[My name is Jade Stratos. Errm…an independent equipment craftsman. Well actually it’s only been three months.]
I see. I think I kinda get what Jade wanted to say..
[In other words, you want me to wear your equipment that you haven’t sold yet to advertise it.]
[Yeah, I bet it’ll be very convincing. You’re a very strong warrior, judging from the wear and tear on your clothes. How about it? In exchange for for the discount, I only want you to attach this to the equipment.]
Jade took out an emblem with “Stratos Equipment Store” on it from the back drawer. If he sewed that on my clothes, of course people would be able to tell from where I had bought the said clothes.
[But, is it okay if it’s me? What if I’m not the kind of warrior you expect me to be? If I do something terrible in the future, won’t that also affect the reputation of your store?]
[Hahaha, why are you anxious about that? Warriors are just that kind of fellow. Those kinds of things are fine. Life for the moment, think about the repercussion later. Arrogant and rough. That’s how the warriors are. It’s somewhat similar to having business with someone who’s about to die]
[It’s similar?]
To that, he said while scratching the bridge of his nose,
[Ee, I just want to be famous. First in Babylon. Then, the whole kingdom. That’s impossible to achieve by merely crafting the best equipment. I need a warrior who is also aiming for the same height to don them in battle….that’s what I want.]
[……I understand. There is really no reason for me to refuse after all. From now on, let’s work together.]
[Yeah, likewise. Please drop the formality, We’re partners now.]
[Right. In that case, I’ll do just that.]
[I’ve decided to do a little extra work on it. What do you think?]
[This….looks good.]
Linings of red fabric had been sewn over the black shirt.
[You can only see the red linings when the shirt is folded. It’s the hidden accent. Please try wearing it immediately.]
[Eh, then]
[How does it feel?]
[Exceeds my expectations. It’s as if my strength increased just from wearing it.]
[I’ll feel troubled if you praise me too much. How about changing the boots too?]
[Please]
『The tailor truly makes the man』
[You…I dare you say that again!]
[Fate really cares for his weapon, don’t you? I also talk to the weapons and armor I craft. Well, it’s something like what you did. People treat me like a weirdo because of that.]
Jade, who considered me a kindred soul, started to talk about various kind of weapons. He then looked at Greed.
[Even so, the sheath looks quite worn out. How about I make you a better one?]
[Then I’ll be troubling you]
[Really!? Then, can you let me see the black sword?]
[Yeah, alright.]
I drew out Greed from his sheath and showed him to Jade. In response, Jade’s face stiffened up, his mouth agape.
[Oi, are you okay?]
I shook his body until Jade returned to his senses. He gave Greed another look as if he wanted to devour it, then calmed down.
[What a….what an exquisite weapon that is. I’ve never seen a one-handed sword like that before….amazing.]
Greed was ecstatic upon hearing that. The fellow who regularly brags about himself, now brags even more, and it only served to annoy me.
『You hear that, Fate! Even that fellow understand it. My godly aura will still overflow even if you try to hide it well! Hahaha, praise me more』
[The sheath should be mainly black, but I wonder if you could decorate it?]
[Black it is. What kind of decoration do you want?]
[Gold decoration. Just a little.]
[I see.. Got it. I’ll make a shiny new sheath for the black sword. However, it’s still a business. It will cost quite a lot to make a sheath that can match the sword. You okay with that?]
When I bought my equipment, Jade didn’t even consider the expense much. But he actually said so about the crafting of the sheath. Swallowing hard, I asked, anxiously,
[How much…will it cost?]
[Even if I estimated on the low side, it would be no less than 500 gold.]
『Buy it. It will be a well spent 500 gold. Jade seems to understand this me to some extent, he’ll craft a good one. Considering the amount, it’s an acceptable price.』
[Do you accept installments? I only have 20 gold at the moment…]
[Of course. I’ll take care of the remaining 480 gold temporarily. I wonder if you could pay me back in a week’s time?]
After the negotiation concluded, Jade began to measure Greed’s dimensions down to every corner. He worked along while continuously leaking admiring sighs.
[Done, I have the necessary information now. Please come back in a week! You can expect the best I’ve ever crafted up until now.]
[Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to it. In the meantime, I’ll diligently make money.]
There should be no problem since the cost for staying is 50 silver for one night. I can afford to not eat anything that costs me extra, like dinner, for instance. The lady proprietress is really good at recommending things, so I have to extra careful. There was already that accident with drinking alcohol yesterday.
I arrived at the old brick inn I stayed in, and entered.
[Welcome back! Well, well. Would you look at that.]
[These are quite good pieces of equipment. Didn’t they cost a lot?]
[Like you said. I was quite taken aback by the pricing in Babylon.]
[But you bought them all at once. You’re a real warrior, aren’t cha?]
[I still have a long way to go, please don’t pressure me too much.]
The lady proprietress laughed upon hearing that.
[You are hungry, right? Come, let’s have dinner. My daughter is also looking forward to have dinner with you.]
[Today, I won’t drink like yesterday.]
[Of course, you don’t have to say that out loud.]
[Now, down to business.]
[Please be gentle with me]
=====
The girl stared at me with her red eyes, laughing in a smile.
『We’re finally connected……』
[You’re from that time]
[Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………..]
=====
[Huff huff huff huff………..]
=====
