When I arrived in Kicker, I got out of the carriage with Roomba and walked down the road.

　Tory takes care of the little things, like arranging lodging for tonight and packing our stuff, so it's not a problem.

　We would stay here for the night and replenish our food and other necessities. Then, they'll be able to feed their spirits and leave for the port city of Esport tomorrow.

　Irvine and Ilya are escorting the Trierra Chamber of Commerce, while Aleusha and Mort are buying things they will need in the future.

　The only people who don't have much to do are me and Roomba, so we're walking around the city with this combination.

　Various stalls are lined up on both sides of the main street, filled with the smell of roasting meat, fruits and liquor, which stimulate people's stomachs.

　The sounds of people talking, merchants calling out to each other and laughing filled the air.

''It's quite a lively city, isn't it?

　All that floods into view are many people. A woman with wheat-colored skin and ethnic clothing, a man with pale skin and strangely thick clothing, and a man with naked upper body and tattoos on his body, I feel that there are more races gathered here than in the shopping district of the royal capital.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, because this is the city that connects the Kingdom of Ardonia and the Kingdom of Misfirito. All sorts of people and things are gathered here.'

　Rumba seems to have been to Kikka many times before, and he walks through the crowds, looking familiar.

　If Roomba walks, its appearance and power pushes people to avoid it on their own, making it easier for me, a child, to walk too. It's not like the sticky situation where we have to hold hands to avoid getting separated from each other, which is an unpleasant development.

　Well, with this height difference, I think it's better to have him hold my shoulder rather than hold my hand.

　I think it would be nice to have a shoulder to lean on when I get tired of walking, and I look around at the stalls and shops that line the street.

'Oops!　That looks good!

　In the midst of all this, Roomba, who was a head taller than the people around me, found something and walked away from me.

　Eventually, they held my hand.

　However, walking hand in hand with a child in a crowded area takes up quite a bit of road width.

　Even those who walked away from the Roomba looked annoyed by this.

'Roomba, if you hold my hand, it's hard to walk, can you shoulder me?'

Oh, okay!

　Roomba understood what I said and put his hands at my sides and lifted me up in a heap and placed me on his shoulders.

　My point of view is suddenly elevated, and where I had been on the side looking up, I'm now on the side looking down.

　I can clearly see the head whorls of men and women, young and old, and I can clearly see the shops and stalls in the back.

　This is a good place to be. And not a bad ride. The rumba's body is well-trained, so it doesn't sway too much.

　That's why I can sit more comfortably than I can on a horse. It would have been easier if I'd done this from the start.

　As I was thinking about this, the Roomba seemed to have arrived at the place I was looking for.

'Come on!'

　Seeing us and shouting with authority was an old man who was grilling chicken on a skewer in a net.

　For a moment, we thought it was yakitori, but it looked like it was seasoned with salt and pepper.

　If I'm going to eat it anyway, I'd rather have sauce, but the saltiness is not bad because it's refreshing.

　The other customers in line carried chicken skewers, and we waited our turn while discussing how many chicken skewers we would have.

"Hey, how many?

Six chicken skewers!

Yes!

　Of course, it can't be three bottles each, Rumba has five and I have one.

　I came all the way to Kicker, I want to try the food that I have never had before. I will try various kinds of food little by little.

　The chicken skewers themselves are commonplace, but it's also true that I've missed the fresh meat on the carriage trip. It wouldn't matter if I had one.

　I could use spatial magic to get the ingredients out, but I don't use it now because I'm enjoying the carriage journey. It's good to enjoy the atmosphere of such a journey.

　However, there's a good chance you'll be bored with it on the way home and using it....

Are you two father and son?　The hair color is similar, but the face isn't the same.

　The old man speaks to me as he rolls the chicken skewer around on the net.

'No, no, no,' he says, 'this is my best friend's son. That's my best friend's son. He's not my son.

　I shake my head following Roomba who says with a bitter smile.

'Oh, I see. No wonder I thought we were so unlike each other, father and son.'

This guy doesn't even look like his own father, though.

　What a thing to say, the old man and Roomba start laughing.

　If I had inherited my Nord Dad's blood as deeply colored as Brother Silvio, I would have been born more beautiful. Maybe then my life would have been in an easier mode.

