I looked at Ariya, and she looked back at me. We were currently in a run-down shop, but standing in front of us was a silver-haired butler with a white tie and coattails. Saying he looked out of place would’ve been an extreme understatement. He seriously looked like he didn’t belong here. We couldn’t reconcile the difference between the guy standing in front of us and the environment we were in, so we just kept staring at him in silence.
Eventually, Ariya managed to break the silence. “We’ve...come to buy a weapon.” Well done! “Are these all the weapons available for purchase?”
Given that there were barely any weapons here, it cast doubt on whether this place was actually an armorer. Had we accidentally entered the wrong shop? Was this a storage facility owned by nobles or something? Maybe the sign outside had just been misleading?
“Please rest assured, this is an armory,” the butler replied. It was as if he’d read my mind. Actually, wait—had he read my mind? Was there more to this old man than what met the eye? Honestly, after yesterday, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Let’s take a peek with Appraisal.
Sebastian / Human
HP: 85/85 / MP: 455/460 / STR: 62
VIT: 68 / DEX: 408 / AGI: 67 / INT: 312
Divine Blessing(s): None
Titles: None
He’s normal. It felt like forever since someone had had a normal stat sheet. I felt rather relieved.
“So...” Ariya prompted.
“This shop operates on a made-to-order system. We make unique weapons according to our customers’ desires.”
At this point, I came to realize that I hadn’t participated in the discussion yet. I couldn’t just let Ariya hold the entire conversation while I ran commentary inside of my head.
“Do you take orders for weapons that are not magic tools?” I asked.
“Not a problem. We will do everything in our power to meet our customers’ needs.”
The formality of his speech bothered me, given that he was standing in a store that looked like it might fall apart at any second, but I decided to try to focus on the positives here. I had an out. If I could order a weapon here, it’d probably end up being B quality, so Sister Sensei wouldn’t be able to complain.
“Could I place an order, then?” I asked.
“Certainly.”
If I was going to do this, I had to make something to fit my taste. What that meant was something that would be the envy of all edgelords out there.
“How about a sword as long as a human? The blade should be sharp on one side, and both thick and wide. Put a guard on the hilt. I don’t need any special designs on it.”
“I see. A great sword, focused on hacking. Almost like a nata. Simple is best in this case, correct?”
Hm. This guy knows his stuff. “How much’ll this set me back?”
“What is your budget?”
“About this much,” I said, using all ten of my fingers to reply.
We’d been killing it at the guild, so we had a lot of disposable income.
“Understood. I will make the best possible sword within your budget.”
“Thanks.”
After placing the order, I did some test swings with some of the simple swords in the store so that he could observe me. Apparently, he wanted to take notes on my habits to optimize the type of sword he made for me. He made sure to take note of where my center of gravity fell too. I thought these would be the kinds of things he’d check after the sword was made, but apparently he wanted to do this both before and after.
After we finished going through the measurements he wanted to take, Ariya and I left. This might just have been a secret store. I had high hopes for it, even if I didn’t know how things would end up. Since I didn’t have to pay in advance, if I didn’t like the sword, I could just choose not to pay. Hopefully, that meant that I wouldn’t be swindled. I still had no clue why he’d been wearing a butler’s uniform, though. He wasn’t even a clerk—he’d been the blacksmith himself. At the very least, it had been a very unique experience.
“Did you want to buy anything?” I asked Ariya.
“No, I already have this,” she said, showing me the dagger I’d bought her.
Until now, she’d been holding it against her chest, which was definitely weird. Why hadn’t she put it in a bag or something? Okay, stupid question. It would’ve poked a hole through a bag. Still, it was kinda unnerving to have someone clutching a knife when they’d gone on record saying that they wanted to kill you.
At any rate, we’d accomplished our goal for the day sooner than I’d expected, so maybe it was time for lunch. It was just a little past noon now, after all.
“What would you like to do? Would you like to go back to our lodgings or have lunch while we’re out?” said Ariya.
“Let’s grab a bite. It’s been a while since I had a meal anywhere outside of the guild.”
I didn’t hate the wild flavors that the old lady at the place we were staying cooked up or the wild flavors from the guild, but since we were out and about, I figured I might as well have something different. Something without garlic, of course.
“Then would you like to try a restaurant I’ve been meaning to check out?”
“Lead the way,” I told her.
Ariya sometimes paired up with other parties, so she probably got her restaurant recommendations from them. Maybe it was because I was always at the guild bar, but I’d only ever gotten bar recommendations. I had no clue where the good places to eat around here were.
“We’re here.”
“Here? I like the atmosphere.”
The restaurant that we’d come to had seating outside on its terrace. It had beautiful white walls supported by deep-brown wooden columns. It had a very chill and trendy atmosphere. It kinda reminded me of the cafés back in Japan.
Despite appearances, its prices were fair. Most of the customers weren’t upper-class people. There was a mix of both old and young men and women. I wasn’t too surprised when the faces of the waiters soured at the sight of me, but they didn’t deny me entry, which was nice. Also not too surprisingly, the waiters suggested that we sit in the less crowded terrace. I get it. You don’t want me around other people. I would’ve loved to not be in the sunlight, though.
Ariya and I were halfway through our lunch when Sister Sensei walked by.
“Oh, Kiri!” she called out with enthusiasm.
What the hell are you doing here?! What happened to “Guidance,” or whatever it was? As soon as Ariya heard her voice, she jumped a little. Sister Sensei also pouted a little bit after spotting Ariya, but she still entered the restaurant without any hesitation and took an empty chair at our table.
“Guidance ended earlier than I expected, but I didn’t get a chance to eat lunch yet.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sister Sensei called a waiter over to order.
“Did you pick out a weapon, Kiri?” she asked.
“I couldn’t really find anything good, so I ordered one.”
“You ordered one?” From her reaction, it was apparent she didn’t know anything about the old man or his shop. “From where?”
I explained, but she still had no idea what store I was talking about.
“Well, it’s pretty run-down, so you might have just thought it was a shack or something.”
“Are you sure that place is okay?”
“You don’t need to pay in advance and returns are allowed. There’s no fear of being scammed.”
Right as I finished explaining, Sister Sensei’s food came out. They’re seriously fast with the food. It was like a Saizeriya restaurant in Japan. Sister Sensei said a quick prayer before digging in. Is this the church’s version of Japanese people saying something before they eat?
Then, Sister Sensei looked at Ariya for a little bit. “So why is she with you?”
“What does that matter to you?” Ariya replied angrily.
“I know I didn’t tell Kiri to go out and pick a weapon by himself, but I didn’t say to bring you. Besides, shouldn’t you be out taking care of a request or something?”
“Wouldn’t you believe it? I had the day off. And I don’t see any problem with me accompanying him.”
“Oh—I was just concerned that Kiri was being babied by you again. Oh, wait... Is this a date? If it is, I’m so sorry about intruding.”
“We’re not on a date!”
“Uh-huh. But you’re having lunch out on the terrace like this...”
“I told you, we’re not like that!”
Um, why is it that this conversation is about me, but I haven’t been able to get a single word in? I’d already finished eating, but there was still food on their plates. Sure, Sister Sensei had just gotten her food, but Ariya still had trouble kicking her habits from when she’d been a princess. She ate in a very refined way. It was very regal, but it was also very slow.
I looked away from the two of them and instead turned my gaze onto the people passing by. Time ticked by slowly. I found myself growing more comfortable and could feel my eyelids getting heavy. I might’ve had a headache from the direct sunlight, but my sleepiness was winning out.
“And... It...”
“But... To...”
“He...”
“...”
“...”