Chapter 13: New Equipment
While waiting for Kazuyaâs new sword to be completed, they managed to take on two A-rank quests.
It had been six days since they asked Zack for the custom job, and now they were finally back in townâtwo days later than originally planned. But Zack had told them to come after the fourth day, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Right after reporting the quest completion to the guild, they headed straight to Zackâs forge.
Kazuya had been restless ever since they arrived in townâhe was clearly looking forward to his new sword. He was like a child on Christmas Eve, too excited to sleep, waiting for their present.
Even the sword he was currently usingâborrowed from Zackâwas no ordinary blade. Heâd praised Zackâs craftsmanship over and over, saying it was leagues above anything heâd used before. And rightly soâit wasnât some mass-produced weapon, but a one-of-a-kind piece from a top-class blacksmith. Of course it would be exceptional.
And now, Zack had forged a sword from mithril. No wonder Kazuya could barely contain himself.
Watching him grin with such pure excitement made even me feel a little happy inside. I couldnât help but chuckle, and Kazuya turned to me, puzzled.
âWhat? You see something funny?â
I brushed it off, not about to admit that seeing him so happy made me happy too.
âZack, you in there?â
Kazuya called out from the storefront. This time, Zack appeared from the back with a speed completely unlike their first visit.
âHey, Iâve been waiting for you.â
With that, he brought out a sword wrapped in cloth and laid it on the counter.
âGo on, take a look. I nailed it with this one.â
The sword was sheathed in a beautifully simple scabbard with a silver motif. Kazuya picked it up and drew the blade.
The hilt, like the scabbard, was modest yet dignified in design. The blade itself had a muted silver hue, while the edge gleamed with a sharp lusterâclearly different from any other sword heâd used.
âAs expected from mithril⌠itâs so light. And the edge looks even sharper than the one I borrowed. You even made it easy to handle with both hands, just like I asked. The balance is perfect.â
He shifted the sword between one and both hands and gave it a few light practice swings.
âYeah. But keep in mind, the weightâs reduced tooâso donât get sloppy. Swing it like you mean to cut.â
âOh, right. Iâll need to put more force into it than before.â
The two of them were deep in discussion about the swordâits features, handling, and how to maintain it. In the middle of it all, Zack suddenly clapped his hands as if he remembered something.
âAh, rightâI nearly forgot. Wait here.â
He disappeared into the back room, then quickly returned holding something elseâanother item crafted with silver at its core. A small round shield, like a buckler.
âYou donât usually use a shield, right? Figured that might get you into trouble sooner or later. So I made you this. You can just strap it to your armâwonât get in the way.â
Kazuya took the buckler, strapped it on, rotated his arm a few times, then struck a stance and gave his sword a swing.
âThanks, Zack. This is great. It doesnât get in the way at all. And itâs made from mithril, too, right? Yeah, I really like it.â
Hearing that, Zack beamed and stroked his beard proudly.
âMm. Might not be enough to take down a Demon King, but itâll serve you well against any demon. Use it well.â
âIâll buy it. How much?â
Kazuya asked, and Zack crossed his short arms, pondering for a moment before raising two fingers.
âTwo million!â
T-Two million!? Thatâs outrageousâway too expensive! Even if they combined their savings, it probably wouldnât be enough. It had to be close to that, anyway.
But when I looked at Kazuyaâs face, he seemed to be thinking it overâmaybe hoping to negotiate a better price.
â...Is what I should say,â Zack continued, âbut you helped out with the mithril mine and the excavation site. And more importantlyâI like you, Kazuya. Iâd give it to you for free if I could, but Iâm still a businessman. So letâs say this instead.â
He kept the two fingers raised.
â200,000, huh? Thatâs still kindaââ
âNope. 20,000 sen.â
Now thatâs extreme! Still, judging by his tone, Zack really wouldâve given it for free if he could. So maybe this wasnât unreasonable.
For context, the currency is called sen. The values go from copper to silver to gold, with coins and then large coins in increasing worth.
âGot it. Thanks, Zack.â
Kazuya handed over the money. As he accepted the payment, Zack added:
âAlsoâthis might be sticking my nose where it doesnât belong, but I went ahead and ordered you a cloak. Woven with mithril threads. One for that elf girl tooâMiki, right? Youâll have to pay for those normally, but trust me, theyâll be worth it.â
He handed over a rough hand-drawn map marked with Zackâs emblem.
âThanks. Iâll definitely come back.â
âWhen you do, bring some orichalcum with you.â
They waved and parted ways.
Orichalcum, huhâŚ? If theyâre going to fight the Demon King, they just might need something that rare.
With the map in hand, they arrived at the shop.
From the outside, it looked like your typical store selling mass-produced weapons and armorâbut since it was a place recommended by a first-rate blacksmith, it was probably a good one regardless.
