The World's Weakest Hero!, Volume 2, Chapter 17 pt. 2

[So it's been a while since I posted this story, too! I've got some chapters stocked up for release, so you can expect more regular posts from here out.]

Although we’ve just eaten our supper, there are still several hours of sunlight left in the day. Staying in the mist too long can lead to the corruption effect making people sick, so Selkie has to cut the expeditions short thanks to the weaker members who can’t handle the mist very well.

That’s also why she only spends five days at a time clearing monsters from the mist. Repeated exposure without an extended gap can take its toll on people.

In the worst-case scenario, someone could even fall to the corruption and become an aberrant. Though as long as we stay close enough to the edge and pay attention to everyone’s condition, the chance of that is slim.

Still, it has to be taken into consideration, which is yet another reason why we’ll be left with so much free time at the end of each trek into the mist. And since we’re going to be here for five days, we’ll need to find something to do with this free time.

I end up following Guiche for the time being, but as soon as I see where he’s taking us, I immediately regret my decision.

“Really?” I look down the street lined with shops and stalls, spotting his obvious destination. “A florist?”

“When visiting a new town, it’s essential to see the local flora.” Guiche takes out a yellow flower. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I don’t think I could disagree more.”

“It seems that nature’s beauty is lost on one such as yourself. No matter, I will do my part to make up for your lack of understanding.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

Guiche begins walking down the market street. “By buying a wide variety of flowers, obviously.”

“I don’t see how that has anything to do with me!” I follow him, even as I complain.

Rather than a full shop, the florist has a simple stall on the market street. There are many others out here just like her, each selling their own variety of items.

“How about it, young ‘uns!” A man in a blue tunic holds up an orange. “Only three copper a piece! Cheapest you’ll find this close to the mist, I guarantee it!”

“Oh, that looks juicy.” I step up to the stall. “If I’m going to get a juicy orange, then I want something crunchy to go with it, like an apple.”

“No worries, son! I got what ya need!” The man grabs two baskets, putting them at the center of the stall. “What’ll it be? Green or red?”

“Green, definitely.” I put a handful of copper next to the baskets, then grab one of the apples.

The fruit seller checks the coins, then hands me the orange in his hand. “Overpaid a little, didn’t ya?”

“It’s for them.” I motion to Lyra and Zoe.

“Ah, right! Can’t forget about the misses and the … girl?” The man looks confused when he sees Zoe’s cat ears, as it’s no doubt strange to see such a young beastkin wandering around with so many older humans.

“I want that one!” Zoe points to a peach.

“Good choice!” The fruit seller recovers, holding out the basket for her to grab a peach.

“I suppose I’ll take this.” Lyra chooses an apricot.

“Thank ya!”

Guiche and his troupe stopped to wait for us while we got our fruit snacks, so we can continue afterwards without missing a beat.

The apple is delicious, of course. As for the orange, I’ll find out later since I already put it in my Void Space.

“You look like the adventuring sorts!” Another stall owner calls out as we pass by. “I got everything you need to kill those mist creatures!”

“Ohhh! Weapons!” I turn toward the stall.

“Focus.” Lyra forcefully turns me back forward.

My feet begin moving again as a mysterious force propels me down the street. And by mysterious force, I mean Lyra.

“Well, it’s for the best. He had nothing but second-rate weapons, except for that single good one.”

Barely three steps later, another stall calls out to us. He’s got bottles lined up on shelves, all of them crudely labeled.

I can pick out what’s supposed to be various kinds of potions, though the bottles are made of a glass so dark that I can’t even see the liquid inside to verify if any of them are actually the right color and consistency.

The fact that he has a bottle literally labeled ‘snake oil’ is what really seals the deal for me. Of course, I pass on the shady merchant.

Guiche and everyone else ignores them with ease, but I find my eyes drawn to each and every one.

This kind of atmosphere is rare on Earth. Guess I missed these kinds of chaotic scenes more than I thought.

“Step right up and try your luck!” A trickster–and likely charlatan–places a pebble beneath one of three cups and begins mixing them up at a quick pace. “If that ain’t your thing, then I got dice and cards! Just pick and choose what you wanna play!”

“I sense destiny calling you.” A woman in loose robes and headdress beckons to us. “Come and see what fate has in store.”

“I know what ya need, kid! And it ain’t no gambling or mysticism!” A stall owner shows us a hand towel. “What you need is a nice, good shine on them boots!”

I look down at my boots and see that our recent trip to the mist has indeed left them rather dirty. “I’ll be coming back to you later!”

While I wouldn’t mind getting my boots cleaned right now, Guiche has already zoned in on the florist’s stall. We’ve finally reached it, so it’s become the priority for us.

Well, at least it’ll be interesting to see if this florist just so happens to have a particular variety of white rose.

“Mademoiselle. Allow me to express my deepest gratitude for putting this city’s beauty on display for all to see.” Guiche holds his yellow flower out to the florist. “I suppose the roses are gorgeous, as well.”

The woman takes the flower, her face quickly flushing red. “T-thank you very much!”

“Seeing the smile blossom on your face is all the gratitude I desire.” He makes a show of looking around. “Though I must admit that I also yearn for the ephemeral beauty cultivated by your hand.”

“Um, sure!” The florist suddenly becomes energetic. “I can show you any of the flowers you’d like to see! And I even know their histories!”

“Not only a pearl but also a scholar? Madam, you impress me more each second.”

The rest of us watch on as Guiche womanizes yet another girl, like a warrior who only knows how to leave destruction in his wake.

Speaking of things Guiche has destroyed…

“Mrrr!” His female companion watches on as he continues flirting with the florist.

I can’t imagine how thick his skull must be if he hasn’t even picked up on her feelings. Man, that would be frustrating.

