We returned to the Adventurer Guild in Area B. According to the Hero Reception, neither Nina nor Clarice had returned yet. Reluctantly, the two of us entered a slightly nicer eating establishment nearby for a late lunch.
“Where are you from, Helen?”
“The Calendula District, a country where humans, demi-humans, beastmen, and monsters live together.”
“What?! With monsters?”
“I’m only one-sixteenth, but I have monster blood in me.”
“Oh, really?”
While I shoveled down the high-class kelp salad, Helen hesitantly ate her “Daily Secret Steak Lunch.” She didn’t say what kind of meat it was, but it seemed cheap, by Area B standards, of course.
“There’s a rumor that only those with monster blood can become Summoners.”
“Oh, so maybe all other Summoners are like that too.”
“Perhaps they have at least a drop of it.”
It’s only just occurring to me now, but her way of speaking is probably because she’s a slave. I kind of miss her “evil female executive” way of speaking from when we first met.
“Why did you become an adventurer?”
“To survive. I have thirteen siblings.”
“Ah, so they told you to become independent.”
“Yes, I wanted to earn a lot to send money home, but then, I had that fateful encounter.”
“I see. That person was in the same party, a companion taken by the Female Hero, right?”
She’s tearing up a little. How pitiful.
*Knock, knock.*
Someone is knocking on the window. It’s Nina and Clarice. I’m glad I told them we were eating near the Adventurer Guild.
“We didn’t see that person over here, but what about you?”
As she said that, Nina sat down at the seat next to us, deliberately moved the table closer, and snuggled up next to me.
“They said they haven’t seen them today either.”
“I see, a wild goose chase. Oh, but I managed to get this!”
She showed us a glowing golden magic stone.
“This is it, the get-rich-quick scheme.”
“Still, this is a small one and apparently not valuable enough to be put up for auction.”
“Was it crowded?”
“Yeah, enough to cause disputes over places. And I searched thoroughly, but I didn’t see any women fitting the description.”
“I see. Oh, wait, what if she was hiding her face?”
It wouldn’t be strange for her to do so if she had something to hide.
“We didn’t see any suspicious adventurers with three male slaves. They would stand out.”
“R-right, I’m sorry.”
“If she’s not here, it might be the dungeon in the West District.”
Nina and Clarice ordered from the waiter. Clarice ordered a stylish-looking pasta in a regular serving, while Nina, as usual, ordered meat for about four people by herself.
“Helen, that probably won’t be enough for you. Order more, go ahead.”
“Thank you, Master. This is enough for me.”
“Don’t be shy now, I want to say, but I don’t intend to force you to eat more. Understood.”
Yeah, forcing isn’t good. Even with consent, it shouldn’t be more than twenty percent.
“Derus, did you find any good items?”
“It’s not an item, but I have some information.”
He then told us how to enter Area S, which we weren’t supposed to be able to enter.
“Hmm, it might not be a bad idea to try it once. Even under surveillance, if we can glimpse the target for a moment, it’s a win.”
“Right? If the worst that happens is getting yelled at, I can handle it.”
“Master Derus, you should probably confirm the penalties in that area with the Adventurer Guild once.”
But the way that guard spoke, it sounded like it happens quite often.
“So, Derus, what do we do now?”
“Well, we could descend into a dungeon with the four of us for a bit, but I want to retrieve Anju quickly.”
Before anyone can warn us properly, we need to avoid someone else luring her away with sweet talk.
“Understood. Clarice, is that okay with you?”
“Yes. Then, to kill time, let’s go to the market again.”
While eating, we listened to Helen’s stories about her hometown, and it was already approaching evening. It felt like a good time to pick up Anju on the way.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Our base is in a suite in Area D, but I thought coming to Area B just for a meal wasn’t a bad idea. We headed to the “Connecting Gate” at the foot of the area. The stairs going down also moved automatically, making it easy. Even though we were going down, some adventurers were running down them. I had to move to the side.
“Alright, the sickles might be ready by now. Let’s head to the blacksmithing area.”
You know you’re in the blacksmithing area when you hear sounds like “ton ton kan” or “kinkinkinkin.” You can also see the smoke and smell the fumes. That’s when the Dark Elf, Anego-san, spotted us and waved.
“Nina-san! Derus-san! They’re ready!!”
Let’s see, was her name Chainy? I handed over the exchange ticket, and four magnificent sickles appeared. They were splendid weapons, coated with claws centered around fangs.
“These are easier to handle and more powerful for smaller individuals.”
