kscans

Chapter 23 - Investigation

"Are you two ready?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"I am also ready."

Afterward, we made our way to a square in the middle of Jikka City to investigate the blacksmiths. Since Militar and Iz would stand out, they were disguised with hats and hoods.

"If I remember correctly, there are three blacksmith shops in Jikka City, right?"

"Yes, they are all venerable shops that have been here for a long time. They have dealings with the academy for things like staff repairs."

"I want to believe they're all good people... but there's a very real possibility the blacksmith who made the staves is among them."

One of the shops was right across the square from us. It was small enough to be a one-person operation. However, it seemed popular with the residents, as a family had just gone inside.

"Alright, let's go investigate. I'll check for the aftereffect mark, so you two pretend to be customers."

""Understood.""

We entered the shop nervously. A bell chimed, karan, and the shopkeeper immediately noticed us. She was a plump woman with curly, reddish-brown hair.

"Welcome!"

"Excuse us. We'd like to look at your wares."

"Of course, take as much time as you like."

Her voice and expression were as cheerful as her appearance. The shop's inventory seemed to consist mainly of daily goods. Pots, tableware, and similar items made up the majority of the products. A quick glance told me they were all made from low-rank materials like C or D. It was unlikely they'd have any magic aftereffects. What about swords or staves? I looked around and found one of each in a corner of the shop.

"Ma'am, could I take a look at those weapons?"

"Of course, you can. No need to ask me every time."

"Thanks. You have a lot of items here. Do you make them all by yourself?"

"That's right. When my husband was alive, we ran it together. But it's been just me for decades now."

"I see," I replied, turning my attention to the weapons. It really did seem to be a one-person shop. The sword was a standard longsword, and the staff was the kind a beginner would use.

[Many Sword] Rank: B / Attribute: None / Ability: A double-edged longsword. Its weight and length are manageable for an adult male.

[Beginner Rod] Rank: C / Attribute: None / Ability: A staff for beginners. Converts the owner's magic directly into spells.

"...What do you think, Sensei?"

"Are there any spiral patterns...?"

"Take a look."

I casually showed them the sword and staff. The magic aftereffect on both appeared as a black, circular shape in a corner. A very common shape.

"It's not a spiral."

"Does that mean this isn't the place?"

"But there's also the possibility that she's lying..."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Startled by a voice from behind, we whipped around. The shopkeeper was standing right behind us. I put the sword and staff back and picked up a spoon from a nearby shelf.

"Ah, uh, yeah. I think I'll take this spoon."

"Right you are, thank you for your business."

We paid and left the shop. We walked to the opposite side of the square, out of the shopkeeper's sight. Sitting down on a bench, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"...Phew, that was pretty tiring. Are you two okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm used to this from infiltration missions."

"I am also fine. I may not look it, but I have a surprising amount of stamina."

...Seriously? It seemed the old man was the only one who was tired. The reality of their youth was a painful thing to witness.

"But Sensei, did you really need to buy something?"

"Well, it's better not to arouse suspicion. Besides, hearing about her situation made me want to buy something."

"Dareth-sama, you truly are a kind person."

There was a chance the shopkeeper was lying, but perhaps it's human nature to want to believe people in times like these.

"Alright, let's head to the next blacksmith."

We walked through the city, following a map. The second shop was a large Blacksmith Guild on the outskirts of town. It was about the same size as the one in Rieten.

"Dareth-sama, this is the largest blacksmith's in Jikka City."

"It certainly is impressive. Looks like it's doing well."

"Shall we go in, Sensei?"

"Yeah, let's go."

We stepped inside. The place was already packed with what looked like residents and adventurers. The smiths were busy and paid us no mind. Iz whispered to me from the side.

"It seems we can investigate thoroughly here."

"You're right. But let's be careful."

Being a Blacksmith Guild, it had far more weapons than the last shop. Longswords, daggers, axes, shields, staves... you could take your pick. We made our way toward the weapons made from expensive materials.

[Gaia Shield] Rank: A / Attribute: Earth / Ability: A greatshield that can gather surrounding earth to its surface to block enemy attacks.

[Wind Axe] Rank: S / Attribute: Wind / Ability: An axe imbued with wind-attribute magic. It creates blades of air that can easily fell any powerful foe.

From the looks of it, these two items seemed to have required the most difficult forging. We examined them from top to bottom, just like the other customers. Everyone was choosing their gear with great focus, so we probably didn't look suspicious.

"H, how is it, Sensei?"

"Are there any spiral marks?"

"No..."

The marks were square or star-shaped, but not spiral. Just to be sure, we split up and checked all the other weapons. But we found no spiral-shaped black marks. This time, we left without buying anything and retreated to an outside bench. The lack of clues cast a gloomy mood over us.

"You two, let's take a little break before we go to the last blacksmith. Look, there's an ice cream stand right over there."

Conveniently enough, there was a cart selling ice cream right in front of the bench.

"That's a great idea. I'm starting to feel tired myself."

"I would like some as well. ...Ah, but I forgot my wallet."

"It's fine, I'll treat you."

I led the two of them to the ice cream stand. If I wasn't going to act like a grown man now, when would I?

"Welcome, we've got all kinds."

...This is pretty expensive. One scoop of ice cream cost about 1.5 times as much as my lunch... But I'd already offered to pay, so I couldn't back down now.

"I'll have the chocolate."

"I would like the orange, please."

"A, and I'll have vanilla."

Though I winced at the price, I somehow managed to buy three ice creams. I still had a decent amount of money left in my wallet. ...What a relief. We returned to the bench and ate together.

""Let's eat... Delicious!""

The sweetness seeped into my old bones. To think a simple ice cream could be this soothing... I felt my age, whether I liked it or not. After eating for a while, Militar spoke up.

"Sensei, if the blacksmith in Jikka isn't involved, we'll be back to square one. Or maybe they're just completely hidden."

"If that's the case, what should we do?"

Iz's voice was listless as she responded. It was true, our situation hadn't changed at all. But there had to be something more we could do.

"Well, just thinking about it won't get us anywhere. Let's start by doing everything we can. The third shop is in the opposite direction."

As I said that, their spirits gradually began to lift.

"...You're right. Moping around is the worst thing we can do."

"Somehow, I'm starting to feel more energetic too."

We stood up briskly and made our way to the final blacksmith's shop.