34
Chapter 34
'Is that street stall I visited last time gone?'
Just in case, I went to the place where I bought the brigandine, but a street stall piled high with junk had taken its spot.
There was no way to know if they had closed up shop or moved somewhere else.
I sighed, feeling like I had made a wasted trip, and turned my head.
Since I needed to buy new gear anyway, I had to look for another shop.
'Where should I go?'
I walked along, scanning the shops lined up on both sides of the street one by one.
Just looking at the shiny armor for nobles was overwhelming.
I didn't need anything like that. I just needed something practical, sturdy, and reasonably priced.
Then, a small shop with a worn-out sign in the alley caught my eye.
The armor visible through the small glass window was faded and full of scratches, but strangely, I felt drawn to it.
'Do they only deal in used goods? This place seems good.'
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the interior was surprisingly cozy.
A faint smell of iron brushed the tip of my nose.
"Wow..."
A small sigh of admiration leaked out from Eileen next to me.
I couldn't see anyone inside. Did they step out for a moment?
I stood in the middle of the shop and looked around.
Well, I wasn't in a rush anyway.
What I was looking for this time was armor to reinforce my shins or elbows, and a helmet.
The helmet, in particular, was an item I always had in the back of my mind.
Because the head is the biggest weak point in a fight.
'If my noggin gets cracked, it's over.'
Shins and elbows were also important.
However, the helmet was my first priority, followed by the rest.
Not that I could spend my entire fortune on a helmet, though.
The money I had on hand right now was roughly ten silver coins.
Thanks to going from the transport request to dealing with the demonic human and the goblin subjugation, I had saved up a fair amount.
I couldn't say it was a lot compared to the hardship, but what could I do. The latter two requests were just unlucky.
"Looking for something?"
A low, heavy voice suddenly rang out.
A large middle-aged man appeared from the back.
The man was half-bald, and he had a few scars on his copper skin.
So there was someone here.
I spoke while looking around the display case.
"I'm looking to get a helmet. And I'd like to see if you have anything to reinforce my shins and elbows. I can't buy anything too expensive, since I need to keep it under ten silver coins."
The man snorted and slowly walked behind the display case.
"Kids these days only look for cheap stuff. Well, even cheap stuff is better than nothing."
Various helmets were placed on the display stand.
I didn't even give the flashy ones a glance to begin with.
Because I needed something for actual combat.
Among them, what caught my eye was a simple iron helmet.
A roundish shape with a slightly protruding brim, a design that looked like a pot.
Lifting it with my hand, it was lighter than I thought, and the thickness wasn't bad either.
"How about this one?"
As I tilted my head at the helmet the man handed me, he nodded and explained.
"A kettle hat. There's nothing better than this for protecting your head. The field of vision is wide, too."
A kettle hat. I had never heard the name before, but I liked it.
"This shin guard should be fine, and with that money it'll be tough to get elbow guards... Just take this one."
A shin guard and a vambrace were all pulled out and piled up in front of me.
One was old and had scratches on the leather, and the other had slight rust marks, but they all looked usable.
"Alright, it's six coins for everything."
I rummaged through my pouch, counted out the silver coins one by one, and handed them over.
Clink, clink.
All I had left in my hands were new equipment and a lighter pouch.
'Well, at least I can protect my head now.'
I muttered to myself as I picked up the helmet.
Beside me, Eileen was staring intently at the display case.
Seeing her sharp eyes widen slightly, she definitely seemed to want something.
Wanting to buy armor, she really was an unusual woman.
'She looks like a kid staring at a toy in the toy aisle.'
I suddenly turned my head, following Eileen's gaze to see what she was looking at.
"Excuse me, how much is that one?"
"Huh?"
The shop owner slowly raised his head, his gaze following the tip of her finger.
What Eileen was looking at was a small dagger.
It looked old, but the handle showed traces of decent craftsmanship.
The man scratched his chin and spoke.
"That is... hmm, one silver coin."
I pulled out the remaining money from my pouch to check.
I could afford it. However, it was an unplanned expense.
