Chapter 2

Let’s give it a taste… Ooh. “That’s good!” “Yeah. It’s a little more bitter than normal chikuwa, but it has a refreshing bite to it. It goes well with the bread’s simple sweetness!” Both of us found it surprisingly tasty and were shocked by the high level to which it had been perfected. The medicinal oden had an interesting, fresh flavor, but it didn’t have the sort of appeal to become a staple for the store. This medicinal chikuwa bread, on the other hand, was something I could eat every morning without getting tired of it. Seeing our reactions, Ruti smiled happily. “Sounds like you like it.” “Yeah, no complaints. This is definitely a flavor lots of people could love.” Tisse and Ruti had surely gone through all sorts of trial and error to make this bread. I patted Ruti’s head, and her cheeks flushed with joy. “But why are you going around town selling it?” “Our herbal plantation doesn’t have a shop… We built a little rack next to our toolshed to sell medicinal eggs and herbal tea, and the number of customers is increasing, but it’s more like a hidden gem only a few people know about.” “Ah. I’m sure a lot of people learned about your plantation from the stall at the festival. That said, it’s out in the fields north of town, so it isn’t really a place you can stop by while out shopping.” “And even the people working in the nearby fields generally bring their own lunches,” added Rit. “So Tisse and I thought about it and came up with this medicinal chikuwa bread plan,” Ruti explained, stern-faced. “Tisse’s chikuwa bread is famous at Zoltan’s colosseum, so we put a twist on it to make it medicinal. If it’s a new take on something familiar, then people should be willing to try it.” “Oh!” “And if I go around selling it, that will spark demand for more. The final stage of the plan is selling medicinal chikuwa bread to bakers in every part of Zoltan. With the demand already built in, the bakers will want to start making it themselves.” “I see.” “That way, people will be able to eat it without going all the way out to our plantation. They can just go to their usual baker. Then everyone in town will be a customer of our plantation indirectly through the bakeries.” Ruti smirked, looking as if she’d just let us in on a big secret. Granted, that is pretty amazing. “It’s a good plan. With this, I think it’ll go well.” “It’s a relief to hear you say that, Big Brother.” Seeing her excitement, I was both happy at how much my little sister had grown and also a little sad. Up until now, I’d been helping them out as the person with the most experience in business, but Ruti and Tisse had both grown a lot as salespeople. A year ago, when they had first been setting up their plantation, the two of them had come to talk with me about all sorts of things. Now, however, all they had to share was good news, and they’d stopped coming to ask me for advice. Their farm was developing a good reputation, too. The Merchants Guild had started to keep an eye on Ruti not because she was Zoltan’s strongest adventurer, but because of her success running the plantation. It really didn’t look like she’d be needing advice from me anymore. “Big Brother?” “I was just thinking this bread is really delicious. I’m sure people all around Zoltan will want this.” “Yeah!” Ruti said, a look of joy across her face. It was a smile anyone would recognize. A year had passed since Ruti had first moved to Zoltan, and the changes in her expressions had become obvious to anyone. She and Tisse had been quite the expressionless pair, but lately, Tisse was the only one still like that. The way Ruti’s eyes narrowed a bit when she smiled; the way the corners of her mouth curled when she was angry; the way her lips quivered and she cast her gaze slightly down when she was sad… Her emotions came through to everyone now, and I wasn’t the only one who could understand her. A quiet life in Zoltan had restored the humanity that the Hero blessing had robbed Ruti of. That was the most wonderful thing of all. “What about you two? Did you close your shop for the day?” “Yeah. Actually, Yarandrala should be coming back the day after tomorrow.” “Really?!” “Yep. I was thinking of inviting Habotan and everyone for a little party once she gets back. Would you be interested in coming?” “Absolutely! It’s okay if Tisse comes too, right?” “Of course. We’d love it if Tisse came.” “Yeah!” Rit agreed. An old man sitting a little way away smiled hearing Ruti’s cheerful voice. He stood up and walked over to her. “You look like you’re having fun, Ms. Ruti. What is this you’re selling?” “Medicinal chikuwa bread. It’s really good.” “Oh? May I try one?” It sounded like Ruti often chatted with this man. I hadn’t even noticed, but she’d made lots of friends even without my help. The old man ended up buying five pieces of bread to take home to his family. Ruti’s world had grown so much bigger. We said good-bye to Ruti and started walking toward the church. “Things really haven’t changed at all since people found out about you and Ruti,” Rit said. “Yeah. Zoltan’s a good town.” The Hero retiring from battle to a frontier town and going around blowing a horn while selling bread wasn’t