kscans

Chapter 24 - The Third Blacksmith's Shop

"So this is the third shop. It looks like a perfectly normal blacksmith's."

"But Sensei, there don't seem to be any customers."

"Perhaps we've just come during a quiet time."

After a five-minute walk, we reached our destination. It had a similar atmosphere to the first shop, looking like a one-person operation. If we didn't find any clues here, we really would be back to square one.

"In any case, let's go inside."

There were no customers in the shop. It was just us. Trying not to show our vigilance, I carefully called out.

"Can we take a look at your goods?"

"We~llco~me, welcome~. Please, go right ahead~."

A woman with a gentle air and a bright smile came out from behind the counter. She had brown hair and brown eyes. The shop was about the same size as the first one, but it had more weapons than daily goods. Swords, shields, axes, and knives were lined up on the walls.

"We'll take a look at the weapons, then."

"Please do, please do~."

As the three of us went to the wall, I suddenly noticed something odd about the shop. Well, maybe not odd. It was just that it was dirty everywhere. The inside of the shop was vaguely grimy, and a thin layer of dust covered the products and shelves. Was it just a case of poor cleaning? I thought, but it seemed too dirty for that. Militar and the others beside me seemed to have noticed the same thing.

"...Sensei, this shop is rather dirty. I wonder if it isn't doing well."

"And we're the only customers here..."

"But it looks like the smith's skill is good."

The shelves held everything from low-rank to high-rank items, and all of them were clearly a cut above the rest.

[Sea Rapier] Rank: S / Attribute: Water / Ability: Its slashes transform into sharp water blades that assault the enemy.

[Flaming Knife] Rank: A / Attribute: Fire / Ability: When imbued with magic, it converts it to the fire attribute, granting the blade powerful flames.

[Dragoon Lance] Rank: S / Attribute: None / Ability: Imbued with the power of a dragon's breath, delivering wave-like impact shocks with each thrust.

These three in particular were quite the masterpieces. To create items of this level, one would need a commensurate amount of concentration and magic. Was the crucial black mark there? I looked at the surfaces of the weapons with bated breath. The swirling black mark was... there. It was proudly displayed on the surfaces of the weapons.

"...It's here! It's here, you two!"

"We did it, Sensei!"

"I'm so glad we didn't give up!"

We celebrated in hushed voices. We had finally found a clue that would lead us to the source of those staves. The black marks could be polished away, but they showed no sign of trying to hide them. In fact, they seemed to wear them with pride. I had a feeling there was some intention behind that posture... but maybe I was just imagining things.

"Were you looking for a la~nce?"

"...!"

A voice from behind my back made me jump. Without me noticing, the female clerk was right behind me. She was still looking at us with a beaming smile.

"Ah, yeah. I was thinking of becoming an adventurer, so I was looking for a strong weapon."

"In that case, a knife or a one-handed sword would be easier to handle than a long weapon like a la~nce. How about this one~?"

As she spoke, the clerk took a rather large knife from the shelf.

[Dagger Knife] Rank: C / Attribute: None / Ability: A knife with enough strength to defeat monsters of the same rank or lower. Also suitable for daily use like preparing meals.

Of course, this one also had the swirling black mark. Did she not know about the ones on the staves, or did she simply have no intention of hiding it? While I wondered about this, the clerk continued her explanation, unconcerned.

"Some monsters can absorb attribute magic and power themselves u~p. So, I recommend a non-attribute weapon until you get used to thing~s."

"I, I see. Thanks for the advice."

I couldn't feel a hint of malice from the clerk. On the contrary, she seemed to be genuinely trying to be helpful.

"But these are all wonderful items. Are you the one who makes everything here?"

"Oh no, that's not me~. I'm just a cle~rk. There's a blacksmith who makes them~."

The clerk pointed toward the counter. Come to think of it, I could hear the metallic sound of a hammer striking from the back. The smith was probably forging a weapon right now.

"Could I meet the blacksmith who made these weapons?"

"I'm sorry~, but I can't allow that~."

I thought this clerk might let us, but surprisingly, she refused. I decided to press a little more.

"Is it absolutely impossible? I'd like to know what kind of person makes these."

"No, I'm afraid not~."

But she refused again. She had a gentle demeanor, but she seemed to be a person of strong will. As I wondered what to do, Militar tugged on my sleeve. Her eyes, and Iz's, were asking me what our next move was.

...If we push too hard, we might seem suspicious. Let's just back down gracefully here.

"I understand. Sorry for being pushy. In that case, I'll just buy this knife."

"Thank you very much~."

I paid a few silver coins for the Dagger Knife and left the shop. On my way out, I casually glanced at the sign and checked the closing time. Once we were far enough away from the shop, the three of us began to plan.

"For now, it seems certain that shop holds a clue."

"But we couldn't meet the blacksmith."

"We heard the sounds, so they must have been there..."

We didn't want them to know we were investigating just yet. If they ran, it would be a huge loss.

"Let's come back when the shop is closing. We'll follow the blacksmith. Discreetly."

"Tailing them, I see. That's my specialty. Leave it to me."

"I will do my utmost to help as well."

We decided to return to the academy for the time being. It may have been a small clue, but we couldn't let it go to waste.