Exclusion
"Miss Al, are you okay? Is it heavy?"
In the middle of the slope, I called out to my partner, who was pushing the cart behind me.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you!"
She gave a cheerful reply. I could hardly see her face because of the piled-up luggage, but I was sure she was saying it with that lovely smile. Just imagining that face eased my anxiety about the town we had yet to visit.
After trading in several towns, we were approaching a town called Atia. It was relatively close to my town, but it was a place I hesitated to enter. This was because about a year ago, I heard a story from a Hinomoto merchant I happened to talk to. About ten years ago, when he had tried to do business here, for some reason he was coldly treated by the entire town. He couldn't do business, let alone stay, so he left as if fleeing. He suggested that it was probably because he was a foreigner.
So why were we trying to enter such a town? One reason was Miss Al. I was her employer. Employers have a duty to pay their employees. To pay wages, I needed to earn as much as possible. It was also necessary to cultivate new customers and new sales routes. Another reason was that I heard a disturbing story recently that travelers had been disappearing one after another in the surrounding areas of Atia. It was still bright now, but it was absolutely impossible to reach the next town before dusk. So, I decided it would be better to stay in this town for a while, earn some money, and then depart early in the morning.
Anyway, we were gradually getting closer to my town. Which indicated that our journey was coming to an end.
Eventually, we arrived at the entrance of the town.
"So, Miss Al, shall we go in?"
There was no need to push the cart on flat ground, so she was now standing beside me. Having heard from me about the fellow merchant, she replied in a tense manner: "Yes."
"..."
We entered the town. It was quite a big and bustling town. We moved forward, pulling the cart. Then:
"Oh, are you travelers? Welcome to Atia!"
A few men and women slightly younger than us approached us.
"Wow, you're merchants, huh? Are you going to set up a shop at the market? We'll come to see it then!"
"Sir, you're a foreigner, aren't you? Have you come to sell goods from your country?"
"But this lady is so pretty!"
"?"
Surprised by the unexpectedly warm welcome, which was very different from what I heard, Miss Al and I exchanged glances and blinked. But we couldn't just stand there, so I asked them where the inn was. They told us that we could find it if we went straight through the shopping street, pointing the way. We thanked them, and they left with a smile. As we walked in the direction they pointed, I spoke to my partner:
"It's different from what we heard, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
She also seemed taken aback. I continued speaking.
"I wonder if the atmosphere of the town has changed over the course of ten years...?"
...
...
...
There was no answer. I looked to my left, but Al-san wasn't in my field of vision. Did she fall again?
"Miss Al!?"
Calling her name, I turned around to look. Then I saw her standing in front of a certain store, staring at one point. Her profile seemed to be shining.
"Miss Al!"
I parked the cart there and ran over, calling her name.
"Ah, Mister Kazuo... I'm sorry."
Noticing me, she apologized with a slightly guilty look on her face.
"Ah, that's fine, but is there something that caught your attention?"
I turned my gaze to the shop as I asked. I had no idea what kind of shop it was.
"Ah—!"
It was a plush toy shop. Plush toys of various sizes and motifs were staring at us with their adorable faces. Particularly eye-catching was a gigantic bear plush. Even while seated, it was about as tall as from the top of an adult's head to their lower abdomen. If its legs were stretched out, it would be considerably large. Al had been standing almost directly in front of it.
"Do you like plush toys?"
When I asked her,
"No... not really... I mean..."
Al responded in a muffled voice, avoiding my gaze.
(No need to hide it...)
Suddenly, I thought of buying her something. A small token to say "thank you". Of course, the gigantic bear was out of the question, but perhaps something reasonably priced and sized.
But, I quickly decided against it. It's not that I was stingy. We were "travelers". We should only carry what is minimally necessary. Moreover, we would part ways once we reached my hometown. Whether she would settle there or depart for another town immediately, as long as she didn't have a settled place to live, she couldn't have what's called a "luxury item". She, of all people, probably knew that the most, and that's probably why she muddled her words.
So, when I said:
"Shall we get going?"
Miss Al obediently replied:
"Yes."
Lifting the handles of the cart, I asked her:
"Is there something you'd like to eat tonight?"
I couldn't buy her a luxury item, so at least I wanted to fulfill a small wish for her.
"Ah, let me think about it!"
Whether she understood my intention or not, she replied cheerfully with a bright smile.
(But really...)
As we walked, I thought about it. She liked plush toys. She disliked carrots. She could take a spectacular fall out of nowhere.
(Miss Al is quite...)
"Mister Kazuo?"
I was called just as I was lost in my thoughts.
"Hm, what?... huh?"
