Magic Tower Armor
Magic Tower Armor
***
Three days later, Elbridge received the promised hundred gold coins.
"..."
Inwardly, Elbridge often thought of himself as someone who was detached from money.
But that was an illusion. He just hadn't known it because he had never had enough money.
As he piled up the small mound of gold coins on the table, his hands trembled needlessly. It was a slightly different kind of tension from when he faced a demon.
Elbridge imagined how many things he could do with this money.
Somehow, he felt he could understand the people who served the God of the Golden Tray.
Elbridge fell into thought while building a small tower with the gold coins.
'How should I spend this money? I guess I should use it for proselytizing after all...'
He had heard countless times that it took a lot of money to proselytize and expand an order's influence.
Perhaps that was why. Elbridge had implicitly thought that if he just had money, he could easily expand the order's influence.
But that was an illusion. Earning money and proselytizing were problems in completely different realms.
'...How should I proselytize? Should I grab passersby, press money into their hands, and tell them to believe in the Rusted Shield Goddess?'
No matter how he thought about it, that didn't seem right.
But it wasn't like he could go to another order and ask how to proselytize either.
'No matter how I think about it, the only method that comes to mind is proselytizing while hunting magical beasts...'
While Elbridge was seriously agonizing over it, the Goddess's oracle descended.
- Elbridge. You have so much gold in front of you, yet your worries seem deep. What on earth is troubling your heart?
Thanks to the offering of five bottles of perfumed oil, the Goddess's voice had been even more affable than before for the past few days.
Elbridge answered.
"I was agonizing over where to use the gold coins. Wondering if there isn't a good method to expand our influence..."
- Elbridge. Your Goddess is the Rusted Shield Goddess.
"Of course I know that."
- Your Goddess considers it more important to protect what is already by her side than to obtain something new. How about reflecting on what is most important in our order?
"The most important thing... I suppose I should do some maintenance work on the temple. Indeed, the temple is quite old."
- No. Elbridge. The most important thing in the order is not the temple, but you. My most cherished child. Your Goddess wishes for you to prepare a means to protect yourself.
"A means to protect myself... Hmm."
As Elbridge pondered, the Rusted Shield Goddess smiled.
- You already know the answer. Did not your close friend Marcus tell you the answer?
Did Marcus say such a thing?
Elbridge thought deeply, then recalled one of Marcus's remarks.
'It would be a truly desirable ending if our poor Sir Elbridge could afford a decent suit of armor as the price of his devotion.'
Elbridge asked the Goddess.
"My Goddess. Do you wish for me to procure a suit of armor?"
At that, the Rusted Shield Goddess answered with satisfaction.
- Yes. That would be the most valuable investment for our order.
It was tempting.
As it happened, Elbridge was also feeling the need for armor.
Putting practicality aside, carrying only a sword around without a shield or armor felt quite empty.
"I will uphold the Goddess's words."
Elbridge packed the gold coins and headed to the lower town of Solenion.
<><><>
Elbridge had never bought weapons or armor with money. Because the order had provided everything.
In the past, the Order of the Rusted Shield was a fairly successful order, so they had no trouble providing good swords and armor to their paladins. Also, the number of paladins was very small compared to other orders of similar size.
Although he had never paid the price himself, Elbridge knew roughly how much weapons and armor cost. Because he had heard so much about it.
When talking with unfamiliar paladins from other orders, the conversation naturally tended to flow in a direction where it was easy to form a consensus.
In that respect, weapons and armor were excellent topics of conversation.
Not only was it easy to form a consensus, but there were also many spin-off topics to talk about, and it was even practical.
'With about fifty gold coins, I should be able to procure a decent suit of armor.'
Proper armor is more expensive than one might imagine.
If one compromises over and over again, they might be able to procure armor cheaply, but he didn't think the Goddess would want a paladin wearing a gambeson with jack chains. Of course, Elbridge had no desire to wear such a thing either.
'Let's see. A smithy is...'
Because of the noise, smithies were rarely located in the very center of a bustling street.
