Much like the dollmaker, Izayoi was not much for conversation. Although the difference with that topic was that Margatroid realy understood Latin vocabulary; the servant was conversational, but was very short with her words.
He tried once more to strike up a conversation. "Izayoi, what exactly is this errand you're running?"
"Ocha," she curtly replied.
Glavus gave her a wear look. She met his gaze, although it seemed she finally relented with a slight sigh.
"Mistress Remilia has lived a long life and is eager to try many things. One thing I do is travel Gensokyo for new things to flavor her ocha, and I have heard a new flavor has been popular in the Human Village."
Gensokyo. So that was the name of this land. Glavus had never actually learned where he was, he just thought to himself.
"I've never had ocha," the Roman said. "What is it?"
"A caffeinated drink made by boiling the leaves of certain herbs."
"I will have to try some," he commented.
Izayoi did not respond. She continued strolling, her peaceful and elegant form in stark contrast to his, a rough and weary mass of steel, leather and wool. According to the sun, they were heading south on a well-worn dirt road. It was not improved as the Romans would have done, but the dirt was packed and clear, evidence of hundreds of years of use. The forest stayed clear a dozen acti on each side, before eventually giving way to plains of wild grass.
It wasn't long until they came upon another building. It was just as large and extravegantly built as the vampire's mansion, but contrasted greatly. The home was rotten; glass was opaque from dust where it wasn't shattered. The roof was disintegrating, and the wooden portico was sagging with the door having fallen off one hinge. He slowly came to a stop as he took in the view. Something was catching his attention, something he couldn't quite see. He heard no sound, but something was tugging at his inner ear as he peered into the dark windows.
He could almost make it out, the singing of an instrument, that pushed emotion directly into his heart.
"Carissimus-san," the servant said.
The world came back from him. He turned back to his guide and found himself a few feet on the other side of a crumbled stone wall, mostly overcome by earth and plant. He took one last look at the building. He could have sworn he could see a shadow in the black, but further search revealed nothing.
He walked back out to the road before continuing the walk with the girl.
"It is an old mansion. Only ghosts live there now," Izayoi explained. Glavus did not press further.
The world opened up as the road winded through a few small hills. Water-logged farms stretched for miles in front of him. A sea of wild grass waved in the gentle wind. He could see the dozens of farmers as they tended their strange crops. In the center was a massive walled village. Its buildings sported strange curved roofs which reached a point in the center.
Surrounding the entire village was a moderately sized wall, just high enough to keep curious animals out, lined with a peaked roof rather than platforms for patrol. Obviously, they did not expect a siege any time soon. At the end of the road sat a structure more familiar to the Legionary, even if stylistically different. A keep the size of a small house sat over top a wide gate and even from a distance he could see half a dozen guards milling about on or around the building.
The crops came into more generous detail as the two came down the road. The sight perplexed him. It was not wheat, that was for sure. The crops were planted in sunken, square planes, and were flooded just past ankle height, while the road and other pathways kept travelers a foot or so above the surface. Farmers worked at a squat, tending to their crops while wading through and wearing baskets on their backs.
"What crop is this?" he asked his guide.
The servant replied by giving him a look like he was a massive idiot. He returned with a glare like she was a massive asshole.
She relented after a second with a slight sigh. "Rice."
Oh, he thought.
"They flood the fields to keep weeds from growing, but the plant itself is not harmed by it," she further explained. "It is a staple crop to many cultures, and they use it-"
"I know, I know," Glavus said. It seemed that the only time she talked to him was to condescend. "Rome imports huge amounts of rice. I've just never seen it in person."
The servant shrugged. Glavus looked back to the road.
Eventually they reached the gate. It was two stories tall, with a peaked roof and windows on the second floor, and a roof-like skirt lining the seam between the two floors. A guard stood right outside the entrance, a thick wooden door with heavy iron hinges, brandishing a spear a head taller than himself. He wore a white uniform with a blue trim on it. Sandals and protective foot wrappings adorned his feet, while a simple metal breastplate covered his chest. His facial features were closer to that of the villa's gate guard.
