Chapter 266
Spring had come to Bariel, but few noticed it right away. The eyes of the imperial citizens were fixed not on the appropriately blooming flower buds, but on the imperial palace.
Hadn’t the world changed in just a short while? They looked more often at the imperial flag that might flutter away at any moment than at the trees planted in their yards. And gradually, as everything stabilized, they turned their heads to observe their own daily lives.
“…When did it become like this?”
“What?”
“Has it come? I mean the weather. When I came to my senses, it’s spring.”
In a tavern that had just opened for business. Two men sat on the outdoor terrace watching the street. Perhaps because it was a late lunch, it was extremely quiet. Children could be seen weaving through the alleys, and a cat was sprawled on a roof sunbathing.
Besides them, there was only one other group in the tavern, making it truly peaceful. The pleasant sound of the music box the owner had turned on went ting-tong ting-tong.
“At this rate, summer will come soon. And then autumn, and winter too. By the way, all the corpses in the central square have been cleared. It feels like the trial was just yesterday, but it’s already been over a week.”
“It’s better to clear away such things quickly. It’s unsightly.”
“Shall we have a drink and go somewhere? How about playing some cards? It’s that day today.”
“Hmm, can’t. I have work.”
At that moment, the tavern owner brought them beer with a thin layer of ice on top. Thick honey was spread abundantly on the bottom. One man picked up his glass and asked.
“Work? What kind of work?”
“They asked for help replacing the Hayman Bank sign. I have to go after drinking this one glass.”
Hayman’s downfall left a tremendous mark in history, but in reality, it didn’t have much impact on ordinary people.
Most of them didn’t even have bank accounts, and many of them saw Hayman for the first time in the central square. In such a mess that they couldn’t distinguish who was who if it hadn’t been written down.
“Bank sign? Ah, right. Other nobles are managing it separately, aren’t they? Eijain or something? I heard they’re launching a new product. Low-interest loans for small business owners. I’m thinking of paying off what I borrowed from our owner and switching to that. Every winter, I feel like I’m dying trying to pay the interest.”
“I heard the central area alone is divided into five banks.”
“Ugh, will just changing the sign be enough? Sounds like you’ll have a tough time today?”
“The neighbor next door said he’s going to the central area tomorrow.”
“The neighbor? Doesn’t he work for the Capulu family?”
“They also received some shares in the banking sector this time. They say they’re going to build a bank in the Capulu local territory, all the employees are packing up. Wonder if they’ll come up around summer.”
The man who had been listening quietly hesitated as he was about to drink his beer. He felt like the group sitting diagonally across from them was eavesdropping on their conversation.
Except for one person who kept gulping down beer, the other three were sitting blankly with their heads subtly turned in this direction.
‘What’s this?’
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be quite well-bred people, except for the red-haired boy who was drinking beer like a hippopotamus.
“Do you know them?”
“No. I don’t.”
“They keep looking this way. It’s unpleasant.”
Isn’t “What are you looking at?” the most common cause of tavern fights? The peaceful atmosphere suddenly became tense. The two men also warily eyed the unfamiliar group with the whites of their eyes.
“…This doesn’t look good.”
“Agreed. Especially that red-haired brat. He looks crazy from the way he’s dressed.”
It looks like he bought and put on everything he liked on the street. Is he a guard? He seems to be, given that he’s carrying a sword, but I don’t understand why he’s wearing such a dazzlingly gaudy rag.
“The gray-haired one is no joke either. He’s only drinking water even in a tavern. That’s not normal.”
“They keep being conscious of us. Ugh. It’s ruining the taste of the alcohol. Let’s just finish this and leave.”
“Yeah. That’d be better.”
If they were just mediocre con artists it would be one thing, but there are two sword-bearers on that side. Plus, there’s a child clutching milk with very stiff shoulders. It’s surely an odd combination that would bring no benefit to get involved with. Just as the two men raised their glasses to toast-
Scrape.
