7-5. At the Hometown of the Dwarves (4)
Satou's here. Turmerics are amazing. When I had to drink and got hangover after getting dragged to corporate parties, I always drank it.
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On the next morning, three little girls and one girl are suffering from hangovers.
"Kuah, my head hurts. Uuh, it's blurry."
"Nyuu~."
"Ouch......Nodesu."
"Satou, medicine."
Of course, Nana who has drunk medicine yesterday is fine, but even Liza and Lulu are alright too.
Lulu is handing water for everyone. When my eyes meet with Lulu, she turns red and looks down. I am not so uncouth as to quip shameful sight of a drunken person, but since it's cute, I'll leave her like that.
I make everyone drinks the same potion that Nana has drunk.
The effect of the potion is splendid, everyone who has been groaning since a while ago quickly gets back to their usual self and begins saying that they're hungry. I better not ask if they remember about yesterday. Particularly Arisa and Mia.
Since Jojori-san has come for us, we're going to the dining room. Come to think of it, even though elder Dohar and Jojori-san are the ruling family of this town, they're eating in the same room as the craftsmen and the blacksmiths. I wonder if dwarves see themselves as family?
Elder Dohar in the dinning room has already decided to have a drink in the morning. The meat in front of him is the same one we've eaten yesterday, the basilisk meat. It does taste good, but the smell is too strong and I can't exactly say that I like the flavor. I prefer something a bit more plain.
He's only noticed that Mia who has taken off her hood for the meal is an elf. It seems that I'm narrow minded with my worry, dwarves and elves don't have bad relationship.
"Hoo, the girl of Bornean forest eh. I've heard that you're missing, but you're actually eloping with a human huh?"
"Nn. Mutual love."
Don't say that scandalous thing. It's unfounded.
"I've saved her from a bad magician, and she's going to tag along until the forest."
"Mwuu."
It seems she's dissatisfied with the mutual love declaration being torn off.
"Since we've got request to search her from Bornean Forest's Senate, do you mind if we send them letter to report this?"
"Yes, I'm sorry troubling you."
Driar-shi, the mayor, arranges the letter instead of elder Dohar.
The worker's guild manager in Seryuu city should have sent a letter, but since, there's no guarantee that the letter will arrive, unlike the post office's registered mail, there's probably no problem even if there are many of them.
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I'm bringing everyone to go on a sightseeing tour of Bollhart city today, since yesterday I've left them unattended. They've already replenished the consumables yesterday. As expected.
Looks like Jojori-san has deliberately voluntereed to guide the sightseeing. It feels like we're VIPs.
First, we're going to the magic shop I'm taught yesterday.
"I'm sorry Satou-sama. I can't take people who don't have permissions from grandfather to the magic shop before the mine. There's no problem with Satou-sama, but I have to ask the other honored guests to wait here."
We're going on a tour together! Or so I've thought but it's already running aground.
Things won't change even if I trouble Jojori-san, so I decide to ask everyone to wait here and finish my business quickly.
The magic shop, Don-Haan, is beyond the passage after the open-space above the furnace for mithril-making yesterday. I see, I can understand why it needs elder Dohar's permission if it's here.
Per Jojori-san's request, I put the fairy sword we've made yesterday on my waist. I've made the sword belt myself from when I'm making something for Nana back then. The sheath has been made in hurry, literally before the breakfast today. It's a plain simple sheath with wood as the base. I'm thinking of making more proper sheath some other day.
"Yo, Jojori, have you fallen for a human? Zajir will cry y'know."
"Oi, Jojori, what are you doing bringing a human here. Oya-san will knock you out y'know?"
Twin small old men greet us inside the magic shop. They're gnomes, not dwarves.
"Hello, old man Don, and old man Haan. I've gotten permission from grandfather."
Jojori-san says so while pointing to the pommel of my fairy sword. Since the gnomes ask to look at it better, I take it off the sword belt and put it on easy-to-see place.
"This is, I'm surprised. If this isn't True Mark of Oya-san."
"Dang surprising. Did Oya-san make this as a joke after drinking too much?"
It seems that True Mark is like the signature of Dohar-san, and he doesn't usually put it on commonly made things. If I show this True Mark to the dwarves and gnomes of this self-governing dominion, I'd be treated like an old friend. Elder Dohar... you're too nice to a youngster you've just meet yesterday.
For the time being, since I could buy anything in the shop thanks to the True Mark, I decide to see magic books and scrolls in this shop.
This is also an alchemy shop, but they're only selling finished products, and there's no compounding tools or materials for sale.
"Right eh, we have lower grade magic books for water, wind, ice and fire magic, while the intermediate grade magic books are for earth and fire. There are also unusual stuffs like blacksmith magic and mountain magic."
Don-san is piling up magic books.
This is the first time I've heard blacksmith magic, but it's just magic arranged for blacksmithing purpose, it looks like it's usable with fire magic skill. It's the same with mountain magic, it's just arrangement of magic for searching and digging out minerals in the mine, it seems to be usable with earth magic skill. I'm also advised that magic from other elements are necessary too, although there are only few.
I've bought the lower grade magic books from human towns, but since I see some unfamiliar spells in them, I buy them all. Since we can't carry it, it's decided to get it delivered along with their stock delivery.
"Hoo? Scrolls eh? We do have scrolls, but they're only expensive things for people who could use magic themselves, the effects are very light y'know?"
Haan-san takes the scrolls from the shelves here even while warning me like that. It seems that there are only six kinds of scrolls here.
