SH_C33_CHAPTER 33. A White Piglet Walks Into the Market

33. A White Piglet Walks Into the Market

It seemed the matter with Maria-san ended smoothly. She left in a surprisingly good mood.

After properly thanking Viktor-san for hosting us, I handed over the chilled dashi-steamed egg dish as a gift. He was thrilled—and so we ended up having tea together in the sitting room.

Viktor-san, clearly in high spirits, turned to Romanov-sensei with a grin.

“I’ve been thinking about A-tan’s lessons. How about starting two months from now?”

“Sounds good. I’ll let Rottenmeier-san know when we get back.”

“Wait… I can really take lessons from you?”

Wow. Getting lessons from a court musician is insane.

But… what about tuition? And transportation? That’s gotta cost a fortune.

Maybe if I brought a hand-embroidered handkerchief to Roland-san’s place, I could earn enough to cover it…

My eyebrows drooped with worry, but Viktor-san, sitting across from me, reached out and gently smoothed the furrow between them with a finger.

“Don’t worry about tuition or travel expenses, A-tan.”

“Huh? But still…”

“It’s okay, Agaha-kun. Viitya isn’t looking for money. There’s something else he wants from you.”

“Something else…?”

What could I possibly offer? All I’m good at is embroidery and gardening.

I tilted my head, and Viktor-san chuckled, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“I want you to write down the songs you’ve learned from the Princess—from that other world—so I can perform them. Would that be alright?”

“You want to transcribe and play songs from… another world!?”

“Yep. The one you sang earlier, that was from there too, right? I’ve memorized it—if I wanted to, I could play it. But since you learned it from the Princess, I can’t just play it or write it down without permission. That’s why I want your okay.”

Honestly, it’s more like a dream come true than a request. I’m sure if I asked the Princess, she’d wave her fan and say, “Proceed at once.”

I promised to get her permission, and Viktor-san nodded with genuine delight.

I couldn’t help wondering—though I only knew Viktor-san and Romanov-sensei—are all elves this friendly?

I asked them, and they looked at each other… and shook their heads at the same time.

“Alyosha and I are both considered oddballs among elves,” Viktor said.

“Yes,” Romanov-sensei added, “There’s one more like us, and the three of us were once jokingly called ‘The Three Human-Loving Fools.’”

“Ah… so, I shouldn’t get my hopes up about elves in general.”

“Exactly.”

Well, humans have enough differences among ourselves—skin color, birth status, everything—so it’s no surprise there’d be even more friction between species. It’s best if we can get along, but that kind of harmony can’t be forced.

As I sipped the tea they’d served, Viktor-san set down his cup and stood.

“Alright, shall we head out?”

“Yes, let’s go. Thank you in advance.”

Go where, though?

As I looked at the two of them, Viktor-san chuckled.

“Since you’ve come all the way to the capital, you should see the sights! And you’ve already met the city’s top singer, right?”

“And Viitya is going to be our guide.”

“Really!? Thank you!”

Wow… this will be my first real outing outside the house and Kikunoi.

I was practically bouncing with excitement when Romanov-sensei took my hand.

“The capital is much more crowded than Kikunoi, and the streets are like a maze. If we don’t hold hands, little ones like you can get lost easily.”

“Yeah, I see crying lost kids all the time.”

“Yikes, that sounds intense.”

I squeezed Sensei’s hand tighter—and my other hand was promptly taken by Viktor-san.

Now that I thought about it, the only adult hands I’d ever held were Romanov-sensei’s, Rottenmeier-san’s, and the staff at the estate. All of them had strong, calloused, working hands.

Viktor-san’s hand was soft and graceful. It reminded me of Regulus-kun’s somehow. Maybe it’s because he plays piano and takes care of them.

We stepped outside through the large doors and onto a cobblestone street.

The capital was a vibrant fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, and the architecture reflected that. There were mosque-like domes, stately Western buildings like something out of a European ballroom, and traditional-style homes that looked like they belonged in a samurai town. The stone-paved roads wound between them, filled with people, horses, carriages, and handcarts laden with goods.

On both sides of the main street were not just storefronts but market stalls too.

They sold vegetables, meat, and fish, of course—but also fabrics, beads, and flowers. It was a riot of color and sound.

“My house is right along the street where the marché is held, so it gets pretty lively.”

“Marché… that’s a marketplace, right?”

“Yup.”

“A market!?”

Everything sparkled like it had been dipped in rainbow paint.

Vendors shouted, customers bargained with excitement, and everyone wore expressive, cheerful faces.

As we browsed the stalls, I suddenly caught a scent I hadn’t smelled in this life—but one I remembered clearly from my old world.

It was spicy, rich, and appetite-whetting. So distant… and yet so nostalgic.

There were baskets lined up, filled with leaves, rugby-ball-shaped seeds, and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and even turmeric!

“There’s so many spices!”

“Oh? That’s unusual.”

“They’ve only started appearing here recently.”

I pulled both of them toward the stall, where a man with dusky skin grinned brightly.

“Spices! Many kinds! Cinnamon, cumin, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaves, chili, saffron, ginger, star anise, nutmeg! Many more too!”

It wasn’t quite “a fated encounter after a hundred years,” but who knew when I’d see spices like this again?

I hurriedly opened my waist pouch and handed over the farewell gift Roland-san had given me.

“Please, give me as much of everything as this will buy!”

“Aiyo! You buy lots, so I give bonus!”

He beamed as he packed the spices into bags. And for the bonus? Vanilla beans.

VANILLA BEANS!? Those are super expensive!

It became a hefty bundle, but I packed them into my pouch one by one, thanked him, and was about to leave when the man showed me a wooden tag with a string attached.

“I come to capital sometimes! You, young master, be regular customer, okay? My name Jamil! I’m in the Merchants Guild. Show this tag at guild, they contact me fast!”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

He tied the tag to the vanilla bean bag and handed it to me.

After carefully stowing everything, I thanked Viktor-san and Romanov-sensei again, and we left the stall.

In moments like this, Sensei always lets me do what I want—never presses me for explanations. Viktor-san must’ve picked up on that too, because he didn’t say a word either.

So once we reached a quieter street, I stopped.

“Romanov-sensei… I think I might be able to create a new specialty dish for Kikunoi using these spices.”

“A specialty dish?”

“Yes. It’s called curry rice. Have you ever heard of it? You blend spices into a spicy broth, stew meat and vegetables in it, and pour it over rice.”

“There’s a dish like that…?”

“I’ve traveled to spice-producing regions before, but I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

That’s promising!

Most of all—I really want to eat curry!

I clenched my fists with determination, but Romanov-sensei responded with just a slight, amused smile.

Eun: WE'RE GETTING CURRY!!

Tbh Curry is so good and its a versatile dish. There's a lot of versions as well for people who's not really good with a lot of spices. Anyway, on to the next chapter!!

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