The cheers at the water town arena brought the house down. The prize that day was a grand one, named after a baroness who had been paraded naked through the city, once upon a time, to punish her for imposing crushing taxes. The contest took her name because, according to one story, she had been a centaur herself.
“Not that that’s particularly credible,” Female Merchant said with a twinkle in her eye. “But this is a festival, not a history book—and it’s a good excuse to make merry.”
They were in the stands of the racecourse, in the very best seats, where the nobles sat. The stand was shaded by a roof; you could see the entire course at once, and there were soft pillows to sit on—very much a place to relax and watch a race. Naturally, only Female Merchant’s most cherished friends were invited there.
Today, for the occasion, she offered them sweet treats prepared with cacao, the so-called “bean of the gods.”
“And to top it all off,” she said, “today is—”
“The day Silver Blaze makes her grand return!” High Elf Archer finished, adding a “thank you” as she grabbed one of the brown sweets and popped it in her mouth. She immediately discovered a sweetness that ran from her tongue straight up to the tips of her ears, accompanied by a faint undercurrent of bitterness. It was like no fruit she’d ever tasted in the forest. Sugar truly was something magical—perhaps even fiendish.
Shivering, the high elf let out a sigh. “Incredible…!”
“Hrm,” remarked Baturu, picking up one of the treats herself. “This little thing, you mean?”
“I meant that princess of yours,” High Elf Archer said. “But the candy, too.”
Still looking somewhat dubious, Baturu put the candy in her mouth—whereupon her ears stood straight up, the sweetness assailing her as it had High Elf Archer. The shock seemed to travel all the way to the tip of her tail before subsiding a few seconds later.
Baturu let out a breath like she might melt—and then she gazed into the distance. “Yes. The princess…is indeed incredible.”
She had cast her eyes down over the huge crowd that filled every seat in the spectator stands. Then she looked at the centaur racers, pelting along the track with utmost commitment.
The earsplitting shouting. The young women dashing like the wind, moving as fast as they could.
There would be winners, and there would be losers. It was a serious competition—that was necessary. But all the racers would be feted by the crowd, would be given their due.
Only the princess, however, the one they called Silver Blaze, could attract a crowd quite this size. Baturu felt sure that if she had tried her entire life, she could not have done the same.
“So what are you going to do after this?”
The unexpected question from High Elf Archer pulled Baturu out of her reverie. “A good question,” she said, but the answer had been settled long ago. “I suppose I’ll go back to the open plain. I need to report to my older sister, you see. Although she seems likely not to be very happy,” Baturu added with a wry smile.
High Elf Archer agreed wholeheartedly. “Older sisters never are!”
“Yes. One is grateful for them, but they can be a real headache!”
The two nodded at each other, shared a look, and then giggled like little girls.
That’s right, Female Merchant recalled belatedly. The elf was the younger sister of something like the empress of the elves. She hadn’t exactly forgotten that fact, but she’d simply been far more conscious of her as a friend. And too—if only once or twice and only on rather strange adventures…
A traveling companion.
Yes, perhaps she might be allowed to call her that as well.
Female Merchant put a hand to her chest, making her relief plain to cover for her embarrassment. “Everything has ended well. That’s what’s most important to me,” she said. And it was entirely true. Certainly, it was important for those involved in the entertainment business. There were no guarantees their own centaurs might not have gotten caught up in things. And if it had turned out to be a matter of match fixing or some kind of cheating ring…
Well, I’m just very glad it wasn’t.
Anything that put the pinch on entertainment would affect profits. And dwindling profits would lower the value of the racing centaurs. People would be less excited to watch them race. From olden times, there have been those who felt that the inability to generate profits demonstrated that one was of no worth. Female Merchant understood that painfully well.
She’d heard that the detective who’d allegedly been brought in was satisfied with the outcome as well. When he’d learned about what had happened, he’d supposedly said something about justice being served.
If that sorcerer really was sealed away…
And with the servant who had killed the lanista apprehended, all was well that ended well.
“I guess that wraps everything up,” Female Merchant said as if to reassure herself, and she smiled.
Fwwwooo. The heat of the packed arena was leavened by a pleasant breeze that came flowing through. The lovely wind only stirred up the people’s excitement and joy even further.
