LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 10: Exploring the City
Chatter Clatter Clacking
The hustle and bustle of the city could be heard as the morning sun rose in the horizon. Compared to the forest's morning symphony of birds chirping and leaves rustling, the city was very much livelier.
Woken up by the bustling noises, Grey was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling as he woke up in an equally unfamiliar room. Although he had spent the night familiarizing his new room, it still felt strange for him to wake up in a different room.
But more than that, Grey had become increasingly worried, thinking about what he should do for his outing (date) with Yuna. Especially since it was also his first time in a medieval fantasy city.
While Grey had experienced a date during his teen years in his previous life, it has already been a long time since then. There is also the problem that cities on Earth and Merusia are different from one another. After all, there are no such things as magic tools back on Earth.
"Ah, forget it..." ［Grey］
Giving up on thinking too hard about it, Grey decided to go with what a normal date would normally have. As long as Yuna could have fun, Grey thought that everything would be alright.
But there was one slight problem... money.
Deducting all their expenses, Grey and Yuna only have a little more than 150 kiels in their possession. Of course, that is not counting the bizarre things in the "Inventory".
In Merusia, the average minimum wage lies at around 80 kiels, an amount which is not too much nor too less. But if one would want to spend an extravagant day, forget 150, one would need at least double of that.
There are many things in their possession that they could sell such as monster drops, but they still haven't registered in a guild so such a method was difficult. Especially when the two still looked young. People will most likely look at them with dubious eyes if they sell high-quality drops.
"Oh, you're up already, Grey?" ［Helen］
Whilst thinking about where to earn money, Grey descended down the stairs and while he was doing so, he was greeted by a question from Helen who was carrying a basket full of laundry.
"Ah, yeah. I was thinking aboー" ［Grey］
It was then that an idea popped into Grey's mind, making him stop midway as he responded to Helen's question.
"Ah, Helen, you serve meat in this inn, right?" ［Grey］
"Yes, we do... why...?" ［Helen］
Rather than words, Grey answered Helen with a bright smile plastered on his face, thrusting the latter into confusion.
Grey then shortly explained that he had some horned rabbit meat in his possession, and asked if the inn would be interested in buying some from him.
At first, Helen was doubtful of Grey but the moment she heard what it was for, her eyes sparkled and her attitude immediately changed as she dragged Grey towards the kitchen.
Unknown to Grey, Helen was actually quite famous to the customers, not only because of her friendly and cheerful character, but because of her other tendency. She was the type of character who'll happily help out other people and give them advice, especially when it comes to romance.
The moment Helen heard the word "outing", a switch suddenly flipped inside her brain and translated the word automatically into the word "date". Suddenly, her goals switched from "hanging the laundry" to "making sure her customers have the best date ever". A change that took place in less than a fraction of a second.
"Hey, Helen, what kind of shenanigans are you up to now?" ［???］
A raspy voice echoed in the kitchen. Grey and Helen walked in. The voice seemed to have been owned by a burly bearded man in his forties, holding a spatula in his left hand and a pan in the right.
"Dad, didn't you say you wanted to buy some horned rabbit meat?" ［Helen］
Apparently, the man was Helen's father. Something that was hard to believe as the alleged father and daughter looked nothing alike.
"I did, but what had that got to do with that young man?" ［Helen's Father］
While some fathers will be cautious seeing their daughter bring a man they didn't know, Helen's father on the other hand was quite calm. In fact, he felt some pity that Grey had unknowingly been dragged into her daughter's shenanigans.
"Listen, Grey here said he had some of them. Could you please buy all of them? Please～?" ［Helen］
Helen pleaded with upturned eyes which any father wouldn't be able to resist. Unfortunately, Helen had used that trick one too many times. His father had already grown immune to it.
On the contrary, the father seemed to be quite irritated by his daughter's behavior. It made him think where he went wrong in raising her.
"Haa... Your name was Grey, was it young man?" ［Helen's Father］
"Ah, y-yes... It's a pleasure to meet you." ［Grey］
"No need to be formal. I'm Gerd, this idiotic girl's father. I apologize in advance if she causes you any trouble." ［Gerd］
"Hey, dad!" ［Helen］
In retaliation to her father's words, Helen raised up her voice and started bantering with her father. The act of the two bantering made Grey think how close of a relationship the two had.
The two continued their argument for a few minutes, and it wasn't until a middle-aged woman entered the kitchen and pinched the two's ears that they stopped. It was also worth noting that their screams were synchronized when the woman pinched their ears.
"Dear customer, I'm sorry for the commotion these two caused." ［Woman］
"Ah, no. It's alright. After all, I was the cause of the commotion." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, it's nice to see a well-mannered young man these days... Oh, how rude of me. My name's Selia, Gerd's wife and Helen's mother." ［Selia］
"I'm Grey, I just checked in yesterday with my companion. I'll be in your care." ［Grey］
After sorting out the commotion, Grey was finally able to get to the topic of selling the horned rabbit meat. And the inn which really needed to have some agreed with the proposition the moment they saw the said meat.
