Side Story: Fran and Kune 10

We made our way back to town and displayed our catch at the Adventurers Guild.

The Largemouth was lined up alongside our other prey in the plaza, attracting many onlookers.

My initial plan was to send them in for butchering, but then the guildmaster asked us to make a public display to the townsfolk. Hence, the impromptu show we were putting on.

Honestly, I was wondering if it was okay to include Kune, who wasn’t even an adventurer, but she seemed eager to participate.

「Whoa, this thing is huge! Did you really catch this, Kune?」

「Nyahahaha! That’s right, nya! I caught it with the help of the girl over there, Fran!」

「Seriously?! Is she strong too?」

「Of course, nya!」

Kune was busy recounting her heroics to a row of children. As one might expect of her popularity, the tale also captivated many adults.

「How strong?!」

「I hate to admit it, but she’s even stronger than me, nya.」

「No way! Kune lost to someone!?」

「Lame!」

「I never said I lost, nya! There’s just no point in trying because the gap is too big, nya!」

Kune seemed to be a bit of a battle maniac, but apparently, she had accurately gauged the difference in strength between herself and Fran. Well, she only admitted defeat in the area of swordsmanship, so it’s not like she’s given up completely.

「No way! But you’re so strong, Kune! How can that little girl be stronger!?」

「Liar!」

「It’s true, nya. Fran is a divine sword wielder, and she’d probably beat me without it.」

Immediately after Kune explained our identity to the children, the crowd began to stir.

「The little girl is a divine sword wielder?」

「Which means, the sword on her back is…?」

「Marvelous! I’ve never seen one in all my years!」

Even the adults were quite surprised. Apparently, the public knew very little about Fran.

The local branch of the guild should have announced that a Rank S Divine Sword Wielder would be coming to Northern Raydoss for a request though…

Apparently, the guild was still pretty unknown in Raydoss, so it lacked the publicity to do much here. In that case, this display of butchering the Largemouth will be good PR.

Either way, the guild staff will be handling the rest of that, so we can leave it to them.

『There’s something I want. Can you take us to a place that sells fruit?』

「Fruit, nya? Hmm, I guess we can go to the merchant I know? He doesn’t do retail, but he should help if I ask, nya.」

『Alright, let’s go.』

The ongoing food shortages had caused most of the markets to be downsized. Taking its place was a system of food rationing, which now supplied approximately half of the meals in Raydoss.

However, too much regulation would cause anxiety, so citizens were allowed to choose between a few options. Thus leading to the current issue of certain ingredients running out faster than others.

In addition, the government prioritized giving supplies to eateries, allowing them to remain in business.

This gave the impression that there was still plenty of food, easing the worries of a famine. In truth, the second and third waves of aid were already being put into motion, so Raydoss’s supplies should return to stable levels within a few months.

Our destination was one of the trading companies for supplying food to the eateries.

「Master, what are you looking for?」

『Preferably apples. If not, I’d like to find a local fruit that can act as a good substitute.』

This will serve as an ingredient for ultra-sweet curry, sweet enough to suit the tastes of Raydoss’s citizens.

We’ve already got honey, so the only missing ingredient is apples. If none are available, something like bananas or mangoes could work well in curry too.

Of course, the fruits of this world can taste completely different from their Earth counterparts, so I’m prepared to settle for something similar.

「Nya! Medol, you here? I need to talk to you, nya!」

「Ugh, not this stupid cat again. What kind of trouble are you bringing me this time?」

「There he is, nya! Let’s get straight down to business!」

「I have nothing to discuss with you!」

The rugged-looking guy was yelling at Kune with a vein bulging on his forehead. He didn’t look nearly as cooperative as Kune made him out to be.

「But I have a favor to ask, nya!」

「No, no! I don’t want to hear it!」

Perhaps he owed Kune so much that he couldn’t refuse her favors or something. Fortunately for him though, Fran and I were his business partners today.

「I want you to sell some fruit to Fran here, nya!」

「What? Just selling fruit? Isn’t she some famous adventurer? I heard she’s here to teach Raydoss about spices or something…」

As expected of a merchant, he had a good source of information. From there, our conversation went very smoothly. After all, Fran was essentially a guest of the North Conquest Duke, and his company was positioned to profit if spice-based recipes became popular in Raydoss.

「This is what we have in stock.」

「Hoho.」

Medol brought out ten different types of fruits and arranged them in a line. Some were familiar, but there were also a few I had never seen before.

Among them, one in particular caught my eye. It perfectly matched the shape of an apple, yet the color was a grape-like purple, both inside and out. It was also slightly smaller, about the size of a mandarin orange.

Apparently, these were a relatively common fruit in the area called “purple apples”. But what about the taste and texture?

I had Fran take a small bite, which produced the crisp sound characteristic of an apple.

『How does it taste?』

「Sweet, and a little sour. But not bad.」

『Do you think it would go well with curry if we grated it down?』

「…It would.」

Fran closed her eyes and thought over the scenario for a few seconds, before going wide-eyed and nodding emphatically. There’s no room for doubt if Fran puts it that way. We tried the other fruits too, but only the purple apples received Fran’s seal of approval. Our path forward had been decided.

『Alright, let’s make ultra-sweet curry using this fruit and honey!』

「Yeah!」

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