The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

Chapter 233: The "Folklorist" Mogers (3) - Material Preparation After officially receiving the mission orders. The first thing Mogers requested was "We need to stock up on supplies for the journey, so please guide me to a general store." And Morana's response to that was. “That will be difficult, Professor.” "Hmm? Why?" "If you need supplies for soldiers, they're stocked in the barracks warehouse so you can just take those, but if you want to purchase various items, you'll need to use the shops on the main street. And if you walk down the main street with me, you'll receive unpleasant looks from the residents." Neither self-deprecating nor angry, Morana continued her explanation as simply a matter-of-fact statement. "I'm ashamed that I cannot stay by your side as a guard, but the very act of me being with you could become the source of unnecessary disturbance. So I recommend getting introduced to a separate guide through the higher-ups." "Hmm." Mogers stroked his chin beard. "In other words, I might experience discomfort, is that what you mean? It's not that you find me bothersome or unpleasant?" "That's correct." "Then there's no problem at all. I'm fine with it, so please guide me." "......" That was pretty terrible persuasion. He hadn't explained at all how to deal with problems when they arose. "Understood." However, Morana nodded instead of bothering to argue against those words. She had given her warning as a guard, but ultimately the decision-making power belonged to Mogers. Step. Step. Contrary to Morana's concerns, even though the two of them openly strolled down the main street, the residents only cast furtive glances of wariness and curiosity, with no one approaching to speak to them. Mogers walked with his back so straight and his stride so confident that people tilted their heads wondering "Is that right?" but were overwhelmed by his presence. "There are long pipe-like things scattered here and there throughout the streets. Do you know what those are?" "They're water pipes." "Hmm. Don't they bury them underground? ...Ah, I see. If hot water flowed through underground pipes in frozen ground, the frozen earth would turn muddy and the surface would sink. Rather, it's more efficient to suspend them in the air like that and cover them with leather or something. Maintenance would be easier that way too." Having grasped the general structure and principles just from a cursory glance, Mogers kept nodding his head. Morana couldn't quite understand why he was pleased. More than that, she had never really been interested in things like drainage pipes to begin with. From the Professor's words, it seemed like other places buried drainage pipes underground, but it was information of no help to Morana. After that, while he chattered about things like the steep angles of roofs and countermeasures for icicle prevention, the two finally arrived at their destination. When they opened the door of a building emanating mixed scents of oil and metal, another layer of door greeted them. Morana didn't theoretically understand the principle like the Professor did, but she knew from experience that having two doors like this was warmer than having just one. "Good." With a satisfied smile on his lips about whatever was so good, Mogers opened the door once more. Unlike the outside filled with cool air, the interior of the general store was full of sweltering heat. Animal skins and lamps hung on the walls, while the display shelves held herbs, blades, and dried animal dung suitable for fuel. That chaotic mess lacking any specialization perfectly revealed the identity of this shop as a general store. "Welcome. What are you looking for? ...Huh?" The shopkeeper, who had been sitting by the fireplace drinking warm tea, was about to step forward to serve them when he frowned. "Why is that monster bitch coming in here? You bring bad luck, so get the hell out!" At the sudden verbal abuse, Morana felt no particular emotion. She only thought that what was bound to happen had finally happened. However, Mogers was different. "Your customer service is truly pathetic." Crack! One wooden display case broke in half, and the products on top of it scattered everywhere as if there had been an explosion. Both Morana's and the shopkeeper's eyes widened in unison. Morana was amazed by the power that dismantled furniture with a single bare-handed strike, while the shopkeeper was shocked by the situation itself where some large customer had suddenly smashed up the store. "Wh-what, what, what are you doing?" Toward the shopkeeper who was stuttering from shock, Mogers spoke while brushing off the wood chips from his hands. "Look here, shopkeeper. I'm not trying to spout nonsense like 'the customer is king,' but isn't there still a minimum courtesy that a merchant should maintain? Telling customers who enter your shop that they bring bad luck or to get out is far too rude." Morana glanced at the shopkeeper's face. The shopkeeper looked as if the words "Then is it okay to just smash up the store without warning?" had risen to his throat, but after glancing at Mogers' log-like forearms, he shut his mouth. He might have thought that if he carelessly voiced objections, his head might end up in the same state as the display case. "S-sorry, customer. I was rude." "Mm, I see. Will you accept the shopkeeper's apology?" Morana thought for a moment. Considering the social position of the Belastok, she should answer "There's no need to apologize to someone like me," but in that case, it would damage the dignity of Mogers, who was currently her charge. Considering the latter more important, Morana answered briefly and plainly. "Yes." Mogers' coldly hardened face softened gently. He picked up the scattered items from the floor one by one and then spoke to the shopkeeper. "I'll buy all these scattered things. Including the cost of the display case, how about this much?" When Mogers pulled out a handful of silver coins from his pocket and offered them, the frightened shopkeeper's complexion changed completely from his tearful expression. "M-more than enough." "Then I'd like to buy a few more things. Do you have paper that's tough and resistant to moisture? And writing instruments to go with it. Regular ink and pens keep freezing, making them difficult to use." "Usually people use pencils, but if you're looking for something high-quality, this Hilore ink is good. It's ink made by mixing the sap of a plant called Hilore, and it doesn't freeze easily. Even if it does freeze, just put the ink bottle near a campfire for a moment and it melts right away." "Hmm, could I try it once?" If you ignored the debris of the broken display case, it was quite a normal and harmonious conversation. The power of the silver coins continuously being added to the counter made this possible. As a result of buying various things, Mogers' luggage grew, and the same was true for Morana. This was thanks to Mogers also purchasing travel supplies for her. After leaving the store, Mogers said. "You look like you have something you want to say." "No, not particularly." "Then even casual conversation is fine, so please honestly tell me what you're thinking. It's not very enjoyable to keep talking by myself." Morana thought for a moment. She was not originally a talkative person by nature. However, her assigned duty was to guard and assist Professor Mogers. Furthermore, there was an order to follow any of the Professor's instructions, so she couldn't refuse this. "Let me confirm once more. 'What you're thinking' 'honestly'. Is this what you instructed correctly?" "It's more of a request than an instruction, but the content is correct." "Understood." Morana steadied her breathing and then opened her mouth. "I judge the action you took at the general store just now to be somewhat foolish. While you suppressed the initial reaction and blocked complaints by combining a show of force with substantial compensation, this is only a temporary effect. There's a significant possibility that the shopkeeper will later report to the guards or spread malicious gossip to neighboring residents. If you had accepted the slander against me and instructed me to wait outside, there would have been no particular aftereffects and you would have gained much more benefit with far less money." Perhaps slightly flustered by the more lengthy answer than expected, Mogers blinked his eyes. But soon he let out a hollow laugh and said. "An accurate and detailed answer. Thank you. However, the statement that 'accepting slander directed at you would be more beneficial' is wrong." "Why is that?" "Because you didn't put the factor of human emotions on the scales." Morana tilted her head. "Hatred and contempt toward the Belastok has become commonplace . I don't feel any particular disturbance from hearing a few words like that." "If you're blocking with a sturdy shield, most sword strikes won't wound you. However, that doesn't change the essential fact that the opponent swung their sword." "I find it difficult to understand." "Haha, it's fine. You'll come to understand gradually. There are many places to visit around here anyway." Pat, pat, Mogers' large hand lightly tapped the top of Morana's hat. His tone became gentler only when speaking to Morana unlike when talking to others, and this man had a peculiar tendency to treat her like a child. Morana wondered whether she should point this out, then fell silent. It wasn't as if any major problems would arise from it. At least, not yet.