It’s Not Something I Can Confidently Recommend, Though.

“Armor… yeah, if I had that…”

If he’d had armor, he might not have needed a potion even after being stabbed by a goblin.

If he had armor, he might be able to fight more boldly.

Thinking that way, even Kikori felt that armor sounded like a solid choice.

But Aria let out a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“It’s certainly the safest option. But for you, Kikori-san, wouldn’t it be better to start with partial armor instead?”

“Partial armor?”

“Yes. For example, something like this.”

As she said that, Aria held out a pair of leg guards.

Leg guards, armor meant to protect the legs, certainly seemed important… but still.

“For adventurers who fight on the front line, the most important things to protect are your hands and feet. Lose your hands, and you lose your offense. Lose your legs, and you can’t dodge or run. For the same reason, shoulders are important too.”

“What about the head?”

“Hahaha, something like that. If an enemy can aim for your head, they can aim for the eyes through a helmet’s gaps too. And if you’re such a small fry that you lose your head due to carelessness, then you might as well die. Against strong enemies, even wearing a helmet will just get it split open anyway. That stuff can come last.”

“That sounds like a pretty extreme opinion…”

“Well, I do agree with that. Just piling on armor isn’t the answer, and needing a helmet really only applies to people who have ‘unavoidable circumstances.’”

As the shop owner nodded along, Kikori couldn’t help but ask,

“Is that really how it is?”

“Yeah. Sure, there are situations where you need a helmet even in normal fights. But the truth is, the moment you’re forced into that situation, you’ve already lost. Either you’re outnumbered, or you’re weaker on your own. Skill is about preventing things from getting that bad in the first place. Wearing heavy armor also means you’re being asked to fill ‘that kind of role.’”

“You hear stories about the rear guard getting taken out by back attacks or ambushes, but allowing that is proof of insufficient ability—and proof that ‘the enemy was stronger.’ Armor and helmets exist to compensate for that.”

Knights, for example, required armor and helmets because they were expected to fulfill “that kind of role.”

They had to fight head-on and demonstrate martial might, which was why they needed to wear full armor.

Breaking the enemy from the front was their mission, and that was why knights continued to develop techniques based on full equipment.

Now then, with that as the premise, what about Kikori…?

“I guess that makes sense… but I’m weak. I feel like I’ll die unless I protect myself, at least a little.”

“Hm, I see. In that case… yeah, this is tricky!”

As he said that, the shop owner laid out a set of iron partial armor.

Armor protecting the chest and back, shoulders and arms, elbow joints, ankle joints, and the lower legs.

“Well, with a discount, that’ll be ten thousand yen. It’s a mishmash of used pieces, so quality-wise, it’s not something I can confidently recommend, but…”

As he spoke, the shop owner glanced toward a displayed chain mail shirt.

“I’d really like to add that too, but ten thousand yen won’t cover it. Even this is already a pretty big favor.”

“Yeah, but isn’t this a good choice? What do you think, Kikori?”

Asked by Aria, Kikori pulled out the ten thousand yen without hesitation and handed it over.

It was Aria’s recommendation, and to Kikori, the armor gleaming in front of him… honestly looked really cool.