Episode 222: Company on a Journey
“Um… Yes, I’m Saarya, but…”
The girl seemed to have been waiting for Saarya in front of the inn’s reception.
“More details later. It’s better to check in first.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Though bewildered, Saarya acknowledged the validity of her words and headed to the reception.
At the reception, she wrote down her place of origin and name.
The guest registry was for recording the identities of guests and submitting them to the administration, mainly for maintaining public order. Saarya had heard such stories from her father.
“Saarya-sama, is it? Confirmed. Now, we’ll need the lodging fee. It’s one Itari silver coin, or you can pay in Gram, in which case we accept 100 Gram Notes.”
“I’ll pay in Gram, please.”
The lodging fee was as she had heard beforehand. It was quite high-end. However, Saarya was, for better or worse, the village chief’s daughter.
Moreover, it was under the direct control of Duke Silverhead.
Saarya had been given plenty of the Gram Notes that had recently come into circulation.
“Yes. …Everything is correct. Shall I show you to your room right away?”
“Ah, well…”
Saarya, still perplexed, turned to look behind her.
There, the girl who had introduced herself as Ixia was sitting in a chair in the waiting area.
“It would be helpful if you could come back here after dropping off your luggage.”
“O-Okay, I understand.”
The woman at the reception didn’t seem particularly troubled either. If so, at least she wasn’t a suspicious person.
“Please show me to my room.”
“Certainly. This way, please. I’ll carry your luggage.”
The employee led her to her room, and Saarya handed her a 1 Gram Note she had brought for a tip, receiving the key in return. She had heard that Gram Notes were appreciated, and indeed, the woman was beaming.
After the woman left, Saarya let out a big sigh. Having hardly ever left her village, she was constantly subjected to events that forced her to be extremely nervous.
Resisting the temptation to throw herself onto the bed, she put on only her pouch, locked the room, and hurried back to the reception lobby.
“Sorry to keep you waiting… Ixia-san?”
The girl nodded and stood up from the sofa.
As she looked, she was a petite girl. Saarya was on the more well-endowed side in terms of physique among women. The top of the girl called Ixia’s head only reached Saarya’s shoulder.
“No need to be so formal. There’s a cafeteria, let’s go there.”
“U-Um…?”
If she smiled, she would probably be very cute, but the girl was surprisingly expressionless. However, her movements were decisive, and overall, she gave a brisk impression. She reminded Saarya of Amadio’s attendants, whom she occasionally saw in her village. It was the movement of a soldier.
“Hot tea, straight. And the bagel and herb cream set. Two of each.”
After telling the clerk at the counter, Ixia turned around.
“Saarya. Do you need milk in your tea?”
“Uh, no, I’m fine with it straight, but…”
“Then that’s settled. Gram is fine?”
“Yes, I accept. …Certainly. Thank you. I’ll bring it to your table.”
The girl quickly paid the bill, glanced at Saarya, and then headed to a seat by the window. Saarya, still perplexed, followed the girl.
“Don’t worry about the payment. Amadio Silverhead has provided enough.”
“Eh, ah, are you acquainted with His Excellency…?”
After confirming that Saarya had also taken a seat, the girl smoothly handed over a letter.
It was the same as the one they had exchanged this morning. It was a genuine letter with Duke Silverhead’s wax seal.
“It’s for you. I want you to read it first.”
“…”
She broke the seal and checked the letter. It was written in Amadio Silverhead’s own handwriting, explaining the circumstances.
It guaranteed the identity of the girl in front of her, Ixia.
She wanted her to live with Linanel and Ixia as trainees.
For the time being, she wanted her to come to the capital, Moor, together by train.
Finally, and most importantly, she wanted her to come to the welcome party at the Duke Silverhead’s residence the day after their scheduled arrival in Moor.
“I see…”
Saarya felt somewhat inferior at the thought of living with Linanel and the girl in front of her, Ixia, both of whom were beautiful. More than anything, she felt an indescribable emotion towards Amadio-kakka, who seemed to be trusted by such beauties.
“That’s why. I look forward to working with you for a while, Saarya.”
“Y-Yes… Likewise…”
Just as the two girls’ quiet self-introductions came to an end, the tea and snacks they had ordered were delivered.
“This is Sironia Diba from the Diaratorain Kingdom. Please enjoy.”
“Thank you.”
The clerk quietly left.
Ixia lifted the teacup with graceful movements.
“It smells nice.”
It was a good quality tea imported from the eastern countries, which had recently increased in distribution. It was now possible to drink it in Saarya’s village as well.
“…Delicious.”
Saarya, who didn’t drink tea very often, immediately realized that the tea leaves used were of very good quality. The aroma was good, and there was no unpleasant taste. The slight sweetness and the slightly subdued bitterness were exquisite.
“Sironia tea leaves are considered to be the most standard flavor among Diba. Among them, it is of the highest quality. It goes without saying that the storage method is good, and the shortening of the transportation period due to high-speed transportation using railways has made it possible to drink this class of tea even in this remote town. It’s a very good thing.”
“Well… I guess so.”
Ixia quietly put down her cup and then picked up a bagel. She tore it into bite-sized pieces, put the cream cheese on it, and put it in her mouth.
“…Please, don’t hesitate.”
“Ah, okay… Thank you.”
Saarya also picked up a bagel, following the girl’s example. Some kind of herb was mixed into the cream cheese, and the green of the added herbs stood out, making it look very stylish.
“The cream cheese is made this morning using fresh raw milk brought from a dairy farmer in a village about 130 tf (Talfar) away from here. Both raw milk and cream cheese used to be considered delicacies that could only be enjoyed around dairy farmers, but at least now they are available here.”
“You know a lot…”
“The manager told me. He’s a good person.”
The girl, who carried the bagel to her mouth with graceful movements but without any hesitation, was, to put it mildly, greedy. She ate up the bagel and cream cheese in perfect proportions and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“This inn has excellent food. You should enjoy it.”
“Thank you.”
She had felt that she was unapproachable because she was expressionless, but it seemed that she was a pleasant type of person. Besides, she seemed to be recommending delicious food to Saarya. Perhaps she was a good person.
A little tension eased, and Saarya chuckled.
“Again, nice to meet you, Ixia-chan.”
“Nice to meet you, Saarya. From tomorrow, we will basically be in the same room. We will be heading to the capital, Moor, on a night train, so we will be staying overnight in the train. Do you have any concerns?”
“Well… I don’t know. It’s my first time leaving the village…”
“I see. I came here by train, so there’s no problem. Please rely on me. Oh, the staff will wake you up two hours before departure in the morning, so don’t worry. The train starts from this city, so there are not many delays.”
“I see. I’ve never seen a train before, but is it amazing?”
“Well, it’s much better than a carriage. There are 10 passenger cars the size of 4 carriages. There are 10 freight cars. Everything is connected, and the locomotive at the front pulls it. The maximum speed is 36 tf (Talfar). It runs on iron tracks, so it’s incomparably faster than a carriage. The suspension is also solid, so it doesn’t shake as much as a carriage. You’ll be surprised.”
“Hee… I’m starting to look forward to it.”
To be honest, she was worried about being told to aim for the capital on a train, something she had never seen or heard of. She was truly relieved that she had a companion named Ixia.
Come to think of it, Linanel probably knew about this. She hadn’t thought that far, but she realized that she hadn’t received much explanation about how to ride the train. Maybe this was what they called a surprise.
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We are planning to update on 1/1, 1/2, and 1/3 as well. (Details are also in the activity report)
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We look forward to your continued support next year.