CH 16

Chapter 16 - Shopping at the Tool Store

“Louise-san is a beautiful woman, but she’s scary, isn’t she.”

Souya gave Mia his honest impression of Louise.

“Well, she’s beautiful and …… well, sure, she’s scary sometimes. But basically, she is kind to newcomers. Souya-san is far from being a newcomer, so maybe you’re special.”

“Then it’s better if I’m not special. She was probably a former adventurer, but even when she was at the reception desk, I couldn’t find any gaps in her. I’m sure she’s out of the ordinary.”

Even in the middle of the paperwork, Louise was completely seamless. I have no intention of actually doing that, but I wonder what kind of reaction I would have gotten if I had behaved strangely in that situation.

“Yes. Louise-san is a platinum-class adventurer and is known as a Swordmaster. She told me that she is currently staying away from the field. But I heard that there was a time in the past when she was dispatched to an emergency situation that involved the survival of Ilstadt.”

“…… I see. I’m sure that’s scary. It may not be possible to win with a sword. A bout, huh …… I would refuse that at all cost  ・ ・・・・・・・absolutely.”

Souya’s face became serious, and his tone became a little more forceful at the last part. I thought she was pretty good because of her seamlessness, but if you’re an adventurer who’s made it all the way up to platinum-class, I’m sure that her ability is true.

(T/N: Seamlessness, without opening or gap.)

I didn’t have any doubts about the fact that Louise, a seasoned adventurer, was working as a receptionist. The fact that she has knowledge from an adventurer’s point of view makes her an ideal intermediary for adventurers, and if she’s that good at talking, it’s probably her calling.

“Mia-kun, I’d like to get our gear ready before we go to the Thrail Forest, so can I borrow some silver? If the market price of sundries hasn’t changed since the old days, then …… I’ll adjust the price to be sufficient if I have about sixty silver coins to buy.”

“I understand. Erm …… Here you go, there are silver coin’s inside.”

Mia took out her wallet from her shoulder bag and handed it to Souya.

“I think you’ll have some leeway. Please keep it with you. If Souya-san thinks it’s something you need it for the trip, then it probably is.”

From the weight of the wallet, if all of its contents were silver coins, it would certainly contain more than the sixty coins he had budgeted for.

Souya planned to borrow only what he needed from Mia, but he didn’t feel comfortable counting the coins on the street, so he put her wallet in his pocket and started walking to the tool shop on the street across from the Adventurer’s Guild.

The signboard at the entrance of the shop prominently read, “For the Adventurer’s Guild”. When Souya slowly opened the wooden door, the sound of a squeak echoed loudly.

“Oh, welcome …… What can I do for you?”

An elderly man who seemed to be the owner and master of the store noticed the sound of the clapper and answered Soya.

(T/N: Clapper, the free-swinging metal piece inside a bell that is made to strike the bell to produce the sound.)

“Hello, Master. I’ve just finished my application for a blank-class at the Adventurer’s Guild. So I’m looking to get the tools I need for my journey.”

“Oh, you’re a rookie. Have you seen the sign out front? We are a store for the adventurer’s guild. We guarantee a certain level of quality. If you’re a rookie, you can buy a complete adventurer’s set at …….”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I’ll just take what I need today. I don’t have much to spare.”

A complete adventurer’s set is probably similar to a noodle with all the toppings. In any case, the budget of sixty silver coins would not be enough. And it might come with unnecessary extras as well.

“Hmm. Too bad. It’s a great deal, but …… Well then, after you get the tools you need, can you put them on the empty table over there?”

He sat down in a chair and began to work on a wooden jigsaw puzzle on the counter, which was supposed to be a way to pass the time.

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“Two silver coins for a ten-meter rope with hooks, ten silver coins for a handheld lamp, two silver coins for twenty hours of lamp oil, one silver coin for a set of ten blank sheets of paper, two silver coins for pens and ink, two silver coins for two sturdy cloth bags, ten silver coins for a ceramic water bottle with a protective leather cover, six silver coins for two empty bottles, and fifteen silver coins for three days of preserved food. A cloak to keep out the wind and rain was worth 10 silver coins …… That’s exactly sixty silver coins. Hmmm, it’s surprisingly expensive. I also wanted a hand mirror.”

After Souya had finished arranging the miscellaneous items on an empty table near the counter, he checked the prices of the items at his fingertips. There were still some things I wanted, but I quickly reached my estimate of sixty silver coins.

“Hand mirror. Souya-san, you’re so stylish.”

“Mia, the older you get, the more important it is to keep up appearances. Well, of course, it has its uses, but there are other uses as well …… For example, have you ever heard of the Gorgon, Mia-kun?”

“Gorgon ……? Maybe I don’t know that name. It’s not a medicinal herb, is it?”

Mia put her hands on her cheeks and thought about it for a moment, but the name didn’t seem to occur to her.

“The Gorgon is a monster with snakes for hair, but he has a terrifying Evil Eye that turns your body to stone if you make eye contact with it.”

“Petrification, huh …… It can be cured with the Cure Stone, a petrification treatment sacred art, but only a high priest can heal it …… I guess there are some scary monster monsters out there.”

“In order to counter them, you need to avoid eye contact with them and use a mirror to see where they are while you fight so you don’t get that look. That’s why you need a mirror.”

Gorgons usually appear only in ruins or swamps, so there’s no chance of encountering one right now, unless you’re exploring the ruins.

Just like Souya said, it’s use is for fashion and to keep up appearances.

“The hand mirror cost sixty silver coins. I guess it’s the same price as the tools we just purchased …… it’s more expensive than I thought.”

Since it was a very common item in the real world, and could be obtained at the average price, it seemed rather expensive, and I couldn’t help but let out a voice that sounded like a complaint.

“The production of mirrors takes a lot of time and effort. Silver foil pasted on glass is made by pressing mercury. The rest is made with strengthening magic Enforce to prevent breakage …… Well, I guess that’s about the price no matter where we go.”

The master, who was doing a jigsaw puzzle at the counter and watching the selection, murmured to Souya.

“I see, that’s why it takes so much time to polish it. And strengthened by Enforce, huh …… Sixty silver coins for personal appearance …… Let’s call it a no for now.”

Souya looked disappointed, and then picked up a notebook.

“A parchment notebook with a leather cover …… 30 silver coins. I was going to keep a record of my travels, but, well, I’m in no hurry to do that either. Hmmm …… I never went to all this trouble before.”

He remembered the various requests he had made to the goddess Eris during his adventure 20 years ago. As I recall, one of the multiple wishes I confronted her with was, “Give me the high-priced jewelry”. I was indifferent to money because I had a large sum of money lying around from the beginning.

(Are the demands I’ve made too much like an advance …… Well, I’m going to enjoy some of the hardship the second time around.)

Souya smiled thinly at whoever it was. Compared to 20 years ago, when I was mentally young, I now have enough time to enjoy this kind of money management. I guess that means I’ve matured as I’ve gotten older.

“Souya-san. Please let me buy it.”

Mia picked up a box of hand mirrors and a parchment notebook that Souya had shown signs of wanting, added them to the table and laid them out.

“I told you I’d feel bad.”

“Then I’ll buy it for you personally and give it to you. I would prefer that Souya-san be well groomed.”

“…… Hmm. If Mia-kun says so much, then. Well then, I’ll take your word for it.”

I had learned enough about her stubbornness in the past two days. Souya told Mia, who had a soft smile, as if he had given up.