Chapter 86: Peaceful Hydrangea ⑧ – The Letter
A dark-skinned man with a turban wrapped around his head.
He wore exotic clothing, and on the carpet before him there were no goods—only an old trunk.
The turban obscured his eyes, so I couldn’t see his face clearly.
But there was no doubt. He was the street vendor from whom I had bought the bracelet.
“Long time no see. Thank you for the bracelet.”
“Ah, little brother. Judging by the look on your face, it seems to have been useful.”
“Yes. Is that bracelet a Legacy?”
When I asked, the vendor smiled.
“You noticed, huh?”
“May I ask what kind of Legacy it is?”
“Sure, but first, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You gave the bracelet to someone of the opposite sex, right?”
“Yes. As a token of gratitude, I gave it as a gift.”
“And you received a return favor, didn’t you?”
“Uh… yes. Well, that is…”
“You didn’t? I see… well, that happens sometimes.”
It does, huh? I felt a little embarrassed to say it, but it seemed he might be misunderstanding.
“No… it’s, uh… a kiss.”
“Huh? Wait… hey, wait, wait. Well… considering you bought so many, maybe you got one or two kisses…”
“N-no, all of them.”
“Haa?! W-wait… all of them? Everyone? Everyone?!”
“Yes. I received a kiss from everyone I gave the bracelet to as thanks.”
The street vendor looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
What the…
“No way… is that even possible? Can it really happen?”
“Uh… what do you mean?”
“A kiss is the highest form of thanks. It means they like you.”
“Uh…?”
“Listen. The bracelet only works once, but it expresses the feelings or emotions of the recipient as a form of gratitude. The lowest form is just saying ‘thank you.’”
“Wow… well, most of the kisses were on the cheek or forehead, though.”
So maybe there was no ‘highest form’ after all.
“That’s probably because they’ve never kissed on the lips before. Or maybe they wanted to, but hesitated. There’s definitely affection there.”
I see. But I still had a question.
“I understand that. But why didn’t you explain about the bracelet to me?”
“That’s my kindness. If I explained, the recipient’s feelings would be revealed. If you give it to someone you like, all you hear is ‘thank you.’ They would have been happier not knowing.”
“Th-That’s… true, but…”
“Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.”
“But what if that causes a misunderstanding?”
“Well, then… so be it.”
The vendor gave a wry smile.
“That’s still… a little much.”
“You’ve got to be able to see that much, at least.”
“…That’s true, too.”
It’s tricky. The vendor folded his arms and said this with admiration.
“But with that many bracelets—little brother… you’re like Wof.”
“Gehh!? Cough, cough, cough!”
“Hey, are you okay?”
I couldn’t help but start coughing.
“I-I’m fine. By the way… Wof?”
“You don’t know? He’s a two-meter-tall giant, and one of that witch’s apprentices.”
“…Two meters tall…”
“Also ridiculously strong, a womanizer, seducer, lustful demon. He apparently tried to bring down the first-class explorers known as the ‘Impregnable.’ They call him the ‘King of the Night’ or ‘Night King.’ Recently… ‘Night Spear King.’”
“Ni-Night Spear King…?”
“He’s skilled with a spear, and the ‘Night Spear’ is said to be incredible.”
“…H-Huh.”
“‘Night Spear’? ‘Night Spear King’? Two meters tall? That’s a monster!”
This is getting worse…
“‘Cerberus Tarn’… what did you do?”
Well, I didn’t expect to be able to dispel rumors about them anyway.
At least they now know the truth: me.
Maybe it could soften things a little…
But no. It’s gotten worse.
All I hear now is ‘Night Spear’ and ‘Night Spear King.’
At least, the two-meter rumor means I’m no longer singled out.
Well, for those who know, they’ll still think, “What’s that?”
“So, little brother. Want to buy a bracelet?”
“You have some?”
“I made them.”
“Oh, right… these were your creations.”
These bracelets were made by the street vendor.
“Yes. Since you bought so many, I thought there’d be demand… but it doesn’t always go that smoothly. How about 1,000 Oro each?”
“I’ll buy as many as you have.”
There will surely be more people to thank in the future.
The vendor grinned.
“Thanks a lot!”
I bought all of them.
The vendor rolled up his carpet, put it in the trunk, and closed up shop.
Instead of carrying it, he even levitated the trunk. Wow.
“Ahh, made a profit in the end.”
“Profit…?”
The final discount was 500 oro each, and I also received something for being the last buyer.
