五月丁香五月丁香激情

“If you want, I can show you around. My city has sells equipment and also does repairs. We also operate an inn.”

Although they were bewildered by my sudden appearance, they immediately regained their composure and spoke.

“What do you mean father of the demihumans? And you’re a great sage? Just who are you?”

“This is a city I built for the demihumans being persecuted by society and I am their guardian. Also, to be able to build such a city, I can be nothing less than a great sage, don’t you agree?”

I said so smugly but I might have gone a little too far with my bluff. They were looking at me with suspicion in their eyes. I screwed up, I thought. It was a little embarrassing.

Alright, let’s change the subject.

“...Moving on, how about that tour?”

“Oh, oh yeah. Can you first show us to the inn?”

“Yes, my pleasure.”

I nodded and led the adventurer party to the inn.

◇

The one currently running the inn was Wight.

I figured I wouldn’t have anything to worry about if he was in charge of it.

“Welcome, dear guests.”

Wight greeted us as we opened the door.

His entire body was wrapped with his high-class robe and on his face was a mask.

The mask was enchanted with the effects of [Beguile] and it should make him appear like a refined gentleman as long as he wore it.

“Is this the city’s inn?”

“Yes, it is. Or so I would like to say but right now, it’s more of just a place to sleep at. Let me explain our systems.”

I cleared my throat once and spoke.

“We have two plans for you to choose from. The first option is to rent a private room. Regardless of the number of people to stay in the room, you are expected to pay two silver coins per night. Well, two people should be able sleep comfortably in them but it should still be able to accommodate four people. These rooms have locks installed in them so if you want some privacy, this is the option to pick. And don’t worry, no matter which plan you pick, blankets will always be provided.”

By the way, this was a really cheap price. In the city of Eclaba, manual labor aimed for adventurers would earn them 6 silver coins a day.

“It’s so cheap.”

“A place to sleep is all we’re offering, after all. Guests are expected to clean after themselves during stay. As for meals, please purchase those at the store you visited earlier. You’re free to use the water well in the inn’s courtyard so if you have any laundry, you may wash them there. Also, our city also has a hot spring and you’re also free to enter that.”

“You have a hot spring!?”

The eyes of the thief girl, the only adventurer in good health, sparkled.

“Lecca, you know anything about it?”

The warrior-looking man asked the thief.

“Yeah, I do. It’s a warm bath you soak yourself into. It really, really feels good. Plus, it takes helps to relieve your stress away.”

With an ecstatic face, the thief girl imagined the hot spring.

“You’re quite knowledgeable. As you said, hot springs relieve stress. But my city’s hot spring is special. Aside from the stress relief you mentioned, it also: makes your skin beautiful; accelerates recovery from wounds and illnesses; gives magic power recovery; and a lot more.”

“All that just from bathing in hot water?”

“Yes. Besides from the hot spring’s own mysterious powers, it’s because of the high-ranking elves blessing this city.”

What I said was definitely true. Although the effects may be minor, they were there nonetheless.

Each time Ancient Elf entered the bath, the effects grew stronger; she was then most probably the cause, I thought.

“Hey, Solt, let’s stay here! I’d like to enter the hot spring, it’s the best! It’d speed up the healing of your wounds too! Plus, Mira will also recover her magic power there!”

“...I still can’t believe it. Oh well, we were planning on staying here today anyway, might as well try the hot spring out.”

“Oh, yeah! I’m looking forward to it now!”

It seemed like the hot spring worked properly as a weapon thanks to their fondness of it.

“Earlier on, you said you had two plans but what’s the other one?”

“I did, and the second option lets you stay at a large communal room. Of course, the room won’t have a lock so we would advise the guests to be mindful of their belongings and to be on the lookout for theft. On that note, its cost is cheaper at only 1 silver coin per person. In your case, dear guests, rather than the communal room, it would be cheaper to stay at a private room, and thus why I mentioned it first.”

The communal rooms were basically a plan aimed toward adventurers traveling alone.

For a party, private rooms were always cheaper and better.

“Then, we’ll rent two rooms. Four silver coins will be enough, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, perfectly.”

When I said so, Wight took out two keys and explained the particulars.

“Dear guests, these are the keys to your rooms. Please consult the map in the wall that shows the room numbers for your rooms’ locations.”

The warrior-looking man took a key while the other one was taken by the female thief. It seemed like they split up according to their gender: a rare consideration for adventurers.

“Procell, could you wait until we’ve dropped our baggage first before you guide us to the equipment shop?”

“Yes, of course.”

I replied and smiled.

For adventurers, this party was strong and experienced. If they were impressed, the widespread news of our city via word of mouth was likely. A little effort for that was tolerable.

◇

A little while later and the adventurers came back. It seemed they donned a change of clothes, this time wearing casual clothing. However, I also noticed that they were carrying a large bag on their shoulders which, I guessed, contained their broken equipment.

