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Chapter 36: Let’s buy a sword in downtown
Translator: Tseirp
“Red-san, please get some anti-motion sickness medicine from the storeroom.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Al has completely learned how to run the shop.
There probably won’t be any issue even if I let him take care of the shop alone.
I was surprised by a child’s ability to learn.
“Also, Lit-san, stop flirting with Red-san all day and have some distance. It’s about time to compound the gray starfish gra.s.s, if not, it would be too late.”
“Eh~ but it has been busy lately so the time I could spend with Red has decreased.”
Lit, who had her head on my not so soft knees, complained edgily but she still obediently moved away.
Lately, because Al would complain when it was time to stop putting off work, Lit would happily cling onto me until he complained.
“However, considering how you are helping me properly, I should pay you for your part-time work.”
“It’s all right. Since you’ve been letting me eat delicious meals every day.”
“Even so.”
“Then.”
Lit interjected.
“Let’s go shop for a shotel for Al to use.”
“Eh? I-I’ll feel bad. Isn’t that even more expensive than the part-time pay? Moreover, I have the shotel that I received.”
Shotels were a rare form of weapon so it was slightly expensive.
A steel shotel would cost 60 Peryl.
A similar steel longsword would cost 30 Peryl so it was double the price.
That was the standard pricing for ma.s.s-produced products. It would become even more expensive if it was crafted by a famous swordsmith and the price would jump up to a few thousand Peryl if magic enchantment was included.
Swords were more expensive compared to other weapons.
That was because in order to forge steel, despite elementary, the smithing skill was necessary.
For swords where the entire blade has to be forged, skill points have to be poured into the Divine Protection to reach Level 5 at the minimum so there was a limited number of people who could produce them.
While we’re on that point, copper swords forged via casting do not require any skill so even if the material itself is more expensive than iron, it was traded at a cheap price of below 10 Peryl.
Although it can’t be made into large weapons like dual-handed swords and polearms due to the properties of the metal, copper swords were the allies of fledgling adventurers.
One Peryl was approximately the living expenses of a day for the common people.
In other words, a 60 Peryl shotel was two months worth of living expenses.
Taking into consideration that Al lived in the slums, the South Marsh district, it might even be about four months worth of his living expenses.
Al probably thought that it was way too much for a part-time pay for about half a month’s work.
“But Al. The shotel you received is not something you wish to use right?”
“A-about that.”
Al faltered as I hit the bull’s-eye.
“Well, it is natural. A user can adjust to the weapon once he gets used to it but in the beginning, you should use a weapon that matches your physique and habits.”
“I also had a sword custom-made for myself when I just started.”
Lit seemed to be lost in nostalgia reminiscing on the time she started learning the sword.
Even now I still remember the time I had my first custom-made copper sword made for me after consulting the old man in my village’s casting workshop time and again.
Although copper swords were made through pouring molten copper into a cast, the shape could be freely altered because of that.
That meant that it would be suitable for beginners to the sword.
Whereas for iron casting, once it has been molded, it must go through the tempering stage using a hammer.
Just skill level 1 is sufficient for that but precisely because it requires the Blacksmithing skill that the number of people who can do it is limited.
Well, I intend to give Al a proper steel shotel as a present.
A Weapon Master will not likely be satisfied with a copper shotel after all.
“Since we have decided, let’s go in the afternoon.”
“Eh, we’re going today!?”
“The smithy closes in the evening after all.”
“Bu-but.”
“Of course, I will be tagging along. Oh, Red should be the person tagging along instead. I am more familiar with the shotel after all.”
“Even Lit-san.”
I approached Al’s side and stroked his head of curly hair.
“Children don’t need to hold back. In situations like these, you just have to cheerfully say a single word of thanks.”
” … Yes, thank you very much, Red-san, Lit-san!”
Al smiled like a child, with dimples on his cheeks.
☆☆
In the Drake Armory at the outskirts of Downtown.
A self-proclaimed drake slayer. The shop belonged to the Dwarf Mogurim.
“Welcome.”
The receptionist was Mogurim’s wife, Mink. She was a female human. She was in her late 40s.
Appearance-wise she was a stout woman.
It painted a strange picture when she stood beside Mogurim with his short dwarf stature but they made people feel that they match for some reason.
Even in Downtown where many half-humans lived, a dwarf and human married couple were rare.
“Why isn’t it Red-chan, have you finally decided to graduate from the copper sword?”
“No, I wish to give Al here a sword as a present.”
“Ooo, will it be his first sword?”
“That’s right, that’s why I want to discuss a little with Mogurim though.”
“Ohh, that’s exciting! I’ll call my husband over now.”
Mink shouted “Dear~! Dear~!” as she ran toward the smithy beside the shop.
Al stood there with his mouth wide-open.
