Chapter 28

After that, we went out into town.

...Worried, I decided to take one garnet, one turquoise, and one amethyst. If I didn’t have enough money, it would be a problem, so I took a garnet and a turquoise about 3 cm in size. For the amethyst, I took a large crystal about the size of my hand.

I put them in the soft cloth bag I received from Fay, stuffed it in my pocket, and then I, along with Pegasus, Fay, and Laocles, who was riding a flaming wolf, headed into town.

Fay’s house is on the outskirts of town, on a slightly elevated hill. From there, it’s only a ten-minute walk to town, but... well, it’s better to be quick, or the shops might close.

Yeah. It’s because I was so engrossed in drawing the gems. I’m sorry.

When we arrived in town, I had Pegasus return to Fay’s house. I would come back for him later. ...No, because, apparently, a horse with wings is quite rare, and I was bothered by the townspeople’s gazes...

“Alright. Let’s head to the gem shop first, then. Let’s go.”

Fay grinned and pulled me along.

“Oh, Laocles. If you find something you want in town, let me know.”

I said this while pulling Laocles along. I’m not familiar with life in this world, and Fay, being a noble, probably has a different sense of what Laocles needs. So, I can only find out what Laocles needs by asking him.

“...Understood.”

Laocles looked a bit perplexed, but this is my first proper shopping trip in town too. We’re both in the same boat, so let’s get along.

We entered the gem shop Fay said she was familiar with. There was a sign with some kind of mark hanging outside. When I asked Fay what it meant, she said it was a mark for “noble patronage.” So, this is a shop that caters to nobles. That’s reassuring. We went inside.

“Oh, young master Fay. What brings you here? Are you looking for something?”

“No, no. I’m here to sell something today. Actually, it’s not from me, but from my best friend.”

Fay talked to the shopkeeper and then beckoned me over.

“Alright, Togo. Show one. Just one.”

I moved next to Fay, hesitated a bit, and then took out the turquoise from the bag. The robin’s egg blue gemstone shone brightly under the shop’s lamp.

“Oh, this is...!”

When I placed the gem in the shopkeeper’s hand, he looked at it with shining eyes... then went behind the counter, took out a loupe, and examined it with a small microscope, checking various things.

...And then, he let out a sigh.

“...Remarkable.”

The shopkeeper murmured this and then, with a serious face, asked me:

“Where did you obtain this gem?”

Well... I can’t say I drew it. Yeah.

“It’s a secret.”

So, I can only answer like this. There’s no other way. But it’s not suspicious. Really.

“Is that so... Well, a gem of this quality, you wouldn’t want to reveal its source, I understand. Yes, it’s fine.”

The shopkeeper said this and decided not to ask about the gem’s origin. That’s a relief.

“However, it’s a remarkable gem. Even a dragon would find it attractive. Of course, it’s a bit small in size... but there are many summoned creatures that would want this, even if it’s a bit small...”

Yeah. That’s actually what happened. The red dragon was stretching its neck towards the garnet.

...Do these gems serve as properties for summoned creatures? Maybe the red dragon thought, “It’s a bit small, but the view is nice, the facilities are good, and I like the exterior, so I’ll take this place.” I don’t know, though.

“So, for the purchase price... how about this?”

The shopkeeper handed me a piece of paper.

...Yeah. I can’t read it.

“Fay, what do you think?”

So, I asked Fay. ...And then.

“...He’s giving a pretty high price, isn’t he?”

Fay was frozen in surprise.

...What kind of amount is this?

So, with Fay’s go-ahead, I sold the gem at that price.

And in my hand, I now have a heavy bag.

...The contents of this bag are gold coins. Gold coins are jingling inside. I was surprised.

When Fay mentioned selling the gems, he said, “Just one,” which is what this means. If I had sold all three, the amount would have been even more outrageous. Well, Fay also has a “I didn’t expect this much” kind of look.

“...How much is this worth?”

After leaving the gem shop, I asked Fay. I still don’t know how much the contents of this bag are worth and what that value means.

“Well... enough to live for a year, maybe? Laocles, what do you think?”

“Two years or two and a half.”

...Ah, that’s right. Yeah, the amount of money needed to live varies from person to person.

But, wow. There’s that much in this bag.

“Is it okay to get such a price for one gem?”

“This is a gem of the quality that can house a summoned creature. If it wasn’t a magic stone, it would only be worth about a week’s worth of food.”

Hmm... So, even among gems, those containing magic are more expensive. Yeah, I get it.

“So, it’s hard to keep a summoned creature, huh?”

“Yeah. That’s why summoned creatures are a noble’s weapon. It costs a lot of money for magic stones... and without a good magic stone, a summoned creature won’t even partner with you...”

Come to think of it, Fay did say before that he was “buying ability with money.” So, this is what he meant. I see. I understand.

“...But, the red dragon was attached to Fay even before he had a magic stone.”

When I asked about this, Fay smiled wryly.

