Episode 28

It was market day.

I left home early in the morning to secure the same spot as before.

I loaded the necessary goods onto the cart and, together with Alicia, came to the central square where the market was held.

As with last week, we paid the fee at the entrance and went inside.

Then we set up our stall a little way away from the same spot as last week.

That was because a spot that was more visible than last time was still available, so we decided to use it.

Since it wasn’t that far from before, the boy from last week would probably notice it.

I arranged the products to prepare for opening. This time I had prepared two items: a longsword and a knife.

The longsword was the same as last time. The knives, I intended them all to be fairly high-quality.

That said, they didn’t consume as much Irea Magic Ore as the longsword, so I was thinking of selling them for 20,000 to 30,000 gold.

Once we put out the flag, the stall preparation was complete.

People gradually filled the market and it became lively.

As before, no one came to my stall.

“Welcome! We sell longswords and knives here!”

Alicia, wearing a mask, served customers with her clear, beautiful voice, so we drew people’s attention, but sales still didn’t quite materialize.

About an hour passed with no particular activity, but then the boy came over.

“Ah, mister!”

He was the boy who bought my longsword last week. Next to the smiling boy was another child who looked like an adventurer.

A beastman, perhaps?

Two cat ears sprouted from the human part of his head. He was quite large. I thought “cat ears,” but among beastmen he might belong to a species like tiger or something.

“This is Weather, an adventurer I’m currently in a party with. Oh, by the way, I haven’t introduced myself! I’m Ivas!”

“Is that so? I’m Faik.”

I gave a brief introduction. The energetic boy—Ivas—was better dressed than before. He probably had earned a decent amount as an adventurer.

On the other hand, Weather was staring intently at my longsword.

“That longsword… could I take a look at it?”

“Yes, sure.”

As I handed the longsword to Weather, Ivas smiled.

“By the way, Mr. Faik! The longsword you gave me is insanely easy to use! Its sharpness can’t be compared to the longsword I used before, it’s light, it fits my hand well… it’s just perfect!”

I couldn’t help but smile at Ivas’s words. Seeing someone who’s actually used it be happy is the best moment.

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

“In just this week, I somehow rose to E-rank! The guild said it was an unusually fast rank-up; I’m kind of famous!”

“Congratulations. But didn’t you rank up because you had the ability?”

“No, that’s not it!”

Ivas laughed and scratched his head. He didn’t seem to dislike the praise.

“That longsword… I want it… how much… does it cost?”

Weather, who had been looking at my longsword, asked.

“This one… let’s see. How about 40,000 gold?”

“…C-can I buy it for 30,000 gold?”

“Thirty thousand, huh… All right. In that case, if it proves useful, please introduce it to your friends, okay?”

“Ah, ah! Of course!”

“Thank you. Here is your item then.”

I took the gold and handed over the longsword in exchange.

Weather swung the longsword several times to check its feel.

Then Ivas looked over at me.

“You’re selling knives today too, huh?”

“Yes. What do you think? They are made quite sturdy and can be used both for butchering and for combat.”

“Ah, I have been wanting a butchering knife… I’ve been using a longsword for everything… How much is this?”

“This is 30,000 gold.”

“…Thirty thousand, huh. Hmm, c-could it be a bit cheaper?”

It seemed he’d learned a bit of bargaining skills this time.

I also thought 30,000 gold was the maximum price, so I could lower it a bit.

“Well then… since you introduced a friend this time, it can’t be helped. How about 20,000 gold?”

“Alright! Thank you!”

I handed the knife to Ivas and received 20,000 gold.