Chapter 106: The Bear Goes Back to Crimonia

Chapter 106:
The Bear Goes Back to Crimonia

 

I ASKED JEREMO for my Land of Wa favor, but it was still a bit of a bummer. I mean, we had no clue when they’d come here. I’d boiled a kraken. Surely that was worth a little miso soup, right?

After leaving the trade guild, I decided to explore the seaport. Milaine caught me as I left and had me help her out with greeting all the visitors (by standing quietly behind her). I somehow escaped from Milaine’s clutches, only to be seized by Cliff and forced to greet even more people (which was easy, because I just had to stand quietly behind him).

Then, once I also escaped from Cliff’s clutches, there were no more clutches for the day. Just a nice afternoon of exploring the seaport and heading back to the inn on my own. When I got back, it was dinnertime.

“Deigha, Anz, could I get dinner?!” They were in the back when I got to the inn, so I ordered and sat down in my usual seat.

Deigha rushed out from the back in a huge clatter. “You’re back, miss?”

“Yep. Could I get dinner?”

“I’ve got something more important to ask you.”

“More important than dinner?” C’mon, I was hungry…

“Were you serious about what you said earlier?”

“I say a lot of stuff.”

“About Anz.”

“Oh, you mean about having Anz come work at my shop?”

“That’s right. I heard about the tunnel today.”

“Oh…” Cliff and Milaine obviously knew about the tunnel, along with the adventurers’ guild and trade guild. It spread out from all those workers to the people who knew those workers, and yesterday Milaine brought everyone involved with fixing up the tunnel to check it out.

“There’s been talk around the seaport about it. Some folks even went out to see it themselves. Miss, you said all those things the day before yesterday because you already knew, didn’t you?”

“Well, I really want Anz to come with me.”

“Miss, you…you didn’t make that tunnel, did you?”

Hmm. I could tell him, but…should I? Deigha looked so seriously at me, so I decided to go with the truth this time.

“I made it because I want Anz to come to Crimonia.”

“I knew it,” he said with a nod.

“And that’s important, it really is, but what I really wanted was to get seafood flowing into Crimonia.” I mean, if I didn’t have a distribution source for seafood, there was no point in having Anz come with me.

“Hold on, you dug a tunnel all the way to Crimonia just for that?”

“Yep. And you wouldn’t happen to know if the Land of Wa came in with their food, too, over the last couple hours, would you? That’d be awesome.”

“Haven’t heard a thing, no.” Man, still? “You really are something, miss. A whole lotta power in a half-pint size.” Deigha placed his whopping hand on my head. “But I do just wanna be sure, here: are you really sure you want Anz?”

I nodded.

“And you’re going to prep a shop for her?”

I nodded. “That, plus a salary and holidays so she’ll be able to come back to Mileela whenever she wants.” That was my promise to Anz, after all.

“Seems like a sweet deal, but what’s in it for you?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I get to eat seafood that Anz learned to prep from the great cook Deigha himself. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“You really aren’t joking, then?”

“Would I dig a whole tunnel as a joke?”

Deigha rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. “You know what?” he said thoughtfully. “That’s all right by me. Take Anz.”

“Are you sure?” Promise or no, we hadn’t quite gotten her permission yet.

“I know Anz wants her own business. Plus, I can rest easy knowing she’s with you. You want Anz so much, you’ve dug up an entire tunnel for the girl, haven’t you? That’s dedication. I don’t think I could stop ya even if I wanted to.”

“Thank you so much, Deigha. I’ll take good care of her.”

“Keep her happy for me, in sickness or health, ya hear?”

“Okay, now it really does sound like she’s marrying me.” We both burst out laughing.

“Anz! Come here for a sec!” Deigha yelled into the back.

“What? Dad?” Anz popped out from the back room.

“Do you want to go to Crimonia?”

“Even if I did, I don’t have the time to travel that far. And I don’t want to be so far away from you and Mom, I’d feel all alone…”

“Ah, but what if Crimonia were closer? Say, a few days’ journey?”

“I suppose that’d be different. Yeah, I’d go.”

There we go.

“Then go ahead,” said Deigha. Of course he’d be putting Anz on the spot by just suddenly telling her to “go ahead.”

“Dad?”

“The rumor’s already been spreading, so I’m sure you’ve already heard. They’ve made a tunnel connecting Mileela to Crimonia.”

Which sounded a lot more direct than it was, but meh—close enough.

“Dad, what’re you saying?” She grinned now, sure it was a joke. “Just a maaaaagical tunnel that we only all just heard of. Whatever you say.”

“You’d think so, but I heard about the tunnel from the elders just now. Folks have seen it. And the person who made that tunnel is right here with us…and she made it in order to get you to Crimonia.”

“You’re joking,” Anz repeated, sounding a little less sure of that.

