Enjoy the City

As time passed, the sun neared its peak. One by one, people began leaving the auction market. Some walked away with parts of a monster's body, beaming with joy, while others returned home empty-handed and looking grim.

The scorching heat forced us to take shelter beneath a large tree. I dropped onto a park bench shaded by its branches. Beside me, Fenrir took cover as well, sitting alongside me under the leafy shelter.

"Fenrys, do you know why this place isn't buried in thick snow, even though it's winter?" I tried to start a conversation with a random question.

"Can't you see beneath you?"

I glanced down, observing the path we'd been treading through the city. That's when I understood what Fenrir was hinting at.

"This… this isn't just any ordinary path?"

"You're right," Fenrir replied, flashing a sharp grin. "It seems this place is filled with magic circles at nearly every corner. Someone must be keeping the area warm to get through winter."

"Who?"

"No idea, but it's none of our concern, right? Maybe the elders around here? If you're curious, you could always ask the locals?"

"You make a good point."

Just as our conversation was getting interesting, Linnie came over to join us. She sat down next to me with a big smile on her face.

"You look so happy, Linnie," I asked softly. "What did you get?"

"Of course I am." Linnie's shrill voice rang with excitement. "Our goods sold for a high price. Look!"

She held up a small, worn cloth pouch that looked full. She shook it, and the clinking of coins inside reached my ears.

"How much did we make?"

"We got 10 gold coins and 30 silver coins. Isn't that a huge amount?"

"Wow, that's a lot, Linnie." Although I said that, I wasn't actually sure how much the gold coins were worth. So, I asked her to make sure. "Hey, how much does a sheep cost here?"

Linnie furrowed her brow, eyes drifting upwards as if trying to recall the answer to my question. "As I remember, it's about one gold coin."

I asked another question to clarify. "How about a chicken?"

"It's just one silver coin," she replied with a frown. "Why do you ask? Do prices vary that much between places?"

"Absolutely," I replied confidently. "Each place definitely has different prices, depending on the quantity, supply, and demand of the market."

"Quantity…? Market demand?" Linnie placed a finger on her chin, her eyes looking up, clearly puzzled by my explanation.

"Forget it, just ignore what I said. It's too complicated to understand." I smiled understandingly, seeing her confusion about modern economic theory. "I was just getting a bit carried away."

"All right, I get it," Linnie answered, though a hint of disagreement flashed in her bright orange eyes as sunlight hit them.

"Now that we have money, where shall we go next?" asked Fenrir, her lovely face lighting up with a wide smile.

"First, as promised, I'll treat you to some street food. Then we should hurry and find a place to stay for the night." I offered the suggestion before looking at the two girls, seeking their agreement. "So, what do you think?"

They both nodded in agreement with my plan. We then headed back to the city center, looking for both a place to stay and something to spend part of our earnings on.

*****

In my hands now was a small cloth pouch. Inside it were 10 gold coins and 30 silver coins, just as Linnie had said. Realizing how much money we had made me feel a bit giddy. I could already imagine what I might use it for.

Throughout our walk, I glanced to the left and right of the city streets, where vendors displayed their goods. My raven instincts stirred at the sight of all the shiny accessories.

Dangerous. I wanted all those glistening things.

But I forced myself to hold back. From now on, I had to try to live in a society, not in the wilderness as I had before. I had to follow the norms here.

I turned my gaze toward Fenrir, who had been holding her stomach for a while now. It reminded me of how Fenrir was always tormented by a seemingly insatiable hunger.

I'd noticed it since we'd been trapped together in Lyngvi Valley. No matter how much food I brought her, she never seemed full. Strangely enough, though, she could survive on little to no food for years.

Honestly, I wasn't sure why she was this ravenous. Did it have something to do with her mythology that said she could devour anything? Or was it merely an unquenchable hunger? Or maybe it was the result of her confinement for so many years?

