Chapter 70

After enjoying Pau Pau while learning how to eat it from Aristide, we decided to head to the magic shop. We passed through narrow alleys that resembled a maze, and this time we emerged onto a quiet street. There were a fair number of people coming and going, but the shops lining the street were quiet, with no shopkeepers trying to lure in customers.

(Amazing, there are so many magic-related shops here.)

The street was not just lined with magic shops, but also specialized bookstores, potion shops, and magic armories, among other types of "magic" shops. There was even a shop for magical materials, with various types of materials displayed at the front.

I was so distracted by all the sights that I didn't know where to start looking. Aristide came to my rescue.

"Of course, we can't see everything in one day. I have a few shops I'm familiar with, but what are you looking for?"

"Well, yes. Could you introduce me to a shop that specializes in magic arrays? The dye I brought from Marshall Raid has run out."

The dye I had brought for treating the Celestial Wolf had run out during the treatment (incidentally, the cloudy crystal container is not available here, so I will have to order it from Marshall Raid).

I looked up at Aristide with hope. The dye I borrowed from the castle's mage was very versatile, and despite not being tailored to me, it had a good affinity with my magic. I had heard it was used for the dye in the magic arrays on the castle walls, and I really wanted to get some for myself.

"Magic arrays, huh? Then Oshima's shop would be the best."

We went down a winding street and arrived at a shop with a worn wooden sign that read "Oshima." The shop was so cluttered with magic items that you couldn't see inside.

"Odilon... a magic shop with ties to the castle's head mage. I sometimes come here to look for magic books, but as you can see, it's a mess, and it might be difficult to find what you're looking for."

Indeed, the shop was more cluttered than any other magic shop. But I was excited at the thought of finding a hidden gem, and I reached for the door of the magic shop.

"Melphi!"

Suddenly, Aristide looked up, shielding me with his back and channeling magic into his left hand. He held a dagger in his right hand, and I tensed up behind him, on guard.

"Lord Roger, is it a monster?!"

In Galbreath, monster attacks are common, so I strained my ears to listen for any alarm. I didn't want to be a burden, so I slightly crouched, ready to run at any moment.

"No, sorry. I thought it was a scout, but it's just a messenger bee."

Aristide clenched his left hand, which was crackling with golden light, and dispelled the magic he was weaving. He sheathed the dagger at his right hip and patted my back lightly, saying, "Don't worry."

(Still, scouts sound ominous. Is Galbreath involved in a territorial dispute somewhere?)

I was curious, but I hesitated to ask. Looking up, I saw a red light coming straight toward us, just as Aristide had said. It was a "messenger bee," a type of magic tool that Lillian had used during the Bergenion attack. The knights of Galbreath use these messenger bees to communicate with people far away. I had heard that red means an emergency, so I was worried that something bad had happened.

Aristide extended his left hand toward the sky, and the red messenger bee landed on his long fingers without hesitation.

"…Well, well, can't wait until night, can they?"

After hearing the message, Aristide said, "It's the usual. Don't worry about it," and changed the messenger bee to blue before sending it off.

"Was it okay to send it back like that?"

"It's fine. Why would they need to send an emergency message? It's incredibly rude."

Aristide, muttering to himself as the bee flew away, regained his composure and reached for the door.

"The fort commander is here for a meeting about the next large-scale extermination. It was originally scheduled for tomorrow, so there's really no need to worry."

With that, we entered the magic shop. The dry chime of the doorbell rang, and a voice called out, "Welcome." However, the shop was so cluttered with shelves and items that the person couldn't be seen. The aisles were narrow, and it looked like my clothes might get caught on something if I wasn't careful.

"So many... I don't know where to start."

"Indeed, I never know where anything is, no matter how many times I come."

Every shelf was packed with magic items, and the overflow was stuffed into wooden boxes and stacked. It seemed like they were categorized, but I was afraid that if I picked up one item, others would fall. I moved further into the shop to look for someone (Aristide, who is tall and has long limbs, had a hard time navigating the narrow spaces between the shelves).

(Hmm, the unique smell of magic items is quite soothing.)

The smell of old paper and herbs was the same as what I smelled every day in the research building at Marshall Raid. Books were piled up at the end of the stairs leading to the second floor, so it seemed that tools were on the first floor and magic books on the second.

