I quickly wiped down the now-empty frying pan and then placed slices of bread on it. I toasted them until they were golden brown. After that, I added them to the wooden plates, next to the sausages. If we were eating indoors, I would ordinarily plate all the dishes individually, but when it came to eating outdoors like this, I preferred to reduce the number of plates.
I warmed a block of cheese in the pan over the fire, let it melt, and then scraped it onto the sliced bread.
Gooey cheese wasn’t something that ever would have been served at fine meals in Tachyrinn. Their food had been really good, though. It was too bad that the food there had never been served so fresh out of the oven that it was still hot enough to burn.
“Anyway, that’s more or less how we’ll cook and dine going forward,” I said. “I would’ve liked to have more fresh vegetables, but I doubt we’ll run into many people who happen to have them on hand while we’re on the road. We’ll just have to eat what we can of them at times when no other people are around.”
“You’re...quite skilled,” Wald remarked.
“I’m just used to cooking. For the tea, let’s skip the brewing process and just put the tea leaves directly into our cups. Oh, and just so you know, today’s breakfast is more on the extravagant side. The meals we have as we travel will be simpler fare, like soup made from dried meat and vegetables, or porridge made with rice and barley.”
Wald looked like he was thoroughly enjoying my homemade breakfast.
Once we finished eating, I taught him to rinse the dishes with water magic—apparently, he had some proficiency in that as well. We wiped them clean afterward. This was probably the first time in his life that he’d ever had to clean up, but he carried it out with the utmost dedication written on his face. When he finished and brought the plates back to me, I thanked him and put them all back into my storage.
I then gently suggested he sit back down in his seat. Perhaps realizing that I had something important to discuss with him, he sat without a single word.
“Prince Wald, I was thinking we should set out from here by tomorrow,” I began.
“All right. I’d like to return to Tiuccia as soon as possible as well. I wouldn’t mind if we left right this minute.”
“No, we’ll need to make sure we’re properly ready first.” I paused there and studied him for a moment. “Your Highness, would it be okay for me to dye your hair another color?”
He nodded at my proposal. “What color were you thinking?”
“How about my hair color? I was thinking that we could try passing as traveling siblings hailing from the mountains. While our age difference might make that a bit of a stretch, I don’t think anyone would think twice about it,” I explained. “We should think of aliases for ourselves too. I think a common, ordinary name would be best, but they’d have to be names we can recognize and respond to immediately, if need be.”
“My family sometimes calls me ‘Wal,’ so I have no doubt I’ll respond to that. I suppose ‘Al’ might work as well.”
“Wald” and “Al.”
I nodded in approval. The name “Al” had the desired effect—it sounded distinctly less regal.
“I’ll call you Al, then.”
The prince went quiet for a moment. “You can call me ‘Wal’ too, you know...?” he said. “But call me ‘Al’ if we’re talking in front of strangers. Furthermore, I’d like you to speak to me in a more casual manner, like you would a younger brother. You needn’t be so polite around me.”
“If you’re certain— Uh, if you’re sure.”
As for me, I definitely wasn’t so sure about that. I didn’t think I could get used to that, at least not right away. I wasn’t clever enough to be able to code-switch from “polite” to literally any other level of diction when it came to addressing a prince.
I’d just have to do my best. No siblings would ever talk to each other like a vassal would to his prince, after all. Besides, we couldn’t afford to let anyone even marginally suspect his true identity.
“Um, let’s see, what else... How about we think of an alias for me now?” I asked. “What would be a good name for ‘Al’s’ older brother?”
An alias, huh? Well, as far as something that I’d respond to right away, maybe my old name would work? Nah. It was way too Japanese. Anyone who hears it would instantly know I’m a transmigrator. Hmm... But since we have an Al, how about a Kal?
“We could adjust your alias depending on the situation,” Wald suggested. “You won’t need to give your name that often. I’ll need an alias since you’ll be referring to me by name if I’m to be your younger brother, but I imagine I’ll be referring to you as ‘brother’ in most cases. That way, if people happen to overhear us talking, they’ll assume we are siblings.”
“Oh, uh, maybe tone down the formality—instead of ‘brother,’ you can call me your ‘bro’ or ‘big bro.’”
Please, Your Highness. At this rate, people are going to know you grew up in gilded halls the second you open your mouth!
“All right, ‘bro,’ then... It’s strange; even though I had two older brothers, it feels quite curious to refer to you thus.”
He quietly laughed at that.
A smile had finally come to his face. I was relieved.
“I’ll dye my hair, but how are you going to disguise yourself, big bro?”
“I can probably pass the color of my skin off as a tan. And since my scruff’s starting to grow back, I was thinking of letting it grow out to cover my face...”
“Huh?!” Wald stared at me with open shock.
Man, it’s so embarrassing to be stared at so hard, and all the more so by someone good-looking. But wait, why’s he reacting so poorly? Huh? Is there a problem with growing my beard out? Being unkempt would make me a more convincing mountain man, though...
He sighed. “Never mind. I understand. It’s a necessary sacrifice, and we have no choice. We have to hide your face... We have to...”
Wald was clearly grappling with no small amount of distress as he pressured himself to accept my proposal. I assured him I would shave if the beard ended up becoming unneeded, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
I wasn’t sure whether he didn’t like being around dirty barbarians, or maybe he simply didn’t understand the beauty of beards. Beards were nice. In the winter, they’d keep your lips nice and warm and protected from the cold... Though, to be fair, it was starting to warm up at this time of year.