Opportunity
Opportunity
The carriage that had stubbornly tailed me as I made my way to the Dwarf District finally veered off in another direction only after the crowds thickened on my way to Mr. Balkun's shop.
'N-now, wait just a moment. It's not like that. I'm not trying to sell this fan, but rather the crest...'
Should I call it naive? Or maybe bumbling? Or could it just be plain stupid?
Then again, she hadn't tried to throw her weight around, so calling her stupid felt a bit too harsh.
Unlike the initial attempt at playing it cool, the moment I paid her absolutely no attention she started floundering, ordering the woman who looked like a butler to drive the carriage, but this wasn't the kind of place where a carriage could match a person's walking pace, so it was an impossible demand anyway. The fact that she didn't even know that much made it absolutely certain she was royalty, though I couldn't pin down exactly who.
Considering how royalty usually had to avoid creating scandals outside the palace... calling her bumbling felt more fitting than stupid.
"I didn't exactly expect a hero's welcome the moment I stepped out, but I almost got myself saddled with some serious shit luck instead."
Wasn't it enough that I'd caved in the traitors' skulls and wrecked half their operation? I still hadn't even met the king, and now some random royal was trying to latch onto me out of nowhere. It gave me the creeps.
It's not like I don't have goals in life. I'm busy as hell, so why do things keep showing up and trying to cling to me? Whether it was just to offer thanks or issue a warning, staying uninvolved was the best course of action.
"Pretty crowded in here today."
I stepped into Mr. Balkun's shop, where the entrance already radiated a heat that felt like a whole different world compared to the weather that had turned sharply cold after the rain. Glancing around, I saw the place was bustling with customers for some reason. Had I just always come at an odd time before and missed this sight?
Anyway, since Mr. Balkun was a master craftsman, I figured he'd be far removed from all that bustle. Just as I was about to head into the forge like I always did, someone blocked my way.
"Excuse me, sir! This area is restricted! All merchandise is displayed in the front, so please direct your purchases this way!"
Now that I thought about it, this was my first time seeing someone who could be called a proper employee here. The young woman, wearing a very neat uniform that suggested she didn't work in the forge, stood squarely in the path to the smithy with a beaming smile on her face.
I really was running into a lot of flustering situations today. A sudden fear crept over me that maybe I'd been acting pretty damn shamelessly all this time, but for now I decided to at least confirm things and explained my situation to the employee blocking my path.
"I came to see Mr. Balkun, but..."
"Custom orders through Mr. Balkun are handled by appointment. Did you happen to make a reservation?"
"A... a reservation?"
I didn't need a mirror to know what kind of expression I was making. It had to be the dumbest look imaginable.
Mr. Balkun was the kind of craftsman who operated on reservations? Had I just been coasting on a friend's privilege this whole damn time...?
Whatever she read into my feelings, the female employee nodded as if she'd expected this and smoothly started guiding me elsewhere.
"No need to feel awkward! Many swordsmen visit hoping to see Mr. Balkun but get flustered for not knowing this. Though I completely understand why! His equipment is all top-tier, from decorative pieces even nobles line up to buy, to practical gear for knights and warriors alike!"
I had no clue what she thought she understood, but I knew for a fact she understood absolutely nothing.
Leaving me completely dumbfounded, the employee tried her hardest to comfort me while slyly steering my gaze toward other items, but since my only reason for coming here was to offload the useless swords from Gish and Envelde and maybe look for a dagger to use as a secondary weapon, her efforts were futile.
"I'd like to sell these swords first and then look around."
"Just what I'd expect from someone who seeks out Mr. Balkun! We offer the highest trade-in prices around!"
This employee was more serious about sales than anyone I'd ever met. For now, I followed her guidance to a notably quiet counter, where a middle-aged man with round glasses who had been reading a newspaper glanced at me through half-lidded eyes.
"How much are you looking to get?"
"Didn't come in with any particular expectations."
I'd had a bit of hope at first, since the bastards were technically a noble and a knight, but the moment I realized their quality fell short of the sword Mr. Balkun himself had sold me, any expectations had evaporated long ago.
Ignoring the man's look that practically said he'd seen all kinds of weirdos, I laid down Gish's sword and Envelde's sword. The man with glasses, despite his indifferent expression, began inspecting the swords with extremely careful movements.
Did craftsmen just naturally gather around other craftsmen? Every single one of them was dead serious about their work. It was nice to see.
"A sword that's been used for quite some time... and exceptionally well-used at that. And well-made too. Wouldn't you be fine just keeping it as a backup weapon?"