In his possession, Grey had 8 whole rabbits weighing about 2 to 3 kilos each. All of the 8 horned rabbit carcasses were still fresh due to the "Inventory's" time-stopping abilities and were also prepared carefully using Grey's knowledge.
Normally, the price of the meat would lay around 30 kiels per kilo, but seeing how fresh and tender the meat was, the inn bought the meat at the price of 35 kiels per kilo, earning Grey almost 600 kiels.
Just in time when Grey finished the transaction, Yuna just woke up from her sleep with a terrible bedhead. It seemed like she had a hard time sleeping the night before.
With a bath and a little help from magic, Yuna's appearance transformed from one who just woke up to that of an angel who descended from heaven. It was then that Grey realized how beautiful Yuna actually was.
Hair smoother than silk, skin fairer than pearls, eyes deeper than the blue sea, and a figure akin to that of a goddess as she was illuminated from the gentle sunlight passing through the windows, Yuna's beauty was one which many people, both men and women would be mesmerized in.
Even when Grey compared Yuna to the celebrities and beauty queens he saw on television, he could confidently say was not inferior to them. In fact, she might even be one of the most beautiful among them.
At first, Grey thought that it was because she was an elf but when he saw the elves inside the city yesterday, although they were beautiful, Yuna was on a whole nother league.
It may have been because the two had lived together that Grey had gotten used to Yuna's face that he had been able to act normally towards her. But now that they were about to go on an outing (date), he couldn't stop thinking about her.
"Is there something on my face?" ［Yuna］
"Ah, no... I was just thinking about what we'll be having for breakfast." ［Grey］
With his embarrassed face redder than an apple, Grey swiftly looked away from Yuna and dodged the topic skillfully as he headed to the kitchen.
Thankfully, Yuna was still a little flustered at the thought of having a date with Grey that she didn't notice how red Grey's ears were. Well, the girl herself also had those red ears, they were even twitching excitedly.
Following Grey's lead, Yuna then also went to the dining hall and had breakfast there. And contrary to their previous actions, they were able to act normally towards one another, just finishing their meals as the second bell rang.
Inside towns, bells would ring 6 times a day, with a three-hour interval between each bell. The first bell would be rang at 6 AM, just as the sun had risen, and the last bell would be at 9 PM when the sun had started to set.
"We're here." ［Grey］
"So this is what they call a theater..." ［Yuna］
Following Helen's recommendations, the first place Grey and Yuna visited was a theater. It was located just a few minutes from the inn and was easily visible because of its large size.
Outside the theater, people formed a long line towards the entrance where they paid for the tickets. Some people could also be seen buying snacks from food stalls as they waited in line.
Inside the theater, there were many rows and columns of seats, divided into different sections. There were also seats located on the second floor, which seemed to receive only the special guests.
"Grey, the play's starting!" ［Yuna］
Like a little child, Yuna's eyes glowed with excitement as she saw the actors and props enter the stage. Not only her eyes, the expression on her face was also priceless.
The play started and the crowd soon became quiet. The play presented in front was a tale of a hero who battled against a dragon in order to save his kingdom. It was a popular tale which was famous throughout the world.
Although the story was good, what captured Grey's attention the most was the way the actors and actresses acted their roles. Each of their movements and facial expressions were flawless as if they've experienced the story itself. The way they speak, the pacing of their movements, their synchronization, everything was perfect. It made Grey understand why people watch the play over and over again.
The more the story progressed, the more immersed Yuna became. The nervousness which she once felt when she went out of the inn could no longer be seen. All that could be seen on her face was excitement and admiration.
Although Grey was paying attention to the play, as he had already known the plot from the knowledge God imprinted on him, it wasn't as exciting to him. Rather than the play, what Grey enjoyed the most was Yuna's expression as the scenes went by.
"Waa～ that was fun!" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, let's watch another one when we have the time." ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Following their momentum, Grey and Yuna then went to the next destination located about a kilometer west of the theaters. It was a horse stable where people could learn how to ride horses.
On the way there, Yuna and Grey talked about which part of the plays they like and which characters they became a fan of. Yuna was especially enthusiastic when she talked about the protagonist of the story.
The moment they arrived at the stables, Grey quickly paid the rental fees for the horses and the staff quickly taught them what they should do and the things they have to avoid doing.
Since both Grey and Yuna have no experience in horse riding, both of them initially thought it would be good to learn since they had the opportunity, but the moment the two of them rode the horses....
"Ahhhh! Grey, heeelp! Help mee～!!" ［Yuna］
... the two immediately regretted their decision. It was especially hard for Yuna who didn't have any "knowledge" like Grey did. She had just been screaming on top of her lungs the entire time.
The moment the two got off the horses, they laid nauseous to the ground, if it weren't for the fact that they were used to difficult maneuvers, they would have probably thrown up from such a horrid experience.
Luckily, there was a garden nearby the stables, a place where the two could calm down as they realized the true terror of horse riding.
Inside the garden, there were a myriad of flowers. Roses, tulips, orchids, lilies, daisies, yarrows, heliotropes, daffodils, and a lot of plants foreign from Earth filled the ground. There were even rainbow colored roses amongst them.