Glavus narrowed his eyes in thought slightly. So this is what these people look like.
The guard eyed the Roman curiously, barely giving Izayoi a second glance; she must be a frequent enough visitor.
"Outsider?" the guard questioned.
Before he could answer, Izayoi did for him. "Yes. He is a guest of mine."
The guard nodded. "Sign in at the desk, please."
'Outsiders' coming to the gates must be a rather casual occurrence, he thought as the guard nonchalantly swung the large door open for the pair...
To be met by the sound of a rather loud argument.
"Gakkafoji-san, please! Don't run around out there by yourself!"
"I have a business to run!"
He saw the two people as the door opened fully. "Ah, not again," he heard the outside guard mutter.
A guard sat at a wide wooden desk, covered in stacks of neat parchment, while a girl in some kind of heavy blue robe and wooden sandals stood facing him, red in the face and hands resting on her hips. Try as she might, her petite stature did nothing to intimidate the guard. "Gekkafoji-san, all I am asking is that you bring someone with you."
"I am the only employee besides my father, and he's minding the store," the girl, apparently 'Gekkafoji-san,' replied.
The tired guard rubbed his temples.
"I doubt your father sent you off on this."
"Well no..." the girl sheepishly admitted.
"Then please don't go wandering near the forest by yourself."
The girl tilted her head slightly as she noticed Glavus enter the room. The hobnails of his caligae rapped loudly against the polished hardwood floor, as opposed to the worn and untreated softer wood that was outside. For the first time in his career, the Legionary cursed his iconic footwear.
"Hey, outsider!" the girl exclaimed, switching her expression like a mask as she trotted up to him. "You look pretty rugged!"
Glavus wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to that, but being confused was definitely one of his reactions. Although he got a better look at her face when she turned to him. Her hair was long in the front but secured to her by some type of metal clip, while on the other side a few strands hung straight down in front of her ear. The rest of her hair was tied in the back into a loose tail, some of which was stuck over front of her shoulders. "Outsider?"
"Hey, how about helping me out, huh? Just a quick delivery for my dad's business!"
He gently brushed off one of her hands that was subtly tracing the outline of his lorica's shoulder strips and getting a little close to his bare arm. "Girl, I just got here."
She quickly stepped back with a sly grin, eyeing him critically, before trying to snatch his arm on her way through the outer gate. "Well come on, let's go-"
This attempt was stopped by the outside guard, who shut the gate as gently as he could.
Just as before, her expression dropped to one of annoyance. "Well, fine. This is what I get for trying to make it in this village," she said with an edge of disgust, throwing her hands in defeat as she walked back through the room and towards the inner gate. She left the gate house without a further fuss, however, and the door swing close with the natural pressure of a single-layered leaf spring mounted at the top of the door frame.
Glavus looked at the guard at the desk with the most incredulous and confused expression he could muster.
"Don't worry about her," the guard replied. "She's the older daughter of one of the village's blacksmiths."
"You two seemed pretty familiar," the Roman noted.
"Her father is the main supplier for one-off orders for the guard force. Usually replacement parts and spears and she delivers them."
"She seems... Expressive is one way to put it."
"Eh, yeah," he admitted. "Poor girl scared off her first suitor, I heard. Some stonemason's apprentice."
"How old is she now?" Glavus asked.
"A month from nineteen. What, she caught your eye?"
Glavus' face flashed momentarily before he regained control of his face. He had to admit, she wasn't bad looking. "No, no, just curious. She looked pretty young to be running outside the house. Shouldn't she be learning household tasks?"
"Yeah she should be," the guard agreed. "Her mother tries her best, though." The guard took a moment to stand up and stretch before looking at the piles on his desk. "Well, anyway. So, outsider, are you planning on staying or do you want to head back to where you came from."