I finally made it to the back of the shop and met the gaze of a woman with glasses who was watching me intently.

"Oh, what a lovely young lady."

"Hello."

"I could tell by the quality of your magic. Welcome, princess from the north. I've heard about you from my grandson."

The woman, with long white hair in a braid, stood up from the book she was reading. She wore a gray shoulder wrap with a different type of magical script from ancient magic, which suited her well. She was tall and probably around sixty years old.

"Hello. Who is your grandson?"

I turned to Aristide, who was coming toward me, wondering, "Could he be Aristide's grandmother?!" The woman smiled.

"Don't worry, it's not the lord. Do you know Odilon?"

"Oh, you're Odilon's grandmother. Nice to meet you. I was very grateful to Odilon."

"We were the ones who were grateful. He came with a rare sparkle in his eyes, eager to start a new research project."

"New research?"

Just then, Aristide, who had finally made it to us, cleared his throat to interrupt.

"Oshima, if you keep talking, Odilon will get upset."

"Good afternoon, my lord. Your magic is as ruthless as ever. Don't tell him. He hardly ever comes here unless he has a reason. Anyway, my lord, your bees are driving me crazy. Do something about it."

Aristide asked the shop owner for permission and headed toward a nearby window. A few magic items fell when he touched them, and I picked them up.

(Is it broken?!)

The magic item, a black sphere with gold and silver rings wrapped around it, had a crack in the middle.

"Don't worry, princess. It was already broken. Most of the old magic items here are broken. No one cares about ancient magic anymore."

I didn't know what the black sphere was used for, but it was labeled in ancient magic script as a "map of the sky." I found other ancient magic items, but they were all covered in dust.

"Here, ancient magic is treated the same way. I've been studying ancient magic for a long time, but even in Marshall... my hometown, the magic shops treated it the same way."

"That's true. Modern magic is much more refined. But there are legends that some of our forest ancestors used ancient magic to converse with spirits. What are you looking for, princess? My shop has the best selection in this area."

"Um, yes. Dye for drawing magic arrays."

Aristide opened the window, and dust swirled in the air. I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve and ran to close the window. The selection might be the best, but the shop was so cluttered that it was hard to clean.

As the dust settled, a red messenger bee similar to the one earlier buzzed around Aristide.

"Really, how persistent! I said I'm not here!"

Aristide, who had heard the message, raised his voice in frustration. There must have been something important they needed to communicate. It was best to end our incognito visit. I tugged on Aristide's sleeve and nodded, signaling that we should go back. I had been given beautiful Parusha clothing and taken to Gareo's forge. We had also enjoyed a delicious meal together. It wouldn't be right to monopolize Aristide any longer.

"Unfortunately, today's 'Lord Roger' is over, Aristide."

"Huh, princess?"

We returned to the castle just before noon. A knight guarding the gate blew a horn when he saw me. Lillian, who was in charge of my security today, rushed out from the knights' quarters near the main gate. Natalie, who was with Lillian, greeted me with a curious look.

"Welcome back, princess. I was told by Chaos that you would be having dinner outside... Are you alone?"

Natalie kept looking behind me.

"Lord Roger... Aristide is talking to someone at the bottom of the stairs."

I glanced back, and Natalie, after confirming the direction of my gaze, sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry, princess. A messenger bee arrived."

"Yes."

After the third messenger bee arrived, we decided to end our visit. Aristide looked unhappy, but if we ignored the bees, it would interfere with Oshima's business.

"Since they kept coming, we had to return quickly."

I was more concerned than Aristide, who only looked annoyed each time a bee arrived. I couldn't focus on shopping, so I made a promise with Aristide to come back another time and returned to the castle.

"The messenger bee was sent by Fort Commander Ducas. He's here for a meeting about the next large-scale extermination. He's always impatient and sends reminders when the lord is not around."

I see. The man who charged at Aristide as soon as he saw him was Ducas. His intensity was so overwhelming that I climbed the stairs first. I don't think I was even in his line of sight. At the bottom of the stairs, a knight was speaking rapidly. Aristide, looking exasperated, looked up and shrugged at me. The knight's shrill voice echoed, "Are you listening, my lord?!"