The woman approached Yuda with slow steps.
“Would you like help finding something? Or would you prefer to browse and pick yourself?”
“I’ll look around and choose myself.”
She looked unwell, and there was no need for assistance, so he politely declined. She told him to take his time and returned to the counter to sit, while Yuda began browsing through the shop.
“Is this really okay?”
Jeanne glanced at the sickly shopkeeper and whispered to Yuda, her eyes full of distrust about buying here. The weapons nearby were well-maintained, though. Yuda pulled a longsword from the rack and handed it to her.
“See for yourself. The quality of the weapons isn’t bad.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Taking the sword, she noticed its sharp edge and made a surprised expression. The shop’s rundown appearance aside, it was cleaned daily, with no dust on the displays. She returned the longsword to its place.
“If you need anything, buy it now. I’ve heard the quality here, at least, is top-tier.”
“No, I’m fine.”
She replied instantly. Fair enough. Blue lance knights didn’t need extra gear since they were able to summon full-plate armor, a lance, and a shield. There was no need to buy anything else.
Ignoring the longswords and bastard swords, Yuda headed for the daggers. Despite the shop’s small size, it sold a wide variety of weapons. The daggers were in a corner.
‘Hmm. In the game, the shopkeeper just showed the sale list.’
In the game, there was no need to search as the NPC displayed a sale list. At the very bottom was the most expensive one, identical to the other daggers, and that was Altemia.
To be more specific, Altemia is hidden inside the dagger, like a Russian Matryoshka doll. The shopkeeper doesn't know this and simply believes it's a family heirloom.
If you lacked funds to buy the dagger, the NPC would say, 「This dagger was made by my great-grandfather, a family heirloom. It’s not normally for sale, but… if you truly want it, I’ll sell it at a fair price. Due to family circumstances, I can’t lower it.”」 and would tell you to return with enough money.
But now, the shopkeeper was sighing constantly, and bluntly asking to see the heirloom was a bit… Yuda picked up one dagger after another, glancing over their info windows before setting them back down, repeating the process.
‘Huh? Why isn’t it here?’
He checked each of the thirty daggers one by one, but none of them seemed special enough to be called a family heirloom. There was no way the info window would lie, and there weren’t any daggers set aside on display either.
‘Is it hidden?’
Or… did someone already buy it?
No, that can’t be. Yuda convinced himself.
But he couldn’t help frowning, anxiety creeping in.
“Why does the shopkeeper look so ill? There must be a temple here too.”
Jeanne, who had been watching Yuda pick out daggers nearby, spoke up. She was staring at the shopkeeper behind the counter, who kept sighing. Unlike Jeanne’s worried tone, Yuda’s response was indifferent.
“Well…”
"The reason the shopkeeper looks ill is not because she is suffering from a disease, but because of her worry for her daughter. Her daughter has a rare illness that cannot be cured by a priest's healing arts or an alchemist's potions, only alleviated at best. However, even that requires an enormous amount of money.
That’s why the dagger hiding the fragment was sold at a high price. After buying it, the shopkeeper offered an optional quest. It wasn’t mandatory, but completing it would provide tremendous help later when visiting the elves’ land later.
‘But that quest depends on getting Altemia first…’
"What to do? Yuda, lost in thought, repeatedly tossed the dagger into the air and caught it.
Should he ask the shopkeeper directly about the fragment? But in the game’s setting, they were unaware the heirloom contained a fragment.
He checked again, but no dagger seemed like the heirloom. Sighing, Yuda set the dagger down. Logically, they wouldn’t mix a precious heirloom with ordinary weapons for sale.
Walking to the counter, the weary woman looked up. Her worried expression stirred sympathy. No wonder Jeanne was concerned.
“Are those all the daggers you have?”
“Yes. Are they not to your liking?”
“No, it’s not that. The item I’m looking for isn’t…”
Wait. Yuda’s eyes turned toward a display case in the corner behind the counter. The display case was covered with a long cloth, but the bottom shelf was visible because the cloth was too short, revealing a weapon on display. It was a dagger. At a glance, the ornate dagger looked expensive. There seemed to be other weapons in the display case, but Yuda had no interest in them. With a sudden thought, Yuda checked the dagger’s status.
