I Really Do Recommend It

“Well, if you don’t like that shield, there’s also a kite shield for the same four thousand yen. It’s a wooden shield with iron plating, though.”

Kikori moved closer to the shield the staff member was looking at.

A kite shield—shaped like a kite, just as the name suggested—and quite large in size.

Turning it over, he could tell it was wooden, but when he tapped the surface, he could feel that a thin layer of metal had been applied.

This certainly looked like it would make defense easier.

“Want to buy it?”

“Hmmm…”

Defense would definitely be easier. But he couldn’t picture himself fighting while carrying it.

No matter how he thought about it, wouldn’t the shield just get in the way?

“Somehow, it doesn’t feel right.”

“Right? Your weapon’s that axe, isn’t it? You’re pure close combat. A normal shield would just be in the way—totally in the way. If you had a bit more budget, I’d recommend a better axe, but with the budget you told me earlier, that round shield is absolutely the best choice.”

“So not armor, then.”

“Armor’s fine too, but you’d need size adjustments. That means extra fees.”

“Extra fees…”

“To be honest, when it comes to armor, you shouldn’t compromise—you should choose something really good. Having armor naturally leads to complacency, you know. Dying because you trusted your armor too much is a story you hear all the time.”

“But it’s better than having none, right?”

“That’s true.”

As the staff member nodded, Kikori thought. What should he buy with his current budget—or should he buy anything at all?

Even today alone, he had nearly died multiple times.

That made him want some kind of protective gear—but…

Thinking and thinking, Kikori picked up the round shield that had been recommended first.

“…I’ll take this one.”

“Thank you kindly. I said it doesn’t sell well, but I really do recommend it.”

“I’ll do my best to learn how to use it properly.”

“Use it until it’s worth more than what you paid for it.”

With those words and a smile, the staff member handed him the shield, and Kikori headed for the inn.

The inn, costing one thousand yen per night, was just as he had expected—a large shared room with everyone sleeping together. Kikori lay down in a corner, hugging his axe and round shield.

“Today was… exhausting…”

He hadn’t eaten in the end, but he was too tired to feel like eating anything.

He was just about to fall asleep… then paused and got up after thinking for a moment.

If he slept like this, he might not even notice if his newly bought round shield was stolen.

In a place where bandits prowled, there was no reason to expect good manners at a one-thousand-yen cheap inn.

He took out a rope from his pack and tied his bag, his axe, and the round shield together, then firmly bound the rope to his own arm.

Only then did he lie down again—and this time, he truly drifted into sleep.

When he woke in the morning, he heard commotion here and there about people having their belongings stolen, and Kikori muttered, “Figures.”

His own belongings, tightly tied to him with rope, had not been stolen—but he resolved to get out of an inn like this as soon as possible.