“Anyway, what are you planning to use Moongrass for? From what I hear, it’s typically used for making potions.” Chartelle gave him a curious look, as if she couldn’t imagine any possible use for a café or Tamer.
“I’m going to make monster treats,” he explained.
“Oh, right. You have the Prepare Snack skill. If you’re using Moongrass as an ingredient, you must be planning to make something top-quality for your monsters.” She gave him an envious look.
Uh, is it that expensive? Taichi was starting to feel uneasy, but it was better to see it for himself then go from there.
“For now, I’ll go check out this magic shop. Thank you for the information, Chartelle.”
“No problem! See ya!”
The magic shop Chartelle told Taichi about was a large building located on the main thoroughfare. Taichi couldn’t help but sigh at himself; he should have visited this place much sooner instead of peeking around at small market stalls and shops. I imagined a place this big catered to aristocrats and the like. But now that he looked more closely, he noticed many adventurers coming and going.
“Oh, but...I wonder if I shouldn’t bring you in with me, Luke.”
“Why not? Are you seriously telling me to wait outside?!” Luke demanded indignantly.
The armor shop had been one thing, but this place had a much bigger crowd of customers. Some of them might become uncomfortable with a wolf waltzing about around them.
“It’s not that I don’t wanna take you, but...” Taichi waffled back and forth. Luke might shock people even more if they saw him sitting outside the shop with no owner. Taichi considered taking Luke home and returning alone.
“Taichi!” a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Hm? Oh, Hymeria!”
“Heya! What are you doing loitering in front of the magic shop?”
“Well, you see...” Taichi launched into a quick explanation.
“Oh, gotcha,” she said with a nod once he finished. “If you want, I can wait out here with Luke so you can do your shopping.”
“Huh? I guess you’re right, but I’d feel bad asking that of you.”
Hymeria slowly shook her head. “Remember how you fed me for free at your café? Let me at least do this much for you.”
Fair enough. She’s just trying to pay me back. In that case, he lacked a good reason to refuse.
Taichi acceded with a nod. “All right. Thank you.”
“Yeah! Happy to help!”
The bigger problem was whether Luke would agree to this or not. Taichi snuck a glance at Luke, who had a decidedly displeased look on his face that he didn’t even try to hide. “Just wait here for a few while I do my shopping!” Taichi put his hands together, imploring the wolf. “Please!”
“You truly intend to leave me alone with this woman?!”
“Can’t I? If you wait like a good boy, I’ll make your beanbag chair even bigger!”
“You will?!” Luke’s eyes grew wide. “If it means that much to you, I suppose I can wait here with her.”
“Aha! I knew someone as noble as you would be reasonable about this, Luke!”
“Of course!” Luke smiled proudly at the compliment.
Taichi took a moment to shower the wolf with praise, putting Luke in high spirits. He could only imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wait with Luke if he were in a foul mood. This would make everything much easier for Hymeria.
“All right, I’ll be right back,” said Taichi, eager to get in and get out lest anything happen in the meantime.
“You had best make it quick,” Luke warned him.
“Take your time,” Hymeria said with a smile. “We’ll be fine!”
The interior of the magic shop was bustling with activity, among which Taichi managed to pick out adventurers, as well as alchemists clad in robes. First, he noticed the shop’s selection of potions. There were a bunch of tiny vials with different colored liquid in them. His heart raced with excitement. In a corner, he saw herbs and other magical items. There were no weapons. The shop’s specialty seemed to be odds-and-ends.
“Huh, interesting...” He shook his head. “No window-shopping. I can’t forget Luke is outside waiting for me.”
Taichi would have to make a separate visit to leisurely browse what was available. For now, he beelined for the corner with the herbs. He was familiar with some of the selection, like the Magic Herbs. This is one of the ingredients I can use with my Prepare Meal skill. I should buy some of it. If he stocked up, he could make more Dragon Steak, and there may be other things he could use it for as well.
At last, his eyes landed on the Moongrass. It looked exactly like the illustration Chartelle had shown him, with light green leaves and a pure white blossom. It almost felt mystical. He could see how its subtle glow suited nighttime.
“I’m more worried about the price, though.”
The sign indicated the flowers were sold in bundles, with five flowers in each bundle for a total of ten thousand Chel. That’s steep. Unfortunately, Taichi still didn’t know how many cookies he could make with one Moongrass. He was hoping to price them at four hundred Chel without going into the red.
“I guess I’ll have to take it home, make it, and see what it works out to.”
He grabbed himself one bundle of the Moongrass and five bundles of the Magic Herbs. The latter was much cheaper, at only a thousand Chel per bundle.
After promptly finishing his shopping, Taichi emerged to find Luke and Hymeria glowering at one another. No, that wasn’t quite right. Luke was the only one glowering. Hymeria was frowning.
“Hope I didn’t take too long. Is everything okay, Hymeria?”
“Wow, you were quick! Yeah, Luke was a good boy. We didn’t have any problems!”
“What do you take me for, human?!” barked Luke angrily.
Hymeria smiled as Luke breathed out hard through his nose. For all his bluster, his tail was wagging, which suggested he was glad Taichi had returned.
“Let’s get back and give these a try,” Taichi said to Luke.
“Hey, Taichi, do you mind if I watch you make the treats?” Hymeria asked with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.
“Sure, you’re more than welcome.”
Together, they made their way back to the café.