Chapter 19 (1/2)
Under the starry heavens, a man hummed as he stirred a pot.
The white steam spread freely an appetising aroma, as it drifted into the sky.
Izumi’s stomach growled.
But she knew that if she ate now, she would regret it much later on.
“The cocona.s.so will be done soon, so wait just a little, okay?”
Hearing Izumi’s stomach, the man smiled amiably, before accepting the zhaltkane from her.
He pressed a knife against its bamboo-like opening, and split it open.
“I’ve told you many times already. I’m fine.”
“Come now, don’t be shy.”
“No, I’m not being shy about it. I told you, if I eat before I sleep, I’ll get fat so I don’t need it.”
The man stopped his stirring hand, and carefully beheld her.
“You have nothing to worry about. In fact, I think getting a little fatter would do you good.”
“If I let my guard down because of your words, I’ll become a fatty in the blink of an eye!”
“Really? But, look, there’s really nothing in here but mushrooms and vegetables. You’ll really be fine. Honest.”
Izumi sighed at his irresponsible words.
Paying no attention to Izumi, the man places slices of zhaltkane into a mortar and began to grind.
“My, you’ve really helped me out. To be honest, Cocona.s.so Hotpot is really no good without a good dash of zhalt. Ah, it’s not that I hate it or anything, okay? It’s just that after eating the same thing for ten days…”
A complicated look of grief appeared on the man’s face, as he gazed into the distance.
“Now then, time for the finis.h.i.+ng touches.”
After sc.r.a.ping the mashed zhalt into the pot, he gave it a light mix, and then tried the taste with a big spoon.
“Mn, yummy. It really does bring out the taste,” nodded the man with a smile.
After spooning it into one of two wooden bowls, he held it out to Izumi.
“Here. I wonder when the last time I shared a meal was. After all, I’ve been travelling alone for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.”
Apparently he had already decided that she would be eating.
Izumi reluctantly accepted it.
“Itadakimasu.”
When she tried a spoon of the thick, white soup, what she first experienced was a gentle, mildly sweet taste. Pa.s.sing down her throat, was this umami flavour the zhalt?
“How is it?”
She could see the expectation in the eyes of the man. When he tilted his head a little, the tied, shoulder-length silver hair made a pleasant sound.
“Aah, yeah… It’s delicious,” she replied, eyes still glued to his hair.
This person… really is Princess Aqua’s brother, isn’t he…
Rare for a man, he had a beautiful face, and it closely resembled Princess Aqua’s.
He was the Prince of Jebas, who heard the Old Maestro’s tales of the world-travelling Conyork the Second, and who then left the country himself.
And he was now sitting in front of her, slurping cocona.s.so soup.
Izumi stole glances at him, as she slurped from her bowl.
But this was a prince who ran away from his own country. If she clumsily brought things up, then he might run away.
Izumi continued to watch him, as she was confused by her own half-baked thoughts.
“It’s good, isn’t it,” smiled the Prince, who met her gaze.
“It is,” she replied without much thought――
After she heard the news last night from the woman with the stomach problems, at first she thought that she needed to tell Roten.
But then when she placed her hand against the window, she hesitated.
What if the people of the Ottko Yu tribe abandoned their current village to live together witht he arrijighock?
It wasn’t guaranteed that the final destination of the sunarabi would be uninhabited like the plain with the tree.
Since she was seen as an angel, she couldn’t give careless advice to them.
Because of that, Izumi wished to be connected to somebody who could solve the problem, or perhaps somebody who give her a clue, but…
Why then, was it this person?
“Umm… is there something on my face?”
His words made her realise that she had been staring, and she looked down.
“Aah, I’m sorry for being impolite. It was nothing.”
Even she knew that she was being awfully suspicious, but the Prince showed little sign of minding, and simply replied,
“Really?”
before going back to his soup.
“You’ve been travelling alone for a long time, right? Do you have some goal?”
“Hmmm. Good question. I suppose to widen my world-view?”
I see. He’s probably following the footsteps of Conyork the Second.
Izumi was impressed with him.
But then, the Prince furrowed his brows, and then shook his head.
“No, I’ll stop this. I’m sorry, I was just putting on airs. I’m simply out having fun. It’s incredibly fun to wander here and there, and experience various cultures and specialty products. At the moment, my source of income is from using various materials that I’ve gotten, and selling balms made from them. But well, what’s actually been getting me the most money recently is the soaps and bathing powders that I sell on the side.”
“SOAPS AND BATHING POWDERS!?”
When he came clean, at first she considered trying to convince him to return and discuss things with Princess Aqua, but his next words blew such thoughts right out of her mind.
“Yes. The soap can be used from head to toe. Once you try it, your skin becomes smooth and without blemish. Not only that, but the bathing powder is multi-purpose, dealing with things from moisturisation to anti-perspiration. It’s extremely popular with housewives.”
Izumi’s eyes glittered. She couldn’t just swallow his story, but then again she had already experienced mysteries like the fire stone, or the frostsnow gra.s.s, so she believed in him just a little.
“Shall I give you one to try? As thanks for the zhaltkane.”
“IS THAT OKAY!? …Ummm, should I bring you something? I know. I got some good liquor the other day…”
In her joy, Izumi was about to climb through the window, but she suddenly grew embarra.s.sed about openly wanting it so much.
“Nono, it would be unthinkable to accept anything else from an angel. Please, take this.”
The Prince opened up a large back, and retrieved from within an olive bar of soap, and a porcelain jar wrapped in cloth.
“Froth up the soap well, and as for the bathing powder… Let’s see. If it’s a bath the size of that one, then perhaps two spoons would do? Please test the amount as you go.”
“Wah! Thank you. This might be the happiest trade I’ve ever made.”
Izumi gleefully accepted it.
Not only that, but unlike the forceful rose smells of the bath powder she already used, this one was natural-smelling, fresh, and refres.h.i.+ng.
“What a nice smell. It’s amazing. You made this yourself, huh.”
The Prince nodded at her.
“Yes. From collecting the ingredients, to doing the mixing, all of it was done by me. But still, to think that at the end of my journey, not only would I dine with an angel, but that angel would so happily accept something I created. I really am a lucky one.”
The Prince gave a genuinely happy smile.
“Eh? End… of your journey?”
“Yes.”
Izumi stared inside the jar. When she breathed on it, the powder danced like sand.
“Could it be that this is why you gave this to me?”
“No, certainly not. Well, it is the last one, but…”
“Then how come?”
“Once I return to my country, I won’t have the time to work hard at creating medicines or bath powders any longer. To begin with, I wouldn’t be able to obtain the ingredients any longer.”
I see…
Izumi hung her head in dejection, but then shook it vigorously to expel those thoughts.
And what would become of her as a person if she valued bathing powder to this extent.
“But, why so suddenly?”
“A storm is…”
No sooner had he spoken did the Prince fall silent, gazing up into the sky.
Izumi watched him think, and waited for his next words, but the Prince stopped moving completely, as though his heart had been taken by the stars.
Under the moonlight, his silver hair glittered like a jewel.
Frozen like that, his beautiful face made him seem like a doll with no soul.
“What about a storm?”
The Prince seemed somehow terrifying, as he was absorbed with the night sky, so Izumi urged him to continue.
“The storm in I’Jibro. Before long, my country will also be…”
For just an instance, the Prince turned a desperate look to Izumi. But he immediately lowered his gaze, and then smiled as though it had never happened.
“The reason that I’m going back to my country, is because I’m going back to where I belong. That’s all.”