Hard Work Will Never Betray Me

i left the house as  i did yesterday, walked through the central district with its many public facilities, and then through the commercial district toward Kajiya-cho. I don't forget to buy some spicy grilled meat skewers on the way. What was different from yesterday was that I bought one more skewer as a souvenir for Mei. The owner remembered that I had come here two days in a row and added a little more meat.

　As  i approached the  area of  craftsmans  , the crowd had settled down to a certain extent, and there were more workshops, weapon stores, and armor shops. The percentage of merchants and ordinary people walking around was decreasing, and the number of adventurers, soldiers, and other combatants was increasing. On the other hand, the atmosphere is not unsafe.

　This is probably due to the fact that there are many demons in the remote areas. First of all, in a remote area, weapons with halfway decent performance cannot compete with dangerous demons, so the standard of weapons required will increase. As a result, the quality of the smiths will also increase. This inevitably leads to higher prices for weapons, which makes it harder for hoodlums who want to worsen public safety to get their hands on them. A rogue cannot be an adventurer. All the adventurers in this town are professional adventurers who take pride in their  job .

　As I walked along, I saw a building with a sign that said "Arendal Workshop. From the outside, I could see that most of the buildings in this area had workshops and houses attached to each other. Mei's house was also a two-story building, with the workshop on the first floor and the living space on the second floor.

"Mei?　I've come to visit."

　When I arrived in front of the workshop, I called out through the open door into the house. It was a little late, but it was lunchtime, and there was none of the noise characteristic of a forge. It's a very quiet time of the day for a  area like  that , which is usually very noisy with metal sounds.

"Oh, Hal!"

"Mei, hi."

　I heard a voice from above and looked up to see Mei peeking out of the second floor window. The second floor seemed to be a living space after all.

"I'm coming!"

　As soon as  she  said that, Mei immediately retreated into the window and came down to the first floor with a clattering sound. As I waited for about ten seconds, Mei came from the back of the room and poked her head out of the doorway.

Hello, Hal.

'Hello. Have you eaten lunch yet?'

'I just had some!'

'I bought these skewers because they were delicious.'

"Is this ...... Rumia beef from Rumia?

"Rumia beef?

　I know about Rumia beef. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. The reason why I use the word "cow-like" is because technically it is not a cow. If it had iron horns on its head, it wouldn't be called a cow. Above all, Lumia cows are oviparous. It looks like a mammal and it produces milk, but I don't get it. It's like a platypus.

　'Aside from that, they are not as violent as demons, and in some places they are even bred. The quality of the milk and meat is very high, and it can be obtained inexpensively, so Rumia beef is one of the specialties of our frontier territory, widely eaten by nobles and commoners alike.

"Oh, so this meat is Rumia beef?'"

"Rumia beef goes well with everything. This spice is also sold in the market!'

"Yes, that's right. I like Rumia beef too.'

　Even though it's obviously not biologically a cow, it tastes just like a cow, and it's a popular meat . ...... Sometimes I don't understand the food culture of this world, but as long as it tastes good, it's enough . That's what I've been trying to tell myself lately., otherwise I won't be able to live in this world where demons roam.

　I'll have another skewer, too. I decide to take out another skewer and eat it with her.

　After enjoying the  meal at the materials yard in front of the workshop, we decided to start our activities.

"Well.... Today I'd like to have Me show me around the city."

"What ?　Hal you dont live ine city ?."

　It was a perfectly legitimate question. However, since I can't reveal my identity, I have to cheat as long as I'm not lying.

No, actually, I can't go out very often due to family business . The other day I finally got permission to go out freely, so I'm out playing like this.

What a strange family you live in!

"Yes, "

　Hmmm, even though I don't mean to offend her , I don't feel comfortable cheating  her too much.

"So, I don't know anything about this town yet. Do you have any recommended spots?''

"Well, I guess so. Well, let's go to the Central Square!"

'Central Square?'

"There are trees there."

"Trees?"

