Chapter 123.1 : A Meeting In The Inn

.. .. ..

Rio is heading toward a certain territory in the west part of earl Claire territory by flying with spirit arts.

To be exact, the reason he was heading toward the opposite direction of Christina-tachi is to purchase necessary goods for travelling in the city where the search operation have yet to reach this place.

He is mainly purchasing food ingredients.

Naturally despite having an enormous amount of food ingredients in his『Item Box』, majority of them aren’t appearing in the market of Strahl region. Thus he decided to prepare another set of ingredients.

Since majority of them can use magic, there’s no problem for fire and supply of water.

Moreover, he also needs to buy clothes and cookware.

Though it was still in the morning, many stores are already open for business after the owner finishes their breakfast to gain the necessary energy for the day.

Though Rio goes for shopping immediately, as expected it’s hard even for him to gain necessary goods for six people.

Thereafter, he borrowed a horse to place his luggage and entered a desolate alley, after which he is storing all of the luggage inside the 『Item Box』.

And since it’s right before noon when he finished majority of his shopping list, he left the city without any delay to rush toward their rendezvous point.

A while after traversing the highway, he entering the forest and then took a flight with spirit arts. He isn’t facing any kind of trouble along the way and managing to arrive at the rendezvous site, the fountain ahead of time.

Rio decided to leaning his back on the tree that growing beside the fountain. There, he had taken out the goods which he bought for Celia-tachi a while ago from the item box.

One hour later―― Rio suddenly raised his head to looking at the sky. Thereupon, he sees Aisha descending slowly from the sky.

「Celia-tachi will arrive in a while, Haruto. No one is pursuing them at the moment」

Aisia reported the necessary information to him upon landing on the ground.

「I see. Thank you, Aisia」

「uhn」

Aisia sat beside Rio while replying so. And just like that her head is leaning on Rio’s shoulder.

「Tired? 」

「Yeah. I’m sleepy」

Aisia replied while closing her eyelids.

「I see, thank you for your hard work. Please sleep till Celia-sensei-tachi arrive」

「Uhn..........」

Thus Aisia entered her sleep mode. He can hear her rhythmical sleeping breath.

historical

（She is asleep huh. .......... Well, it’s okay）

In fact no one will be able to see her sleeping as long as she changed into her spirit form and sleep inside his body but, Aisia’s sleeping face is way too peaceful that he doesn’t want to wake her.

Rio’s mind also calmed down a lot when Aisia is by his side. In the end Rio decided to let Aisia sleep in that way thinking that he can just wake her up before Celia-tachi arrive.

Meanwhile he scattering a gentle breeze which is infused with his magical power to every direction with spirit arts to search for a hostile party within the range of several hundreds metres in all direction.

The efficiency is better if he used detection type magic barrier in case he is staying at one place but he can’t do that with Aisia leaning on his shoulder.

Nevertheless, since there’s almost no spirit arts warrior on Rio’s level, he just spends the time enjoying the warm sunlight on his skin.

Thereupon, he sensed the existence which is seemingly Celia-tachi in less than 10 minutes.

「It seems they have come, Aisia」

「........ Uhn」

Her figure suddenly vanished when she called to her. At the same time, he can feel a comfortable and important feeling weighing on his shoulder disappear along with her.

「Haruto! 」

A while later, he could see the figure of Christina-tachi along with Celia’s voice coming from the path that is from the fountain toward the highway.

「I have been waiting」

Rio is greeting the seemingly wornout group of five with a nonchalant tone.

「........ Even though we were running as fast as we can to come to this place, I wonder how did you overtake us and arrived first? 」

Christina asked him with a curious tone.

「It’s because I didn’t go via highway. And I just finished buying necessary goods for traveling」

Rio’s replying in a roundabout way while smiling at her.

「........ I see. Truly reliable」

Christina just showed a resigned smile when she saw several backpacks placed in the surroundings.

「By the way, let’s change our clothes for now before we enter the post town. I’ve prepared traveling clothes for a few people. Please just tell me if those clothes aren’t fitting to your size since I’m going to buy new ones」

Currently Christina-tachi are wearing knight uniforms and noble clothes under their robe.

So their situation will become even more complicated if by some chance they are asked by the soldier who guarding the post town.

