Chapter 89

My brother and Crow went to the lord's mansion after completing the necessary procedures.

In the end, my brother didn't mention Ars. He apparently left a message with Naga, who then went to the church. I decided to stay out of it for now.

I think Naga will request something if anything happens, so I'll leave it alone for now. My brother might have his own thoughts, and I feel it's better if I don't act.

While thinking about these things, I was about to head home when Tiga and Leus followed me.

When we were having a relaxed tea at home, Leus suddenly made a request.

“Clain~. Can you lend me some money?”

“Leus… Do you remember that you became a debt slave just a moment ago?”

“I do! But without a weapon, I can't go outside the town. My old one was confiscated, so I need a new one!”

Come to think of it, I had confiscated it.

I had made some adjustments so that I wouldn't be recognized as a foreigner, but Lord Raz saw through it immediately, making it pointless. I heard that Leus had registered as an adventurer, but how did he do it without a weapon?

“Alright, fine. I heard my new sword is ready, so I'm going to pick it up. Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure! If you're buying a new weapon, I want one too!”

“Alright, alright. Tiga, do you want to come too?”

“Sure. …But about the money…”

“Let's use the party funds for now, and I'll cover it.”

Weapons and armor are definitely necessary. I'll have to inform Naga and my brother later, even though it will be after the fact.

I told them to wait while I made some preparations. When we were ready to leave, Naga happened to return, so I called out to him.

As a result, Naga decided to come with us. We headed to the neighboring workshop and called out to the person at the entrance.

“Mr. Kranah, are you there?”

“Oh, hello, neighbor. Did you make an appointment? The master said it might take a little longer.”

“Ah, we didn't specify a time… Should we come back later?”

“The prototype you requested the other day is ready, so you can take a look.”

“Thank you.”

I had heard that Mr. Kranah's shop deals with larger equipment like greatswords and greatshields. When I consulted him about my broken sword, he agreed to make a new one for me at a relatively low price.

I want to buy a stronger weapon when I have more money, but I don't have that kind of leeway right now.

“Huh? Three swords?”

“Yes. The master offered to make new swords using the blade of the broken one… and all three apprentices wanted to try. Our blacksmiths don't often make slender, lightweight swords, so they saw it as a learning opportunity.”

They all wanted to try, so they made them… I see. But… Leus also uses a small sword, so it's convenient.

“You can choose the one you like.”

“Thank you.”

For magic-infused swords, I use a mithril short sword, so this one is for regular attacks. I asked for it to be the same length and thickness as my old sword, within my budget. But if I only buy one out of the three, wouldn't that be a loss? It probably won't be a steel sword within my budget.

But then…

There were three swords in front of me.

A steel sword, a black iron sword, and an iron-silver sword.

All of them were made of better materials than iron. The steel sword had the highest attack power but was slightly heavier. The black iron sword was different from the others in that it was black… but it might be the closest to the sword I've been using.

And the iron-silver sword. It felt like it had good MP flow? When I infused it with a little MP, it glowed faintly, which was beautiful.

“I want a sword too, can I buy one?”

“Sure. I had them make it based on the sword I used. I think it should be within your budget… What are the materials? Is there silver in it?”

I handed the other two swords to Leus and asked about the one with good MP flow. He explained each one in detail.

“Wow, that's amazing. Originally, I mixed iron and silver to create an ingot with magic resistance for a shield I was commissioned to make. There was a little left over, so I used it for this one. Usually, to add magic resistance, you add silver decorations, but I tried processing it with iron… and it worked well, didn't it?”

It was a material he had tried out. There might be some durability issues compared to the others… but since I use magic-infused swords, this is good. It's not as conductive as mithril, but it's still good. By the way, to increase magic resistance, you can add silver decorations… that's good to know. Maybe I'll add them to my brother's weapons next time… without them noticing.

“I use magic too… so I'll take this one. What about Leus?”

“Hmm… both of them are good?”

“Can we buy all three?”

“Yes, that would be very helpful… we don't have many customers who buy our surplus.”

That makes sense.

But why did they make them… oh well. Next, Tiga's weapon… he said he only needed a shield.

Would a large shield like the ones Naga and Leonis use be good? He said he doesn't need a weapon, so he's really just a tank… I guess.

“Also, I want to see some large shields and armor. Should we go to the store?”

“No problem… who will be using them?”

“Oh, these two. Our budget is limited… about this much.”

“Understood. Let me take them to the back for a moment.”

The two of them went to the back, so I looked at Naga. He was interested in my sword, so I let him try it. He swung it lightly and said, “It's light,” before returning it.

I think it's light because Naga's greatsword is heavy. There might be a significant difference in strength.

“…What happened to your old sword?”

“It broke… when I tried to stab a snake with hard scales, it snapped.”

“…Are you okay?”

“I defeated it. And I helped three people who were attacked by a giant snake.”

“…I see.”

Naga doesn't usually participate in conversations when others are around, but he talks to me when we're alone. He seemed a bit upset that I hadn't mentioned breaking my sword.

He seemed worried, but he seemed relieved when I said I had defeated it. I don't think I'm that weak… but when he patted my head, it felt different… huh?

“Naga? Is something wrong with your gaze?”

Our eye levels were the same. I thought I was slightly taller when we first met, but now they're the same? The height of our shoes hasn't changed…

“…I grew a bit.”

Naga smiled happily.

Growing taller is good, but… it's a bit complicated. If he grew a few centimeters in less than two months, will I be looking up at him soon? Do boys usually hit their growth spurt around 15?

While I was thinking about this, a voice called from the back.

“Clain~. How do they look?”

“Let me see…”

The two of them came out in their new armor. It wasn't new, but it was still usable, with some scratches here and there.

Apparently, someone who was making new armor had traded in their used items, which would otherwise be melted down. Since they were still usable, they were offering them at a lower price. I immediately said yes because it was a good deal. The armor seemed to have sufficient defensive power, and I could save money to buy new ones later.

They had been designed to minimize noise for adventurers, with Leus in a light, easy-to-move armor and Tiga in a heavy, defensive armor.

“I think they're good… but are they too heavy or hard to move in? You'll be wearing them for a long time.”

“No problem, no problem~”

“Tiga is a tank, so it's okay even if movement is a bit slower.”

“Alright, then I'll pay.”

While I was making the payment, Mr. Kranah came from the back. He was still the energetic old man I remembered.

“Hey, you're buying all three?”

“Mr. Kranah. By chance, this guy was also looking for a weapon… but are the prices okay? All three are made of better materials than iron, especially the iron-silver one, which should be expensive due to its good MP flow.”

“I see! But those are leftovers from the ingot I made as a test. It's iron, but it has slightly better MP flow. It's still a prototype, and there's not much demand for swords with good MP flow.”

“I use magic, so it's helpful. I'll report on the handling later.”

“Great. I'm making prototypes, so it's a big help just to have them bought. Please share your thoughts on the handling.”

After that, we decided to go to the dungeon to test the weapons.

Leus wanted to fight stronger opponents, so we chose the mine dungeon instead of a nearby area.

We had formed a party, but we didn't know each other's combat capabilities. Since we didn't have much time, it was a good opportunity to find out quickly.

After making the necessary preparations, we set out immediately.