And so, I led them back to the store.

◇

When we returned to the store, Kuina and the two Mythological Foxes were busily moving around. I figured the Mythological Fox sent outside to draw in visitors had in fact drawn in too much to the point that she was called back to help.

When I noticed the sign and the Mithril Golem that acted as a guard weren’t in the city, I figured the Mithril Golem must have been told to keep holding the sign. The Golem did have the ability to draw visitors in so for the moment, I didn’t have to question such a decision.

The foodstuffs had sold well.

There were about thirty customers inside the store. It may not have been a lot but considering there only three of them to tend to the store, their job was tough.

Kuina then looked at me with eyes pleading for help but I pretended to not notice. It was alright, I trusted they were able to handle something like this. Rather, they have to in order for them to handle future sales. And so, I steeled my heart and hoped the girls would grow.

I then cleared my throat and faced the adventurer party.

“Well then, this is where the transactions for the purchase and repair of equipment takes place. For the moment though, only swords are being sold.”

I said so and led them into the store. We then proceeded to the area opposite of where the foodstuffs were placed. There, a lot of swords were casually displayed. The only sword that was framed and furnished to the wall was the sword Elder Dwarf seriously made.

When I thought about it, the swords didn’t really stood out. Upon entering the store, one would have had to search for them to notice them. In fact, the adventurers within the store were still yet to notice them.

I noted to place them somewhere better later.

But as I thought so........

“Where are the swords placed? I heard there were wonderful swords being sold here but where are they?”

A new group of visitors arrived and asked the busy girls. They numbered close to twenty. Right from the start, they were looking for swords. I thought they must have heard of the rumors of this city’s blacksmith’s expertise.

With the arrival of the new group, the girls began to panic. Seeing that, I decided to take care of the new ones.

“The swords are this way. These customers are about to try the swords out as well so why don’t you join us?”

“Oh, that way, huh. I didn’t notice.”

I gathered the customers interested on the swords together. The inside of the store was vast so there were no problems with this many people inside.

I picked a massed produced sword up and handed it over to the warrior-looking man.

“This sword you’ve given me, it’s quite the item.”

The moment the warrior-looking man took the sword, his eyes changed from that of his relaxed usual self into that of a swordsman’s.

He stared intensely into the sword and then touched its blade. Afterwards, he readied himself and swung it. The sound of the sword cutting the air reverberated. He had good skills.

“This is a wonderful sword. You won’t see many swords this fine in Eclaba.”

“Why don’t you try swinging it at something?”

“Is that alright!?”

He was more into it than I expected.

I placed a log upright so that he may test the blade on it. There were metal fixtures attached to its bottom to keep it from falling by itself.

The warrior-looking man readied himself once more and swung the sword sideways. Upon doing so and with a swoosh, the log was cut.

“This is absurdly sharp. It’s also light and strong. I also feel magic power flowing in it. This is far better than my sword. How much is this?”

“Two gold coins.”

As soon as I said so, the warrior-looking man’s jaw dropped. He must have been surprised.

“Wait, what!? This sword is only for two gold coins!? Even my current sword cost me four gold coins! No matter what, a sword this fine’s gotta be at least six gold coins... no, eight!!”

He spoke as he drew closer to me.

By the way, I based the price of our sword on the mass produced mithril-padded-with-iron swords being sold in Eclaba.

Comparing the two swords, ours uses a much better alloy with better distribution ratios and purity. The skills involved in making them was also not up for contest. The Dwarf Smiths may be only making the swords to meet their production quotas but humans would have had to be top-class craftsmen working earnestly to be able replicate our sword.

Furthermore, although the swords made by the Dwarf Smiths couldn’t be enchanted with Enchant magic—like the one made by Elder Dwarf—it was still capable of absorbing one’s magic power and were thus able to have its performance improved. It was a kind of magic sword.

Our sword simply wasn’t at the level of a budget sword.

“Our blacksmiths are very skilled so making an item of this level is rather simple for them.”

“Is there a grand master class blacksmith here!?”

“Only lovely dwarf girls. This city is a demihuman city. We have very talented people here capable of what no human is capable of doing.”

“An elf blessing the city and dwarven blacksmiths, what an amazing city this is. Sell this sword to me right now! For this price, I have to buy now or risk it being bought by somebody else right away!”

The man, his eyes bloodshot, exclaimed as he handed to me a gold coin and 30 silver coins.

A gold coin was worth 30 silver coins so what he handed to me was worth exactly two gold coins.

Considering a manual laborer would earn six silver coins for a hard day’s work, it would take said manual laborer roughly about half a month’s time of working continuously to earn this amount.

By no means was it cheap but considering its quality, it was a bargain.