Turning to Miss Al, she was staring at me with a steady gaze.
"Um, what's wrong?"
In response to my question, she returned a question, still with that gaze.
"Were you thinking something rude?"
"Uh... no, I definitely... wasn't thinking anything like that."
*Pout!*
"Then why are you avoiding my gaze? And your tone is strange too!"
"I'm not... avoiding it, no. It's just your imagination, yeah."
I was in trouble. I felt like I'm about to burst into laughter...!
"You're so mean, Mister Kazuo!"
Saying that, Al puffed up her cheeks. But soon:
"I understand. Then, for tonight's dinner, I want a full course of the finest dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town!"
She declared with a dignified tone.
"Eh, eh? That's a bit..."
In response to my hesitation, she said:
"You just promised to let me eat whatever I want for dinner tonight, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did, but... Miss Al, you're being mean too...!"
"I'm not as mean as a certain someone!"
This time, Al turned away, pouting. I became aware that my own eyebrows were furrowed in an inverted V shape. Nevertheless:
"...Alright, I get it. I'm a man too. Men don't need to speak twice!"
I clearly said. Miss Al, who had been looking away, turned to me with wide eyes:
"Eh, Mister Kazuo, that's not what I meant. I was just joking..."
Interrupting her words, I said:
"Tonight, to show my appreciation for your hard work, Miss Al, I'll treat you to a full course meal using plenty of this region's specialty - carrots!"
"Eh, eh, whaaat⁉"
She raised her voice so loud that a few people around us turned to look.
"Ah, um... Is that... true...?"
As we walked, she asked me with a tense expression.
"'That'... what do you mean by 'that'?"
I intentionally returned the question in a polite form.
"Is this place really... famous for its carrots?"
She asked more specifically.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... It's a lie."
"Ahh, I knew it, you're so mean! That's terrible‼"
She puffed out her cheeks again, shooting me a sullen look. As we looked at each other:
"... Pff... heh... ahahaha...!"
"Ugh... oh... hehehehe...!"
Laughter welled up from both of us. Teasing each other. Being teased. Laughing together, canceling it all out. We had become capable of such "playful banter" before we knew it.
(Well, still though...)
I felt a desire to see Al, smiling broadly, hugging a huge stuffed toy someday.
When we finally arrived at the inn, we checked our cart in and secured a room. The room had two beds. We had thought a lot about it, but this seemed to be the safest choice. As far as I knew, Miss Al hadn't had any bad dreams since then, even while camping out.
"Should I... leave this here?"
Shortly after entering the room, I took off my cloak, folded it roughly, and put it on top of my luggage. Actually, on the way to this town, I had snagged it on a bush and tore a large hole in it. I had used it for quite a while, so I thought it was time to replace it, but being frugal by nature, and actually being a "poor merchant", it was my motto to repair whatever I could, using it until I couldn’t anymore before I could discard it.
"Miss Al, I'm going to step out for a bit, so take your time to relax."
"Yes, understood. Take care."
"Mm, thank you...!"
I left her in the room and went out. My destination was the mayor's house. I was going to get permission to set up a shop in the market starting from tomorrow. I couldn't meet important people wearing a torn cloak.
I left the inn and headed towards the back of the town, where the mayor's house was located, opposite to the side with the stuffed toy shop. As I moved deeper into the town, the number of young people gradually yet definitely decreased, replaced by more and more "middle-aged" people. At the same time, I could sense a certain heaviness in the air.
(This... am I being glared at...?)
I felt sharp gazes from people passing by, and from the windows of buildings. The stares from the elderly were especially remarkable. At the same time, my eyes were drawn to the elders. People who could barely move their arms, who walked dragging their feet, or those who had lost these limbs altogether. There were people with large scars or burns on their faces. Most of the elderly were like that. These people, for some reason, were directing looks of what can only be described as "hatred" or "murderous intent" towards me, a stranger.
(I wonder if that's what he was talking about...)
I remembered what the fellow merchant from my hometown had told me before. Before long, I arrived at the Mayor's residence.
"Excuse me!"
I knocked on the door and called out.
"Yes...?"
The door opened, and a maid peeked out. She seemed slightly older than me. Seeing my face, she made a somewhat troubled expression. When I explained my purpose, she let me in, still with that worried look on her face.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
After a while in the waiting room, a burly man in his fifties entered. I stood up and greeted him, then repeated my request for permission to open a stall at the market, as I had told the maid earlier.
The mayor listened to my story in silence, and after pondering for a while, he said,
"I could grant you permission. But... I'm sorry to say, could you please leave the town by tomorrow morning?"
"Why is that?"
