Traveling Incognito
My name is Alfried. Eighteen years old. I am this country’s—Guardia’s third prince.
My hobby is taking a walk in the town. I find sneaking out of the castle and strolling around the town very amusing, so with no signs of wanting to stop, I sneaked out of the castle today as well.
But, you can say that I will be always discovered by my sharp-sighted, childhood friend and current guard Najack Ignis.
I have been receiving guidance in self-defense since I was young so I would be all right by myself, but it cannot be helped since I was found out. Finally, Najack forcefully accompanies me.
“Oh, that food cart is here today just as I thought.”
“I would like if you stopped eating food from outside the castle though…”
“What are you saying? Buying food on a stroll is the real pleasure! Besides, that food cart is open for business only when they received Giant Boars! Not eating it is a loss!”
“… Where have you heard about that?”
“I heard about it in a store nearby. Let’s go, Najack!”
I heard rumors about the food cart the last time I strolled around the town. It’s a cart that sells grilled skewers of monsters called Giant Boars, and it’s apparently quite delicious. I was told that they don’t flavor their meat only with salt, but with a flavoring called soy sauce.
And, this cart is opened irregularly and when I was wondering whether it might be opened today, I heard information that it was the case.
Therefore, I came to look today, but… luckily, this food cart is in the middle of setting up.
A queue is already forming in front of the cart! I have to hurry up to line up!
Panicking, I moved to the end of the queue.
“Wait, Your Hi— Al-sama, please don’t move on your own.”
Najack quickly corrected himself after I glared at him for trying to call me “Your Highness” in the middle of the town, but I couldn’t help but tell him my honest opinion.
“It’s not like I disappeared from your field of vision, so don’t be so stiff. Look, it seems they have opened for business. It will be our turn soon.”
In a while, it was finally our turn to order.
“Ohh, doesn’t it look delicious~”
“Welcome. One person can buy a maximum of three skewers at our cart.”
“Shopkeeper, there’s two of us, so let us buy six.”
“Sure thing!”
As the food is sold out in a short time every time they open, there’s a limited supply, but I felt delighted that I was able to buy them safely.
“Oh, the rumors weren’t wrong, that’s quite tasty meat skewer.”
“… Indeed.”
I bit the skewer before Najack could taste it for poison and when I urged him to eat too, Najack displayed just a slightly dejected state.
He’s lamenting that he couldn’t carry out his duties, but there just isn’t a chance that food I chose on my whim would be poisoned.
… Nevertheless, this Giant Boar meat is seasoned just right and it’s quite tasty~ So this is the taste of soy sauce, huh~ I see, I can now understand why the cart is sold out just a while after opening.
“Al-sama, you have accomplished your objective, so let’s return for today.”
“What are you saying, Najack. We ought to visit one more stall that was recently opened at the Fiji Company, right?”
“Ehh!?”
It seems that Najack wanted me to quickly return to the castle, but unfortunately for him, my objective today wasn’t only this place.
Fiji Company has been developing new spices recently, so naturally, the food made with these spices have been tremendously popular.
I don’t know when I will be able to go to the town again, so I definitely cannot miss it today.
“Now then, let’s go!”
Just when we were about to go towards that stall—
“Move it!!”
“Kyaa——”
A hoodlum wielding an edged tool appeared.
“Najack. Do something about that. You are, more or less, a Knight, aren’t you?”
“Not just more or less, I am without a doubt, a Knight. However, I am your guard, so it’s not like I can separate from you.”
“Then, what? Are you going to leave it at that?”
While Najack was undecided, I saw a slender youth face the hoodlum.
“… Will he be all right?”
He seemed to be about the same age as me, maybe a little younger, so I couldn’t help but worry.
That’s because he didn’t seem like someone who practiced martial arts. Speaking frankly, he seemed weaker than me.
“Najack, since you can’t separate from me, how about throwing something to support him?”
“… Cannot be helped.”
Then, Najack took out a silver coin from his pocket and magnificently hit the hoodlum’s face.
“Hooh~?”
“Oh my?”
Not faltering even for an instant, the youth who fought the hoodlum whose face got hit, seized his knife and knocked him down instantly. In contrast to his appearances, the youth was strong.
His throwing movements could be only described as splendid and I couldn’t help but admire.
Najack seemed to be admiring his moves too.
“Things seem to be all right now.”
“Indeed. Let’s leave before the patrol arrives.”
“Yeah.”
Although we weren’t related to the matter, I would like to avoid running into the patrol. Therefore, when we were about to quietly slip out from the crowd of onlookers, two children I have a remembrance of appeared before us.
These children are that, right? The children who were together with the youth who stopped the hoodlum, right?
“Here~”
“Returning~”
Then, the boy held out his hand without hesitation.
When I looked into his extended small palm, I saw a silver coin in it.
“”Eh?””
Then, the children were obviously looking at Najack.
Both Najack and I naturally let out voices of surprise at their actions.
“”Returning~””
“… Thank you, very much.”
“”Yeah!””
When Najack awkwardly accepted the silver coin from the boy, the children returned to the youth with satisfied expressions.
“It seems that… you have been exposed, Najack.”
“That seems to be the case.”
When I said such while watching the backs of the retreating children, Najack agreed with a bitter smile.
“Say, Najack. Haven’t there been adventurer siblings that had an audience with Father recently?”
“Yes, you mean those ones, right? The ones who discovered the dungeon in Bailey.”
“Yeah, those ones. I haven’t met them directly, but… don’t you think that their appearances and traits are similar to what we heard?”
“… Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
A black-haired youth with gentle manners and blue-haired boy and girl twins.
Recalling the people who were the talks of the castle just recently, I don’t think it could be someone else as their traits lined up.
“I heard he’s quite powerful. If that’s the case, he must have already seen through our identities…”
“… It might be better to refrain from sneaking outside for time being.”
“……”
Najack suggested stopping sneaking out from the castle for the time being.
In the first place, Najack doesn’t agree with my actions that much. He understands that I would go alone if he didn’t tag along, so he has no choice but to follow me. But—
“For the time being, huh…”
Sorry, but I don’t plan on stopping strolling in the town.
That’s why I will have you keep tagging along with me.
“… However, what interesting siblings. I heard from Father that they occasionally come to the castle, so I might have an opportunity to meet them face to face. I am looking forward to it.”