Compared to when Grey and Yuna were horse riding, the time they spent in the garden was much more pleasant. It reminded the two of them of the scent of the forest they once lived in.
Moreover, the flowers were also very fragrant. Just by a single glance, and once could easily tell that they were full of vitality, showing just how much care the gardeners took of them.
The one who enjoyed the garden the most was Yuna. As part of the race who are said to be the closest with nature, being surrounded by flowers, Yuna's beauty became even more pronounced. It was as if she was the one who bloomed the most beautifully in the garden.
By the time Grey and Yuna left the garden, it was already high noon, and grabbing the opportunity, the two went towards the nearby plaza where stalls of all kinds and sizes were lined up neatly, with a large fountain as a centerpiece.
Food, jewelry, clothes, and even toys, everywhere one would look, stalls with different personalities could be seen, and along those stalls were the voices of people as they buy and sell things from one another.
"Do you want to eat that?" ［Grey］
Grey pointed at the barbecue stall which was currently grilling skewers, as he saw Yuna's eyes become fixated on them.
"Ah, no, Iー" ［Yuna］
"Don't worry, I earned some money a while ago. So don't hold yourself back and let's eat until you're full, okay?" ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's words, Yuna nodded shyly with an embarrassed face. It seemed like she really wanted to eat a skewer but held herself back after thinking about how much money they had left.
"Waaa～ it's so juicy!" ［Yuna］
Yuna announced as she took a bite into a skewer. It was different from how Grey's cooking would taste, but it was delicious nonetheless. Following her lead, Grey also dug into his skewer, and showed a face of enjoyment just like Yuna did.
The meat of the skewer was not too tender nor too firm, the ratio of fat to lean meat was also just right. Not to mention that the sweetness of the sauce complimented the juices of the meat, it was a food which one wouldn't be tired of even if they had eaten it everyday. Not only the mouth, even the eyes and the nose will feast from such a perfectly made skewer.
After eating the meat skewers, the two then went to various stalls and ate a variety of foods. From grilled fishes and roasted chicken to stews and salads, each and every food was a delicacy.
"Fuah～ those meals sure were delicious..." ［Grey］
"Un... But Grey's cooking is still the best." ［Yuna］
"Hahaha, I'm flattered. Then should I borrow the kitchen and kitchen and cook you some dinner?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Towards Grey's proposal, Yuna nodded her head in happiness, making Grey happy that someone appreciated his cooking.
Although she had eaten Grey's cooking almost everyday in the forest, those meals were something she would never get tired of. After all, the one cooking it was someone very dear to her.
With lunch finished, the two continued exploring the city at their own pace, buying things here and there and watching events left and right. The city was so large that even when they had spent the entire day on exploration, they still weren't able to cover half of it.
"Miss, you look so beautiful!!" ［Employee］
Along the way of their exploration, Yuna and Grey happened to chance upon a boutique selling clothes targeted to women. It was not a very large establishment, but one could easily feel the elegance in the air, just by looking at it.
Although it took Grey a long time to convince Yuna, in the end, he became victorious and managed to force Yuna into buying new clothes for her. After all, a beautiful woman must be adorned by beautiful clothes.
In their first few weeks they had lived together, Grey had done his best to make clothes for Yuna, basing the designs on what he remembered from his past life and the knowledge from God. And while they can't be called bad, clothes made by professionals are on a wholly different level.
Currently, Yuna was wearing a sleeveless white dress coupled with a simple bead necklace and a summer-style hat. Although the outfit itself was simple, the moment Yuna put it on herself, it was as if the dress became much prettier.
"Don't you agree too, Mister?" ［Employee］
The female employee asked Grey with eyes full of expectation. Not only her, one could slightly notice how Yuna was also looking forward to Grey's answer.
"Yeah, you look cute!" ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's answer with a gentle smile on his face, Yuna's heart started to beat faster as overwhelming happiness surged towards it. At that moment, she felt as if she was the happiest woman in the world.
But before Grey could notice her face which had become redder than a ripe tomato, Yuna used the summer hat she was wearing a few moments ago to cover her face and her similarly red ears.
Few hours passed and the sky had turned into the color of amber. With it, the day of enjoyment and relaxation was about to end. There was only one more thing that Grey wanted to do.
"Yuna, can you wait a little bit?" ［Grey］
"Sure..." ［Yuna］
On their way back to the "Rabbit's Den", Grey suddenly stopped on his tracks and went to a nearby stall. The moment he came back, he brought a pair of sweets resembling lollipops from Earth.
"Here." ［Grey］
"Thanks." ［Yuna］
The moment Yuna ate the candy, a burst of sweetness burst in her mouth. At the same time, a burst of happiness could also be felt rushing inside her heart.
Yuna had always thought the days she spent with Grey were special and precious, each in their own rights. But at that moment, she had realized what a "special" day really meant.
"So, how is it?" ［Grey］
"It's sweet!" ［Yuna］
As the sun started to set, Yuna's smile illuminated by the dimming sunlight became more beautiful than the sunset itself. For in that moment, her feelings, like the candy she was eating, had become sweeter than anything else.
CHAPTER 10 END