78-Shopping




 
Al, we're leaving King's Landing tomorrow, okay?

'Really? Then we can go back to the village of Coriat, right?

 A few words from Father Nord after breakfast at the inn blew away my morning sleepiness.

 I had seen the Dragon Slayer play, and thanks to the transference, I could come to King's Landing whenever I wanted.

 I have no longing for King's Landing. I've been missing the peaceful and serene village of Colliat for a while now. You can't move around as you please here.

Yes, I do.

Yeah, finally.

 I'm not the only one who's happy, Nord Dad and Erna Mom seem to be truly happy too.

 Even after the social gathering was over, they were busy going from place to place. Most of the time it was related to my dad, but he took me with him a few times.

 I'd stick around with Mother Erna and take my time, though. The tea parties would be pretty loose if no one of high rank was around.

''If I stay in the royal capital any longer, I'll only get tired of being invited to tea parties and parties and mixing in with the knights' training.

Yes, now I won't even have to go to tea with Mrs. Burns.

 The Thurolet family, which is located far from the capital, rarely attends parties in the capital.

 That's why the nobles who want to have a relationship with the Thurolet family while they are appearing in King's Landing will probably invite them to a party or something.

 Although they're in the countryside, they're also a nobleman who's rich in many ways these days.

 In other words, they are rare characters.

So, after I pack my bags, I'm going shopping today!

Shopping?

Are you shopping?

 Meena, the bad maid, is the one who uttered a voice that drowned out my words. This is very different from Saara who is quietly putting away the dishes.

''Is it okay for me and Saara to shop too!

 A slightly excited tone is used to crowd Nord Dad.

 Hearing Meena's voice, Saara stops moving with a snap and looks at him a bit expectantly.

 It's kind of cute.

'Of course it's okay. You're free to spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Yay!

 Meena is happy to have a day off from her Nordic father.

 It's so innocent that everyone seems to think it can't be helped.

 And for some reason, they look at Meena, then look at me and let out a breath of disappointment.

 What is it? Are you trying to say that I'm very withered?

Do you need anything for that?

 It's a rare thing for a Nordic father with few desires to actively suggest going shopping.

I'm not sure if it's the magic tools Bartolo asked me to buy or my clothes. It's a good idea to have a few of these on hand. And the rest is a souvenir for everyone.

 Oh, I believe Bartolo said he wanted the newly created fire magic tools. He said it could be used for cooking. He asked me to go look at it or something, but I forgot all about it.

 It's because I'm going to have an intense discussion with sister Elinora about clothes.

 I suggest that we cut back on the number of training sessions.

'You've come to King's Landing and you haven't even been able to take the time to shop. I'd like to look around too.''

 Mother Erna's mouth quirks up as if she is sulking.

 Well, it's not a bad idea to go out shopping with your family for the last day or so.

 But still, a souvenir? I thought it wouldn't be a problem since I could come here anytime due to the transfer, but I have a feeling that Elinora sister would be angry with me if I returned to the mansion empty-handed.

 Gifts for Emma-sister are important. I should give her something good to thank her for always being so good to me.

 Thor? We could give Thor a suitably rusty sword or something. That's enough for that guy.





 


 After we finished getting ready to leave, we came to the west main street.

 This is a place with many shops that sell slightly expensive goods.

 Not as much as the nobleman's district, but there are a lot of people wearing good quality clothes and knights on patrol walking around.

''It's a nice day today.''

Yeah. On a nice day like this, a song--

I'm not going to sing, okay? That was an adaptation, not reality, you know?

 When I lightly teased him, Nord Dad's fresh smile changed to an eerie, pressured smile.

 Why does the same smile make such a difference in the impression?

'Wow, there are a lot of fancy restaurants here!'

It's true.

d*mn it, Sarah, she's so hard on her day off!

Yeah, right. It's your day off, isn't it?

 I don't think I've heard Saara use less polite language in a long time. She's basically a polite talker in the mansion. When I was a baby, she used to be very soft-spoken.