Didn’t the child stand up holding his milk? Then, very timidly, he pattered over to them. At the same time, the four men who seemed to be his guardians watched the child’s back as if cheering him on.
The men tensed up for a moment, but soon realized there was no malice in the pale blue eyes.
“Um…”
“W-What is it? Kid?”
He was too young to use honorifics with, but his aura was too unusual to speak down to. Up close, he was a child who seemed different from birth.
“T-Toast! With me!”
“Pardon?”
“W-Would you please toast with me?”
“Ah…”
The child’s cheeks were red as he held out his milk, as if he had made a big decision. It was absurd. The men looked back at the group behind the child. What in the world was this situation?
‘Please.’
Ian nodded elegantly. It was amazing how the meaning was conveyed without a single word.
While they couldn’t take their eyes off Ian’s radiant smile for a moment, they soon realized that Beric was rolling his eyes and growling.
‘Damn it, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to clink glasses?’
‘The hand holding the milk is waiting.’
The looks in Beric and Xiaoshi’s eyes were also clear in what they were saying. Romandro was just silently cheering for Jin with his fists clenched.
“Ah, yes, yes. Well…”
Clink!
The two men clinked their glasses against Jin’s milk. Along with the clear sound, the child’s pale eyes sparkled.
His first toast with imperial citizens!
As the child gulped down his milk, the men also hesitantly downed their beer. After all, it’s natural to empty the glass after clinking, whether it’s alcohol or milk.
“Thank you. Have a good day.”
Jin wiped his mouth and returned to his seat. Ian pulled out the chair to welcome him, then addressed the men.
“Thanks to you, my brother had an enjoyable experience. We’ll pay for those glasses. Owner, please put two beers on our tab.”
“Oh, th-that’s not necessary.”
“Anyway, we enjoyed it. Ahem.”
They had expected trouble, but this was too polite and elegant. The men awkwardly scratched the back of their necks and offered a casual greeting.
“Are you young nobles? I’ve never had a drink with such people before. I’m going to brag about this later.”
“Ah, we’re not nobles, but our uncle runs a small business. He invited us because the spring in the central area is particularly beautiful.”
So they were from a well-off family. No wonder they smelled of money. The men nodded as if understanding the relationship of “uncle”, looking at Romandro. Right, the father doesn’t quite fit. Unless the mother was exceptionally beautiful, it would be impossible.
Jin, fidgeting with his empty milk glass, added hesitantly.
“I’m the younger brother!”
“Pardon?”
“I’m the younger brother, and h-he’s my older brother.”
“I see. Anyone can tell you’re brothers.”
“Well then, we’ll be going. It was a pleasure drinking with you.”
“Take care.”
Ian nodded slightly to conclude the conversation. Then he naturally turned to Jin and asked.
“How was it, Jin?”
“It, it was very good. Brother.”
“I see. Next time, um…”
What should we do? Romandro took out a memo from his inner pocket and whispered.
“Feed pigeons in the park.”
“Right. Let’s finish this and head out too.”
“Let’s do that. Brother. I want to have one more glass of milk.”
“Owner.”
As the owner gestured as if taking an order, Beric quickly added.
“And three more portions of grilled meat here!”
“Oh my, tsk tsk. This is a tavern, not a restaurant. It’s five copper coins for three or four pieces, why do you keep eating so much? Are you going to fill your stomach here?”
“It’s not your money, Sir Romandro. What’s it to you?”
“Ian, next time let’s leave this guy behind. He stands out too much.”
It was closer to an outing disguised as a secret inspection. Originally, the purpose was to observe the lives of imperial citizens and blend in to identify their difficulties. In fact, it was just one sheet of paper away from simply playing around. And wasn’t the justification of Jin’s first outing added to that?
“I don’t know about anything else, but it would be better to take away his allowance.”
“You’re taking it back after giving it? Wow, that’s too much! Petty fart!”
“No. It means I won’t give it anymore. You keep buying strange things from stalls and wearing them, so people can recognize you from far away.”
