Hard Work Will Never Betray Me

It was the next day when my father gave me permission to go out. I was standing at the front door, dressed in a common clothes made of hemp., I was stranded at the door.

"Did you forget anything?　Do you have your wallet?　Do you have enough magic power?''

"It's just a short walk to the city, so if I forget anything, I'll come back for it. If I forget your wallet, I'll come back for it. It's not like   I will fighting in the city, so you don't need to worry about  my magic."

"I know you're strong, Hal. But I'm worried about you. Should I come along with you?"

　It has already been about thirty minutes since I stood in the doorway." I'm glad you're worried about me, but I would lie to go alone  "

" Don't worry, Theresa, Hal's a lot more grown up than we thought. And if he will get into some trouble, it's just another experience of failure that he needs to grow up. As long as we don't have to worry about him getting hurt or kidnapped, we should just smile and send him on his way.

　Nice  Dad. Keep up the good work and give me some cover fire.

Is that so?　I'm kind of sad that you're going away from me.

"You're overreacting.  i just going to the castle town. ......'

Hal, this is the first time you've seen the outside world, , t and  unknown people that  you've never met before. Seeing the people of the city differently than the nobles and merchants is a way to learn for your future.

　Now is  my chance.

. "I'm off."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Oh, wait!　Hal, be careful!""

"Yes!"

　I reply as I run towards the gate. The only time I've been out of this gate was about half a year ago, when my father took me to the shrine to say hello. Aside from that, I've never left the grounds of the castle of the Fahrenheit family, so today is the first day I'm taking my first steps into the world. It's like a second birthday for me.

"Oh, my dear boy. How unusual. Are you going out, ?

　As I walked up to the gate, the gatekeeper, who was also a servant in our house, spoke to me. He doesn't usually talk to me, so it's refreshing.

"Yes. My father has finally given me permission to go out. I'll try to be home by dinner."

"I see. There are patrolmen patrolling the streets, so I'm sure the streets of Heitburg are quite safe, but please be careful."

"Thank you."

　I thanked the gatekeeper and stepped out of the gate. I remembered the excitement I had felt as a child when I was still in Japan. I felt this way then, as well . The sky was blue and the sun was bright, just like now.

　Even though i had left the gate, the castle town did not immediately spread out. The Fahrenheit family's mansion is not a mountain castle, but it is not a mansion in the middle of a city.

　Think of Heian-kyo. The city is spread out in a grid pattern, and the inner palace, where the emperor resides, is located on the northernmost side. Heidburg, the capital of the Farenheit Frontier Counties, also had a similar structure, although it was not a strictly grid-like city.

　That's why  i had to walk for a while after leaving the mansion to reach the city. Or, to put it another way, if i could reach the lord's mansion right from the city, it would be a very bad situation in terms of security. The security system of our house is twofold: the inner gate and the outer gate.

　I strolled along the path leading from the inner gate to the outer gate. There is no one around me.

　I arrive at the outer gate. I go to the door by the gate and open it from the inside.

"Young master?"

　The gatekeeper calls out to me again. This time there were two of them.

 i've been given permission to go out. I'll be back in the evening."

"Oh, I see. Take care."

"Take care."

　The gatekeepers saw me off and I stepped into the city. In front of me was a beautiful city that looked like middle modern Europe.

"Ohhhh ......!

　Beautiful five-story stone buildings lined up in a straight line as if they were in an orderly fashion. The road was wide, like the main road in a modern Japanese city center. Horse-drawn carriages and people were moving left and right along the road, going in any direction they wanted.

　It was another world. It was an impressive sight.

　Some of the carriages were pulled by huge lizard-like dragons (?). I wonder if they call it a dragon carriage. 

It's awesome!

　Most of the people walking around seemed to be normal people, but every once in a while I would see people wearing  beast ears that were clearly not cosplay. Apparently there are beastmens in this world!　I was shocked to learn this for the first time at the age of six. At this rate, there might be elves and dwarves, too.

　I left the Fahrenheit family area and headed straight along the main road, which was as thick as Suzaku Boulevard in Heian-kyo or the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

　Apparently, there are many public buildings in this area, such as government offices and libraries, probably because of the proximity of the lord's mansion. Many of the buildings we saw were very stylish and seemed to be of a high social class. I guess I don't have to worry about the safety of this area.

　After a while, the streets gradually become more crowded and lively. If the area i was in before was like  Ginza or Marunouchi, this area is more like Shinjuku or Shibuya.

　The buildings are still tall, but they look more like high-rise apartments than office buildings. The first floor of each building is occupied by stores, and you can see many people coming and going.

Welcome!　We've got fresh meat from today!

Freshly baked bread!

"How about some exotic spices?"

"Exotic spices!　Buy it and you wont regret"

　I turned a corner and came to a narrow alleyway. The alleyway was lined with stalls and looked like a marketplace. The density of the population jumped, and I walked down the street, careful not to bump into any passersby.

　It reminded me of Ameyoko in my previous life ,  where a huge number of people were walking in the narrow streets, and the old men were shouting and advertising their products. The world may be different, but there are still similar scenes.

"Hey, kid!　Would you like some skewers?"

"What?"

　As I was walking, I was talked to by an old man who was cooking some kind of meat skewers. It was cooking nicely and smelled very delicious.

"How much?"

"One hundred and fifty ells a stick."

"Can I have two?'

Three hundred ells, please.

　I take out three 100-EL coppers from my pocket

"Thank you!"

　I walked down the market street, munching on the skewered meat I had received. The meat was crispy on the surface and well-done in the middle, but still juicy and, to put it mildly, excellent. The sauce was not soy-sauce based, but it had an addictive flavor like exotic spices, and as someone who usually eats good food, I had no complaints about its quality.

　A six-year-old's stomach would be full in no time after eating two skewers of grilled meat. As i strolled along the street, going this way and that way to rest our stomach after the meal,  i came to a noisy section of the street, even though there were few people walking around.

　There were only a few people walking on the street, but there was a lot of shouting and metal clanging. The noise was coming from the houses that lined both sides of the street. It seemed that this was the area where the forgers lived.

　I was curious, so I peeked in through the open door and saw a group of muscular men, sweat pouring down like a waterfall, swinging hammers at the glowing red iron.

...... is so cool.

　As I was admiring the craftsmanship, I was tapped on the shoulder from behind with a thump.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt you?"

　I turned around apologizing and saw a girl about my age standing there. She was about my age, with red hair and skin that was probably dulled by soot.

"Do you have any interest in blacksmith ?"

"in blacksmith ?　Yes, well, not that I was , but I would like to see more of it."

　The girl smiled and grabbed my hand.

"Then come this way!"

"wait , what?"

　I was suddenly taken away. Well, it doesn't look like a kidnapping, and this girl seems to be related to a forging shop. If they want to show me where she work, I'm  fine with it 

　It seems that my wish to expand world is already coming true on the first day.