Something Unnatural
The owner of the old shop, a short dwarf, began his explanation in an excited voice.
"This is a pair of handcuffs meticulously stitched from high-quality leather. Handcrafted stitch by stitch by a skilled artisan. The connecting parts are made of brass, so even if you lose the key, it's no big deal."
"The gag... For gags, I think the most important thing is the user experience. Are you using it in real life, or for torture? With that in mind, this gag is specially made for general use, designed not to discomfort the wearer. Of course, it's a brand-new product that no one's ever used."
"And finally, what I'll show you... is this blindfold. Made from the finest fabric obtained by bribing a weaver who supplies the royal court directly. It's layered thickly for better coverage, and the edges are finished with extra care to minimize irritation. It's truly a masterpiece of the blindfold industry."
Such explanations continued for a while. It felt like several minutes. Finally, Eden cut him off midway.
"I'm not here for that kind of stuff."
The dwarf's face crumpled at Eden's words.
"What? Then you should've said so from the start! I wasted my breath explaining for nothing!"
"……."
Maybe I should just smack him. Eden let out a deep sigh as he watched the dwarf hopping mad in place.
The dwarf cleared his throat in a low voice.
"Ahem. Looks like I misunderstood something."
He'd misunderstood on his own and gotten angry on his own. That was the dwarf's excuse for himself.
Eden watched him for a moment before saying curtly,
"All that fuss boils down to one word—'misunderstanding.' Dwarves sure have it convenient."
"...Sorry about that!"
That little... look at him getting mad while apologizing. This was why dwarves were no good.
"Why's a big brute like you so narrow-minded?!"
"Maybe dwarves are short, so the basket holding their conscience is small too."
His chest swelled with pride. It was a true clash of the world's strongest in racial discrimination.
Still, since he hadn't drawn his axes yet, it could be called a peaceful conversation.
"If you hadn't shown up with that weird sack over your head, I wouldn't have misunderstood in the first place!"
"Judging people by appearances? For a dwarf, that's hardly PC."
"PC...? What?"
Ah. A tough concept for medieval folk.
Well, characters with purple-lipped, muscular female black trans mullet-afro sunglasses hadn't appeared in this world yet.
Frustrated, the dwarf thumped his chest and shook his head.
"Anyway, I was gonna give you a good price."
"Hm."
"And if you need handcuffs, a gag, or a blindfold, I'll throw those in cheap too!"
"...No need for that."
The dwarf grumbled regretfully.
"They're really good stuff..."
He seemed to have acted rudely because he couldn't sell his decent wares.
At that moment, Neb's voice came from the back room.
"...Are you two still fighting?"
"Fighting? Not at all."
Eden denied it. The premise was wrong from the start.
A barbarian and a dwarf couldn't fight together. They couldn't even sit at the same table.
Especially not a short little dwarf...
Anyway, Neb's outfit was markedly different from before. All bought from this shop.
She wore thick travel leather boots, a simple short coat topped with a light, sturdy hooded cloak. A leather belt around her waist completed the traveler look.
Neb examined her new clothes and asked Eden,
"What do you think? Does it suit me?"
"Looks pretty."
At least she wouldn't draw stares with her outfit now.
Eden packed the camping gear bought with the clothes—oil flasks, utensils, clean cloths, and so on. Finally, a bag to carry it all.
It'd be nice if they had a decent tent. The ones here have weird structures.
Eden thought of the A-frame tents from his army days as he packed. His max-level barbarian body could handle it, but Neb looked like she had a normal one, so he worried.
...At least it's not freezing weather yet.
As if reading his mind, Neb nodded twice with a pleased expression at his comment.
"Even this goddess approves."
"...What goddess."
The dwarf, watching from the side, muttered in a dissatisfied tone.
But his expression looked quite satisfied regardless.
"...It does suit her well."
He seemed newly impressed by Neb's beauty.
He probably hadn't imagined such looks hidden under a sack.
Neb approached Eden with quick steps.
"So, what shall we do with these clothes now?"
"Hm."
Eden checked what Neb was holding—her original clothes and shoes. A bit cumbersome to carry.
Their journey ahead wasn't short, so lighter baggage was better.
...Kinda wasteful, but.
He figured they'd just toss them and was about to tell her.
"Hmm... Mind if I take a quick look?"
But the browsing dwarf cut in.
