The Seirei Gensouki Spirit Chronicles
Chapter 5 Chapter 3

Dola sighed tiredly and headed inside the building. Rio also took a breath before walking forward, and Shin stepped on the back with a somewhat nervous step. A surprisingly neat and tidy room greeted them as soon as they entered the building, with what looked like a reception desk right across the door. Some people like traders are lining up.

“This place not only holds criminal slaves, but also ordinary slaves. That's why traders came and went to buy supplies,” Dola explained to Shin, who curiously looked around the room.

After that, Rio and the others were taken to the waiting room, where they were told to stand during the procedure. They waited a few minutes before the waiting room door opened.

“Sorry to be waiting. But, thanks to the testimony Mr. Hayate gave, the judgment came much sooner than expected. The decision has been finalized – Gon will be a punishment slave, while others will be contract slaves for their debts,” Hayate's subordinates said as he entered. He gave his report with a wry smile, feeling relaxed after the procedure went more smoothly than expected.

“Ooh, I'm glad to hear that. Why does it usually take longer? ” Dola asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, look ... Normally, even a criminal caught off guard will undergo an informal trial to receive a verdict, but the case is closed this time with just a document check.”

“So so. In that case, please give Mr. Hayate our deepest thanks when you see him again. ”

“Of course – I'll tell him. Also, this was the compensation the victim paid from Gon who was held as a punitive slave. It contains one gold coin,” said aide Hayate, holding out a small bag with compensation money. One gold coin was enough for an ordinary household in the capital to live for several months.

“Oh, wow .. So much?” Dola's eyes widened in shock.

“Well, he's a very burly man. His bounty is appreciated at the highest level.” Subordinate Hayate shrugged with a wry smile.

“So..”.

“For the remaining contract slaves, you can judge them and buy directly by the government office, or install them for auction. Auctions do take time and effort, but you could potentially get a much higher price than an instant purchase depending on the quality of the slaves. Which one did you choose? ”

“Then, please do with the purchase,” Dola choose without a moment's hesitation.

“Good. Then, I'll tell them right away. Please wait a little longer until the assessment is complete.” The adjutant nodded, then turned around and left the room once more.

“Bos, is it really okay? Can't we get more if we auction it?” Shin asked Dola.

“It's okay. This method will cause fewer problems in the future, and I don't want to see their faces again.” Dola answered honestly and shook her head.

“...Good. But it feels a bit anticlimactic.” Everything was going so smoothly that Shin seemed dissatisfied.

.

“Well, this is how it feels when someone loses his humanity like that. You may not be used to it, but I'll take you out for a nice meal later so you can forget all this and start over again,” said Dola to clear out the strangely depressed atmosphere, ruffling Shin's head violently.

“H-Stop that, boss! Not in front of him! ” Shin glanced towards Rio and fought Dola out of embarrassment, feeling too aware of the fact that he was treated like a child. Rio chuckled lightly while looking at the two of them amusedly.

◇◇◇

By the time Rio and the others had collected their purchase money and left the seclusion center, the sun had already set in the sky; most of the days had already passed.

“Because we've received the compensation money and everything, Let's start back. I'll buy you some famous local kamutans!” Dola said on the way back to their inn.

“Ooh! Yes!” Shin cheered happily.

“What ... kamutan?” Rio asked, never heard a word before.

“Oh what? You've never eaten a kamutan before?” Shin looked at Rio with a somewhat pleased expression.

“I haven't. What kind of food is that? ”

“So so. Well, how should I say it? It's a bowl of hot soup with long, thin noodles made from rice flour and wheat flowers. You sipped it, and it feels amazing. ”

.

At the serious question from Rio, Shin gave a simple explanation of kamutan with a complacent expression. He moved his hand, making a motion of inhaling noodles.

“... Hmm, it looks like good.” Rio could imagine what kind of food it was with Shin's explanation.

Noodles, huh? Ramen, buckwheat, udon .. No, it used rice flour as well as wheat flour, so maybe it was like a pho on Earth?

(Tln: Pho is a Vietnamese beef noodle dish. It originated in Hanoi and spread south to Ho Chi Minh City, and around the world.)

Anyway, his interest was shaken. Rio loved cooking and food in general more than anything else, so he was immediately filled with the urge to try it out as soon as possible.

