The Power of Items is Always Right
After Karen and Ian visited The Elf and the Silver Coin, Elly and Rydia had a long, secretive conversation. They even used magic tools to keep me from overhearing. I had no idea what they talked about… but it was probably about why the Heretic Inquisitors had come looking for Elly. They’d firmly rejected the idea of sending me to the temple, and since the whole thing concerned me, there was no reason to hide it. Maybe that was why Elly sometimes wore a serious expression, and Rydia kept spacing out while staring at me. Of course, Elly still reacted adorably to the slightest tease, and Rydia still sighed and told me to take it easy. Those things hadn’t changed.
While those days continued—where it felt like something had shifted yet nothing really had—Lemon and Apple suddenly burst through the doors of The Elf and the Silver Coin.
“Where is Yona, sir?”
“The boss called for us, sir!”
“Huh?”
I looked up from munching on the prototype cereal Elly had recreated after I explained the concept. Even though they’d clearly come for me, their eyes stayed glued to the male waiters in tight athletic wear performing pole dances. They bumped into other adventurers, tripped over chairs, and slammed their hips into tables, yet their heads never turned.
When I glanced around, Elly was just as entranced as everyone else, staring blankly at the performance. Rydia, meanwhile, had her hands over her eyes but was clearly peeking through her fingers.
“Hmm.”
Well, I understood. Even I’d stare if someone in full-body tights was pole dancing. But understanding and wanting to tease were two different things.
I reached out and tugged hard on Elly’s empty sleeve.
“Eek!?”
Elly jumped, wolf ears and tail shooting straight up as she let out a startled growl. She turned toward me with stiff, creaky movements.
“Elly. So you like this sort of thing?”
“W-wait, Yona, listen to me. This is just something no woman can help…!”
“I know, I know. After all, I’m the one who suggested those outfits and dances. Since I planned to seduce every woman in the world, it was only natural.”
“…What?”
“Didn’t you know? Judging by your reaction, it seems pretty much to your taste… How about tonight? Once the guys clock out, we’ll have the first floor all to ourselves. First experiences don’t have to happen in bed, right?”
“Eh? U-uhh?”
Elly had completely short-circuited. Leaving the broken wolf behind, I turned to Rydia. She’d been peeking shamelessly earlier, but now she covered her eyes so thoroughly it was as if she couldn’t bear to look.
“There’s no need to do that anymore, Lady Rydia. No one will complain if you watch openly.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“Come on. What’s the big deal? We’re all adults here who already know everything there is to know, right?”
“I am. You aren’t.”
“Then why cover Lady Rydia’s eyes instead of mine? Aha? Got something to feel guilty about?”
“…No.”
“Let’s see. What could possibly make the noble Lady Rydia hide so desperately? No matter how chivalrous a knight you are, you’ve been visiting The Elf and the Silver Coin every single day. Yet today you’re reacting like this… It must be that, right?”
“…….”
Rydia, still covering her eyes, looked like a prisoner awaiting judgment. I leaned in close to her ear.
“It wasn’t the waiters you were watching. You were imagining me wearing those clothes and dancing like that, weren’t you?”
“……Ugh.”
Rydia let out a tiny groan. I continued, deliberately breathing warm air against her ear.
“I didn’t wear the outfit myself or teach the dance, but I did explain exactly how it would look to Elly. And you were sitting right beside her, listening the whole time.”
“N-no….”
“You’ve been imagining it ever since, haven’t you? My lewd, naughty figure.”
“I… that’s….”
“That’s too much, Sir Rydia. Even if I’m not some lofty spirit, to think you’d look at me with those eyes.”
“……!”
Rydia finally yanked her hands away from her face and shook her head frantically, expression desperate.
“No! It’s really not like that…!”
“Eh.”
The reaction was far more desperate than I’d expected. Startled, I stepped back and flashed a bright smile.
“Surprise~ I was just kidding! I know you’re not that kind of person, Lady Rydia!”
“…Really?”
“Really, really.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Rydia let out a huge sigh. I wasn’t entirely sure, but one of my jokes must have struck a nerve. She hadn’t called me out for using “Sir,” so it was probably the content. I’d have to remember that and be more careful next time. Jokes should always stay within bounds. I wanted to stay close to Rydia for a long, long time.