「That’s right, let’s change to our disguise immediately. Vanessa, help me to change my clothes」

Christina said so as she might have realized the advantage of changing their clothes before entering the post town.

☆★☆★☆★

「Ooh, beautiful girls are lining up, let’s follow them ASAP......」

While the three girls are entering deeper into the forest to change their clothes, one of the two black haired youth is muttering those deplorable words........ In Japanese. Thereupon, the other youth is looking at him with a stunned face.

「Shouldn’t we change our clothes too?　They’re going to return soon you know」

「Kouta, you really can’t understand men romance at all huh」

「Romance you say, does it have something to do with changing clothes? 」

The youth called Kouta is sending a doubtful look at his senpai while looking at Rio who is standing next to him from the corner of his eyes.

「WRONG! 　THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT IS THE FACT THAT BEAUTIES ARE CHANGING THEIR CLOTHES RIGHT THERE!　doesn’t that fact make your imagination run wild? 」

「Please stop such reckless ideas」

Rio who was leaning his back on a tree was looking at their conversation with a wry smile on his face. Thereupon――、

「Kouta, you really are........ You should be able to understand this romance of mine right, Haruto-san? 」

So the senpai of Kouta was trying to gauge Rio’s reaction.

Kouta is showing a startled face.

「...... Unfortunately I’m with Kouta in this case」

After a brief pause, Rio is replying awkwardly....... In Japanese.

「A-As I thought, so you can speak Japanese can’t you?　Your given name and family name is also the same case. You’re....... A Japanese right?　Could it be that you’re involved in hero summoning like us too? 」

Kouta is throwing one question after another with a shrill voice.

「Calm down」

「Ah sorry」

Kouta suddenly calmed down when Rio told him to do so.

「By the way please change your clothes before they come back. Then let’s continue our talk after that」

「Ah, you’re right. Understood」

And then, a few minutes later.

「Shall we start with a self-introduction then?　I mean after such a messy situation」

Rio proposed that right after Kouta-tachi finished changing their clothes.

By the way they’re currently wearing traveling gear.

「That’s right. Now that you mention it, we have yet to introducing ourself」

Kouta accepted Rio idea.

「Well then let’s start from me. Though you already know about it, my name is Haruto Amakawa. I’m 16 years old this year」

When Rio introduced himself in Strahl region style, Kouta-tachi showed a slightly puzzled face.

But, they have to finish their self introduction first.

「....I see. So you’re from the same age as me, or maybe a year younger?　I’m Murakumo Kouta. 17 years old」

「In that case you’re older than me. I’m turning 16 this year after all Please take care of me」

Rio stretched his hand for a handshake as he say so.

「Nice to meet you」

Kouta also stretched his hand and did a handshake with Rio.

「And then, this person is my senpai, his name is........」

Following that, Kouta is urging his senpai to introduce himself.

「My name is Saiki Rei. Though I’m Kouta’s senior by one year, I’m still 17 years old this year. Maybe. I mean I don’t even know the date and days of this world. It’s nice to meet you」

「Yeah, please treat me well」

Rio also did a handshake with Rei.

「Well then, I think that’s enough for self-introduction. Though I want to hear your answer regarding Kouta’s question just now」

And, Rei is breaking the ice and going strike to the topic.

「Understood. First, it’s true that I can speak in the language you call as Japanese. But I’m native born of this world and not a Japanese」

「Eh......? 」

Rei and Kouta is shocked since they might not expect such a reply coming from Rio.

There, before they have a chance to barrage him with too many question, he decided to explain the situation to stop such things from happening.

「In fact I spent a few months living alongside the people who got themself involved in hero summoning. Thus I learnt Japanese in the process of teaching them the regional language」

It’s already common knowledge that Rio and Miharu-tachi were living under the same roof till just a while ago. There’s no merit in feeding them with a lie by this point.

「As expected, another people also summoned beside us huh........」

He changed the course of their interest toward the fact that《other people were also summoned along with us》 away from 《Why he can speak Japanese 》.

「The two of you couldn’t understand it huh? 」

「Yeah. Anyway, though I learnt the language of this world, it was the best I can do. I have no other way for gathering the information」

「........ By the way, how did the two of you learn the language of this world? 」

「For some reason it’s spread that we were simply the friend chosen by the hero.. So we do our best to cooperate with him」

「I see」

Well they have no other choice after all. Since they won’t live a decent life as long as they can’t communicate with the people of this world. They should have been desperate in learning this world’s language.