âExcuse me, Iâm Kazuya. Zack referred me to this shop.â
âMaster! Mr. Kazuya is here! Master!â
As Kazuya spoke, the girl working at the front hurriedly rushed to the back to call the âmasterââprobably the owner of the shop.
Soon enough, the person she had called âmasterâ appeared. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man with a small mustache.
âHey, welcome! So youâre the Hero Kazuya, huh? I can see itâyouâve got sharp eyes and look like you can handle yourself. If Zackâs taken a liking to you, you must be the real deal. Oh, are those the sword and shield Zack made? Hah, the guyâs still got it!â
He rattled on at a rapid pace and stepped in close.
âAnd you must be the elf girl everyoneâs been talking about! âŚWhoa, youâre definitely a beauty. No wonder. Hero Kazuyaâs got some taste⌠You two make a great couple! No surprise none of those guys could win her over.â
âCoupleâ caught his attention, but what really piqued his interest was the âthose guysâ part. Kazuya decided to ask.
âHeâs talking about the regulars who shop here. Word has it that around six months ago, a stunningly beautiful elf started appearing in the area. Every guy who saw her tried their luck, all fired up to win her overâbut in the end, they all gave up, realizing they couldnât compete with the Hero. I mean, youâre the Hero, got Zackâs seal of approval, and youâre a good-looking guy to boot. No way they stood a chance! Wahahaha!â
So it was the adventurers from the guild, huh? Since this was a weapon and armor shop, it made sense that gossip would spread here.
Actually⌠this place kind of looked like just a normal store, didnât it? ZackâŚ
Kazuya, for his part, was a bit overwhelmed by the so-called masterâs energy and gave a wry smile.
âMaster! Enough with the chatter! Letâs get down to businessâMr. Kazuyaâs here for a reason!â
The girl working at the shopâshe looked around 18âgently scolded him and urged him to focus.
âOh, right! My bad, Hero.â
âAh, no, donât worry about it. And please, just call me Kazuya. Iâm not really comfortable with the âHeroâ thing.â
The master straightened up.
âNo can do. Youâre a Heroâthe hope of humanity. Gotta show proper respect. Hey, Clara! Bring it out!â
âYes, Master!â
The shop girlâClaraâstood and went into the back.
âMy nameâs Fabio. Not to brag, but Iâm pretty handy with a needle and thread. When it comes to making things out of cloth or leather, Iâd say no one can beat me.â
As Fabio introduced himself, Clara came back carrying something in her arms.
âHere you go, Master!â
Fabio took the items from her and laid them out on the table. They were cloaks.
One was a deep purple, the other a dark crimson.
âThese cloaks have mithril woven into them. Not only do they keep you warm in the cold and cool in the heat, they also offer magical resistance. With this, you wonât have to worry about freezing or burning, and theyâll give you solid protection against magic. Since itâs mithril, the weightâs practically the same as regular cloth. If I may say so myself, I did a damn fine job. Go aheadâtry them on.â
Kazuya and I each picked one up and tried them on.
They felt no heavier than a regular cloakâactually, they mightâve even been lighter. And from the feel of them, they wouldnât tear even under some force. They were definitely tough.
When I looked at Kazuya, I could tell he liked his just as much as I liked mine.
âThese are great. I really like it. How much are they?â
Kazuya asked, and Fabio raised two fingers. Here we go again.
âWait, donât tell me⌠Two million?â
Kazuya asked hesitantlyâgiven what happened with Zack, it wasnât a far-fetched guess.
âNope! Twenty thousand sen for both. Even for the Hero, I canât go any lower than that!â
Kazuya and I both breathed a sigh of relief. That was a price we could actually afford.
âGreat. Then Iâll take them.â
âMuch appreciated, Hero Kazuya!â
Kazuya handed over twenty thousand sen and took the cloaks. Then he handed the red one to me.
âI think this one suits you better, Miki. You okay with that?â
I took the cloak and smiled.
âGood callâI was hoping for this one. Thanks.â
Later, during some small talk with Fabio, we learned that his cloth and leather gear was actually very expensive, so he didnât even sell it here. Instead, he sold to high-end weapon and armor shops.
As for Claraâshe apparently admired Fabioâs sewing skills and asked to become his apprentice.
From what we gathered, Clara was also quite talented, with a good head for business. Fabio even claimed she had combat abilities on par with a C-rank adventurer. He offered to let her tag along with us.
But Kazuya firmly refused.
Honestly, for most people, sheâd probably be a prime candidate for the harem route. That crossed my mind. But honestly, it was the expected outcome.
âStill, I canât deny feeling just a little relieved. Just a little.
With mithril weapons, armor, and now cloaksâwe were finally starting to look the part of a proper hero and his party.
That thought had barely settled when the next day, a quest exclusively for Kazuya appeared at the guild.
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