WebNovels

Chapter 216 - Chapter 215: The Journey (2)

"Isaac, are you really going to take Volten as a reward? How about reconsidering?"

"You know. The territory isn't what matters."

Isaac gave a bitter smile at Liana's question. He hadn't come to Volten because he wanted land in the first place.

"…Yeah, you're right. Sorry."

Liana closed her mouth, realizing she'd said something unnecessary. She looked as if she was blaming herself again for making a mistake.

As the women wandered around the festival like excited children, Isaac glanced at them and casually asked Liana,

"Do you remember?"

"Hm?"

"The Liam Fish Festival."

"Oh…"

At Isaac's words, a natural smile formed on Liana's lips.

"I remember. I caught so many fish back then."

"Mhm."

Isaac also smiled softly and nodded.

"It's the opposite, Lia. I caught a lot. You broke your fishing rod because you couldn't control your strength."

"..."

"So we ate the ones I caught together. You did a good job borrowing coarse salt for grilling."

"…You remember it all."

She might have tried to cutely romanticize the past, but at the same time, she'd probably been vaguely worried that Isaac wouldn't remember the same things.

"We also grilled the fish on a mat like this back then. I even remember you asking me why we weren't fishing on a rowboat."

As Isaac deliberately added more detail, Liana's smile deepened.

"I didn't think you'd remember. It's only been a few years for me, but for you, it's been at least ten."

"..."

Because of his regression, their sense of the past wasn't the same.

For Liana, it had only been a few years ago. But for Isaac, it was a memory from over a decade back.

Even so, the reason it stayed so vividly in his mind—

Isaac didn't bother saying it aloud.

Still, the nostalgia remained unchanged.

Under the sky dyed red by the setting sun, with people bustling to prepare the night market—

The only difference was that he had companions this time. And to Isaac, that made time feel even richer.

"Isaac."

"Yeah?"

"You know—"

Just as Liana summoned a bit more courage and turned to look at Isaac—

"Ohhh?"

At another stall nearby, Sharen was holding something up.

"You wear this?"

It was unmistakably lingerie.

A pair of black mesh underwear, sheer and revealing in a way that left nothing to the imagination. Clearly designed with intention.

"H-Hey! Why are you even touching that?!"

This time, even Silverna recognized what it was and rushed to make Sharen put it down.

The stall's owner—a curvy middle-aged woman—chuckled and whispered,

"Why? Don't you think it'd look good on you?"

"But it doesn't cover anything! Why would anyone wear this?"

"Exactly because it doesn't cover anything."

"Eh?"

"It's worn to be seen."

Still not understanding, Sharen tilted her head in confusion.

Eventually, Silverna and the Grandmaster stepped in, preventing Sharen from learning any more.

"C-Come on, Sharen! I think they're selling sausages over there!"

"Sausages!"

"Sigh… don't tease the child like that,"

With that, Sharen ran off after Silverna.

Meanwhile, the Grandmaster gave the vendor a quiet warning, and the woman bowed her head apologetically.

"Ugh… no matter how you look at it, wearing something like that is just too much, right?"

Walking behind the Grandmaster, Princess Clarice clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"I've heard lingerie like that is trendy among some nobles, but still… it's not like they're working in a brothel or anything…"

She turned her head sharply.

"What about you, Isaac? Do you think something like that would look good?"

"Hard to say. I've never been given any."

"Hm, what a suspiciously vague answer."

Clarice folded her arms and walked ahead.

Isaac turned back toward Liana, who had been about to speak before the interruption—

"…Lia?"

Her face was flushed bright red, and her head was hanging low.

Unaware of Isaac's gaze, she muttered to herself in a whisper.

"I—I threw it away. I only wore it that one time."

"…?"

"They said… if you wear it, your husband will lose his mind. It was our first time in four years, so I wanted it to be… special—"

Isaac looked down at Liana, who kept mumbling to herself.

Then, deciding it was best to pretend he hadn't heard anything, he quickened his pace.

The night market was better than expected.

No—honestly, it was actually quite good.

You could say it showed the more innocent side of a city like Volten.