“We are only selling swords at the moment but the blacksmith that made these also does equipment repair. You’ll find the map to the workshop this way. Basically, in addition to the raw materials used in the repair, customers will be charged a standard fee of 6 silver coins. Please pay the amount over at the counter. Also, other than swords, we also accept requests for custom-made weapons made out of the same materials and forged with the same techniques as that sword. Although that will be relatively more expensive at three gold coins.”

“I have no doubt about the skill of a blacksmith capable of making this. I’ll place the care of the repair of my armor to them.”

The man marveled at his newly bought sword.

But just then, I felt something weird. It was from the gazes cast on me by the many people behind the warrior-looking man.

The ones that looked at me no longer were just the group that looked for a sword. From some time ago, all the adventurers focused on the foodstuff began to look over my way as well.

In the next moment, they came at me all at once.

“Show that sword to me as well!”

“This is a mithril sword isn’t it?”

“What sharpness!”

“This is for only two gold coins? You serious?”

The swords were slightly far away from the entrance so the customers didn’t notice it before but with the current uproar, they now did.

One after another, they examined the swords. And after briefly doing so......

“Alright, I’ll buy it!”

“Hey miss, I’d like to commission a spear to be made with the same materials and techniques as those swords but let’s bargain!”

“Wha— there’s no more already? When are you gonna have more?”

The customers flocked into counter where the Fox girls handling the sales were. Other than handling the sales of the weapons, they also took care of a lot of inquiries and requests. The already busy counter now became chaotic.

“Stupid Oto-san! This is too much!”

I heard Kuina’s complaint-heavy voice say. It certainly was my fault things became like so. Even though she complained, as to be expected of Kuina, she nonetheless did her job quickly and properly.

“Sorry about that.”

The warrior-looking man looked apologetic.

“This was bound to happen; it was only a matter of when.”

It was just that the customers didn’t notice the swords.

The girls were able to handle something like this anyway.

“Hmm, what’s that sword!?”

The warrior-looking man suddenly raised his voice.

He was looking at the sword framed to the wall.

He looked tranced, as though his entire soul was taken away from him. He then wrapped both his hands around his body and shook.

“Procell, that sword, terryfic. Is that, is that for sale too!? Sell it, sell it to me pleeease!”

He then placed both of his hands on my shoulders as he shook me.

Even his way of speaking became weird.

“That’s special and is therefore expensive. It costs 10,000 gold coins.”

It was as expensive as a castle but it was truly worth it.

“That’s too much... but...”

His eyes became completely filled with greed. I feared he was going to steal it.

Well, this store always had two Mithril Golems guarding it so that wasn’t really an issue to begin with. Expensive items were tagged with magic stone fragments and unless these items were purchased through the counter, it would be perceived as theft and the perpetrators will be attacked.

As I was thinking of such, the thief girl and the female magic user, wearing grim expressions on their faces, drew near the warrior-looking man.

“Say, you paid two gold coins for that sword but did we have that much money right now?”

“If I recall correctly, I think paying for that exhausted all our funds. Am I wrong?”

The two pressed the warrior-looking man and he was drenched in cold sweat.

“Lecca, Mira, sorry! That was the only chance for me to buy a sword this fine. Instead of paying to repair my old sword, I figured it was better to just buy a new but stronger sword. I mean, look, it’s all sold out already. Unless I bought it back then, I wouldn’t have been able to buy it at all. It’s really an awesome sword.”

Just as he said, all the swords that once were on the shelves, were now in the hands of the adventurers lined up in the counter.

“I understand how you feel; I know it is an amazing sword but... but now we’ve exhausted our pocket money and will have to return to Eclaba for the moment.”

Their stay at the inn for the day had already been paid for but they were probably unable to pay for it from the next day onward. Not to mention, their daily meals would also cost them money.

And then, I had a good idea.

“If you don’t mind, how about if the two women work part-time work here? The men are injured but the women should not have any difficulties with moving their bodies. She looks like she has exhausted her magic power but it seems eating an apple has made her a little bit better and is able to work. I’m willing to pay 12 silver coins a day.”

It was twice the amount of a manual laborer’s wage. Besides, their party was unable to head back into the dungeon until the men’s injuries had healed.

It made sense to earn money doing part-time work while they stayed here and waited for their recovery.

““I accept””

So they both said.

Women working to feed the men. Well, there was something noble about that.

“Thank you very much. Then, I would like to ask you to start right away and help those girls. The store is open until it gets dark and you will be paid at the end of each day.”

When I said so, the two of them headed to the counter which had already become a warzone.

As expected of adventurers, they were brave.

It was their first day on the job but they took to things immediately. It helped that they were quick-witted too.

At any rate, we were able to secure an extra set of hands.

With this, Kuina and the others’ duties were reduced.

And with the addition of our newest recruits, we somehow began to do things better. We would have been really hard-pressed otherwise.

Anyway, the customers for this day were going to bring in more customers and those customers would bring in even more. Which also meant that things would get even more hectic.

Oh well, I’m looking forward to what will happen from now on.