A case containing a plain ring. But this wasn’t just any ring—it’s said to be an upgraded version of the bracelet.
“Better than not selling it. Well then, little brother, take care.”
The street vendor laughed heartily and left Hydrangea.
Later, thinking back… that vendor wasn’t ordinary. He could make Legacies.
Who was he, really?
Three weeks and five days passed since then.
The excitement over the city’s “Great of Rounds” had begun to settle.
Crime had sharply decreased, and only a few first-class explorers remained.
I saw Shiro off, and also Alhazard Abramelin.
Chive-san returned to his shop, while Munieka stayed.
In between, I gave bracelets to Dova, Shesh, and Bid.
When Bid whispered to me during his mating season and tried to push me down, I didn’t know what to do.
I also gave thank-you knives to Ens and the groups “Thunder Fang” and “Sword of Swords.”
Ens and his spouse were staying at the hideout of “Thunder Fang.”
They said they’d soon return home.
Mineha managed to reconcile with Emi, with help from the witch and Ruriha.
Ruriha returned to the village of Faeriel; as the leader, she couldn’t stay forever.
Mineha hesitated but stayed behind.
“Sword of Swords” finished their extermination requests and left with Celeste.
Megadia got Agaro drunk and headed off excitedly to guard a caravan.
They said they’d go south to the royal capital.
Narcisus, apparently enjoying herself, accompanied them.
I felt a little lonely.
One day, I went to mine a soil dungeon to help the witch.
I encountered Doha and others, and fought an ancient Brigandine Golem in the ruins.
Another day, I tried (and failed) to dispel the rumors that had inflated along with “Cerberus Tarn.”
On top of that, I ended up fighting the fictional monster Helftu, which consumes rumors and lies.
Elsewhere, I was discovered to be the witch’s apprentice and dueled with Su-san.
Finally, the Haiyaan Trading Company was established.
So many things happened in less than a month.
“Torquetum” still hasn’t returned. But a stay of one or two months is normal, so I’m not worried—just a little lonely.
“Phew… what a nice day.”
The blue sky and white clouds drifted slowly.
“It’s peaceful today.”
Having nothing in particular to do, I weeded the courtyard.
Sometimes, it’s nice to just relax like this.
“Huh? This plant… it’s an herb.”
Also an ingredient for potions. Lucky.
“Na!”
Daga chased after butterflies endlessly.
“Hey, don’t fall. Oh, this is an herb too.”
Surprisingly, there’s plenty of it.
As I leisurely weeded, something descended from the sky.
“What’s that?”
It was a large bird with four sparkling white wings.
It landed gracefully before me and pointed its talons at a tube attached to it.
Inside the tube was an envelope.
“This is…”
The sender was unknown.
Once I took it, the bird flew away.
“…I wonder who it’s from.”
The envelope was slightly heavy. Inside was a letter.
I unfolded the letter.
“Wof. How are you? It’s me, your uncle.”
“Uncle?!”
“I’m doing well as usual. How’s Hydrangea? It’s a decent city for the frontier, for better or worse. Is the hideout useful? I wanted to leave some supplies, but I didn’t know if you could make it. Sorry. I’m glad to hear you’re doing well.”
“I’m doing fine.”
“You’ll surely become a good explorer. And have you learned to use relics properly? A relic is your hand and foot—don’t restrain it, make sure you can use it properly.”
“I understand. I’m getting the hang of it lately.”
“Have you found a girlfriend? You can be… a bit dangerous, so just having a normal girlfriend would be fine. That’s all that matters.”
“……”
“By the way, thinking of the hideout—do you know the trade city Heizen? It’s a good city, above all, free. Well, maybe too free sometimes, but that’s its charm. It’s a city for passionate encounters. You can enjoy hot nights—tropical nights.”
“What exactly are you trying to say, Uncle?”
Half of me was exasperated. Heizen, the trade city…
“I have a hideout there, a second hideout. If you have free time and feel like it, I want you to go check it out. You should see it for yourself—you’ll be amazed. Enclosed are a map and a key. I’ll leave the rest to you. See you again sometime.”
The letter ended there.
“Second hideout…”
Inside the envelope was an old key and a hand-drawn map.
“Seriously?”
I muttered in shock without realizing it.
Looking up, the sky was deep blue, and the sun was slightly dazzling.
Suddenly, Mineha called to me from the watchtower.
I waved back and, for now, returned the letter to the envelope and put it in my pouch.