"Uh, I'll be staying here," Glavus answered. "What is an outsider, anyway?"
"You can't really get to this area very easily. In fact, you really can't even if you wanted to. Weirdos usually come in every now and then, assuming they make it here to the village. Most go up to the shrine and go back to their homes."
"Are you calling me a weirdo?"
The guard raised his hands defensively. "No, no! Just that most outsiders are weirdos. Weird clothing, don't know how to get around the world, acting like this," he gestured to the guard house around him, "is full of revolutionary technology."
"Well this area is about par for the course where I'm from." Except, of course, the two previous houses he had visited. He thought it better to not bring them up, however.
"Glad to hear it," the guard answered. "Just one thing before I can let you in. I need your answers for an immigration form." He reached for one of the piles on his desk and produced a small half-sized sheet off the top of a stack, and a feather pen and ink bottle. "Family and personal name?"
"Carissimus Glavus," the Roman answered. The guard wrote it down.
"Home country and province?"
"Rome, province of Narbonensis."
"Occupation or specialty."
"Soldier."
"Could've guessed that, honestly. Circumstances of visit?"
Glavus thought for a moment. It wasn't like he tried to come here, although at the end of the day he was glad he did. He pondered his answer for another second before replying, "I survived an ambush, escaped into a nearby forest, and I woke up here."
"And she is your sponsor?"
"Yes." Funny, he didn't ask her name. He must already be familiar with her.
"Thank you for that. Good luck." He turned his head towards the servant. "And enjoy your visit, Izayoi-san."
The servant gave a slight bow before leading out the inner gate and into the village.
The streets bustled with activity. The first thing he noticed was the strange fashion. Robes with waist belts seemed to be the predominant fashion, and many varieties of color dominated them, especially among the girls and young women. He saw one girl with a boy her age, probably either betrothed or married, happily chattering and holding hands as they wandered through the street. Her clothing was a bright purple, which was prohibitively expensive in Rome, but was apparently not so in this village.
Something bumped into his leg. He looked down to see a small boy at his leg, probably five or so in age. A few others caught up to their friend.
"Hello, Outsider-san!" the boy said before running off. Describing these others as 'weirdos' must be accurate, Glavus thought, if a Roman Legionary in full armor was nothing more than something to run into while playing.
"Carissimus-san, where do you wish to go?" Izayoi asked.
He turned to her to answer. "I suppose I need a job, then."
"That girl may be a good start," she suggested.
Rather than the usual wood and parchment—parchment! they made buildings out of parchment here!—this building was mostly built of clay and stone. Appropriate, he thought, if it was going to be regularly dealing with the extreme temperatures a forge would produce. To the side was an outside workshop with a furnace, a couple work tables, a wheel grinder, and a few other stations. It was generously covered by an iron skeleton for a roof and its support with clay tiles providing the actual water-proofing.
He gently swung open the front door. The girl was there at the front desk writing on a ledger. Her face immediately perked up as he stepped into the shop. "Hey there, Outsider-san! I see you couldn't resist my charms!" she said with a beaming smile.
No, he definitely could.
She hopped up to her feet and went up to him and began inspecting his gear, a finger tapping her chin in thought. So this is the daughter of a blacksmith, he said in his mind to himself. She began circling him, taking in every inch of his armor.
"Wow, this is pretty unique. Protection similar to a plate with some decent flexibility. And it's all steel?" She huh'd and hmm'd in thought as she continued. "Nothing substantial on the legs or arms and you've got pretty heavy greaves. Where's your shield then? Armor like this looks like it's supposed to have a shield."
"I lost it," Glavus answered. She knew her father's field, apparently.
"Shame," Gekkafoji-san said. "I would love to study your culture's shields too. The helmet is really protective too, and you've got an interesting flange over the neck."
"It's for protecting against raking," Glavus explained. "Enemy swords plunge over top the shield and scrape as they're pulled back."
