episode_0255

“Have you decided what to buy, Lily?”

As soon as they entered the market, Ethan bought a snack that seemed to be roasted potatoes with cheese on top, and a seasonal watermelon juice, which they shared, before asking about today’s schedule.

“Well, I have a rough idea of what I want to buy. I didn’t come with a super detailed plan. I have some thoughts in mind, but nothing set in stone.”

“How rough are your thoughts?”

“For starters, I plan to secure non-perishable food items that can last as long as possible. If fresh meat is cheap, I’ll buy a lot and then smoke it with Sally’s help. If there’s not much price difference, I’ll buy processed meat like sausages.

For carbohydrates, I’ll buy biscuits or dry bread and replenish moisture from other ingredients. I’m thinking of sandwiching juicy fruits like tomatoes between bread or soaking them until they’re ready to be added to stew.

As for vegetables, I’m prioritizing tomatoes, but it’s not confirmed yet. If there’s nothing suitable for cooking, I’ll buy limes and eat them as a dessert instead.”

“…Isn’t that enough planning?”

“I haven’t decided exactly what to buy. So, I’ll probably take some time comparing different options. Besides food items, I also need to buy tools for camping.”

Although the tent and utensils were already packed in the Blackwood carriage, disposable items needed to be restocked. Especially bug repellent perfume was essential for going to the Witch’s Forest.

They had to be careful with food items in this hot summer weather, as storing perishable meat or bread could transfer bacteria and spoil other foods. While Clean Magic could remove spoiled parts, once an ingredient went bad, they had to discard that portion. Cooking with spoiled ingredients was not only unappetizing but also risky.

“If we’re making stew, how about fondue? Cheese is a matured food, so it won’t spoil easily, right?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! Parmesan or Gouda cheese doesn’t spoil easily! And with cheese dishes, we can use less meat for protein…”

-Thud.

“…”

While discussing the menu for their meal with Ethan on the journey, Lily felt a sudden jolt as someone bumped into her side.

“Oh, sorry.”

A rugged-looking individual with a tightly pressed hat offered a quick apology in a sharp voice before disappearing into the crowd without waiting for a response.

Feeling a sense of unease, Lily checked her right pocket where she had kept a piece of cloth, only to find that the person had swiftly taken the contents without checking.

“Ethan, I think that person just…”

“…Yes, seems like a pickpocket.”

“Shouldn’t we chase after them? With so many people around, they’ll disappear quickly…”

“It’s okay. We’ll probably find out where they are in a moment.”

“Huh?”

It was foolish not to have a plan for pickpockets in a market in this medieval fantasy world.

The gold coins they brought for shopping were securely stored in a place where they couldn’t be stolen.

…Instead, they had placed something else special in the pocket that the pickpocket had taken.

“Aaahhh!”

“It looks like they ran into that alley over there.”

“…Yeah, it seems so.”

Hearing the sharp cry from earlier, they hurriedly walked towards the direction where the sound came from.

That’s right, you shouldn’t covet other people’s belongings.

***

As I walked towards the sound of screams, I found a pickpocket lying on the ground, clutching his face. His eyes were covered in the red liquid I had personally concocted.

“Ah! My eyes! Aaah!!”

As soon as I opened the entrance, it was a specially designed trap by Sei, meant to release a wind spell upon activation. Of course, if only the wind spell went off, it would just cool the face down. I added a small trap of spraying chili oil at the entrance as well.

The pickpocket, whether he liked my trap or not, covered his face with both hands and shed tears of gratitude.

“Do you like your gift, Mr. Pickpocket?”

“Aaah! What the hell did you put in there?!”

“Olive oil with chili pepper, simmered for about 10 minutes to extract the chili oil. I was planning to use it for pasta, but now I can’t because of you.”

“Aaah!! Damn it!!”

“I’ll take your pockets. Actually, there’s only a fairy tale inside, but honestly, it’s a waste even for you.”

After retrieving the trap-activated cloth bag from the pickpocket’s pocket, I lay down on the ground and offered some sarcastic remarks to the writhing pickpocket.

“You damn bastard…”

“I understand your anger, but shouldn’t we make a rational decision here? Is it okay to be so relaxed? If you don’t go to the church within 30 minutes for treatment, you may never be able to use those eyes for the remaining 30 years of your life.”

“Damn it…! You… I remember your face…!”

