122. Office Workers Have No Summer Vacation (End)
122. Office Workers Have No Summer Vacation (End)
"Well done, Millia."
"Hehe... I did a good job acting, right?"
Millia said that while wrapping her arms around my waist and looking up at me as though asking for praise. I personally rewarded the adorable Dullahan with a pat on the head, then examined the Lava Crystal I'd just received.
"You did. You seemed like a real brat."
"I can't tell if that's a compliment!"
"It is."
Ah, it was hot.
At that rate, I was going to burn myself.
I took out a leather pouch and placed the Lava Crystal inside. It wasn't something I could carry barehanded. I used a Skill to attach the pouch to my clothes so I wouldn't lose it, then led the others, who were staring at me, out of the auction house. The Grimoire auction was probably underway by then, but I did not care.
The moment I heard the name Noam's Grimoire, I pretended to show a little interest and then left without hesitation.
Who'd ever use a worthless item like that?
Having it was only about as useful as a Craft Skill with slightly greater range. Even that assumed complete understanding and mastery of the Grimoire, so in the game, it had been something used briefly near the beginning and then discarded.
Besides, I had Rue. I couldn't contract with two Grimoires at once, so even if I obtained another, I wouldn't be able to use it. Leaving the auction house without looking back saved time and was the better choice.
"Elisa. What's the item you need to buy?"
"Uh, w-well... I-I need... s-some cursed objects..."
"For research?"
"Ah, y-yes..."
Cursed objects... Was it an assignment for the Curse Removal Department? She had intended to visit the black market alone to obtain them. I could not decide whether that made her brave or merely naive.
It wasn't as if she didn't know what it meant to set foot alone in a lawless zone.
As we walked, once we reached a spot with little foot traffic, I spoke to Millia and Sif.
"Would you two give us a little space? I have something to discuss with Elisa privately."
"Huh? Private talk?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll go look around over there with Sif! Have a good talk!"
"Huh? Me too?"
Millia immediately agreed and dragged Sif toward a nearby stall. They were not going far, so it should have been fine. After confirming that the two were far enough away, I addressed Elisa, who kept stealing glances at me.
"Elisa, I understand that you came to buy cursed objects. But didn't you know the black market was dangerous?"
"Ah, I knew..."
"What were you planning to do if I hadn't come along?"
"Um... go alone..."
[What a reckless young lady.]
"Is there a need to do that? For cursed objects, couldn't you just ask Professor Lennon?"
I did not know how Professor Lennon obtained cursed objects, but he must have handled it that way until now. Why had Elisa suddenly decided to obtain them herself? At my question, she stared silently at the ground before gradually forcing out a stammering answer.
"I-I wanted... to help Karina... A-and... I couldn't keep holding the Professor back forever..."
Had she intended to research Karina's curse? I knew nothing about the specifics, but apparently the research involved cursed objects.
"Even so, the black market is out of the question. You shouldn't casually enter a place where you can be robbed blind."
Elisa might have been an outstanding Wizard, but there was no way this young lady with MAX loner energy could manage a proper transaction alone. Besides, entering the black market required a password. How had she planned to get in?
"Did you even know where the black market was?"
"Uh... no..."
"Did you know how to enter the black market?"
"Tha, that too..."
She truly was a hopeless loner. I sighed at the scatterbrained purple witch. It was fortunate that I had brought her this time; otherwise, there was no telling what might have happened. I lightly rapped the top of Elisa's head and spoke.
"If you intend to do something like that, consult me first."
"B-but, you're so bu, busy and I..."
"Even if I'm busy, that doesn't mean I can't spare any time at all."
Besides, I'd occasionally need to visit the black market myself to find rare materials like the Lava Crystal that no one else recognized.
"Th-thank you... Th-then ne, next time... j-just the two of us..."
"What was that?"
Whenever anything happened, her voice dwindled to a mosquito's buzz, making her difficult to understand.
"Th-that's... i-it's nothing!"
What a letdown. Elisa fidgeted while watching my reaction, then dropped her head. I sighed. It had been more than a month since we had met, yet talking to her was still this difficult.