「By the way, there’s some something that I want to ask you Haruto-san, is your given name and family name originating from Strahl region?　I mean it’s extremely similiar to the given name and surname of the place we came from after all」

Kouta is looking at Rio as if to gauge his expression.

「...... This family name and given name originated from the Yagumo region, the birthplace of my deceased parents」

Rio replied after a short pause.

「AH, sorry! 　For asking something like that. I thought that it might be a hint to return to our world」

Kouta apologizing with a flustered voice in hearing the fact that his parents is deceased.

「It’s okay, don’t mind about it. Please stop being so polite」

「There’s no way I can do that you know. Yagumo region. I only heard of that name when learning about the geography of this world. Maybe I’ll try to go to that place someday. Right, senpai? 」

「Yeah, that’s sound good. That’s sound interesting」

Rei agreed to Kouta who tried to change the topic.

Thereupon, Christina-tachi who just finished changing their clothes are coming back at the same time.

Even those bundles of traveling clothes are looking good on those three.

「They came back huh. Let’s continue this talk another day」

「uhn」

Thus Rio-tachi ended their conversation.

「My apologies to make you waiting. We’re done with changing our clothes too. Let’s just take our time to go into the post town」

Vanessa’s sugestion was for all of them to go into the post town which is built along the highway.

☆★☆★☆★

「........ This is.......... Our lodging? 」

Christina is muttering those words while looking at the inn.

The inn is a three floor building―― That brings about a historical feeling in it. [TL : It’s worn out building] Though it’s not that worn out from Rio’s perspective, it might be as good as a tattered house from Christina’s perspective.

In the first place, Christina who was born and raised as a princess might never have even rested in the inn. Though it’s a fairly high-ranked inn amongst the inns in the post town, she was looking at that inn with a dumbfounded expression.

「Though this isn’t the best inn, it should be a fairly high-ranked inn amongst the inns in the post town. I know that this inn couldn’t satisfy her highnesses demand but please bear with it during our journey」

Rio expressed his apology from Christina’s side.

By the way since they can call her by her real name during this journey, they decided to use an alias for Christina. It was for the sake of hiding her real identity.

「I-It’s not that I’m dissatisfied by it. That’s enough. Let’s go inside」

Christina lead their way to enter the inn with a flushed face. Maybe she just feels embarrassed being seen in that appearance when she is looking curiously at the inn.

Rio-tachi is following from her back with a wry smile on their face. After entering the inn, a middle aged man already manned the reception desk.

「We want to book a room in this inn, master. There’s six of us」

Maybe because she want to wipe away her shame from before, Christina is starting the negotiation without any awkwardness.

「He hee. Then the cheapest choice is to share a room」

Maybe because he is bewildered by Christina’s beauty, the man who is seemingly the shopkeeper replied with a shrill voice.

「Sharing a room? 」

「It means that you’ll be staying in the same room as the other guests」

Rio is doing an explanation for Christina who has a huge question mark on top of her head.

「...... As expected, I want to be pardoned from that」

Christina replied with a cramped face.

「Yes. In that case let’s rent a room for each of us. Master, I want to rent a room which isn’t sharing a room but, how much room do you have left? 」

Rio is engaging in likeable conversation with the shop keeper. Christina is taking a step back to pass the baton for discussion and then listened to their conversation with a extremely curious face.

「We have but the biggest one is a five person room. Hehe」

The shopkeeper is replying with a business smile plastered on his face. He might have judged Rio-tachi as a good customer.

「Please give us 2 rooms then」

「Yes. The fee is 4 small silver! 」

「Here you go. Keep the change」

Rio had taken out a big silver coin and placed it on the counter as he said so.

「EH? 」

The shopkeeper is staring at him with a dumbfounded face.

「In fact the two princesses behind me is the daughter of a prosperous merchant house, they’re currently traveling incognito. Well though their house is partly recognized, I can’t limit the bad guys aiming for them without turning into a brawl. This is my hush money for you to net telling those guys about us. You don’t want something troublesome to happen too right, master? 」