kscans

Chapter 8 - The Failed Sword and the Ring of Lies

(F, for now... I’ll give her the items I was asked to deliver.)

Leonhard took a deep breath and began to concisely explain the situation.

His conversation with Darius, how he went to the shop as instructed, but the situation was different from what he had been told.

He explained dispassionately that in the dangerous atmosphere with possible surveillance, he had no room for argument and had no choice but to accept the items.

"...So, when I examined it calmly, the ring I was supposed to deliver... clearly wasn't for Master Ariel-dono. And it looked like it was for a man, so... I just... wanted to check the size..."

He averted his gaze awkwardly at the end.

"...My apologies. That was thoughtless of me."

Mireille fell silent, lost in thought.

Leonhard observed her.

(I heard she was eighteen... but she’s a very composed girl.)

She must have studied alchemy and worked in the shop from a young age.

Her soft, pink-blonde hair swayed gently, her small face framed by long eyelashes and doll-like, wide eyes.

(...With a face like that at the counter, there must have been customers who came just to look, without buying anything.)

Eventually, Mireille spoke.

She looked down, as if finding it a little difficult to say.

"...I don’t think my master would ever give a ring she made to herself. So... I believe the story about it being a ‘proposal ring’ was a lie."

Her apologetic tone made Leonhard’s chest ache slightly.

"No, I had already realized it was probably a lie by this point. So don’t worry about it."

"B, but... please believe me! They aren’t people like that!"

Mireille quickly looked up.

"Their relationship was very serious, and my master, at least, would never buy expensive things. I handled the shop’s finances, and there was no hidden money or misappropriation... Absolutely not!"

Her desperate eyes were straight and clear.

--This girl is the type whose lies would be exposed in an instant. At least in this matter, she’s innocent.

"A, and also..."

This time, Mireille continued, looking a little hesitant.

"That sword, it’s actually a magnificent blade, but... it was a failed creation, and Darius-sama bought it from us."

"A failed creation?"

Mireille explained that back when she was still struggling to control enchantments, she was supposed to imbue a sword with an enchantment that increased its attack power by "1.5 times" for an order from the weapon shop. But she mistakenly made it "15 times."

"Fifteen times the attack attribute... that’s practically a cheat, isn’t it? Wouldn’t everyone be thrilled?"

"W, well... normally, when you attack, you get a little bit of recoil. At fifteen times, the recoil is also fifteen times... Almost no one can withstand it."

"Ah... I see."

A sword that sends you flying with every swing. That was definitely no good.

"But the sword itself was very well made, so he bought it, saying he would give it to someone who could use it someday. As for the customer, my master gave them an equally good sword with all the characteristics they desired as an apology, so there was no trouble."

(...If you add a ton of non-attack attributes to a sword like this, of course they’d be happy.)

--Could it be that he ran out of money because he was buying up various things like this, and that led to the embezzlement....

Leonhard’s inner thoughts must have shown on his face, because Mireille hurriedly added.

"T, the sword itself is expensive, but it’s the price without enchantments, so for Darius-sama, it’s cheaper than a month’s salary! Besides, since he was kind enough to buy it, I added various characteristics to it as practice... so the quality has improved a little!"

(...Did he give it to me because I could handle it, or did he just push it on me because it had nowhere else to go.... My image of the supreme commander’s integrity is starting to waver.)

"Sorry, but may I test it? I want to make sure I can really use it."