"...We'll discuss this later. There's a lot to do, so let's rejoin the others."
"...Okay..."
When we began walking side by side, Elisa tugged my sleeve. Feeling like a parent who'd taken the kids out for the day, I brought her along and rejoined Millia at the stalls.
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"Listen here, pal. If you ain't buyin', just move along."
"A foul smell..."
Everyone except me covered their noses. I sniffed instead, taking in the odor drifting from a shop deeper inside the black market.
Mm. That was the smell.
"I came because I heard you sold that item here..."
"I don't know nothin' about no such goods, so wouldn't it be better for you not to waste your time and just go someplace else?"
Tch. What a pain. I clicked my tongue at the bald man stonewalling me. Apparently he had no intention of telling me anything easily.
"How about we make a clean deal instead of getting into a tiresome squabble?"
"Hm..."
The bald man scrutinized me from head to toe for a long time, then abruptly asked a question.
"How much you got?"
"300 gold coins. I'd prefer a one-to-one ratio."
"Can't buy that much."
"Yohan, Yohan, what are you buying?"
"Materials for gunpowder."
"Gunpowder?"
"You sure do have a lot of money."
"G-gunpowder... I-isn't that a banned item...? O-or is it not...?"
"As long as you don't get caught."
Strictly speaking, the manufacturing method was banned. The mixture I'd used in the previous rift had produced less force than expected because its proportions were imprecise. I'd thrown it together too hastily, so that couldn't be helped. I'd come to the black market to buy ingredients in bulk and experiment until I found the right ratio.
"Stop your yapping and if you're buying, give me the money first."
"Got it."
I casually brushed off the brusque shopkeeper's words and placed the coin pouch on the counter. The bald man upended the pouch I set down, checked the gold coins, and then began counting them one by one as he put them into his own bag.
Counting the coins took nearly three minutes. Since currency in this world only came in coins, it was almost unavoidable. I watched the greedy-looking bald man gather the money into a pouch and rise from behind the counter, then asked a question.
"How long will it take to get everything together?"
"Gimme five minutes. Just wait."
Just as he said, at nearly the five-minute mark, two large leather pouches were placed on the counter. The volume itself wasn't anything to write home about, but since procuring gunpowder materials legally was cumbersome and annoying, this much was worth putting up with.
I'd assumed gunpowder and its ingredients would be easy to purchase in a fantasy world, but they were expensive strategic resources. An ordinary person could not even dream of purchasing gunpowder through official channels. With bad luck, they might be branded a subversive.
"Here, this's your saltpeter and sulfur."
They were fairly heavy. I slung the pouches across my back like Santa Claus carrying his sack of presents and left the shop with the others. We'd obtained Elisa's cursed objects, and I'd achieved every one of my goals. All that remained was to return.
"Let's head back."
We quietly slipped out of the black market.
------------------------
"Good work today, everyone."
"Ugh, I'd rather have one gold coin than pretty words."
"Here."
"Thanks~ See you in two days, then!"
Three gold coins. It was compensation for Sif's work guiding us that day. That was expensive for a simple guide fee, but so what? Once I started clearing dungeons, I'd be earning money until I was sick of it again. I watched Sif disappear beyond the passage.
"I'm sleepy..."
"Millia. Hang in there a little longer."
And don't you get your hopes up, sneaking glances at me like that. Elisa's face was also steeped in fatigue to the point of being pale, but she was holding out well...
"Elisa. Are you alright?"
"I-I can hold out..."
An answer was hardly convincing when her legs trembled like those of a newborn lamb. With no other choice, I loaded both girls onto the cart I had prepared. Their heads began nodding almost immediately. It was long past their bedtime, and they looked far too vulnerable.
"It's not good to let your guard down that much. Both of you."
"Since Yohan's here... isn't it... okay?"
"Ye, yes..."
"I am not your dad."
"I'd rather call you big brother than Dad..."
"M-me too..."
What nonsense were they spouting?
"Save the sleep-talking for your rooms."
[What a brick wall. Seriously.]
I let their nonsense pass in one ear and out the other, pulled the cart myself, and headed for Dawn Hall.