Meikyuu Toshi no Antique Shop

Chapter 12

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“It’s about time to get feedback on our previous dungeon exploration.”

Mint and the others were about ready to get an appraisal on the loot they brought home, now at the store.
They had dropped into “The Good Old Sorcerer’s Shop”. It seemed to be an acclaimed store known to be a favorite of those with Granting Tools in many rumors spread around at a certain underground tavern. In fact, it was considered to be a scary store, because unless you had many gold coins you could not purchase anything, even the objects casually displayed.

The store owner is a youth with gla.s.ses, with a touch of messy hair. They don’t have the looks to match the job, but at least they seem competent enough. The rumors said that he could appraise anything regardless of item type or quality, and get the solution quickly and correctly. Ointments, armor, weapons, medicine, generally they all had specialty stores, but here they could all be easily appraised. A Granting Tool expert.

“But, no matter how good the expert is, if the items are bad the result will be the same…” Mint considered to herself.
Smiling, the Store Owner declared…

“All of these items and artifacts are fake.”
A shining treasure chest was sitting on the counter with many items inside. Precious coins and metal were giving off this radiant glow.

Mint realized, as she and the others were amateurs, this sort of treasure was out of their reach in the first place. They’d been duped by the loot itself.
“Oi, stop joking. Your boring joke even took me by surprised. Really, do it properly, stop with this.”

“Eea, for example, these look like Silver rings, but when rubbed with touchstone they become slightly yellow.”
“That’s all it is?”
“Genuine silver does not have any such reaction. The touchstone has nitric acid, and this reaction is most likely copper.
“Ma, really?”
“Yes. Furthermore, these brooches.”
“Well, they certainly look like gold. Don’t tell me…”
“Yes, they certainly look like gold indeed. However, based on their Specific Gravity, that does not seem to be the case. It’s just copper covered with a thin paint of gold.” (tl: Specific Gravity is a principle that’s in relation to density and water. Gold has 19.3 as its flat density, while silver has 10.5. You can read the origination proper here:~crorres/Archimedes/Crown/CrownIntro.html)
“There are so many gold coin and jewels in there… Don’t tell me, the jewels are fake too?
“You could say I’ve tested each one, but unfortunately they’re all imitations, or even imitations of imitations. If you’re not convinced, I can explain each individually. Just ask.”
“…How direct.”
Malmo the Halfling that had climbed the counter to stare into it is now slipping after losing his force of will.
The treasure chest was something he had discovered in a hidden room, himself. He found its cleverly concealed location and had dismantled its complicated lock, so no one expected a fake.
It took him a period of many hours to release the traps, grab the treasure, and since it was so heavy it had to be carried in shifts, making two at a time be dead weight. They had finally brought it here and, lo and behold, it was a quality akin to ‘a bad joke’.

“How regrettable. I was hoping to get a grasp on an excellent sword from the haul we got this time, how regrettable indeed…”
“I was going to get a new flame-attribute chainmail…”
“I wanted to repurchase that Drunk’s Flask…”

Mint’s three party members all lost their momentum, disappointed.
The profits they had expected disappeared nearly as quickly, money to a degree you could go on a shopping spree even if it were divided evenly was gone.

“Hahaha, if it’s like this, why don’t we drink it away?”
Even Mint failed to remain motivated, letting out a dry laugh.
During the arduous journey of carrying this treasure box, they had all built up an extensive list of things they were going to buy. Mint had decided on magic books and accessories as well as deluxe food, but it all became foam in the sea.
“Well, if I recommend you to a trader, you should probably get at least five hundred Gerun.”

The gla.s.ses wearing owner was clearly sad for them, proposing as such.
That sum was still not enough to motivate them, or even cover their losses they accrued while bringing the chest back. Clearly, it was time to go drinking.
“Uuh, are you sure you didn’t overlook anything? Maybe an amazing Granting Tool?”
“I didn’t feel even a bit of magic from this chest.”
“How about this shawl here?”
“Oh? Bring it closer, this actually seems valuable.”
“Hmm? Yes, yes.”
The Store Owner’s voice shone through. Mint thought he was just trying to divert the melancholy, but while discussing with Malmo, it seemed different.
The things they had found in the chest were only close to being ‘loot’, if at all.
However, the Cape she had picked up in the dungeon, with its amber color and circular shape, seemed to be a different story. (tl note: just realized the image of Linne is actually Mint, I was unable to determine one way or another and thought the flowers were actually Linne’s Barrette, not mere flowers.)
It smelled unusual and was clearly time-worn, gave nothing for defense, but it was clearly a Granting Tool- once the store owner casted spells of concealment destruction and sensing, this was plain to see.
The design on it, however, was rather pretty, while not looking so deluxe that you couldn’t use it as everyday clothes. She didn’t want to abandon it, planning on bringing it with her back home.

