Chapter 97: Come to Think of It
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: Come to Think of It
"Ravi, how do the clothes feel?"
"Yes! They’re great!"
"Thanks for helping with the chores this morning. Rubica suddenly decided to wolf down eighteen steaks."
"I-I’m the one in your debt for this! Oh, and this. Don't forget to take it with you!"
I had brought Ravi back to the Sateria Appraisal Office. Her pajamas had been returned to Tresha and Sera’s wardrobe, and she was now dressed in a proper outfit Tresha had bought for her—a white one-piece dress. It seemed Tresha had picked something out that was both decent-looking and practical enough for movement.
It was nearly 1:00 PM by the time I sent Ravi back, but at least I’d made sure she had a hearty lunch first. It had been a while since I’d seen her looking like something other than a scruffy mess.
"I’ll make sure to read it. When should I return the book?"
"Mmm, you don't really have to return it! But be careful, okay? Next time you come, I’m going to check if you’ve been studying hard, Yoo Eon!"
"Haha, yes. Understood. I’ll have to hit the books then."
"And... thank you so much for yesterday and today..."
"It was nothing. Just get some rest for now."
After saying our goodbyes, I safely dropped Ravi off at the Sateria Appraisal Office, which felt a bit like a hamster cage. With that, checking in on Ravi was complete. It seemed Ravi was also planning to work hard on her Trasforma practice so she could switch fluently between her cat and human forms.
It felt like we both had homework now. I wasn't quite sure when we’d developed this kind of relationship, but having someone to share achievements with was a good thing.
"Oh, and... Yoo Eon? By any chance..."
"Hmm? What is it, Ravi?"
"Uuuuh... N-nothing. I was just going to tell you to get home safe."
"Hmm. I’m more worried about you."
"I-I can take care of myself, you know?!"
At any rate, the socialization of Ravi, who had essentially become a wild child, was a success. Now, I just needed to stop by the inn, grab the paper airplane Iris had sent, and head to the magic item shop.
I could probably find Iris’s shop without the paper airplane now, but if I didn't return the ones at home, my room might eventually be buried under a mountain of white paper. Iris’s handwriting was surprisingly elegant, but I didn't exactly feel the need to collect scraps of paper that just said 'Errand.'
"Busy day."
* * *
—Whoosh.
Perhaps because it was spring, a light breeze was blowing, but the flight magic on Iris’s paper airplane must have had some special protection layered onto it. Despite being a mere paper airplane, it flew steadily through winds that should have been difficult to withstand.
I followed it as it drifted toward the magic item shop, catching it just before its nose could crumple against the wooden door. When I stepped inside, I found Iris sitting in a rather arrogant posture.
She was slouched so low in her chair she was practically lying down, with both feet propped up on the desk. Does this woman seriously receive customers like this? Even her usual black high heels had been carelessly kicked off onto the desk.
She looked completely unprepared to welcome anyone.
"Come back in three minutes."
"Why?"
"...I'm masturbating."
"Ah."
I had wondered why her hands were neatly folded out of sight below the desk.
"Sigh. Seriously, don't do this."
"It's your fault."
The door opened on its own as if screaming for me to leave. Unable to resist the magical push, I stepped outside, and the door slammed shut behind me.
"So three minutes is all it takes, then?"
I ended up killing time by tossing the paper airplane in my hand up and down. Eventually, the door opened naturally.
"Welcome."
"So... uh. What about the cleanup?"
"That's what you're here for."
"I'm not really into that kind of errand."
"Why?"
"Iris, are you familiar with the word 'shame'?"
"It's a joke. I took care of it with magic, so don't worry."
I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but she was definitely someone with a questionable mental state. She was wearing long gloves that reached up to her upper arms—I really hoped she’d actually 'taken care of it' properly.
"Can we get some ventilation in here?"
"Don't open the window."
"And why do you always keep the blinds closed? It's dark."
"Be quiet."
"I was speaking softly, though."
"Quieter."
I didn't know much about that side of things, but do women... you know, act like nothing happened right after doing that? As usual, the shop interior was dim, and her skin was pale, like someone who had never seen the sun.
Since she’d admitted to it herself, there was no reason to doubt her. It wasn't the kind of thing someone would use as a random excuse.
"Is your sexual function broken?"
