Chapter 2: Going to the royal capital

“We decided to go to my son and his wife’s house. My son had our second grandson born to him three months ago, but his wife’s not recovering well after the birth. She needs help to take care of our two grandchildren, work in the fields, and take care of the house.” 

“I enjoyed living with you, Mai, but I have bad knees and it's difficult for me to travel to and from my son's house. So ……we’ve decided to move, but first we need to sell this house.”

　That means I have to move out of here.

　What am I going to do? I thought, but quickly pulled myself together. I mustn’t look disappointed, as it would make the two kind people feel uncomfortable. I smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Actually, I was thinking of going to the capital as well. So please don't apologize. Thank you for taking care of me until now. If Ingo-san and Ella-san hadn't taken care of me, I would have gone to the other side by now. You two are my lifesavers."

“I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

“No, no, no!　Thank you for your kindness.”

　Ella tearfully kept repeating “I’m sorry” over and over again, and I told her, “I’m really fine. Don’t worry,” and then went to bed. My room was about three tatami mats in size and used to be a closet. The bed was a square frame stuffed with straw and covered with a sheet. I will say goodbye to this bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, tonight.

　Lying on the straw bed, I took out an object from the pocket of my hospital pajamas. It was spherical stones of various sizes, ranging from five millimeters to one centimeter in diameter. The stones are opals I created with my transformation magic. They are blue, green, and red with intricate patterns.

Illustration (By Mitemin)

　I made it using “transformation magic,” which seems to be my grandmother’s specialty. A kind of magic that can transform A into B while picturing in your mind the thing you want to get. It is different from the basic magic of fire, water, wind, and earth in that it requires materials.

　The first thing I tried was to turn a tree branch into a wooden spoon and plate. I was able to produce spoons and plates without getting tired at all. Making wooden objects from wood is easy. Then I remembered an old memory. It was my father, who was a physics teacher in high school.

“Just as diamonds and charcoal are both made of carbon, opals are made of the same material as quartz found in sand and soil. Silicon dioxide is the main material. It’s characteristic is that it contains a little water.’’

　Then, what if I used both the earth magic and the transformation magic that my Grandmother knew, to collect the silicon dioxide and moisture in the soil? Couldn’t I collect them and transform them into opal? If I could do that, I wouldn’t have any trouble with money, right?

　I put my hand on the ground, excited by my idea. Imagining opals, I released the magic with no luck. 

　I poured magic power into the ground while picturing an oval-shaped opal like the ones used for rings. As a result of continuing to cast magical power until I broke out in a cold sweat, three spherical opals of different sizes appeared between my palm and the ground. I had imagined oval-shaped opals, but for some reason, all the opals I produced were spherical. But I don’t care if they are spherical. Isn’t it amazing enough that I succeeded the first time?

　After that, I put my hand on the ground frequently and made small opals. At this rate, I should be able to make diamonds from charcoal, but I haven’t tried yet. Charcoal is a precious commodity that is properly controlled, so I have not had a chance to touch it.

　I will cover my travel and lodging expenses on the way to the capital by selling these opals along the way. The couple had told me that one small silver coin would get me one night at a commoner’s inn and that I could reach the royal capital from this village in about six days of walking on my own legs.

　Tomorrow, I will leave this house.

　I thought back over the past two months since I came here in bed.

　It was hard for me to get used to life here, but I was extremely lucky to be taken in by Ella-san and her husband. I did not have any life skills that would be useful in this world, but they took good care of me.

　

　From every word they said, “Mai seems to be the daughter of a wealthy family in a foreign country.” I could tell that they were thinking, “She must have done something wrong and was exiled.’’ How many times have the husband and wife said to me, “It must have been tough. We're sorry for having to live in such a shabby house.''  They thought that a young lady from a wealthy family should not have to shoot down wild birds with a rock, but they never said that.

　I am only twenty-five years old. I’m perfectly healthy now. I can even use magic.

　As long as I’m healthy, I’ll be fine. That’s how I lived in my old world. I’m sad to part with this good couple, but I’m sure I’ll be fine even if I go to the royal capital.

　It is in difficult times that you must think optimistically. This is the key to living without losing heart.

“Mai, if you are approached by a stranger, don’t follow them.”

"You'll have to get to an inn before dark. You can't sleep outside. Do you really have any money on you?”

“I do. Thank you for your concern. Thank you for your help. Please take care.”

　Ella-san gave me a loaf of bread and Ingo-san gave me a metal water bottle, which must have been very valuable. I was so grateful for their kindness that I almost cried, but I didn’t. They're worried about me having to leave the house, and if I cried, I would make them feel uncomfortable.

　I couldn’t leave in the hospital pajamas I wore when I came to this world, so I had to leave in Ella’s hand-me-downs. I didn’t want to be indebted to her until the end, so I wanted to at least thank her for her hospitality.

　When we parted, I gave her ten opals wrapped in a handkerchief, saying, “Look inside after I’m gone.” I chose the largest opals I could find from the ones I had been working on and collecting.