a story you’d find in any of the legends. The people of Zoltan didn’t demand that Ruti be the Hero. It was a small country far away from Avalonia, on the outskirts of the continent where no one with any ambition would bother to go. It was in the path of storms during the summer, and the fields and buildings people had put effort into making were destroyed at the whim of nature. People here knew there were some things you couldn’t do anything about no matter how hard you tried. And they also knew that in those helpless moments, in this frontier region that was considered worthless, there was nobody who would miraculously show up to save them. They wouldn’t work harder than necessary, but nor would they give up. And it was up to everyone individually to stay strong. People here didn’t just leave everything to someone else to take care of. “Even when Queen Consort Leonor attacked, Zoltan rose and fought to protect Mistorm,” I said. “Yeah. That made me like this country even more than before.” “Me too.” Zoltan’s willingness to fight had likely saved Prince Salius and Admiral Lilinrala—the current King of Veronia and Dowager Queen. “Even Ruti can happily live her own life here in Zoltan.” “The same goes for you, Red.” Rit slipped her arm around mine. Walking arm in arm, we continued down the road. Next stop…the church! It was normal for a marriage to be witnessed by a member of the church, so many people borrowed the space there to hold the ceremony. The witnessing cleric would report the couple’s new bond to Demis’s three disciples—Larael, guardian of hope; Victy, guardian of martyrs; and Kyutie, guardian of love—and pray for their happiness. However, during a wedding, there was no direct prayer to Demis. It was a bit strange, but a marriage had no connection to Divine Blessings, meaning the disciples were responsible for it rather than God. “The three disciples…” In the battles involving the Hero blessing, we had even stood against the almighty God himself. It was Demis who had changed Van’s blessing to the Hero, and it was he who had destroyed the ancient people. It seemed the first Hero had spoken with Demis as well. But the three disciples? I felt like I’d delved pretty deep into the secrets of the world, but not once had I felt their presence. That was strange, particularly seeing as their role was to receive more personal prayers than Demis. “Red?” “I was just thinking… Since I’m not exactly a devout follower of Demis, should we really be having our wedding at the church?” “Hehe, it would be pretty bad if we talked to any important people in the church about our adventures, wouldn’t it?” Rit said with a nostalgic smile. “You don’t really need a church to pray to God, but we can’t perceive beautiful things in places that aren’t beautiful.” “That’s what Ruti said before, isn’t it?” “Mhm. The church’s beauty is for the sake of the people…so I’m sure Demis won’t mind if we borrow it to hold our wedding ceremony. Marriage doesn’t have anything to do with blessings anyway.” “Yeah, true.” “And besides, we’re going to make a donation, so it’s a good deal for the church, too!” The prayer I’d had for so long, for Ruti to be happy, had never been answered by Demis. So he shouldn’t mind if I prayed for something I could make come true myself: to live a happy life with Rit. You don’t have to answer, but just let me pray for it. As that thought went through my mind, we reached the church. “I know I asked before, but are you sure you want to get married here rather than at the one in central Zoltan?” “Mhm, here is good… I really like the atmosphere.” It was the church in our downtown neighborhood, a cozy little wooden building. Even though it was small, it still had a proper bell tower to ring the time, a community cemetery, and a small building connected to the church by a roofed walkway that had been built there to care for the sick and homeless. The stone fence surrounding the church seemed to have been there for a long time, standing strong against the elements, because it was completely covered in moss. In other words, it was the very picture of a small local chapel that had long been a part of the neighborhood. “There were churches like this in Loggervia, too.” “Same with my home village…though the cemetery there wasn’t as well kept as this one.” “Don’t you think it makes the most sense for the owners of Red & Rit’s Apothecary to get married at a normal church like you’d find in any town or village?” Rit asked, and I nodded. It was easier to picture us getting married here in this small little chapel, surrounded by a few of our close friends, than holding a ceremony at a large cathedral. As usual, Rit really gets me. Stepping inside, I saw Father Talin, the priest who managed the church, sweeping up. The chapel had only one priest and one deacon. When they needed extra help, they would hire a youngster from the neighborhood as a part-timer. It looked like the deacon wasn’t there. A cold had been going around, so he might have been off sick or recuperating. “Oh, if it isn’t Ms. Rit and Mr. Red. Good day to you.” Father Talin was turning sixty-nine this year, and he’d been born and raised in Zoltan. He