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Chapter 164: A City by the Sea (3)

A month had passed since the primates living in the deep sea took control of the area in front of the ocean.

During that time, they couldn’t properly use the sea.

Since the city by the sea relies on the ocean for most of its goods, there should have been problems with supplies and food.

However, the territory was in perfect order—better than the capitals of most kingdoms.

“Come to think of it… That’s true,”

Aquaz mumbled, as if she had just realized something.

The lord visibly trembled.

He desperately spat out,

“We had stockpiled supplies well in advance, so there are no immediate issues. We are still managing to procure goods through land routes.”

“Even so, using routes that aren’t normally used must be quite expensive. It doesn’t seem to be much of a burden though. You must have stockpiled quite a lot of capital.”

“Uh, that…”

The lord’s body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

Ketal smiled brightly.

“Well, it’s all thanks to your excellent governance. It’s a sincere compliment. Don’t worry about it.”

“Th-thank you…”

The lord expressed his gratitude in a dying voice.

Aquaz found the attitude strange but didn’t say anything.

Given the issue of the existence of the Forbidden Land, it didn’t seem all that important.

Ketal’s party left the reception room.

The lord, left alone, waited until the sound of footsteps faded away.

Only when complete silence fell did he finally collapse in relief.

“I-I thought I was going to die…”

He spat out the words as if he were vomiting.

Despite his initial worries, the conversation itself had ended without problems.

He had even received an offer of help, without any coercive demands.

This was the best possible outcome.

“No, that’s not right.”

The relieved lord suddenly snapped back to his senses.

Ketal’s last question—that had provoked a strong reaction for a reason.

He was not in a position to be so confident with a follower of the gods.

“I need to make contact quickly,”

The lord said, moving in a panic.

* * *

Ketal’s party, guided to their room, gathered to discuss their future actions.

“It seems we’ll be staying in this city for a while.”

“It seems so. As Ketal said, we should look around the city, gather information, and find people who can help us.”

“Yes, that’s what we should do.”

“What about you, Ketal?”

“I plan to do the same. I’ll gather information while walking around.”

Of course, his actual purpose was more for sightseeing.

It was his first visit to a seaside city in a fantasy world, and he intended to enjoy it.

Ketal smiled joyfully.

Aquaz turned her gaze away.

“Then what about you, Baker?”

“M-me? I don’t really have any plans…”

He didn’t share Aquaz’s conviction to quell the continent’s turmoil.

He had simply followed Aquaz because he liked her and had no intention of acting actively.

He just wanted to lie on a soft bed as soon as possible, since it had been a while since they were in a city.

“Hmm.”

Ketal looked at Baker for a moment.

“I’d like to get along with you.”

It was the first time he’d met a proper magician from a mage tower.

Naturally, he wanted to get to know him better.

There would be times in the future when he might need to visit the mage tower, and the more connections, the better.

After a brief contemplation, Ketal made a decision.

“If you don’t have any other plans, how about walking around the city with me?”

“W-what!”

Baker jolted as if struck by electricity.

“You want to go together?”

“I understand that you may not have good feelings towards me,”

Ketal said calmly.

“I get it. You might see me as an intruder in your journey with Aquaz. You might even dislike me because I’m a barbarian. But from now on, we are comrades who will fight together, risking our lives.”

The existence of the Forbidden Land.

Its strength was unknown, but given that it had swallowed an entire city, it was likely at least superhuman.

“So, why don’t we have an open conversation and resolve our feelings?”

“That’s a good idea,”

Aquaz agreed with Ketal’s suggestion.

She was also concerned about Ketal and Baker’s relationship.

Since they would be fighting back-to-back, having a hostile relationship would be detrimental.

“O-okay.”

Baker stuttered.

“I mean, I’m not feeling that way now…”

Indeed, he had been hostile towards Ketal initially because of Aquaz.

But not anymore.

In a duel with Ketal, Baker had been overwhelmingly defeated.

He didn’t even realize how he had fallen.

When he realized that Ketal could kill him without him even noticing, Baker felt extreme fear.

Though he had been traveling with Aquaz, as powerful as he was, he had never faced a threat to his life.

This was the first time he truly felt the fear of death.

It was overwhelming for a magician who had grown up pampered in the mage tower.

At that moment, Baker was simply terrified of Ketal.

The thought of moving around alone with him was unbearable.

“Uh, I…”

He wanted to refuse immediately, but he was too scared.

In the end, Baker held back his tears and nodded.

