After departing the southern village, we began heading east. To the east was a town that faced the sea—a town that made most of its money from trading at the port, providing solid income for us. The road there was as bumpy as ever, and the endless swaying was exhausting. The one saving grace was that this area was peaceful, so we experienced no bandit attacks.
The trip was too long to make in a single day, so we stopped at inns as we made our way there. The closer we got to the eastern town, the livelier the scenery got. The heat subsided as well, and we started to smell the sea on the air. Finally, we made it to the duchy’s easternmost town.
“Wow… I’ve never actually seen the sea before!”
Rehme, seated across from me, gazed at the water with sparkles in her eyes. I’d seen the sea plenty of times in my previous life, but I was still excited internally. And as expected of a port town, the streets were filled with boisterous people coming and going.
“You there, girl! Don’t just stand there! Out of the way!”
As I stood in the middle of the street, glancing about, a man shouted at me. I looked his direction to see a massive pile of goods barreling toward me.
“My lady, look out!”
In my panic, I froze, but Lyle pulled me out of the way with such force that the world became a blur. In the next moment, I was embraced, and Lyle’s chest was right in my face. It was firm and burly, a testament to all his training. My nose pressed up against his breastbone, causing me a bit of pain.
“Thanks, Lyle.” I raised my head and thanked him, pulling away. It wouldn’t do to remain in this position forever.
“No, I’m just glad you’re safe. My lady, please don’t go off on your own. Have Tanya or someone accompany you.”
“Right, I will. I’ve had enough frights for one day.”
Just like at the southern village, I went to speak to the mayor. Their home, as expected of such an affluent town, stood out from the rest. Their reception was perfect as well, as if they were used to dealing with people from the government coming for inspection. They did, however, seem surprised by the fact that I, the duke’s daughter, had come herself. After this brief stop, our group of five set out to explore.
“This place really is lively.”
What seemed to be the main street was crowded with people and a large number of booming businesses. Stalls were squeezed tightly together as literal tons of goods passed through, people weaving in between.
“Indeed. This area’s income is quite steady due to its trading and salt exports.”
With the inspection as a pretext, I took the opportunity to browse the various stalls. Unsurprisingly for a port town, a number of rare goods were for sale—for example, various trinkets clearly of foreign make and fish that could only be found near the sea. I wanted many of them for myself, but my mind was constantly thinking about the possible markets, if only distribution could be managed. Honestly, it was incredibly fun—a grand puzzle.
However, just as I’d examined every inch of the main street, I noticed an alley off to the side. Upon closer inspection, it appeared abandoned. The alley was dark, and the buildings seemed lonely. Trash dotted the ground. It was such a stark difference from the bustling main street. From a distance, it seemed like an entirely different town encroaching upon this one. I stepped toward the alley, but Dida grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“Princess, not that way.”
His manner of speaking was the same as always, but there was an odd gravity to his tone.
“But such places are exactly what I came to inspect.”
“As your guards, we’re not here just to protect you when you’re already in danger. It’s also our job to keep you from ever getting into it.”
Was he implying the alley was really that dangerous? Still…
“I have you, Lyle, and Tanya with me. Is that not safe enough?”
“It’s not. I’m getting a bad vibe from this place. If things get out of hand, I’m honestly not confident we have the numbers to make it out safely.”
My eyes widened with shock. Lyle and Dida were the strongest members of our mansion’s private guards. They had even been scouted for the royal knights, the bona fide cream of the crop. And yet he was uncertain?
Dida noted my suspicion and pressed his argument. “Places like that run on different rules from the rest of the world, and the people who deal in dark corners have no mercy for those who break those rules. A few of them would be one thing, but if we ran afoul of an organization, we’d stand no chance, not with just us. Go in unprepared and you’ll get more than burned. Besides, I doubt anyone will take kindly to you intruding, Princess.”
There wasn’t much I could say to counter that. His emphasis on me made me think it wasn’t just a matter of physical strength either. Not only did I have no achievements to my name, I also didn’t really know anything about my domain yet. In other words, he was saying my title in itself wouldn’t impress them.
“All right… I’ll give up, for now.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s take a break and get lunch, shall we?” I suggested in an effort to change the mood.
Instantly, the darkness cleared from my friends’ eyes.
“Oh! In that case, I have a place in mind.”
The change was most dramatic in Dida. His normal, bright attitude returned, and we entered a restaurant at his recommendation. Lyle and Tanya protested at first, saying I shouldn’t visit such a common business, but I silenced them. We’d come so far that of course I wanted to try the local specialties. And so, as expected of a port town, a fish dish appeared before me. Raw.
“Oh, my… It looks delicious.”
I nearly drooled. My heart screamed with nostalgia. Fish had proven to be a terribly rare occurrence at my dinner table, let alone anything raw. For someone like me, whose heart was half born and raised in Japan, a country surrounded by the sea, there was no greater delicacy.
“Raw food…”
“My lady, let’s not.”
Lyle and Tanya showed hesitation over the raw factor, while right next to them, Dida chowed down.
“Ugh… I’ve read about this in books. The locals here have a practice of eating raw fish. And it comes with a dipping sauce that’s made from beans, I think… Is that what this brown stuff is?” Rehme fearfully brought the food to her mouth and then put it down, over and over.
“It’s good, you know.” I dug in without hesitation. And indeed, it was beautifully tasty. Had to be the freshness.
“Oh! Got a taste for it, eh, Princess?” Dida was on the job, so I was sure he wasn’t drunk, yet he still spoke like an inebriated old man.
It made me chuckle. “There’s no need to force yourselves, but why don’t you try it?” I beseeched the rest. “You might like it.”
At this, my friends grimaced, and each popped a piece into their mouths, looking like they were prepared for death. Lyle and Tanya quickly grew accustomed to the raw texture and began to enjoy themselves. Rehme, however, couldn’t get over the fishy smell and gave up halfway through.
“I guess there are some experiences you just can’t get from a book…”
Beautiful words, perhaps, but unfortunately the trauma of raw fish brought her to tears. It was quite the pathetic picture.