Chapter 19 - Blind Dinner

"Look, Mr. Rikko! There's the city!"

"That's great! Now we just need to get in."

The city walls seemed bigger with every step and showed signs of being very strong. Rikko had never been to a city in this world and the only human building in his memory was the farmhouse, but even so he didn't feel that impressed. It was even expected that it would be like that. His short life as a teenage otaku was at least useful."

"I was thinking now... wouldn't it be better if I hide?"

"Huh, why?"

"I'm a rooster. It would be really weird for a rooster to walk into a city, don't you think?"

"Oh, that's true. But I have nothing for you to hide."

"So if they ask, it's better to say that I'm your pet or something. It should do the trick."

"But you just have to talk to them."

"You may not have noticed, but I'm not able to speak the human language."

"But I can understand you very well."

"You are a demi-human, I can talk to you because I have a power that allows me to do so, but with humans things are very different, at least as far as I know."

"Ahh, I see."

"Anyway, for now do as I said, okay?"

"Okay!"

The city gates appeared in front of the pair, imposing but somehow welcoming to their tired bodies. But the same could not be said for the soldiers guarding them. One of them stepped forward to speak to the strange pair.

"Hold on! Who are you and what do you want?" - Asked one of the soldiers.

"Ah! My name is Inako. I am a traveler and I wish to enter."

The soldiers looked her over seriously.

"Your clothes are in tatters. What happened?"

"I have come from far away. I was attacked by monsters in a dungeon far from here. My contractors died and I lost all my belongings when I fled."

"You were lucky to survive, then. Since you are in need, we will allow you to enter. But make sure you do not cause any trouble, understood?"

"Oh, yes, sir! I promise I will behave!"

"Very well, you may pass."

"Thank you very m-"

"Just a moment!" - The other soldier on watch decided to intervene.

"What is it, Norbert? This girl needs to come in, look at her condition!"

"I have already seen it. But I want to understand something. Young lady, what about that chicken behind you?"

"HUH? Oh, it's Rikko, my pet rooster, sir."

"Hmm, okay. It's a bit weird, but in the end there are people who like to play with their food, hahahaha."

"Mis- I say, Rikko is not food, he's my beloved pet, that's all I have left." - Inako was going to protest in Rikko's defense more vehemently, but appealing to her fragile state could bring better results.

"Oh, well... sorry about that, I was just joking. You can go, but be careful that your pet doesn't attack anyone, okay?"

"I promise he's tame!"

"Okay, go quickly."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Guard!" - Inako bowed politely, bowing to the waist with her hands clasped together on her abdomen, and then picked up Rikko in her arms and ran through the gates.

"Hey, remember what we talked about earlier?"

"About that rooster crowing?"

"Could it be…?"

"No, it can't be."

"What are we going to do?"

"Pretend we don't know anything."

"That's better, really."

"Wow, this is the biggest city I've seen so far, Mr. Rikko!"

"This is the first time I've seen one, I have nothing to compare it to."

And there it was. The city of Bordeaux, with brick houses and buildings, market stalls and a wide variety of people passing by, of the most varied races.

"There are people of all kinds here. Humans, demi-humans, hey, is that an elf?"

"Yes, it is. Pure elves are quite rare in human cities, so most of the time we'll see half-elves. You can tell the difference by the size of their ears, they're shorter in half-elves."

"I see."

"Where are we going now, Mr. Rikko?

"Let's do as you said and sell the items we caught, we can't do anything without money, right?"

"Oh, that's right. Let's see... let's go to smaller stores and sell what you caught, hmm... oh! Miss, can you give me some information?" - Inako interrupted the conversation and went to talk to a young woman who was passing by.

"Huh? Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Is there a medicine or leather seller around here?"

"Oh, if you go in that direction after the stalls, you'll find an alley full of those stores."

"That way? Thank you very much, miss!"

"Well, you're welcome. Have a good day."

"You too, miss!"

Rikko stood where he was pretending to eat something off the ground while looking around. Pretending to be an animal was relatively easy for him.

Hmm, I don't see anyone suspicious around, they must be acting far from the city center, we need to check that out at some point.

"M-"

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Remember, not just anyone can understand me. If they see you talking to a rooster, they'll think you're crazy and won't want to talk to you."

"Oh, but…"

"At least for now, we'll see what we can do later."

Inako picks Rikko up in her arms once more, so she can talk to him discreetly.

"Okay, then. That young lady said there's an alley full of shops after the stalls."

"Then let's go, I'm starting to get hungry."

The pair headed to the alleyway mentioned by the passerby.

There were several small shops with a weathered appearance. They had probably been there even before the surrounding buildings were built.