　I have a lot of trees growing on my property. But I'll have to go there to find out what this town square is like. There might be a fun event or something.

　　　　　✳︎

So this is the central square. It's quite beautiful.

"Hmmm...

　Mei looked at me with a smug expression on her face. I can't help but understand her feelings. It was the central square of the city, and it had an atmosphere that lived up to its name.

　First of all, there was a fountain in the center of the square, with benches surrounding the fountain. The benches were not large, but there were trees growing between them.

　The benches were occupied by a variety of people, from couples to families, middle-aged merchants and adventurers. Within a few dozen meters of the benches, brick tiles were laid in concentric circles, and the perimeter of the circle was lined with stores selling food and daily necessities.

　From the central plaza, roads radiate out in various directions, leading to apartment buildings and stores. The outer perimeter of the central square seemed to function like a traffic circle, with horse-drawn carriages and shoppers constantly walking by.

"Ah, I see. The Arc de Triomphe."

　The image was similar to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile in Paris.  with a fountain in place of the Arc de Triomphe. However, it's not that magnificent. The scale is much smaller than the Arc de Triomphe, and the population of this city is probably not as large as Paris. The  at most around 100,000, and it seems to be a provincial city.

"What is it?"

A'No, it's nothing. I'm just talking to myself. Let's go into that store. I'm just curious."

　There was no way I could get through to her about my past life. I changed the subject and turned my attention to the general store in front of me. From the outside, it looks like an antique store, and it looks like a very fun place.

"It looks like an antique shop from the outside. It's so cute."

"Right?"

　Even though she is aiming to become a forger, Mei is still a girl. She seems to have an eye for cute things.

　We went into the store, which had few customers at lunchtime, and decided to look around. The store was not that big, at best it was the size of a used bookstore in the local shopping district. It was much smaller than a convenience store.

"Welcome."

　There was only one clerk, a young lady. 

　I thought the store was too small to have many products, but it seemed to have a lot of products. It's not like the pressurized display of a supermarket, but I was a little worried that I might break something by bumping into the crammed products.

"These are cute, aren't they?"

"Which one?'

　Mei showed  me a hair ornament in the shape of a snowflake. The price was about one thousand ells. The price was about one thousand ells, which was a bit steep for a six-year-old.

"Well, I'll be patient.'

　May looked a little sad as she put the hair ornament back on the shelf.

　While Mei was looking at other items, I secretly picked up the hair ornament.

"Excuse me, can I have this?"

　I hid it behind the items I wanted and finished the bill without Mei knowing.

"The total will be 2,500 ells."

"Yes."

　As I put the items in the bag and picked them up, the saleswoman spoke to me quietly.

"A gift for her? That's great!"

"Hahaha."

　I was a little embarrassed, so I smiled to cover it up and left the store with Mei. We sat down side by side on the bench in front of the fountain where we had been until a while ago.

"What did you buy?"

"This.

　What I took out of the bag was a pouch that could be worn around the waist. It was just the right size to hold a throwing knife or a notepad. The design wasn't bad either.

"Oh!　It's really cool!　It's a good fit for you "

　Mei praised me when she saw me with the pouch wrapped around my waist.

T"hank you. I got a good one. I'll give this to Mei."

"What?"

　I took out another small bag from my shopping bag and handed it to May. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.

"This is ...... from before . ......"

"You said it was cute."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's my way of thanking you for showing me around town."

　I can say that it's a nobleman's indulgence that  i didn't earn  myself , that  i just bought it with  my allowance. But if she happy with the gift, it's not a waste of money 

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"Oh, no, wait, in the city!

　She  was so overcome with emotion that Mei  just hugged me. The people around us were looking at us with a bit of pain. The lady who worked at the store earlier was also looking at us from inside the store with a smirk on her face.

　Damn it, don't look at me!

　In the end, Mei didn't leave me until the end, so I walked hand in hand with her throughout the rest of the city tour. I don't know whether to be happy about the greatest popularity in my life or to resent it because it was embarrassing.

　Well, she looked happy, so I was happy too .