 By the way, Meena and Sarra don't know the capital that well, so they are going to follow us to do some shopping in the morning.

Are you listening to me? Al

Yeah, I'm here. I'm here.

 On the other side of Nord Dad, who dutifully said he wasn't doing that, Mother Erna was seriously checking out the store.

'Mother Erna! Nord Dad said that dress would look good on Erna!

Oh, really? Let's go in!

 I point to the appropriate clothing store and Erna's mother pulls Dad Nord along with her.

'Hey, Al!

Just in time. That clothing store over there, they have men's clothing too.

 Ha-ha, with all the men's clothes, there's no escape for Nord's dad.

Hey, Al, come on!

 I was gloating at the sight of Dad Nord, but then Mother Erna came zipping back and grabbed my arm.

'Ew! He said I'm just a hand-me-down from Brother Silvio!

What are you talking about? You have the money, don't be such a hypocrite!

Yeah!

 In the end, father and son were dragged to the clothing store by Mother Erna.


 ◆


"...Nord Dad...

..........

 No, no response. Dad Nord seems to have worn out a lot of spirit.

 I looked into his face and his eyes were dead.

 We must have been in the first clothing store for two hours.

 Me and Nord-Dad were already sitting slumped on a bench, violently drained of our spirits.

 The fact that women take a long time to shop doesn't seem to change in this world either.

 If you look around, you will see men sitting on the benches just as languidly.

 If you look closely, you can see the languid young man who sat on the bench with you when you met up with Eric, carrying a number of packages. His expression was even less animated than it had been then. The languid girl was probably shopping. Let's just leave her alone.

 I'm only a seven-year-old kid. I just need to pick out clothes that are easy to move in and feel good in, since I'll be growing quickly.

 I was turned into a dress-up doll by Mother Erna and the female shopkeeper, but it was over rather quickly.

 For some reason, they said I looked good in civilian and peasant clothes.

 As long as they're kids and they're easy to move around in, that's fine, even if they're plain.

 But Nord Dad was too good for the material.

 The shopkeeper was a fan of Nord Dad, and when he learned that I don't usually dress up, he said, "What a waste! He shouted and called the other clerks over. And then Mother Erna joined in and made me dress in a seemingly endless amount of clothes.

 He was handsome and could dress up in any outfit for the good-looking and stylish Nord Dad, much to the delight of Mother Erna and the clerk.

 I was free during the fashion show, which took far more time than I did, so I went to the nearby bookstore and bought a few souvenirs for brother Silvio. I bought an adventure book, a mystery book, and also a Dragonslayer book for myself. I'm going to read it carefully when I get home.

 And I'm sure I'm already done, and when I got back, I wasn't even finished.

 After he had finished dressing himself, Father Nord had to help Mother Erna choose her clothes.

 Mother Erna asked, "Which one do you think is better? He had made the right choice for the question of "what the hell?

 It's a quintessential couple to be able to choose which one of Erna's mothers has already decided the answer to the question.

 By the way, I would have chosen the other side.

 If I were Nord-Dad, I would have given Erna-Mom a dissatisfied look instead of a satisfied one.

 It's really hard for women to choose clothes.

 The women finally came out of the store. Behind them, a hokey-faced clerk was bowing deeply and looking off.

 The reason why they didn't have the clothes they bought was probably because they sent them back to the inn. I wonder how much I bought.

 But it's a scary thing that it's been two hours since the first case. Will I be able to return to the inn today?

"...Nord Dad, it's finally over.

...Oh, so it's finally over.

 I shake him on the shoulder, and he manages to stand up from his slump.

 He looks more fragile than ever.

'Next time we'll go to the store across the street! In addition to my clothes, I have accessories!

 Mother Erna beckoned me and Saara into the shop across the street in good spirits, with Meena and Saara in tow.

 The smiles on the ladies' faces are terribly dazzling. I don't want to ruin that joyful atmosphere.

 There's no way I can do that, just me and my Nordic father separated.

........Al, let's go.

Yes.

 Me and Dad Nord got up again and headed to the clothing store.