Chapter 28 – Port City (4)
Roden and his party, who had been searching for a place to stay for a week, arrived at an inn built on a hill with a panoramic view of the beach.
Overall, the facilities and rooms have a home-like atmosphere.
There was no separate shower room and toilet in the room, only a separate shower room for men and women located a little far from the common bathroom.
Compared to typical lodging, the price is a bit high, but it is well worth the money thanks to the coastal view through the window and the accommodation’s security system.
Each room has a magic imprint related to security, and the civic consciousness of the inn residents was quite high as they made the safety of tourists a selling point.
In other words, a certain degree of safety is guaranteed even if you leave your luggage unloaded.
“Well, first of all, you should take your valuables and wallet and go out. Let’s go! Mister, get up quickly~ Let’s go see the night market.”
After finishing her preparations for going out, Merim touched the leg of Roden, who was lying comfortably in front of the window.
“Turn it off… Is it dinner already?”
Roden, who had just woken up after falling asleep unable to withstand the drowsiness pouring in while admiring the scenery, let out a drowsy yawn and looked around.
Merim was right next to her, urging her to go quickly, and Marill and Roxia with excited faces were waiting at the door.
In preparation for the night wind, they were wearing thin coats in addition to the clothes they were wearing.
Loden also walked over to her backpack in the corner of her room, put on a light jacket, and she went outside with them.
While I woke up, I went down from the guesthouse village and walked toward the downtown area, admiring the sky that had become quite dark.
“It’s a pleasant wind. It’s tasteful.”
“It’s amazing that the buildings around us are completely different from where we live. Uncle.”
“How can I say it? The buildings in this city are generally round.”
“Yes, yes. The lighting is exceptionally bright, so it has a taste.”
Compared to the night in Varmela’s estate, this place was quite bright. Most of the buildings in sight are lit very brightly by orange lanterns.
Roden, who was completely exhausted from sleep as he walked slowly, found out belatedly that Nama Merim and Roxia were wearing cone-shaped hats on her heads.
In the middle of the night like this Pointing at the two of them, Roden pointed to her head and brought her out.
“By the way, why are you guys still using it here?”
I didn’t know it was so natural.
“It’s to avoid an annoying situation in advance. It’s rare for a wizard to do useless tricks.”
“The conical hat they are wearing is also an item that distinguishes those who are wizards from those who are not. Mr. Roden.”
Marill, who added an explanation in a gentle tone, told me that casting magic itself proves that you are a wizard, so she said that no one pretends to be a wizard.
“It wasn’t quite a fancy hat.”
“Haha, it’s obvious that if we go around super-beauties like this in a tourist spot like this, we’ll be hunted from time to time.”
The other three, who had completely adapted to Merim, who overused her modifier of being a super-beautiful woman when bored, didn’t even think to say anything to her.
As we were walking and talking about this and that, we arrived at a night market where many people were gathered. The smell of grilled meat wafts from all directions.
Tents and stalls with orange lanterns dangling were selling a wide variety of food, alcohol, and souvenirs.
“Hya~! This, this, I’m wondering what to eat first.”
“Merim, how about the chicken skewers he’s holding?”
In the night market, people passing by skewered skewers also caught my eye.
“No no, I’ve come all the way to the sea. The first thing is unconditionally seafood.”
The twin sisters jumped into the crowd amicably and started to explore in earnest, and Roxia, who was holding Roden’s hand tightly, tried to check beyond her crowd with her tiptoe… It wasn’t very easy.
“Uuuuu…”
Roxy’s head was lowered, unable to hide her resentment.
Roden smiled while looking down at her, and tapped her on the top of Loxia’s head, then she lowered her stance in front of her.
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you walk around looking down at everyone walking around here?”
“Uh, how?”
“So that means…”
After hearing her simple explanation, Roxia hesitated for a while whether it would be okay to cause such a nuisance to her owner, but she nodded her head with her heart fluttering, as if she was caught up in the atmosphere of the night market.
Then she immediately climbed onto his shoulder as if putting her roden’s head between her thighs. It is a common saying.
“Hold tight.”
Whoopcha!
“Wow Wow Wow Wow aaaaa!!!!!”
The moment Roden got up again, she added Roxia’s sitting height to his height, adding to her height, and her eye level was just ridiculously over two meters.
At her eye level, which rose in an instant, the frightened girl let out a grotesque scream and clung tightly to Roden’s head.
“Because I’m holding you tight, it won’t fall off. Don’t be too scared. Take your time and look around.”