“Yeah, that’s probably special. It seems the red dragon really took a liking to me.”

I see. Well, I can understand why.

Not only because of Fay’s good character, but also the color. The red dragon looks just like him. I guess it feels a sense of familiarity.

“I might draw a dragon too.”

Watching Fay and the red dragon, I feel a bit envious. But if I draw a dragon, I think the horses will get angry.

“...Next time, don’t let the magic run out for more than three days, okay?”

...Right, there’s that issue too. Yeah, I’ll take care of it.

Then, we headed to the grocery store. The things we need to buy... basically, anything that will last. Hard bread, blocks of cheese, and ham. Is it called prosciutto? It’s a big piece with bones. Amazing. I’ve never seen it before.

“Oh, this is delicious.”

“Yeah.”

Then, some foods Fay recommended. Jam in jars, some kind of paste. Basically, things to spread on bread.

“You’d be a fool not to try this!”

Then, some sweets Fay recommended. They’re apparently delicious, so I guess it’s fine.

“And clothes! Togo! You’ve been wearing the same shirt, haven’t you? Change it!”

“I have several of the same shirt.”

“Is that so!?”

I don’t need different shirts and pants. Yeah.

...As we walked through town with Fay leading the way, our shopping list kept growing.

I can carry some, but mainly, Laocles is carrying the bags.

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“Ah.”

I asked, but his response was like this. Well, he’s like Hercules or Laocoön, with a lot of muscles. Maybe I don’t need to worry too much.

But still, the blocks of bread, cheese, and bone-in ham, and the jars, are all heavy...

“If you see something you want, let me know. I’ll buy it.”

So, at least, if there’s something he wants, I’ll buy it. The money is more than enough, and if there’s something Laocles wants, I really want to buy it.

...Then, it happened.

Laocles suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t that he intended to stop, but rather, his attention was captured, and he just stopped. That’s how it felt.

...In front of him was an old shop.

And in the shop’s display window, there were several old tools... and among them, a sword.

Laocles’ face, as he gazed at the sword, showed an expression that was rare for him.

It was a look of hesitation, anxiety, a complex expression.

“...Laocles.”

When I called out to him, he seemed startled and started moving again. In the end, he had only stopped for a few seconds, but it felt like a long time.

Laocles glanced at the display window once more... and then his eyes closed.

...When he opened his eyes again, there was no emotion in them.

As we walked, I wondered whether to call out to him again.

The sword he was looking at... was it something he wanted?

But Laocles didn’t say anything. Since he didn’t say anything, maybe it’s not my place to interfere.

...But, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. A restless feeling, a mix of anxiety and uncertainty, ran through my chest. It all passed in an instant.

Behind me, as I walked with Fay and Laocles, the shop was getting farther and farther away... it was probably a pawnshop.

That sword, if I don’t buy it now, might be gone.

Thinking this, I couldn’t help but move.

“Hey, Togo. Where are you going?”

“Just a moment!”

Fay called out to me, but I didn’t stop and ran.

The shop was quite far, but it wasn’t that far if I ran. I turned a corner and went a few more houses.

I ran to the shop I saw earlier... and opened the door.

The inside of the shop was dim, and various items were haphazardly displayed, covered in dust. It seemed they weren’t well-maintained or organized.

There were three people in the shop. Two regular customers and the shopkeeper behind the counter.

The three people in the shop looked at me curiously. This shop, from its appearance, didn’t seem very popular, so new customers were probably rare.

I felt uncomfortable being the center of attention, but I had no choice. I called out to the shopkeeper.

“Excuse me.”

“Are you here to buy or to pawn?”

I moved to the counter, and the two customers who were talking there moved aside a bit. So, I ended up talking to the shopkeeper.

“Well, I’m here to buy.”

“Got it. What are you looking for? The items over there are one silver coin each. The table is five silver coins. The shelf is one gold coin.”

...I don’t understand the money in this world, but I can tell the prices are pretty rough.

“I want to buy something that was outside.”

“Huh? Which one? Everything outside is expensive. Can you pay?”

“I have the money.”

When I said this, the shopkeeper looked at the bag in my hand and seemed to understand.

“If you can pay, I’ll sell it to you. Which one?”

Ah, good. It’s not a non-sale item.

So, I felt relieved and decided to tell him what I wanted.

“I want to buy that sword.”

The moment I said this, the atmosphere in the shop seemed to change a bit.

The shopkeeper looked surprised, then suspicious.

“...Do you have some attachment to that sword?”

Well... how should I answer this?

Because Laocles noticed it? Because I was curious? But that’s not my attachment.

“Well... I don’t have any, but... I really want to buy it.”

I don’t have any attachment. But for Laocles, it might be something with attachment. I don’t know.

I didn’t really want to mention Laocles. Maybe because the shopkeeper’s reaction was a bit odd.

“I see... I understand.”

The shopkeeper looked at me, then at my hand... and grinned.

“Well, I don’t get it, but... I’ll put it away for you.”