During the brief moment I hesitated, the man smiled, picked up the dagger, and handed it over.
"Take it. It's on the house, seeing how much she wants it."
I took the dagger with a surprised expression.
"Really?"
"Just buy something else next time when you hit it big."
Beside me, Eileen's eyes went wide as she looked at me, and then she smiled brightly with joy.
"Thank you!"
"Eileen, it seems bringing you along paid off."
Leaving the shop, Eileen fiddled with the dagger she had just received, a smile lingering on her face.
I watched her for a moment before carefully putting on my newly bought helmet.
***
After leaving the shop, we headed straight for the back alley.
No matter how unhurried we were, we still had to do some scouting.
'Could there be thugs here this time too?'
A faint memory from last time surfaced in my mind.
The thugs trying to extort money, and the red-haired woman who appeared.
Her name was... Calcia, I think.
"Isn't it too dangerous here?"
Looking at the deserted path, Eileen asked with a slightly frightened expression.
She usually seemed so confident, but in situations like this, she acted like a child.
"It can't be helped. Guys like that only operate in dangerous places like this."
At those words, Eileen fell silent for a moment before asking again.
"...Have you been to places like this often?"
"No, this is pretty much my first time too."
Eileen's expression stiffened a bit more.
Oops, should I have just lied and said I came here a lot?
No, that would sound even more suspicious.
"Let's go in."
When I spoke first, Eileen replied with a slightly tense expression.
"Okay..."
And with that, we stepped into the back alley.
Last time, I ran in so frantically that I didn't really notice, but looking at it now, there was a clear boundary.
The entrance was still somewhat bright and lively, mixing with the commotion of the market street, but the atmosphere drastically changed just a few steps inside.
Torn pieces of cloth haphazardly covered the top of the alley, casting an artificial darkness, and the dirt floor, which looked like it would turn to mud on a rainy day, reeked of dampness and mold.
The brick walls had old graffiti and blackened scorch marks scattered about, while broken wooden boxes and empty liquor bottles tumbled around in every narrow crevice.
Out of nowhere, a cat popped out from among the piles of trash and silently vanished.
Eileen flinched briefly in surprise, then looked at me and smiled sheepishly.
For some reason, it reminded me of being dragged into a test of courage during a high school field trip.
'Back then, it was definitely... No, let's not bring up my dark past.'
I swallowed a bitter smile inwardly and looked around.
From afar, I could hear low, rough laughter and the mumbling of a drunkard, while an old tent at the end of the alley fluttered and swayed in the wind.
Someone like Calcia wouldn't suddenly appear to save me like last time.
I had no choice but to be careful myself.
As we went a little deeper, the tension slowly began to rise.
I felt gazes watching us from between the alleys, and the faintly audible noise of the market was suddenly gone.
A silence where even the sound of breathing felt loud.
It was as if the inside of this alley was another space separated from the city.
It was then.
A man walking towards us from the opposite side caught my eye.
Just as I was wondering if I should step aside since it was a narrow alley, the man spoke first.
"Hey, kids. Looks like you took a wrong turn."
A fierce face, heavily wrinkled eyes, and crude tattoos engraved on his forearms.
He was definitely someone who reeked of the underworld.
It would be even more unfair if he were an ordinary merchant with a face like that.
I wondered if he was someone acting as a gatekeeper like the one I saw at the port.
"We're looking for the pub."
"Pub? By the way, you're talking pretty informally for a brat."
When the man scolded me with a voice mixed with laughter, I also spat out indifferently.
"You started talking informally first."
In an instant, the tension shot up.
I wondered what I would do if a fist flew at me or a sword hilt popped out at those words, but surprisingly, the man chuckled and spoke.
"You didn't take a wrong turn, did you? Go straight in, and at the fork, take a right."
I quietly nodded my head.
I slipped past the man and gently pulled Eileen's hand.
The gaze I felt on my back was stinging.
In particular, the unpleasant look the man shot at Eileen grated on my nerves.
I hurried my steps a bit more. Deeper into the alley, I wanted to get away quickly.
