Chapter 25: Weapon shop.

“You can let go of my hand now.”

I grumbled, but Yukomis, who was leading the way, didn’t even pretend to hear me.

Actually, I wasn’t even sure if she could hear me well.

The greetings of the citizens bowing to Yukomis echoed loudly throughout the market.

Karat and a few soldiers walked ahead of Yukomis, controlling the crowd,

while Aisha and another maid followed behind.

In the middle, Yukomis was holding my hand and walking.

The reason for moving on foot instead of by carriage was…

The carriages of the ducal family were unnecessarily large and extravagant, making them unsuitable for entering the heart of such a market.

“Really, this is a bit…”

“No.”

She refused sharply without even looking at me.

“You’ll run away as soon as I let go.”

“I won’t. I really won’t. There’s no reason to run away.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll run away if there’s a reason?”

“Why are you taking it so negatively?”

“Because you’re a crooked child.”

Even after several more days had passed, Yukomis didn’t seem to have cooled down at all.

After the princess returned, she sternly warned me not to even dream of coming out of the annex, and she actually did so. It wasn’t like she starved me or used corporal punishment or anything.

Just don’t come out of the annex. That’s all.

And to supervise whether I was faithfully carrying out those instructions, she made sure to show her face at least five times a day.

‘Five times…? That much?’

On top of that, once every five times, she would touch my hands and cheeks with a serious expression, saying it was a health checkup. I wasn’t sure if health checkups were originally done that way, but…

‘Maybe it’s about the mana, or Manya’s magic… There must be a lot of complex diagnoses that only she can understand.’

Anyway, Yukomis was the best expert in the world on such matters. It was a situation similar to living under the same roof as a university hospital professor. Now that my body had become like this, it could be said to be quite a stroke of luck in its own way.

She even put a bookcase filled with books in the annex, saying she would give me as many books as I wanted.

But it was mostly filled with general education books like etiquette.

There wasn’t a single interesting book, and above all, it was content that I had already learned to the point of boredom before dying once.

Anyway… to sum it up, it wasn’t such a bad life after all.

Except for Aisha’s slightly colder attitude.

‘She might be a little disappointed in Signo…’

…After the incident, I received a look from Aisha that I had never received before.

Yukomis originally got annoyed at a similar frequency to breathing, so it was okay, but it hurt much more to have Aisha look at me like that.

‘It seems like a child. No. It really seems like I’m becoming a child…’

After seeing Aisha’s reaction, my thoughts quickly changed from “Hmm… is it that bad?” to “Ah, I really did something wrong.” Ilesha was in a position where she could do that, but I had intruded into the room of the deceased without permission.

If that had been discovered, there would have been a huge uproar.

Looking back, I didn’t even understand why I had done such a foolish thing.

‘This must be what it means to be childish…’

And the unnecessarily accumulated knowledge and memories of my past life were creating a bad synergy in the direction of recklessness.

“If I had my way, I’d put a leash on you and walk around.”

Yukomis, who was holding my hand and walking ahead, suddenly said something crazy with a nonchalant expression.

“You don’t mean that, do you?”

“I’m serious.”

The feeling of holding Yukomis’s hand was quite awkward. My hands used to be a little bigger.

I decided to change the subject.

“But where are we going today without saying anything?”

Since morning, I had been stuck in the annex,

‘Ilesha is still pretty, would she get angry if I said I wanted to eat something spicy for dinner, how long will I have to live like this…’

While I was thinking about this, Yukomis appeared wearing her going-out clothes.

Get ready to go out too. Get in the carriage.

Pull your hood down deep. Don’t show your face on the street just in case.

Everything was a unilateral command. Since leaving the mansion, Yukomis had not given any explanation until now.

“Weapon shop.”

“Yes?”

“I thought you should have a sword for self-defense.”

“Ah…”

Yukomis, who was pulling my hand, glanced back at me.

“I wouldn’t normally want to buy something like this for a kid like you, but… you seem to get caught up in unnecessary incidents all the time.”

“Yes.”

“You’re not careful. You get kidnapped often.”

“Yes…”

“And there are still people aiming for you.”

“So, I thought you should have at least a minimal means of self-defense.”

Everything she said was right.

“But why so suddenly? Is there a reason to use that while we’re inside the mansion?”

“About that. Something came up where we have to go somewhere.”

“Where is that?”

“Where else would it be?”

It was as if there was no need to ask.

“We’re going to find Manya, right?”

“Oh?”

It was the most welcome sound I had heard recently.

“Did you find a trace of Manya?”

“It was obvious from the beginning where she would go.”

“Where is that?”

“She probably went to her hometown.”

“Hometown… you mean Bildur?”