Therefore, Elbridge headed to an alley slightly off the center of the bustling street.
As expected, thanks to the loud sound of hammering, it was not difficult to find a smithy.
And Elbridge discovered a suitably shabby smithy.
'That's the one.'
Since shabbiness is a symbol of time, Elbridge guessed there would be a skilled craftsman there. He also thought the price would be cheaper than a glossy shop.
Just as Elbridge was about to enter the shabby smithy, the Goddess's oracle descended.
- Elbridge. Are you perhaps trying to get armor from that old smithy?
"That is correct."
- Your Goddess wishes for you to protect yourself with the best armor.
"But, there will definitely be a skilled craftsman in that smithy."
- No. Your Goddess is not satisfied with that much.
Because the Goddess's voice was firm, Elbridge pointed to a smithy on the opposite side of the street.
"My Goddess. Do you want me to head to that clean and large smithy?"
That smithy was large and neat, and had a separate shop for sales next to it.
Also, the armor displayed in the shop was engraved with all sorts of flashy patterns. They were items that would catch the eyes of the wealthy.
However, the Goddess seemed displeased this time as well.
- No. Elbridge. Since your Goddess also once wore armor and went to the battlefield, she knows better than anyone that armor with only flashy decorations is of no help whatsoever.
"Then where do you wish for me to head, my Goddess? I don't know any smithies or workshops."
- Elbridge. The answer is in the east.
Elbridge looked to the east as the Goddess said. He didn't see a workshop.
Instead, he saw a tower soaring high above the other buildings.
The cradle of the mages of the eastern continent, the Eastern Magic Tower.
Only then did Elbridge understand the Goddess's intention, the meaning of 'the best armor'.
"My Goddess. Do you wish for me to purchase Magic Tower armor that has been enchanted?"
- That is correct.
Ordinary armor and Magic Tower armor are different in many ways.
Magic Tower armor is made using a special metal imbued with magical effects instead of ordinary iron.
It's not just the materials that are different. The blacksmith's skill must also easily surpass the ordinary level, and a mage in charge of enchanting is needed separately from the blacksmith.
As a result, Magic Tower armor comes to possess functions differentiated from ordinary armor.
The types are also diverse. Armor with a self-repair function. Armor imbued with lightweight magic. Armor that defends against spatial distortion. Armor that protects the wearer from heat or cold. Armor that strengthens the wearer's power... All of them are extremely useful functions.
However, there is an important problem.
"Of course, I am also extremely eager to wear Magic Tower armor. But with the money I have now, I cannot procure Magic Tower armor."
Namely, that Magic Tower armor is damn expensive.
The materials are expensive, labor costs are expensive, the time it takes to make is long, and the supply is limited, so it's a matter of course.
As a result, the majority of paladins could not get their hands on Magic Tower armor.
Even a paladin of Elbridge's caliber was no exception.
To stably get one's hands on Magic Tower armor, one had to be at least a chief paladin of a mid-tier or higher order.
At that moment, a thought suddenly came to mind.
"My Goddess. Do you perhaps have some spare money that I don't know about? Or did the Magic Tower promise to make me a suit of armor during these two hundred years..."
The Goddess's voice noticeably lowered.
- As I said last time, there are two silver coins under the first table in the prayer room.
...It meant there was no such thing as spare money or a promise from the Magic Tower.
Elbridge answered with a little regret.
"My Goddess. I will procure ordinary armor. With fifty gold coins, I should be able to comfortably afford a suit of armor, so even after procuring the armor, I will have more than sixty gold coins left."
From what Elbridge had experienced so far, the Rusted Shield Goddess, even while firmly asserting her opinion, would often respect Elbridge's opinion and change her mind.
However, this time, the Rusted Shield Goddess had no intention of backing down either.
- No. Elbridge. Even if it means buying the armor piece by piece whenever you gather money, you must definitely procure Magic Tower armor. For that will be the most excellent way to ensure your safety.
It was an oracle that wasn't very realistic.
Because as Elbridge remembered, the price of a Magic Tower gauntlet alone well exceeded a hundred and fifty gold coins.
