Build Injection (3)
The day after Adelia joined the group.
Since Yeon-hwa had an early morning class, we headed to Valendia around ten o’clock.
With a new member on board, we decided to stop by the Cats Trading Company to see if they had any useful equipment.
“Welcome~ Oppa… Ah. A-Adelia, the Second Princess!?”
Shasha greeted us with her usual bright smile, but the moment she spotted Adelia her eyes went wide with shock. Her ears shot straight up and her tail stiffened in surprise—it was oddly cute.
“W-Why is the Second Princess here!?”
“Naturally, Shasha. Adelia has joined Portis as well.”
“Lady Adelia joined Oppa’s group!?”
Shasha blinked rapidly and stared at me. The expression was so perfect it could have been turned into a meme on the spot.
“Shasha, take us straight to the weapon storage. We’re going to check if anything there suits Adelia.”
“R-Right away!”
Shasha led us to the storage at once. The moment we arrived she began rubbing her hands together and approached Adelia.
“Lady Adelia! It is truly an honor that you’ve come to the Cats Trading Company! But I worry whether we even have anything worthy of the Second Princess! No—of course we do! We take great pride in every item we carry…!”
Shasha was the very picture of a merchant meeting royalty. It was a rare sight; the usually cheerful and playful Shasha was now bowing and scraping nervously, something we had never seen even during Roupan’s events.
“Treat me casually. And drop the ‘Second Princess.’ It’s too cumbersome.”
“Understood! Lady Adelia! Aaaah, what should I recommend…! This? Or perhaps this?”
Shasha scurried around the storage, hunting for suitable items.
“I-I’ve never seen Shasha this flustered before.”
“Even a merchant who always looks relaxed becomes like that in front of royalty.”
“I think it’s a good look—proper merchant etiquette.”
“Hmm…”
Adelia wore a subtle expression. She was probably reacting to how desperately Shasha was trying to impress her. Even in Roupan’s events there had been scenes where merchants grew overly deferential whenever Adelia tried to shop normally in the Laden Kingdom.
If I left Shasha to her own devices she would agonize over the choices for far too long, so I stepped in to help search. I already knew which options suited Adelia anyway, so I would find something faster.
A short while later we located the right piece.
Blessing Band: Increases skill power by 20%. A band suited for those who devote themselves to others.
Skill power increase. The description was roundabout, but it ultimately meant the item boosted buff effects.
“Shasha.”
“Yes! What is it, Oppa~?”
“This one looks good.”
“That? But priests usually favor it. Wouldn’t something else suit Lady Adelia better?”
“No. That’s exactly why it suits her perfectly.”
I took the Blessing Band and walked over to Adelia.
“Adelia, I recommend this.”
“What is it?”
“A band priests often use. It enhances support skills. It should work well with Blessing of Water Record too.”
“Blessing of Water Record as well… I see. Just like the power- and agility-boosting skills priests employ, Blessing of Water Record is ultimately the same type. In that case…”
Adelia grasped my meaning immediately. As expected of royalty, her education made her quick on the uptake.
“Shasha, Adelia likes it too.”
“If it pleases Lady Adelia, then wonderful!”
Shasha beamed with obvious relief. We would grow accustomed to one another over time, but this was their first meeting, so her nervousness was understandable.
“But how exactly do I wear it?”
Despite the name, the Blessing Band was not a headband. It resembled a thin belt more than anything.
There was only one proper way to use something like this. In subculture it was extremely effective for highlighting a particular part of the body.
“Wear it on your thigh.”
“My thigh?”
“Yeah. It’s too long for the arm, so the thigh is best.”
“That does sound ideal.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Adelia wrapped the band around her thigh exactly as I suggested. She fastened the snap buttons on both ends with a sharp click. The material had enough elasticity that the band stayed in place, gently hugging her thigh without slipping.
‘Adelia with a thigh band… Even Roupan never had this kind of costume.’
It was only a small accessory, yet for someone who enjoyed subculture even minor changes like this felt significant.
“Since this is Adelia’s first purchase after joining Portis, we should commemorate it with a photo.”
“A photo?”
“Haha, leave the photography to me! I’ll capture you in the most stylish way!”
“Ah! Lord Atsbal! There are goods for sale here, so please take the photos in my office!”
Adelia looked puzzled by the sudden suggestion, but she did not refuse.