“Hmm… This thread seems to be woven from a Marudekazubana plant, judging by its smell and l.u.s.ter. This smell is one that insects in particular hate.
The Store Owner lifted his nose here.
“It might be a good Granting Tool. Generally, clothing with this fabric also include a built-in Insect Repellant circuit.
“Is that right?”
“Is it true?”
“It can’t be, hey.”

Thus, the Store Owner began his work.
While it wasn’t strong magic, it had a high number of detection avoidance and concealment spells, making the Appraisal take a long time to begin.
Mint was astonished by his ability, however. To be able to tell an item’s origin and spell just by its smell, this sort of trick couldn’t be done no matter the amount of skill one had, magic must have been involved. She decided that this Store Owner was no ordinary man after all.

“Where did you learn your magic?”
“Well, if I must say it, it’s ‘direct transmission’.” (tl: self-taught, I think)
Anyway, the companions all rejoiced, glad not to completely lose out on their labors. An good-quality Granting Tool, especially a luxury one like Bug Repellant, was likely quite expensive.

Mint, however, had complicated feelings on the matter. It was something she had worked hard to bring back, and she rather liked its design. However, it was something she had to give up, as it was an unwritten law that you must distribute evenly within the party.

They were thinking to sell it immediately before Mint finally complained.

“But Mint, such a thing will never be useful. Bug Repellant likely won’t help us at all.”
“Yes, its ability itself isn’t good too, if there is a bug it will be better to just kill it outright. (also tl note: Mint, Malmo, another girl I think, and mister samurai are the party thus far. The one speaking here uses ‘sessha’ and ‘degozaru’.)

“It’s difficult to imagine a scene where Mint would smush an insect…”
“Absolutely not, that’s gross!”
Against her three friends, Mint did not concede.
There were several reasons for this.
First, the fact Mint brought the Cape along because she liked it.
The second was its “Insect Repellant” ability.
Mint hated large insects. If she even saw a caterpillar, she would become ill. Furthermore, in the Dungeon there were some floors that contained many insects. It was a suitable item for a Seeker like her, which would help her get through those floors. Things like bugs getting into her sleeping bag, she couldn’t permit.
This insect repellent would help immensely. Large bugs would virtually disappear while wearing this shawl. Indeed, ideal for a Seeker girl.

When it comes to ownership, in the end, the one who found the drop owns it. Resisting their entreaties, Mint decided to use it.

Even though Mint owned this cape now, they never expected how soon it would prove useful…

★
The ma.s.sive insect was hovering, visibly confused.
As a powerful Sergeant Bee, I have to gather much food for the Queen.
I was busying myself for the hunt when I spotted good game in the immediate vicinity.
They’re still young, one a young half elf who’s flesh seemed delicious.
They seemed less p.r.o.ne to fleeing than those three they had been chasing just prior. The bee was glad to find good meat for the Queen. Suddenly, something simultaneously struck my entire mob. We were all suddenly terrified of that young half-elf.
It was as if they had all seen the World Snake, the Jormungander. It was a matchless force, by any comparison. The force of this fear, too, was matchless.
We killer bees panicked, some fleeing or even fainting outright. The force was matchless by all means.
The culprit was the one he least expected, difficult to believe.

It was the half-elf who had thrown such an overwhelming force into the group.

Mint sighed with relief. With a Bug Repellant cape this strong, she would no longer be attacked by them.
Truly, the power of this shawl was immense.
Despite the wall of flames disappearing, none of the killer bees came forward, the loud hum akin to a storm now nothing more than a quiet buzz, all bees floating like husks or even falling from the cloud.

The sign on the Magic Cape was in fact a pattern like a giant organism. It was a very powerful shape, evidently one that had such profound influence on the Killer Bees.