had completed his studies here without ever leaving the country. It seemed he regularly visited the villages outside the city, but he had never once gone past the Zoltan border. His blessing was Adept, which was level 6. It was clear he’d lived a life removed from battle. Although he didn’t have any particular achievements of note, Father Talin had become the priest of this chapel by right of seniority when his predecessor had retired due to poor health. “Good day, Father Talin. There is something we would like to discuss with you.” “It is rare for the two of you to come speak with me, but I would be happy to help in any way I am able.” “No, I think anyone living in this neighborhood would come to you for this.” “Oh… Do you mean…?” “We would like to hold our wedding ceremony at this church.” Father Talin’s wrinkled face broke into a smile. He was by no means what you would call an outstanding priest, but he was well liked in this part of town and had won both affection and respect from most everyone. The reason for that was likely his smile. Seeing his wrinkled face scrunched up in delight, it was clear for anyone to see that he was happy from the bottom of his heart. His personality and the ease with which he shared in the joy of others was what drew the people here to him. Father Talin warmly listened to and answered our questions. It sounded like if we wanted everything to go well for the wedding, we should schedule the date with the church a month in advance. The church would provide wine and some simple appetizers to have during the ceremony, while we should be able to find a cook to cater the after-party with a month’s notice. However, the thing that would take the most time would be the dress. Depending on the shop, it was apparently best to consult them two months or more in advance. So, after leaving the church, we knew where our next stop would be. “First, though, do you want to get some lunch?” Rit asked. Right, it’s already lunchtime. At that moment, we just happened to be in an area with some restaurants as well. The place was crowded with people on their lunch break. “Everywhere’s packed.” “I normally quite like busy restaurants, but…” “Today I feel like eating somewhere quiet.” “Yeah, me too!” agreed Rit. I thought about what restaurants there were around here. Oh yeah. Why don’t we try there? THE BOOGEYMAN’S GROTTO Every time I saw that sign hanging over the door, I couldn’t help but think it sounded dangerous. The owner had intentionally chosen the name “Boogeyman”—a fearsome monster that kidnaps children—to allude to the fact that this was a place where adults came to drink in peace. Tucked away at the end of a back alley, it gave off the impression of an old, run-down shop. “Apparently, it used to be called ‘The Goblin Cellar.’ It was a dangerous sort of place run by a man who’d cut ties with the Thieves Guild and gone straight before the current owner bought it.” “That’s another incredible name,” Rit said with a laugh. “It’s completely different during the day, though.” I pointed to a blackboard set up next to the door and read out the name written on it in chalk: “The Perfect Little Omelet Shop.” “Unlike the last two, that’s actually a cute name!” “Yeah. The daughter of the current owner runs it during lunch.” At night, the place was usually filled with regulars and had a very distinctive atmosphere, but it couldn’t be more different when the sun was out. I opened the heavy door… “Welcome in!” …and we were greeted by a cheerful voice. Of course, the layout was the same as when her father ran things at night, but the curtains were open wide, illuminating everything in bright sunlight. There were cute little wooden animal figurines set on the tables and a big stuffed goat with a dopey look on its face on the counter. “It’s so cute,” Rit murmured. “Thank you! It’s an honor to hear you say that, Ms. Rit,” the woman behind the counter—Solis—replied happily. “Hmm, have we met before?” Rit looked closely at Solis’s face, trying to remember. “…Ah! I’ve seen you at the Adventurers Guild!” “That makes me happy…to hear that you remember a failure of an adventurer like me.” Solis moved out from behind the counter to greet Rit. A prosthetic leg clunked against the floor as she walked. “I was once an up-and-coming adventurer, but I messed up on a quest.” “So that’s why I stopped seeing you at the guild…” This world was filled with battles. Demis had created monsters to develop people’s blessings, and he’d given humans and monsters a reason to fight. He’d done this in the simplest way possible: by filling monsters with the malice to attack people. There was no small number of them that enjoyed eating humans despite knowing they were dangerous prey to hunt. In other words, it was the very god to whom people prayed for salvation who had created the monsters that threatened them. As an adventurer, Solis had fought against monsters in order to protect people, and she had been defeated. “But thanks to Mr. Red, I only lost a leg.” “Only…” “I survived. I can’t be an adventurer anymore, but I can still make the food I like for customers here.” Seeing Solis smile, Rit could tell she wasn’t just