High & Half and the Town of Wheat (6)

However, even though Nonna had agreed to look after Win, I wasn't about to happily leave him in her care and head off to the forge.

Win's impression of Nonna must have been excellent, thanks to the delicious food and her kind, attentive care.

Win was adorable as he cautiously brought the wooden spoon to his mouth, then stared in surprise at the taste, his eyes lighting up.

But even so, Win still hadn't completely gotten used to Nonna.

At least for the first month or so, I thought I should spend time with the two of them and help them build a relationship.

Besides, if Win grew incredibly attached to Nonna and completely forgot me while I was off at the forge, I'd be so heartbroken I'd probably collapse in tears.

And so today, the three of us were touring Jampemon with Nonna as our guide.

Though in practice, our main purpose was to eat sweets for the first time in ages.

Apparently, Nonna's recommendation was a shop that served tarts made with abundant fruit from Ardeno, both a neighboring kingdom and a neighboring town.

Once I'd heard that, of course I wanted to try one, and I wanted to let Win try it, too.

Of course, once we left Jampemon, it would be a luxury we couldn't easily obtain even if we wanted it, so I planned to indulge only enough that it wouldn't become a habit.

Speaking of Ardeno reminded me of the apple pie made for me by the wife of the fruit farmer I'd helped before... I think his name was Ajilte?

If I got the chance, I'd love to eat it again, but would they even remember me?

As I led Win by the hand and walked through town at his pace, people looked our way from all around us.

At first, those gazes were merely curious, but most quickly turned into warm, friendly ones.

So far, I hadn't sensed any malicious intent.

When I was traveling alone, I hadn't paid it much attention, but now that I had Win with me, I appreciated the town's safety even more than its prosperity.

Or perhaps it was precisely because everyone had enough to eat and lived comfortably that they had the leisure and peace of mind to remain so calm and gentle.

As I walked along, impressed and feeling a little grateful, I noticed a man staring at my face in surprise.

That face, lingering at the edge of my memory, looked familiar... Ah, yes. He was a staff member of the blacksmiths' guild in the Duchy of Travoyia.

He had been one of several staff members, so he hadn't made much of an impression on me. However, unlike Nonna, he had already been an adult back then and hadn't changed much, so I somehow managed to remember him.

When I gave him a slight bow in greeting, he beamed... but perhaps he noticed Win and Nonna standing beside me.

He didn't call out. He simply bowed in return and walked away.

I appreciated his consideration, but judging by the way he acted, I might be asked to take on some work in the near future.

Of course, under normal circumstances, that would have been wonderful news.

After all, it had been five or six years since I'd last done blacksmithing work in this town.

Five years is by no means a short time for a human; for a high elf like me, that's another matter.

What's more, I'd only worked in this town for a few weeks that time.

And yet that staff member remembered me—or rather, remembered my work—and had been so happy to see me again. How could I not be pleased?

Still, I'd decided to spend a while longer with Win instead of working, so if someone asked me to take on a blacksmithing job now, I'd probably turn it down.

I felt a little guilty about that—no, fairly guilty—but I couldn't let it change my priorities.

When Win's feet grew tired and he began to slow down during our walk through town, we reached the pastry shop known for its delicious tarts.

Nonna spoke to the startled clerk and, with practiced ease, secured us a table inside.

Judging by how smoothly she handled everything, she must have been a regular at the shop.

As we ate the tarts at our table, we talked about what I'd done since my previous visit to Jampemon and subsequent departure.

I told her about traveling to the neighboring Kingdom of Ardeno, crossing Lake Tsiar by boat, and journeying as far as Odine.

Of all that, what interested Nonna most was this:

“Ohhh, so elves like apples. If our inn started serving apple dishes, maybe lots of elves would come stay with us...?”

Apparently, most elves liked apples.

For some reason, she nodded as if impressed, then wiped the tart off Win's cheeks and around his mouth with a cloth.

Win was still too young to understand stories about traveling, of course, but he watched me and Nonna talk, looking happy and content.

“Well, I do think this raspberry tart is delicious, too. Ah, I guess elves do like fruit after all. ...Though I like wheat, meat, fish, and vegetables—all of them.”

Of all the places I'd traveled, Jampemon in the Duchy of Travoyia had offered the greatest variety of dishes made with wheat.

Meat was harder to rank, since it was available in so many places.

As for fish, the coastal Republic of Virestrica was unquestionably number one.

Fish was also eaten in the small states around Lake Tsiar and along its many outflowing rivers, but the difference between sea and river fish was considerable.

Vegetables were also hard to rank, since the varieties harvested differed greatly from place to place. Come to think of it, the wild greens from the Purha Great Forest were exceptionally good, and the dishes made from them that I ate in Vistcoat, in the Kingdom of Rudoria, were delicious.

Though I suppose wild greens might not really count as vegetables...

Win was still too young for a long journey on foot.

But once he'd grown a little older, I wanted to take him on journeys where we could travel around sampling all sorts of delicious food.

Of course, perhaps we could manage even now by using a carriage, but I wanted to avoid that option whenever possible in case monsters or bandits attacked while I was weakened by motion sickness.

Ah, or perhaps I could keep a horse, lead it by the reins myself, and walk along while Win rode on its back.

I must really like traveling, after all.

So I wanted Win to come to love traveling too, provided he didn't dislike it.

And I wanted the two of us to see all sorts of places together.

Compared with mine, his life was not nearly so long.