SWNOVELXO Chapter 4: - That old woman, I'll buy!
On the second day of my reincarnation, I put on the clothes I had hung up to dry.
“It’s cold…” They were still somewhat damp.
“I wonder if wearing them will help them dry from my body heat?”
I stowed my backpack in my item box and put the leather pouch with five gold coins in my pocket before leaving the room.
I entered the dining hall on the ground floor and approached the menu by the entrance.
Oddly enough, I could read the characters of this world. Perhaps it was a special perk of being reborn in a different world.
“Hello, what can I get for you?” asked the waitress who greeted me as I entered.
“I’ll have the A Set, please.”
The A Set consisted of a meat-based main course. Since I missed out on dinner last night, I wanted a hearty meal.
I took a seat and waited. Soon, a tray with my meal was brought to me.
“Oh!”
It was a simple meal, consisting of what looked like a creamy stew, meat, and bread, but the portion size was impressive. The meat was large, and so was the bread. The meat seemed to be about 300 grams, and the bread was as big as my face. This was a substantial meal!
The bread was softer than what I had received from God. It had a similar texture to French bread. I dipped it into the soup and took a bite.
“Hmm, surprisingly good.”
The flavor was a bit mild, but it was still delicious.
Next, I tackled a thick steak. It was a bit tough, making it a bit challenging to cut, but not to the point where I couldn’t handle it.
“It’s a lean cut with minimal juices. It’s perfect for a hearty meal.”
Even as a young man, I knew that fatty, high-quality meat could be heavy on the stomach. The flavor was primarily salty, but there was something else to it, possibly some herbs. Overall, it was quite enjoyable.
“I’m stuffed…”
Eating this much made me feel like I was about to burst.
“To think I’ve had such a hearty meal in the morning. The world of this different world is amazing.”
The waitress from earlier approached.
“My, did you finish everything?” she asked.
“Is it a problem if I did?”
“Not at all. But most girls tend to leave some behind. Hehehe.”
I’m not a girl, though. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it, so I kept that thought to myself.
“Um, is there a store in this town where I can buy clothes?”
“If you’re looking for that, head out of the inn, turn right, and take the third left at the crossroads. It’s the fifth building on your left.”
“Thank you. I’ll go check it out.”
I should have given her a tip, but all I had was gold coins. I couldn’t bring myself to give a tip that would be equivalent to 10,000 yen. Well, I am a bit of a penny-pincher.
I followed her directions, left the inn, took a right, and found the clothing store on my fifth left. Without a sign and no windows, I might have walked right past it.
However, it turned out to be a women’s clothing store. It seemed that the innkeeper had completely mistaken me for a girl.
I had asked for a men’s clothing store, yes, I had. Just asking made me feel awkward, but to avoid embarrassment, I purchased one set of clothing that could be worn by a man. Still, it was women’s clothing, so I probably wouldn’t have a chance to wear it.
Then, I visited a men’s clothing store and bought five sets of clothes, ten pieces of underwear, and ten pairs of socks.
I also bought ten towels and a small bucket from a general store. I was quite exhausted by the end of it.
While resting on a bench in the square, a delightful aroma wafted by. I followed my nose and found myself in front of a food stall. It was selling grilled whole squid, just like the kind you’d find at a festival.
The aroma wasn’t exactly like soy sauce, but it had a savory, pleasant smell.
“Hey there, young lady! How about trying some grilled whole squid? If you buy one now, I’ll give you the tentacles as a bonus.”
He’s offering a bonus? Well, he didn’t look too bad either. Being cute seems to be an advantage no matter which world you’re in.
“Sure, I’ll take one, sir.”
“Alright, that’ll be three white copper coins.”
This pond squid looked just like Japanese surume squid, but could they really catch them in a pond nearby? I accepted the grilled squid and returned to the bench I had sat on earlier.
“It’s a bit fishy, but it’s delicious.”
It wasn’t so much the fishy flavor of the pond squid as it was the unrefined taste of the sauce. Still, it was tasty.
Next up was a thick steak. It was a little tough, making it challenging to cut, but not impossible.
“It’s a lean cut with little fat. That’s perfect for a hearty meal.”
Even as a young man, I knew that fatty, high-quality meat could be heavy on the stomach. The flavor was primarily salty, but there was something else to it, possibly some herbs. Overall, it was quite enjoyable.
“I’m stuffed…”
Eating this much made me feel like I was about to burst.
“To think I’ve had such a hearty meal in the morning. The world of this different world is amazing.”
The waitress from earlier approached.
“My, did you finish everything?” she asked.
“Is it a problem if I did?”
“Not at all. But most girls tend to leave some behind. Hehehe.”
I’m not a girl, though. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it, so I kept that thought to myself.
“Excuse me, sir, do you know what sauce this is?”
“Why, are you interested in the sauce? Well, I shouldn’t, but since you’re such a cute young lady, I’ll tell you as a special treat.”
“Really! Thank you, sir!”
I tried my best to act charmingly cute. Considering it as an information fee, this was nothing.
“This sauce is made with burgan.”
“Burgan?”
“Burgan is a condiment made by crushing and fermenting gugluts.”
“Gugluts?”
“What, you don’t know what gugluts are?”
“Nope.”
I looked up at him with slightly pleading eyes. When in doubt, use your charm.
“I’ll tell you, but don’t look at me like that.”
“Thank you!”
Gugluts, it turned out, were some kind of beans, likely soybeans. Could they catch them in a pond nearby? I asked where I could buy gugluts.
“Hahaha. It’s easier to buy burgan than gugluts. Besides, amateurs can’t make burgan from gugluts in the first place.”
I guess that makes sense. I sighed with relief.
“In Gortéo Company up ahead.”
