“Show us your pass.”
Lura: “Yes, here you are.”
It is now evening.
This is the border gateway town to the Principality - Luluterra.
Igni and his group were stopped at the gates of the town.
“Can we inspect inside the carriage?”
Lura: “Unfortunately, no. Hold on.”
Lura digs inside her luggage and found one document.
Lura: “Found it. Here you go. Take a look at this.”
“................I see.”
On the sheet, there was one of the Principality’s Governing Noble’s signature.
On it, it probably says something along the lines of letting the carriage pass without inspection.
Igni uncharacteristically noted these things as they happened.
Lura: “We have a cooperator of the Elves in this town. Tonight, we’ll be able to stay in an inn!”
Iris: “An inn?! YES! We don’t have to do night guard duties tonight!”
Edward: “We’ll be able to get some good rest now, Igni.”
Edward and Iris are ecstatic.
But…..
Lilly: “......oh, we don’t have....guard duties tonight.”
Lura: “What’s wrong, Lilly? You look a little sad?”
Lilly: “IーI’m not! I’m actually happy!!”
There was a tinge of remorse in Lilly’s voice just now.
Lura: “Oh, you’re so cute. You say that, but you must be sad that you lost your time with Igni tonight.”
Lilly: “What?! You’re wrong! Captain Lura, you idiot!!”
Igni: (Oh…….am I finally becoming popular??)
Igni's thoughts always swing in this direction.
“Okay, you can enter the town.”
With the guard’s voice, the gates open.
Lura: “Lilly, don’t forget to put on your hood.”
Lilly: “I know, I know.”
Lilly, Lura, and the driver of the carriage wear their hoods over their heads.
Elves rarely appear where people are.
And if word gets out that Elves were spotted in a provincial town like this, it would draw unnecessary attention.
Hence, the hoods.
Lura: “I’ll take the carriage to our cooperator’s location. Lilly, could you find us an inn?”
Lilly: “........yes.”
With some reluctance in her expression, Lilly nods her head.
Lura: “Don’t be so upset. Tomorrow, we’ll be back camping, and you’ll get your time back with Igni.”
Lilly: “It’s not like that, really!!”
Lura: “Hahaha. Alright, I will meet up with you guys later.”
And with that, Lura and the carriage disappeared into town.
Iris: “Then let’s look for an inn, shall we?”
Edward: “Yeah.”
Igni: (................an inn………..!!)
A place where a man and woman will spend a night under the same roof……..!!
There...there might be a *playful, giddy time awaiting him………..!!!
What?
Haven’t we just spent many days outside camping together……….?
It’s DIFFERENT!! YES, THAT’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT……..!!
Friendships and ties are born from campouts!!
A trust that develops from protecting each other - trusting each other with their lives……!!
But...an inn is different……..!
You are in a safer place…....!!
Then………..just there………..!!
You’ll find the bonds of a man and women…………!!
There must be…………!!
Iris: “I want to be in the same room as Sir Igni.”
Lilly: “Of course not! Men and women are separate!”
Iris: “Awww～....why…..”
Iris’ suggestion was immediately shot down by Lilly.
And without anyone noticing, Igni fell to his hands and knees inside.
<<<<>>>>
Lura: “Wow, you guys secured a really good inn.”
At the tavern, they were eating their dinner as Lura looked around.
Lilly: “Yes! I selected an inn where we won’t be bothered by any suspicious characters!”
With pride, Lilly smiles broadly at Lura. She’s cute.
Lura: “Good. You did well, Lilly.”
Lura smiles and nodes as she sips her beer.
Igni: (She’s such a grown-up. She’s so cool….)
And Igni sips his fruit wine as he watches Lura.
Iris: “But how old are you two by the way?”
Lura: “What～ how could you ask that Iris～”
Lilly: “No～ I’m not gonna tell you～”
Lura is a bit drunk but in good spirits.
On the other end, Lilly seems to be in a more disgruntled mood. She’s cute.
Lura: “I’m only 140. Still young.”
Iris: “A hun……….!”
Lura quietly mentions this to Iris so the people around can’t hear.
Igni: (100? Wow, they don’t look it at all…)
Lura: “Lilly’s only 20. She’s closer to your age.”
Lilly: “CーCaptain! Why would you tell them?!”
Lura: “It’s okay～ You’re so cute when you’re mad～”
Lilly: “You can be so mean, Captain～!”
And Lilly chugs down her drink.
Iris: “Why is it embarrassing to be 20, Miss Lura?”
Lura: “Mmmm….well, there’s nothing wrong with it, but for us Elves, our age correlates directly with our status and respectability. You guys have something similar too, right? Like respecting elders or seniority.”
Iris: “I see…”
Lura: “Elves have a hard time having children, so our age becomes even more important. Lilly is the youngest in our valley.”
Lilly: “CAPTAIN!! You’re talking way too much!!”
Lura: “Hahaha. She’s so cute～”
And Lura wraps her arms around Lilly and messes with her hair.
Looking at them, you would think they were sisters.
Iris: “You two are like siblings.”
Iris says out loud what Igni was thinking.
Lura: “Hahaha. Yeah, we’re like family. We’re really close!”
Lilly: “Captain～”
And being completely drunk now, Lura wraps her arms around Lilly tightly.
Igni: (What’s going on here?)
After that, the group disbanded after Lilly could no longer move from drinking too much.
Igni: “Fwew….that was fun…”
Igni only drank enough where the alcohol didn’t affect him, and in a good mood, sat on his bed. Edward is sitting a little apart from him.
Edward: “...........Igni.”
Igni: “What is it, Edward?”
Edward: “.......it’s just us two here.”
Igni: “Uh...umm...yeah, that’s true…”
Igni: (What is it all of a sudden?)