I wasn't sure, but over time, I hoped to find answers to these questions echoing in my heart.

"Do you want something to eat, Fen?"

"N-no, I'm fine."

Her words might lie, but her actions were clear: she was hungry. Her tail flicked when she said it, betraying her. This girl was never good at hiding the truth.

Looking to my side, I saw a vendor grilling something. The smoke drifted into my nostrils, stirring my appetite.

"We should try that food." I pointed to the vendor.

"I said I'm not – "

Before she could finish, I took her hand and gently led her toward the vendor. If I didn't, this girl would keep refusing, denying her hunger out of pride and stubbornness.

I made sure to invite Linnie, too. "You come along too, Linnie!"

The smell of charred wood and slowly grilled meat filled the air, teasing our senses as we got closer to the vendor's stall.

In front of us were rows of perfectly grilled meat skewers, a golden-brown color, sprinkled with salt. The vendor, a large man with a broad smile, greeted us warmly.

"Good afternoon! Would you like to try these special skewers?" he asked, turning the skewers with expert hands. The smoke rose enticingly, making the meal irresistible.

Fenrir swallowed unconsciously, still trying to keep her composure.

"We're just looking around," she said, though her stomach gave a faint rumble that was easily heard in the gradually quieting street.

Without hesitation, I opened the money pouch and asked the vendor softly, "How much for them, sir?"

"Forty copper coins per skewer, kid."

Carefully, I took out four silver coins and handed them to him. "We'll take four silvers' worth, please."

The vendor's smile widened as he swiftly prepared ten steaming skewers, wrapping them in a large leaf before handing them to us.

"These are wild deer skewers, only caught in the eastern forest. They're delicious and tender, perfect for eating on a day like this," he explained with pride.

"I see, thank you." I returned his warm smile with one of my own.

We left the stall happily. I opened the leaf wrapping and divided the skewers. Linnie and I each took two, while I gave the rest to Fenrir.

"Wait, why am I getting six? Are you mocking me?!"

"Stop complaining; I know you're hungry. Eat up."

I grabbed a skewer and took a bite. The meat was tender, with a sweet and salty flavor mingling together, the spices adding a kick with every bite.

A faint smoky taste lingered in the meat, providing a comforting warmth amidst the lingering chill in the city. Linnie smiled widely, happily munching on her meat. Fenrir, though initially hesitant, finally took a bite too, her eyes widening a little.

"Hmm… this… is quite good."

I gave a slight grin amidst the warmth that surrounded us.

My guess was right.

Honestly, I don't understand much about the currency exchange in this world. However, judging by the culture here, where they use gold coins as payment like in the early centuries, I can somewhat estimate the currency's value.

One gold coin might be equivalent to a hundred silver coins, and one silver coin could be worth a hundred bronze coins. It seems that bronze coins are the lowest currency here, while gold coins are the highest.

We wandered around, enjoying the various foods sold in the market. In between, I secretly bought a few shiny trinkets just to satisfy my raven instincts, which had been bubbling up like a volcano since earlier. 

I watched in awe as different forms of Jotun passed by around me. Just as Fenrir had described, Jotun always keep a part of their giant form in their humanoid state. 

There was someone with dark skin and bear-like ears, a skinny girl with rabbit ears, a red-skinned man with bull horns on his head, a woman with snake-like skin, and so on. They looked somewhat like beast-men you'd find in fictional works. 

Their hair colors and facial features were also striking. Besides that, the men generally had large, muscular builds. As for the women, they appeared average-sized, like Fenrir and Linnie, although a few of them were as large and muscular as the men. 

The diversity I saw was stunningly beautiful, especially combined with the high sense of peace and tolerance here. It was a remarkable sight, a kind of beauty that was difficult to achieve in my previous world, where racial discrimination was rampant. 

Without realizing it, the sky began to darken as we continued our search for an inn. That's when we noticed a two-story building not far away. A sign reading "Snord Inn" hung above it, and we decided to go there. 

