Chapter 4
“Phew... I guess I have to walk from here...?”
As the lights in the distance began to come into view, I landed quietly and used polymorph to hide my wings.
A person with dragon wings would attract attention, whether in a good way or a bad one.
Since I wanted to keep a low profile, I set aside all the options that seemed less than ideal and chose the safest one.
“...Come to think of it, there probably isn't a checkpoint or anything, right...?”
In the game, map transitions were represented by nothing more than loading screens. But this was a world where real people lived.
I had no idea what to expect, so I cautiously started forward, one step at a time.
A woman carrying blue-glowing herbs and crystals in her arms would look incredibly suspicious to anyone who didn't know her.
If there weren't any guards, that would be great. But if there were, my only options would be to sneak in or casually greet them and act as naturally as possible.
“First... I won't know unless I try... And if I have enough money, I'd like to stay at an inn for the night...”
The hot-spring inn in northern Karts, where I'd stayed countless times as the protagonist to advance the story.
The thought that I could actually visit it made me feel quite excited.
Visiting the places I'd only ever seen on a screen in the game was something I really looked forward to.
“Phew... Well... I don't see any guards or sentries...”
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any kind of entry inspection to get into Karts's bustling district and market, and I couldn't see any guards posted nearby.
It was probably difficult to station guards everywhere out here on the outskirts.
I cautiously began making my way toward Karts's market district.
The quiet street was lit by a few softly glowing magic lanterns, spaced far apart since this place wasn't as developed as the modern world.
And even though it was nighttime and there weren't many people about, the taverns were still full of lively noise.
Seeing with my own eyes the sights I'd only ever looked at in the game, through a computer screen, stirred a strange feeling in me.
My eyes grew a little misty with something close to overwhelming joy and emotion at seeing in person the scenery I'd loved so much.
“Ugh... T-the wind...”
Feeling embarrassed in case anyone nearby had noticed, I made a little excuse and hurried down the street as if fleeing, searching for a general store.
I remembered there being a general store, a magic-supplies shop, and an alchemy-supplies shop all along this street.
My memory couldn't be wrong, so I quietly walked along and looked around.
“The Bonfire on the Snowfield... That was definitely the name of the inn from the game... So there should be one around here...”
Ah, there it is.
That place with the beige canvas covering the entrance was definitely the general store.
With the scene so clear in my memory, I hugged the crystals and Snow Ghost Grass to my chest, hurried over to the general store, and quietly lifted the canvas to look inside.
Swish—
“Hmm? Who...?”
“Ah... Is your shop open right now...?”
In response, a man with a splendid mustache quietly nodded and smiled.
“What brings a pretty young lady here at this hour?”
“Ahaha... I came to ask if your general store buys things like crystals or herbs.”
At my words, the man quietly rose to his feet and began looking at the items in my arms.
“...Miss, I have quite a few questions I'd like to ask you, but I won't ask where you're from or anything like that. First, could you tell me where you got those items?”
“Oh, these... I happened upon them up in the snowfields. I saw a little blue light in a crack in a cliff.”
“Hmm... You don't look like you're lying, miss, but the northern snowfields are home to quite a few ferocious wild animals.”
“I was lucky today. It was quiet, without a single monster or wild animal. Of course, I did find it strange too... But even if it was strange, wouldn't this be better than passing up the opportunity?”
The man gave a light nod as if he agreed with me, then chuckled warmly.
“I see, you're right, miss~ Going out to gather on a day when the snowfields are strangely quiet is the right thing to do. But unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't offer you a price for the things you've brought.”
I quietly tilted my head as I looked at him.
His eyes were fixed on the items, as though he couldn't believe such useful things had ended up in the hands of someone so unexpected. Yet he was telling me he couldn't buy them.
“Uh... May I ask... why?”
If I could just sell these and get paid, I could enjoy a warm dinner and spend the night at an inn with a hot, relaxing bath that would warm me to the core.
As my hopes seemed to crumble before my eyes and my expression darkened, the man quietly offered me a solution.
“Don't be too disappointed. I only mean that this general store can't take them. The items you've brought should fetch a good price at a shop that deals in alchemy ingredients.”
“Oh, an alchemy shop... Should I go to the one right next door?”
“That's right. The owner may look a little gloomy, but she's a good person, so don't worry and go on~ Unlike me, she won't give you a hard time~”
Perhaps he noticed that I'd been wary when answering his earlier questions. He said that and gestured toward the next shop.
“Ah, thank you. I'll stop by again sometime~”
I didn't feel like I had all that much time either, so I carefully left the general store and looked toward the shop next door.
How should I put it? The windows seemed to be covered by a blackout spell, and when I focused on the dim interior, I could gradually see through the magic concealing it.
A pot full of potions was bubbling on one side, and I could see a witch stirring it.
I'd forgotten to ask what year it was, so I couldn't be sure yet, but seeing Ibella—the witch who'd appeared as an NPC in the game—meant it probably wasn't too far removed from the events I remembered.
In that case, this was likely set a few years before the beginning of the Guardian Knight of White Snow arc.
And the spell concealing this shop was surely one Ibella had put a lot of effort into designing. But perhaps because I was Mircania, a dragon with a gift for magic, I dispelled it without much trouble.
How should I put it? All it took was the simple, faint desire to see what was on the other side with my own eyes, and I was able to break through the spell and look inside.
It was rather fascinating. I began to understand that my will alone could manifest as a magical ability, or at least produce something comparable to one.
Dragons weren't ordinary creatures, after all, nor were they weak.
Perhaps that meant I had enough power to protect myself even if things went wrong. That was a little reassuring.
Knock, knock—
“May I come in?”
Creeeeak—
But I couldn't spend forever lost in thought and wasting time, so I quietly knocked on the door. It opened on its own, as if inviting me in.
“Yaaawn... What brings you to my shop at this hour... Crystals?”
As expected of Ibella, who went starry-eyed over ingredients for alchemy and potion-making, she paid no attention to my face or body and focused on the crystals in my arms instead.
“I came to sell these crystals... and some Snow Ghost Grass. Do you buy them?”
“Of course. If you're bringing crystals all the way here to sell, that's great for me. They're a pain to go out and gather. Same goes for that Snow Ghost Grass.”
They were materials found in the northern snowfields, an environment so harsh that humans could barely survive there, so Ibella seemed interested in them right away.
But if she was willing to buy them, that was good enough for me. There was no need to overthink it.
“How much do you think I could get for these?”
“Hold on, what's the rush? Did you steal these or something?”
I gave an awkward smile and shook my head at Ibella, who looked at me suspiciously.
I was a little embarrassed to say I was in such a hurry because I was hungry.
I simply waited, watching the witch, Ibella, as she stared intently at the crystals.
“Hmm... These crystals are pretty pure. They'd be good for all sorts of things... But alchemy isn't the only use for them. Couldn't you sell them to a blacksmith?”
“Ahaha... That was just the first place that came to mind.”
“...Really? Well, that's fine by me. I'll give you about 15 gold for the crystals, and 5 gold for the Snow Ghost Grass, so 20 gold total. Sound good?”
Even if I'd only gotten 12 gold, that would've been fine. Twenty gold was more than I'd expected, so I happily nodded.
“Yes, that's fine. That's more than I expected, actually.”
“All right, have a good day. Though it's already night.”
“Yes, you have a good day too~”
I gave Ibella a bright smile, turned around, and left the alchemy shop.
Now that I had enough money, it was time to fill my truly ravenous stomach.