Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Sea and the Seafood Market

After finishing lunch and taking a short break in the afternoon, I was being carried towards the sea in a carriage. Only Lucian was with me.

Since others had already seen it, there didn't seem to be a need to go out of the way to see it.

"I'm really looking forward to it. The sea must be so vast that you can't see the end, right?"

"That's right! I'm excited too."

Since only Lucian and I were in the carriage, there was no need for formal language. The servants and guards were walking alongside. The carriage couldn't go that fast within the city anyway.

"After visiting the sea, I'd like to go to the market and stalls selling seafood. Is that okay?"

"It's fine if we just take a little walk around. Jack is among the guards, so it's safe."

"Really!? Yes!"

"Is there something interesting there?"

"I thought if I buy some delicious fish, we could use it for dinner. And there are some dishes I want to make, so I'd like to buy those ingredients too."

"Can Leon cook?"

Lucian seems quite surprised. Huh? Didn't he know that my family runs a restaurant?

"My family owns a restaurant."

"Oh, I see. I'd like to try Leon's cooking too."

"Well then, when we get back, you can use the kitchen."

"In that case, we should buy a lot. I have some money from my grandfather."

"Is that so? Then I'll use it without hesitation."

We laughed and said so.

After a while of being carried in the carriage, it seems we arrived at the seaside. Stepping out of the carriage, a vast expanse of sea stretched out before us.

Wow! It's been a while since I've seen the sea!

The sea breeze feels nice. Amazing... the sea is vast in any world.

I gazed quietly at the sea for a while, then turned back to Roger. He was gazing at the sea with sparkling eyes.

Heh heh... he looks like a child.

"Roger, what do you think of the sea?"

"Oh, Lord Leon. It's amazing! It's so wide and beautiful, I'm glad I got to see it."

"Roger, you were looking at it with sparkling eyes like a child."

"N-No... I wasn't making that face."

Roger desperately denied it. He doesn't need to deny it so much. Well, he's been showing more expressions lately, so it's fine. We've become closer than before. There's no awkwardness when we're together.

I shifted my gaze from Roger to Lucian.

"Lucian, the sea is so vast."

In a low voice, so that the servants wouldn't hear.

"Leon, it's incredible! There's so much water, it's so vast and beautiful."

It's true, it's impressive when you see it for the first time. I was moved by nostalgia.

After everyone had returned from their awe, we decided to head to the market near the harbor. It was just a few minutes away by carriage, so we arrived quickly.

We got off the carriage and entered the market.

Wow! It's bustling. There are so many people around, so we shouldn't use formal language.

"Lord Lucian, may I stop by any shop that catches my interest?"

"Of course, let's stop by as many as we can! I want to see a lot of shops too."

In the market, they had wooden crates filled with water, and fish, clams, and octopuses were separated into different sections.

I want to eat fried octopus, so I want to buy some. And for the fish fry, which white fish should I get? I don't know, so I'll go with mackerel, which I had earlier.

And if we're frying, fried horse mackerel would be good too. I'll buy some horse mackerel if they have it. And I want to eat yellowtail, so I'll get some of that too. Grilled yellowtail is my favorite.

As I walked along, lost in thought, I saw a shop selling octopus.

"Lord Lucian, may I buy some octopus?"

"Sure, let's go to that shop."

"Understood."

I went to the shop and called out to the man.

"Hello, I'd like to buy some octopus."

When I said that, the man at the shop looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Could you possibly be a noble...?"

"I'm not, but this is Lord Lucian of the Townsend Duke family."

"Townsend Duke family? The lord himself is here! I'm grateful for your visit to a place like this."

The man suddenly started bowing his head profusely towards Lucian. Do nobles not come around here often?

"Sorry for coming suddenly."

"No, no, I appreciate it."

"Have nobles ever come around here?"

"There's hardly ever a chance for nobles to visit such a small town like this. Even the Duke of Townsend and his entourage only came to the magistrate's office."

"I see. So I did something out of the ordinary again. And I've dragged Lucian into it too."

"I'm sorry, Lucian... but I think things like this will happen again in the future."

"By the way, I want to buy some octopus. Is that alright?"

"Yeah! There's a fresh one today. The ones in that box are the best."

"Alright, then I'll take three good ones, please. Also, I want some mackerel, horse mackerel, and yellowtail. Where can I find those?"

"Then three stalls over is where they have the best ones freshly caught."

