I was taken aback, but the shopkeeper lined his wares in front of Yuri. The talismans were made of rectangular strips of white paper. The color was different, but they reminded me of the seals pasted on the faces of jiangshi, Chinese hopping vampires. The sizes varied too, but it looked like there was a standardized gradation. However, every drawn design was unique, and the ink came in a number of colors.
“I see that some use the same ink even though their design differs,” Yuri said as he held up two seals.
“So they do. The kind in your left hand is for conjuring balls of water, while the one in your right is for conjuring water that rains down.”
“Fascinating. Now that I look closer, I can see that the designs share some similarities as well,” Yuri murmured, more to himself than to the clerk. The wheels in his mind were clearly turning as he listened to the clerk’s explanations.
What about the investigation? I’m a little concerned about dropping it, but there’s no stopping the grand magus when he’s in this mode. The knight commander hasn’t said anything either, so I doubt we’re in any danger. I suppose no one would complain if I took a look too? I shifted my attention to the talismans.
I’d heard they used special ink to draw these, and it looked more like calligraphy ink than the kind used for pens. It also looked like there was a system to the increasingly complex details of the designs. I stared at one of the more ornate examples in the lineup; the assistant noticed my stare and handed the sample to me.
This talisman, he explained, was for increasing physical defense. I had heard that the support talismans were more expensive; perhaps part of the reason for that was the design, which looked rather difficult to draw.
“Do the talismans have to come in specific sizes?” I focused on speaking in Zaideran, since I was worried that the clerk wasn’t as comfortable using Salutanian.
It sure was handy that I could speak any language I wished whenever I wanted. I was eternally grateful for this ability.
“Not really,” he replied in Zaideran. “However, we make ours in sizes that are easy to use.”
Both the owner and his assistant were terribly kind. He didn’t seem to mind answering such a basic question at all.
Fortified by this, I went ahead and asked other questions too. The talismans were made of paper and ink, just as I had heard. The paper itself was just regular paper, but the ink was special.
Both the paper and ink were bought from a different workshop, but this shop employed artisans to draw on them. They used a writing brush to create these intricate designs, which required skill, as they had to be drawn on fixed sizes of paper. The designs also differed depending on their effect, so I imagined they might be even harder to memorize than potion recipes.
For mid-grade potions and above, you need skill levels in Pharmaceuticals. I wonder if there’s a similar skill for talismans?
This question just popped into my mind, but when I asked, the answer I received was, “I don’t know.”
In that case, maybe I could make a simple one myself. I tentatively asked if they had a book of talisman designs, and he said they did have a catalogue of the most basic kinds.
Among all the books that had been bought for us, we hadn’t received any about talismans. Maybe I could ask the delegation staff to purchase some when we returned to the manor.
As I was interrogating the clerk, Yuri finished his discussion with the shop owner. He had taken less time than I expected—probably because he wanted to head back to the manor and dive into serious talisman experimentation.
Case in point: Yuri bought practically every single kind of talisman. The shop owner looked quite pleased.
When I say this, you should understand that it was everything that the owner had brought out. I feared that hauling them all home would be difficult, to say the least. He’d even bought multiples for his research! And paper and ink too! And the ink came in multiple varieties, you know?
I had no idea how we would fit it all in the carriage, but the owner made a great suggestion: He would have Yuri’s purchases delivered to the manor. Yuri had no objections, at least not after the owner assured him that they would be delivered today.
Grateful for the excellent customer service, we were all wonderfully satisfied as we left the shop.
After a brief break, I finally remembered our investigation. I asked about it after we stepped into the carriage and received a surprisingly serious answer.
“I sensed several people watching us, but I didn’t sense any hostility from them,” said Yuri. “Did you notice anything unusual while we were there, Knight Commander Hawke?”
“There were indeed several people watching us. I didn’t notice anything suspicious beyond that, however.”
It turned out that despite appearances, Yuri had been doing his job after all. Albert, of course, went without saying.
Zara had been paying attention to our surroundings too. “Those watching us were particularly interested in Lord Drewes, Lord Hawke, and myself. None of them stood out in any particular way. I didn’t notice anyone focusing on Lady Sei.”
Zara was right. Most people in Zaidera had black or brown hair, and their eyes were of similar hue. I was totally used to seeing people who looked like them, and they probably thought the same of me.
“Did you notice anything, Sei?” Albert asked me.
“No, nothing.” It wasn’t that I wasn’t being vigilant, but I wasn’t very sensitive to the attention of others in general. I felt ashamed, though, since it felt like I was the only one who hadn’t done my job.
Ultimately, though, we concluded that there had been nothing suspicious and were able to return to the manor without incident.