──────────────────────
[Name: Dagger with Something Hidden by a Craftsman]
[Rank: Legendary _ Ordinary Sword]
[Equipment: Dagger]
[Durability: 5/5]
[Attack Power: 30]
[Description]
It appears to be a dagger crafted by a master blacksmith but has a serious flaw. It seems to hold a special secret.
-Secret (Passive): The dagger hides a special secret.
──────────────────────
Found it! That’s the one!
Altemia was inside that dagger. Calming his racing heart, Yuda pointed at the dagger in the case.
“Could I see that dagger?”
“The weapons in that case are family heirlooms… I can’t show them on my own.”
She meant it wasn’t for sale. Normally, he would turn back and leave, but he had to buy that dagger. In the game, it wasn’t this difficult.
“I’ll pay any amount you want. But I would like you to sell me that dagger.”
“……”
The woman looked troubled but hesitated, likely due to his offer to pay any amount.
“Fifteen gold coins. I’ll give you fifteen gold coins.”
“Fifteen gold coins, really?”
“Yes. Even for an heirloom, such a price doesn’t come often. What do you think?”
In the game, it cost ten gold coins, but he offered five more. Her eyes widened, fists clenched, and her lip-biting showed deep conflict.
“Could you wait a moment? I’ll discuss it with my husband.”
She stood abruptly and went to the back. Jeanne grabbed Yuda’s shoulder.
“Are you out of your mind, Yuda? What’s so special about that dagger to offer such a huge amount? With fifteen gold coins, you could buy a really good weapon! This is a waste of money! It’s insane!”
“No, don’t worry, Jeanne. I’m perfectly sane. For now, just—hm—I’ll explain later. Watch, and you’ll be amazed.”
“Hah!”
Jeanne exhaled sharply, frustrated, her expression one of utter disbelief. She started to speak but clamped her mouth shut, sighing.
“Fine. I hope you give me a proper explanation I can understand. Hoo-I’m stepping out for a bit.”
“Sure, it won’t take long.”
Jeanne stomped out without looking back. Yuda gave a wry smile at her retreating figure. Soon, the shopkeeper returned with a burly middle-aged man. She fidgeted nervously. The man approached the counter, looking down at Yuda.
“So, you want to buy the heirloom?”
“Yes, I’ll pay fifteen gold coins.”
The man looked skeptical, as if doubting a young person like Yuda could afford fifteen gold coins. Instead of replying, Yuda pretended to reach into his coat pocket, opened his 〈Inventory〉, and produced the coins. They gleamed even in the shop’s dim light. As a blacksmith handling metal, he would know they were real. He quickly collected the fifteen coins Yuda offered.
“Hm, it’s a dagger made by my great-grandfather, but it’s not that great. In my opinion, it’s not worth fifteen gold coins. You won’t regret this? I could sell you something else.”
Not worth fifteen gold coins? Yuda barely restrained a scoff.
Nowhere on the continent could you buy a fragment for fifteen gold coins.
“No, it’s fine. I only want the dagger.”
“If you’re that insistent… alright. Wait a moment.”
He lifted the cloth from the case and retrieved the dagger. Not a speck of dust marred it, its blade gleaming sharply. Yuda took it with a satisfied look. No message about acquiring the fragment appeared yet.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Suddenly, the shopkeeper bowed deeply to Yuda, thanking him. Her voice trembled with tears, and she began to cry. The man approached, hugging her tightly, and she broke into sobs.
“I paid a fair price, so no need to thank me, but it seems there’s a story behind this?”
At Yuda’s question, the man hesitated, as if debating whether to share, and let out a long sigh.
“It’s no big deal. We just needed some money.”
“How can you say it’s no big deal!”
The crying shopkeeper, still in his arms, looked up and shouted. The man, startled, held her shoulders with a stern face.
“Honey! You know that’s not what I meant!”
“Even so, how could you?! After seeing how much she’s suffering, how can you so easily say it’s no big deal?”
Yuda couldn’t bring himself to interrupt their exchange and could only wait for them to calm down.
Comments