Edward: “There’s no one keeping an eye on us. Do you see, Igni? No one else is here right now.”
Igni: “Uh huh…..”
Edward: “.......let’s go.”
Igni: “Whーwhere….?!”
Edward: “To that [place].”
Igni: “Yーyou mean………?!”
Igni’s brain starts spinning into high gear.
Although the alcohol made him a little dense, Edward’s words were like a splash of cold water that instantly woke him up.
Edward: “Yes……..! THAT kind of store…...the *brothel!!”
Igni: “Bーbrothel…..!!”
THE BROTHEL!!!
It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the oldest profession in human history……..!
As long as the supply and demand are present, that profession will always exist……..!!
And the profession to fulfill one of life’s *3 greatest desires would always exist…..!!
And thus……!!
The “brothel”!!
Edward: “Igni. This is our chance. We can finally climb the ladder to become adults…!!”
Igni: “...........!!!!!!”
But before Igni could nod his head up and down, a sharp pain shoots through his cheek and stops him.
Igni: (..................?!?!)
Igni: (Thーthis pain…….?!)
<<<<>>>>
It occurred when they were out to the city to buy new clothes.
[Gーgrandpa! That store…….!!”
[Hm? Oh, the brothel]
[Whーwhat kind of store is that……….?]
[It’s a store where you get to do “that”]
[.........!! I want to go!!]
<SLAP!!!!>
[OW!!!!]
[*KAーーーーーーTSU!!!!!!!]
[My ears!!!]
[Igni! That store is only for <SKILLED VETERANS>!!!!]
[SーSkilled veterans?! WHY?! You just have to pay money, right?!?!]
<SLAP!!!!!!!>
[NAIVE! SO NAIVE YOU MAKE ME SICK…….!! YOU HAVEN’T THOUGHT THIS THROUGH AT ALL………..!!]
[..................?!]
[Think about it, Igni. How many men thought the exact same thought as you………! How many do you think stepped into that store…..!]
Igni thought for a moment, and as the calculated number grew exponentially, he began to tremble.
[Lーlots…….!]
[YES!! Meaning the women of that store are used to men……..! Do you think a beginner can charm a woman with that much experience?! You think you can be popular there?!?!”
[YーYou don’t know if you don’t try…..!]
<SLAP!!!>
[RECKLESSNESS IS NOT THE SAME AS COURAGE!! THIS IS THE SAME AS YOU CHALLENGING THE “HELL SPIDER” AT YOUR CURRENT LEVEL!!]
[............................?! Grandpa….will I die?!?!”
[.................you will…]
[............!!!!!!!!!!]
Terror sank deep into Igni’s bones as he trembled and shook in fear.
[Igni, you must first gain experience, confidence, and skill before you can go there.]
[IーI understand……..! I understand, Grandpa!!]
<<<<>>>>
Igni: (...........no, not yet.)
Igni: (I’m still…….I’m still not ready…….!!)
I’m too weak…….!! I’m too feeble……..!!
I can’t………..avoid defeat……….!!!
To go in knowing you’ll lose is………..reckless!!
It's not courage………..!!
Igni: “...........Edward.”
Edward: “What’s wrong, Igni?”
Igni: “I………..I can’t go there yet.”
Edward: “Wーwait, really?”
Igni: “Yeah……...I can’t die just yet……….”
Realizing something in the weight of Igni’s words, Edward understands.
Edward: “OーOh….I see...You must be going through a lot, Igni….”
Igni: “Thank you for inviting me. I’m sorry to decline.”
Edward: “Don’t worry about it. I won’t go in that case, either.”
Igni smiles at Edward as a small chuckle comes out.
Edward: “Haha...”
The night at the inn.
Though there was no bonding between a man and a woman, the friendship and comradery of two men solidified and deepened.
<<<<>>>>
CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation)
*playful, giddy time - Author wrote “kya-kya-ufufu” (きゃっきゃっ、うふふ) time. Simply put, “kya-kya” (きゃっきゃっ) is the high-pitch, giddy laugh from girls. “Ufufu” (うふふ) are indulgent times or moments previously explained in another CHONKY LiT note. Please note that this is a made up adjective using Japanese onomatopoeia. Although, you might get the point across if you say this outloud (with some cringe reactions), it’s actual usage would be limited to written, literary context such as in a novel.
*brothel - Here, the author does use more innocent terms - “Ecchi’na Omise” (エッチなお店). “Ecchi” is a term thrown around a lot of 18+ sites, but it’s actually a more innocent term. The direct translation is “perverted” in English, but you’ll hear Japanese kids use the term without any repercussions. Sex in the English language is a more sensitive subject so it’s difficult to translate “a store to meet and do fun things with girls” as a “sex shop”, “sex store”, “girl shop”. The term “omise” is literally a store or business which doesn’t translate well in English either. Hence, “brothel” has a harsher, less innocent feel, but it’s what they’re referring to. TL;DR - Interestingly, though Japanese culture does not hesitate to term things as “sexual” or “perverted”, they will directly avoid the word “sex”. This is similar to the U.S. culture by replacing the word with “nani” (ナニ) which is the word for “that” or “it” (i.e. “doing it” so in Japanese, it would be “doing THAT”).
*3 greatest needs (sandai-yokkyu) (三大欲求) - a popular Japanese term to signify the 3 greatest desires of living beings - eat, sleep, and sex.
*katsu! (喝っ!) - Not to be mistaken with fried pork steak. A common shout of Buddhist monks to scare the “desires” out of you. Buddhism is all about detachment from this world, and if you are distracted by anything, they will usually shout this, and if you’re training, you’ll get a bamboo stick to your back.
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