“Yeah. Looking at Manya’s diary… and her morbid obsession with you and, uh, sister…”

Yukomis somehow stuttered at this part.

“I don’t think she would have easily given up on you. And she doesn’t seem to have been very popular with people except for her colleague magician, Katie, does she?”

“It seemed that way. She was a bit… how should I put it, crazy.”

I expressed the word “crazy b*tch” indirectly.

The distorted obsession she had shown in the basement was creepy.

And since she had forcibly turned my body into that of a young girl, there was no way I could have good feelings for her.

“I asked the Magic Society to check, but very few people knew her. Even then, contact had been cut off a long time ago. So, if she’s looking for a way to take you back from me… there’s nowhere else but her hometown.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Well, the Northern region is also a very good place to hide from arrest.”

It was a logical deduction as if she was talking about something unrelated to her.

“But I still don’t know. Do I really need something like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m under the protection of the Solenas ducal family, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If I’m with Yukomis, you’ll always protect me, right?”

Halt.

She suddenly stopped walking.

“…Lady Yukomis?”

Looking up, Yukomis, whose face was somehow incredibly red, was trembling at her mouth.

“Why did you suddenly stop walking?”

“Wh, what did you say?”

What? It was rare to see her stuttering like that.

“Lady Yukomis will always protect…”

“D, don’t even start thinking such, such complacent thoughts!”

“Ouch!”

Thwack.

Yukomis suddenly hit the top of my hood with her staff.

“Wh, what if something happens like l, last time? Did you ever announce that you were going to be kidnapped before you were kidnapped?”

“Ouch! Ouch!”

Thwack. Thwack.

“No, I just…”

“Sh, shut up! Look ahead again!”

Sensing something was wrong, Karat looked this way, and Yukomis hurriedly started walking again.

‘No… is that something to get so angry about?

I’m only twelve years old, and the person who’s supposed to be my guardian is a great magician, so is a question about whether I need a self-defense sword that bothersome?

Above all, the worst thing is that the staff she’s hitting me with is something I bought her myself.

After a long time, Yukomis opened her mouth again.

“…There’s an important reason, but I can’t tell you here.”

“Important reason?”

“I’ll tell you when the time comes. And that’s like the last resort. Like when you suppressed that giant in the forest, and the movements you showed while sparring… you have a natural talent. Have you ever held a real sword?”

“Well… I don’t think I’ve held anything other than that man Al’s dagger.”

It would be a different story if it was Thermis’s hand. Signo’s hand was like that.

“Trust me. You’ll be pretty good at it if you learn a little.”

“Thank you?”

“But that doesn’t mean you should trust that and act recklessly. It’s only a last resort.”

Yukomis’s expression, who looked down at me again, had changed to a serious one.

“A sword is a dangerous thing for yourself as much as for the person you face. Holding it doesn’t mean you get stronger.”

“…Yes.”

“Keep that in mind. If you play around with the sword I bought you… I’ll take it away right away. There won’t even be a warning.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

When I nodded obediently, she seemed a little satisfied.

“Okay. Let’s go in.”

Before I knew it, we had reached the weapon shop we were aiming for.

Under a simple iron mark in the shape of a long sword stuck in an anvil was written the old-fashioned business name ‘Kotel and the True Blade’.

I hadn’t noticed we were coming here because I had been walking while only looking at Yukomis’s back, but this was a place I knew.

The master of this place, a man named Kotel, was a very skilled swordsmith.

Not dealing with ordinary soldiers, but a famous artisan who only dealt with proper knights and nobles.

My main weapons were, after all, two holy swords, but that didn’t mean I had never handled ordinary weapons.

‘Above all, those two are something I don’t want to draw if I can avoid it…’

Karat and Aisha waited outside, and I went inside the store, but somehow Kotel was not to be seen.

Instead, a young man who looked like an apprentice came out to greet Yukomis and me.

He was slightly bent over and his posture was a bit crooked, as befitting an artisan, but the man was handsome in appearance.

“Welcome… no, Lady Yukomis!”

The man, whose eyes widened, bowed deeply to the point of hitting his head on the counter.

“What brings you here?”

“What else would I come to a sword shop for? I came because I need a sword.”

…It was still a way of speaking that made even me, who was listening, feel cold.

“If you had sent a message, we would have brought the necessary items directly to you. To think you would come in person.”

“Well, that’s usually the case. But it’s urgent, and I need something a little different.”

“Is that so. But I’m sorry. The master is not here at the moment.”

“Where did he go?”

“Well…”

“He went to discuss hilt designs with the ornamental worker. There’s also the delivery of the Dragon Fang.”

After thinking about it for a moment, Yukomis looked this way.