“Yes…, Yes, yes…”
Wow… Everyone passing by is below me…
Only after hearing her master’s soothing voice, Roxia slowly opened her tightly closed eyes and couldn’t contain her admiration at the completely changed scenery.
“How do you feel about being in the highest position?”
“God, God, great! Everyone is looking up at me. Master!”
It was not enough that the scenery of the night market, which I could hardly see until just now, came into full view, and seeing so many people ‘looking down’ made me feel a sense of conquest.
She’s a little scared of her height, and quite embarrassed because not a little of her eyes are on her, but she manages to bear it.
“Now, shall we go?”
“Yes!”
When Loxia was fully balanced, Roden slowly began to look around the night market in that state.
Roden was quite agitated, as was Roxia, who frantically gazed at her surroundings from an eye level of over two meters.
Even though it was an impromptu vacation plan, isn’t there a cute girl who enjoys and rejoices like this? It was only natural for him to be so excited.
The two of them wandered around the night market with their shoulders still on, and encountered the twin sisters holding several grilled fish skewers.
Merim, who had been munching on her skewers, looked up at her Loxia, smirked at her, and held out one of her skewers towards her.
“Hey~ It’s been a while since I haven’t seen you, so you’ve grown bigger than us? Now, try eating one of Loxia.”
“Ahaha, I’ll eat well. Sister.”
“Try some of this, Mr. Roden.”
“Thank you.”
Roden, who was unable to use both of her hands to support Roxia’s legs, took the skewer Marill had handed her to her mouth and mumbled.
“… Pretty tasty, right?”
“Right? Right? Right? You’re delicious too? How about Loxia?”
“Delicious…”
She tried to answer right away, but Roxia, who kept her mouth shut for a while, smiled brightly and brought out her line again that Merim would like.
“It tastes like dog food. Merim unnie!”
“Keuheuh, that’s right. That’s right. Gaejon-mat is used just like this.”
Roden, who listened to the conversation quietly, sighed deeply, and Marill laughed awkwardly.
The four of them started moving together again, looked around the night market for a while, filled their stomachs, and headed to the beach at night.
* * *
“Huh~! Excluding the fact that I couldn’t enjoy playing in the water, it’s not bad from the first day. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow, right?”
“I’m already looking forward to it too. Merim unnie.”
After taking a light walk along the shore, the group started to return to their accommodation and chose a route that went around the port, which was quite dark, and walked slowly.
“Ugh…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Hey, there’s a person lying over there.”
In the meantime, Loxia, who noticed the shadow of a person lying face down in a dark alleyway, tried to approach him to see if he was okay, but Roden grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t come close.”
“Yes yes…”
Unlike her usual voice, Roxia couldn’t answer the question of the owner who spoke very determinedly.
Leaving her in the care of her twin sister, Roden approached the fallen man alone and checked his condition.
“Ehehe…, Uhehehehe… Heh…”
“Tsk!”
Roden, who clicked her tongue and returned to her group, hurriedly asked to return to the inn, and Roxia as well as her twin sister meekly nodded her head.
“Roxia, while you’re here, don’t get too close even if you find someone who’s fallen like now.”
“That… Well, the people here have a really bad drinking habit, so it can be dangerous to get close to them.”
“Is that so…? I see.”
Even after listening to Merim’s explanation, Roxia looked suspicious, but she calmly replied that she would know for now.
She walked a little further, then her twin sister, who casually approached Roden’s side, whispered in a whisper that Roxia couldn’t hear.
“…Mister, a little while ago… Wasn’t he just a drunkard?”
“…That’s what you’re thinking.”
“…It’s a drug.”
It may not be completely clean as it is a city where various people live, but having witnessed some of the dark side of the port city of Ladvi, they feel considerably calmer compared to a moment ago.
… After a while, Roden’s group, who returned to their room after briefly washing, began unfolding the blankets to greet tomorrow.
There is no bed in this room, so you have to sleep on a blanket on the floor.
Naturally, only Roden, the only man, fell in the far corner and spread a blanket, while the twins and Roxia spread a blanket slightly apart from each other.
“Sleep well everyone.”
“Good night everyone.”
“See you tomorrow!”
“Good night Mr. Roden. Sleep well you guys too.”
The four of them finished their greetings one by one and began to sleep quietly one by one.
… When it was late at dawn when everyone else was asleep, Merim, moving cautiously like a thief groping in the dark, crept closer to the spot where Roden was lying.
Roden, who spontaneously opened his eyes at her approaching presence, met her eyes with Merim, and she called Roden not ‘uncle’ but ‘brother’, which is only used when the two of them are together.
“Brother, it’s been a while since we haven’t been together lately, haven’t we?”
