The Northern City, Norzampshon

My first-ever carriage journey north was a refreshing experience.

Until now, I had only known the cities in the south, so every landscape I saw along the way felt new to me.

It was an extremely long journey, and I stayed overnight in several towns along the way.

The carriage even passed the Royal Capital in the center of the country before continuing north toward Norzampshon.

The first thing that crossed my mind when I arrived and stepped down from the carriage was that it felt a little colder than Saria.

I paid the coachman the one-way fare and wondered what to do next.

Unlike Saria, Norzampshon was chilly even though it was the middle of the day.

If I had not bought some warmer clothing in one of the many towns we stopped at along the way, I probably would have been shivering.

I had not eaten lunch yet, so I decided I should fill my stomach first and entered a nearby restaurant.

I had eaten plenty of delicious food during the journey here, but this lunch was quite good as well.

After leaving the restaurant, I moved a little away from the entrance so I would not be in anyone’s way and looked out over the main street.

Saria, which lay within Father’s territory, was lively too, but this place seemed even more vibrant.

Perhaps the fact that so many people were bustling about despite how cold the region was made it seem even livelier.

“…Oh, there’s a weapons shop.”

I spotted a sign marked with a sword, and before I knew it, I was heading toward it.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I was greeted by rows upon rows of swords and spears on display.

Sitting at the very back was a man with graying hair and a scar over one eye.

The moment he noticed me enter, he stared intently at me.

It was the kind of look someone gave when sizing another person up.

“Welcome. Take your time and look around.”

After offering what amounted to a greeting, he looked away.

Freed from the shopkeeper’s scrutiny, I turned my attention to the swords displayed around the store.

After examining several of the weapons, one thing became immediately clear.

The selection was better than in the southern cities.

Every weapon on display was at least one grade higher in quality than what I had seen in the south, and some were perhaps even two grades better.

If the merchandise openly displayed was already this good, there might even be famous blades worthy of being called masterpieces hidden in the back.

The south was still dealing with ongoing skirmishes against other countries, while the war in the north had only recently ended.

Even so, the fact that such high-quality goods were available here might mean the city’s overall foundation was stronger than those in the south.

Honestly, just looking at the merchandise was enjoyable.

Normally, whenever I found a particularly fine piece, I would take my time examining it, but when practically everything was good, I found myself eager to see the next item and ended up almost skimming over them.

When I had made my way near the shopkeeper, he spoke.

“Kid, you come from far away?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. I came from Saria in the south.”

“Saria? Huh. That’s quite a trip. Must’ve been rough coming all this way. So, what do you think of my selection? The quality being far above other shops is what I pride myself on.”

What the shopkeeper said was completely true and matched exactly what I had been thinking, so I nodded firmly.

“I’m honestly surprised. I didn’t expect the quality to be this high.”

The grin that spread across the shopkeeper’s face at my words left a strong impression on me.

“Life’s gotten better for the people here since the war ended. There were some rough times in the past, but lately everyone’s doing pretty well, so I think you’ll enjoy yourself.”

“I see, thank you. Come to think of it, wasn’t it the current head of the family who ended the war after taking over?”

Thinking this was a good opportunity, I decided to ask about Shia.

I had only been in the city for a short while, but it was lively enough that I already knew I probably would not hear many negative opinions.

“Yeah, it’s all thanks to Leticia-sama. Honestly, the war dragged on for so long that everyone was sick and tired of it. A shop like mine makes money during a war, sure, but knowing people get hurt—or even killed at worst—leaves a bad taste in your mouth…”

“I see… I understand.”

“And after the war ended, taxes went down a little too. We really owe Leticia-sama a lot.”

Shia was well-liked not only in the south, but in the north as well.

That made me feel just a little proud, and I found myself smiling naturally.

Still, because I usually called her Shia, hearing people refer to her as Leticia-sama like this felt strangely fresh.

Even though it was the same person, it almost made her feel like someone else, which I found slightly amusing.

I continued talking with the weapons shopkeeper for a little while after that.

Most of it was casual conversation about how the city had been lately and what kinds of souvenirs were famous here, but like the people in Saria, he was easy to talk to.

I left the weapons shop without buying anything, though the shopkeeper still saw me off with a smile, and then I continued sightseeing around Norzampshon.

Whether I spoke with shopkeepers at other stores or families who happened to end up beside me, everyone seemed cheerful.

And whenever I asked about Shia, every single person praised her.

By the time I had finished seeing a fair amount of the city, my mind was filled with a single thought.

“Shia really is amazing.”

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, I remembered that Tanya had pestered me about bringing back a souvenir.

I recalled the way she had kept glancing at me while saying, “Since you’re going all the way to Norzampshon anyway, I’d be happy if you brought me back a souvenir.”

The old weapons shopkeeper had also told me that Milky Way’s sweets were famous, so I decided I would buy some before going home.

It could serve as a reward for Tanya as well, since she had returned to my manor and was working there while I wandered around asking people about Shia.

If I remembered correctly, I had been told it was near a corner of the main street, so I figured it should be somewhere around here.

As I walked, I turned a corner and immediately came upon a line stretching out from the entrance of a shop.

Just as I had heard, it seemed to be extremely popular, with a large number of people waiting in line.

I was reluctant to stand in such a long queue, but I did not have anything else I needed to do, so I decided to join it.