Chapter 45: Lagrite (5)

"How is it?"

Hama's eyes sparkled. His gaze, a mix of confidence and anticipation, seemed to be waiting for a specific reaction from me.

There was no need to pretend.

"It's good, isn't it?"

The sword in my hand was indeed satisfying. It fit comfortably in my palm without any discomfort.

The dwarven-made sword excelled in balance, strength, and sharpness.

Even though it was the first time I held it, it felt as if I had been using it for a long time.

Hama pouted, seemingly unsatisfied with my reaction.

"Is that all? Tsk. After all the effort I put into it..."

His playful complaint seemed to be half-serious. I responded with a faint smile.

"It's perfect."

"You should have said that from the start. Now you're just bowing down to me."

His harmless teasing made me a bit flustered. I had been brief with my words because of my in-game experience.

The dwarves I had met disliked insincere flattery and preferred objective evaluations.

It was a great weapon, but not perfect. It couldn't compare to famous legendary swords.

Perhaps Hama was a bit more humanized than I thought.

"He's usually not very expressive."

"Those types are often the best, though."

Phiri's comment made Hama quickly change his attitude and agree. I barely managed to hold back a laugh.

After trying out the daggers and short swords, we moved on to the equipment.

Hama laid out the gear on the desk. Honestly, I didn't have high expectations.

I thought the main focus was the weapons, and the rest was just side items.

The basic clothes and cape coat looked ordinary. Many mercenaries and adventurers wore them.

However, the saddle next to them seemed a bit out of place.

"The inner clothes aren't much. They're better in quality and better at maintaining body temperature than what you can buy outside."

Hama said this while tapping the clothes with his thick palm, but he didn't seem very interested.

It seemed the clothes weren't made by him.

"However, these two are a bit special. I made them myself."

"Stop showing off."

As expected, Phiri scolded him. Hama frowned and grumbled.

"Why do you do that in front of a kid? It's true that the quality of what I made is good."

"Who says? It's just because you look bad. If you gave it without saying anything, he would have said, 'Wow, this is great!'"

"That's because I don't meet many people. I'm always stuck in a small room."

Hama sighed deeply, looking aggrieved.

It seemed like he was trying to evoke Phiri's sympathy, but it only made her snicker.

"Why? Should we move you to a different place? Somewhere with more people?"

"Never mind."

Thinking it was time to interject, I pretended to be interested and picked up the cape coat.

"What's special about this?"

Hama's eyes lit up again as he came over to me.

"This cape coat has more storage inside than it looks from the outside."

Indeed, when I opened it, there were compartments for various weapons and tools.

"You won't feel much discomfort even with intense movement. I put a lot of effort into it. Try it on."

Following Hama's instructions, I put on the coat and moved around. It was just as he said.

"See, it's good, right?"

"Yes, it's good."

"The important part is this."

Hama pointed to the small strings inside my sleeve.

"You don't need to put your hand inside the coat. For example, when using a smoke bomb, you can do this..."

Hama pulled the string, and the support inside the cape coat loosened with a click.

"You can drop whatever you want in the place you choose. It's up to you how you use it."

Several ideas came to mind. Depending on the situation, it could be used without arousing suspicion.

Perhaps even in a role as a victim.

"And when you move your left arm like this..."

"Wow."

The cape coat flapped sharply backward.

Considering the material, it almost felt like an attack from behind. I liked this feature.

Satisfied with my surprised expression, Hama smiled.

There were other small details he explained, but I thought I would need to practice them separately later.

Finally, Hama turned his attention to the saddle.

"Isn't this a bit unusual?"

"Yes."

The saddle was something I hadn't even imagined.

"It's not much different from the cape coat. You can use it in a similar way."

The saddle was designed to allow you to throw hidden items while riding.

"The important part is this."

Hama pointed to a button on the side of the saddle. He explained that it was a bomb.

* * *

Although the period for the high-end hot spring paid for by Phiri remained, we decided to leave Lagrite.

Phiri's boredom was the main reason, and I also thought it was better to get involved in the mission quickly.

Training could be done anywhere. It was better to prove our worth rather than waste time resting.

We might also receive a mission related to the future, as in previous cases.

After a week of observation, we arrived at the imperial capital, Chenarus.

'It wasn't a very interesting mission.'

The only thing we discovered was that the person was a blue agent.

In this world, information that can be used as a weapon would eventually benefit Haisen.

We headed straight to meet the commander to report on our recent activities and receive a new mission.

Personally, I found it a bit awkward.

He was a capable person, capable of being a demon worshipper and the head of Haisen's imperial intelligence.

I had realized his sharpness from our first meeting.

'He immediately picked up on that brief moment of surprise.'