Then how should he persuade the Goddess?
It's simple. He just had to show the price of the Magic Tower armor to the Rusted Shield Goddess.
In front of an astronomical price tag, even a god would have no choice but to bend their opinion.
<><><>
A female mage on the first floor of the Eastern Magic Tower said to Elbridge.
"With a hundred and twenty gold coins... you will probably be able to purchase up to a breastplate and gauntlets."
"Pardon?"
Elbridge was surprised.
The reason was that the price was cheaper than he thought. A whopping less than half of the expected price.
Of course, it was still an enormous price. But since the expected price was so expensive, the current price felt relatively reasonable.
A material desire he was feeling for the first time in his life surged in Elbridge's chest.
'At this rate, might I really be able to wear Magic Tower armor too...?'
Of course, he couldn't purchase the entire suit of armor with Elbridge's funds. But it seemed entirely possible to add armor piece by piece as the Goddess suggested.
The mage kindly continued her explanation.
"It's expensive, isn't it? If you want something a little cheaper, there is also the method of purchasing a ready-made item. Ready-made items with a self-repair function are a bit cheaper. Although they are belongings left behind after the original owner died... if the size fits well, it's a reasonable choice."
At that moment, an oracle descended again.
- Elbridge. Ready-made items will not do.
Of course, Elbridge also actively agreed with the Goddess's opinion.
If the purpose was to show off to others, it wouldn't matter if he wore a ready-made item, but Elbridge needed armor for actual combat.
He couldn't display his best skills with armor made to fit someone else's body.
Elbridge said to the mage in a tone about three times more confident than usual.
"I will buy a custom-made one. How backed up are the reservations?"
"There are no backed-up reservations."
This, too, was unexpected.
'I heard that in the old days, it was common for people to reserve armor and wait, and then the reservation would be canceled because the reserver died.'
Surely, it must be because the world had become peaceful and the number of people looking for Magic Tower armor had decreased.
The mage said to Elbridge.
"Please come this way. We need a consultation to give you an exact estimate."
The mage walked ahead, and Elbridge followed behind her.
He thought they were going to a consultation room, but it seemed that wasn't it either.
'Seeing that I hear the sound of iron, it seems we're going to the craftsman who makes the armor...'
The mage's steps headed towards the bottom of the Magic Tower, not the top. Elbridge learned for the first time that the Magic Tower also had a basement floor.
"Because there are heavy items and noise issues, the workshops are in the basement. You can proceed with the consultation inside."
The mage said so and left quickly. Elbridge went inside with trembling steps. Who on earth was the craftsman who would make his armor...
There was only one person inside the spacious workshop.
For now, he could only see their back. His height was so short that it barely reached Elbridge's chest, but his forearms and waist were almost twice as thick as an ordinary person's.
'A dwarf.'
It was not a surprising thing. Since numerous people were gathered in the Holy City Solenion, one could occasionally meet other races.
As Elbridge approached, the dwarf turned around.
"Are you a customer?"
Immediately after, the dwarf's expression as he looked at Elbridge twisted strangely.
"You... No, you."
The dwarf, with a deeply furrowed brow, tilted his head slightly askew and pointed at Elbridge with his stubby right index finger.
What was even more surprising was that, without realizing it, Elbridge was also pointing at the dwarf in the exact same posture.
The dwarf said.
"You, aren't you Elbridge?"
"...Rombel?"
He had aged a bit, but it was a face he knew well.
The dwarf warrior of the Order of the Steel Anvil, Rombel.
An unbearable passion surged in the chests of Rombel and Elbridge.
It was a natural thing, to meet a familiar face in an unexpected place after a whopping two hundred years.
At that moment, the Rusted Shield Goddess urgently gave an oracle.
- Elbridge. This is a great opportunity. Ask him if an acquaintance discount is possible.
Because Elbridge was a faithful paladin, he faithfully followed the Goddess's oracle.
"Is a discount possible?"
Humanity vanished from the dwarf's face.
"Customer. The consultation room is this way."