Chapter 13

The family was eating dinner when Edmond said with a smile, “Say, Kaito, tomorrow is the monthly Great Market.” “Oh, the one where people from all kinds of different countries show up?” “The very same! The central square will be packed with shops—and people. There are always interesting things to see. Why don’t you and Lilia go take a look?” “Yeah, maybe…” Then an idea came to him. “Hey… Would it be possible to sell pizza there?” “What?” Hawking his food where there were lots of people around would get the word out, not to mention make him some money. Not bad, as sudden flashes of inspiration go. “That sounds fantastic!” “Yes, wonderful!” Lilia and Fiona agreed with him. “Do you have to apply for a vendor’s permit or anything? I know this is really last-minute.” “You’re supposed to apply prior to the market day, but you’re our one and only hero—we’ll make it work somehow!” “Huh? No, please, you don’t have to go out of your way…” “There’s a space set aside for our village; maybe you could use that. I’ll go talk to the elf in charge of market affairs right away!” With that, he was up and out of the house. “Is this really all right…?” “It’s just a bit of room to sell pizzas. It’ll be fine. Oh, I’ll help, of course.” “Thanks!” It wasn’t long before Edmond returned. “Everything is settled! We’ll be selling vegetables. You can set up next to us.” “Thank you very much!” Kaito’s pizzas had proved to be well received, and he was even starting to save a little money from them. But it bothered him to have to rely on the headman’s hospitality all the time. He had plans of building a two-story shop, with a pizza parlor below and a living space above. If possible, the restaurant would even have room for eat-in customers. He’d asked the carpenter for a quote and discovered that he would need almost a thousand gold coins. Pizza netted him one silver coin at a time, and it took ten silver coins to make one gold coin. He had a long way to go. Welp, nothing to it but to do it. Kaito was actually looking forward to the work of expanding his business bit by bit. The thought that he would get out of it what he put in inspired him. “Okay, I’m gonna go get ready for tomorrow!” The next morning, Kaito put the pizzas he’d baked on trays, put the trays in a box, then climbed into the cart with Lilia. Edmond was driving. “The weather is perfect! I bet the market will be busy today.” Lilia looked happily up at the sky. Kaito watched, entranced, as the wind played with her gorgeous strawberry-blond hair. We’re practically acting like husband and wife already. Going to the market together, selling pizza together… You know, this is pretty nice. The thought made him realize how comfortable he was in this place, how used to it he’d gotten. “Oh, look! You can see it!” Lilia pointed into the distance, where a massive market had come into view. The place was packed with vendors’ stalls, their colorful roofs competing for attention. “Wow…” He had seen things like this before. It reminded him of local food festivals or amateur cook-offs, the sorts of events that were held in big parks or municipal facilities. There were so many people crammed into the market that he could hardly imagine where they had all come from. All Kaito had seen since he’d arrived in this world was idyllic country scenery. He was almost overwhelmed. “This way!” Kaito shook himself out of his trance, jumped down from the cart, and followed Lilia and her family. They waded into the crowd, where they eventually saw a group waving at them. “That one with the green roof is for our village.” There was a long table set up in the space, piled high with vegetables. “Pardon me, but perhaps you could use that spot in the corner?” “Sure! Thank you very much. I know my application was very last-minute.” “Not at all; it’s our pleasure to have the Honored Hero here!” “We’re very grateful!!” The villagers’ smiling welcome put Kaito’s mind at ease. He set his pizzas on the table. “So how does this work?” “The signal to begin will soon be given, and then we all start selling at once.” “I see…” Now that he thought about it, Kaito realized that despite all the hustle and bustle, nobody was buying or selling anything. Everyone was setting up stalls. Then a voice boomed through the area, so loud that the speaker must have been using some kind of amplifying device. “Welcome to the Great Market, everyone! Thank you all for coming, as always.” The voice brought the chatter to an abrupt halt. “May our shoppers find great deals and our vendors great profits! Let the Great Market begin!” A cheer rose from the assembled crowd in a wave. Suddenly, a mass of customers appeared, as if they’d been waiting somewhere. “Fresh vegetables! Who wants fresh vegetables?” “Buy in bulk and save!” Beside Kaito, the villagers started shouting. He took in a deep breath: “Try the hero’s own pizza! Limited to just thirty-two slices! Try some pizza; tell your friends!” No sooner had he said this than people stopped to look. He didn’t know whether they were responding to the unfamiliar word pizza or whether they were curious about this so-called hero, but either way, he’d succeeded in getting their attention. “Pizza? What’s pizza?” “It’s a food similar to bread. It’s filling and invigorating!” “All right, I’ll take one slice.” “Here you go. That’ll be two copper coins.” He was selling by the slice rather than by the pie, so the numbers involved sounded smaller, but perhaps thanks to the novelty of the food, Kaito found his stock selling quickly. “Thank you very much!” He handed over a piece of pizza, along with one of the paper napkins he had brought. The