Click!
“Don’t just stand there—strike a pose!”
“A-A pose? Um… Like this?”
With a smooth motion Adelia drew her sword and assumed the same stance she had used during our sparring match.
“Excellent!”
Click! Click!
After photographing Adelia, we decided to take a group shot to celebrate the expanded Portis roster. This time Shasha took the pictures.
“Cheese~!”
Click!
“A group photo, huh…”
Adelia gazed quietly at the finished picture and smiled faintly, the corner of her mouth lifting.
Once the photos were done we bought only a single cushion—having no other consumables to purchase—and were about to leave the Cats Trading Company when Shasha called out.
“Ah! Lady Pamela! Please wait a moment!”
“Y-Yes?! M-Me? What is it?”
“You need to collect your contract payment~. Last month’s share has arrived~.”
Shasha rubbed her palms together in a different manner than she had with Adelia.
“Contract? What do you mean?”
“Oh, right—Lady Adelia wouldn’t know. Lady Pamela signed a contract with the Cats Trading Company using the potion recipes she possesses.”
“Potions?”
“The ones she makes in the club room.”
“To think those were contracted items with the Cats Trading Company…”
“Pamela, go receive it.”
“Y-Yes!”
Shasha retrieved a heavy money pouch from the safe in her office.
“Here you are, Lady Pamela!”
“E-E-Eh!?”
Pamela’s eyes went wide as she accepted the pouch.
“I-Is this really the c-contract payment? All of it?”
“Of course! The potions made from Lady Pamela’s recipes have become our flagship products lately! They’re incredibly popular!”
“E-Even so, this much money…!”
Trembling, Pamela turned to me.
“W-What should I do, Si-han…!”
The amount was roughly 1.5 times the total funds Portis had accumulated so far, excluding the Water Spirit’s corpse money. It was at least half a year’s wages for an ordinary laborer in this world. Pamela had never imagined such a large sum would arrive from the contract.
“Pamela.”
“Y-Yes!”
“This is money you earned fairly through the contract. Keep it.”
“B-But can I really take this much?”
“Of course. If you’re unsure how to spend it, we can discuss it later.”
Pamela’s pale face regained some color.
“Y-Yes… Thank you. I-I’ll definitely consult you…”
With shaking hands she stored the pouch inside her spatial ring.
“Shasha, we’ll be going now.”
“Yes! Take care, everyone~!”
After leaving the Cats Trading Company we headed straight for the area Adelia had mentioned—where rampaging monsters might appear—without stopping at the adventurer guild. We rode a carriage the entire way.
Rattle! Rattle!
“I see. So that’s why you bought the cushion.”
Adelia felt the carriage’s jolts and understood the cushion’s value.
Roughly two hours later we arrived at the Stone Orc habitat. According to Adelia, recent reports indicated the Stone Orcs in this region had grown unusually ferocious.
Before we encountered any, I turned to Adelia.
“Adelia, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“From what I saw during our sparring… I understand Blessing of Water Record increases power. Can the rest of us receive its effects as well?”
I already knew the answer from the game mechanics, but the others did not. I asked so they could understand what kind of skill it was.
Adelia nodded.
“It is possible. Blessing of Water Record raises the power of skills used by anyone I consider an ally inside the deployed formation.”
“I see.”
“Oh my, is that true? It really is similar to the support skills priests use.”
“You could say that. However, Blessing of Water Record is a secret art passed down through the royal family. The power increase surpasses that of ordinary priests’ support skills.”
Adelia explained with clear pride.
“At minimum it triples the usual power.”
“Three times…!? Then my lightning magic would also become three times stronger…! Gah! Adelia Laden!”
“What?”
“The moment we meet Stone Orcs, use Blessing of Water Record immediately! Once it triples I’ll show you just how powerful my magic can be!”
Atsbal was essentially begging to taste the damage-dealer high, albeit in a roundabout way.
“No, Blessing of Water Record is… Hmm. I almost made another mistake. Understood. I will do so.”
“Excellent answer! Now then—let’s go! The monsters that may have gone berserk are waiting for us!”
“A-Atsbal! Don’t run ahead—l-let’s go together!”
Atsbal strode forward with light steps, taking the lead. I had planned to tell him to use Blessing of Water Record in the first battle, but before I knew it he was already charging ahead on his own.