"What's the super short sword for?"
"It is easier to use in formation. We fight by presenting a shield wall and stabbing at the enemy when they expose themselves."
The girl straightened out and nodded in response. "Yup, that explains it. Can I see the sword?"
Amused by her reactions to his gear, he unsheathed his gladius for her.
"Oh... oh wow. Stabbing tip, sharp..." she touched the edge of it, "Ow! Yup, sharp edge. And with all that weight out front for chopping and aided by the concave edge in the middle, I've never seen anything like it. It's completely different from anything I've seen! You outsiders sure are an interesting bunch. Where are you from anyway?"
"Rome." Interesting that she couldn't immediately tell. Although, it's not like anyone in the world could just send images instnantly across the world. It's not like he could expect everyone to recognize a Legionary on sight.
"Huh, never heard of it," she said dismissively with a flip of her hand.
And that was the first punch to the existential gut he had received. The world he once knew was gone. Only the goddess really even knew what Rome truly was, the others who had probably heard fantastic tales of the empire were obviously the exception, 'outsiders' to this world as much as he was. His stomach felt cold, his breath empty. To those two gate guards, he was nothing more than some eccentric 'weirdo' as well. No one in the street really spared him a concentrated gaze, just curious glances before they realized "Yup, just another one blowing through."
"Hey, Outsider-san, you alright?" the girl asked. Again, her damn face switching from one mood to another! He calmed himself before that train of thought went further. It really wasn't her fault; he shouldn't take it out on her.
"Yes, yes I'm alright," he answered. As he sheathed his weapon.
She switched back to happy mode. "So, how about that escort, huh?"
"I'm going to need compensation, but I can do it."
A coy smile grew on her lips as her eyes narrowed. "Oh, you want something from me? My company isn't enough?"
"Sorry, smiles from girls don't fill the belly."
Her smile widened. "Hm? Is that what you think of when you see me?"
"No."
Her eyelids fluttered slightly. "You sure?"
"Yes."
"Oh, fine, what do you want, a sword? Money?" she asked as she turned around and headed back to her seat. From behind the ledger table she pulled out a shiny steel cylinder and unscrewed the top quarter of its length. To his curiosity, she then poured out a steaming liquid into a small clay cup and offered it to him.
"A shield," he answered. "Thank you. What is this?"
"Ocha," she said.
"How is it still hot?" he asked, taking an experimental sip. He couldn't taste much over the heat. He decided to let it cool down a little before he tried more.
"An outsider traded me this, called it a thermos. It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold. So I just make my ocha twice a day and it lasts," she proudly explained.
He sipped his ocha again after it cooled a little. It was bitter compared to a good wine, but it wasn't really bad after a couple sips.
"Oh, Gekkafoji-san, I would like to place another order, please," Izayoi said.
"Sure, what would you like? The usual?"
"Yes. Although I would like just ten knives this time."
The blacksmith's daughter accepted a small pile of coins that Izayoi pulled from one of her dress pockets. "You have the silver too?"
"Of course," the servant answered before producing a small ingot of the precious metal.
"What in the world do you need silver knives for, Izayoi?" Glavus expressed before he could stop himself.
Like it was her hobby, Sakuya once again looked like him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. "Why, for killing vampires, of course."
Glavus almost spit out his drink.
AN: First note is that even though Japanese is being localized to him, some words still don't exist in Latin. "Misses/Mister" being one of them, so it's left untranslated to his ears. Latin does not have honorifics like English or Japanese do. The Romans also did not have tea, so there is no word to translate it into (and then into English for us) so the actual word they're saying is used here.
And now we have the other main character. Double OC story, bah, whatever. Just enjoy the ride. Kinda rushed, yes, but this is where I originally planned last chapter to end. Although splitting this let me flesh it out a little. It's not that I am intentionally writing less, I'm just spreading the chapters to about the same content. I'm now where I want to be with the story.