Gortéo-san’s store, huh? I had thought about stopping by at some point, but it seems I’ve arrived earlier than expected.
I thanked the old man and bought another grilled pond squid and got squid tentacles as a bonus. I’ll definitely come back here again.
I stored the grilled pond squid and squid tentacles in my item box in a place where no one could see. I vaguely remembered reading in a light novel guide that you should avoid letting someone see you do this. Maybe I’m being overly cautious.
Gortéo-san’s store was quite large, with a display window. It seemed that glass existed in this world too.
Considering that only large stores like this used glass, it was likely a high-end establishment.
“Excuse me, do you have Burgan and Gugluts?”
I asked a nearby employee, and they directed me to the products.
Burgan came in a jar-like container that looked like it could hold about one liter. Gugluts, on the other hand, weren’t soybeans; they were small beans packed densely inside pods about ten centimeters long. There were quite a few of them due to their small size.
I purchased one bottle of Burgan and one bag of Gugluts. I learned that Gugluts were commonly consumed in this town, and when dried, they became saltier. Many people used the dried powder as a substitute for salt.
Fermenting them further turned them into Burgan, but the detailed process was unknown even to the shopkeeper. That was only natural.
You could eat Gugluts raw, but they were known to be quite bitter. If you wanted to eat them, it was common to soak them in water for a few days and then boil them to remove the bitterness.
Come to think of it, there were small beans in the inn’s soup. Could those have been Gugluts?
I also bought ten large fabric bags that were similar to Santa Claus’s sack in size. In one of the bags, I put the Burgan and Gugluts. As I was doing this, someone approached me.
“It’s been a day since yesterday. Welcome.”
“Hello, Gortéo-san. I’ve come to visit, a bit boldly, I suppose.”
“Welcome, Tooi-sama.”
Gortéo-san still had that friendly smile on his face.
“This way, please.”
“Huh, um, I…”
“It’s alright.”
Although I had initially intended to leave after buying Burgan and Gugluts, I couldn’t refuse, so I was led downstairs.
“This is…”
“This is the floor where we handle slaves.”
People were locked inside cages. Seeing it up close, it was still unsettling.
“Aren’t you interested in buying a slave?”
“I’m not really…”
“Few people are, but there are some. However, the institution of slavery is necessary. Many of those here would have starved to death if they hadn’t become slaves.”
“Starved…”
“Many families are struggling to feed themselves. By becoming slaves, they can secure their food, clothing, and shelter. Plus, they receive money, albeit temporarily. With that money, they can repay debts, buy food, and live, even if only for a while.”
Gortéo-san continued.
“We also make criminals into slaves, primarily for the purpose of punishment. They’re forced to work in harsh places like mines and battlefields.”
In this world, they didn’t seem to encourage rehabilitation for criminals. If you committed a crime, you received a corresponding punishment. That was the criminal slave system, according to Gortéo-san.
Criminal slaves are forced into forced labour, depending on the severity of the crime. For minor crimes such as theft, they can be used for cleaning up the town, but for robbery, rape and even murder, they are used up in mines or on the battlefield.
Slaves can be divided into two categories: controlled slaves, whose behaviour can be restricted, and voluntary slaves, whose behaviour is not restricted. Criminal slaves are the former and debt slaves are the latter.
Voluntary slaves are also given restrictions, such as not telling others about their master’s information.
Both dominant slaves and voluntary slaves have a set period of slavery.
In the case of the dominant slave, it is a prison term, while the voluntary slave is a debt repayment period.
‘This slave here is a dominant slave. Your price will be 10,000 gril.’
I was staring at a point and thinking about slaves, and they thought I liked the slave who was in my line of sight.
‘Oh, no, I’m ……’
Then I realised that the slave was an old woman. An old man with deep wrinkles on his face and a face that made you think she was a wrinkled old witch as depicted in the story.
I thought it was rude, but I wouldn’t like someone who could come for me at any time. I wish she would think twice.
‘This one is a wizard, but she became a domination slave because she let her magic run amok.
Even this old woman is a domination slave. If you put her in a harsh place, she’s going to snap in no time, isn’t she?
Be that as it may, she was a witch precisely because she was a wizard.
‘At her age, she has no future. That’s why it’s at a great price.’
Even if I ascend to heaven the day after I buy it, it’s still 10,000 grills, so I can give up? No, no, no, 10,000 grills is 100,000 yen. That’s a lot of money.
How do you like it?”
How do you like it? You want me to buy it? I can’t even stand up to an old lady like this.
These old people use their knowledge, not their labour.
So they work their brains, not their bodies?
I don’t want to buy a slave, but if I were to assume that I would buy one, I would prefer a young woman. I’m not interested in buying a slave, but if I were to do so, I’d prefer a young woman, someone beautiful, someone who is pleasing to the eye just by looking at her.
‘This one is unsold and will be sent to the mine after this. If that happens, he will be …… within a few days.’
Gortéo-san’s eyes go down.
Yeah,…… it’s heartbreaking to be made to hear such a thing, isn’t it? That’s how they want you to buy it, isn’t it? I won’t buy it.
It’s a shame. Is this one’s life only a few days left? ……
Gosh, ……. I feel so bad.
Even the old woman stares at me. Don’t look at me with such a reproachful eye.
‘Well, let’s go over there. You there, take Anneliese back to the mine.
‘Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Oh, God!
I’ll buy her, but please don’t send her to the mine.”
Why am I such a softy? I hate myself.
Gortéo-san smiled a good smile and won the employee over with his hand.
‘Thank you for your purchase. Please wait in the other room so we can process it right away.’
That’s the kind of response where they knew I was going to buy it. No, I think he made me buy it. The merchant with a hundred years of experience and I are not the same actor, I suppose.