“So, they’re perfect for me?”
“If your magic power is high enough. Magic is transferred from the divine wood of the handle to the blade, increasing its speed and sharpness!”
Ah, so they might be perfect for Anju.
“Thank you! I’ll try them out in the dungeon later!”
“I think they’ll sell for a decent amount at auction too. At least, they’re at a level where they can be listed.”
“Really! Maybe I’ll put two of them up for sale then.”
I wondered if it was okay for me to decide that, but when I looked at Nina, she was staring off into the distance. Following her gaze, I saw… ah, the lady with the mantle.
“Oh my, welcome. Come here, come here, over here.”
It’s a dangerous invitation, but I figured it would be fine in public. After bowing to Chainy, we went to Gerald’s mantle shop. She brought out a black leather whip, something she said she’d make as a bonus.
“This way, we won’t have overlap at the auction, so I’ll give it to you first.”
“Really?”
“If I were being honest, I planned to make it with leftover fabric. But if I’m going to do it, I want it to be perfect, right?”
By the way, I left the conversation to Nina because I was too scared.
“I’m sorry, Helen’s weapon will become stronger with this.”
“I wanted to increase the magic conductivity a little more, but I’m sorry I lacked the technique.”
“You’re honest.”
“If you find a craftsman who can fix it, please try! *Ufufu*.”
“Helen, how is it?”
She held it in her hand and swung it through the air a few times.
“It’s amazing! It flies exactly where I aim it.”
“Right? A Tamer would drool over this.”
Her voice was as slimy as ever.
“I’m sorry, shopkeeper. She’s a Summoner.”
“Oh, then it’s even better!”
“Can I… have this?”
“Of course. You’re part of the same party. And don’t sell it, of course.”
“…Understood, Master.”
Hmm, I don’t think the auction will fetch enough for Helen to buy herself back. Besides, even if I give it to Helen, she’s our property, or rather, our owned slave, so the whip is still ours, isn’t it?
“Well then, we’ll come back after the first day’s auction ends.”
“Please do! Nef!”
With a wink from the shop owner, we headed to the Dwarf settlement. Yes, I figured the blacksmith queen Mariu would be working her craft at the center there today.
“Derus, want to take a look?”
“Take a look? Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!!”
Just like yesterday, I was lifted high into the air. I could see Mariu was forging what looked like a long spear for dwarves. As I stared, she noticed my gaze and looked at me!
“Kyaa, Hero Derus-sama! Please come over here!”
“Huh?!”
“Come on, you all, welcome him! Right now!!”
Dwarven guards swarmed over and escorted me in front of Mariu, where four simple chairs were placed.
“His bones are currently soaking in a mixture of powdered light and dark magic stones. Please wait until night.”
“Ah, I’ll leave it to you.”
“R-right, Derus-sama?”
“Huh? Me?! Uh, yes, that’s right.”
She wants me to answer, not Nina.
“Since you’re here, are there any weapons or armor you’d like to have magic imbued?”
“You mean, it’s okay?”
“Oh my, we’re not just casual acquaintances, Hero Derus-sama.”
Ah, some of the guard dwarves are giving me sympathetic looks.
“Then, uh, the sickle and whip I just received…”
It seemed the names would be “Black Panther Whip” and “Fang Sickle.”
“Well, this whip is made by layering the leather from a Sexy Panther’s tail.”
“You can tell all that?!”
“However, with this sewing method, the magic flow… but there’s no other way to process it…”
She seemed to be pondering a high-level technique.
“We’ll just force it through with the magic stone powder.”
“W-will it… work?”
Just like Mariu last night!
“As for the sickle, imbuing dark magic itself is easy, but I’m sorry, do you have 40 Dark Magic Stones?”
“Yes, Nina, is that okay?”
“Understood. If Derus says so.”
Why is she talking like Anju!
“I’m sorry, I’ll take them… Mariu-san, is this okay?”
“Yes, it’ll be ready soon. Please come back there again tonight.”
“And the payment…”
“It’s free.” “What?” “It’s free!!”
Ah, this is scarier than paying.
“She says it’s free, so what’s the problem?”
“Nina-san…”
“Then, we’ll visit again tonight with my husband. Please do your best.”
“Hero Derus-samaaa.”
“Ah, yes, thank you.”
With that, we handed over one Black Panther Whip and four Fang Sickles to Mariu and headed to the school north of the West District to pick up Anju.
“Derus, by any chance, is one of Derus’s hobbies B…”
“Don’t say anything more!!”
No, that’s not what I meant!
