Chapter 85

In the town of Boalcel, at the dragon equipment shop "Shadow Roll."

"Welcome—my, my."

Seeing me enter the shop, the clerk, who had been wearing a professional smile, upgraded it to an even warmer one. It was the young clerk in his twenties who had been there since my first visit.

"Um, if I remember correctly..."

"I'm Enrique Nadal."

"Enrique, huh?"

"Yes. I've heard that Cyril's activities have become quite the talk of the town. Despite only recently founding the guild, it's already a top-notch, well-respected one."

"Is that what they're saying?"

"Yes, our shop has even seen an increase in new customers thanks to our transactions with you."

"Really?"

Tilting my head slightly, I widened my eyes a bit and looked at Enrique with interest.

"People even ask what kind of dragon equipment Cyril has purchased. It seems many aspiring dragon knights want to use the same equipment as the legendary dragon knight they admire."

"Ah, I see."

"Also, did you know? Recently, the demand for Mushufushu species and their dragon equipment has skyrocketed!"

"Mushufushu species?"

You mean the same kind as Colette?

"Did something happen?"

"What do you mean? The sight of Cyril perfectly training a Mushufushu and always working alone has become a kind of local legend. Many dragon knights are now aiming to do the same."

"Really... I didn't expect that."

I hadn't realized Colette's reputation had grown to such an extent. This time, I'm letting Colette work on mining, so even when I'm away from home—our base—Colette continues to work.

Of course, I've told her to take a break whenever she's tired or feeling down.

It seems Colette has become something of a celebrity.

"Hey! Could I get your autograph? If it's known that Cyril, who is so favored, gives autographs, our sales will surely increase even more."

"Sure, if you want it."

I smiled slightly. Even though I knew it was partly flattery for business, being praised like that was still flattering.

"Oh! I apologize."

Enrique suddenly seemed to remember something, widened his eyes, and bowed to me.

"I'm sorry for talking so much about myself. What brings you to our shop today?"

"Ah."

I nodded slightly.

This is the dragon equipment shop "Shadow Roll." Needless to say, people come here to buy dragon equipment.

That's why Enrique asked me.

"I have something I want you to look at."

"Ah... What is it?"

"It's this..."

I said, taking something out of my pocket.

It was a metal claw, small enough to fit on a small dragon's foot.

"This is... a very unusual claw, indeed."

"I made it specifically for the Smei species."

"Wow..."

Enrique took the claw from my hand and examined it closely. As I watched him, I remembered last night.

☆

After bringing Patricia back to the base, Persolon, I decided to start making dragon equipment. I found that I could create quite accurate reproductions based on my vision.

So, I gathered opinions from my guildmates and the dragons.

I asked them what kind of dragon equipment they thought would be the most useful.

Chris couldn't come up with any suggestions. Being such a perfect individual, she couldn't think of any equipment she needed.

...Well, dragon equipment for Chris wouldn't sell anyway, so that's fine.

The others also struggled to come up with clear ideas. They had vague notions of what would be nice to have, but their visions were fuzzy.

Among them, only Emma had a clear idea.

"Every time I fight and get injured or nearly die, I think it would be great to have something like this."

I nodded in agreement.

Emma, a Smei species, is particularly suited for combat among the small dragons and is often sent to battlefields.

In the extreme situations where life and death are on the line, the things she needed and lacked were always on her mind.

Based on Emma's clear vision, I created a claw that would suit the Smei species as a whole.

☆

I brought it to the dragon equipment shop "Shadow Roll" to pitch it.

"Could you stock this in your shop?"

"...Understood. Since it's a request from Cyril, I'll place it in a prominent spot. By the way, what price do you have in mind?"

"Five hundred reals."

"That's... quite cheap."

"Since Smei weapons are often considered consumables, they can get damaged in battles."

"Even considering that, it's still cheap."

"Is it?"

"Since it's something you entrust your life to, being too cheap might make people wary."

"...That makes sense."

I agreed with Enrique. If I were the buyer, a slightly higher price would feel more reassuring, and I'd be more willing to trust a product that wasn't suspiciously cheap.

"How about raising the price to around a thousand reals, which is the market rate for Smei weapons?"

"Sure, let's do that."

I agreed immediately.

"Are you sure?"

"You're the expert in business, so I'll leave it to you."

"Thank you... As expected, Cyril, you have a big heart."

"Thanks, then I'll leave it to you."

"Understood."

I handed the claw to Enrique and left Shadow Roll, hoping it would sell well.

☆

A few days later, while chatting with the dragons at Persolon and gathering feedback on the new dragon equipment, Enrique arrived.

He rushed in on a rented Baraul species dragon.

"Cyril!"

"What's up?"

"Those claws!"

"How did they do? Did they sell?"

"How many can you make?"

"...Huh?"

What's going on?

"A major guild has placed an order for two hundred of them! They said they tried them and found them to be excellent!"

"...Wow."

While unexpected, it was a very pleasant surprise, and I was delighted.