Chapter 22
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Full-Scale Item Registration
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I saw a post in the gallery about something called a mana potion. Is it for recovering mana?
Yes! That's right! It slowly restores your mana over the course of an hour.
One hour?
Not useful in a pinch, then.
But I heard it doesn't burden the body as much. And if you drink it often, your mana recovery speed goes up too.
Mana recovery speed?
If that was true, the mana potion might be way more valuable than I'd thought.
'Especially for someone who uses mana, it'd be like a miracle tonic, right?'
No burden on the body, and regular use boosts mana recovery speed to boot.
That said, I was a total novice when it came to mana, so I decided against jumping to conclusions.
Impressive. If it's not too much trouble, how about trading some candy I have for a mana potion?
Candy?
Yeah. Sweet and tasty, like chocolate.
Chatting back and forth with Melani like this, it was hard to believe she was 101 years old.
It felt less like talking to a 101-year-old grandma and more like conversing with a little kid.
Mana potions are under strict management...
How about I just make one for you?
You can make them yourself?
Of course! Witches get recognized as apprentice witches at 100 years old. Apprentices get their own personal workshop as a gift.
"...?"
Recognized as an apprentice at 100?
Wait, what about before 100?
Babies. Babies you have to care for and nurture.
I was speechless for a moment at the idea of being treated like a baby until 99.
From the info so far, witches seemed to have lifespans totally different from humans.
'Hold on. So Melani at 101 just graduated from babyhood...'
How long do witches usually live?
Around 800-900 years? But our Grand Witch lived over 1,100!
I mentally divided that lifespan by 10.
Naturally, it lined up with a human lifespan.
'In other words, Melani's about 10 in human years.'
Separately, witch "childhood" lasted a full century.
Anyway, I'll make you a mana potion.
Melani's next message had me wondering if it was okay to ask a 10-year-old for a mana potion.
I doubted she could make it well, and worried something might go wrong in the process.
'No, she's still 101. Several times my age.'
Deciding to trust her, I asked about the time it would take.
How long will it take?
I need to gather materials first. Luckily, they'll give them to me if I ask. But it's getting too late today...
Ah. Tomorrow's fine, then.
Tomorrow? Yes! I'll make it by then.
Feeling like things were wrapping up, I switched to 1:1 trade and sent over the candy.
This is the candy I mentioned. Eat it when you're bored.
Whoa?! You're giving it even without the mana potion?
Of course.
Thank you! I'll definitely have it ready by tomorrow.
Don't push yourself.
Okay!
[1:1 conversation has ended.]
With the 1:1 chat over, I glanced to both sides.
Elisicia and Rubyel were sleeping soundly on either side of me.
'...They really are pretty.'
I'd thought from the start that the Hero Party wasn't picked just for looks.
And sure enough, even this close—close enough to feel their breath—there wasn't a flaw to be found.
'Though the Hero Party itself doesn't seem to care much about appearances.'
Still, it felt oddly surreal that every one of them seemed fond of me.
'Anyway, I should sleep too.'
Thankfully, chatting with Melani had eased my tension a bit, and I could feel sleep coming on.
No way I'd pass up the chance—I closed my eyes quickly and let the drowsiness take over.
"...Sir. Castaway Sir."
"Mm."
I barely managed to open my eyes at the sound of someone shaking me awake.
First thing I saw was Elisicia and Rubyel looking down at me.
"You're awake?"
"Ah... Yeah. I am."
"Time to get ready and head out."
At the suggestion, I nodded and sat up.
Seeing me up, Elisicia and Rubyel got out of bed to prepare.
Swoosh―
Without a hint of hesitation, they slipped off their loose nightgowns, baring their flawless skin as they changed.
Still groggy from sleep and caught off guard by how casual they were, I ended up staring before I could look away.
"... "
Elisicia boasted a physique as perfect as her face.
Rubyel was the epitome of slender.
The thought of seeing this every morning from now on left my mind blank.
"You should change too, Castaway Sir."
"Huh? Oh, right."
I tried not to show my fluster as I changed clothes myself.
'Wonder what we'll have for breakfast.'
Images of Elisicia and Rubyel's naked forms still lingered, but I forced my mind elsewhere.
'Let's check.'
Luckily, the Modern Item Purchase list had improved.
After some browsing, I found a suitable option.
-Morning Burger Set: 5 points
'This'll do.'