　The old man and Roomba are having a conversation, and not long after, the chicken skewer is grilled, so I exchange it for a coin and leave.

'See you later!'

'Oh!　I'll be coming by on my way home to buy some!

　I kind of like these little encounters and goodbyes because they were fading in my previous life.



　As I was eating the chicken skewers, Rumba, perhaps thirsty, pointed to the stall ahead.

'Ooh, there's some ale and fruit juice over there!　Let's go buy some!

　Maybe I simply wanted to have a drink after eating the salty chicken skewers.

　Since we just wanted to go sightseeing today, it didn't matter if we drank alcohol in the afternoon.

　There may be a little bit of alcohol in it, because rumba is a monkey, you will not get drunk, right?

　At a stall selling ale, Roomba, who happily received a wooden cup, immediately sipped it.

''It's ... tepid.''

　I let out a few words in frustration.

That's the ale that they sell at the stall. There's no way they're using ice and cold water magic tools to chill it.

　I don't care if it's a fine dining restaurant, it's hard to get a cheap ale from a street vendor to be chilled to a kink. It's not impossible to do, but it would certainly be a loss.

'Al!　Can you do your usual?

Okay.

　He received the cup that Rumba lifted and activated his ice magic.

　Slightly cold air leaked out of the cup and the whole thing got cold in the blink of an eye.

　I've been to the Celia dining hall and the mansion so many times that it's called the usual, so I won't do anything wrong like freezing the ale.

　The villagers love alcohol, so they often ask for it.

　It's a good thing that only the richest people in the world can drink cold drinks unless they can use ice magic to do so.

　That's why I'm invited to banquets and birthdays, but I don't mind because they always share fresh vegetables, fruits and meat with me.

'Oh!'　Here it is, here it is!

　After receiving the cold ale from me, Roomba clears his throat and lets out a breath that he can't stand.

　I'm a little jealous of him, because in my past life I had a taste for alcohol too. The age of adulthood in this world is considered to be fifteen, and at that age you can drink alcohol.

　It's not exactly forbidden to drink until the age of fifteen, and it's relatively vague because it's bad for a child's body, so they'll drink it at about the age of thirteen.

　I don't know if my tongue and body will enjoy it by then, but I guess I'll have to leave it for another two times as many years. What a sad thing it is.

　I mean, I'm thirsty too.

'Roomba, I'm thirsty too, let's go get some juice.'

Hmm?　Oh, I'm sorry. I just happened to enjoy a nice cold ale. Now I'm going to get some of that kickass grape juice.

　I protested by tugging on my mane brown hair, and Roomba started to walk away.

　If I didn't notice this, I would have pulled the elastic on his eye patch and snapped it off.

'Grape juice is available in King's Landing, isn't it?

　You can't get it in our village, but it's in circulation in the royal capital. It's not unique to Kikka since it's stored with spatial magic. I'd prefer a juice that I've never seen before anyway.

The grapes we have here are from Aldonia. The grapes here are from Aldonia, and to be honest, they taste better than our own. When cracked, they turn into a rich, easy-drinking brew, and when juiced, they become thick and mushy.

''I see. If you're going to go that far, I'd expect it.

　If it's not much different from the grapes in King's Landing, I'll give you an eye patch.

　Expecting Rumba's words, as we passed five stalls, we found a stall that looked like it.

　It's a simple stall with three large barrels lined up, but it was very crowded.

　In comparison to the chicken and ale stalls I saw earlier, there were far more people lined up with cups in hand.

'A glass of thick grape juice from Aldonia, six coppers!　If you think it's too expensive, you'll find out when you try it!　I guarantee it's delicious!

　The female shopkeeper raised her voice with authority and drew customers to her.

　Even the fruit juice in the King's Capital cost about three copper coins, but it was twice that. It's a price you can drink two cups of ordinary juice.

　However, there are enough customers lined up that they don't care about such things.

　A young man who is not a tout takes money from the person in line and hands him a cup.

　Then the customer takes the cup and pulls a lever on the barrel. Then a sludgy blackish-purple juice starts to flow out of the barrel.

　I see, I can pour it in myself after paying for it.

'Nah?　Isn't it popular?

Yeah, let's get in line!