I was worried that even the slightest hint of my inner feelings might leak out.

He could see through my efforts to maintain composure.

Therefore, I tried my best to calm my mind.

"You've worked hard."

The commander, sitting behind a desk piled with documents, said in a flat tone.

"No, not at all."

"Don't be modest. You're not the type to be modest. The duke was very satisfied, too. Well, you know that better than I do."

"Haha..."

Phiri laughed awkwardly. I tried to maintain my inner calm from the side.

The commander's gaze often turned to me. Just then, he looked at me.

"Kalin performed well, didn't he?"

"Yes. He saved Tuna Zahar and planned the incident in Tumak."

The commander nodded slowly.

"I expected it, but I didn't think he would do this well."

His tone was calm, but his eyes were cold and sharp. Was he uncomfortable with the incident in the Kahlarin Mountains?

Hmm. Maybe I'm just imagining it. I only smiled.

"Should I thank you for choosing the empire?"

"No, I think I've grown a lot because of it."

The commander chuckled.

"I'm a bit scared of what will happen when you grow even more."

Phiri nodded at the seemingly complimentary words. The commander tapped the desk.

"How about, can you handle a mission on your own now?"

Huh?

It was a sudden proposal of independence. Or maybe it wasn't a proposal? Personally, I wanted to refuse.

It's too early. I need to stay with Phiri a bit longer. But it wasn't my turn to speak.

"Since he's so good, it shouldn't be a problem. But he still needs to be trained more."

The commander turned to me.

"Kalin, what do you think?"

"Yes. I'm learning a lot under Deputy Commander."

The commander interlocked his fingers and inhaled.

"Still, can you be separated for a while?"

"Is there another mission?"

"You need to move on your own for a bit. We'll discuss the details later."

"Yes."

A single mission was fine. I sighed in relief internally.

"Meanwhile, Kalin, I have a new mission for you."

"Yes."

This was a bit unsettling.

Not only because I would be separated from Phiri, but also because knowing the future made it more so.

Of course, it could be excessive worry. After all, we can't always stay together.

If Phiri can handle it, so can I.

'Don't worry unnecessarily.'

The intelligence chief was interested in the north, which naturally included the empire. He wouldn't act rashly.

Regaining my composure, my thoughts flowed normally.

Meanwhile, the commander took out a small box from under the desk.

"And this is a reward for successfully completing the mission."

"Huh? What's that? I don't have one?"

Phiri, who was curious, also showed interest.

"It's a spirit pill. Yours is in there too, so don't make a fuss. It's not that great, so don't expect too much."

"Yes, thank you."

Phiri smiled. Even someone as strong as her couldn't resist a spirit pill. I understood that.

Any means to become stronger.

"Kalin, wait outside for a moment."

"Yes."

I went out to the corridor and waited. No sound came from inside.

It seemed like magic was in effect.

After about five minutes,

Phiri opened the door, put a paper in her pocket, and walked towards me. Her expression was unreadable.

I subtly asked,

"Is it serious?"

Phiri stared at me blankly for a moment. I wondered if I shouldn't have asked.

The rule was not to ask about things you weren't supposed to know.

But I was still worried, even though I had concluded it was fine.

"It's not serious. After we take the spirit pills and rest for two days, we'll set out."

"Where are you going?"

"We need to go back the way we came. To the southeastern part of the empire. We'll join other agents. We'll discuss the details later."

I nodded.

"Don't worry too much about being separated. You're doing well."

"I'm not worried."

Phiri looked at me playfully.

That wasn't the kind of worry I had...

"Just do what you've been doing."

I nodded. This was the first mission I would undertake as an inquisitor.

I wouldn't be the leader, but I needed to do well.

I needed to perform even better without Phiri, to avoid the impression that I relied on her.

"Let me see what's in the box you just received."

I handed over the box, and within five seconds, disappointment appeared in Phiri's eyes.

"Ah, what is this?"

"I told you it wasn't great."

"Still, I thought they would give us something better for what we did. It's so stingy."

I held back a smile and comforted Phiri.

"What did you get?"

"That's it."

The two days passed quickly. I focused on recovering from fatigue and absorbing the energy of the spirit pill.

Phiri couldn't tell me where she was going, so we decided to part ways in the square.

At the last moment, I finally said,

"Phiri, be careful."

"Huh?"

Phiri looked at me for a second before bursting into laughter.

"You worrying about me? You should be careful being separated from me."

I laughed awkwardly. The possibility was low, but I was still worried.

"Just take care of yourself."

Phiri's words weren't wrong. I didn't know what would happen, but I needed to do well on this mission.

Especially since Haisen had failed in the game.