First Contact with Pickled Eggs

The stall girl carefully stored away the money Yohane gave her for the boiled eggs.

"Come to think of it, I never asked your name. What is it?"

"I'm Ann. I'll get these ready right away."

Ann deftly pulled out skewers and skillfully pierced the boiled eggs soaking in vinegar.

I would have thought it difficult to skewer boiled eggs in a viscous liquid like vinegar, but she prepared them one after another.

"Here you go. They've been pickling nicely and taste great. They've been selling out by noon every day for the past few days. They're my proudest product."

"Thank you. Let's eat."

The boiled eggs on skewers had a faint yellow tinge on the surface.

Probably from soaking in vinegar.

The smell was, naturally, the sharp tang of vinegar.

I took a bite first.

The white was soft and the yolk was well cooked.

Thanks to the vinegar, it didn't make me as thirsty as I expected.

The sour flavor paired surprisingly well with the mild boiled egg.

It might be good tucked into bread.

I'd only ever had pickled things like small fish such as herring, or vegetable pickles, but this was quite tasty.

I've heard it's healthy too.

Azu and Elza seemed to be enjoying theirs as well.

Among us, only one person was staring down her boiled egg with a stern expression.

Princess Tianis.

She kept bringing it close to her mouth, then wrinkling her face at the vinegar smell and pulling away.

It seemed the princess wasn't fond of pickled foods.

Given her age, that wasn't particularly surprising.

The distinctive smell and taste probably didn't sit well with her.

Unlike Azu, who had a miserable diet before becoming a slave, and Elza, who was accustomed to simple meals, Princess Tianis had likely never wanted for food.

She'd probably only ever eaten fresh foods and never touched anything pickled for preservation.

But if someone aspiring to be a champion of the common people didn't even know what those people ate, that simply wouldn't do.

Empathy requires understanding.

No one welcomes someone who tries to stand beside them without understanding.

"Hey, Yohane… this…"

"Please eat it properly. This is something many people eat for breakfast. You understand what that means, don't you?"

"Ugh, fine."

Princess Tianis steeled herself and bit into the egg.

About a third went into her mouth, and she chewed with her eyes squeezed shut.

But her expression gradually softened.

"This is actually pretty good!"

"Thank you!"

Ann thanked her with a smile.

Having taken a liking to it, Princess Tianis even asked for seconds and ate two.

She ate so enthusiastically she nearly choked, so I handed her my canteen of tea.

Soon the eggs were gone, leaving only vinegar in the container.

"What do you do with the leftover vinegar? Throw it away?"

"No, that would be wasteful. Specialists buy the leftover vinegar in bulk for cleaning purposes."

"Oh. Cleaning with vinegar?"

"Mirrors come out sparkling."

"Really? The mirror in my room has been getting cloudy lately and it's been bothering me."

"That's no good! I'll share a little with you. Would you like to take some?"

"Maybe I will…"

I'd heard vinegar dissolves grime.

Buying vinegar just for cleaning would be expensive, but reusing it like this after pickling wasn't a bad idea.

Adventurers often buy pickled preserved foods for variety, and my shop carries them, so maybe I should expand the selection a bit.

Then I'd have a decent amount of leftover vinegar after selling the preserved foods.

And right now, Imperial-made mirrors are popular for their high quality.

Recently, mass production has brought prices down, and many affluent households have at least one.

Marketing vinegar as a mirror cleaner could open up new markets.

Oops, the abacus in my head started clicking away.

That's not why we're here today.

"Then I'll take some of your time. I'd like to speak with your uncle."

"Follow me, please."

"I'll help push the cart."

"Oh no, you don't have to… wow, you're strong!"

Ann and Azu, close in age, were having a great time together.

Following them, we arrived at a residential area near the market.

This area was where market workers lived, and every house had large warehouses attached.

Actually, the warehouses were bigger and more numerous than the houses themselves.

It was a distinctive landscape.

There was damage from the meteor, but the warehouses had been repaired first, treated with more care than the houses.

I would do the same in their position.

The warehouses were their tools of trade.

"This way. Wait here a moment while I check with my uncle."

The house we were led to was slightly smaller than the others.

Ann returned the cart to the warehouse and went inside.

The warehouse interior was neatly organized and clean.

I was impressed by how well-maintained it was.

"He says it's fine. Please come in."

"Then excuse us."

With the owner's permission, we entered.

A boy was transferring nuts from a bag into a sieve.

He checked their appearance before pouring them into containers.

He was probably preparing to go sell them.

The boy glanced at us, gave a brief nod, and returned to work immediately.

"Sorry, my brother isn't very sociable. But he's a good, serious kid."

"I can tell from his work."

He was quiet but showed no signs of slacking.

I'd want to hire him for my own shop.

Ann filled a bucket with water from the kitchen and carried it with a towel to the back room.

Opening the door, a man lay on a bed.

He was a stocky man, like a bear, and the word "foreman" suited him well.

His bandaged right leg was elevated slightly, and he looked quite weakened.

"Uncle, these people want to talk to you. First, let me change your bandages and towel."

"Thank you for coming. I can manage some conversation. Sorry about this, Ann… even though you have your own troubles."

"Don't worry about it. You're letting me stay at your house, after all."

Ann attended to the man without complaint, working quickly and efficiently.

She removed the blood and fluid-stained bandages in no time.

It was a severe wound. At worst, he might never walk again.

Princess Tianis paled slightly at the sight, and I supported her back.

Understandable.

Just as Ann reached for fresh bandages, Elza stopped her.

"This is where I come in. Healing miracles exist for times like this."

Elza gently placed her hand on the man's wound and offered a prayer.

The severe wound healed before our eyes.

Elza stopped once the treatment had progressed to a certain point.

The difference from before treatment was like night and day.

"Your stamina is low, so this will do for now. You should be able to walk soon."

Elza took the bandages from Ann and wrapped them with practiced hands.

Her skill was impressive as always.

Princess Tianis looked on admiringly.

"Priestess, thank you so much! How can I ever repay you? Oh, let me pay—"

"No, please don't worry about it. Those granted miracles by God through faith are given them to help others. But if I may… could you tell us your story?"

"Of course, anything."

The man seemed moved that his wound had healed.

Ann was also amazed at the transformation.

We were used to seeing this so we thought nothing of it, but normally a healing miracle wouldn't be able to treat such a severe wound.

Ann had already brought a priest to treat him, and this was the state he'd been in.