Chapter 2

"1000 gold coins are this heavy."

This was my honest reaction when I received the prize money from the lottery.

I felt as if I had been transformed into a fox as I took the winning lottery ticket to the bank in the Labyrinth City and was handed 1000 gold coins.

The bank clerk, who was processing the transaction, said,

"Would you like to deposit it with us? Right now, we offer interest rates of—"

and started a detailed explanation, but I was only half-listening.

Because my mind was preoccupied with how to spend this prize money.

"With 1000 gold coins, I could live a life of leisure... No, that's probably not possible. But maybe I could avoid working for 10 years. If I start a business with this capital..."

No, no, I shook my head.

Why did I come to this Labyrinth City in the first place?

To become a man and revive my family home.

To achieve that, I needed to become a distinguished adventurer, a knight, a hero, and earn the king's recognition.

That was my original goal.

So, I must use this gold to achieve that goal.

With this in mind, I declined all the bank clerk's offers and had the gold coins exchanged from Labyrinth City gold to Kingdom gold to lighten the load.

I then put them in my waist pouch and headed to a certain place.

Of course, that place was a weapon shop.

To buy the best weapons and armor and become the strongest new adventurer.

That was my plan.

Labyrinth City Isgard is a large city.

Located in the center of the Ernberg Kingdom, its main industries are 'excavation' and 'gathering.'

Isgard, fitting its nickname as a Labyrinth City, has a vast dungeon spreading beneath it.

Adventurers delve into this dungeon to gather relics of ancient magic civilizations, materials from monsters, special plants, and mushrooms, and bring them back to the surface to sell.

Therefore, there are countless adventurer guilds in this Labyrinth City.

The wealth brought from the dungeon is immense, and many merchants from all over the continent gather in the city of Isgard to buy and sell the items excavated from the dungeon, accumulating wealth.

In essence, an economy centered around the dungeon has been established, making it a convenient city where adventurers can easily purchase what they need.

In other words, it's a city where I can easily find the powerful weapons and armor I need the most right now.

I headed to the area where weapon and armor merchants gather, seeking the strongest equipment I could buy with 1000 gold coins.

There is an area where merchants who deal in weapons and armor gather.

It's a bit off the main street of the Labyrinth City.

This is an adventurer's town, but there are more ordinary residents than adventurers.

So, the weapon and armor merchants probably think it's more profitable to gather in a slightly secluded area rather than setting up shop in prime locations.

Despite this, the number of weapons they handle is enormous.

There must be over 100 stores.

It seemed difficult to find the desired weapon among such a vast number of stores, but there was no need to rush.

I took my time looking around the stores.

"I don't even have a specific weapon or armor in mind."

I muttered to myself.

I never thought I would have 1000 gold coins, so I didn't bother to earmark any weapons I wanted in advance.

In fact, I was perpetually short of money and had never even entered a store that sold such equipment.

So, I had no idea what kind of weapons to buy.

In such a situation, it would be best to ask the shop owner. Thinking this, I asked the owner of the first store I entered.

"Excuse me, I want the strongest weapons and armor. Do you have anything good?"

The shop owner frowned when he heard this.

He looked me over suspiciously from head to toe and said,

"Kid, you're a novice, aren't you?"

He stated it bluntly. Well, that's true.

I answered honestly.

"Yes, I'm a beginner adventurer. But I have some money, so I want to get good weapons."

"...That's why novices are a problem. Do you know that you need certain stats to equip weapons?"

"Of course I do. You need strength for heavy weapons, faith for holy weapons, and high magic power for magic weapons."

"Then what are your stats, kid?"

"All D, mostly."

"Then it's pointless to buy good weapons from the start. You can't equip them. Well, you can technically equip them, but you won't be able to use their full potential."

"I know that much. For example, that rapier there requires at least D agility to use properly."

I pointed to a rapier displayed in the store.

"It's not just that. That rapier is a custom-made item. It requires at least D, but you can draw out more of its power if you have A."

"I see, but I can still equip it with D, right?"

"Sure, but I'm a bit of an unusual weapon merchant. I'm famous for not selling weapons easily, even to those who have the minimum required stats. I only want to sell to someone who can use the weapon to its fullest. Especially the special items displayed in the back of the store."

"Wh-what?"

I couldn't help but sigh.

"But, well, this is business. I might sell you the regular weapons over there. And I'm kind to the poor. You look like you're broke, so I'll give you a big discount."

The merchant looked tough but seemed to be a decent person. However, he was particular about weapons and didn't seem likely to sell me a good one.

I was about to leave, but something stopped me.

"Wait, Chrom! Don't go!"

I jumped at the sudden call. I looked around, but no one was there.

Was it a hallucination?

I tried to walk away again, but the same voice called out.

"Wait, wait! Chrom, don't leave this place. Buy your weapon here. If you buy it elsewhere, you'll definitely regret it!"

"..."

What's going on? Am I losing my mind, or is the shop owner using magic?

I stared at the shop owner, but he just looked at me unhappily.

Who is talking to me?

I looked around again and noticed that a weapon displayed in the back of the store was glowing with a pale blue light.

And as the weapon's light grew stronger, I realized that the voice was echoing in my mind.

(Are you talking to me?)

I asked in my mind, and a response came back.

A strangely cheerful female voice echoed in my mind.

"Bingo! You got it right. My name is the Holy Sword Excalibur. You are destined to buy me here. So, give the gold coins to the shop owner and buy me."

(But, you know, that's a bit...)

I looked at the price tag. It had a terrifying word written on it: "Market Price."

(Are you worried about the price? You should have 1000 gold coins in your waist pouch, right?)

(How do you know that...?)

"Hehe, don't underestimate a holy sword. I can see that much. You came here to buy the strongest weapon, right? Then buy me. I am the famous sword used by the great King Arthur in another world. My sharpness can even cut a golem in half."

That sounds amazing.

But, I still hesitate to buy her.

Even if I have enough gold coins, if I spend all of it on a weapon, I won't have enough for armor.

No matter how strong the weapon is, it's useless without good armor.

Besides, I glanced at the shop owner.

This shop owner is stubborn.

He doesn't seem like the type who would sell 'her' to me.

However, Excalibur kept insisting that I buy her.

Since she was so persistent, I decided to at least try to negotiate.

I hesitantly asked the shop owner,

"Um, sir, sorry to bother you, but could you let me have that sword displayed in the back of the store?"

As expected, the shop owner looked at me suspiciously.

But, I didn't give up and persisted in negotiating, and the shop owner finally presented an unexpected condition.