The Great Empire of a Distant Land (3)

And so, I was shown to a table in the tavern and sat down.

No, I mean, when it comes to gathering information, a tavern is obviously the place to go.

Well, I can't say I didn't also want to drink my fill and eat something delicious for the first time in a while.

Ah, apparently they call taverns wine houses here.

"Well then, foreign brother, what'll you have to drink?"

When the young female server who had come to my table asked me that, I looked at the wall she was pointing to and saw plaques listing what appeared to be various kinds of alcohol.

Millet liquor, rice liquor, grape wine, apple wine, and apricot wine.

The first two were grain-based liquors, and the latter three were fruit wines.

I hesitated for a moment.

A tavern's range of drinks was also proof that the town was prosperous.

Or rather, in most countries, if you simply asked for a drink, they would bring you whatever alcohol was most popular in that country, and that would be the end of it.

They might bring you something else if you specifically asked, but if it was imported, the price would skyrocket.

"...There are a lot of drinks here I've never tried. What do you recommend?"

I had only just arrived in this country, so I had never tried any of them and had no basis for choosing.

Grape wine and apple wine probably used the same ingredients as wine and cider, respectively, but the flavor of an alcoholic drink could change completely depending on where the fruit was grown and how it was made.

So when I'm unsure, I ask someone.

Especially since the staff knew the combinations that went best together; if I followed their advice, the odds of getting something disappointing would become... not zero, but lower.

"You're treating me, right? Well, I like sweet apricot wine."

I couldn't help giving her a wry smile as she said that with a grin.

Whether they were crossing a border, entering a town, exchanging gemstones, or dealing with me now, the people of this land were shrewd and tough—greedy and sly, in a bad sense, or resourceful, in a good one.

Whether I came away with a good or bad impression varied from situation to situation, but...

"Then, for now, two apricot wines and something delicious that goes with them. And since I've only just arrived in this country, could you tell me about White River Province?"

My impression of this female server was by no means a bad one.

Besides, I had learned one thing: when someone approached me seeking their own advantage, simply accepting it meant I would only be taken advantage of.

So when that happened, I had to step forward and seek an advantage for myself as well.

"You're a man who knows how to do business, brother. I like it. Ask me anything. I like generous people—and handsome people."

In doing so, both sides exchanged benefits, and an interaction began.

The people who lived in this land probably enjoyed that sort of exchange.

Thinking of it that way, I began to find it somewhat fun.

This was understanding.

Though I did wonder whether it was really appropriate for her to be so eager to drink while on duty as a server.

Apparently she was the wine house owner's only daughter, and as long as she did her work serving customers, she was given considerable freedom in other matters.

It was an exceptionally lax establishment.

For the next hour or so, she would come to my table between tasks, nibble on various things and chat, then return to serving whenever a customer called for her.

"Oh, you're an elf, brother? I'm Suu. Huh... Elf isn't a name, is it? It's a race? Aren't you a Forest Folk?"

Suu, as she introduced herself, had a lot of interesting things to say.

For example, in the eastern regions, elves were called Forest Folk.

...Come to think of it, Rayhon, the fallen immortal and vampire I'd met before, had called me a Forest Folk too.

If so, he must have been from the eastern regions as well.

In any case, apparently the Forest Folk lived in Huanggu Province, the central province of the Huanggu Empire.

They rarely ventured out into other provinces, so they were apparently a rare sight even in the eastern regions.

"We can't enter Huanggu Province, so we hardly ever see Forest Folk. The old folks in the countryside will probably be grateful to see you, brother. Oh, boiled chicken is my recommendation next."

...She called it a recommendation, but I couldn't help feeling that she was ordering something she herself wanted to eat. Still, the information she gave me was useful, so I went along with it.

In fact, every dish Suu brought me was delicious and paired well with the alcohol.

Using chopsticks, I brought the beef remaining on my plate to my mouth.

Yes, people here ate with chopsticks.