"I see, thank you!"

"And so, I bought the octopus, had Roger carry it, and headed to the next stall."

"Hello! I'd like some mackerel, horse mackerel, and yellowtail."

"Sure thing! How many of each?"

"Well, let's see... three mackerel, one yellowtail, and six horse mackerel, please. Pick out the good ones for me."

This way, I proceeded to the next stall, where a cheerful old lady was running things. She didn't seem to mind our attire at all; maybe she thought we were merchant children.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah! They look delicious."

"That's right, our people are good at fishing."

I bought the fish from the cheerful old lady and achieved another mission. I put some carefully refined ice in the wooden box that Roger was carrying. Now I wouldn't have to worry about the time.

Alright! Next up, maybe some street food. This market doesn't just sell fish; there are also things you can eat while walking around.

"Is there anything you'd like to buy, Lucian-sama?"

"I'm not quite sure, so I'll follow Leon. Everything here is so fresh and enjoyable."

"In that case, would you like to try some street food? Is it alright with you, Lucian-sama?"

"No, it should be fine for today."

Yes! Even though Lucian-sama's attendant seemed a bit hesitant, seeing Lucian enjoying himself, they decided not to stop us.

What should I eat? There are dishes made from grilled fish, skewered octopus, and roasted clams.

Hmm, it's a tough choice, but I feel like having some clams!

"Lucian-sama, would you like some scallops?"

"Oh, the ones we had for lunch, right? I liked those. Let's go for it."

I headed towards the stall selling scallops.

"Hello. Could I have some scallops, please? How many...?"

How many should I get? Would the attendants and guards also eat them? Let's ask.

"Do you all want to have some?"

"No, we'll pass."

"No, go ahead and eat. It's good to indulge once in a while."

"But..."

"We should all eat together. Thank you, Lucian-sama."

With the advice of the guard named Jack, we all decided to eat together.

"So, how many should I get?"

"Five, please."

"Five it is. I'll start grilling them now, so please wait a moment."

The old lady at the stall grilled five scallops for us. Then she removed the meat from the shells with a metal skewer, sprinkled some salt on them, and handed them to us. They looked incredibly delicious!

"Thank you!"

"Please, Lucian-sama. Oh, should we do a taste test for poison?"

"I'll do it."

After Lucian-sama's attendant took a bite to confirm, they handed the scallops to Lucian-sama.

"Thank you. Let's dig in."

"Yes!"

I took a big bite of the scallop. It was so large that I couldn't finish it in one bite.

Mmm, the flavor is so rich and juicy. It's a burst of happiness in my mouth. The light touch of salt lets the natural taste of the ingredients shine through – it's delicious! Freshness and being cooked right now really make seafood taste the best.

I finished my scallop with great satisfaction. It was fantastic.

"Lucian-sama, that was absolutely delicious!"

"It was so good, I was surprised! I wish I had eaten more since I was still a bit hungry."

"Shall we buy some scallops to take back then? I'm sorry, could we have twenty scallops, please?"

"Sure thing, thanks!"

After purchasing the scallops, as I was about to move on to the next stall, I noticed a large pile of scallop shells packed into a box.

What do they do with those shells?

"Ma'am, what do you do with these shells?"

"These? We just throw them away on the coast."

You throw them away!? Does that mean there are a lot of shells on the coast?

"Do you have a lot of shells on that coast?"

"Oh, there's a huge pile of them."

"I see, thank you."

Weren't shells quite useful? I feel like I've seen something about it on TV. If I remember correctly, you could grind them into a powder and use it as fertilizer in fields.

I'm not entirely sure, but I guess I'll find out if I try. If I can make fertilizer, it might become a specialty product of this town.

That way, seafood might gain even more attention, and people in the capital could enjoy it too!

For now, I'd like to take some shells back.

"Ma'am, can I take these shells? Since I don't have a box, could I have one too? I'll pay a little for it."

"Really!? I can't find a reason to refuse if you're willing to pay for this stuff and take it away. Thank you."

"Thank you."

Lucian's attendant took the shells for me. I think there's probably more than ten kilograms of them, but they seem to be quite strong.

"Leon, why did you buy something like that?"

"I had a bit of an idea, and I plan to try it out. Shall we head back to the mansion for now?"

"Sounds good. It's been quite a while."

And so, carrying a load of loot, we returned to the magistrate's mansion.