“You promised, didn’t you? That you’d come to Crimonia if it were possible to get seafood and if you could see your parents any time.”

“I did…” It had been, like, yesterday. Would’ve been wild if she’d forgotten somehow. “Dad…?” Anz gave her dad an uncertain look. It looked like she never would have thought this would happen in her dreams, which…makes sense, in pretty much any normal situation.

“Anz, you decide on your own. This is your life.”

“D-Dad…” Anz gazed into my eyes. “Ms. Yuna, are you sure you want me?”

“I do. Would you, um, share your cooking with me?” I asked. Now it felt like a proposal. Eep.

“I-I see. If you’re really fine with me, then I’ll work hard for you.” And I guess that was that—Anz was going to Crimonia.

“Um, are you really sure about this?” I asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Yes! I look forward to working for you.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too.” I’d gotten myself a cook.

Deigha looked sullen now. “Ahh, I never would have imagined that you’d leave before you even got married.”

“Then do you want to come over to Crimonia too, Deigha? I’ll make an inn just for you.” Yeah, why not?

“Your invitation fills me with joy, but I can’t. This place is in my bones; I was born and raised here, and someday I’ll die here.” Now he was just trying to sound cool.

“You should still come hang out in Crimonia. I’ll give you a big welcome when you come.”

Deigha put his hand on my head. “Yeah, I’ll be counting on you for a warm reception when the time comes.”

And in the middle of this sappy moment, a guy’s voice…“Sorry for putting a damper on your parade, but the tunnel won’t be usable for some time.”

And a girl’s voice…“Right, since there’s a mountain of work that needs to be done for it.”

“Cliff and Milaine?”

How long had they been there? They inserted themselves into the conversation without saying a word.

Cliff took a seat at the table where I was. “I’m famished. Sir, could I get a meal?”

“One for me as well,” said Milaine, sitting down beside him.

“Coming up. Hey, I hear tell that you two are Crimonia’s lord and trade guild’s master.”

“Yuna’s friend, first and foremost—Cliff Fochrosé, lord of Crimonia.”

“And I’m Yuna’s friend, Milaine. I do happen to be the guild master for Crimonia’s trade guild.”

“Crimonia’s lord and guild master…” Deigha glanced around helplessly.

“You needn’t fret that much,” said Cliff. “We can just be Yuna’s friends while here. Now please, sir, we would love one of your delicious meals.”

Deigha looked positively ecstatic. “Anz! We’re redoing your training until the tunnel’s complete. Help me prep the food!”

“Okay!”

The two of them practically ran to the kitchen.

Cliff chuckled. “Yuna, you seem to have gotten a great cook for yourself.”

“Right? You should come by to eat once we get the business going.”

“Yes, I’ll stop by.”

“And you know I’ll come by too, Yuna.”

Now that’s how you do it: hadn’t even started up my business, and here I was with a pair of regulars.

 

We headed back to Crimonia the next morning, just as scheduled.

“Ms. Yuna, I’m going to study my heart out,” said Anz.

“Good, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Deigha nodded. “I’m going to give her a thorough education up until the tunnel is finished. All Crimonia’s got to know just how good our family meals are, eh?” Deigha gave Anz a firm pat on the head.

“Oww, Dad, come on!”

Deigha smiled but he didn’t take his hand off. I think he wanted to enjoy the head pats while he could still get them.

 

Atola and Jeremo waited for us outside of the inn.

“Yuna, thanks for everything,” said Atola. “When we first met, I was surprised a cute little girl in a bear outfit had wandered into the adventurers’ guild. I never would have imagined that things would turn out like this.”

Jeremo nodded. “Me too. It’s been a real ride.”

Wow. I’d really fought a kraken, hadn’t I? I wouldn’t have imagined doing that, not in my wildest dreams.

“Come by again anytime you like,” said Atola.

“I will. I’ve got a house here, after all.”

“You mean that bear one?”

“Yep. That’s my property,” I added, “so you better all keep away.”

Atola grinned. “I got it. I’ll let the townspeople know.”

While I said my goodbyes to Atola, Jeremo got instructions from Milaine.

“You can’t slack off just because I’m not there.”

“I know, I know!”

Cliff got his last few thank yous out, and I summoned Kumayuru and Kumakyu.

“Hey, wait,” said Cliff, clearing his throat. “Are we riding from here?”

“Yeah, we are, why?”

“Shouldn’t we, ah. Get on them outside of the seaport?”

“Why?”

I didn’t understand what he said.

Cliff glanced around. “It’s a little embarassing, isn’t it?”

Huh? Riding on Kumayuru and Kumakyu…embarrassing?

“Anyway, erm, we’re getting on the bears after we get out of the seaport,” he said, and started walking stiffly away. Milaine and I started cracking up as we followed, and before long, we were outright laughing.