Death Can’t Sleep - Chapter 105
The restaurant that doubled as an inn was cozy. Yellow lanterns were hung incrementally, and a large fireplace, characteristic of a kingdom house, warmed the whole hall.
It was a bit early for dinner, so the hall was quiet. Victor and Amarion took a seat by the window. Victor let out a deep sigh as if he were coming back to life. She looked with interest at the windows they had blocked with wooden boards instead of glass.
“That’s how you block drafts?”
“Yes. They are taken off in the spring, but some people are lazy and keep them up all year round.”
Amarion stared at the dusty window sill.
Taking in the scenery, she realized that she had really returned to the North. Pale-faced people and thick wooden windows, the bitter cold and monsters.
Completely different from the warm Empire.
A waitress approached them while she was deep in thought. She asked in surprise.
“Where are you from? Why are you wearing such thin clothes?”
“The wasteland.”
“Oh, you are mercenaries.”
The waitress quickly understood and handed them a menu with great enthusiasm.
After reading it carefully, she ordered meatballs, two bowls of tomato soup, roasted meat piroshki, beef stew, and a cake layered with sweet syrup. Victor, who would normally stop her from overordering, didn’t this time.
As soon as the food was served, they lowered their heads and started eating without a word.
“…Kingdom food is delicious.”
Victor groaned. There was no hesitation in the hand that cut the piroshki. Seriously, it was the first time since she met him that Victor ate so well.
He hastily swallowed his soup and confessed.
“I’ve never been so hungry in my life.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As you know I… grew up well.”
Amarion chuckled. Seeing that they were making jokes, he seemed to feel a little better now. She placed some meatballs on his plate. In return, he offered her the plate of piroshki he had cut.
After eating like that, she finally came back to her senses. They drank hot wine and talked about their plans for the future.
“Amari is further north from here.”
“More north? I thought this was it.”
“To put it broadly, yes. But Amari is at the northernmost point.”
Amarion laughed bitterly.
Usually, the northern part of the continent referred to the upper part of the kingdom, but the locals categorized it into three regions; Amari, Mule, and Syland.
It was an isolated land that acted as a shield against the monsters of the Black Mountain and was rarely visited by outsiders. It was a place that even some of the people of the kingdom were unfamiliar with.
And she intended to get to Amari in a rather unusual and risky way.
“Before departure, we have to be thoroughly prepared. We need to buy winter clothes, food, and weapons.”
Fortunately, their money bag was kept in Victor’s pocket and was unharmed. He paid for the food, which was surprisingly expensive, and reserved a room in the inn above the restaurant. They left their luggage in the room and went out.
They headed to the clothing store first. In the sandstorm, all their spare clothes had been blown away. She didn’t have money until recently, so she always looked for thin and cheap clothes.
“Show me the most expensive clothes here.”
Amarion confidently told the store owner. They should be able to buy some with the gold coins Diderick had given them; the best winter clothes with wolf skins.
The owner, with greasy slicked-back hair, quickly guided them around.
“The best clothes are this way, yes.”
The man showed her some clothes. She narrowed her eyes.
“…I’m here to buy winter clothes.”
What he showed them was winter clothes for men and luxurious dresses for women. The dress was thick and had a cape attached to it, so it looked a lot warmer than her current one, but she couldn’t fight in such a long dress.
The owner wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief.
“Actually, all of the women’s winter clothes are sold out, so now there are only cheap and thin ones…”
“It’s okay if it’s a little thin. I am from Amari.”
“Oh, is that so? You look wealthy, so there’s no way… hmm.”
The owner summed it up and quickly shut his mouth.
Amarion smiled bitterly, though she wasn’t embarrassed. Northerners were usually really poor. Shopkeepers used to openly shut the door when northerners in leather armor and weapons passed by.
The owner quickly added.
“Huh, hmm. But I really don’t have any clothes to offer. Because of the monsters, deliveries don’t arrive often, so we only have clothes you can’t wear this season.”
“Are there that many monsters?”
“Don’t you know? It was fine until summer, but it’s a mess these days.”
Amarion quietly exchanged a glance with Victor.
“…I see. It’s been a long time since I came here.”
“Yes, ah, then would you like to buy this outfit? I’ll give it to you at a cheap price.”