Naturally, I asked with a sense of surprise, and honestly, a little anger. After all, I hadn't caused any trouble.
The Mayor, with an apologetic look, explained to me about an event that had happened in this town in the past.
About fifty-some years ago, a peaceful town was suddenly attacked by an armed group. Destruction, killing, plunder, and humiliation. All of them, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and others, were all "demi-humans." A few days later, they were suppressed and killed by an army that was finally dispatched, but by then the population of Atia had already been reduced to less than half, and there had been countless suicides, especially among women, for several years afterward.
"I personally belong to the generation that was born after the incident, but most of the elderly people living in this town now are survivors of that incident."
The words of the mayor, who spoke painfully, reminded me of the elderly people I had seen on my way here.
"Because my generation was raised by those elderly people, many of us were instilled with the belief that 'demi-humans are to be hated'..."
When the mayor paused for a breath, I interjected:
"I understand that a terrible tragedy occurred, that many people were sacrificed, and that many people are still suffering. But why does that mean I have to leave town by tomorrow morning? I am not a demi-human."
To put it more bluntly, I hadn’t even been born fifty-some years ago.
"I understand that. But you're a 'foreigner,' aren't you?"
My rebuttal seemed to have been anticipated by the mayor, and he replied without missing a beat. He continued his explanation:
"For the elderly people who bear deep physical and mental wounds, both demi-humans and foreigners are the same 'other.' They harbor an extraordinary fear and caution towards anything they can't understand."
("Something unfamiliar"...?)
I was unable to find words to respond. The mayor continued to speak:
"Of course, considering the development of the town, interaction with foreigners and demi-humans is indispensable. Therefore, the previous mayor had started to interact with them little by little, and I am continuing that course of action. Especially, at the last Queen's Blade event, many demi-human beauties participated, which has aroused interest and admiration among the younger generation. Oh, by the way, wasn't 'Tomoe, the Warrior Priestess,' a beauty from your country?"
Indeed, she was. Although I was extremely busy and only managed to catch a glimpse of her, her beauty and achievements left a deep impression on me and served as a source of motivation. I also remembered the young men who approached me with delight as soon as I entered this town. They belonged to the "generation that knows the past tragedy only as a piece of knowledge."
"Anyway, I can't, and I don't want to disregard the people who, despite their wounded minds and bodies, whipped themselves to strive for the town's restoration. Of course, I'm aware of the recent incidents occurring around this town, where travelers keep going missing. Since nightfall is near, you can stay in the town. However, can I ask you to leave tomorrow morning...? From your point of view, an innocent bystander, this might seem like 'misdirected resentment' or 'collateral damage.' I truly regret it. But maintaining the peace in the town is also a duty of the mayor..."
The mayor spoke with a sorry look on his face. After hearing him out, I couldn't object:
"I understand. I will leave tomorrow morning. I am sincerely sorry for causing such a commotion, even if it was unintentional."
The mayor approached me and handed me something, saying, "Please accept this." Reflexively, I accepted. The heavy bag placed in my palm made a sound of multiple metals touching each other. It was gold. Surprised, I looked at the mayor who said,
"For lodging and meals... and use the rest as travel expenses."
Naturally, I tried to refuse, but the mayor insisted. He mentioned it was his personal apology for causing discomfort to a "guest" who had visited their town.
"...Then, I'll be leaving. Thank you for your time."
Feeling guilty, I put the money in my pocket, bowed to the mayor, left the reception room, and then the mayor's house, bowing to the maid near the entrance. The moment I stepped out, numerous piercing glances were focused on me from all directions. To be frank, it was scary. So, I hurriedly headed for the inn.
(I need to tell Miss Al not to remove her turban in public...!)
My companion, Miss Al, was a long-eared "demi-human."
Then, the incident happened.
Upon arriving at the inn, driven by the need to tell her about my conversation with the mayor, I quickly ran up the stairs and opened the door to our room. In retrospect, I should have knocked first. After all, it was not just "my" room, it was "our" room.
"I'm back, Miss Al. You see..."
I started to speak while my eyes looked for her. She was sitting on the bed.
"Oh, M-Mister Kazuo...!"
She raised her head while shuddering slightly. For some reason, her cheeks, and even her long ears, were flushed.
"Huh, what happened...?"
I asked, moving closer to her and shifting my gaze to what she held on her lap. I instantly understood what "it" was. While feeling my heart clench and my face flush in an instant, I ended up screaming out loud:
"Aaaaaaaaaahh!"
What she had on her lap was a book I had tucked away with my belongings. Its title was "Living in the Mountain with My Wife." It may sound like an ordinary title, but in reality, it was what one might call an "erotic novel."
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