Azure hummed as she led Aqua around the city, while she merely wanted to get a gift for her heroine, it did not mean they had to return to the palace immediately. "Since the Harvest festival is about to go into full swing, I thought we should go and enjoy some of the seasonal goods."
"I suppose it would be mostly items made of wheat or other common crops?" Aqua opened her spatial storage and gently deposited the gifted books inside.
"Maybe in the past, but recently, you would be able to find anything your heart desires, both animal and plant-based."
"That… is rather interesting." Aqua nodded. It was uncommon for harvest festivals to ever feature more than what sprouted from the ground.
Azure looked up as the duo entered the market. The stalls were as decorated as the surrounding buildings, and the articles of food were diverse.
Such prosperity, despite their primitive level of technology. She cracked a smile as she felt Azure grab her hand.
She turned slowly and stared at her.
"We don't want to get lost if we separate, right?" Azure smiled warmly.
Aqua couldn't help but sigh; it was the second time she had used such an excuse; if she wanted to hold her hand, she truly did not mind. While Aqua did not know why the girl was so inclined to such an action, it did not matter.
She was not hurt by it, and it made Azure more comfortable. Her lips widened into a line as she gently squeezed Azure's hand.
Azure's ears twitched and her face gained a brighter shade of red, yet she did not turn to face her heroine; instead, she pulled her forward toward one of the food stalls.
"Ah, good afternoon, ladies." A rather tall elven male smiled as the girls approached the stall.
His eyes wandered to their connected hands, and he nodded in satisfaction, "To think I would have the honor of meeting legendary lady Hallowshield, and her partner."
The moment a word 'partner' left his mouth, Azure seemed as if she was about to fall through the ground, yet Aqua merely stared at the man with a neutral expression.
"C…could you recommend us anything?"
"Of course, my lady." He crouched under the stall before he retrieved a plate with strange brown balls. "These are my invention, we use the alchemical mixture to produce a sweet and gooey substance that we roll into balls. I would wholeheartedly recommend them!"
Aqua stepped forward and reached forward for one; her fingers hovered just above one sphere.
"Please go on, my lady. Try it." The man smiled.
Aqua nodded as she picked up the small item. She brought it to her eyes and slowly inspected it.
These look familiar. She slowly opened her mouth and threw the small brown orb inside.
A familiar sweet sensation washed over her.
"This… this is chocolate."
"I am sorry, my lady, I do not know that name." The vendor tilted his head, yet he kept his professional smile.
"It's no matter…" Aqua licked her lips as she stared at the rest of the sweets. She had not tasted real chocolate in centuries.
Azure smiled as she gazed at Aqua's satisfied expression. This was what she needed to get for Aqua.
Azure leaned in and picked one piece. Her eyes widened as she squealed in satisfaction, "Delicious!" She coughed, "We will take your whole stock!"
"Whole?!" The man staggered back; he had prepared hundreds of the delicious spheres, and yet the champion intended to prove that her pockets were indeed as deep as her position would suggest.
The champion merely nodded; she was not jesting.
The vendor bowed and retrieved two large bags.
He then slowly filled them with the delicious treats and handed them to the duo of beautiful women in front of him. "That will be 2 gold, my ladies. I would usually charge an extra 50 silver, but for you, I made a discount."
Azure reached under her dress and retrieved a small pouch. "Good thing I came prepared!"
"Azure, you really don't need to."
"No, I want to get you a gift you deserve; mere books are not enough, and I saw how you reacted when trying these sweets. Let your Azu treat you!"
"If you insist…" Aqua rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
Why is she so insistent suddenly?
Her gaze wandered to their connected hands, then to the bag that was handed to them. Azure let go of Aqua's hand and grabbed both of them.
The duo smiled at the vendor and turned back, leaving him to close early. After all, two gold coins were more than he had expected to earn. However, when it came to alchemy, it was not as big a profit as he had hoped.
To create such an amazing taste, it was a rather expensive process that was impossible to improve, lest the final product lose taste.
Yet his worries of not selling out were squashed as the Champion and her girlfriend bought his entire stock.
I would have never expected the fabled Lady Hallowshield to be into women. A smile formed on his lips.
Azure hummed quietly before she handed a heavy bag filled with chocolate sweets to Aqua, who happily picked up the bag and plunged her hand inside.
"Sheira was right…" Azure muttered as she munched on her portion of the sweets.
"What was that, Azu?"
"Nothing." She quickly averted her gaze and stuffed her mouth again.
Aqua chuckled for a moment as she threw another ball into her mouth. "These are so good…" A small tear welled in her eye, which she quickly wiped.
"I knew you would love it! Now we should probably sit somewhere and enjoy our meal." Azu smiled. Aqua was worth every coin she had.
Azure looked around and quickly led Aqua toward an empty bench.
Seeing the red-haired beauty smile filled her with so much happiness that she felt as if she would melt.
She wanted to see that smile more often. Laleyn had shown her in what state she was when she had arrived in their world. Her face was that of someone who had nothing left, yet with sheer will, she struggled on.
I hope you will tell me more one day. However, she kept Sheira's advice to heart. The topic of her old world hurt Aqua, and thus, she would stay away from it with a mile-long pole.
If she were to prove herself trustworthy enough for Aqua to speak of her own volition, then it would have been fine, but forcing her was never an option.
"How are the sweets?" Azure leaned forward and stared at Aqua, who had proceeded to devour the sweets with delight unbecoming of a godslayer.
"Absolutely wonderful!" Aqua spoke with her mouth full before swallowing, "Thank you for getting them for me."
This was the first time since her late teachers for someone to get her something that brought joy to her heart.
She crunched the top of the bag, making sure to leave some for later. "Even I cannot replicate the taste with alchemy… It seems I have underestimated your magic."
"Hah, I guess this is something you used to like."
"I always had a sweet tooth; however, it was rare I could indulge like this." She slowly placed the remaining treats into her storage and crossed her legs while leaning back.
"Noted." Azure keenly listened to every word that came out of Aqua's mouth.
Aqua blinked slowly at Azure's comment before chuckling and turning her head toward the sky.
"I believe we should head back…" Her head turned to Azure, "And Azu…"
"Yes?" Azure blushed slightly as she stared at Aqua.
"Thank you for this, it really means a lot to me." The moment her words reached Azure, she turned to the side and squirmed. "It… It's nothing!"
"Thank you, nonetheless." It was common courtesy to thank someone who treated you well. Other than her teachers, Azure was near the top of the list.
Am I truly this lucky? Her fists scruffed her dress as she bit her lip. It was hard to believe that she had gone from the hell of the old world to what was comparatively paradise.
Of course, the world she found herself in was not without its fair share of issues; however, due to the relative weakness of the gods, it was salvageable.
She slid toward Azure and quickly wrapped her arms around her tightly. She had started to enjoy the warmth of her friend; it gave her comfort.
"Aqua?!" Azure almost yanked back, yet resisted the instinct as she returned the favor and wrapped her own arms around the heroine.
They hugged each other for a minute before separating. "We should head back…"
Azure's lips stretched into a small smile as her face slowly lost the blush she constantly wore in the presence of her heroine. "I believe it's about time. I really enjoyed our little outing."
"Same. I would not mind doing this more often."
"It's a deal. Next time you are paying!" Azure chuckled as she pushed herself up and then stretched her hand toward Aqua.
"It's only natural." She gripped Azure's hand and let herself be pulled up. "Let's go back."
Even though Aqua had tried to suppress a smile she had the entire time she spent with Azure, it was impossible. This was truly one of the rare moments of joy she had experienced in her long life.