“Hey, Nemaki, we’ll be arriving soon.”
“Ugghh…”
I rose to Mr. Chotos’s dulcet tones: the worst kind of awakening.
I felt thoroughly horrible on account of the motion sickness and nausea. In this weakened state, Gol had desperately nursed me, and I had ended up falling asleep on her lap. Presently, Teru was also sleeping on Mr. Chotos’s lap.
Gol’s definitely treating me the same way that man treats his daughter. Hmph, guess that’s to be expected for a Sorcerer King more lowly than a kindergartener…
My heart was soaked by my tears of despair, but I forced myself up and looked out at the scene in front of the wagon beyond the driver’s seat. “Ooh…”
The city of Zibil spread out just beyond the field. It really was fairly large. Its skyline was similar to Tibar’s, but the gray walls encompassing its entirety gave a grander impression. Size-wise, it was also multiple levels above Tibar, with plenty of two-story buildings.
But that stone wall was particularly splendid. Tibar’s earthen walls were so weak that they would have been instantly penetrated by a few of those monkeys’ killer rugby balls. However, two or three layers of this city’s thick stone walls just might have withstood a monkey attack.
I paled at that thought. “H-how could this be? When did I start using monkeys as a measure of defensive capability…?”
I was deeply troubled by the scars that living in the monkey-filled wasteland had left on my fragile and delicate heart, but in spite of my trauma, the wagon continued at a leisurely pace until we reached the entrance of Zibil.
Several wagons lined up at the entrance, with our wagon at the end. I assumed there was some kind of procedure required to enter Zibil. It wouldn’t be as easy as passing through Tibar’s entrance. I wondered if this was due to the city’s size. No, it might have been more accurate to say the difference was in the city’s fundamental nature. Tibar was a rest stop and had developed around the road running right through its center, whereas Zibil was less of a transportation mecca.
Soon, our wagon’s turn arrived. The grandpa and Mr. Chotos handled the formalities with the gatekeepers at the station.
Ah, Mr. Chotos paid the gatekeeper. Is it all right that I’m not chipping in? I don’t mind splitting the cost. As I watched, I overheard Mr. Chotos explaining that the two passengers in the wagon were his children. I’m his son now?! How humiliating!
“Hmph…” I looked away. Well, I’ll forgive you for today. I can be lenient.
After we safely finished the inspection, our wagon passed through the gate and entered the urban townscape of Zibil. It sure was lively inside the gates. There were far more people here than in Tibar.
It was nearly evening, but despite it being far past the height of the work day, a ton of people were running about. I wondered where they were going.
The four of us disembarked on the stone-paved road just beyond the gate. We said our thanks to the old driver, and he headed off on his way. Teru’s energetic and gracious thanks made the driver break out into a broad smile. No way could Mr. Chotos or I pull off such a charming stunt.
Hey, Gol. Don’t keep staring at me, go properly thank the grandpa. I squished Gol’s cheeks between my hands and made her face the driver. Since Gol never resisted my actions, she smoothly turned. However, when I let go, her face swung back to my direction. Her crimson eyes never left my face.
Are you a boomerang? Hey, you can’t do that. You have to properly thank the man. I once again squished Gol’s cheeks and turned her face to him. But the moment I released her, her head swung right back to me. “Argh, how stubborn.”
Squish. Swing.
Squish. Swing. Squish.
After repeating this scuffle with Gol several times, I suddenly noticed Mr. Chotos was once more looking at me with great pity. I cried in my heart.
After parting ways with the old driver, we walked down the street. “There sure are a lot of people in the city, huh?” I said.
“Yeah, this place is big for Sadie territory,” said Mr. Chotos. “But there’s a lot of dubious merchants who like to set up shop in these densely packed places, so you have to be careful.”
“Hmm… So are we heading to the Paisley Company now?” I asked.
Mr. Chotos shook his head. “It’s too late today. The counter’s been closed already, so we’ll head to the Company tomorrow.”
Ah, then I suppose it keeps similar business hours to a bank. “Then where are we staying tonight?” I asked.
“Hmm, I’ve come to this city many times. I know an inn with good food. Let’s stay there,” Mr. Chotos replied with a bright smile.
“Heh. How much will it cost?”
“Hm, I believe one room was one silver coin.”
Oh, one silver coin is it?
“He he. Such a price’ll let you stay at a decent inn,” I declared, full of confidence. How about that, Mister? I know prices now!
“Why do you sound like you’re bragging? You remember I was the one who taught you local market prices, yes?”
“Hmph. I don’t cling to the past.”
Mr. Chotos sighed. “Nemaki, as long as you don’t speak, you’ll be received as a skilled, dignified golem wielder. In the future, I think it might be better if you kept your mouth shut in front of everyone but me.”
“Oh yeah? What are you saying, you damn barcode? Are you trying to pick a fight? Fine. I accept your challenge.”
“Hey! Like I said, don’t call my amazing haircut a—a ‘bahcode’ or any other strange, weird name like that!”
“Listen, you! No matter what you do, you can’t keep running away from your true self!”
While Mr. Chotos and I descended into an ugly, noisy argument, Teru looked up with a delighted smile. Gol, meanwhile, continued quietly walking just behind me.
The gray streets of Zibil were slowly dyed amber by the sunset, and four shadows stretched long and close over the cobblestones.