Grocery Shopping

After resting for two days, Alicia's condition had improved noticeably, though she was still weak. However, the castle had run out of food.

So Shaya and Arthur were entrusted with the shopping.

When they stepped outside, Eagle's Horn Town was blessed with another clear, sunny day. Gentle sunlight tore through the white clouds and spilled down, bathing the seaside town in brilliant gold. In the distance, the azure sea glittered beneath the sea breeze.

Ever since Shaya had first arrived, he had noticed that the weather in this town seemed pleasant every day. Cloudy days were rarely seen.

Shaya turned his head and looked up along the town's sloping road. On the hillsides far from the town, grapevines covered the mountains in neat rows.

However, these grapes were not meant for eating, but for winemaking. Though they were very sweet, they were also highly acidic.

The warm, humid climate and abundant water supply made this town an excellent place to grow grapes. The hillsides and trees also provided effective shelter from the winds of the westerlies.

Though the town was close to the sea, its main industry was actually wine rather than fishing.

Because the town's port was a deep-water harbor used by Britannia's military as a naval base, many forms of large-scale fishing and net casting were prohibited. Fishing with rods was allowed, however, and waters farther away could still be fished, so fish remained cheap.

The door ahead opened, and a woman swept dust from inside out onto the street with a broom. When she saw Arthur beside Shaya, she warmly greeted him.

"Good morning, little Arthur. Where's your grandmother?"

"She's sick," Arthur said. "She isn't feeling very well."

"Oh, that's terrible." The woman sounded crestfallen. "She was so energetic just a few days ago."

After a pause, she asked, "Is there anything I can do? I know a very skilled doctor."

"There's no need. She's mostly better today," Shaya said.

Hearing that, the woman looked up at Shaya. She studied him carefully, then asked in confusion.

"You are...?"

Shaya had mainly spent his time in the Imperial Capital these past few days. Otherwise, he usually just basked in the sun on the balcony and rarely left Eagle's Horn Town, so the locals did not know him well.

After a pause, she suddenly realized. "I know! You must be Grandma Alicia's son!"

"Yes, I'm Shaya." Shaya nodded calmly.

"I knew it!" the woman said happily. "I never expected her to have such a handsome son. How come I've never seen you before?"

"I just arrived," Shaya said. "We used to live in the Imperial Capital, but the environment there is truly terrible. The coal smoke is heavy, and the winters are too cold. It isn't suitable for elderly people.

"So I bought a house here and had her move in first."

"I see." The woman sighed. "I had been thinking that such an old lady was all alone, cleaning such a filthy house. I thought her children and grandchildren must have been unfilial, and that she was quite pitiful.

"I never imagined she had such a devoted son."

Shaya sighed. "I originally wanted to hire a couple of people to clean the house, but she probably couldn't bear to spend the money, so she came here herself without telling me."

The woman suddenly understood and said sympathetically, "Yes, some elderly people are just that stubborn. My mother was the same before she passed away. They still think they're young."

"And that's how she exhausted herself into getting sick," Shaya said helplessly.

"Once she's better, she needs to properly replenish her nutrition," the woman said. "I'll have my husband send you a cod later."

"How could I possibly accept that?" Shaya said with a smile.

"Oh, we're neighbors. We should help each other," the woman said. "Besides, we're by the sea. Fish is much cheaper here than in the Imperial Capital."

Shaya smiled and did not continue refusing her kindness. He reached into his pocket, took out a small item, and handed it to the woman.

"Then please accept this as a token of thanks."

The woman curiously accepted it. It was a red wrist cord with a small bell tied to it, exquisitely made.

"It's a little trinket I made," Shaya said. "In the East, it symbolizes health, safety, and success in all things."

The woman looked delighted. Smiling, she said, "Thank you. I really like this gift."

Shaya nodded to her, then led Arthur down the slope toward the market.