"No. Why?"
"I was thinking of fixing it for you."
"Don't say such terrifying things."
Iris clicked her tongue, a rare sound from her. What exactly was this woman trying to achieve?
"Fine. Today, it's this."
"You had it ready."
"You didn't come for so long. I had time to move it."
"So you couldn't move it before because you didn't have time? It's right behind you."
"I'm busy. I have many customers."
As far as I could recall, I had never seen another customer entering or leaving this magic item shop. It felt strangely devoid of people.
"Do you greet other customers like that too...?"
"Of course not."
"Then why me?"
"Be quiet."
"Hey."
Anyway, I was glad I didn't have to go into the back storage room where Iris’s embarrassing collection of female toys was piled up. Sitting on the desk was a dark black wooden box, about the size of Iris’s head—slightly smaller than the one for the Evil Eye last time.
Wondering if the contents were light, I watched her slide it toward me. I was curious about what she’d prepared this time.
"Can I open it?"
"Yes."
When I tried to pull the box, which was slightly closer to Iris, toward myself, I realized it was incredibly heavy. It felt even more substantial than the entire casing of the miniaturized Evil Eye from before.
"Heh."
"What was that? Did you just laugh?"
"It's heavy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's solid. You couldn't even lift a lighter box than this before?"
Iris let out a rare chuckle. It seemed the muscles in her face still worked after all; she was usually so expressionless. Something must have been very amusing, as the corners of her mouth, which usually neglected their duty, curled up slightly.
And what was that 'heh'? Her laugh doesn't match her face at all.
"It's a strength enhancement spell."
"Why didn't you use it before?"
"It had been so long, I forgot."
"I see."
"Well? You can't lift it, can you?"
"What are you... a child?"
It was a bit heavy, sure, but I could lift this much weight easily. I picked up the box with one hand and hoisted it over my head a few times. Seeing this, the corners of her mouth dropped back down as her amusement vanished.
"See that?"
"I'm stronger than you."
"...Why is that even important?"
"Just open it."
Regardless, I was curious about what this next human experiment would be. Despite being smaller than the previous one, it was about twenty percent heavier than the entire Evil Eye setup. I unlatched the metal clasp and lifted the lid to reveal the interior.
"This is..."
"Biological metal. Draconium."
"Is it a type of rare metal?"
"Yes."
It was a material from a monster found on the 4th Stratum of Roanmarie's Great Labyrinth. They were said to be the scales of a Crystal Lizard, a creature known to feed on minerals. At a glance, they looked like reddish-brown guitar picks with an incredible, sparkling luster.
True to their origin, they had the elongated diamond shape characteristic of scales. Each one was about the size of a palm and quite thick. When I flicked one with my finger, it made the distinct clinking sound of metal hitting metal.
"Biological metal... so metal can actually grow on a living creature."
I knew the human body contained small amounts of iron, but this felt fundamentally different. In humans, it was a component used for bodily functions; here, the creature was literally cladding itself in metal for protection.
And if it ate minerals, it must have almost no nutritional value. Did it poop out mineral droppings too? I was genuinely curious. Its bite force must be incredible, and its teeth would need to be extremely hard.
"This is... a bit ambiguous."
"They're scales."
"I know they're scales, but how should I put it... this is metal. I don't quite get the 'biological metal' part."
Eleven palm-sized scales were arranged in three rows. Four, then three, then four, all stuck together as if they had been stripped from a single hide.
"There's leather too. Look closely."
"Ah, you're right."
When I lifted them to check the back, there was indeed a layer of leather. It was in a raw state, with fat and muscle fibers not yet fully removed. It didn't smell or show signs of rot, likely due to some magical treatment.
"Can't you do it?"
"I'll give it a try first."
To be honest, I hadn't tried consuming minerals yet. Before, I had to swallow things through my own throat into my stomach, so I had no intention of chewing on something like a blade.
Even after acquiring the Titan Toad's stomach and the Colossal Croco's mouth, I hadn't thought about eating metal.
"I'm eating it."
"Okay."
I said 'eating,' but I was really just shoving it into the conjured crocodile mouth.
Clatter— Clink—
The scales were heavy, and the sound of them going in was like metal scrap being dumped. For now, they entered the stomach.
"Hmm..."
