My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 65
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 65
As markets are more frequented by commoners than nobles, there's a lot more raucous attraction going on.
"Come and taste our new fruit, we don't charge for a piece!"
"Here's a new favourite tea, freshly grown from the West!"
"Take a look at these leather clothes from the north! They're made from the skins of demons, so they're very warm! My shop is only ten minutes from here, come and visit us!"
The merchants are very aggressive in their solicitation; they would stop anyone walking up and down the street to turn them into a customer.
Inexperienced people are grabbed by the vendors and dragged into the shop.
Of course, those who are accustomed to this kind of behaviour don't bother to stop and continue on their way.
Lancer looks like a person in cultural shock. “...What is this place?"
"What do you mean? It's a market." I take hold of his arm, pulling him forward.
We’ve been in the market for less than ten minutes, yet he's already being held up by four merchants. He must've seemed quite new, since he was looking around curiously. So I have to hold onto him tightly to make sure he doesn't wander off.
Well, the fashions of the commoners have certainly changed.
I think as I scan the women coming in and out of the market.
I don't know about the men because I don't pay attention to them, but the women are dressed much differently than they used to be— they're wearing dresses with lots of ornaments.
It was worth the money.
I smile in satisfaction.
Yes, now that the commoners are starting to wear fancy clothes like the nobles, the nobles are doing the opposite. They'll be dressing in a way that's simpler instead.
Pfft, when that happens, I'll never have to wear a heavy dress heavy in jewels again—
"What are we doing here?" Lancer interrupts, breaking me out of my reverie.
"I told you it was a market, a place to buy and sell things."
I don't think my answer was adequate for Lancer, seeing how he's staring at me blankly.
"Uh… I thought if you wanted to buy something, you called up the merchants and ordered it?"
"That's what nobles do," I say to Lancer, deliberately whispering.
I don't want anyone here to know that we're nobles.
"So how do I buy things here?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know?"
I know Lancer has never been to the market before, but I didn't realise it was this bad.
At my retort, Lancer shyly shields away from my gaze. "I'm sorry, no one ever told me so….”
“....”
It has only come to my attention now that not only does he not know what goes on in the world, but she's far too ignorant. It's a result of his family's overprotection and my neglect.
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, I squeeze Lancer's hand. "I'll tell you."
That simple sentence lights up Lancer's face. "Really?"
What the hell? Why are you so excited?
"Of course. It's not that hard."
"Thanks. I was worried about what I should do if you didn't….”
I snort. "Come on now, I'm not that harsh."
“No, no! That's not what I meant! It's just that… Skyla would always be so busy that you won't tell me stuff like this….”
“....”
I'm rendered speechless again.
Have I… been that mean to him in the past?
“...What do you want to buy?” I ask, guilt creeping up to me.
An immediate reply comes, “anything Skyla wants!”
Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say.
"Not me, but what you want to have."
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I just need you, Skyla. I don't really need anything else."
"I'm not for sale."
"But you're not an item, Skyla, you're my friend."
"It's kind of weird how that makes sense."
And like that, we stroll through the market.
The market was built around a wide street. Shops with products lined both sides of the street.
At the entrance were fresh foods like vegetables, fruits, and bread. Deeper in were everyday household items like brooms and bowls, and deeper in the market were artisan crafts.
I intend to skip the food section, but my hand holding Lancer’s comes to a halt because of the Lancer who's eagerly browsing.
"What's wrong?"
"What is that?"
I glance at the shop he's pointing to. It's a shop with a big image of candy. As expected of a candy store, it's crowded with children.
"It's a candy store."
"And the one with the kids over there?"
I realise that he's looking at a small booth at the front of the store.
In front of the booth, which had colourfully patterned tents, children were lined up in groups. Their cheerful laughter can be heard all the way here.
When I look closer to see what they're waiting for, I see there's an old man making cotton candy.
Lancer had never had cotton candy before.
"Do you want to try that?"
"What's that? It looks like a cloud."
"Yeah, it is a cloud."
"Really?"
"Really."
It surprises me how I thought Lancer seemed cute when I saw his face.
He's shocked to hear that cotton candy was a cloud.
"What do you think, isn't it cool? Do you want to buy one?"
But Lancer shakes his head with a stern look. "No, I don't want one."
"Oh? Why?" This was an unexpected response. I thought he'd be excited to try one.