Nodding to myself, I was about to finish the prototype cereal when—
“Found Yona, sir!”
“It’s an important matter, sir!”
Lemon and Apple had finally reached my table. The Elf and the Silver Coin was fairly large, but not so big it should take them this long. When I looked up, sure enough, the waiters’ performance had ended.
These idiots. They’d been so hypnotized by the pole dancing they’d completely forgotten what they were supposed to do? And what was this “important matter,” anyway? Still, since they’d come all this way, I could guess what it was about, so I decided to be generous.
“Has the item I left with Miss Eve been completed?”
“Gasp! How did you know, sir?”
“Does Yona also have the same ability as the boss, sir?”
“It’s not that I or Miss Eve have any special powers. It’s just that Lemon and Apple are ridiculously simple.”
“That’s not true! I’m a very complicated woman, sir!”
“Exactly! I don’t know about Lemon, but I’m smart, sir!”
As Lemon looked betrayed and Apple stubbornly drew the line, the two elves started bickering. I set down my bowl and stood.
“Elly, I have something urgent to take care of. I’ll probably be back by evening.”
“Huh? Have a safe trip?”
“The cereal was… thanks for making it, but the taste wasn’t great. Next time try mint chocolate flavor again. See you tomorrow, Lady Rydia!”
“Yeah….”
“…See you tomorrow.”
Leaving the pair still staring blankly as if possessed, I stepped out of The Elf and the Silver Coin. Lemon and Apple followed, pointing back at the tavern.
“What did you do to those two, sir?”
“Can you use mental magic too, sir?”
“Mental magic requires a license from the Magic Tower. It’s not that. I just….”
I paused, choosing my words carefully before answering.
“I corrected the household discipline.”
“I don’t have a family so I wouldn’t know, sir.”
“I’ve been an orphan since I can remember, sir.”
“Just think of it as me deciding which one of you is the older sister.”
“Whaaaat!”
“I’ve never even considered it before….”
Lemon and Apple growled at each other. I took the bickering pair with me and headed for Eden General Store.
A glamorous street. Glamorous buildings. Glamorous people. In the middle of all that sparkle and grandeur, the lone dingy shop actually drew more eyes.
Ding-a-ling!
When I opened the door to Eden General Store and stepped inside, Eve greeted me from her usual spot with that same suspicious smile.
“Coming in such a frantic rush… Did something good happen?”
It was already too late (X). Drool over that sweat-soaked figure (O).
Ignoring my broken internal translator that had been malfunctioning from the start, I grinned.
“Of course. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this day? The moment I heard from Lemon and Apple, I came running.”
“Oh my? I was planning to tease you a little by making you wait. Would that have made you angry?”
“I’ll show you my disheveled state anytime you want, so first, the item…!”
Eve looked me up and down, then licked her lower lip with clear meaning.
“…Understood. I trust you’ll keep your promise properly.”
With that, she reached into thin air. A spatial artifact? Or, given Eve’s age and skill, maybe she’d simply learned subspace magic. She pulled a box slightly larger than my forearm out of the void and set it on the desk.
She slid it toward me. I stared blankly back and forth between her and the box. Her narrowed eyes curved even deeper as she nodded.
…It looked like she was offering me dangerous drugs, but I reminded myself this was just a normal commissioned item.
“Huu.”
I took a deep breath and touched the box. The engraved patterns glowed, linking together. A small click followed.
“This is?”
“It’s a precious item, so I stored it in a box only you can open.”
“…Doesn’t something like that usually require my magic power or a body part?”
“I used the hair you left behind last time. Really, Yona. You can be so sloppy.”
“…….”
Anyone would call that the statement of a crazy stalker. But I was sure she didn’t mean anything bad by it. She was probably just worried—warning me to be more careful because it could be misused. That had to be it, right?
After debating whether to reactivate my broken internal translator, I decided to just open the box. Eve being suspicious was something I’d caused myself, so it was only natural. Right now, the new equipment mattered more.
Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded with the same excitement as spinning a gacha. Every sense in my body sharpened. A goofy smile spread across my face without permission.
“With just this…!”
I could finally take down monsters whose power had made them difficult until now. Maybe I could even deal decent damage against the first-floor guardian.
I opened the box in one swift motion. Inside lay a dagger made from a unicorn’s horn.