Letty and I waited in front of the inn for a few minutes. Ira, who had also brought a fishing rod and a bucket, joined us. From the looks on their faces and their baggage, it seems that their parents have given their permission without incident.
Let's go, then.
Hey, which river are we going to today?
'Since we're here, we thought we'd head for the river outside of town. There will be less people there.
The rivers inside the city are fine, but there are not many shellfish because other people may be taking them. It is a little bit troublesome to go out of the city, but it is better than searching in the nearby river.
Good idea. There then!
'It's been a long time since I've been outside the city.
'We don't get to go out of town very often. Surprisingly, there's enough to do in the city.
Indeed. Luvera is a fine city in the countryside.
People come from all over the villages to sell their goods, travelers, merchants, adventurers and so on.
Thanks to this, there is a large market and various stores in the town, so we, the innkeepers, rarely go outside.
It has been a long time since the three of us have been outside together like this.
Why did you suddenly go out to fish today, anyway?
My father was given a bottle of fine white wine by a customer. In exchange, I'm going to cook a dish that goes well with white wine.
Ira asks, and Lettie tells him, and then recounts the events of the day.
'Ah, Abel liked wine, didn't he?
Of course, Ira knew that my father was a wine lover, so he agreed with me with a wry smile.
Ira, myself, and Lettie continued our conversation as we walked south to the gate.
There was a knight guarding the security of the city, watching the comings and goings of people.
Oh, Tori. I see from your baggage that you are fishing in the river.
However, this is a country town, not a busy royal city.
People come and go peacefully, and the knight's uncle is an old acquaintance, a guest who sometimes comes to the inn for dinner. There is no tension between them.
I thought I'd pick up some river fish, shellfish, and shrimp.
I like it. River fish are fat this time of year. It's not bad to eat them grilled with salt.
The knight gazes blankly into the air, perhaps imagining grilled fish.
If that's the case, why don't you come to our "Tori no Yadoriki-tei" today? I'll serve you grilled river fish for dinner, okay?
'If that's the case, we can serve it at our 'Golden Fertility Pavilion' too! This one has a bigger dining room, and if you want, we have a room available!
I quickly made a sales pitch, and Ira, defeated, interjected from the side.
It's times like this when people in the same business clash with each other.
Hey, come on, you two are getting a little overzealous when you haven't even caught a fish yet.
Seeing Ira and I in such a state, the knight's uncle makes a disgusted sound.
But I'm not one to back down at this point.
I'm right, aren't I? But since my father has gone to the market to buy some food, it's a definite that we'll be serving mainly seafood dishes with salted fish.
'If it's mainly seafood ......, I think I'll have dinner at Tori's inn today.'
''Ah! Tori is cheating again by using such sweet words!
Hmmm, it's not like Ira's place where they are planning to add a little something extra to the menu.
We've decided to serve mainly seafood for dinner.
This is also a good strategy.
Well then, I'm going to go to the river to the east for a while.
Yeah, there won't be any demons there, but be careful.
The knight at the gate sent us out of town with Frank.
Outside the city, we see a plain and a thick forest in the distance.
The sky was blue and clear, and the clouds floating in places seemed to be flowing pleasantly.
Unlike the previous world where the infrastructure is well-developed, the outside of the city in this other world is basically like this.
However, I prefer this scene many times better than the densely populated city with its many buildings. The air is clean.
Lettie opens her big eyes and looks into the distance to check the view.
'But we can't be this close to the city, can we?
Every day, knights and adventurers patrol the area near the town, keeping an eye out for approaching demons and checking on them.
The demons that inhabit the outskirts of the city rarely come close to the town, perhaps because they know that this area is human territory.
'Yes, but it's important to check just in case. I'll tell Abel-san if you skip it.
'I'm just saying, I'm not going to skip out, so really don't.'
Even though he's overprotective of Letty and an ex-adventurer. If he gets a tip off, there is a possibility that he will never let us out of the city again.
In order to protect myself from Ira's tip-offs, I check my surroundings carefully.
No demons in sight!
The same goes for the river we're heading down.
Then we're good to go. Let's head for the river to the east.
After checking our safety, we stagger toward the river to the east.
Within ten minutes, we could see the river. No wonder. The river here is connected to the river that runs through the city.
After confirming that there are no demons around us, we put down our luggage and look at the river.
The width of the river is about 5 meters. An adult could cross the river by jumping with a running start.
The water is very clean and very clear. You can even see the colors of the stones on the river bottom and the river fish swimming in comfort.
Just listening to the sound of the flowing water makes me feel cool.
Oh, there's a fish over there!
There's one over here, too! I wonder if you can scoop it out with your hand?'
Apparently Letty and Ira found a fish, too.
I wonder if they can be scooped by hand when they are in such shallow water.
I put my hand into the river, and the small fish that had been swimming quickly escape.
They got away.
''As expected, it's tough without a net.''
But the water is nice and cold!
The three of us could not catch the fish by hand, but the coolness of the water soothed us.
Lately it has been getting warmer after spring. The cold water will become more and more comfortable from now on.
Let's go barefoot into the river!
'I agree!
Ira and Letty agree with me, so I take off my sandals and roll up my pants.
We walk into the river, feeling the soft soil and grass.
The cold water envelops my entire foot. The coolness is refreshingly different from the feeling of putting only your hands in the water.
The coldness of the water is startling at first, but you gradually get used to it.
While I am enjoying the river water, Ira and Letty, who have finished taking off their sandals, come in.
'Wow! It's cold, but it feels so good!''
'It's like the water is massaging my feet.'
Their feet are beautiful, with no flesh wasted on them. The whiteness of their skin is dazzling even when they are in the water.
It's a sight for sore eyes to have a pretty sister and a pretty childhood friend in a beautiful river. A stimulating scent like Natalia's is not so bad, but I feel more at home with a healthy scent like this one.
But my sister has a good way of expressing it. The current of the river is a natural massage.
Just putting my feet in the water seemed to relax my muscles.
'What do you want to do first, big brother?
'Why don't you sit down for a while and then think about it?'
I agree. I think I'd rather just stay cool for now.
'That's true, too.
Letty and Ira are usually rather impatient, but this time they agreed with my opinion and took a break.