Lancer turns serious, and whispers to me. "I've eaten clouds before when I was bored and flew up into the sky, and they just tasted like water. Skyla, don't eat them either. They're not that good."
“....”
Dude… you've never eaten cotton candy, but you've eaten clouds….
“...That's not a cloud, actually. It's a candy that seems like a cloud.” I have no choice but to tell him the truth.
He looks even more confused. "If it's candy, why does it seem like a cloud?"
"That's why it's called cotton candy. Have you ever eaten a flower-shaped chocolate before? It's something like that."
"Aha." Lancer nods in understanding at my explanation.
"Come on, Lancer, you like sweet things. Let's go buy some."
"We're gonna buy food and eat them?" He follows up with another question.
Now, instead of feeling frustrated, I feel more sorry for him. Thinking about it, whenever Lancer ate, he probably ate what the servants served him at home. So the idea of commoners paying for food would be foreign to him.
It worries me how much Lancer had missed out on in his life.
After composing myself, I slowly open my lips. "Lancer, he's not one of our servants, is he?"
"Yes."
"Just like you pay the people who work in your mansion, we have to pay him for the cotton candy he makes for us."
"I see." That's what Lancer says, but he doesn't seem convinced. He looks puzzled, but for the time being, he follows my lead.
“Two cotton candies, please,” I say to the booth owner when it's our turn.
"What flavour would you like?"
“I'll have the mint flavour, and… Lancer, what flavour do you want? Just pick any.”
The owner begins to make the cotton candy I marked earlier.
"Hmm." Lancer slowly begins to examine the samples hanging in front of the booth.
I thought he'd pick the same flavour as I did, but he's looking at all the different flavours. As expected, mint is a love-it-or-hate-it flavour.
Why doesn't the rest of the world realise the beauty of mint….
As I’m thinking, Lancer asks me, "What does this taste like?"
Lancer's finger points at a red cotton candy. I shrug, as I've seen plenty of pink cotton candy, but never red. "I don't know, maybe you should ask the owner."
"Oh, that's the paprika flavour."
The owner, who was swirling my mint-flavoured cotton candy first, replies promptly.
What?
I momentarily doubt my ears.
The what flavour? Paprika flavour?
The owner laughs before explaining. “The kids told me that eating too much cotton candy is bad for their health, so I made a new flavour that's healthier. I'm the kind of person who cares about their health. Of course, I only sell one paprika-flavoured cotton candy a day….”
“....”
What kind of crazy person would visit one day and say—
"I'll have one of these, please."
Well, it's someone like him.
Upon receiving Lancer's order, the owner looks like he's going to jump for joy. He's thrilled that Lancer had purchased his newly developed flavour.
Regardless, his red cotton candy was much larger than my blue cotton candy.
Lancer does as I ask and takes a few coins from his wallet and holds them out to the owner. He's quite amazed that he can buy food this way.
“...Do you like paprika?” I ask, looking at his red cotton candy as we walk away from the booth.
"No, I don't."
"Then why did you pick the paprika flavour?"
"Because it looks like you."
"What?"
"The red colour looks just like your eyes," Lancer says before taking a bite out of it. "Wow, it melted in my mouth!"
"...Is it good?"
"Yes!"
“....”
Yeah… whatever you say….
I take a bite of the mint-flavoured cotton candy I bought. All the while, I hold onto his hand tightly, in case we get lost in the crowd.
Lancer stares at my cotton candy.
"Why are you staring?"
"I'm curious what blue tastes like."
"It's mint. Do you want to try it?"
Lancer nods and leans slightly toward me. He takes a bite of my cotton candy as cautiously as a deer grazing on grass, and then he frowns slightly.
"...Tastes weird."
Can't be any weirder than paprika-flavoured cotton candy.
Lancer casts a sceptical glance at me. "Skyla, do you… really like this stuff?"
"Please respect my taste."
My preferences are mine, just as your preferences are yours.
We walk slowly through the market, munching on cotton candy.
Luckily, no merchants are trying to stop us. Perhaps they're worried about bringing customers, who are eating something, getting it on their merchandise.
Lancer seems to be content with simply looking at the goods on display outside without going to the shops.
"What's that?"
"They're apples," I reply, glancing at the tiered red apples in front of the fruit stand.
Then Lancer looks at me as if to tell me not to fool him.
"But they're red, Skyla. Even I know that apples are white."
“...?”
What is he saying now.