"Let's go to this one first."

They entered the first shop in the alley, a small potion shop. There were several shelves filled with vials with preserved creatures on the walls. At the counter, an elderly man was taking a nap, leaning over.

"Uh... sir?"

There was no answer. The old man was in a deep sleep, his snoring resonated in a way that made it even a shame to wake him.

"What now, Mr. Rikko?"

"Leave it to me. Put me on the counter."

Inako did as Rikko asked. Now on the building, Rikko straightened his posture, puffed out his chest and...

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"

"WOOOOOOOW!"

"EEEK!"

The poor old man wasn't expecting that. The shock made him fall from his chair and his feet hit the counter, almost knocking over all itens stored inside. Inako didn't expect Rikko to do that, so she screams and put her hands to her ears a little too late, she was stunned.

"Uuuuh, my ears..."

"Yours? Girl- ouch, my back... one louder scream than that and I would either be cured of my deafness, or deaf for good. Now, can you please lift me up?"

"Oh, sorry, sir, it's just that you weren't waking up..." - Inako ran to the other side of the counter to help the old man get up.

"Everything is fine, except for the scare I got, I really needed to wake up. So, how can I help you, young lady?"

"We- I say, I brought some things I want to sell."

"Hmm, very well, let's see what you have there."

Inako had forgotten that only Rikko could open his item box, but he had thought quickly, making it appear with her hand and winking.

"Oh, an item box! Not bad, not bad, and oh-so much stuff!"

A nice pile of items spread out on the counter and the old man widened his eyes in surprise.

"Sir, is this worth anything to you?"

"Hohohoho! Well, without a doubt, young lady! I really needed these things. My specialty is potions, but this leather is also useful to me. I will buy everything."

"Really?"

"Yes. Let's see... we have snake fangs, dried venom, leather, various herbs among other things... well, what do you say about three silver coins?"

"Three? Yes, that sounds good! I'll take it!"

"Hohoho, very good. Deal then!

The deal was done, three silver coins now shone faintly in the candlelight in Inako's hand. She tried to put them away, but for a moment she remembered that she had nothing useful for them.

"Oh, young lady, don't you have anywhere to keep them?"

"Ehehehe... it's just that I lost all my luggage running away from monsters, and my clothes don't have pockets." - Inako replied, slightly embarrassed.

"It must have been really hard. Here, take this. It's an old purse, but it'll do for you for now." - The good sir kindly held out a small leather bag.

"Wow! Can I really?"

"Yes, of course. It's no longer of any use to me, it's on the house."

"Thank you very much, sir! Have a good afternoon!" - Inako bowed deeply and picked up Rikko from the counter, who had been silently following the transaction.

"Thank you! Come back soon!"

Outside the store, Inako took one last look before putting the coins in her little purse, she was happy to see money again.

"Inako, did you think this price was fair?"

"Yes, it's all right, Mr. Rikko! I've learned how to handle money here, and the amount is fair. That old man is very kind."

"Right, and do you think this money will be enough to eat and sleep somewhere?"

"If we look for somewhere cheap, we'll be able to eat three meals and sleep in an inn for a week without any problems."

"Sounds great! Then let's do it, I'm starving."

"Ah, but Mr. Rikko, why didn't you offer the monster snake's items?"

"You said that monster items are worth more if they're sold to the guild, so I wanted to keep them and see how much we can get there."

"Oh, that's right! Maybe him couldn't cover the price."

"That's a possibility. Shall we eat?"

"Let's go!"

"Oh, wait. We need to stop somewhere first to get you better clothes. You've been walking around like this for too long."

"Wow, can I really, Mr. Rikko?"

"Of course you can! You're my traveling companion and without you I would have problems all alone."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Rikko! - Inako seemed genuinely happy to hear such kind words." - "But we can't spend much, right? I'm happy with used clothes."

"If that's okay with you, then that's fine.

It wasn't hard to find a second-hand clothing store. Inako tried to be practical by buying something affordable and comfortable, as her clothes were beyond repair, and also a pair of shoes to replace the only geta sandals she had left.

After asking a few people, they came to the conclusion that the best choice was Taverne à Volonté, located in the eastern part of the city. It's a simple-looking but cozy establishment. It was quite full and many people were already slightly drunk. They chose the furthest table at the back of the establishment.

"It seems like a very lively place, and I can smell great food." - Rikko had a thread of drool running down the corner of her beak.

"Yes, it's very good... HEY, MISS!" - Inako wasted no time calling one of the tavern attendants. A brown-haired girl soon came over.

"Hello! Welcome to our tavern! What would you like?"