Elves lived in Huanggu Province, but the area around them was enclosed by walls, and outsiders were not allowed to enter.

So, was the emperor of the Huanggu Empire an elf? Apparently that wasn't the case.

"...The emperor? Um, the emperor of the Huanggu Empire is the Dragon Jade Emperor. They say the Dragon Jade Emperor is an immortal who never ages. Ah, you don't believe me? That's no good, brother. If some important person catches you not believing in the emperor, you'll be arrested. That's a crime."

She leaned close and whispered, then laughed.

No, it wasn't that I didn't believe her; I simply found it strange that an immortal who sought to become one with nature was the emperor of a vast empire.

I didn't merely believe in the existence of immortals; I knew they existed.

I also heard that the people of White River Province worshiped a white spirit cat said to have two tails, and that the Huanggu Empire had no profession called adventurer; instead, hunting monsters was the job of soldiers or self-defense groups.

Just from listening to Suu, I could tell quite clearly that this was a place where my common sense did not apply.

Incidentally, in the central region, young people with strength to spare—those who might otherwise become adventurers—apparently became wandering swordsmen or knight-errants, in addition to joining the army or self-defense groups.

I found these knight-errants a little difficult to understand, but apparently they weren't merely thugs; they became people who valued loyalty and justice, stood up to the strong, and helped the weak.

To that end, they were even said to be willing to break the law at times.

...From what I heard, they seemed like something between adventurers and yakuza, but that was merely my own impression, so I kept it to myself.

Suu passionately insisted that possessing a chivalrous spirit was the most important requirement for a knight-errant, and anyone without one was a fake. The fact that she went out of her way to say so probably meant there were that many fake knight-errants around her.

Or perhaps she had suffered some kind of harm at the hands of one of those fake knight-errants.

The man she said was the real thing was Jizo, occupying a corner of the wine house and surveying the entire establishment—the tavern's hired guard.

Setting aside whether Jizo was a knight-errant or anything else, what drew my interest to him was that he was clearly not human.

Jizo was, in fact, one of the Earthfolk, a race that lived mainly in the northern part of the Huanggu Empire, in Black Snow Province.

Earthfolk were a race that had thin, scale-like pieces of rock, minerals, and gemstones attached to their bodies; they were strong and sturdy, and could withstand hunger and thirst.

That was why they could live in Black Snow Province, which was apparently a harsh environment.

Moreover, their social status was determined by whether the scale-like material attached to their bodies was rock, mineral, or gemstone; in that order, these corresponded to the commoner, warrior, and noble classes.

Of course, the distinctions between rock, mineral, and gemstone were vague, so apparently they were not something other races could easily determine.

After all, by definition, an aggregate of multiple minerals could be classified as a rock.

At first glance, it looked as though rock had grown from Jizo's body, but... those were probably obsidian, a black volcanic glass.

So I wasn't quite sure whether they were considered ordinary stone or gemstones.

Since he had left Black Snow Province to work as a wine house's hired guard in White River Province, I didn't think he was regarded as a noble, though.

Well, if I got the opportunity, I would ask him directly.

It might make him angry, but that could give us an opening to start a conversation.

While I was looking over at him and talking with Suu, my eyes happened to meet Jizo's.

He immediately lowered his gaze and bowed.

I was certainly a customer at the establishment, but I was the one who had been watching him, so... he struck me as an exceptionally polite person.

Also, I had the feeling that he was... incredibly strong.

As time passed, the number of customers in the wine house gradually increased.

It would soon be mealtime.

Suu was busy serving as well, and came to my table less often.

It was about time to leave; the timing felt right.

I felt I could still drink a little more, but my stomach was reasonably full.

With things like this, it's better to leave yourself wanting a little more than to be completely satisfied—it gives you something to look forward to next time.

After paying the bill and stepping outside, I let out a huge yawn.

Once my belly was full, sleepiness set in.

I would head back to the inn and lounge around for a while.

My breath probably reeked of alcohol by now.

It was just a little lonely that there was no one around to reproach me for it.