“It not only looks good, it is delicious. You'll see as soon as you eat it. ”

“You were really touched when you ate it for the first time, too. You even tried to make Sayo make it for you after you returned to the village .. She has not tried it before, so you two ended up fighting, if I remember correctly,” Dola teased Shin arrogantly.

Shin gasped in embarrassment, then glared towards Rio, who saw him amusedly. However, it was not with a hostile attitude: Shin, who had previously avoided the conversation with Rio, was now able to have a proper conversation with him, although sometimes a little blunt. Perhaps he had a slight change of heart after Rio saved Sayo during the Gon incident.

The three of them chatted excitedly as they walked back to their inn. After handing over the compensation money they received from the government office to the people waiting at their accommodation, they left once again for a meal. As this was their first day in the capital and exhausted on their journey, they decided to split up into small groups and take turns getting food.

And so, Rio, Shin, and Dola went out to eat kamutan as planned. They entered Dola's recommended shop, which is a ten-minute walk from their shared accommodation.

“Hey, please give us three large servings of kamutan. With extra meat too,” Dola orders with familiarity. “Prepared soon!” it can be heard in response from the kitchen. A few minutes later, the rumored kamutan was completed.

“This is it – three large servings of kamutan with extra meat! Thank you for waiting!” A servant brought a kamutan bowl to Rio's table cheerfully.

Rio had asked the other two for more details about kamutan as they waited, but once he saw the real thing, he felt very similar to ramen. However, since it was a food that had been eaten in the Karasuki Kingdom since ancient times, it might not have been the discovery of a reincarnated person, like Liselotte who introduced pasta to the Strahl region, for example.

“It's been a tradition to eat kamutan by sipping (slurps),” said Shin proudly when he started eating noodles.

Rio scooped the steaming hot kamutan with his chopsticks. First, he took a mouthful of soup; it felt similar to light shoyu ramen soup. Next, he picked up the noodles with practiced movements, and brought them to his mouth.

.

Noodles have a unique texture from rice flour, but are chewy. The meat is not chashu, but seasoned appropriately and goes well with noodles and soups.

(Tln: Chashu is topping ramen with fat from roasted or boiled pork)

…It's delicious.

It had been a long time since he had eaten something similar to ramen. In fact, if noodles were made from wheat, the soup changed slightly, and with chashu, camutans would be exactly the same as ramen.

I should try to make ramen someday, Rio thought, his mouth turning into a happy smile.

◇◇◇

The next day, before noon …

Under the blue sky of the enchanting capital city, Rio walked through the castle town shopping district with Sayo, who was asked to buy luxury items by the other members of the trade squad.

As for the others in the trading squad: some had come out to sell the products of their village, some were out buying a large amount of necessities, while others stayed behind to supervise their accommodation.

“There really are a lot of people in the capital,” Sayo said curiously as she looked at the street.

“Iya. My brother has visited before, but I always stay at home. He would always tell me all sorts of stories, so I really wanted to see for myself! ”

“I've heard it. Shin bothered you to make a kamutan and you two ended up fighting, or what? ”

“Yes. He kept bragging about how he went to the capital, so I was a little fed up. I can't make food that I've never eaten before, so I'm angry,” Sayo said with a timid smile.

“Have you finally succeeded?”

“It didn't work. It became rather slimy and sticky .. ”

“In addition to soup, you need more than just rice flour and wheat flour to make noodles. If you don't have the knowledge, it can't work. ”

“Hah? Do you know how to make it, Master Rio? ”

“Iya. Although not a kamutan, I've made other noodles before.”

“U-Umm .. Can you teach me sometime?” Sayo asked carefully.

“Sure, I don't mind. Let's try together when we return to the village,” Rio replied with a nod.

“Thank you very much! I haven't actually eaten it ..”

“Then, how about we go eat together after this? Since we are in the capital and everything,” Rio offered as a suggestion after Sayo happily thanked him.

“Iya! With pleasure!” Sayo nodded enthusiastically.

.

“Let's pay attention to the restaurant while we buy the goods that everyone asks.”

With that, the two of them decided to go out to eat kamutan for lunch. However. The shop where Dola took us away from here, so I don't know which store to go to. Rio thought without letting it appear on his face. He wanted to take the chance so that Sayo could eat delicious food, but unfortunately, he had no experience visiting Karasuki Kingdom.

