The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 237
After a while, Muriel returned to the Stray Sheep Pavilion to tell her companions that she would be going home for a bit. Meanwhile, I settled my dues with the inn that accommodated us before I went to the adventurer’s guild at the time we agreed upon.
(I guess we could pick up some souvenirs for everyone while we’re at it…)
My sister suddenly popped her head out from the leather pouch I placed her in to keep her warm as I wandered to the market in the eastern ward which was recommended by our hostess when we left.
“Kuu, wafi kuruuoh, kyau!?” (Hmm? Something smells nice… Hyan!?)
“Guruo, kuaaoru waau gauoou.” (Seriously, didn’t you just have breakfast earlier?)
My sister had done nothing but eat these past few days so pinched her stomach which had gone soft due to her inactivity while I scolded her.
(Alright, I’ll make her train with me when we get back!)
Perhaps influenced by our ancestors who relied on luck when hunting, most kobolds believe in “taking what you can when you can get it”, but it is not a praiseworthy custom since we have started stockpiling in the pack recently.
After all, eating in moderation is key to one’s health.
However, food is one thing that pleases my friends the most so I walked around the market looking for something good and found something that caught my attention at a stall I passed.
“Hnn, hey mister, want some rare dried pasta?”
As far as I know, pasta is a concoction made of durum flour, water, salt, and chicken eggs mixed together, but… what the owner called pasta looked somewhat different.
“Is this pasta dried?”
“Yes, it was originally thought up by the priests from Veritas Quedam as preparation for famine and it keeps for a long time and is easy to make.”
Upon seeing that I had taken his bait, the owner took the opportunity to offer me a wooden saucer with some pasta that had been boiled and fried.
“Would you like to try some?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I nodded, took the pasta from the saucer, and tasted the distinct taste of rock salt when I threw it in my mouth.
“… It’s harder than your regular pasta, but it’s not bad.”
“Right? It’s such a convenient food that it would spread around the country in no time!”
“You’re right. I guess I’ll buy some.”
As a thank you for satisfying my curiosity about the method of drying pasta, I made my purchase and bought some seasonings such as saffron and salt from the store right across.
On my way back to the adventurer’s guild, I also bought several spinning tops for the kobold pups from a wooden craft store I found.
A spinning top is a small wooden toy that is played by wrapping the top in a thin cord and launching it into the ground or on a flat surface so it would spin. I also had memories of playing with this as a kid in my past life.
(I didn’t expect I would remember such happy memories as well…)
I thought as I carried the large shopping bags while walking along the main road. Although there was still some time before the noon bell rang, I saw Muriel who was already geared up standing in front of the adventurer’s guild.
After spending a quick lunch with her in the adjoining tavern, we headed out of the city through the southern ward.
“Now then, we’ll be stopping by the settlement first, but…”
Because the area around Viel village which is on the outskirts of the central part of Easteria forest has been declared a sanctuary by the Holy Church, I was hesitant about taking her back with me.
(I’m not so sure if we could break the prohibition by ourselves though…)
As I thought whether or not to make her wait in Viel village, Muriel who had overheard me mumbling to myself smiled wryly as she produced a piece of parchment with the stamp of Leidingen which featured the family crest of Duke Ferias.
“When he asked me what kind of reward I wanted, I had him issue this.”
“What is this, ‘I formally recognize Lady Muriel of the Baroness Vest House as a resident of Viel village’…? Why, that Duke…”
It was a document recognizing her as a resident of Viel village with access to the sanctuary, which was a way to circumvent the exception imposed by the tripartite agreement between the royal family, the territorial lord, and the Holy Church.
I didn’t feel good about this even if the Holy Church, who had used the same method but on a larger scale, wouldn’t shut up about it.
“… I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
Muriel visibly relaxed after hearing the simple response.
“Actually, the Duke was reluctant to write this letter for me.”
“Hmm, should I see that as a good thing or not…?”
“Looks like I’ve got you on your on your toes, Mr. Holy Beast of Selkram♪”
“Stop it, you’ve got the wrong guy.”
While bantering with Muriel who was talking in a teasing manner, the buildings had become sparser as we continued to walk along the streets until we eventually reached the end of the southern ward and left the city of Warren.
If we continued to travel across the road that ran through the plains, we would arrive at either the town of Zelgra or Viel village, but… As soon as I felt no more human presence around us, I quickly veered to the side.
“Hnn? Wouldn’t it be faster to take the main road than the game trail?”
“Not really. Hold onto this for me for a bit.”
I picked up the little fox that had poked her head out of the leather bag that hung from my belt and handed her to Muriel.
“Kyuu!” (Hey!)
“Wawa, so fluffy♪”
As I watched her happily embrace the little fox, I took out the two large cloth bags out of the luggage and unfolded them, then tied them together like a balance with my own leather harness.
“Um, are those saddlebags for animals?”
“Yes, werewolves can change into another form aside from human, remember?”
I said with a grin as I removed my leather armor and other equipment and threw them into the two cloth bags to balance them. In addition, Muriel also handed me the evergreen oak staff that she sandwiched in one of her arms so she could hold my sister better.
After putting away everything into the bags, I inhaled deeply and shifted back into my werewolf form. As I reflected on the events of this morning, I quickly hid behind the bushes to take off my clothes and shifted into my silver wolfbeast form.
“Fuwaah, you’re so fluffy!!”
As I came out of the bushes while carrying my clothes in my mouth, Muriel, who was more delighted than frightened, helped me put on my harness.
“I’ve put similar carrying equipment on cows and horses before so this should be fine…”
“Gauh, ouaa.” (Alright, hop on.)
“Kyu~♪” (Ya~♪)
The little fox jumped from Muriel’s arms while she tilted her head in thought. My sister landed on my back with a small poof, and patted my back with her tiny paw.
“Eh, me too?”
“Wafu.” (Yep.)
After I nodded and responded with a short bark, she gingerly straddled my back when I lowered myself to the ground and I immediately felt a soft and warm weight behind me.
(… Clear your mind of mundane thoughts and you will find even fire cool.)
As I cleared my mind of worldly thoughts, I carefully stood up and began walking with Muriel on my back, but…
“Wawah, toh!?”
It seemed like it was difficult for her to maintain her balance and constantly wriggled on my back. Later on, she found a more comfortable position by lying low and wrapping her arms around my neck, but the sensation of her chest pressed against my back bothered me a bit.