But considering what the Hero Party ate yesterday, I'd probably need about 30.
With the points Rubyel had given me, I bought 30 and turned to the group.
"Everyone up for breakfast?"
"Breakfast?"
The whole Hero Party perked up at the mention, eyes on me.
Probably riding high from yesterday's meal. I pulled out the 30 burgers.
"Dig in."
"Wow, this food's nice and hot too."
Elisicia, reminded of yesterday's pizza and spaghetti, picked up a small burger and commented.
Rubyel sat nearby and grabbed one too, while Saintess Aila prayed piously first.
"Thanks be to the Goddess's grace and Castaway Sir's mercy."
What's this about the Goddess's grace?'
'Do they think a goddess summoned me here?'
Sadly, it was no goddess—it was my sly friend who'd sent me.
'Hm?'
Then I noticed the elf woman eating her burger with a troubled look.
When I stared, the others noticed too and asked what was up.
"Liness. What's wrong?"
So the elf woman's name was Liness.
"Well..."
Liness trailed off, then glanced at me.
Figuring she had business with me, I asked.
"Something you need?"
"Truth is, I was thinking our kind would like some of this too."
"Hm."
Basically, guilt over eating this alone.
Noting we now had five people including me, I said,
"Think it's about time to expand the item listings."
"Item listings?"
"The exchange only lets you list three per person. But now we've got five people here."
"Ah. You mean we should list your items too."
Elisicia caught on quick and nodded.
"Yeah. I've been doing two each alone so far, but with five, that's up to 14 listings."
(One slot was tied up in 4-channel auction, for reference.)
Rubyel gave me a puzzled look and pointed it out.
"Isn't it 15?"
"One's in use elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?"
"Anyway, wouldn't people love 14 kinds of items?"
The mood was agreeable to my proposal.
"Sounds good. What items were you thinking?"
"We should discuss."
The Hero Party, having lived in this labyrinth longer, probably knew better than me.
Sure enough, as soon as I spoke, they pondered and suggested viable options one by one.
"More food types would be good. That's why the first floor's buzzing right now."
"Pickaxes too. Not the ones stockpiled in the food warehouse, but much better ones."
"With everyone heading deeper into the labyrinth, how about proper weapons?"
"...Fruit might work. I think people would love fresh fruit; it's been ages."
I heard suggestions from Elisicia, Rubyel, Aila, and Liness in turn.
No issues except Aila's "proper weapons."
'Not sure about selling proper weapons.'
Checking, we did sell them—but not top-tier.
-Two-Handed Knight Sword: 155 points
-Cross Sword: 270 points
-Hilt Rapier: 260 points
-Black Hilt Claymore: 549 points
......
......
'Kinda pricey.'
These were real sharpened blades, thankfully.
But drop the price more, and they'd turn into "fake swords" before your eyes.
'Lower it further and...'
It'd go from fake sword to prop, toy, etc.
'Bows are decent, at least.'
-Recurve Bow: 80 points
But tinkering with prices brought a thought.
'Fighting monsters with cheap junk like this?'
Lives were on the line.
Thinking that way, it didn't sit right.
'But overpriced weapons won't sell.'
As my thoughts tangled, I spotted something promising.
-Machete: 30 points
'...Looks sturdy.'
Not being an expert, though.
Conveniently, we had a sword specialist—the Hero herself—so I asked Elisicia.
"Hero. Mind checking out a weapon I bought?"
"A weapon?"
"Yeah. Not sure what's good."
She nodded readily.
"You must have a lot."
"Yeah."
Buying and pulling out weapons by type was wasteful, but selection was necessary.
I laid out a few candidates, and Elisicia admired them before inspecting seriously.
"These are fine weapons. Properly sharpened too."
"256 points."
"Really? A sword like this for just 256 points..."
She seemed to think 256 was a steal.
"Too steep for first-floor folks?"
"Ah. Yeah, probably."
With her agreement, I showed the machete last.
"Check this one too."
"Wider blade than expected, and solid. Won't break easy."
"It's a machete. Only 30 points."
The machete was 50cm total length.
Shorter than standard arms. Elisicia reconsidered at the price.
"30 points might work. Perfect for beginners."
She figured people could mine stones diligently for 30 points.
'Same here.'
Plus, tons of other items to list—no room for multiples of weapons.
So I settled on one machete type and added an iron steel shield to round out weapons.