Chapter 39
And our seafood prices will probably rise a little, too. We can use that to develop refrigerants. It’s a drawback that the distribution of development materials might face delays, but society will progress at its own slow pace.
A world where science prevails over magic.
The scent of herbs lingered on my tongue. Dorian watched me quietly for a moment before speaking.
“Then I’ll guide you there. It’s a bit far from the city center, is that alright?”
“Since we’re going that far, it wouldn’t hurt to rent a carriage in advance. We can quickly check the estate, then take the carriage back to the marquis’ residence.”
At that moment, Lewin, who had been quietly eating Madeleine, joined our conversation.
“Going back?”
“Yeah. Why? Don’t you want to, Lewin?”
Dorian reacted instantly to that. As he tilted his head slightly to look at his younger sibling, his black hair, like crow feathers, fell forward.
Lewin asked,
“What about the toy?”
At that, Dorian straightened up and looked at me. I suddenly remembered—it’s a good thing it wasn’t a big deal. I had completely forgotten.
Even if I couldn’t act like the child psychology expert on TV, I had to be an adult who keeps promises. I spoke calmly to Dorian as if nothing had happened.
“Of course we’ll go buy it. Dorian, is there a toy store nearby?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it’s on the way to the carriage rental.”
Dorian paused to estimate the route before answering. He had a slightly map-like expression. Considering he hadn’t been to the marquisate for a while, he knew the geography well. I nodded.
“Shall we get going then?”
As Dorian said, the toy store was on the way to the carriage rental. It was a three-story building, with the store on the first floor, and oddly enough, the sign featured a wooden seahorse instead of the usual wooden horse.
Being in a busy area, the store was fairly large and already crowded inside. Opening the smooth mahogany door with glass panels, we were greeted by the smell of wood and oiled metal.
“Welcome!”
A cheerful clerk in colorful clothing passed us, her braided hair reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking.
Lewin was already completely absorbed in the toys on display. Dorian leaned slightly and whispered to me,
“It’s the largest store in the district, but unfortunately, they don’t have toys made with magic tools.”
“That’s fine. We’re only buying designs unique to this place.”
I stood on my tiptoes and whispered to Dorian. From the moment I saw the seahorse on the sign, I had high expectations, and the store did not disappoint. Every direction I looked was filled with toys of designs unlike those in the capital.
Among them, a pristine white sculpture caught my eye the most. A sculpture of a narwhal sat on a shelf out of a child’s reach.
“Lewin, how about this?”
I wanted Lewin to see it too, so I picked him up—but holding him meant I couldn’t point to the sculpture.
Because Dorian had been holding Lewin with one arm, I had forgotten the child’s weight.
At that moment, my arms suddenly felt light. Looking up, Dorian had taken Lewin and was holding him. He gestured to me.
I pointed to the narwhal sculpture again.
“Look at that. A narwhal.”
Lewin’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the pure white whale. His tiny mouth opened slightly.
“Wow…”
It was worth turning our attention to it. But don’t narwhals live in the north? How did one end up here?
While I was pondering, Dorian explained.
“This is actually made from a real narwhal tusk. It’s carved in parts and magically joined so the seams aren’t visible.”
I widened my eyes, staring at the sculpture. A real narwhal tusk! I hoped I wouldn’t accidentally break it.
But it was truly impressive. Back on Earth, they just displayed them as a solid piece. Here, they could even be carved like ivory.
The clerk, apparently noticing our interest in the sculpture, came back to us.
“Oh, you’ve seen our narwhal! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s a rare friend that came here by sea from Lambda.”
Lambda was in the northern coastal region, near the Ostalgoy territory. I hadn’t expected a northern sea creature to be in the south—it was imported. And transported by sea, no less.
When I blinked silently, she spoke with even more cheer.
“You can recognize it immediately—your parents have excellent taste!”
“Huh?”
“Your parents…?”
Her words were like a thunderclap. Dorian and I both asked in confusion. The clerk looked at us as if to say, “Was that not right?”
Do I… really look that old?
“…Is that not the case? Then… um… perhaps…”
The clerk, noticing something off, cautiously asked again. She hesitated a few times while glancing at Dorian and Lewin.
Of course… Dorian’s appearance is unusual, and Lewin closely resembles the marquis family!
Should we just go along with it now? While Dorian and I exchanged nervous glances, the clerk sensed the tension and fell silent.
The brief silence was broken by Lewin. Like breaking frost on the window, he answered bluntly.
“Madya.”
His speech was more lisping than usual. Dorian and I exchanged glances and quickly read each other’s eyes.
“That’s right. It’s really a beautiful narwhal.”
“I never thought we’d see something like this here.”
Something felt off.
The clerk smiled again, seemingly delighted. The unease from before had vanished.
“We also have a variety of other items, so feel free to call if you need anything!”
She walked away lightly. I couldn’t speak until she disappeared from view.
Once I was sure our conversation couldn’t be overheard, I spoke.
“…Lewin?”
“Yeah?”
Lewin’s eyes went wide as he innocently replied. His cheeks were rosy, his voice like a bell… just like usual.
“Shall we buy the narwhal?”
“Sure!”
The lisp from before was gone, and Lewin responded normally. I was momentarily speechless.
But Dorian, seemingly unconcerned, said casually,
“That’s dangerous, so let’s pick the doll version.”
“That’s better though…”
His last words trailed off, but Lewin’s pronunciation was clearly different from when the clerk was around. I tried to recall how he spoke in front of others.
He’d only been at the duke’s residence before, and here at the marquisate, he hadn’t spoken much. Even earlier, he had been quiet.
I had thought he was just shy, but perhaps there’s more to it.
“Is the doll okay?”
Ah, I had been lost in thought. I nodded. Since the display focused on sculptures and ornaments, we moved around the display to the section with dolls.
The doll’s horn was smaller and blunter, but it was stuffed with cotton, making it much safer for a child. Lewin looked dissatisfied at first, but after touching it a few times, he seemed pleased, burying his face in the doll.
“Uuuh…”
“How is it, do you like it?”
Lewin silently kept his face pressed into the doll. It seemed like he was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it.
“Wait a moment…”
At the counter, Dorian handed Lewin to me. Lewin lifted his face slightly from the doll, his eyes sparkling like stars. While Dorian handled the payment, his little hands fiddled with the doll.
After paying, Dorian turned around. I whispered to Lewin.
“Let’s say goodbye.”
Dorian raised an eyebrow, then nodded in understanding. Normally, they wouldn’t need to greet in a store, but since we were in disguise as commoners, it made sense.
But I had another reason for making Lewin greet. He looked at me while holding the doll tightly, then at Dorian, and finally at the clerk behind the counter.
“Thank youuu.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed along with Lewin. Dorian just gave a silent bow. It didn’t really matter.
‘His lisp gets worse around others…’
I had thought it was a temporary regression from past trauma. But if he was doing it intentionally depending on the person, that changes things.
I looked at Lewin with mixed feelings. He noticed and looked back at me, a fleeting unease crossing his face.
I smiled to reassure him.
“Now that we’ve bought the toy, shall we go to the carriage?”
Lewin nodded and buried his face back in the doll.
Looking aside, Dorian also seemed to notice something, his expression subtle.
I’ll need to talk with Dorian once we get back. I had planned to ask Eva, but she probably won’t return for a while.
Dorian opened the store door. The bell on it made a clear, watery sound as if droplets had fallen. I stepped out holding Lewin tightly.
