Chapter 80

Well, since that's the case, we decided to have Koushin's sword custom-made. I have some money saved up, and I want it to be made with materials that work well with magic.

Koushin was hesitant at first, saying he was still inexperienced, but once we started discussing the shape and grip, he eagerly started giving orders. Good for him.

"Rada, is there anything you want to buy?"

When I asked Rada, who was standing next to me, she shook her head.

"I already have everything I need for my potions."

"It doesn't have to be something for making potions. How about a hobby?"

"Hobby..."

Rada looked far away. Come to think of it, is potion-making her hobby? She probably spends most of her time not sleeping or eating on that.

"Try to have a hobby."

It's tough when your job and hobby are the same.

"Raito, what about you?"

"Me? Hmm, cooking, making things, people-watching, reading, and experiments."

"Quite a few. By the way, experiments?"

Rada seemed a bit taken aback. Well, I do like them, but not to the point of obsession. Still, if he considers it a hobby, that's fine, right?

"Exactly. By the way, I remembered. I want to experiment with the Trimochi. I want to know what range of things are considered sour."

Rada tilted her head.

For example, strawberries don't exist in this world, but some people might think they're sour. But generally, they're sweet. I want to know where the line is.

While I'm at it, I want to try whether slimes are sour, but I plan to do this secretly. The coachman said it would hurt his stomach. Rada and Koushin would definitely object. But, would it dissolve if I bit it? Hmm? Is it filled with something like stomach acid?

I was hesitating about whether to do it or not when Koushin, who had just finished negotiating, came over. He looked tense.

"What's wrong?"

"...Do I still have any of my severance pay left...?"

"I think so. But we can use the party funds, right?"

To be honest, we had divided the money into Koushin's, Rada's, and the party funds. All the money we earned after joining forces went into the party funds, and we used it for living expenses. We kept our personal funds untouched for emergencies. Mine was almost gone, so I mixed it in.

"No, it's going to be quite expensive..."

Oh dear. How much? Mumble mumble.

"Umm..."

The amount was huge. It would be a significant loss. Did he go overboard? I couldn't help but stare at Koushin, who looked uncomfortable and averted his gaze.

"Is it necessary to enhance it? Can you handle it?"

"I'll try my best."

"Koushin?"

"...I'll go back and reconsider."

Koushin looked dejected. But listen.

"If you spend all your money and can't handle it, you'll be the one who gets hurt. You'll get depressed again, saying it's your fault. I'm not saying no out of malice, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"I understand. I'm the type who wants to add a lot of features too. But, isn't it a bit too much to upgrade all at once? Also, won't such a flashy sword stand out?"

There were colorful magic stones on the table they were negotiating at. They looked like jewels in a box.

Koushin's face lit up as if he had a sudden realization.

"I didn't think about that. It would be dangerous if it stands out!"

Well, it's not necessarily dangerous, but if a prince who usually carries a beginner's sword suddenly has a flashy one, the audience will be impressed.

By the way, what kind of sword is the blacksmith trying to make for our Koushin? He said he wanted a slightly magic-resistant one for monster hunting.

"Have you signed any contracts yet? Alright, let's go."

"Eh?"

Koushin and Rada looked confused.

"You can't make a good sword here. Let's check out some weapon shops."

As I stood up, the man Koushin was talking to called out, "Hey, hey."

"Calling it a bad sword is rude. I was just recommending what the customer asked for."

"Even so, I don't want to ask someone who lacks pride to make and sell it as is."

The man's smile twitched. The two of them were flustered by our confrontational attitude.

Whether it's prejudice or not, craftsmen have the image of making what they want to make! I can't trust someone who just adds more and more features to what the customer wants.

The man and I glared at each other.

"Hey, what are you glaring at the kid for?"

Suddenly, a third voice rang out. Who's calling me a kid! I turned around and hit a wall. What's going on? I looked up even higher.

There was a bandit. No, a man who looked like a bandit. He was as big as a mountain, solidly built, and reeked of alcohol. I couldn't help but pinch my nose.

"O-Old man."

"What?"

"Master!"

The man who was glaring at me was trembling. So, this drunk is the master. We have no choice but to leave.

"Alright, let's go."

As I tried to slip past, the master grabbed me by the head. Not the head, not the head.

"Let go!"

Koushin put his hand on his waist, but there was nothing there. The weight suddenly disappeared.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to. Your head was just there, so I couldn't help it."

The master raised both hands and laughed in a way that made Rada say "Feh."

"So, are you a customer?"

"I'm not a customer anymore."

The master looked down at me and raised an eyebrow. Every expression is scary, man. But, I can't back down. Can he really afford that much?

"What's going on?"

The shop assistant, who seems to be the man's son, said, "Nothing," suspiciously. His gaze returned to me.

"We came to order a sword, but it doesn't seem like you can make what we want, so we're leaving."

The master's expression changed dramatically, and his son glared at me.

"What are you doing, accepting orders on your own!"

"B-But! Master, you always go out drinking, so I had to do it!"

"I told you today was a day off."

"You said that, but you've been doing that a lot lately."

"Shut up. I don't have any good materials. It's a day off, a day off."

"That's why I said to only use the best materials for customers who can pay well! Adventurers will just break them anyway."

"What did you say!"

...Can we leave now? I almost felt sorry for the son who had to support his drunk master during the day, but that feeling quickly disappeared. He's suggesting to sell cheap stuff to adventurers, the jerk.

I left the shop, ignoring the two who had started grabbing each other. Koushin and Rada followed, looking concerned.

"Um, what should we do about that?"

Koushin tilted her head, looking confused.

"It's just a father-son argument. Ignore it. We'll have Koushin's sword made elsewhere. For now, let's buy a decent one. Oh, we can buy one at the adventurer's guild. We should have done that from the start."

There, we can find a wide range of options. They'll have warranties and enchantments too.

Alright, let's pretend we didn't see that today.