“No. It’s better this way. I can test you a little on this occasion.”

“Test?”

“Yeah. It’s a good opportunity to see how good your eye is.

“A test isn’t supposed to be given after teaching something first…”

Yukomis raised her staff again.

“…I will do my best…”

“I’ll be out for a while, so call me again when you’re ready to pay.”

And Yukomis left without even looking back.

Only a young artisan who was awkwardly rubbing his hands remained next to me.

Because Yukomis had left without any explanation, he seemed confused about what to call me.

I didn’t have any belongings that would allow him to guess my identity.

On the surface, I was just a young girl wearing a hood.

“Just call me Miss. I’m a noble for the time being.”

To think that the words “call me Miss” would come out of my mouth again…

“Yes. Miss. Are you looking for something to use yourself?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of thing do you need?”

“Something that suits me. Do you have a short sword made for children?”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have anything made for children.”

It was a difficult situation from the first step.

Looking down at my own hands, they were so small and soft that they couldn’t even be compared to my past life.

Even a short sword was, for the most part, a weapon used by adults.

The blade was a problem, but so was the grip of the hilt.

I grabbed any sword that caught my eye, but the handle diameter was too large for my hand to hold comfortably.

“This is troubling…”

“If you want something custom-made, we can visit you again when the master returns.”

“That might be an option… but wait a moment.”

What I needed was not something to use in a full-scale battle, but a self-defense weapon.

That kind of thing would be suitable to use with this body’s stamina, but Kotel was, after all, a famous artisan who mainly dealt with nobles and knights.

He was too busy digesting the orders that came in to make such small weapons.

“”A length of about half that of a long sword, a thin hilt grip, and a width of the blade as narrow as possible to suppress the weight. Do you have anything like that?””

“Are you looking for something for self-defense, not military use?”

“Yes. As I said, I’ll be using it. I’ll have to consider my height and strength rather than power.”

“…You have some knowledge, don’t you?”

The clerk said that unintentionally, and then quickly waved his hand.

“Ah, ah, I’m sorry. I said something rude. But female nobles usually aren’t very interested in things like this…”

“What about Yukomis?”

“She’s one of the few exceptions. As you know, she used to be a member of the Wyvern Knights.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“And… she was Lady Thermis’s sister. She’s very knowledgeable about good cold weapons.”

“Cough! Cough!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. It’s just that name came up suddenly…”

“Did I say something offensive? I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that. …Do you have anything made of magic iron alloy?”

“Are you looking for something made of magic iron? But the price is…”

The clerk seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing.

There was no way someone who came with Yukomis would be tied to the price of the item.

Magic iron was a metal that could contain simple magical enchantments inside.

Since there was a top magician next to me, it would be much more reassuring to have such a thing.

‘Above all, it’s Yukomis’s money now, not my money.’

There’s nothing more enjoyable than buying expensive things with someone else’s money.

“No, it’s not the price… It’s just that such metals are primarily made into long swords or ceremonial swords for knights.”

“Well, I guess so. Usually.”

I roughly looked around the shelves and display cases full of the store, but there was nothing I liked.

They all looked too big and heavy to handle freely with this body.

If I was still Thermis, there were a few high-end items that would have caught my eye…

But if I needed such a thing, I could just search the ducal family’s treasury or armory and find a few.

“Um… Miss?”

Should I look for another store after all?

Should I just follow Yukomis around like a child on a market trip while holding her hand?

It’s a bit embarrassing to be walking around holding my adult sister’s hand.

While I was sighing while thinking about that, the clerk somehow hesitantly spoke to me.

“I may be saying something very… rude.”

“There’s nothing rude. Just tell me.”

“I know that you and Lady Yukomis came to see Master Kotel’s items.”

“Yes.”

“But… you can’t find what you’re looking for among my master’s items, can you?”

“That’s right.”

“So…”

“Stop hesitating and just tell me.”

He had been hesitating since the moment he started the conversation.

“If, if it’s okay, would it be okay for me to… show you my item??”

He twisted his body for a long time as if he was holding back urine, and finally shouted with his eyes tightly closed.

“Your item? Are you talking about something you made?”

“Yes! Coincidentally, I do have such an item among my works! It’s a bit of a sight to behold, but…”

“What is it? Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“…! Really? Would it be okay to show it to you?”

“Why haven’t you been showing it until now?”

“That’s because… I thought it wouldn’t be pleasing to the eyes of someone accompanying Lady Yukomis…”

“I’m someone without prejudice. I’d love to see it.”

He turned pale and disappeared into the narrow space behind the counter,

and the sounds of rattling, clattering, and banging could be heard.

After a while, he returned carrying a small short sword.

And he carefully placed it on the table next to the counter.

