“That… Elder. Can you lower the price just a bit more? You already said it’s half price, but cutting a few silvers off won’t cause any great harm, will it?”
“Ho there! What kind of highwayman are you to ask for more after knowing I’m selling at a loss?! Didn’t I say this coat is made from flawless Ainochion leather? It doesn’t even get scratched when slashed by a sword!”
“Though it’s hard to say this, isn’t it like some sort of bad stock anyway? There’s no one else buying it besides me, so could you just shave off a few silvers? Please.”
“Hmph, if you’re gold-ranked, shouldn’t your spending be generous too, my friend! Oh well, 3 golds and 22 silvers! That’s as low as I can go! Asking for more would be outrageous, outrageous!”
Myungho, having already received the money, didn’t want to take more and was trying to haggle for an even cheaper price. Then his eyes caught sight of a coat.
The sleek black coat gleamed with elegance, showing no blemish despite the merchant striking it forcefully with a knife.
I wonder what would happen if I scratch it with my claws. Not only did it look good, its durability far exceeded what he was currently wearing.
Having already spent one gold coin on shoes and pants, Myungho managed through some desperate bargaining to purchase four gold coins worth of many silver coins and the coat.
“Is this extravagance because you’ve handled some money? Weren’t you the one who said we needed to save on spices before? Now you’re throwing away your armor to flaunt style. Do you really want to look that good?”
“That’s not it! This is way better, right? It’s made from flawless Ainochion leather! How sturdy can it be?”
He eagerly slipped the coat over his leather armor. The size fit perfectly, as though it was made specifically for him.
Even without saying anything, the coat looked good on him. His height was slim and pleasant to look at.
There was no romantic attraction, but… yes. Stylish. There was a stirring sense of aesthetics that had been forgotten for a long time.
“…What do you think, Alterra? Does it look okay to you?”
Although it seemed like he wanted my evaluation, there was no reason to say something bad, and it was undeniably an improvement, so I gave him an honest opinion.
“It looks good. At least better than walking around in tree bark.”
Now, he finally looked somewhat like a hero. Though I don’t know what exactly “heroic” means, somehow it felt right.
“Yeah…? If you say it looks good, then others probably think so too. Thank you for the excellent recommendation, elder. So, how much does it cost?”
“30 silvers. Young man, if you’re stylish, shouldn’t you pay up front without haggling? Hmm?”
The shopkeeper smirked as he answered. Myungho handed over the silver coins with an awkward smile.
Looking at how he quietly paid without arguing, you’d think he was someone who runs around charming women. But during those two short days, he had done enough foolish things that it was now just amusing.
Well, surely he wasn’t trying to impress me?
“…Ah. Yes, Akashi. You were right… I went overboard with luxury. Ah, don’t worry, Alterra. I’ll buy yours even if I have to use my own savings.”
Of course, you should. Without replying, I followed him toward a book-smelling store.
“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and earn points. I’ll buy new maps and spices. See you at the guild.”
“Where do you think you’re going alone, Myungho? I’ll keep an eye on Akashi. To make sure he doesn’t do anything strange. You need to trust us.”
However, before entering the book-scented store, Yuna and Akashi went somewhere else. Those two seem to always travel together even though they appear to dislike each other.
Are they like that? Since I don’t understand their language, it’s quite frustrating. I desperately need to learn more words and pushed him into the store.
As soon as we entered, the scent of old books filled the air, making my head dizzy. It was the same smell that used to come whenever I visited bookstores.
Though I never studied much, I managed to control my frown. I’m learning this language because I truly need it.
“…You really want to learn language that badly? Then… how about this?”
Myungho greeted the shopkeeper casually and, noticing my eagerness, presented a book. Judging by the cover, it seemed like another picture book.
It appeared he considered my level while recommending it, but wasn’t this underestimating me? It was too thin.
I’m not a child. To learn a language, it should be at least… this level.
“…A dictionary? Really? Can you handle it? I’m not belittling you, absolutely not. But it might be too difficult right now… maybe several picture books would be better?”
Pfft. What nonsense. It’s better to finish something hard once rather than doing easy stuff repeatedly. Besides, instead of buying small books every time we stop in a city, a thick one like this would be much more useful.
When I conveyed this idea, he seemed to agree and picked up the dictionary, hesitating. However, he eventually returned it to its original spot.
Is he determined to show me picture books like a child? Just as I was about to complain, he pulled out two other books. They were certainly not thin.
“…This is a vocabulary book and a grammar book. Learning the dictionary by heart won’t help you understand the language, so let’s follow the order, alright?”
That’s not entirely wrong. Agreeing with his suggestion, I took the two books.
…Actually, talking directly with native speakers would improve my skills fastest. But the moment I arrived at the guild, everyone started shouting; how could I have normal conversations?
“…Yes, here’s 13 silvers. Thank you. What? Someone told you to wear something? Too sentimental… He refused to wear it, didn’t he?”
Opening the book and looking inside, I couldn’t understand anything. Thinking about it, maybe I should start by learning letters first. Maybe I should have bought children’s books.
Blaming myself briefly, I thought, why not just learn from that guy?
Blessing of language or whatever. He should easily teach me that much. Right. He was pretty good at teaching me before, so I’ll learn quickly, won’t I?
“…Then let’s head back to the guild, Alterra. We’ve bought everything.”
Should we study today? We’ll likely stay in the city for a while.
…I thought that, but as soon as Yuna and Akashi, who had bought something, returned, the guy went downstairs and checked a bulletin board.
“…What are you doing? Aren’t we supposed to rest now?”
Was his body still restless after fighting that monster this morning? Out of curiosity, I asked.
“I want to take on an easy extermination quest to test out my new equipment. Also, now that I think about it, you mentioned wanting to bring your father, right?”
“Yeah.”
I wanted to find and beat him up, but since I don’t know where he is, I thought of bringing him here. Although I hadn’t planned the specifics yet.
“…Then becoming famous would be better. By completing quests or defeating strong enemies. …Honestly, it’s not a great idea, but if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. Just please don’t summon your father near populated areas.”
“I’ll try.”
Honestly, I don’t care what happens to humans, but his advice was helpful. Accumulate fame by solving quests or defeating powerful foes.
Since strength was abundant and confident, that method seemed suitable.
“Really…? Then, would you like to watch how quests are carried out once? You’re an adventurer, but you don’t know how to do these things. As a senior, I’ll show you a bit.”
Even though I didn’t say I’d follow, it wouldn’t hurt to know, so I stayed silent.
“…Famous people sometimes get requests called out specifically. But since such cases are rare, we usually take on jobs posted on boards like this.”
Saying that, he tore off a piece of paper. Even though I didn’t understand most of it, I recognized the ugly dwarf drawing. What? Kill dwarves?
“…Just testing the equipment’s performance, so goblins should suffice. And then, take the torn-off request slip to the receptionist.”
Ah, goblins. I’ve never seen one before, so I thought they weren’t around. Looking closely, they were much thinner than dwarves, lacked masks, and had huge noses.
Then they began chatting among themselves in a language I couldn’t understand, so I just watched.
Occasionally glaring at anyone who stared at me strangely.
Maybe I really should wear something, as suggested. But I’ve gotten too used to this outfit, and wearing something else would feel awkward.
It would also slightly affect my vibration detection.
“…Oh. After completing the quest, return with evidence. For example, a claw, skin, or in this case, teeth would be ideal.”
Tearing off a head and tossing it would probably suffice.
“The destination is the nearby plains, so it won’t take long. Let’s go!”
Again, I never said I’d follow. But this guy was just excitedly causing a ruckus on his own.
It’s funny, but since we’re comrades, I followed behind him.
