Final Day in Phantasmo
On the last day in Phantasmo, today’s group was Brother Noel, Brother Gene, Nathan, and Anny. For escorts, we had Dai and Nelle from the Phantasmo private guards.
Apparently, Nelle is the second son of a fishmonger, and today he's taking us to his family’s home.
“Ah, it’s that place, right? The one where Jo and the others had grilled shrimp skewers.”
Said Brother Gene, pointing at the skewer shop we’d visited before.
“Yes. Hello, Uncle~”
“Oh? Ain’t that the Princess? You really came back?”
“Yes. It was delicious. Today, I brought my brothers too… Wait, what do you mean by ‘princess’?”
“Well, word around is that you're Lord Will’s granddaughter and a strong, warrior-like princess just like Lady Lindsay.”
“Oof...”
Hey, can you all stop looking down like that? And turn off the vibration mode!
“Well, I’m glad to see you again! Shrimp again today? We’ve also got turban shells and clams.”
“Wow, then I’ll have the clams.”
“Got it. Just give me a sec.”
Anny and I chose clams, Brother Noel picked turban shells, and Brother Gene and Nathan went with shrimp.
“Mmm, these juicy clams are delicious!!”
“Seriously! I’ve never had anything with such a rich flavor.”
“The turban shell’s great too. The bitterness of the innards is really nice.”
“This shrimp is amazing. Hey, another one, please.”
Said Brother Gene, already asking for seconds. So fast.
“That was delicious. Where can I buy shrimp and shellfish like this?”
“Looking for souvenirs? Then go to Nelle’s family’s shop.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah, you should stop by afterward.”
“Thank you so much.”
“No problem at all—come by again anytime.”
After that, we wandered around the town window shopping, and eventually returned to the restaurant we visited the other day.
“Hello~ We’re a party of seven, is that okay?”
“Oh, welcome back, Princess. Thank you for the other day. We have a private room available today—please, right this way.”
“… Okay…”
While we were being led to the room, some regulars from last time called out to us.
“Hey, Princess, the sea bream’s really good today.”
“Hello, Princess. That acqua pazza was amazing. Hey, put one on my tab for the princess and her group!”
“Hey there, Princess! Then I’ll treat you all to pineapple juice!”
“Hello, everyone~ Are you sure? Thank you very much!”
With that exchange, we were finally shown to the private room.
“Pfft, ahahaha! Jo, you’re super popular. Princess—pfft! I was dying trying not to laugh.”
Brother Gene burst out laughing.
Brother Noel and Nathan laughed too, and Anny and the two guards were smiling wryly.
“This is so good. I didn’t know raw fish could taste like this.”
“Yeah, I think I prefer this over the cooked kind.”
“Yeah, I doubted Zack when he said it was good, but it really is.”
“It’s because it’s so fresh, right~? Too bad we won’t be able to eat this once we go home...”
“Sure we can. I’ll store it in my storage.”
[Yay~~~!!]After the meal, we headed to Nelle’s family’s fish shop.
“Hey there~”
“Welcome—oh, Nelle? You slacking off?”
“Nope. I’m guiding the young lady. Ah, this is my old man.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Joan. I heard you have some delicious fish and shellfish.”
“Oh wow, sorry for the mess. My idiot son’s been in your care.”
“No, not at all. So, what’s today’s recommendation?”
“Today we’ve got horse mackerel, sea bream, shrimp, whiting. For shellfish, clams and turban shells—”
“I’ll take everything!!”
“Uh, Young lady, that’s a bit much…”
Nelle chimed in.
“Oh, right. You wouldn’t be able to sell to other people. Okay, I’ll take enough that won’t cause any trouble for the shop.”
“… Jo, you do understand moderation, right?”
Brother Noel added.
“But come on, this fish is so fresh! We can have what we just ate at home in Lampail! Sashimi, acqua pazza, grilled, fried, tempura… So many options—”
“Shopkeeper, please just give us what you can sell without issue.”
[Ehh—!?]“Alright!”
Joan made a triumphant pose, and everyone smiled wryly.
“Are you sure it’s okay to take this much?”
Apparently, Brother Noel handed Nelle’s father extra payment.
Mmm, Brother Noel really is a cool guy.
“We pushed you into this, so consider it a trouble fee.”
“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Sorry about this, Young master Noel.”
Nelle said, bowing to him.
After having the fish wrapped, we said goodbye and left the shop.
“'Scuse me~”
“If you’re interrupting—wait, ain’t that the young lass? Thanks for yesterday. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. So, do you have that thing?”
“… You didn’t forget, huh? Well, no helping it. Just a sec… Here. This is the best of the best.”
Thud—she placed a sake bottle on the table.
“Whoa, Daiginjo? You didn’t have to go this fancy.”
“No worries. It’s a souvenir for the Master, right?”
“Thanks, Sacchan. Oh, Sacchan, these are my brothers.”
“I’m Noel. Sorry if Joan was a bit pushy earlier.”
“I’m Gene. I had some dishes made with your dried goods. They had amazing flavor.”
“Well, aren’t you two handsome! If you were bringing these guys, you should’ve told me—I'd have put on proper makeup!”
“Ahaha, sorry about that. Oh right, can I buy more dried goods?”
“Sure. What do you want? Besides what you bought last time, we’ve got dried sardines, hijiki, soybeans—”
“All of them!!”
“Again!?”
“I mean, who knows when we’ll get to come here again...”
“Then just buy a little of each today. I’ll have Taiki bring more later.”
“Really? Thanks, Sacchan! How much do I owe you?”
“This much.”
“Here’s the payment. Keep the change.”
When Brother Noel paid:
“Eh? Really…? Are you sure? I’m not giving this back.”
“Hehe. It’s fine. That sake seemed really valuable... Besides, I hope we can keep this relationship going for a long time.”
“Whoa, you really are the young lady’s brother. So generous but smart too~”
“Oh, Sacchan, here—some simmered chicken wings and dried shiitake, and fish soup made with those dried goods. Please try them.”
“Oh my, thank you. Then here, take this.”
She handed me a bottle of clear liquid.
“What’s this?”
“Bittern. You know how to use it, right? It’s a farewell gift.”
“Waaaah! Thanks!! I’ll come by again if I’m ever back!”
“Travel safe!”
And so, with lots of seafood in tow, our final day came to an end.
Tomorrow, we depart for the Lampail territory.
What do you think about this chapter?