“…It’s terrible.”

My first impression of seeing it was bland.

I could see why he had hesitated to bring it out.

Just by looking at it, the size was what I wanted. So, just the size.

But the other parts were the problem.

The leather finish of the hilt grip looked like someone had roughly wrapped it with terrible skill,

and the loose scabbard stopper looked like it had been taken from something else that didn’t fit.

And there was no consistency in the shape of the handle and the scabbard.

‘From the start… it’s something that hasn’t been considered aesthetically at all.’

A toy. Something like a child’s toy.

“I’m sorry. I guess it was unpleasant to look at…”

“But the most important thing about a sword is what’s inside.”

I reached out to the cheap-looking item and took off the scabbard.

A bluish surface. It was definitely made of magic iron alloy.

The blade length is 50 centimeters? Around that. The weight must be lighter than 500 grams.

The light on the surface was evenly reflected.

“The polishing is excellent. There’s no bending…”

Since the blade is light, it was made to have a little elasticity…

“It must have been quite difficult to do this much heat treatment on magic iron alloy…”

It was managed with high-quality oil.

“You’re definitely proud of your work.”

I checked the diameter of the grip that fit in my hand.

“The handle is thin. Is it the Alcatolle style?”

“…Yes? No, you know everything?”

“I know why it looked terrible. The handle was taken from a thin sword from another region, and the scabbard was also recycled from a suitable low-grade item.”

“That’s right! I’m a swordsmith whose main job is making blades, so I can’t make everything myself…!”

“This is your personal practice piece, right? Magic iron is expensive, so you couldn’t use enough to make a full-fledged long sword. So it became a short sword.”

“No, how did you know that…?”

“You can tell by looking at things like this.”

It was a really good item except for the terrible design.

There were plenty of reasons why it wouldn’t sell, and there wouldn’t be much demand, but even so… if there was an item I was looking for, it would be just like this.

“Master Kotel wouldn’t let someone with terrible talent work at his store.”

“Ah…!”

“If the function is fine, the terrible appearance is actually a plus. It’s effective in preventing theft.”

I grabbed the sword, moved away from the clerk, and lightly swung it using a wrist snap.

I heard a pleasant sound of the blade cutting through the air.

I could tell without doing a cutting test. The sharpness was sufficient.

“Good. If you can make a blade like this at that age, you’ll be able to open a store with your name on it someday.”

“Re, really?”

“Except for the makeshift parts… the grip and the center of gravity are a little lacking, but this is enough. Well, the scabbard is a little loose too… but I can barely tolerate it.”

“Above all, there’s no other choice…”

“Thank you!”

“Yes?”

Turning to the side, I saw the clerk bowing so deeply that he was kneeling.

“Thank you for recognizing it… Really, thank you so much!”

“…Oh…”

“Really, you’re the first person to say that. Everyone didn’t even think about taking off the scabbard…!”

He was almost crying.

Only then did I realize that I had been talking too much by myself.

“You know everything. And you’re giving it such a high evaluation…! It’s the greatest honor as an artisan!”

“Hey, hey. You’re exaggerating.”

“How… how does a young lady have so much knowledge about swords at that age?”

It had been a long time since I had been to a proper sword shop, so I had gotten too carried away without realizing it.

“Ah, well. I’m… I’m with Lady Yukomis. You saw, right?”

“Yes, you did!”

“Lady Yukomis is an expert. I learned a little too.”

“Ah…! I see!”

I blurted out an appropriate excuse.

It was a roughly pieced-together story, but it made enough sense.

“Anyway, I’ll take this. How much is it?”

“I won’t take a price.”

“What?”

“If you take that, it will be the first sword I have ever sold.”

“…Ah. I see.”

It was a tradition that was almost disappearing now, but there was a tradition that artisans did not receive payment when selling their first item.

The Sword Artisan Guild and Kotel’s store were both historic and well-known places. They must still be maintaining such old customs.

“That’s unexpected. You can make such a good item, but you haven’t sold anything yet.”

“Working under Master Kotel is a great honor, but it’s not without its disadvantages.”

He said with a face that was even slightly tearful.

“The people who come here all want the highest quality items, so it’s very difficult for an apprentice like me to sell anything. I don’t know how many more years it would have taken for the master to allow my items to be put on display.”

“Ah. That is for sure…”

“Miss, thanks to you, I gained courage. You are the first patron of my work. Thank you so much.”

I was starting to feel burdened by his gratitude.

I hadn’t paid a penny, so it was a bit embarrassing to be called a patron.

“So, what I’m saying is, may I know the name of my first patron?”

“My name is Sign…”

“Signa.”

Yukomis, who had returned before I knew it, cut off the words at the entrance of the store.