Their intentions foiled, the herd had not moved forward to attack. Few even moved forward at all. In fact, most had begun to retreat.

But, before long, the fear would be useless. The horde would slowly realize what had happened, they weren’t stupid. Eventually, they would escape the shock, so Mint began to move towards the honeycomb. The role of Mint was to stop the bees, the role of her companions was to kill the Queen Bee. She decided to execute a plan.

“Ziziii-“, suddenly the herd noticed something, beginning to flee back to the colony hastily. However, Mint was now in position to scare them again, raising another wall.

The herd had received a Pheromone Distress Signal from the queen. In addition to merely exciting the horde of Bees it could also give detailed instructions, this one being to return to the hide posthaste. Clearly, her companions had begun their rampage.
As it was, Mint had no intention to permit the swarm to move.
One could use magic to interfere with the cape’s shape. She forced her magic into the shape of two invisible hands, stretching them beside the swarm, encircling it into a cage with a globe shape. The Killer Bees were truly in the palms of her hands.

“Ziiyuya?”

The Bees which were ready to head for the hive suddenly instead showed an intense reaction, as though they had touched fire. Clearly, this cage had great effect.
Mint wiped the sweat from her brow.

This ability should be named “Mushikago” (insect cage).
Without the cape’s help it couldn’t be done, but it was a spell she had personally built at this point, on the spot. With other interchangeable effects it might work.
Little by little she shortened the area the bugs were in, pressing them together.
The herd was indeed like sheep herded by a sheep dog, their movements entirely controlled by Mint as they slowly became a small ma.s.s of insects.

“I give up making it any smaller.”

Closing in this Mushikago reduced the amount of magic she had to use, but with only this Insect Repellent effect, she could not continue shrinking it. The bees could no longer move at all, however.
Now it was just a staring contest while she waited for her companions.

Mint might not have been good at Offensive Incantations, but she was a top notch magic operator with a lot of perseverance. With those things alone she could compete with advanced magicians, or even get a guarantee to a master of magic’s apprenticeship.

While holding back this horde, she could hear something like a female scream behind her.

At the same time, the bees changed in mannerism completely.
Slowly, movement in the Mushikago began stirring. Slowly, the swarm began spreading out again. Some of them, one by one, began to stagger free from the cage, fainting.
They began to kill eachother, biting and b.u.mping together poison needles, making Mint dizzy from all the magic usage.

“Zazazaza”, “Zizizizi”, “Zzzzz…”, “…”

Each time this occurred, it got weaker and weaker.

This is a terrible habit known to Seekers as the Killer Bee’s “Immolation Death”. When a Queen Bee dies, she releases intense pheromones. These torture the minds of the Killer Bees, sending them into a frenzy in which they attack every ent.i.ty they see, friend or foe.
In other words, the Queen Bee had been killed by her party.

From the halo of Bees fell many corpses, out of the invisible cage.

She released her Cape’s effects once confirming they all died.
She was flooded with fatigue.
Even though individually, the effect is not costly, with such frenzy of the storm, her magic was dried up. It was akin to extreme blood loss, with her collapsing to the ground, unable to move.

“Aa… I’m tired…”

Mint was sprawled out there, until her party returned she’d be unable to move. She began to think about the reward they’d get this time, and how successful this expedition was.

She decided to first visit her favorite pub, a certain tavern most know, as soon as she returned to the surface. Nothing’s better than drinking with friends after a hard day’s work, she decided.

“Mun…”
In this all too soft ground made of a mushroom’s plume, she rested her cheek. Her company returned, amazed to find her sleeping in a dangerous place like this “Sea of Trees”.
★

Discrimination Certificate “Shawl of Insect Repelling (good)”
“Thou sly princess, dedicate two thousand five hundred and sixty five drops of blood. Through our world, granted to you will be an overpowering terror to the servants of Our Swarm.”
In “The Era of Supreme Sorcerers”, short stories were collected near the end of the era, describing the customs of those who domesticated insects for pets or escorts, mostly the elves in the forests of old, or even humans later referred to as “Sly Princesses”.
This item is especially useful to scare off insects dangerous to humans or that will harm humans.
This Cape was likely taken from a captured elf that was in considerable danger, but its origination is unknown.
Additional note, the patter upon it resembles the great Jormungander, a gigantic worm that is feared by the many insects of the wilderness.

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