Most of the things for sale were bizarre or suggestive in nature,

But nothing was outright illegal, and even the gambling stalls scattered along the street were tame for what they were.

Of course, there was a bit of a commotion when the Grandmaster caught some con artists cheating with dice,

But all in all, it was just the right amount of chaos to liven up the festival.

"Pffft! This clunky, salty beer that barely managed to ferment—

It's nothing like the refined brews back in Evergard, and yet it has its own charm!"

They were now drinking at a roadside bar with tables set up in the open.

Lately, Isaac had started to wonder if the Grandmaster was enjoying her drink a bit too much.

But then again, she seemed like someone who had finally let go of something heavy and was genuinely enjoying herself,

So he didn't stop her.

"Mmph, this is awful!"

Sharen shouted as she took a bite of her skewer,

Loud enough for the owner to hear, making the nearby crowd burst into laughter.

Yet despite her words, she kept munching on it enthusiastically.

"It tastes even worse when you drink beer with it. I've been to a lot of festivals, you know, and skewers—well…"

Clarice, as usual, was critiquing the food like she had when they first met.

At least she had the decency to speak in a low voice so the stall owner wouldn't hear.

While everyone was drinking like that, Isaac slowly got up from his seat.

"I'm going to step out for a bit… Grandmaster, will you be able to avoid getting drunk until I get back?"

"You think your Master is some woman who gets drunk that easily? Go on, don't worry about me."

The Grandmaster waved with a sly smile.

Some of the women glanced at Isaac and asked where he was going.

Meeting their gazes, he answered:

"Liana, Silverna—come with me. I need your help with something."

"Hm?"

"…"

Silverna tilted her head curiously, while Liana stood up right away.

Without complaint, the two followed Isaac into a nearby alley.

"Phew, buddy, can you even handle two at once? Want a hand?"

A sleazy man standing at the alley entrance made a vulgar joke—

But was instantly knocked to the ground by a single punch from Silverna.

"I wanted to hit him too."

"If you hit him, he'd be dead. Hold back."

"I can hold back, you know."

Liana grumbled while Silverna chuckled.

In any case, the two trailed after Isaac.

The alley didn't go on for long.

In fact, it opened into a spacious clearing.

Hidden behind other buildings stood a large, secluded structure—

A gambling den with a sign that read [Hazard].

Despite being in the backstreets, it seemed even busier than the market outside.

And typical of such a place, multiple alleyways led to it, making it easy to find.

"You're not here to gamble, I hope."

Silverna shot Isaac a glance and smirked.

If it were just about gambling, he would've snuck in alone at dawn.

"…You're going to snap the rooster's neck, aren't you?"

Liana murmured beside them.

Isaac and Silverna both turned to look at her.

It wasn't entirely wrong—so neither could refute it.

"Yeah. I heard this place is a major source of income for a gang run by a man named Deldan."

According to Viscount Vincequins, when Volten's baron went missing and the entire kingdom entered a turbulent time due to the transcendents,

Deldan took that chance to rapidly expand his influence here.

"I just thought I'd stop by and say hello."

A week from now, Isaac would officially take over Volten—

And before that happened, he figured it was time to clean up the place a bit.

Just as he was about to step into the building—

Grab!

Both women placed a hand on his shoulders and said:

"Go easy."

"Don't get too excited just because he looks like an easy win, alright?"

"…"

Isaac sighed.

"They say Deldan's a head taller than me. Built like a tank.

From the way he expanded this gang with his fists alone, he must be a hell of a fighter."

"…"

"…"

"He even holds a tournament for his underlings every two weeks to keep them sharp and battle-hardened."

"…"

"…"

"So he's not exactly someone you can call an easy opponent—"

"No matter how you spin it,"

Silverna crossed her arms and gave him a lazy stare, piercing straight through him.

"It just sounds like you're talking him up because you want to fight."

Isaac flinched and turned to Liana.

'You'll take my side, right?'

His eyes begged for support.

Liana nodded with a smile.

"Isaac, don't bully the weak."

"…"

Isaac let out a bitter sigh, lowered his hand from his sword, and walked into the gambling den.

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