol.

“What?”

Suddenly, I felt the presence of people on the back street where the café faced, and when I approached and looked in from the main street, I saw three women standing in a line.

I was somewhat curious about this, so I went into the back street and approached where the women were standing in a line – there was a store that looked like a concession stand.

A large window gaped open on the side of the café building. At the end of the window, there was a sign made of wood with the names of some products that looked like sweets.

Is this… a place where you can buy sweets from the café without having to enter the store? I’m glad I don’t have to go inside the store.

Thinking so, a female clerk appeared in the window and handed a paper bag to the adventurer-like woman who was lined up at the front of the line.

The woman who received the paper bag disappears toward the main street, and I think about it as I watch the next woman move forward and order something from the clerk.

…… I see, is it a paper bag?

I took a closer look at the sign next to the window.

Carmento – 1 Gold Coin [T/N: カルメントウ it is read as Ka-ru-me-n-to-u. No idea what it is. Probably a caramel candy, maybe.]

One butter Cake – 1 Gold Coin

Nut Cookie – 3 Silver Coins

Hmm… Whoa!

I expected it to be a certain extent, but it was still expensive. But a gold coin …… is a bit of a luxury.

It’s not a matter of the store’s atmosphere or the clientele or my outfit or my spear or anything like that, it’s just that it’s too expensive to buy…

But I know what butter cake and nut cookies are, but what is Carmento? The price is quite high and it’s a bit of a mystery.

As I crossed my arms and pondered, the woman in front of me took her paper bag and disappeared into the main street, and I guess it was my turn—I made eye contact with the shopkeeper.

“Ah… yeah. Please give me one of each.”

“Got it. It will be two gold coins and three silver coins in total.” (Shopkeeper)

I took the money out of my bag and handed it to her. She said, “Please wait a moment,” and disappeared into the back of the store.

After a while, the shopkeeper came back and gave me three paper bags, and I also decided to go back to the main street.

I left my body on the bed in the inn room and took a breath.

After that, I went to the west area, visited a few stores, and did some shopping before returning to the inn.

Every time I bought something, I took it from the backpack to my magic bag, but it seems that it is still not full yet.

“O… kay.”

I raised myself up from the bed, pulled out the magic bag from my backpack, and took out today’s loot.

First, the wines. I placed the two bottles on the desk in my room and thought for a moment before pulling out a glass.

For now, let me check the taste.

I picked up the bottle on the right, popped the cork, and poured some into the cup. After checking the taste, I poured some wine from the other bottle and tasted it.

“Yeah. They’re probably the cheap wine and the expensive wine I’m used to drinking.”

I’m not that confident about my taste buds, but I’m sure they’re the same.

However, since the bottles are the same, it’s hard to tell.

As a temporary measure, I wrapped a spare piece of cloth around the higher-priced bottle of wine.

The next thing I took out was an old lantern that I bought at a street vendor in the west district.

It was about 20 centimeters in diameter and 30 centimeters long, with a wooden and metal frame with glass panels on four sides and a deep metal plate inside, with a needle-like protrusion visible in the center.

I placed the lantern on the table, unfastened the clasp on the side, and placed a yellowish-white candle about 15 centimeters inside. Then, with the least amount of magic power, I cast a spell.

“Sacred Flame, bringer of silence [Holy Fire].”

I ignite the white ball of fire that appears on my right index finger by bringing it close to the candle in the lantern before extinguishing the ball of fire on my fingertip.

“Yeah… I’m sure it’ll work for now.”

The candle in the lantern- was lit with a white flame, giving off a fluorescent light.

I closed the door of the lantern, sat on the bed, and observed the lantern light for a while.

The lantern was still emitting white light.

If I wanted the light to illuminate the darkness, the magic of the light source would be enough, but why did I buy this lantern? The reason was that I wanted to see if I could ignite something with this Holy Fire and keep its Sacred Flame alive.

And so far, the experiment has been a success.

“Well, I won’t know until I actually observe if this lantern is effective against the undead.”

I also need to find out if it lasts until the candle finishes burning.

One was a white robe made of cloth that looked like a long coat with a front opening. The other was leather armor that looked like a vest.

I went to several armor stores in the west district but considering the price, function, and other factors, I couldn’t find the right armor. I couldn’t find any armor that I liked. However, after thinking about the magic bag, the coming season, and defense, I came to the conclusion that it was time to graduate from the robes that covered my entire body, so I decided to buy this robe and leather armor for now.

As I picked up the armor and checked it over, I thought back to the time when I bought it.

I remembered that the robes were made from El Sheep’s wool and the leather armor was mainly made from Desert Cow’s hide. The leather armor ranged from relatively inexpensive ones made of tanned Desert Cow leathers pasted together to expensive ones made of toughened leather, but I decided to go with the middle-range armor. Even so, it cost seven gold coins, so I guess armor is expensive.

I got up from the bed, took off my robe, and put on the leather armor as if I were wearing it over my head, tying the side ties from the sides to the waist to make it fit my body. Then, I put on the long coat-type white robe and rolled up my sleeves.

“Yes. I like it!”

I don’t have a full view of my appearance, but when I try it on, I feel like it fits me somehow, and I’m starting to like it. Also, there’s something about wearing a robe that makes me feel very relaxed. I’m not sure if it’s the feeling of being wrapped up in something that makes me feel comfortable.

“Oops, I almost forgot.”

I adjust the belt and wrap the magic bag that was on the bed around my waist.

Then, I turn the magic bag around to my backside. It should be hidden within the robe and invisible from the outside.

Unless someone flips over my robe.

After a moment of checking my movements, I noticed the robe that I had been wearing all this time on the bed.

I picked it up and stretched it out, purified it, and then folded it.

I folded the sleeves, folded the hem, folded it in half – I don’t know how to fold it neatly, but I folded it by intuition.

As I folded the robe, I touched it with my hands and found a lot of loose fibers and broken fibers, which made me think that this robe was also quite damaged.

“Hmm? This is…”

I found a cut near the side of the robe.

I wondered when it was done. I’ve been thinking about it, but I can’t think of anything.

“Hmm… I rarely took off my clothes…”

After learning [Purification], I didn’t need to take a bath or wipe my body, and the chances of taking off my clothes have drastically been reduced. So, I rarely had the chance to see my clothes away from my body.

…If I had …a sign on my back saying, “This guy is a pervert!” I’m not sure if I would have noticed if someone had posted such a thing on my back, and a chuckle escaped my lips.

“… Ah, that’s right.”

The cut may have been a scratch on Forest Wolf when I was still in Rankfurt. I remember taking a hit around my flank.

“That’s right. You’ve been with me since the beginning, right.”

The other items I had with me at first, my staff and headgear, were already in my backpack. It was only this robe that I had always been dependent on.

I roll the folded robe in a tiny roll.

“…”

And I put it in my magic bag.

Somehow, I felt embarrassed to say such a thing to my clothes, even if no one was listening. In my mind, I mumbled, “Thank you for everything.”