"Um, well, I don't have much money at the moment. What do you have that's cheaper?"

"Hmm, don't worry, our prices are the best in town. And if you want a recommendation, I really like Riz au poulet effiloché à l'huile d'olive, aux herbes, and vin au miel to drink.

Wow, that's too French for me, I barely understood anything. - Rikko tried to understand the name of the dish, but to no avail.

"Hmm, it looks… good. I'll have that!" - Inako didn't seem to understand either, but she let herself be carried away by her hunger and the cheerful atmosphere.

"Okay, just wait a bit." - The waitress nodded and went towards the kitchen to place the order, but not before stealthily glancing at Rikko and leaving the table with a surprised expression.

Inako drank the water brought beforehand in a mug by the waitress and offered half to Rikko, who drank it eagerly. As expected, several people at the neighboring tables began to notice the strange presence in the place.

"Uh… Mr. Rikko, they're noticing you."

"There's nothing to be done. As long as they're just looking, it's fine. Let's be cool and leave as soon as we're done eating."

"Be cool? Oh, okay, I guess."

A few minutes later the waitress returned carrying a large carved wooden plate with the food and a mug. Inako noticed a small empty bowl next to the plate.

"It's to give some of the rice to your pet. He must be hungry, too." The waitress replied with a smile as she explained.

"Oh, thank you very much!"

"You're welcome. Enjoy your meal!" - And then she left to serve the other tables.

Inako picked up the spoon and filled Rikko's bowl with a good amount of rice and herbs. She was about to take the first spoonful when:

"Hey."

"Mr. Rikko, what's wrong?"

"I want meat too."

"Ahhh… are you sure?"

"Of course I am! I'm starving, just rice and herbs won't be enough. Give it to me."

"If you insist…

Inako was still apprehensive, but she agreed to the request. She watched Rikko eat the meat with gusto. Not only her, but some people at the nearby tables had noticed and watched the scene in amazement.

"Mr. Rikko… are you okay?"

"Yes, the food is great, why wouldn't I be okay?"

'It's just… well…"

"Just say it right away."

"What you're eating… is chicken meat."

"Oh, right. So what?"

"You're a rooster. Rooster, chicken, you know…?"

"Oh, I get it. I have no problem with that. On the contrary, it's a way of showing respect."

"Showing respect…?"

"Yes. This bird was sacrificed to feed someone. It was slaughtered, cleaned, cooked and seasoned. Now it's served and we're eating it. It would be very disrespectful to refuse to eat it."

"Oh, I see."

"Then eat before the food gets cold. Oh, I want a sip of that thing you're drinking too. Wait, is that wine?"

"Yes, it is, why?"

"Wait a minute. How old are you?"

"Fifteen, why?"

"And you can drink that? Aren't you a child?"

"A child, me? I'm fifteen." - Inako said, puffing out her cheeks, feeling offended.

"I thought people your age couldn't drink. At least I heard that somewhere."

"Ah, but where I come from, people who are fourteen are already considered adults. And as far as I know, it's the same in this country."

"Ah, well, if that's the case…"

"Anyway, this mug is only half wine. The other half is water sweetened with honey. Try a little."

The other people were even more surprised when the girl offered the bird a drink that was with her directly from her mug.

"Hmm, it's actually tasty. It kind of looks like grape juice, only more alcoholic."

"See? I can't get drunk. Although Tenko would. She gets drunk drinking Amazake."

"I have a feeling I know what that is, I think I understand."

A few minutes later, the plates and mug were empty. The quantity was good enough that they didn't need to go back for more, so now they decided it was time to pay the bill and go look for an inn to sleep.

"Well, yawwwn, now we've filled our bellies, it's time to go. We have to find a place to sleep, it's already getting dark outside.

"That's right, Mr. Rikko. I'm dead tired too. I'm going to call that lady."

Inako stood up from her chair and stretched her arm up and said:

"MISS, THE BILL, PLEASE!" - Inako said.

But it seems she wasn't the only one to do it. Another voice almost overshadowed hers, making her turn in surprise to the people at the table next to her.

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry if I scared you, little girl! We were thinking about asking for the bill too."

There were five people at the table next to him. It wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary if it weren't for the fact that Rikko's gaze, which had been on the opposite side of Inako and hidden by him by mere chance, had crossed paths with the two individuals at a nearby table. One of them was a tall, strong man with short hair and the other was wearing dark clothes. When the three of them saw each other again, they couldn't contain their voices of surprise.

One of them was a tall, strong man with short hair and the other was wearing dark clothes. When the three of them saw each other, they couldn't contain their voices of surprise.

"AH."