“But His Highness Jin chose this-“
Clang!
As Beric was about to make a mistake, Romandro hit his face with a silver tray. The owner whistled in admiration, as if he had just seen a very interesting spectacle.
“We seem to have found fitting clothes and protective gear, but the problem is there’s no suitable weapon for Xia. Perhaps we should have one made instead.”
“B-Brother! But isn’t the talent selection proceeding earlier than expected? The second blacksmith we visited was the fastest, but even that doesn’t meet the schedule.”
Jin seemed to have developed a taste for calling Ian “brother”. He didn’t miss that title whenever he said anything. And he seemed to secretly enjoy the reversal of his and Ian’s hierarchical relationship.
“Take one last look around, and if there’s still nothing, come separately next time.”
“Yes, master.”
“Real fighting is best done with bare hands! Oh, the meat is here. Ooh. Why is there so much?”
“You ordered seven plates of grilled meat at once, didn’t you? It’s on the house. On the house.”
Beric began to shovel meat into his mouth, holding forks in both hands. Ian paid in advance and looked around.
“As rumored, the taste of the alcohol and food is excellent. Owner.”
However, he was indirectly asking why there were so few customers. The owner didn’t understand at first, but soon he burst into a knowing chuckle.
“Ah, it’s nothing special. For a few months now, this area gets quiet around this time. There’s a big gambling den opening nearby. Everyone’s busy playing and eating there, so they don’t come this way. Then around dawn, after they’ve all been cleaned out, it starts to get busy here one by one.”
“A gambling den?”
“Yes, yes. They play cards, do odds and evens, and I hear there are many good things to see. I don’t know since I haven’t been there myself.”
So there are such things.
Ian looked at Romandro.
Did you know about this?
No, not at all.
While the two exchanged brief signals, Beric emptied his second plate.
“The period seems long for a temporary setup. Once a month.”
It likely means there’s a high possibility it’s illegal. Romandro wrote a memo at Ian’s murmur. They already had a full list of matters to handle like this from walking around all day.
“Indeed. I’ll look into it.”
“Well then, shall we get up too?”
“Ugh, wait a moment. I’m not done with this yet-“
“Owner. It was delicious.”
Creak.
Beric hurriedly stuffed meat into his mouth, but they didn’t wait for him and cleared the table. Jin, in a good mood after two glasses of milk, grabbed Ian’s hand and shook it vigorously.
“Is the park far from here? Brother?”
“It should be close. Sir Romandro has planned our route very efficiently.”
They had been walking continuously without taking a carriage. Passing by in a carriage was something they could do anytime, but walking like this, experiencing with all five senses, was something they could only do when deliberately going on a secret inspection.
Tap tap tap.
As they approached the park, the crowd gradually grew. The gambling den the tavern owner had mentioned seemed to be nearby.
Ian held Jin’s hand tightly and signaled Beric and Xiaoshi to raise their guard. There would be knights blended in like air around them, but in any case, these were the people closest to Jin right now.
“Kekek. I won that, you punk.”
“Aw, are you kidding me? I put up all the betting money!”
“I’ll buy you a drink. A cheap one.”
Subtle cigarette smoke leaked from the alleys stretching out around them. Rough, unrefined behavior, darkness that couldn’t be seen into despite it being daytime and the smell of alcohol, someone’s dry heaving sound.
Ian smiled brightly and looked at Romandro.
‘You really planned the route well.’
‘I’m sorry.’
Jin, tightly holding Ian’s hand, peeked into the alleys. It was threatening, but weren’t those also part of Bariel? There was nothing to fear with the guards and Ian present.
“Hey, Ian.”
“No.”
The tavern was the maximum deviation for a young child. We should hurry past this place, Ian thought as he urged them to quicken their pace.
‘…?’
That was until he saw a familiar figure entering an alley.
Jin, who was walking with Ian, saw the same thing and smiled softly. Then he whispered very quietly.
“The person who just went into the alley looks very much like Timothy. Don’t you think so, brother?”
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