Because of her tightly wrapped robe, her face and figure shouldn't even be visible properly, yet he gave her that kind of look.
What if Eileen had come here alone, without that robe?
It was obvious what kind of situation she would have been in.
We passed the fork and moved further inside.
Then, a small building revealed itself in front of our eyes.
There was no sign, and the old walls were cracked, but the yellow light leaking through the windows told us it was open for business.
'Is that the pub?'
As we got closer, I heard loud noises from inside.
The sound of clinking glasses, a falling chair, and people shouting.
A sense of reality, as if someone was fighting, leaked through the gap in the door.
I took a quick breath and looked over at Eileen.
She also had her lips tightly pressed together, looking nervous.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes..."
I gave a small nod,
and placed my hand on the doorknob of the old wooden door.
Creak.
As I opened the door and stepped in, a wave of hot air hit me.
Inside the pub, the smell of alcohol, sweat, and a faint scent of blood were mixed together.
Had a fight really broken out?
A few men with bleeding noses, a broken chair, and pieces of shattered liquor bottles were scattered everywhere.
"-What the?"
"I've never seen these guys before."
In an instant, the gazes of the people inside locked onto us.
In the hot air, cold sweat ran down my spine.
Ah, I should have come in after the fight was over.
Eileen lightly grabbed my sleeve.
She clearly looked nervous, too.
I took a deep breath and scanned the inside with a straight face.
'It's too late for regrets, and since I'm here, I have to do what needs to be done.'
I slowly opened my mouth to speak.
"Can we get a drink here?"
At that moment, someone chuckled from a corner in the back.
He was sitting at a table, sipping his drink.
"What interesting friends."
He raised his hand and spoke.
"Get these friends a round on me."
Only then did the surrounding gazes slowly soften.
I let out a soft sigh inwardly.
'Is that guy the boss?'
I wasn't sure, but he certainly didn't look like a pushover.
We found a somewhat intact table and sat down.
Soon, a pub employee came over and set down beer glasses.
I looked down at the sloshing glass and fell deep in thought for a moment.
'Asking directly is too risky...'
Someone here might be in cahoots with that guy.
If so, a fight was bound to break out.
In the worst-case scenario, I'd end up fighting everyone in here.
Of course, if push came to shove, it would be a chance to test my newly learned magic... but I didn't want to right now.
For now, I just needed to sit and observe carefully.
Since the attacker had their face covered, I had to judge based solely on their build.
Still, there was one solid clue.
Back then, my water bullet landed a direct hit on his shoulder.
Since he took the hit without armor, there would definitely be signs of the impact left on his shoulder.
While I was lost in thought, a sudden thump sounded in front of me.
"Ah!"
It was the sound of Eileen putting down her beer glass.
Seeing Eileen wipe her lips and let out a refreshing sound, I was at a loss for words for a moment.
'Is she unexpectedly a heavy drinker...?'
Because she looked around my age, I wondered if she was allowed to drink, but by this world's standards, she'd probably be considered an adult.
Eileen, having emptied her beer glass in a flash, whispered quietly.
"It's my first time drinking, but it's delicious!"
"Huh? By the way, Eileen, how old..."
"I'm nineteen this year."
Aha. Should I take it away?
As I pondered for a moment, I heard the sound of footsteps walking over.
It was the man from earlier who told them to pass around the drinks.
With a skinny body and a mustache, he felt more like a butler from some noble family rather than a figure of the underworld.
"Did you enjoy the drinks?"
Eileen quietly nodded, as if she really had enjoyed it.
She really loves eating and drinking.
"May I ask what brings you here?"
At that question, Eileen looked at me as if she was in a tough spot.
I answered with a sly smile.
"We came to a pub to drink, what else would bring us here?"
The man fiddled with his mustache, seemingly displeased with my answer.
Then, he muttered as if talking to himself.
"That guy Dail also came in with an injured shoulder... A lot of interesting things are happening these days."
My ears instantly perked up.
"Could I hear a little more about that?"