The Girl Raised by the Death God Holds the Sword of Darkness in Her Arms - Volume 5 - Chapter 5.6

VI

The Emaleid Citadel, Kingdom of Fernest

The wind blew down off the Esteria Peaks, bringing with it a bracing reminder of autumn’s arrival as the Second Allied Legion arrived at the Emaleid Citadel right on schedule. The following day, Olivia made her way to Central Avenue, the busiest street in the whole citadel, with Ashton in tow. She was going to fulfill an old promise.

“The city has really come back to life since we were last here,” Ashton remarked. Even the shops that had barred their doors were now all open. What stood out most of all were the cheerful faces of the shoppers, who had looked so grim last time.

“Yeah, nothing was open last time, was it?” said Olivia, apparently thinking along the same lines. Her gaze roved this way and that as she spoke.

Driving the occupying imperial forces from the north had allowed Fernest to reclaim its largest breadbasket. This was likely largely what they had to thank for the great improvement in their food situation. Not only that, but Ashton had heard that the merchants who had at one point forsaken the kingdom were beginning to trickle back in. While Fernest’s situation was still precarious, it was undeniably changing for the better.

“By the way,” Ashton said, “you know I’m the one paying for all that food you’re gobbling down, right?”

With every stall Olivia stopped at, Ashton felt his purse grow a little lighter. This was not the first time it had happened, but that did not make it any less unreasonable.

“But I don’t know how money works.”

“Oh, come on. You just don’t want to learn.”

Olivia, despite breezing through academic tomes and medical treatises, insisted that the function of money was beyond her. It was a glaring contradiction.

“Thath’o’wu—”

“Swallow, then talk.”

Olivia gulped loudly. “That’s not true. I really tried to learn. I was like, ‘Nngh!’ ‘Grrr!’” She flailed her arms around in a demonstration of her efforts.

In what world do you learn how to use money by grunting? Ashton thought, shaking his head.

But Olivia was already cheerfully charging off toward another stall. “Come on, hurry up!” she called, waving him over with a smile. Still shaking his head, Ashton followed.

Olivia’s snacking spree continued with no sign of abating. Then Ashton caught sight of a familiar face calling out enthusiastically from within one of the stalls.

“Come one, come all, and try Emaleid’s famed meat skewers!”

Olivia too noticed at once.

“Mrs. Stallkeeper!” she cried, waving and jogging over to the stall. The woman’s eyes widened, then she dashed out from behind the stall and swept Olivia up in a tight hug.

“You’re alive,” she said, lovingly ruffling Olivia’s hair. “Thank goodness...”

“You’re suffocating me.” Olivia squirmed in the woman’s arms, but the hug only grew tighter. “Can’t breathe.”

The woman laughed heartily. “That’s your punishment for making me worry!”

“Mmph...”

After a while, the woman released Olivia before turning to Ashton. “You protected her proper-like, then,” she said.

“Er, yes. More or less,” Ashton replied vaguely. In reality, Olivia was the one who’d protected him, but he wasn’t so inept at reading a room as to point that out here.

Even if I’ve had Olivia telling me I can’t read the room lately...

The woman nodded approvingly, then looked back to Olivia. “Now, little major, when you told me you were off to chase those imperials out of the north, I confess half of what you said went in one ear and out the other. But you really did it, didn’t you? Our lives have gotten a good sight better thanks to you.”

Olivia gave a little smile. “And now there’s no reason for you to cry,” she said.

“Thank you, dear,” said the woman. “But here now, that isn’t the uniform I remember.”

“Oh, this? It changed when I got promoted,” Olivia said, then did a pirouette to show off her new uniform.

“Did it really?” the woman said, looking at her in wonder. Ashton told her Olivia’s new rank, and the woman’s eyes widened in shock as she focused on Olivia’s collar.

“Well, I never. A lieutenant general’s insignia! So my little major’s a general now...”

“That’s right!” Olivia said. She planted her feet apart and drew herself up to her full height, clearing her throat dramatically a few times. The woman looked baffled by this even as she glanced at Ashton’s collar.

“And you’re a lieutenant colonel...” she said, a hint of incredulity creeping into her voice.

“Well, you know, a lot happened since last time,” Ashton said, scratching his cheek.

“It must have, for you to go from warrant officer to lieutenant colonel in the short time since last we met. You know, there’s been rumors going about that Fernest’s been on a winning streak lately,” she said, looking at them searchingly. “I suppose the two of you were involved in all of those victories, were you?”

While he obviously couldn’t divulge military secrets, Ashton saw no harm in answering such a question, so he decided to be honest. The woman apparently appreciated his situation, because she asked nothing further.

“But come now!” she said, clapping her hands. “I can’t let you go without spoiling you a bit, not when you’ve made the effort to come and see me.” She bustled back into the stall, filling bags with Emaleid’s famous meat skewers. Then she started loading up still more bags with something round that hadn’t been here the last time. Ashton looked down at the signboard and saw it read FRIED CREAMY BITES—EMALEID’S LATEST DELICACY.

“Here you are, my famous skewers and creamy bites! The sauce on the inside is hot, so take care you don’t burn your mouths.” With this, the woman pressed more bags than Olivia could carry in both hands onto her.

“Thank you!” Olivia said, but despite her proper display of gratitude, she showed no more sign of producing any money than she had before. Not that she could have, given that she didn’t carry any money with her.

“How much?” Ashton asked, pulling out his purse which now barely weighed anything at all. At this, the woman gave him a look of unconcealed severity.

“Don’t be vulgar, young man. You kept your promise, and even you came back to see me. I don’t ask for anything more than that.”

“Please, just take it,” Ashton said. “Times like these are the only chances I get to spend it.” He stuffed his purse into her hand.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” the woman bellowed furiously. “I told you, I don’t want it!”

“Well, we’d better be off, Olivia!” Ashton said, deliberately ignoring her. “We’ll get a dressing down from General Blood if we’re late.” He put a hand on Olivia’s back and pushed her away. She replied halfheartedly, looking unhappily back at the woman.

As Ashton set off, the woman’s yell followed him. “You wait!”

“I don’t think I will,” Ashton replied.

There was a pause before the woman called, “I’ll take it, if only to satisfy your need to be gallant, but I can’t take it all.”

Ashton stopped, thought for a moment, then turned back.

“Then think of it as a thank-you, for making Olivia so happy,” he said.

“Well, I never,” she replied, appraising him. “If you haven’t turned into a man since I saw you last.”

“I’m pretty sure I was always a man?”

The woman snorted and folded her arms.

“You’re too soft to be a soldier, inside and out. A bit of arrogance like you showed just now makes you look the part, even if it’s all talk.”

Ashton processed this. “Thanks for the advice,” he said. “Let’s go, Olivia.”

“Bye-bye!” she called back to the woman with a big wave. The woman returned her wave with even greater enthusiasm.

“You’ve got no money left.”

“Thanks to which I feel lighter already,” Ashton said, shrugging, at which Olivia laughed in delight. He looked up to where the blue sky stretched on forever above them.