As we stepped inside, the innkeeper greeted us with a warm smile and asked what we needed. We asked if they could rent a room for us. 

I handed some money to Linnie, who said she would negotiate with the room attendant. Moments later, Linnie returned with a slightly gloomy look, making me a bit curious about what had happened. 

"The good news is, we got a room at a good price. But the bad news is, there are only two rooms left," Linnie said, her expression wrinkling. Honestly, I didn't see the issue here, but I refrained from saying anything. 

"Why hesitate?" Fenrir boldly voiced her opinion, likely thinking the same thing as I was. "I don't mind sharing a room with Yata; we're used to sleeping together anyway." 

For some reason, Linnie looked surprised, covering her open mouth with both hands. She then turned to me with a look of disbelief. "Is that true, Yata?" 

"Yes," I replied without guilt. "Is there something wrong with that?" 

"So… your relationship is like that?" Linnie asked in a low voice, as if she didn't want us to hear her. 

"Like that?" I repeated the ambiguous words she had used, trying to grasp what she meant. 

"F-forget what I said; besides, it's not a big deal." Linnie stammered, turning her head away with a red face. "I'll book two rooms, one for me and one for the two of you." 

After booking the rooms and paying with the coins I'd given her, the attendant led us to the second floor, where our rooms were located, right at the end of the hallway. The attendant handed us the keys before returning to their post. 

Fenrir and I chose the corner room, which was slightly larger. Linnie took the room next door. But just as we were about to enter, Linnie called out to us. 

"Um…" She fidgeted, playing with her fingers, looking nervous and struggling to say what she wanted. "Actually, I just became a teenager a few weeks ago. I'm still young and inexperienced, so…" 

Her words caught in her throat, unable to finish. Fenrir and I waited patiently, a little curious about what was bothering her. 

"Please take it slow if you're going to do that," she murmured, her voice barely audible, as if speaking only to herself. 

"Do that?" I repeated her words, still unaware of what was really on her mind. So I asked her a little more directly, "What do you mean, Linnie?" 

She swallowed hard. "You know… indecent things…" 

Her voice was so soft, but my ears caught it clearly amid the silence between us, leaving me frozen in place with my mouth half-open, unable to believe what she'd said. 

"S-sorry if it's bothersome." Linnie immediately ran into her room, slamming the door shut with a loud thud. 

"Linnie, wait–" 

I stood there, reaching out, unable to catch her in time to explain. 

I turned to Fenrir, who was standing beside me, and sighed. "So… what now?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Sharing a room?" 

"Of course, you cowardly bird," Fenrir scoffed. "Why should we split up just because of some trivial comment from a kid?" 

"But…" 

"No buts," she said, pressing her index finger against my lips. "Remember, you're my pet, my possession. So you have to obey my every command." 

When she put it that way, I knew I could only surrender and follow her selfish request. Everything she said was true. 

From the beginning, I was just an ordinary raven. I didn't have many life choices. On the contrary, I had a lot to thank Fenrir for; she'd given me so much, allowing me to experience more freedom in life. 

At first, I only intended to accompany her for a short while, as a way of repaying my debt. Our kind, the ravens, have a habit of repaying people for their actions with an equivalent price, or even more. 

Gradually, without realizing it, I started feeling happier around her. Being her "pet" didn't seem so bad now. We could go on adventures and face all kinds of challenges together. 

Tap. Tap. 

"Yata? Yataaaa." 

"Oh, sorry." 

My daydream was interrupted by Fenrir calling my name, snapping her slender fingers. 

"Haah~, how many times have I called you? What's on your mind?" Her mouth pouted in annoyance. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Never mind, don't think about it. Let's go in." 

Fenrir immediately turned the door handle and stepped into the room prepared for us. I followed her inside. Although, after realizing all this, I wasn't sure I could sleep as soundly as I did on other nights.