“This town, these competitions, adventures… In the end, they don’t make much sense to me,” Baturu said quietly. “I don’t know what you’re so excited about, and I don’t know why my older sister and the princess left our homeland.” But although she didn’t fully understand… “I do see there’s something here that we don’t have on the plain.”
“Yes,” Female Merchant agreed.
“Yeah… I think you’re right.” High Elf Archer nodded.
They had tried their hands at adventuring because they’d wanted to find something that was lacking in their noble house or their forest home. They had lost some things and gained others. Things they would most assuredly never have gained had they simply stayed home.
But not everyone sought to pursue such things in their lives. For Baturu, this adventure was a strange and unusual occurrence. She was certainly not an adventurer, not someone who made her living adventuring.
“But,” Baturu said, “I have found some things we share.”
“Such as?”
“The wind.” Baturu looked at her friend, then past her friend, beyond the spectator seats, where she could see the great spreading sky. A gust caressed her cheek, playing with her hair, dancing as it went by. “The wind blows here, as it does in my home. So all is good.” Baturu smiled, the same relaxed smile she’d given them at the tobacco stone, open to the future. “Therefore, I will go back. And it’s not as if my older sister or the princess will never come home so long as they live, is it?”
And when they returned, Baturu would be there to welcome them on that open field with its heartening breeze.
The sky was the same sky in all the four corners; the wind was the same wind. And if there were things you couldn’t find at home—well, there were things you could find only at home, too.
“Everyone’s got their own path to walk,” said Dwarf Shaman, who had been listening silently until that moment, more focused on the race and his wine. He tucked a betting ticket into the folds of his robes, looking pleased about it in a way that suggested he’d picked a winner. Then he grinned, showing his white teeth. “So long as yeh stay on that path, you can walk with your head held high.”
Right.
It was Female Merchant who nodded at Dwarf Shaman’s words. She didn’t believe the path she had once walked was mistaken. She may have fallen and been hurt—but she was pulled to her feet and got up, and it had led her here. It was why she had this moment—and with this moment she was supremely satisfied.
“Hmm?” High Elf Archer said, glancing at Lizard Priest. “You haven’t tried it yet?” Her attention had already wandered from the conversation, fixing on the treats Female Merchant had brought.
“Our people use this as a stimulant…”
“It’s got cow’s milk in it, so it’s pretty much like cheese, isn’t it?”
“It has its similarities but also its differences—mm, but nectar this is. Nectar!”
Apparently he liked it.
Even with a massive lizardman sitting beside a centaur, there was plenty of space in the noble seating. High Elf Archer glanced around with much interest. She saw that even the weird-looking adventurer in their midst caused no real consternation.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said as he arrived.
It was totally understandable if the people in these prime seats did a bit of a double take. In fact, they probably deserved an award for managing to keep it to a modest flinch of their expressions, given that someone who looked like Living Armor was working his way past them. Female Merchant was unable to suppress a bit of a smile as she offered an it’s okay gesture in their general direction.
“You’re late, Orcbolg!” High Elf Archer said.
“It hasn’t started yet, has it?”
“Well, no,” she admitted, but she puffed out her cheeks indignantly nonetheless.
Goblin Slayer took that for the end of the conversation and strode to a random seat.
“How’d it go?” Female Merchant asked, offering him a cup and politely pouring some wine for him. “Did she say you could have it?”
“When the race has been run, I’m told,” he said, his usual brief response. “It” was nothing special in and of itself—but they were dealing with Silver Blaze here.
There must be many who want it.
But if there was anyone here who could get it, surely it would be none other than these adventurers.
“I’ve heard something about it being a good luck charm… I don’t really understand.” He took a swig of wine as if it were water.
Where were his eyes looking behind that metal helmet? He seemed to be gazing off into the spectator seating, watching the crowd cheer themselves silly at the centaurs, as if hailing great heroes. He was watching them wait expectantly for Silver Blaze.
Finally, he grunted softly, nodded, and said, “I do understand that your princess is quite amazing.”
“Yeah.” Baturu also nodded. “I absolutely agree!”
Her princess was amazing. She spoke the words with utmost pride.
Then there was a tremendous cheer. Another race was finished, another winner made. The victor would be crowned with glory, while the losers would be congratulated on their fine effort, for there was none there, not one, who had failed to give their utmost.
“You’re alone?” Female Merchant asked, tucking her head. “What about the girl?”
Goblin Slayer nodded. “I said I would ask what I needed to for the quest report.”