The woman watched Shaya's retreating back, touched her slightly flushed cheeks, and sighed. "What a handsome young man."

"That was Mrs. Foster, the one who gave us fish a few days ago, right?" Shaya asked.

Arthur nodded. "Her husband sells fish at the market."

After a pause, Arthur could not help saying, "Grandma Director said lying is wrong."

"White lies are sometimes necessary," Shaya said solemnly. "Otherwise, should I tell her I'm a Sorcerer?"

Arthur nodded, half understanding.

As they spoke, they arrived at the town market. It was a road stretching along the coast. On the left stood rows of houses, each one a storefront, while the right side faced the sea, where many vendors had also set up stalls.

Perhaps because there was a port, the goods were plentiful. There was not only fish, but many products that were not locally produced.

Arthur watched Shaya buy a heap of miscellaneous parts—iron wire, leather, and other things—and asked in confusion.

"Weren't we supposed to be buying ingredients?"

"Yes. For lunch, we'll have vinegar-braised iron wire and stir-fried leather," Shaya said seriously. "It's a Sorcerer's meal."

He looked at Arthur and teased, "Didn't you always want to become a Sorcerer?"

Arthur's face went slightly pale. "I don't think I'll be hungry at lunchtime."

Shaya chuckled. "You can tell good from evil, but you can't tell when someone is lying."

"You were fooling me just now?" Arthur finally realized.

"I think even Sorcerers probably wouldn't enjoy eating that stuff," Shaya said. "These are materials for making Thousand Mile Flying Boots."

"Thousand Mile Flying Boots?"

Arthur cast the earlier joke from his mind, all his attention fixed on those words.

"What do they do?" he asked excitedly.

He was very interested in such things and had been begging Shaya to teach him magic during this time.

Shaya seemed about to say something, but suddenly took a sharp step back and pulled the bewildered Arthur toward a fish stall.

"Don't make a sound," Shaya said softly. "And don't turn around."

Arthur seemed to realize something. His body stiffened slightly. Though his eyes did not move, the corner of them still curiously glanced to the side.

His senses were strong, and he almost instantly noticed something amiss.

Among the passing crowd were two very unusual "people," looking around as though searching for something. They were tall, dressed in ornate coachman uniforms, and wore blindfolds. Their skin did not look human either, more like rubber. Yet no one around them noticed.

As they slowly drew closer, Arthur's body grew stiffer and even his breathing seemed to falter.

Fortunately, the two rubber people did not discover them. Just as they were about to arrive, something seemed to catch their attention, and they turned away.

Shaya silently watched their departing backs without saying a word.

"What were those?" Arthur asked.

"Servants of the Wilderness Witch," Shaya murmured softly.

Shaya was not particularly surprised. From the moment Alicia arrived at the castle, the Wilderness Witch's arrival had only been a matter of time.

"The Wilderness Witch!" Arthur's eyes widened slightly.

Shaya asked with some interest, "You know her?"

"Alicia told me about her," Arthur said nervously. "She said she's an incredibly terrible villain."

Shaya nodded, then suddenly said.

"How about eggplant for lunch?"

"W-What?"

Arthur could not adapt to Shaya's abrupt change of pace and could not help saying.

"Shouldn't we be worrying about the Wilderness Witch right now?"

"Then are we not eating lunch?" Shaya said seriously. "You need to eat your fill before you have the strength to deal with bad guys, don't you?"

Arthur's lips twitched slightly as he complained, "Alicia said you were completely carefree. It really does seem that way."

"So, will you eat eggplant?" Shaya asked again.

"No!" Arthur shook his head. "Eggplant is the worst-tasting thing in the world."

"Good." Shaya nodded decisively. "Since you want it so badly, we'll have eggplant for lunch today!"

Arthur froze, even wondering whether he had heard wrong. Somewhat exasperated, he said, "Did you hear me wrong? I don't want it!"

But Shaya had already dragged him over to the vegetable stall to buy eggplants.