putting up a strong front. She really felt that way. “In that case, we’ll have the chef’s recommendation!” “You got it! Two omelets coming right up!” Rit and I sat at a table in the back. There was a cute, round doll in the middle of the circular table that looked like a caricature of a lamb. “That was right after I came to Zoltan.” “When you saved her?” “Yeah. The quest was to take out a single ogrekin, but it turned out to be a band of forest giants instead… That sort of thing happens to adventurers pretty often.” There were lots of cases of people heading out on a quest to slay a monster attacking a village, only for it to turn out to be the work of a completely different type of creature. The guild’s information was based on reports from villagers who weren’t experts in monster zoology, so it only made sense that mistakes like that would happen. In such cases, it was recommended that the adventurer stop what they were doing and report back to the guild. However… “Her group hadn’t been able to abandon the villagers who were cowering in fear.” “…Errors in judgment like that are pretty common.” “Yeah. In the end, the whole party was wiped out. It was a place that forest giants hardly ever go, so it was just bad luck.” “But you being there meant the worst-case scenario was avoided.” “…I just happened to be nearby investigating the distribution of medicinal herbs. Forest giants like to torture people and listen to their screams before eating them…and I heard her cries just as her leg was being crushed.” “That’s something else Demis did to make them fight people, isn’t it?” “Probably… This world is filled with conflict.” After a little while, Solis brought out the omelets and placed them on the table. They were a beautiful yellow color without any char marks. The other ingredients weren’t cooked into the omelets; they were set underneath. As we watched, Solis slipped a knife into each omelet, and the runny eggs spread and enveloped the rest of the ingredients. “Enjoy!” “Thank you!” Rit’s eyes glimmered as she took a bite. “Mm, delicious!” She dug into her omelet with real gusto, wearing a smile that would delight any chef. “Ahaha, I’m so glad you like it!” Solis said, smiling happily. Omelets, chicken soup, salad, and lemon pound cake for dessert. Other than Solis’s specialty omelet, all the flavors were pretty standard, but it was clear every dish had been made with care. “You’re a mean man, keeping such a great restaurant secret from me,” Rit complained. “But if I take you to too many good restaurants, you might stop eating my cooking.” “Hmph! Of course not! I love your food.” “Thanks. I was just kidding, though.” “Honestly!” Rit said, and we laughed together. “Still, though…,” I said after finishing the last bite of the cake. “What is it?” “Doing all the initial preparations for the wedding ceremony today…” “Mm?” “I guess it’s finally starting to sink in that we’re actually getting married.” “What? You already gave me an engagement ring and a necklace,” Rit said, looking at me with an amused smile. “So it already felt real to you?” “It did. Ever since you gave me that amber bracelet, I knew I was going to marry you one day.” “I mean, I felt like we’d be together, but still…” “Hehe. It always felt real to me.” Compared with me, Rit really had a much better handle on things like this. That’s why I’m sure we’ll be just as happy even after we’re married. “Next up are the preparations for the dress,” I said, getting things back on track. “Yeah!” Rit replied enthusiastically. “The dress is important because however long it’ll take will determine when we schedule the wedding!” You could even call that our main job for today. “Are you sure it’s all right not to just rent a dress?” Rit asked. “A day like this only happens once in a lifetime, so I want you to have a dress all of your own. I’ve been saving up to make sure of that.” “You have…?” “To be honest, I actually asked around to find out the general price of dresses a while ago.” “What?! If it was something to do with our wedding, you should’ve taken me with you!” “It would’ve been really embarrassing if it’d turned out to be too expensive and we had to come up with some sort of compromise, though.” Business had been going great ever since the shop went from being Red’s Apothecary to Red & Rit’s Apothecary. We’d also made quite a tidy sum offering the Merchants Guild our technique for making oil from coconuts. With our current savings, I thought we’d probably be able to order pretty much whatever Rit wanted from any of the tailors in Zoltan…but in the world of fashion, sometimes a piece of clothing could cost even more than a magic item. “You’re unbelievable,” Rit said, pouting unhappily. But the next second, a smile crossed her lips. “Getting married means sharing in the happy things and the embarrassing things.” “Ngh…” “Having the perfect dress would make me happy—but what makes me even happier is preparing for the wedding with you and worrying and figuring things out together.” “…I understand.” It’s times like this that Rit takes me by the hand and pulls me along. She has a strength I don’t. Little differences like that make me incredibly happy.