Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 36
A moment after Verian mentioned the Stargate was broken, a random man in the crowd called out to seemingly no one in particular.
“Hey did you hear? The Stargate has been fully repaired and is now operational.”
Kazuki couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This was a clear indication that the hidden watcher wanted Kazuki out of its city as soon as possible.
Verian, Selda, and Mashu all had nervous expressions when they heard the Stargate was fixed.
Lana pulled at Kazuki’s hand.
“Mister, your not really gonna leave already are you?”
“Sorry, little lady but I have to. After we eat, I’ll be on my way.”
Lana looked sullen and her parents looked scared. Kazuki then added.
“Or rather that’s what I should do.”
Kazuki pulled out a single Divine crystal from his pocket.
“As you can see from my odd outfit, I don’t have too many belongings. This crystal is all of my wealth. So even if I wanted to use the Stargate, I haven’t the funds.”
Kazuki smiled and Lana’s expression brightened before she pouted slightly.
“Mister you tricked me. You can’t take the Stargate with so little money. Wait does this mean you’re gonna stay for longer!?”
Kazuki rubbed the back of his head in a playful manner.
“I don’t have much choice. I’ll have to hunt a few monsters outside the city and turn them into coin. After that, I’ll really be on my way.”
Thousands of nearby eyes fell on Kazuki as if he had slapped them in their faces. Selda and Verian lightened up as this meant there was still an opportunity at hand. Mashu on the other hand looked doubtful.
“Sir Borus, I don’t mean to come off as rude but to use a Stargate, the amount of money one needs is quite high. This one here in Satruss requires nearly 2 billion Divine crystals in order to activate it. I’m glad that you will be staying with us for a longer period but Sir, the amount of time it would take to gather this number from the monsters wandering outside…You would not be able to gather enough for a few thousand or a few tens of thousands of years. Is your plan really that…simple.”
Selda got mad and punched Mashu in the arm.
“Stop pestering him, Brother-in-law. Mister Borus surely knows his own business more than you. Don’t question our good fortune, er blessing. This way, Lana’s savior will be around for a little while longer and we can show him our true gratitude.”
Lana nodded along with her mother.
“Right uncle, leave Mister alone and let him stay with us a long long long time.”
Mashu didn’t know what to say. He didn’t understand how Kazuki was going to use the Stargate in the first place when he had so little money. The way he stated it, it was as if he would use it the moment dinner was done but in reality, he meant until he had money. It just seemed like a contradiction if not a rushed change of plans. Mashu wondered if Kazuki was actually seeing or had become aware of the hidden presence around him.
Mashu had a small glimmer of hope but he was not ready to bet it all on and gamble his life or his family on it.
“Well, since you won’t be leaving right away, it means you will be needing a few things right? After all, it’s surely inconvenient to walk around without a storage ring of some kind. Also your clothes…
Verian paused there. He didn’t want to offend Kazuki by saying how odd his clothes appeared to be. At the very least he came off as a barbarian from some back mountain. At the worst interpretation, he was more like a bandit waiting to pounce on someone and take their goods.
Kazuki looked down at his outfit and joked.
“And what’s wrong with my outfit? Am I not dashing in it? Hehe.”
Verian, Selda, and Mashu all laughed. They knew he wasn’t really offended. From the way he told his story, Kazuki had lost everything during his battle with the God snake monster. With an explosion big enough to be seen across the outer edge of this Higher Realm, of course, all of his belongings would have been destroyed in it.
In actuality, all of his things had been obliterated in Chaotic space but his tall tale was a much better story and left an air of mystery around him.
Lana pulled on Kazuki’s hand.
“Mister Borus I like your outfit. It makes you look heroic and brave.”
This caused her family to laugh even harder as she was just too cute. This though annoyed Lana as she felt they were going too far. Just then her eyes lit up.
“Mister Mister, I know. Since you saved me I didn’t get to repay you. How about I buy you a new ring? Mama and papa give me plenty of allowance, and even uncle gives me money to spend. Come on, let’s go let’s go!”
Selda and the others thought this was a good idea. Anything to get Kazuki to explore more of this city meant more chances he would discover the hidden figure. They were actively trying to get something to bring awareness to Kazuki.
They traveled up and down the market and soon the trip for food became one to sightsee and buy things here and there. By the end of it all, they had spent several hours moving through the city but after all of this, nothing else out of the ordinary happened.
They returned to Lana’s home. While Lana was still excited, her parents and uncle were worried. A million different thoughts flew through their head. They wondered if Kazuki really hadn’t noticed the strangeness, they thought maybe he really sensed nothing and were worried they had done all of this and had painted an even bigger target on their back and had antagonized the hidden observer.
For now, though, they could only put on a brave face for Lana’s sake.
Lana played with her toy horse and her pet Sofie joined her. While Lana was occupied, Mashu tried to get a read on Kazuki.
“So, Sir Borus…What do you think of Satruss? Have you found anything interesting about our city?”
Kazuki played it off with a shrug.
“It’s similar to many other cities I’ve come across. If you’ve seen one, you’ve basically seen them all.”
This simple sentence devastated them and left them feeling conflicted and scared about the future. Did this not mean they wasted their time?
“Anyways, shall we have a meal now?”
Selda put on a fake smile, she was sad and terrified for her family but still, she acted as if nothing was wrong.
“Sir Borus, would you like some help at all?”
Kazuki gave her a look. At his level, why would he ever need help cooking? Still, he did not turn her away.
“Sure, you can cut the vegetables.”
Kazuki now had a storage ring, courtesy of Lana. Not just that but he also had many different things that Verian Selda and Mashu had bought him to try and repay him. Kazuki didn’t really need things bought for him but to keep with the story he let them buy him a shit ton of stuff. He still wore the fur outfit though because it was way more comfortable than anything else sold. Kazuki had made it himself with his own power so it fit him perfectly. Everything else was just a bother in his opinion.
With a thought, his storage ring opened and many different ingredients landed next to him. A table appeared along with utensils and everything else needed for cooking.
“Sir Borus you’re going to cook outside?”
Selda had never cooked outside and found it novel. Through the day, Kazuki had learned that she too was sheltered to a certain degree.
“Yes, have you never heard of Barbeque.”
Kazuki described it in a variety of ways. In the end, for their language, the word barbeque was translated similarly to grilled meat.
Verian and Mashu had grilled meat outside around campfires many times back in the day. Kazuki smiled as their way was simply throwing meat on a fire and putting some salt or other basic spices on it. The two men felt some nostalgia thinking about it but what Kazuki had in mind and what they were thinking about was vastly different.
Mashu and Verian watched as Selda chopped the vegetables to Kazuki’s instructions while Kazuki prepared the main ingredient…Meat!
Kazuki had bought many different spices and herbs, sauces, and other ingredients. Tasting them he made a few different rubs and enhanced all of the sauces to a level unseen in this city, possibly in this entire Realm.
Kazuki was confident in his strength to a certain degree but when it came to his cooking skills, there was no doubt in his mind that he was the best. Was it cocky, yes but he didn’t give a damn. If there truly was a challenger then he would take on anyone but when it came to food, Kazuki really felt as if there were none that were his equal.
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