The owner looked at her. Seeing that he offered it at a discounted price, it seemed that his previous statement was true.
She let out a deep sigh, forced to nod her head.
“All right. I’ll take this one.”
They changed their clothes and left the store.
She looked down at her sleeves with a strange feeling. A dress with a thick fur cape. It was an outfit that had a strong relationship with the North.
Victor, wearing leather armor and a furry hat, smiled.
“I feel like I am escorting a noble lady to a winter soiree.”
“Don’t make fun of me… But, are there really that many monsters?”
Victor didn’t answer. In the silence, she inferred his reply. The worries that had been put off for a while began to creep up in her chest.
It was common for monsters to rampage around the North. But even store owners who knew all about it said such things.
‘Is everyone okay?’
Amarion closed her eyes for a moment, then quickly headed to another store.
Fortunately, the other stores had some goods. They bought an ointment and plenty of rations. After that, they headed to a stable that was a bit from the center of town. It was to buy a reindeer.
It was very surprising to Victor that northerners rode reindeer instead of horses.
“What kind of animal is a reindeer?”
Amarion asked in surprise.
“You don’t know about reindeer?”
“I think I’ve read about them in a book… but I have never seen one. Is it like a horse that lives in the Black Mountain?”
“It’s not a horse, it’s more like a deer. It has horns and is much bigger than a horse.”
Victor made a suspicious expression. It didn’t seem like a good idea.
“You will understand when you see one.”
Amarion smiled and opened the door.
“Come on.”
The vendor, a man smoking a pipe, gave them a rough greeting. Then, when he saw them, he immediately got up.
“What is a noble couple doing in a place like this?”
Amarion was terribly embarrassed.
She never thought she would be treated like this here. She was always poor, so she was always treated rashly. Now, the merchants didn’t even seem to recognize her.
She spoke, in a strange mood again.
“I want to replace our horses with reindeer.”
“Where are you staying?”
“The inn at the end of the street. The two horses in the stable are ours.”
The reindeer vendor scribbled something down in his ledger. Then he showed her two reindeer. They were big with nice horns.
As Victor approached and stroked the bridge of its nose, the reindeer snorted. Fascination flashed in Victor’s eyes. He must have liked these soft furry animals quite a bit.
The reindeer vendor beckoned.
“You can take them right away.”
“Really? Aren’t you going to check to see if the horses in the inn are ours?”
“Ah, would a rich lady tell such a lie?”
The vendor waved his hand and readily accepted the money she gave him.
Amarion felt strange. Back when she was wearing old armor and had messy hair, anything she owned was suspected of being stolen. Now, everyone treated her kindly.
She finished the transaction in silence and left the stable. Victor, who was leading the reindeer, asked quietly.
“Why do you look upset?”
Amarion looked up at her husband and confided in him honestly.
“Just… It’s the first time I’ve been treated so kindly in this town.”
His approaching warmth shielded her from the cold wind. She murmured softly.
“I grew up with little, so people have always been blunt with me. The title of Countess did not mean anything.”
“…”
“Actually, this is the first time I have eaten at the inn, even though I have visited this place many times.”
Victor listened quietly. She suddenly asked.
“Will the Amari people be treated like us? They have money now.”
She hoped so. She married because she wanted the people of her land, who were always having a hard time, to feel at least a little more comfortable.
Victor grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
“…It’s cold. Let’s go back.”
Amarion nodded.
The moon rose earlier than usual.
❖ ❖ ❖
They went back to the inn before it got colder.
It was dinner time, so the restaurant was crowded with customers. The smell of food made her hungry again.
“Shall we have dinner?”
Victor nodded at her suggestion. If it had been before, he would have said no. But Victor was still hungry.
She sat down in the window seat where they had sat earlier. This time she ordered something more normal.
After a while, two bowls of cream of corn soup, a large loaf of bread, and a marinated slab of meat stir-fried with hot pepper were served. There was hot wine for Victor, along with a grain wine for her to drink. They dipped the bread into the soup and scooped up the meat.
While she was eating, she heard other customers talking.
“So, a convocation order* was issued in Amari?”
[*E/N: the action of calling people together for a large formal assembly.]
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