“Well, even if you remember my face, what are you going to do about it? You won’t be able to see that face forever if you don’t go to the church now, so what’s the point of remembering it?”

“W-what…?”

“Oh, I should have asked first if you had money for treatment. Since you probably won’t go to the church anyway, how about remembering my voice from now on? Your ears are still working fine, so you should be able to remember it properly.

And when you remember me later, just grab my shoulder and ask, ‘Hmm, your voice sounds similar to the woman who blinded me, are you that damn woman?’ If you feel good at that time, I might nod my head. Well, whether I nod or not, you won’t be able to see anyway.”

“….”

The pickpocket’s expression was dumbfounded, probably not expecting to be on the receiving end of a lecture from me. He probably imagined himself as a noble lady on a market outing, but he didn’t expect the stolen bag to be a trap, let alone to return to curse himself.

Of course, that blind fool had nothing he could do. During the day, he was a pickpocket, but at night, he would either be a thief or a robber.

Just by watching him rummage through his pockets after being insulted, I could roughly estimate his situation.

“Why don’t you hurry up and go to the church? With those eyes, I’m not sure if you can find your way properly.”

“Y-you damn woman…”

“Don’t hesitate. Do you want to spend your life doing community service? Oh, no. Not community service, um…”

Was there a character in Western fairy tales or history like a nobleman? …Helen Keller is too modern.

A happy prince? The goddess of justice? Nothing appropriate comes to mind.

The pickpocket, unable to contain his frustration, lunged at me with the tag he pulled out from his pocket.

“This bastard! Die, you son of a bitch!!”

As expected, the pickpocket revealed his true colors and charged at me with the tag in hand. His actions made it clear that I wasn’t in the wrong.

Initially, if he had admitted his mistake and asked for forgiveness, I would have used a cleansing spell to wash his face and even healed him with the powers of a saint. Turning a pickpocket into a servant for a single offense would have been too harsh.

However, with no sign of remorse until the end, and now aggressively brandishing the tag at me, I couldn’t bring myself to show any mercy.

Perhaps it would be a true cleansing spell if this guy just disappeared from society.

*Swoosh! Swoosh!*

“Damn it! Where are you, you bastard!!”

As Ethan, who had been practicing his sword skills with his eyes open, managed to deflect about half of the pickpocket’s random dagger strikes, the blind fool’s reckless attacks posed no threat to me.

Instead, seeing him charge at me without fear even after my warning made me wonder if I had underestimated him.

Since it seemed unlikely that I would encounter him again after today, I skillfully dodged the blade and tripped him over.

*Thud!*

“Aaahhh!!”

The pickpocket, now lying helplessly on the ground, flailed around with the tag in hand, clearly lost and disoriented.

Thinking that leaving him alone might result in him attacking someone else, I decided to deliver the finishing blow to him this time.

“…How dare you wield a sword against someone.”

*Slash!*

“Aaahhh!”

The dagger flew out of the thief’s hand into the air. Along with the fist that had been gripping the tag.

Leaving the blind fool lying in the alley, I walked away, only to be met by the Hwangdo guards who had arrived at the alley entrance.

“Stop right there! We heard screams coming from the alley and came to investigate… Oh, my.”

The guard’s expression grimaced at the sight of the thief lying face down on the ground, with only his right arm flailing.

“If you don’t explain what happened properly…”

“I am Ethan Richard Blackwood of the Blackwood Ducal Family. I am currently residing in the Imperial Palace due to certain circumstances.”

“…Blackwood, the Ducal Family, you say?”

“And the one over there is my fiancée, Lillis… Rosewood. You might have heard of her before.”

“If she is Lillis, then you are acquainted with the Third Princess…”

“As rumored, her beauty and… assets…”

“Just a while ago, that man stole Lillis’s money and tried to escape. He even attacked her with a knife. The knife in his hand, now severed, should serve as sufficient evidence. Is there any further investigation needed?”

“Oh, no! We apologize for stopping you on your busy way!”

“Very well, then. Carry on.”

Even if the same words were spoken, there was a certain level of trust in the words of a noble family. Perhaps they didn’t dare to question the Blackwood family and simply let us go.

Passing through the parted guards like the Red Sea, Ethan and I returned to the marketplace to prepare for our camping trip, rather than a romantic date.

From the moment we stepped out of the alley, there was someone’s gaze following behind me and Edan, unbeknownst to us.