man now holding the slice looked like a foreign merchant. “He’s from the country along the coast,” Lilia whispered. Maybe it was hot there, because he wore thin, loose clothing. In terms of his own world, Kaito might have considered it vaguely Turkish-looking. Slowly and uncertainly, the man brought the slice of margherita to his mouth. The instant he did so, his expression changed. “Incredible! What in the world is this? The cheese is so rich, and it melts together with the tomato sauce—and the crust is so fluffy!” The crowd of passersby, who had all been watching the man intently, now showered Kaito with copper coins. “One for me!” “And me!” “R-right away!” Kaito and Lilia handed out pizza as fast as they could. They had brought four entire pies, thirty-two slices in all, and they sold out in the blink of an eye. “Amazing!” “I’ve never had anything like it!” Seeing the crowd of happy customers, Kaito relaxed. He was glad to learn that even people from other countries around here thought pizza was delicious. “Give me some pizza, too!” Customers continued flooding the stall well after Kaito had exhausted his inventory. He could only bow his head. “I’m extremely sorry, but I’m afraid we’re sold out.” “Will you be here again next month?” “Yes, I expect so…” “Well, I hope you bring more than you did this time.” “I want to buy a whole pizza for myself!” “I’ll bring as much as I can!” Having somehow completely sold out of his stock, Kaito and company left the merchant area. “Phew…” I’m thrilled to get such a great reaction, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I can meet the demand yet. Someday I want to get more helpers and make sure lots of people can try my pizza. Someday… “Nice work today, Lord Kaito!” Lilia was smiling. “You, too, Lilia. Thanks.” Kaito looked down at the sixty-four copper coins in his hands that he had earned from his pizza. “Hey, Lilia, what do you say we go shopping?” “What? Really?!” “There should be all kinds of ingredients here, right? I want to see what’s what.” “Sounds perfect!” “And…” “Yes?” “I’d like to get you a present. For helping me all the time. If you see something you like, just say the word. Er…we can’t really spend more than we made today, though.” A smile bloomed on Lilia’s face. Her cheeks turned the color of roses, and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. “A present from you, Lord Kaito? That would be wonderful!” “Uh, I can’t really, uh, get you anything expensive, but…” “It’s the thought that makes me so happy!” Lilia was off like a shot, hurrying down the street. “There’s something that’s always caught my eye…” She stopped dead. “Hmm?” Lilia was staring transfixed at a display of fluffy cotton candy. It was light pink and quite cute. Drool. “Oh, is this what you want?” “N-no!! Sorry, I just got distracted…” The cotton candy was reasonably priced at just a single copper coin. “Go ahead—pick one you like.” “Really…?” “This store’s only here once a month, right? I’ll buy one for you.” “Th-thank you!” Lilia happily took a cotton candy. “So which shop were you looking for?” “This one!” Lilia stopped in front of a stall selling cute knickknacks. Kaito couldn’t help noticing that everything in the shop was food themed. “Isn’t this just adorable?” Lilia pointed to a hairpin with a strawberry-shaped decoration. It was only two copper coins—cheap. Kaito could easily buy it. He could have bought a bunch of them. Honestly, he would have liked her to choose something more expensive. But… “Lilia… You know this isn’t food, right?” he asked, just to be sure. “Huh? Yes, I know that.” “So you’re not gonna eat it or anything?” “Of course not.” Kaito knew all about her appetite and wasn’t completely sure he trusted her, but it was true that the hairpin would look nice on her. “Okay. One of these, please.” Then he gave the accessory to Lilia as a present. “Thank you so much!” Her eyes welled with tears as she took the pin from him. Maybe it was the intense emotion that caused her pointy ears to bounce. “To receive a present from you is just so…!” “Uh, it’s—it’s not that big a deal. Don’t cry… Please?” People were starting to stare at the girl weeping in the street. They’re gonna think I made her cry! I mean, I guess I did, but… “Here, why don’t you try it on?” “Okay!!” The red strawberry hairpin went perfectly with her strawberry-blond hair. “It looks great on you.” “Thank you!!” Lilia beamed happily. She’s really cute… Kaito was suddenly seized with the desire to pat Lilia on the head. “Do you know where to get ingredients around here?” “Yes, they’re this way.” Lilia certainly seemed to know her way around, and Kaito followed her obediently. All around him, people were having fun looking at the various stalls. Everything imaginable was on sale. Dining utensils and clothes, knickknacks and accessories, along with items Kaito had never seen. It was no surprise that so many people showed up to shop. Then he caught a whiff of a pleasant aroma that made his nose tingle. “Wow…” There was food all around him. Some stalls were cooking meat on sticks, while others offered sweet-looking candy. And I’m walking around with a young woman… It’s like a date at a festival. “Looks like there’s plenty of food stalls here.” But when he looked back, Kaito realized Lilia was gone; all he could see was a distressed old man looking at him imploringly. “Please, Honored Hero, do something about your wife…” “Huh?” Lilia was crouched in front of the store, helping herself to the fruit on display. I guess she finally got too hungry to resist… “Lilia!!” His shout caused her to jump, but then she reached out for more