After parting ways with Reinhard, Jin, Reiko, and Elsa made their way into the commoner district.
This part of town held far more interest for Jin. The noble district, in his opinion, lacked any real sense of everyday life.
Elsa had also been eager to visit. "Even when I asked to see it, they never took me."
It made sense; there was normally next to no point of contact between a viscount's daughter and the common folk. Moreover, standard practice in this world dictated that noblewomen were rarely permitted to venture out of their estates.
"It's thanks to Jin-kun," she said, looking quite exuberant—at least, by her standards.
To a bystander, they likely looked like a noble lady traveling incognito with her retainers. Reiko's presence was a bit harder to categorize, though.
Finding the street stalls a novelty, Elsa pointed one out and asked, "Wh-what is that?"
"That's a meat skewer. They were selling those back in Port Rock, too, remember?"
"I only saw them from a distance. Mine and Jii-ya wouldn't let me buy any."
It seemed her attendants had judged that such things were not fit for a noble lady's palate.
"Do you want one?" Jin asked. Elsa's eyes sparkled as she nodded. "Alright. Reiko, could you grab two skewers?" Reiko was the one holding the purse strings, after all.
"Yes," Reiko replied, heading to the stall. She returned a moment later with two skewers in hand.
Jin handed one to Elsa and took the other for himself. The lunch at the restaurant had been a bit too high-class and dainty to truly satisfy his hunger.
"Hmm... I think I liked the flavor in Port Rock better," Jin murmured as he ate. Elsa, meanwhile, was eating hers with refined, dainty bites as they walked.
"But it's delicious. And I've never eaten like this before."
Jin worried that her wet nurse, Mine, would have an absolute fit if she saw Elsa eating while walking, but since the girl was enjoying herself, he figured it was fine.
Just then, a leg was suddenly thrust out in front of Elsa. Preoccupied with her food, she stepped right on it.
"Ow!" the owner of the leg bellowed. He looked to be about Jin's age but had a distinctly thuggish air about him. "Hey now, little lady! Where do you think you're walking?"
He towered over Elsa by more than a head, looming over her with a menacing scowl.
"I am sorry. It was wrong of me to step on your foot. I apologize," Elsa said in her usual blunt tone.
Her attitude seemed to rub the man the wrong way. "Oh ho? You think a simple apology makes it right, little lady?"
"What else should I do?" Elsa remained entirely unflappable.
"My foot bone might be broken. I'm gonna need some coin for the treatment."
Upon hearing those words, Elsa spoke up. "In that case, I shall cast Heal <Verheilen> on you. Show me the injury."
The man panicked at the offer. "N-No! Just give me the money and I'll go to the clinic myself! Hey, you, the scrawny kid over there. You're her attendant, right? How are you gonna pay for your mistress's mistake?" He shifted his target to Jin.
Deciding it was time to intervene, Jin spoke up. "Elsa, let's go. This is what you call a shakedown artist. He purposefully sticks his foot out to extort money from people."
The man turned bright red with rage. "Don't screw with me! Who are you calling a shakedown artist!?"
He shouted and threw a punch at Jin. However—
"Barrier."
"Ow!"
His fist stopped thirty centimeters short of its target. It was the physical defense function of Jin's bracelet. There was no way an ordinary human could break through a barrier capable of withstanding even Reiko at half-power.
"Hey, give it a rest. You'll only end up hurting yourself," Jin warned.
The thug glared at him. "Y-You'd better remember this!" Leaving behind that cliché parting shot, he scurried away.
"See? This is exactly why Jii-ya and Mine don't bring you here," Jin explained to Elsa. "Those types are everywhere. Maybe we should head back."
Thinking of Elsa's safety, Jin proposed returning to the marchioness's villa. But Elsa shook her head.
"I'm fine as long as I have the ring Jin-kun gave me. I want to see a little more."
Jin told her "Just a little longer then," and looked around. Perhaps due to the recent commotion, the immediate area had cleared of people.
Deciding to just wander for a bit, Jin led Reiko and Elsa toward a larger thoroughfare. The main street was lined with various shops selling ready-made clothes, household goods, and groceries.
Among the food items, Jin spotted something familiar. "Is that... a potato?"
He picked one up. In color and shape, it was a potato no matter how he looked at it. He performed a stealthy Analyze, and confirmed it was indeed the same as a potato.
"Hey there, young man! Looking to buy?" the shopkeeper asked.
Jin decided to buy a whole pile. "I'll take them."
"Alright, fifty Toll for a pile of topopo."
It was surprisingly cheap. Jin paid seventy Toll in total to include the cost of a bag.
"Jin-kun... are you really going to eat those?" Elsa asked, looking genuinely concerned.
"Yeah. I'll borrow the kitchen tonight and try cooking them."
"If I'm not mistaken... isn't that a 'Devil's Potato <Devil Bulb>'?"
"Is that what they call it? I promise you, this is a perfectly edible tuber."
"I am absolutely not eating it." For some reason, Elsa looked horrified and took several steps back from Jin. Seeing her reaction, Jin handed the bag to Reiko. Only then did Elsa feel safe enough to approach him again.
After that, they browsed a shop for cheap accessories and another selling self-defense weapons. Elsa showed some interest in a slim dagger, but when Jin used Analyze on it, he found it was a shoddy, low-quality product.
He pulled her away from the shop and explained why once they were outside.
"Is that so? My mother used to have a dagger like that, so I was a little interested."
Hearing that, Jin made a mental note to forge one for her when he had the chance.
"I'm a little... tired."
Elsa sat down on one of the benches scattered around a plaza in the middle of the main street. They had walked quite a distance, so it was only natural.
Once Elsa finished the citran juice they had bought from a stall, Jin spoke up. "Well then, shall we head back?"
Elsa nodded. The sun was dipping low and the wind was turning cold, so it was the perfect time to leave.
"Elsa, aren't you cold?"
"Nn. I'm okay."
"The wind is getting chilly. It's mine, so it might be a bit big, but wear this over your shoulders." Jin draped his coat over Elsa's shoulders.
"Thank you... it's warm."
"If you catch a cold, Mine and Jii-ya will probably kill me."
Elsa laughed softly at his comment, and Reiko added, "I shall protect you, Father."
Without being accosted by any more thugs, the group walked down the main street toward the noble district in the fading evening light.