Chapter 145: The Bear Heads to the Capital in Search of a Mithril Knife

Chapter 145:
The Bear Heads to the Capital in Search of a Mithril Knife

 

With that, we journeyed to the capital in search of a mithril knife. (The journey was, admittedly, like two minutes. Gotta love bear transport gates.) Fina and I left the bear house, and boom.

“Whoa, the capital.” Fina sounded pretty chipper now. I’d been to the city loads of times, but Fina hadn’t seen it since the birthday celebration. “It kind of feels strange. I can’t believe we were just in Crimonia.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve been. Wanna stop by somewhere?” It wasn’t like I was in a hurry.

“Nah. I’d have fun just poking around a little. It’s okay.” She was right. Just wandering on foot was another way of enjoying things. If we headed to a tourist spot, we could hang back and enjoy the scenery.

I’d wanted to do just that on the way to the smithy Nelt had mentioned, but, well, I actually had no idea where the guy was. I’d asked Nelt, but she’d told me she didn’t know, and that was that. She just said he’d be registered at the trade guild, so I could ask them. So, that’s where we went.

We were on the capital’s main street, a broad thoroughfare with carriage traffic that went back and forth. To get to the trade guild, we had to follow that big ol’ road down to it. There was a ton of foot traffic, which meant a whole lot people staring at me and saying familiar stuff.

Some mom never taught her kid not to point.

Somebody over there looked downright thunderstruck.

And come on, really? That one over there was gonna laugh?

And no, they didn’t sell this at a clothing shop, yeesh.

You there, why d’you even want to order your own set?

Yup, I’m a bear. Yup, it’s embarrassing. But I’ve given up.

You think I’m cute? Thank you.

You want a hug? No, thank you.

You’re going to tell your friends? Please don’t.

Did you just say you’ll keep an eye on me so they can run? I’m not about to rip ’em to shreds or anything.

Or what, you trying to poach me for a zoo? Nope, keep your grimy hands away or I’ll rip ’em off.

It was fun to answer all that stuff in my head.

Before long, we caught sight of the large building that housed the trade guild—just sizeable enough for the great capital city. Big as it was, there were still way more people than you’d think, which meant more stares.

Well, Yuna, no turning back now… I took Fina into the trade guild and the moment I did—

“Ms. Yuna!”

I heard a voice from behind me. When I turned, wondering who it was, I found Shia, Maricks, Timol, and Cattleya, all out of breath. What were these students doing here?

“Shia? Guys? What’s going on?”

Shia’s hair was a mess, I guess because she’d run here. “That’s what I’m wondering. Why are you in the capital with Fina?”

Yeah, I supposed it was normal for the four of them to be in the capital, considering they lived here. I was the one out of place.

Fina bowed her head and greeted Shia, seeming a little nervous. They’d gotten to know each other a bit earlier, but Shia was still an aristocrat and Fina was a commoner, and a little hanging out couldn’t change that.

After she said her hello, Fina hid behind me. She seemed a little put on the spot. But then, she didn’t know anyone other than Shia. Speaking of which…“So, how are you all?”

“Pretty good.”

“It’s been such a long time, Yuna.”

“Yuna, long time no see.”

They all returned enthusiastic greetings. But there was something that bugged me. I looked at Maricks. “What’s with that bruise on your face, Maricks?”

“Oh, this thing?” Maricks touched his purple left cheek. “My dad socked me one. He said I put everyone in danger by being self-centered and I disrespected your directions. He was all ‘who do you think you are?’”

“He hit you because of that?”

Maricks smiled while he rubbed his cheek. “I mean, he wasn’t totally wrong, you know? But he also told me he was proud of me. He said it was better to do something than to look the other way when someone was in trouble. But he said I gotta act only after taking my own abilities and my companion’s abilities into account. Think of who I’d be up against and stuff.”

Come to think of it, Ellelaura had said the same thing. But Maricks couldn’t have done anything about it. No one could’ve expected a black tiger to appear. Maricks had acted thinking he was facing mere goblins, which he could beat. I didn’t think anyone would have been so reckless if they’d known a black tiger was waiting for them.