“I guess you have played around this area quite often but have never entered the shop.”
“Yes.”
“The people living in Downtown are all like that. A bunch of strange people.”
“What do you mean by strange!”
Came a shout with a gruff voice as a man with a small stature even in the standards of dwarves, roughly the same height as Al, squared his shoulders and walked over. Typical of a dwarf, he had a rich beard growing around his mouth.
“Do you have no self-awareness, Drake Slayer.”
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Are you still doubting me! Very well, I shall make you listen to it once again, that battle where I slaughtered the Master of Lake Enka, the accursed Emperor of the Fog, the Mist Drake Fafnir!”
“Give me a break, I’m tired of hearing it. In the first place, I’ve never heard of a Mist Drake named Fafnir. Furthermore, you make Lake Enka sound like an unexplored region but it is quite a famous landmark for the fishing industry, you know? There is even a village there.”
“That’s right! That evil and cunning and violent Fafnir treated the villagers like slaves and demanded a young girl as a sacrifice every day! The villagers could barely keep their own lives and couldn’t even cry for help!”
Mogurim’s story changed every time.
It seemed it was true that he defeated some kind of monster at some lake.
But conversely speaking, it meant that everything else he said was just appropriate setting he made up.
“Give it a break!”
“Guaaa!?”
See, just as Mogurim was about to continue his story, Mink sent a kick to the back of his head.
There was a difference in physique after all so Mogurim grandly face-planted on the ground.
“The customers did not come to listen to your meaningless stories! They are here for that Al kid’s very first sword! Make sure to forge one that will earn their praise!”
“Ouchhh. Seriously, you didn’t have to kick me.”
“Just hurry up!”
“Yes yes.”
Mogurim stood up and dusted off the dirt in his beard.
“All right, it’s for that Elf boy right! Shotel huh, it’s quite a difficult order but there’s no need to worry! I have a mountain of weapons in my warehouse at the back so you can decide on what kind of balance you want there.”
“Ye-yes!”
“I’ll come along too. I am kind of familiar with the shotel.”
Mogurim blinked his eyes when Lit said that.
“Your luck sure is good to get the Hero Lit’s a.s.sistance in making your weapon.”
“I really think so too!”
Al replied happily.
☆☆
The three of them moved to the back while I glanced at suitable weapons inside the shop.
Mogurim possessed the superior craftsman-type Divine Protection, Rune Blacksmith.
Normally, instead of a shop in Downtown, it wouldn’t be strange for him to open a shop geared towards n.o.bles or upper-ranked adventurers but it seemed that his personality had bad compatibility with his Divine Protection and he had difficulty affixing magical properties to his crafts.
But his ordinary blacksmithing was perfect so he was greatly respected as the best blacksmith in Downtown.
… See, now I have strayed off topic.
The door opened with a thud.
“Welcome.”
Mink called out from the counter.
“Oya, isn’t it Red. Why are you slacking off at a place like this?”
“Oh, Gonz and Stothun and Doctor Newman? What an unusual trio.”
Three people I knew very well entered the shop.
The Half-Elf carpenter Gonz, the Half-Orc furniture shop owner Stormthunder and the Human doctor Newman.
“Doctor Newman and I were planning to come here together all along. I wanted to order carpentry tools. Doctor wanted a scalpel for medical use crafted.”
Gonz replied. Newman also nodded along.
“I previously requested for repairs for my canna and knife used to shave furniture. I unexpectedly ran into the two of them.”
Three individuals, three different looks.
Gonz with neat facial features. Stothun with his fearsome face. Newman with a bald head and gentle smile.
All of them talked about trivial Downtown matters as they chatted in the Dwarf smithy.
“This is Zoltan.”
“What are you talking about Red?”
“I’m saying to let me in on the conversation.”
“Ooo, well then, now that you are living a life of cohabitation, maybe you could tell us some fond moments with your loved one.”
“I’m interested in that too. Red-kun, how is it going at your place?”
The three of them looked at me with grins on their faces.
“Fine, I’ll tell you if you wish to know. But you all must be prepared. Once I talk about Lit, it might even cause the tools you guys have repaired to become rusty again.”
The three of them laughed at my lame joke and Stothun slapped my back.
“Sheesh, you’re one lucky guy.”
“But my wife is great too.”
” It would be great if I found a good woman too.”
“What about that girl at the clinic?”
“She has a proper boyfriend. Furthermore, he’s a C-rank adventurer.”
“Serious? Doctor won’t be able to win then.”
“That’s not for a D-rank adventurer like you to say.”
“I have Lit after all.”
After I proudly said that, the three of them looked at each other and nodded before they started whacking my head.
I quickly fled to the counter where Mink was at.
“Hah, what childish behavior.”
Mink was exasperated but she was smiling like she was enjoying it.