　I say hurriedly, and the Roomba goes to the back of the line.

　There are quite a few people in line, but since it's a self-service system after you pay for it, it's a pretty quick way to get rid of people.

　I waited expectantly while people were pumping their cups with delicious-looking drinks.

　And we waited for ten minutes. In the blink of an eye, it's our turn. We were relieved to see that there were still some barrels left, though we were a bit apprehensive when we ran out of them on the way.

　I got off the shoulder of the Roomba once because it was difficult to do it when I was fetching the juice by myself. Then I paid the clerk six copper coins and received a special cup.

　I was about to draw a glass of juice when the clerk called out to me to stop me.

Oh, no, you can't do that, you can't fill it with a cup of ale!

Hmm?　No?

There are twice as many cups for ale as there are dedicated cups. Use our cups, please.

　Apparently, Roomba was stopped when he was trying to fill it with a cup of ale.

　I suppose it's because the price varies depending on the capacity. That's pretty solid.

　I mean, it's not the first time I've had Roomba, so what is it doing?

　As I was wondering, Roomba comes over, having received the special cup.



　I see, last time you took advantage of the crowd and pumped in a cup of ale. It's surprisingly strong.

　When I pulled the lever, thick grape juice flowed out of the barrel in a slurpy, slurpy stream. I pump it until I can't spill it, admiring the liquid so thick I can't believe it's juice.

　I look at the cobbled ground below me, sadly. There were numerous stains left behind from the grape juice that had been wasted due to greed.

　It must be so delicious.

　I walk to the edge of the road with a glass of grape juice and the rumba follows at a very slow pace.

　The reason is that the surface tension was pumping it to the very edge, and on the way, it almost spilled and came toward us, sipping with its mouth.

'You put too much in,'

That's how good it is. You should try it.

　When Rumba urges me to put my mouth on it, a sludgy, weighty liquid enters my mouth.

　The rich aroma of the grape dominates the mouth. The sweetness of the wine seeps onto the tongue.

　It's even thicker than I imagined.

It's so thick.

Ha-ha-ha, huh?

　Roomba laughs as he enjoys my reaction to his astonishment.

　It was frustrating, but it was just as good as Roomba said it would be. It's a taste that makes me feel like I could spare six copper coins for it. It's a taste that can't be compared to the grapes in King's Landing. The same grapes wouldn't taste like this. It's like a specialty of Aldonia.

　We sipped and sipped, admiring the taste.

　I'm not sure if it's because I've reduced my glass to half its original volume, but it occurred to me.

I thought to myself, "Wouldn't this be delicious if I chilled it with ice magic and made it into sorbet?

"Shabbet?

　Leaving Roomba to tilt his head in a one-speak-like manner, I use ice magic to cool the cup.

　It's just enough to keep it from freezing. It is quite difficult to find the right amount of power to do this exquisitely.

　With a crunching sound, a thin film covers the liquid.

　Then I generate a spoon with my earth magic and thrust it into the grape juice, which is well frozen.

　It makes a childish sound, like stomping on snow.

　It's a nice sorbet!

　Then I stir the spoon to loosen it up and take a scoop.

　A shimmer that resembles a purple crystal piles up on the spoon.

'What's that?'　Sand ... ice?

　I slowly take the spoon to my mouth as Rumba watches with her mouth half open.

　When I chew it, I hear a crisp, light sound, and the sorbet melts in my mouth due to the body heat in my mouth.

　From the melted sorbet came a taste that was even more concentrated from the thick grape juice and a pleasant coldness.

''This combination is too strong........''

　It's spring and it tastes so good. It will taste even better if you eat it in the hot summer.

　Aldonia grapes - not to be underestimated.

　Alfried is happy to be able to use ice magic. Thank God, thank you.

'Hey!　It's good!　I don't know about you, but you can do that to me!

　Where I'm in a heavenly state, Roomba pulls me back to reality by shaking my shoulder. Oh, if I had stayed in this state, the sorbet would have melted away.

　I'd also apply ice magic to Lumumba's grape juice and turn it into a sorbet.

　Then I made a spoonful for her with earth magic as well, and she shoveled the sorbet as if she were devouring it.

　Needless to say, Roomba was getting a headache.