"They're insurances for miner who's going solo to the mine. To crush rock so that it becomes sands, [Rock Smasher], for when water comes up [Freeze Water], and [Hard Clay], also, for reinforcing brittle bedrocks [Mud Wall (Wall)]. There are also [Air Cleaner], and [Air Curtain], for breaking through place with strange gas."
Of course, I tell him that I'll buy it all, but Don-san halts me.
"I'm sorry lad. I insist that you hold back on [Air Cleaner]. There's only one of that left. I want to keep it in stock until we restock next month."
"If it's like that, I'm fine with the other five."
It's regrettable, but it's not something I want at the expense of the dwarves. Moreover, it looks like the scrolls here are bought from the Toruma (Ossan)'s household, so I'll probably get it anyway when I get to the dukedom's capital.
The scrolls I've gotten are as follow.
>Scroll, Earth Magic: Rock Smasher
>Scroll, Earth Magic: Mud Wall (Wall)
>Scroll, Earth Magic: Hard Clay
>Scroll, Wind Magic: Air Curtain
>Scroll, Ice Magic: Freeze Water
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After finishing the purchase in the magic shop Don-Haan, I sally forth to the city with everyone.
At first, Pochi and Tama are dangling on both of my hands, but Mia and Arisa begin to complain. In the end, they've calmed down after they're alternating holding my hands in turns for each street, the turns are decided with rock-paper-scissor.
Oh? Once we begin to walk, I notice that there are people following us.
They're dwarves when I check on the map, or rather, they're people from Bollhart public order bureau. According to Jojori-san, they're bodyguards that Driar-shi has prepared. It's not 'feel like', but we 'are' treated as VIPs.
At the center of the square with water fountain, there are swordsman who's sword dancing, grinder shop, and people selling weapons openly.
The commodities are put on the sheet on the ground, unlike with stands like in Seryuu city. Although it's not like the displayed items are bad, they're also not especially good so I'm not interested.
There's a weaselman street vendor who's opening a play with target on the square. It seems that you have to hit a target 3 meter way with darts that look like shuriken. A session is one copper coin, and you'd get three pennies for each one of the five shurikens hit. It's the customers' victory if they hit twice right, isn't that easy?
"How 'bout it bro. Would ye like to play?"
Since Pochi and Tama seem like they want to, I give him one copper coin.
"I'll hit with them all nodesu."
Pochi's first throw missed. It looks like the dart's balance is bad. No, seems that it's deliberately made to be unbalanced. Yet, she still hits twice, she does have throwing skill.
"I've hit twice nodesu!"
"Aiyaa, jou-chan is great really. I'd have to survive with rice if this keeps up."
I pat Pochi who looks pleased after she receives one copper coin and one penny. Her tail looks like it'd get torn off.
"Revenge for Pochi~?"
Everytime Tama throws the dart, the surrounding people cheer. She has hit it three times in a row.
"Oh, that little girl is besting the record."
"I'm betting for four hits."
"I'll bet that third will be the last."
They've begun betting, but Tama throws the fourth and fifth darts without minding the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the fifth one misses, but she's amazing enough for hitting fours with darts made to miss.
"One missed."
"It's quite amazing already Tama."
She's wanted to hit with all the darts to the point that she forgets to ask for the prize. But, it seems that she pulls herself after I praise her. While she's rubbing her head on my hand after I've finished patting her, she triumphantly shows the copper coins she's gotten on her hand to Pochi.
Since Tama shows her two copper coins and two pennies, Pochi's rivalry is burning and she's going to challenge the play again, but the weasel man doesn't accept re-challenge from people who have hit the target for twice or more.
Everyone else have also challenged it, but beside Mia who hit once, no one hit even once. Even though Liza occasionally does spear-throwing practice, she's missed it all. Jojori-san encourages me to to try it, but I refrain.
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There aren't only weapons, armors, and other savage things that are on display on this square, various handiworks made from gems or precious metal are also lined up. Although they look finer than the ones in Seryuu city, I feel like they look a bit rougher than the one I usually see on the TV's CM.
Since we're already here, I suggest on buying one silver worth of handiworks for everyone, but--
"The things that master makes are better anyway. Please put plenty of your love in it."
"Meat~?"
"That's right nano desu, I want grilled meat nodesu."
"Steak is nice, but I think that roasted meat on net is better."
"Crêpes."
Arisa is asking for accessory, but starting from Tama, Pochi, then Liza, and even Mia are making noises for food.
Nana and Lulu who are looking at the accessories agree with Arisa and tell me that my self-made accessories are better. I could do it easily due to production skills anyway, I'll make some matching earrings or bracelets I guess?
Maybe they're hungry because they're talking about food, I decide to have meal on the restaurant that faces the square. Since I've been in the basement for a long time, I secure the seat on the open terrace in front of the restaurant. When we're ordering the meal, Pochi says a very curious thing, "I wish to quickly go on a journey and eat master's meat nodesu." Somehow everyone sympathizes with Pochi's remark and nods, Jojori-san is showing a confused face as the only one who doesn't understand the situation.
The meal is black bread with cheese and sausage garnishes, and it's normal for the dwarves to pour these with ale. The sausage is minced, so I put mustard on it. It's mustard after a long time, and when I check on Lulu, it seems that she's bought various type of sausages and mustard. GJ.
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"Why aren't you selling mithril sword even though here is dwarves' hometown!"
When we're drinking ginger tea after the meal, I could hear such yelling. When I glance there, a man who's wearing noble-like clothes is complaining to a dwarf who's selling weapons on the street stall.
It looks like the peace is ending and the disturbance at the dwarves' hometown seems to begin.