“A-alright…”

“Oh, thank you for understanding! I won’t disappoint you,”

Ketal said with a cheerful laugh.

After that, they went out into the city.

Aquaz decided to act alone, as there was no reason to stay together just to gather information.

Ketal walked around the city with Baker.

Naturally, they drew a lot of attention.

People rubbed their eyes in disbelief, then backed away in fear once they realized what they were seeing.

An empty space quickly formed around Ketal.

“W-where are we going?”

Baker asked in a barely audible voice.

All he wanted was to finish quickly and return to his bed.

“A tavern, of course. That’s where we’re going.”

Ketal had already asked a servant for directions.

His steps were light with anticipation.

‘A tavern in a seaside city!’

People of the sea were known to be extremely rough.

What kind of happenings would occur in this tavern?

It would likely be very noisy, and there might be brawls.

Ketal looked forward to it, feeling as if he were on a sightseeing trip.

Baker, on the other hand, looked at him with a pale face.

Ketal arrived at the tavern with high expectations, but the place did not meet them.

Sitting at a table, he mumbled,

“It’s quiet.”

Quite a few people were drinking, but it was very quiet.

You could hear a pin drop.

Ketal was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected situation but soon understood.

‘Well, the mercenary guild was quiet too, so there’s no reason for this place to be noisy.’

The mercenary guild in the Barkan territory had been very quiet as well.

The stillness here felt similar to that.

It was odd, but Ketal accepted it.

‘It’s a fantasy tavern, so it might be different.’

“Is there some kind of legal restriction? It’s very quiet.”

Come to think of it, a constantly noisy tavern would be annoying for the nearby residents.

Noise from neighbors had always been one of the biggest sources of stress.

Satisfied with his newfound understanding, Ketal smiled.

Meanwhile, Baker internally objected.

‘…I don’t think that’s it.’

Though it was his first time in a seaside tavern, he could tell that Ketal’s reasoning was off.

The patrons were glancing at Ketal nervously.

Some even hastily paid their bills and hurriedly left.

It was obvious that they were keeping quiet because they were wary of Ketal.

Baker, as an objective magician, wanted to point out the facts, but he kept silent out of fear of Ketal.

‘I should write this down in my notebook.’

Ketal, having concluded that seaside taverns were quieter than expected, suggested,

“Let’s have a meal since we’re hungry.”

Ketal ordered a dish, and soon a trembling waiter brought it out quickly.

It was a stew with a whole fish cooked in seasoning.

Baker frowned at the strong smell.

He cautiously picked some fish meat and put it in his mouth.

“Ugh.”

He gagged.

It tasted extremely fishy, salty, and revolting—like garbage rather than food.

Seafood spoiled quickly, making storage difficult.

While magic could keep it fresh, that was a luxury for nobles.

Commoners had to heavily salt their fish to preserve it, making it an acquired taste.

Just like the ancient Roman garum fish sauce, it could be nauseating for those unaccustomed to it.

Baker glanced at Ketal, hoping he felt the same, but Ketal’s reaction was completely different.

“Oh, this is quite a taste.”

Ketal was savoring the fish with a pleased expression.

“T-tasty?”

“Not bad.”

Ketal ate more fish.

Despite the strong, unpleasant flavor, it felt special to him.

No matter how bad or strange the taste, as long as it was a fantasy dish, it was enjoyable.

Some people even liked trying new, bad-tasting foods for the experience, and Ketal was one of those types.

‘It’s better than the stuff I had on the White Snowfield.’

Ancient fish sauces and salted fish from the Middle Ages might have tasted like this.

Ketal smiled as he ate the fish.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Baker was merely poking at the food with his fork.

He jumped when Ketal addressed him.

“Oh, I’m not hungry…”

“Hmm. I guess magicians have small stomachs. You should eat well to stay healthy.”

“R-right… I’ll eat.”

Ketal’s concern was genuine, but Baker, scared, quickly shoved more food into his mouth.

The horrible taste of fish sauce filled his mouth, making him feel like he was drinking seawater.

The long-fermented smell assaulted his nose, making him want to vomit.

“Ugh.”

He barely held back his gag reflex, tears streaming down his face.

‘How can he say this is okay while eating that?’

Ketal’s cooking was good enough for Baker to enjoy.

Seeing him eat this disgusting dish happily was incomprehensible.

‘Has he lost his sense of taste?’

Baker began to seriously doubt Ketal’s taste buds.