Chapter 33: Let’s Go Shopping with the Exiled Marquise 5
“Please wait a moment.”
Tepe said that and disappeared into the back of the shop, returning immediately with a single sword.
Its appearance didn’t seem any different from the sword I had used before.
There was almost no decoration; rather than simple and sturdy with only the necessary parts, I felt a strong sense from the creator that ornamentation was just a pain.
Was it because Tepe was the one who brought it that I felt something like a strong will, different from a mass-produced item focused solely on practicality?
I compared the sword to Tepe, who, much like the sword, didn’t seem to care at all about his own appearance.
If you presented this to a normal noble saying, “This is your weapon,” they’d probably snap.
Since it’s a weapon, even nobles dislike decorations that compromise practicality or the weapon’s essential nature, but if told, “This completely unadorned thing is the weapon I want to sell you,” most nobles would likely get angry.
But that would only be if it wasn’t this sword.
I gripped the hilt of the sword placed on the counter, and my eyes widened at the blade.
The blade, made of an alloy of iron and Magic Stone—so-called Magic Iron—had a wet-like luster, and above all, the balance when gripped was superb.
And then—.
“I feel like my Magicka is being drawn… No, is Magicka flowing through it?”
As I widened my eyes in surprise, Tepe nodded happily.
“Yes, that sword is made to conduct Magicka well. Therefore—”
I understood the rest without needing to hear it.
Before Tepe finished speaking, I applied Physical Enhancement to the sword.
A pattern like wood grain emerged on the sword’s surface.
“—I was about to explain that the effects of Physical Enhancement also appear on the sword, but…”
I offered a light apology to the wryly smiling Tepe.
“Sorry for spoiling your surprise. I’ve been using Physical Enhancement on my sword for a while now.”
“Well now, that’s quite skillful.”
Tepe said, sounding amazed.
It seems applying Physical Enhancement to a weapon is unusual, even from a Weapon Shop owner’s perspective.
“But this sword is amazing. It’s easier to enhance than my previous one, or rather, it doesn’t feel like I’m forcing Magicka through it at all, and above all, the quality of the enhancement is completely different.”
Tepe bowed his head, saying, “Thank you very much.”
“I’m confident it absolutely won’t break as long as Magicka is flowing through it.”
I said as I placed the sword back on the counter.
“You praise it too much~ Ehehehe~”
Tepe started squirming bashfully.
If I was buying, it had to be this sword. Convinced, I looked towards Erica.
Because she held the purse strings.
To be blunt, thanks to the aid from the Prime Minister (honorific), we weren’t struggling with living expenses, but according to Erica, managing the household finances is the wife’s duty.
And so, Erica’s judgment was…
Erica gave a firm nod.
“We’ll buy this sword.”
I said to Tepe.
*
The new sword, even down to the scabbard they threw in for free, was so plain that just hanging it at my waist made it look completely like any common, mass-produced sword.
Well, even unsheathed, unless you looked closely, it just looked like a mass-produced item.
While listening to Tepe’s explanations about maintenance and what to do if it needed repairs, I was already satisfied with how perfectly it felt hanging at my waist.
“Well, fundamentally it’s no different from a normal sword, so regular maintenance will be fine.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to make full use of it.”
When I expressed my thanks, Tepe laughed, saying he’d made a good profit too.
Incidentally, it was quite a sum.
Without the go-ahead from Erica, I might not have had the courage to buy it.
You can earn quite a bit if you work steadily as an adventurer, but perhaps due to my frugal nature, I just kept saving.
Speaking of which, what happened to the money I saved up in Faltar?
I’m pretty sure I told my old man about it, but he might not have bothered to collect it from the Adventurers Guild where I left it deposited.
“By the way, would you sell a sword to me as well?”
While I was pondering various things about the money I’d left behind, Erica suddenly asked that.
Erica had the sword she brought from the Prime Minister’s house at her waist, so seeing my new sword must have simply piqued her interest in Tepe’s swords.
“May I see that sword?”
In response to Tepe’s question, Erica silently presented her sword.
Tepe drew the sword from its scabbard, gazed at it for a moment, then sheathed it again and returned it to Erica, shaking his head.
“My apologies, but if you’re looking for a replacement for this sword, you’d have better luck searching the kingdom’s treasury.”
“Is that so? I was interested in your swords as well, shopkeeper, but that’s unfortunate.”
Erica said, sounding genuinely disappointed as she returned the sword to her waist.
“It’s not exactly a replacement, but please accept this.”
Saying that, Tepe offered Erica a sheathed dagger.
“There’s no charge. Consider it thanks for letting me see a treasured sword of the Solntsalri House up close.”
Tepe calmly identified Erica as being from the Solntsalri family just by looking at her sword.
Seriously, who is this guy?
Erica gave a wry smile as she accepted the dagger.
I couldn’t tell if it was because her identity had been guessed, or something else.
“You’re quite the shrewd businessman. When my sword needs maintenance, I shall entrust it to you, shopkeeper.”
As I felt my heart pound watching Tepe bow at her words and Erica impress me with her upper-class demeanor, the sound of the shop door opening echoed.
“Tepe~, I brought the stuff you asked for.”
A woman carrying a large paper bag entered, saying this.
Her voice snagged my memory for a moment, and then seeing her clothes, my cheek twitched slightly.
The woman—the Sister—looked at Erica and me as we turned around and shouted.
“The adventurers from that time!”