"Doesn't fit my hand."
"Hmm, must be using a fine sword yourself."
He sounded casual, but his gaze flickered for a moment toward the sword still hanging at my waist. Then, after pretending to mull it over, he nodded as if he was doing me a favor and named a price.
"I'll give you two gold coins for the pair."
"...Excuse me?"
Two gold coins? Did he misspeak and mean two silver coins? My composure must have slipped without me realizing it, because I stared at him with a dubious expression. But the man with glasses completely misinterpreted my intent.
"They are used goods, aren't they? This is already more than generous. I only called that price because there's a chance they might take an enchantment."
So he thought I was surprised it was too low. Well, it looked like Gish and Envelde hadn't skimped on their weapons after all.
Honestly, it was hard to believe these two pieces of crap swords could resell for the same price as Mr. Balkun's sword, but since I could at least figure out why the price was that high, I decided to dig into that point.
"No, I mean, obviously these can take an enchantment."
At my words, delivered without any hesitation, the man's eyes twitched slightly.
Enchantment. Generally speaking, it meant a one-time magical infusion, but in a weapon shop like this, it specifically meant equipment that had been permanently enchanted. Like the curse-blocking ring I got from Esmue, or my gauntlet.
And though I didn't know the exact mechanism behind it, the better-made a weapon was, the easier it was to enchant. The easier it was, the more straightforward and solid the work of engraving the enchantment became, so even used items that could take a permanent enchantment could sell for a good price depending on their condition.
I'd known that much from Asilie's general knowledge lessons, but I'd had no idea what a "good price" actually meant. Since Mr. Balkun's sword had been one gold coin, I'd figured the best I'd get was some silver.
"Tch, acting like you didn't know a thing."
The man with glasses clicked his tongue regretfully and placed four gold coins on the counter.
"This time it's for real. Any more than this and it barely breaks even on our end."
Holy shit. Holy shit. This was the final parting gift from Gish and Envelde, who became so generous in death! So this was the reason Ragnis had looked at my sword and grown so deeply suspicious of dwarven financial sense!
The thought flickered through my mind that someone connected to those two bastards might show up later claiming ownership of the swords, but my hand snatched the money off the counter even faster than that thought could take hold.
"Thanks for the good deal. While we're at it, can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"This isn't an information broker's shop."
"I know that. I'm looking to pick up a few daggers in the same quality range as these swords."
As I said that, I drew my own sword and placed it on the counter. The man with glasses, who'd been pretending disinterest but sneaking a glance at the blade anyway, immediately had his face crumple up.
"Ah, goddammit. You're one of Mr. Balkun's customers."
"Whoa, you can tell just by giving it a quick look?"
"I'm an enchanter. I'm looking at the dwarven alchemical formulas worked into the blade. Wait here. I'll go get Mr. Balkun."
"The employee just said I needed a reservation for that..."
"That's just for the people who want a new custom job. Why would that apply to a verified customer?"
Ah, so it'd been a way to screen out the idiot customers.
As I nodded in immediate understanding, the man with glasses headed into the forge, and before long he came back out with Mr. Balkun.
"Oh, it was you, Eldmia. Looking to see some daggers, are you?"
Mr. Balkun, who'd apparently been in the middle of working, wiped his sweat with a towel as he gestured me over. I gave him a light greeting as I approached, and he shook my hand with a warm smile.
"For now, I just want to 'see' them. I don't think my budget can handle the price."
At my answer, Mr. Balkun gave me a puzzled look, so I showed him the gold coins I'd just received. He let out one of his familiar hearty laughs, then quickly glanced around and asked in a lowered voice.
"...You didn't tell him how much I sold it to you for, did you?"
This old man was the type who overspent on his hobbies!
"How could I ever say a word? My lips are sealed for eternity."
"As expected of a friend Gin brought along. You're sharp."
He was my benefactor, so looking the other way on a little overspending was the least I could do! It wasn't even my money he was blowing.
"Anyway, a dagger of the same quality as that sword... I don't have any already made right now, but I should have some leftover materials from when I forged that one. I'd been racking my brain trying to figure out another use for them, but if the customer is satisfied, I can definitely do a custom order."
A custom order! Now that was rare indeed.
At Mr. Balkun's proposal, the blueprint inside my head began to rewrite itself.
"In that case, I do have a specific shape in mind..."
I wasn't sure about the Sword Control Technique, but maybe I could at least pull off something like the Fin Funnels.