“Still,” said Shia, “I was so surprised when I saw you, Maricks. Your face was swollen when you came to the academy the next day.”

Cattleya nodded. “It was much worse earlier.”

“I was wondering what had happened,” added Timol.

“It’s better now?” I asked. I guess it really had been a bit since I’d been on guard duty. But the bruise was there even now, which meant…just how hard had Maricks’s dad hit him? It looked like it’d still hurt to touch. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It just aches a little.” Maricks smoothed his cheek lightly.

Shia rolled her eyes. “Sure, Maricks. You made such a huge deal when someone brushed it just the tiniest bit.”

Cattleya nodded. “He was crying and everything.”

“Of course he was,” I said. “Obviously it’d hurt if someone touched it the day after he got hit.” I mean, it was a swollen face. Just imagining it made my own cheek hurt. Weird how just seeing a bruise did that. “Were the rest of you fine? Did you get in trouble?”

“We did get into a little trouble with our teacher and Lady Ellelaura.”

“My mother scolded me for not supporting you.”

“I got in trouble for no good reason. They said it was my duty to stop Maricks. It’s not like I’m Maricks’s guardian or anything,” Timol sulked.

“But you guys didn’t get hit. That’s so unfair,” Maricks grumbled. “You could punch yourselves?” he said suddenly, offering a lopsided grin, and we broke into laughter.

Hmm. Maricks had been serving as the party leader, so he was responsible for everyone’s actions. I guess that’s why his dad had done it? Pretty different from Japanese parents, who were thinking less about, uh, fighting monsters and more about education.

And besides, if the parents had said, “My son wasn’t in the wrong. It was the adventurer who guarded him that was at fault,” or something like that, I definitely would’ve had to cash in that favor with Ellelaura or the king.

“So why are you in the capital with Fina?” asked Maricks.

“We’re shopping. I just kind of wanted a harvesting knife.”

“You came all the way to the capital to buy a harvesting knife?”

The four of them looked exasperated. I guess anybody would if they didn’t know about the bear transport gate.

“Uh, I also had free time?”

“Do normal people come all the way to the capital just because they’re free?”

“Well, I’ve got Kumayuru and Kumakyu, so I can get here really easily.” When all else failed, it was time for loads more lies.

“I think it’s fine because it’s you, Yuna,” said Timol, “but it’s dangerous for two girls to be going on a journey alone.” Timol and Cattleya were looking at us in shock, and, sure, maybe it would be for a normal couple of girls from Crimonia, but this was us.

“Yuna’s got the bears,” Maricks said, coming in for the save.

“I suppose you are right,” said Cattleya with a wistful sigh. “Yuna does indeed have fuzzy, wuzzy little Kumayuru and Kumakyu… Oh, how I miss them!”

I mean? It hadn’t really been that long?

“There was the black tiger I defeated when I guarded you all, right? Well, we can’t harvest it with an iron knife. I was thinking of buying something better in Crimonia, but I couldn’t find anything. I heard that there’s a dwarven blacksmith named Ghazal, so I came here to buy one from him.”

When I said that, Shia put her hand on her forehead and started to think. Then she hit her fist against her palm. “Yes! Yes, I know him.”

“You do, Shia?”

“Yes, I’ve gone to him once before. I can take you, if you’d like?”

Maricks nodded. “Yeah, I know him too. It’s that dwarf, huh? I think my dad was saying he was a really skilled blacksmith or something.”

“I’d be glad if you did, guys, but weren’t you all in the middle of something?”

“Nah, it’ll be quick,” said Maricks. “You’re all fine with that, too, right?”

“Of course.”

“Fine by me too.”

“After how much you took care of us, it’s the least we could do,” the gang of students told me.

Hey, I wasn’t gonna argue.

I turned to look at the trade guild, where we’d planned to go. I mean, I sure loved having an excuse not to go into that crowd…and all those stares. Ugh, no thanks.