Isekai Yururi Kikou ~Raising Children While Being an Adventurer~

Chapter 479:

Shopping (1)

The next day, we headed out into the town with Patrick-san and his three companions.

They had arrived in this town two days ago and, upon arrival, determined that it was necessary to inspect the Dungeon of Precious Stones in order to better support us.

So, they visited the first floor, which had become a tourist attraction.

Yesterday, they spent time confirming key locations and making rounds of introductions, but upon hearing that we had emerged from the dungeon, Patrick-san prioritized meeting up with us, while the others went to greet the local lord.

Knowing that the four of them hadn't had a chance to fully enjoy the town yet, the children invited them to join us for some street food and shopping.

“”What should we get~?"”

"Mu? Isn't that the shop where we ate arrowfish on the first day?"

"”You're right!”"

"Takumi, I'd like to stock up on some more street food. Is that okay?"

"Of course, no problem. Should we also buy you some more alcohol, even though you can't drink it in the city?"

"Is that okay!?”

"You have earned plenty of money, Kaiser."

Kaiser had been earning money for us, mainly through the branches he collected... so I figured it wouldn't hurt to splurge a little.

"Then, how about we get more of that fruit wine we drank last night? It was a bit diluted, but the taste was good!"

"It was indeed easy to drink and delicious, but I have no idea about its origin or brand."

"Takumi-san, I happen to know the origin and brand of last night's fruit wine."

"Really?"

Patrick-san knew the brand, possibly because he either asked when ordering the food or chose it himself.

"Yes, really."

"Thank you. But I don't think I'll remember even if you tell me now, so could you mention it to the shopkeeper when we get there?"

"That’s no problem at all."

"Takum-san, I found a shop that looks just right."

While I was feeling relieved by Patrick-san's reliable words, Lancer-san pointed out a promising-looking liquor store.

"It does seem like the kind of place that would have what we're looking for."

"Really? Allen, Elena, do you mind if we stop by?"

"”... I guess we can’t say no~"”

Since we had been talking about alcohol so much, the children seemed a bit less enthusiastic, but they still agreed to let us visit the shop.

"This shop feels different from the one we visited before."

"Yeah, it does."

The liquor store where we bought the barrels on the first day was more geared towards commoners, whereas this shop seemed to cater to a more noble clientele.

Most of the alcohol here was in fancy bottles rather than barrels.

"Takumi-san, they have what we're looking for in stock."

As soon as we entered the shop, Patrick-san quickly confirmed that they had the fruit wine we were after.

"Huh? It's surprisingly affordable."

"This particular one is from last year, so it's relatively young. If it were an older vintage, the price would be higher."

"I see. The younger one was easy to drink, but how does it compare to the more aged version?"

"Well, it does become more astringent with age, but this brand is known for its smoothness, so it retains a cleaner taste compared to others."

I had expected the fruit wine served at a noble’s inn to be somewhat pricey, but it turned out to be reasonably priced.

"Kaiser, what do you prefer?"

"Mu? Last night's was good, but I think I'd like something more astringent too!"

"Ah, I see, so you want both."

"Umu!"

To satisfy Kaiser's honest request, we decided to purchase several bottles of three different vintages.

We also asked for recommendations of other fruit wines that might suit Kaiser's taste, and selected a few more.

"Is there anything else that we should get, like something special that's only available in this country?"

"Yes, I have just the thing."

Since we were there, I asked if there was anything suitable as a souvenir.

"Here it is. This is a rare item that's not commonly sold outside the country."

"What kind of flavor does it have?"

"It has a mild sweetness that's popular with both men and women."

"Sounds good. Do you have enough in stock?"

"You’re quite fortunate. This product usually only comes in two or three bottles every few years, but we just received a shipment last night. Even more unusually, we got ten bottles this time."

"That’s incredibly lucky. Do you still have all ten? If so, I'll take them all."

"... Excuse me?"

The shopkeeper was visibly shocked when I tried to buy out all of the rare items that had been brought in under unusual circumstances.

"U-um, customer, well, you see..."

"Did they already sell? Are there fewer than ten bottles left?"

"N-no, they haven't been sold yet, so all ten are still here, but the price... it's just that..."

The shopkeeper was clearly flustered, struggling to find the right words.

"Takum-san, it seems that the price for one bottle of this fruit wine is higher than the total amount we spent on all the other wine we just bought."

"Ah, I see."

Patrick-san helpfully explained why the shopkeeper was so nervous.

As expected, the fruit wine he recommended as a special item turned out to be quite a luxury product.

The price for a single bottle was more than the total for all the wine we had just bought for Kaiser.

However, even if I bought all ten bottles, I could easily cover the cost with just one or two branches obtained from the first floor of the Dungeon of Precious Stones.

… That means the value of a single branch is quite substantial.

"That’s not a problem. As long as there are no purchase limits, I’ll take them all."

It was clear that if I passed up this opportunity, I wouldn't be able to buy them later if I changed my mind.

So, it made sense to buy them now. Fortunately, I had enough money.

Besides, these could serve as gifts or sweeteners if needed, so I planned to store them in my Infinite Storage.

"... Takumi-san, your shopping style is pretty bold."

"Even nobles can’t often manage to shop like that."

Eugene and Lancer-san commented in a somewhat exasperated tone, but I chose to ignore them.

"Also..."

"Huh?!"

"Do you have anything else that’s more moderately priced but still unique to this country?"

"Y-yes, right away!"

For a moment, the shopkeeper looked at me as if to ask, "You're still buying more?" But then, realizing this was another sales opportunity, they quickly went to retrieve more products.

“”Oniichan, are you still going to buy more?"”

"This is probably the last order. This time, it’s souvenirs for Patrick-san and his companions."

"”I see~”"

"We need that, don’t we?"

“”Yeah~””

“”””... Pardon?””””

When I told the children what I was buying, they gave me the expected reaction, and Patrick-san and his group responded with even more confusion.

"Takumi-san, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. I’m buying souvenirs for you all from this country to take back to Guardia. Maybe to enjoy with your families."

“””No, no, no!"””

When I explained the purpose, Matthew-san, Lancer-san, and Eugene all shook their heads vigorously.

"... Takumi-san, we're here on business, you know?"

"Does that mean you can't bring souvenirs back just because you're on business?"

"”You can’t?””

"Well, it’s not that we can’t, but..."

"Then there's no problem."

“”No problem!””

A short while later, the shopkeeper returned with fruit wine that was neither too cheap nor too expensive—just the right price for a casual gift.

It seemed like the perfect choice for a low-key souvenir.

"By the way, Patrick-san, do you all have magic bags for your luggage?"

"... Lancer and I both have bags that the country has lent us, but if... if I were to say they were full, what would happen?"

"Fumu, should I dash off and get a magic bag?"

"No, no, no, we already have them! I have a spare one, so there's no problem!"

For some reason, Kaiser seemed ready to go fetch a magic bag from somewhere, so I quickly stopped him.

"Having said that, I have a magic bag you can borrow!"

Then, with a smile that clearly said I wouldn’t take no for an answer, I offered the magic bag to Patrick-san and his companions.

“”””......”””"

Patrick-san let out a resigned sigh, as if he'd given up or come to terms with the situation, while the other three were left bewildered and unsure how to respond.