"……."
Neb's gaze turned icy. Like she was looking at a pervert.
Specifically, a face saying, How dare this crazy dwarf make such a presumptuous request?
The dwarf waved his hands frantically, like a thief with guilty feet.
"Not like that! If you're just gonna throw them out, sell 'em to me instead."
"...!!"
Neb stepped back. She looked repulsed on a visceral level.
Eden muttered, eyeing the dwarf.
"Wanting to buy someone else's worn clothes... Quite the shocking taste."
Now he understood the suspicious handcuff, gag, and blindfold recommendations.
As they both stared like he was trash, the dwarf raised his voice.
"Damn it, it's the material that's interesting!"
"“…….”"
"Forget it if you don't like it! I was just looking out for you since I thought I could buy 'em for a good price...!"
He sounded genuinely wronged.
Neb seemed to share Eden's thoughts and set the clothes and shoes on the counter.
"...Then take a look."
The dwarf carefully lifted the garments and shoes.
He adjusted his round glasses and inspected them closely.
"Do you know what material these clothes are made of?"
Eden glanced at Neb at the dwarf's question.
Neb glanced back at Eden.
"……."
"……."
He conveyed her feelings to the dwarf.
"She doesn't know."
"Hm."
They were intriguing clothes. Soft fabric, clean surface. Even after Neb wore them camping yesterday, not a speck of dust.
Eden stepped to Neb, whispering past the dwarf.
"So, what's the real deal with those clothes?"
"Made from that inn's bed."
"...?"
Neb looked utterly proud.
"This goddess can't go around naked, can she? So when we first met, I gathered the dust, feathers, and stains from the bed and shaped them into clothes..."
"Stop."
He didn't want to hear more. They were trash in clothing form.
Eden nodded quietly, understanding. Not valuable at all.
And at that moment.
The dwarf, focused on the clothes, broke the silence softly.
"Thirty silver coins."
"...?"
"Sell me these clothes and shoes, and I'll give you thirty silvers."
In this world, silver coins held considerable value. Not gold, but thirty silvers could cover a month at a decent inn.
For reference, Neb's cloak, boots, belt, short coat, and camping gear together cost less than thirty silvers.
That's surprisingly expensive.
Eden didn't know much about nobles' clothes, but even by their standards, thirty silvers seemed pricey.
Bed-made trash... clothes for thirty silvers.
Eden pondered briefly. His modern sensibilities screamed not to sell garbage for money.
"We'll sell."
But Neb spoke faster than his hesitation.
"This goddess has no further need for them anyway."
"Excellent choice...!"
The delighted dwarf's voice followed.
Happy to buy trash for money... Well, not actual trash, but still.
Eden felt a slight pang of conscience.
But the returned silver pouch was heavy.
Neb led the way with a joyful face.
"Hehe! This goddess's first earnings in silver!"
"From selling trash."
"...Saying it like that feels off. We merely sold goods to one in need."
Either way, it was win-win. The dwarf looked pleased too.
Eden followed Neb, scanning the surroundings.
The stares had definitely lessened. Worlds apart from when she wore the sack.
"Wow..."
"...She's gorgeous."
Some gazes lingered, of course.
But not suspicious ones.
Before, people saw them as "barbarian kidnapper and hostage."
"Now they're just seeing an ordinary barbarian slave and a wealthy traveler."
Naturally, he was playing the barbarian slave.
"...Aren't you too harsh on yourself?"
"Objective."
Anyway.
Neb looked up at the city, her golden eyes reflecting it fully.
"Hmm."
She raised a finger, pointing left and right as if finding direction.
Eden watched quietly.
Time to fulfill their original purpose here.
...A relic.
He wondered if the clothes sold to the dwarf counted as a "relic" too.
What defined a relic? And why did these hold goddess Neb's power?
As long as it's not somewhere hard to get into.
Noble castles, churches with priests—secure spots in the city came to mind.
Neb's finger, seeking direction, pointed at the ground where they stood.
"...Huh."
Her head tilted slightly.
"It seems to be under the city."
Eden felt a headache coming on.
Not hard to enter.
Just hard to find something there.
For a big barbarian, it was cramped and stifling too...
"Why does a fine city have a sewer swarming with monsters beneath it? This goddess cannot comprehend it at all."
"……."
Eden agreed.