fruit. “Stop!” Lilia’s hand finally froze, but her eyes continued to flit back and forth between Kaito and the food. He could see her weighing her desire to eat against her respect for him. Geez, she really is just like my dog back home… It would always check my mood while it was misbehaving. Lilia’s hand started inching toward the fruit again. “Lilia, leave it!” Kaito cried, unintentionally falling back on the same command he used to use with his dog. Lilia froze in place. Uh, I guess it worked. “Okay, stand up!” Lilia stood bolt upright from her crouch. “Now, come, Lilia!” She obediently came over to Kaito. “Good Lilia! Good!” Kaito had mixed feelings as he delivered this praise. Am I on a date with a girl or a walk with the dog? Actually, isn’t this exactly how my dog walks used to go? Better not think too hard about it… “I apologize. How much do I owe you?” He paid for the fruit Lilia had eaten. “I’m really sorry… It just looked so good…” “I know you were hungry. But tell me before you eat something, okay? I’ll buy it for you.” “Okay. I’m sorry.” She looked despondent. “You really do get people from all over at this market, huh?” Many of the shoppers were elves, but their appearance and clothing were subtly different from those of Lilia and the other elves Kaito knew. Especially conspicuous were the elves with bluish-silver hair. They had beautiful light-blue locks and often wore clothes that exposed much of their skin. Maybe they came from somewhere hot. Both the men and women wore plenty of lovely accessories, making it obvious that wherever they came from was considerably more affluent than this country. “Here, Lord Kaito, this area has unusual ingredients from all over the world.” “Oh, wow…” Kaito let out a whistle of amazement. The place was packed with all kinds of meat, fish, and vegetables. The unfamiliar seafood especially caught his eye. There were fish and shellfish the likes of which he had never seen before. Just one more reminder that I’m in another world…er, or maybe I just don’t know that much about fish. At that moment, the crowd let out a collective gasp. “What’s going on?” Kaito stared at something that was being carried out by almost a dozen people. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. “Wait, that’s—!” “That’s today’s featured item. It’s really rare, so there are lots of people here to see it.” Lilia must have been used to it already, because she didn’t seem very surprised. What had so startled Kaito was a huge white squid, well over ten meters long. “A g-giant squid…?” “It’s a kraken.” “A kraken!!” The famous monster of the sea—just the sort of thing you might expect to find in a world with dragons. Kaito looked, agog, at the kraken. Its white skin glistened just like a squid’s. It must have been freshly caught, because its slimy tentacles were still twitching. “It looks delicious…” Kaito stopped, shocked to hear the words coming out of his own mouth. I see a mythical monster like that, and the first thing I think about is eating it? But you can eat it, right? “Are krakens tasty?” “It looks like something you could really savor, doesn’t it?” “Mmmm…” Kaito pictured skewers of rich squid meat, and his mouth began watering. “But I’ve never eaten it myself… It’s really expensive.” “Huh…?” Someone who appeared to be a merchant was putting up a sign in front of the kraken. On it was written 1,000 GOLD PIECES. “That is expensive!” That’s the amount I want to raise to build my entire restaurant! So a kraken and a pizza shop cost the same amount… I would have liked to try that squid, but I guess that puts the kibosh on that idea. Kaito’s shoulders slumped. “At that price, I guess they probably cut it up and sell it in pieces. Provided there aren’t any real high rollers around…” “True. And cooking something that big would be really tough.” Even a single tentacle, however, apparently commanded a price of ten gold pieces, well out of Kaito’s price range. He looked down at his collection of copper coins, which had shrunk to about half its original size. Suddenly, there was a hubbub behind him. “What’s going on?” He turned and saw a young woman, one of the foreigners with bluish-silver hair, collapsed on the street. “Are you okay?” Kaito asked, sprinting over and lifting the girl in his arms. “Ergh…” She sounded sluggish but was still conscious. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing beautiful gold irises. Yow… She’s gorgeous! No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Kaito noticed how scant the girl’s clothing was. Almost half of her generous chest was exposed, and he was all too aware of her body heat and the softness of her skin through her thin clothing. Suddenly, he got the distinct feeling that someone wanted to kill him. He looked up to find Lilia staring daggers at him. What? It’s not like I’m putting the moves on her! Kaito felt as shaken as if he had been caught having an affair. “I’ll call a doctor right away!” “No… I’m all right…” “Sasha!” A huge man came running toward the silver-haired girl named Sasha. “Father…” “Are you okay?” “Yes. I seem to have gotten a bit overwhelmed by the crowd…” Sasha’s father picked her up. “Thank you for helping my daughter. I want to express my gratitude. Will you come to my inn?” “No, it’s not—” —that big a deal, he was about to say. “I insist! It’s not far from the market!” With that, Sasha’s father set off walking. Kaito had no choice but to follow him, and Lilia, still pouting, trailed behind. This sudden invitation was a surprise, but Kaito was curious about the foreigners. Perhaps they could introduce him to ingredients with which he was not yet familiar!