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The Familiar Satellite Town of Pond – Part 03

The location of Ballast Trading was the only information he needed, so Hikaru didn’t bother returning to the guild. Besides, he wasn’t sure how to face Unken right now—though he had met him in Bios as Silver Face.

He decided to head to the cheap inn where he had stayed before. The cat-eared receptionist in a uniform was still there.

“Long time no see. How many nights will you be staying this time?”

“Let’s start with three nights.”

“Sure thing.”

The same exchange, as if time itself had stopped in this place.

After leaving his luggage, Hikaru left the inn.

“Greetings, Master.”

“I’m not your master.”

The hot dog stand near the inn and its muscular owner was still there, just as before. What had changed was the constant stream of customers buying hot dogs.

“One, please.”

“All done.”

Did he already assume I’d buy one? Hikaru accepted it without a word and took a bite.

“It’s gotten tastier.”

Same bread, same sausage, but the flavor of the ketchup and mustard combination was fantastic. They had been elevated to match the succulence of the sausage.

“As per your advice, I prepared toppings like cheese, chopped onions, super spicy sauce, and green sauce.”

The super spicy sauce was Lavia’s request, not Hikaru’s preference.

“Wanna try this sauce that I haven’t served to anyone yet? It’s ten times spicier—”

“No, thank you. Pass.”

“I see…”

Why do you look a bit disappointed?

By the time Hikaru finished the hot dog, the sun was setting, and dusk enveloped the town of Pond.

Although there were magic streetlights in this world, they were mostly installed on the main streets, and most of the town plunged into darkness at night.

“It’s time.”

In his room at the inn, Hikaru donned his usual hooded cloak and silver mask, changing to Silver Face.

“To Ballast Trading.”

---

Lavia and Paula stayed at Isaac’s mansion until evening, but no thugs attacked. There wasn’t a direct assault, but they did come.

“Paula, over here.”

“Ugh… This is not really how you use this spell…”

Unidentified filth stained the mansion’s walls, a quiet but insidious form of harassment. And it was all over the place. Paula, with her mask on, was checking each spot and using her healing magic.

“O’ God who art in heaven, in thy name, work miracles. In this place lies a land of impurity, by the blessing of thy truly noble self, cleanse it of its taint.”

Paula’s outstretched hand emitted a surge of holy energy.

“Purification.”

As the wave collided with the filth, it transformed into sparkling white dust.

This ancient magic spell, usable only by high-ranking clergy due to its degree of difficulty, was used to purify locations where religious ceremonies were held. While its effects were uncertain, Paula had used Purification to cleanse a mass of malevolence deep within the great pit at the Theocracy of Bios.

Lavia thought that if it could purify impurities, maybe it could clean up filth as well. And she was right. It was evident that this wasn’t the intended use of such a spell, however.

An elderly priest from the church in the western district of the royal capital, who happened to pass by, stared wide-eyed at the scene.

Later, he reportedly said: “Was I merely seeing things? It looked so much like the magic that the archpriest of the Central Church used when he cleansed the space before a ceremony. How could a mere girl wield it?”

Unaware (and unconcerned) about this, Lavia nodded in satisfaction at the now clean exterior walls.

“Since their harassment failed, won’t they take it a step further?” Paula wondered.

“I did not expect this,” Lavia said.

“Huh? Expect what?”

“That you would know about the ugly side of people.”

“What?! What kind of person did you think I was?”

“Well, you’re the Wandering Saint.”

“Please don’t call me that. It’s embarrassing.”

Paula’s alias, the Wandering Saint, stemmed from her free medical treatment in the royal city and Quinbrand’s capital. Paula herself found the grand title of saint quite embarrassing.

“I was just joking.”

“Y-You were?”

“Half joking, to be exact. You’re a pure girl with no romantic experience, who knows nothing about the ugly side of people.”

“Wh-What?!”

“Just kidding.”

“Please make up your mind!”

Lavia suddenly thought of Hikaru. “Then again, there was that one time you pounced on Hikaru while drooling at the mouth, so I guess you’re not exactly pure,” she teased.

“Erase that from your memory!”

“Just kidding.”

“Come on!”

Patting Paula’s head, Lavia said, “But you do have a point. If this kind of intimidation doesn’t work, they might try something else.” She placed a hand on her chin. “I know. Let’s use the Adventurers Guild to secure the mansion.”

Adventurers hiring other adventurers—Paula wore a perplexed expression at the concept. It didn’t violate any specific rules. Civilians often sought security from adventurers.

“I’d rather hire adventurers than have my reading time taken away.”

“Oh, that’s why.”

“We have plenty of funds.” Lavia grinned.

“You’re scaring me.”

Ideally, tailing the thugs and destroying their hideout would be the quickest solution, but Hikaru had instructed them to let them be for a while. Defaulting on Isaac’s debt was a last resort—which also meant it was one of their options.

When Lavia and Paula returned to the mansion, the old woman had just finished preparing dinner, and the two were invited to the dining table.

“Thank you very much, young lady. Since I was able to buy all this food, I went all out.”

Following Hikaru’s instructions, Lavia had handed over a substantial amount of money to the old woman and asked her to buy foodstuff and cook however she wanted.

Since Lavia hadn’t disclosed her name, the old woman addressed her “young lady”. She couldn’t possibly call her Lady in Mask, opting instead for the safest choice.

As the woman herself claimed, the meal was quite luxurious. Roasted venison poured with homemade fruit sauce, a soup brimming with a mix of vibrant vegetables, generously seasoned with spices. The sight of warm, steaming, freshly baked bread stirred hunger.

“Oh, don’t worry, young lady. I still have plenty of the money you gave me.” The old woman beamed.

She could’ve just used all that up for the day, Lavia thought, shocked at the woman’s resourcefulness.

When in town and not adventuring, they often just dined in restaurants or ate take-out food.

“W-Wow!” Isaac exclaimed when he arrived, eyes gleaming. “Oh, s-sorry I got too excited.” She bowed to Lavia and Paula, feeling guilty about them spending money.

“Don’t worry about it. This is what Silver wanted.”

Lavia gave a portion of the meal to the considerate old woman, who lived nearby with her son and daughter-in-law. After seeing her off, the three finally enjoyed their meal.

Isaac ate in silence. Engrossed in research until now, his shirt sleeves held bits of magical catalysts, and his hands were smeared with ink.

She does look boyish like this, Lavia observed. But her body features definitely belong to a girl’s.

Soft-looking cheeks, a high-pitched voice that showed no signs of breaking, and smooth, long fingers.

Lavia heaved a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Isaac asked. “Are you full already?”

Lavia shook her head slightly. “We need to clear up something.” She decided to bring it up now. “Why are you pretending to be a boy?”

The table wasn’t abuzz with conversation, but the old woman’s delicious cooking held everyone captivated in their own way. However, when Lavia posed the question, everything came to a sudden halt, and silence descended.

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Silver may not have noticed, but we did. Immediately. This disguise of yours won’t last long anyway. Anyone who takes a good look will figure it out, and in another year, if your chest grows bigger, it will be impossible to hide.”

“…”

Isaac—or the girl who went by Isaac—placed the bread she held back on the plate.