Maybe this group fight is not the best for shopping together .. We don't even know where to find a restaurant. This was also Sayo's first time in the capital. We don't know what's around …

He had asked the members of the trading squad their reasons behind grouping them this way before they went shopping, but they had forced him for some unknown reason. Sure enough, the two of them had to walk around all morning looking for items, comparing market prices and stock quality.

It was more like they were sightseeing than shopping; fortunately, Sayo was in a good mood due to being with Rio, and seemed to be satisfied. She was innocently enjoying her time shopping.

Rio was secretly worried that the incident with Gon had traumatized him, but Sayo showed no indication of that as she deliberately insisted on participating in the trading squad. That's convincing.

“Master Rio, why don't we ask the locals if there is a store they recommend?” Sayo said with a carefree smile.

.

“...You are right. Let's ask someone at the next look we go.” Rio put away his unnecessary worries and nodded, his smile small.

Well, as long as Sayo had fun, she reasoned. Thankfully, the amount of luxury they had to buy was not too much, so the two of them continued to walk around the shopping district.

“You two, right there. Dating, right?” A young lady called Rio and Sayo. He seemed to be selling trinkets for women, and his stock was placed on a mat in front of him.

“Hah? Me-me? Uh, ah, no .. Erm .. ” Sayo tried to answer with something, confused. Sayo realized the merchant woman was talking to her and blushed.

“We come to the capital to sell our village products. It's just a shopping trip,” Rio explained on behalf of the naive Sayo.

Obviously the merchant woman was trying to start a conversation for the sake of business. Although it was usually better to ignore it and keep going, Sayo stopped with good intentions, so it was a bit difficult to leave now.

“So so. Is that so .. Hmm ...” The merchant woman nodded faintly and looked at Sayo, who was still acting embarrassed. Sayo's cheeks turned red under the woman's gaze, which seemed to pierce through her.

“How, Sir? A souvenir to remember your streets in the capital with a very cute woman next to you?” The woman grinned, turning to Rio's target instead.

“I-That's not true! And I feel bad! Ah, and we're not dating!” Sayo shook her head in panic.

.

Rio glanced at the items lined up on the mat. For street stalls, the items are neatly arranged and seem to be of good quality.

“You've experienced this, miss. Sayo, is there anything you want?” Rio asked Sayo with a weak and wry smile.

She wanted to give him something as a token of gratitude for taking care of him, as well as apologize for causing trouble during Gon's incident.

“Fweh .. A-It's okay! I can't ask you that!” Sayo stuck her hands forward and shook her head strongly. His exaggerated reaction imitated a small beast, making Rio laugh amusedly.

“No need to hold back. I've been in your care too, so this is a thank you gift. ”

“He's right. If a man offers to buy a woman a gift, then it is polite to receive it. Come, now – at least take a look.” At Rio's offer, the merchant woman laughed and called Sayo closer.

“Eh, ah .. Then, just look ..”

Although confused, Sayo decided to look at the items on display. He hesitated at first, but found the items to his liking, and a sparkle slowly appeared in his eyes.

“So you're interested?”

“Erm, things like this I find funny ..” On the question of the merchant woman, Sayo pointed to a simple, but funny flower hairpin.

.

“Ooh, you really have good eyes, Miss! It's the only one. ”

“Umm, is it expensive?”

“Hmm, let's see. How about two silver coins?” The merchant woman asked somewhat cautiously.

Sayo has actually chosen one of the more expensive items available on the screen. Entry is not impossible for ordinary people to buy, but the price is enough to be a blow to the wallet if purchased without consideration.

“K-Coin silver ?! T-Master Rio, it's okay! I ... I don't need it at all! ” As soon as Sayo heard the price, she refused the gift in surprise. It was a large sum of money for an average village girl like her.

“I don't mind. If you like it, Sayo, I'll buy it for you.” Rio showed no signs of concern for the price and expressed his willingness to buy it.

“...Huh?” Sayo's eyes widened slightly.

“Ooh. You've got it, sir. But, maybe you should learn how to buy goods in the market a little better ..” The merchant woman suggested in surprise. However, Rio shook his head with a gentle smile.

“I'm not backing down because of the price when it comes to gifts for a girl. The price is fine. ”

“Ahaha, amazing! Then, I should have made it a little more expensive, huh?” The woman laughed out loud.

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