A certain classmate’s face appears in my mind, her face showing exasperation while her eyes are filled with admiration.

Hmm. No. No, I’m nothing like Guiche.

I nod to myself.

“Why is he so weird?” Zoe says the quiet part out loud, causing Guiche’s troupe to release a simultaneous sigh.

“He’s not weird. He’s eccentric.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“The dictionary definitions may be nearly identical, but the connotations attached to the words are completely different.”

“Huh?” Zoe scrunches up her face as her brain goes into overdrive.

“Triton is saying that people make fun of him by calling him weird,” Lyra says. “But he considers himself eccentric, which he has convinced himself is a positive attribute.”

“So weird is bad, and eccentric is good?” Zoe looks back to Guiche. “I don’t know about that!”

Although Guiche may be strange by traditional standards, his personality suits him surprisingly well. He’s tall enough that most people in the world have to look up to him, where they see a head of golden locks kept longer than most men but shorter than most women.

While the majority of people dress for practicality, Guiche trades functionality for style, wearing extravagant coats and ornate accessories. It’s not enough to be gaudy and instead strikes a calculated balance between fashion and purpose.

To top it off, Guiche is the firstborn son of a powerful noble family. From a young age, he’s been tutored in subjects that the average person has never studied in the entirety of their lives, giving him a different kind of confidence compared to the average adventurer.

He maintains a certain etiquette that gives him an air of nobility, combining it with his flamboyant outfit and natural charm. In essence, he’s gone all-in on his pretty boy persona.

Attractiveness may be subjective, but for the girls who dream of meeting a dashing prince who will sweep them off their feet, Guiche is essentially a ten out of ten. It’s no wonder he’s been able to swoon so many hearts.

“What a rare find!” Guiche plucks a flower from a bouquet. “Until now, I have only seen it depicted in books. Yet here it is, in my grasp.”

“Ah, that one came with a batch of seeds a merchant brought from far away. Even I don’t know its history.”

“A royal tulip.” Guiche holds it up. “It is said to be the only tulip to carry such a deep, purple hue. Could it be that it defied all odds in order to find its way into my hands?”

“Um, maybe?”

“It must be so. And that is why…”

Guiche places the royal tulip between his lips, holding it by the stem. With both hands freed, he uses one to gently raise the florist’s arm until her palm is facing up. With his other hand, he reaches into his fancy coat and pulls out an equally fancy bag.

It jingles slightly as Guiche places the bag onto the florist’s open palm, the sudden weight catching her off-guard. Perhaps the only reason she doesn’t drop the bag is because Guiche is still holding her by the wrist.

The florist eventually catches up, opening the bag and looking inside. “Isn’t this too much!? There’s even some silver in here!”

Guiche pulls the royal tulip from his lips. “A small price to pay to witness such beauty with my very own eyes.”

Although he’s holding the tulip out, his gaze remains locked on the florist. Being met with such a dazzling and noble figure, it’s no wonder she goes nearly as red as some of the flowers that she sells.

That guy really is a lady killer, down to his core.

But so was I back in the day. And there’s no doubt that I still got it in me.

I look to Lyra, who notices my gaze and returns it. A confident smile forms on my lips, one that I could use fifteen years ago to swoon any village girl.

“Don’t you start.” Lyra sees right through my intentions.

“Just admit that you can’t resist the smile.”

Lyra gives me a flat stare. “The only thing I’ll admit is that you’re being just as weird–oh sorry, eccentric–as Guiche.”

I swoop my hair back just like our flower-loving companion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Speaking of him, Guiche finishes flirting with the florist and comes back to us. He opens one side of his coat and places the royal tulip into a special pocket sewn into the inner lining. Other flowers can be seen poking out as well, many of which he just bought.

“A worthy venture.” He looks satisfied with his decision.

“As long as you think so.” I shrug. “Actually, I had some business here, too.”

Guiche raises a brow. “You? Here at the florist?”

“Yeah. I have something for her.” I step up to the florist, who’s clearly daydreaming about her prince. “Heya.”

“O-oh!” She finally looks my way. “Hello! Did you need some flowers?”

“Actually, I have a flower for you.”

“Eh?” She clearly never expected to have a customer add to her stock instead of take from it.

Ignoring her confusion, I pull out a white rose. “You know what this is, right?”

“That’s a sleeping snow rose. But it’s out of season?”

“Yep. Rare, huh? I don’t need it, so I thought I’d give it to you. Not for you to sell, but simply to keep.” I hold it out to her. “But there is one thing I’d like to ask in return.”

She takes it with a skeptical hand. “What did you want?”

“Just a promise that if anyone comes looking for a sleeping snow rose later, you will give this to them.”

“That’s all? But why would anyone come looking for this when it’s out of season?”

“You just never know.” I shrug. “But you’ll do this for us, right?”

The florist looks over my shoulder, where Guiche and the rest are standing. Of course, she doesn’t care about the rest.

“Yes, it’s simple.”

“I knew I could count on you.”

With that, I make my way back to the others.

Guiche eyes me with a bit of surprise. “I never imagined you would have a sleeping snow rose this early in the season.”

“You never know what kind of oddities you might find, if you know where to look.”

Like, for example, in my Void Space.

“Then perhaps there is yet hope!” Guiche pulls out a rose similar to the one I just gave the florist, though it’s lavender instead of white. “I shall teach you until even you admit that this world’s flora is magnificent!”

I raise my hands. “Please, no.”

As promised, I stop and get my boots shined after we leave the florist. Zoe drags us to a stall selling candied apples, while Guiche’s troupe pulls us to several other shops.

Eventually, everyone finishes their shopping spree, so we all head back to our inn together.