The stomach walls of the Titan Toad churned for a while as if attempting to digest the contents.
"Oh? It worked."
"Good. It went well."
Surprisingly, it was a success. Even though it was biological, I had managed to consume actual metal. Draconium was apparently a metal characterized by high heat resistance and varying levels of hardness and tensile strength depending on the section.
The outer parts of the scales were extremely hard, while the relatively newer scales on the inside could be pressed and pulled without issue.
I’d heard that a well-made katana is hard on the outside and soft on the inside; it seemed to be a similar concept.
"Try using it."
"Okay."
As a test, I summoned the scales onto my forearm. The weight was immense. Holding something in your hand is one thing, but having it dangling from the skin of your forearm feels entirely different.
If I swung my arm the wrong way, it felt like the skin connected to the Crystal Lizard's hide might just tear right off.
"Whew, this is tricky. I'll need to reinforce it with more muscle fibers to hold it firmly."
"I see."
"Is that it for today's experiment?"
"Yes."
"By the way, how much does this cost?"
I thought it might be quite useful if I could get a lot of it. Even with only eleven scales, it felt like it weighed about 20kg. It made sense if you considered the weight of an equivalent volume of metal.
"It's 4 gold per piece. Local market price in Roanmarie."
That's expensive... And that was the local price in Roanmarie. Buying it in Calax would likely cost even more.
"I've been wondering, is it really okay for you to keep handing over such expensive things to me?"
"Yes. I have a lot of money."
"Just how much?"
"I don't know."
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
"It's too much to count."
At any rate, these scales seemed to be the heaviest thing I possessed relative to their volume. If I used them well, I might finally understand the method of 'handling weight' that my father-in-law had mentioned.
"How is Tresha doing?"
"She's stupid. But she's not making it obvious."
"That's... wait, I heard she had a talent for magic?"
"Apparently, she didn't receive the evaluation that she has a talent for studying."
"Ah."
Well, that was that.
"You're not showing the kid anything weird, are you?"
"Weird? Like what?"
"Like today."
"No."
"Yeah, I believe you. Just make sure she doesn't go down any strange paths."
"Okay."
I’d have to give Tresha a word of encouragement when I got home.
"Iris. How long are you going to keep doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"These human experiments. It doesn't seem like you're gaining anything from this."
To be honest, I was the one receiving things; I didn't see how information about my skills could help Iris. She seemed satisfied with just acquiring the data.
As for the financial aspect, she claimed to have more money than she could track, so I could accept that. But no matter how rich someone is, they don't usually give to others without expecting something in return.
"There is a gain."
"What is it?"
"Show me your body."
"My body?"
Iris nodded slowly. Since it was something we always did, I didn't think much of showing her my body, but was it really just simple curiosity? I wasn't sure. It was only my upper body, anyway.
"You ate something strange."
"How can you tell? Do you smell something?"
"No, it's different from last time."
When I’d eaten the Skeleton Mage's bone, she’d said it smelled bad and tried to lick my left forearm. It seemed she couldn't smell it this time. Once I showed her my body, she seemed to notice something.
"What's wrong with your body?"
"I ate a Dragon Heart. It's the heart of a creature called Tenebrax from Hechituk."
"How did you get that?"
"Someone I know got it for me. But I can't use it right now. My body can't handle it; the Black Flame Dragon tries to take over my mind."
"Tenebrax is a Purple Flame Dragon."
"Wait, really?"
I was just making a joke.
"I... I see."
"Yes. That's how it is."
"You can leave now."
As always, my meetings with Iris were like this. Trivial banter, human experiments that—while I didn't fully understand them—seemed mutually beneficial. A quick body check, and then goodbye. Usually, Iris was the one hurrying me out.
"Don't you hear water dripping? It sounds like there's a leak somewhere."
"No. Get out."
"Hmm, okay. I was going to fix it for you if there was a leak."
"I don't need it. Get out."
I threw my clothes back on and stood before the door. As usual, it opened on its own with a long creeeak.
"Call me again later."
"Okay."
Thud!
"So cold... Ah."
Come to think of it, I should have told her what I found out about the Evil Eye's vision. I’d forgotten because it had been so long since my last visit.
Creeeak—
"Iris. Come to think of it, about the Evil Eye—"
"Ah."
"Ah."