 "Good-bye!　Thank you for taking care of me for the past two months!　Please take care!”

“Take care!　Mai, good luck!”

　I looked back at them only once as they waved me off. After that, I didn’t look back, but walked on, sobbing. Goodbye, kind people. Thank you for helping me. I will never forget this kindness.

　I repeated this over and over as I walked.

　From there, I continued on foot. I walked from sunrise to sunset, taking breaks.

　Since it’s July, the sun rises early and sunsets late. I walked for about eight hours a day. I had never walked this much in my life. The soles of my feet were blistered and the skin of my feet was peeling all over. My neck and shoulders were sore, probably from bad posture. Needless to say, my legs, back, and hips are sore and my muscles bruised.*

　I was so tired that I collapsed into bed at the inn, but there were times when I was also too tired to sleep. Still, I kept walking toward the royal capital. Thank God it is only one road to the royal capital. I felt like an ascetic monk.

　The sixth day. I could finally see the royal capital ahead. Many tall buildings can be seen in the distance.

　I was so relieved that I collapsed on the road. As I slumped down on the road, I shouted out loud, “Yay!”. The People passing by quickly moved away from me with frightened looks on their faces. I was sorry for scaring them, but please forgive me. It was the first time in my life that I had ever been forced to march.

　The royal city I arrived at was, as expected, crowded. There were many three- and four-story buildings made of stone and brick.

　And unlike Orb Village, where bartering was the norm, you can buy things with money!　It is indeed a big city!

　With the money from selling opals, I ate a lot of sweet things. There were no sweets in Orb Village other than dried fruit.

“I’m coming back to life!”

　After eating baked goods until I was full, I chose a small, neat inn where a woman could safely stay alone and entered. I intend to use this inn as a base for a while and look for a store and house.

　My exhausted body reminded me of my grandmother and yaro and Tarotaro.

　I used to run a coffee shop with my grandmother in Tokyo. The old coffee shop had been bustling with the recent coffee boom.

　I wonder how my grandma is doing now. I’m sure she’s fine, though, with all the regulars at the store.

　She lost her husband, her daughter and her husband, and she sent me, her granddaughter, out into the world knowing that she would be alone. She is truly a strong person.

　But still, grandma, who are you?

　Come to think of it, I have never heard my grandmother talk about her childhood. I have only heard about it from the point where she met my grandfather at the age of twenty-eight and gave birth to my mother.

　I wonder what kind of relationship the seventy-eight-year-old Grandma Royo had with this world. I hope one day I will be able to solve this mystery.

　◇ ◇ ◇

　

　I am staying at an inn, saving money by cashing in my jewelry and visiting restaurants. I am researching the food situation and preferred tastes in this country.

　As I was about to leave, the innkeeper spoke to me in a friendly manner.

”Mai-san, are you touring the royal capital again today?”

“Yes. Yes, since I came all the way from the countryside, I wanted to see every corner of the city.”

　For three weeks, I had been researching the food situation in here. I ate my way through the city, from the popular eateries to the high-end restaurants.

　Pork was the main meat, followed by lamb and chicken. Beef is a luxury item. The seasoning is simple. It is not elaborately seasoned. They use herbs to remove the smell and spices to add flavor, but only a few spices and seasoning are used in the restaurants where the common people go.  

“The meat today was tough, too.”

　The meat is tough. The method of tenderizing meat with grated onion, fruit, wine, etc. is not used, at least not in restaurants where the average person goes. Perhaps due to fuel costs, it is rare to cook it for a long time to make it soft.

　Would it be welcomed if I offered tender meat?

　Or would they not like it because it is not “palatable”?

　I returned to my room at the inn and thought about it. If I set up a restaurant, I will try all sorts of things. I have knowledge of modern Japan, culinary experience, and magic.

　“Now, it’s time to decide where I want to live.”

　I made up my mind as I looked out of the third-floor window of the inn at the cityscape of the royal capital

　Avoiding the main streets, I searched for properties mainly in the back streets.  With the help of a contractor, I looked around several houses and found a two-story house with a store attached. When I ran up to the “house for sale” sign, the man who was showing me around had a blank look on his face.

“It’s a dead end, so don’t expect to see many pedestrians. There’s a farm on the other side of the wall, so it’s a more prominent place…”

“No, I’ll settle for this one.”

　A house in the back of downtown Royal Capital, just before a dead end. It's like a hideout, isn’t it? I immediately decided to buy the building.

“Are you paying the full amount now, immediately?”

“Yes. Can you come to the inn?　It is not safe for me to carry the heavy bag by myself.”

　I put the leather bag on the table in my room and ask him to count the gold coins inside. The man looked at me and the gold coins wondering, “Who is this girl?” I told him that I was a girl who had come from far away. I am not sure if he believed me or not. The deal was done and the house on the cul-de-sac was now mine.

“All right. I’m all set.”

　With all my anxiety and loneliness tucked away in a drawer in my mind, I prepared to open a café in a corner of this country’s royal capital.

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