Sword, Magic and Academic Society

After a 30-minute ride in the car, we arrived at the 'Shinglaud Royal Capital East Branch'. It was apparently the most prominent weapon and armor retail store in the Royal Capital. It was a spacious one-story building with a high ceiling, resembling a hardware store from my previous life in appearance, with weapons and armor densely arranged inside.

"Well, your primary weapon might be similar to that strange wooden sword, but considering you even forget to arrange proper armor or weapons for hunting, I presume this must be your first time in the store, right? You might want a secondary weapon later, so you can also check out what kind of weapons are available here."

I see, so she hadn't brought me here without a plan. Though, I didn't really have any fixation over the katana.

"Thank you, Stella!"

I thanked her from the bottom of my heart.

As I took a step inside the store, nervousness welled up inside me. The arrival of people wearing the Royal Academy's uniform, more so getting off from a gorgeous open-top car, instantly attracted the attention of a pompously dressed man as he came our way while rubbing his hands together.

"Welcome to Shinglaud. I am Rundo, the branch deputy manager of the Shinglaud Royal Capital Eastern Branch. I apologize as our Branch Manager just happened to be inconveniently out at this time, so this Rundo will be catering to Jeuri Leverance-sama and her friends from the Royal Academy. Pardon me, but may I enquire what business you have today?"

The old man with a swept-back hairstyle — one that was too commonplace in a department store — in a sharp attire greeted us with a deep bow.

I guess from the crest on the open-top car and our uniforms, he immediately figured out our and Jeu’s identities. A man who knows his stuff, huh? Hah, but it was due to this excessive courtesy from others that I disliked coming with these guys...

"You need not concern yourself with us. It should be me who should apologize for arriving without any prior notification. I’m here to accompany my friends shopping."

Jeu, too, responded in a refined manner. Hmm, well, she is a noble lady, after all.

A buzz spread inside the store at the arrival of our group who not only seemed to be from an influential family but were also students of the Royal Academy.

"So it is, I understand. It's truly an honor to be able to guide the students of the Royal Academy, the future pillars of this kingdom. I apologize for jumping out first, but may I ask the purpose of your friends’ visit and their approximate budget?"

"I am Feyrune Von Dragoon. I’m also here to accompany my friend." (T/N - It wasn’t phon, but von. My brain had a derpy moment and missed the obvious implication. EN - I think we always used von though?)

"Stella Achilles. Likewise, I’m just accompanying my friend.”

"I am Aldore Engraver. A mage aspirant. I already have the wand, so I guess it will be armor for me. My budget is approximately 20,000 rea."

"Coconial Canardial. I am looking for a short sword and armor. Budget is around 30,000 rea."

Wow~. The statuses of our families were basically the same, but both of them had quite a grand budget. As for me, maybe it was simply because we were poorer, or maybe it was the consideration of my mother, my allowance was quite small in comparison… Perhaps, it was the combination of both? Anyway, I wasn't counting on my allowance at all.

On Rundo's side, I could see a shining glint in his eyes when he heard everyone's introduction and said.

"My, my! It's truly my lucky day to meet the shiniest gems of the Royal Academy, the members of Class A. And oh my, that dark-brown hair… Dare I wonder, might you be none other than Allen—"

"This humble self goes by the name of Pork Lidz. My budget is meager 2500 rea, and I’m here for a weapon, and if possible, to see if I can cram in a secondary weapon, armor, and necessary survival tools for an explorer."

I spontaneously stated whatever character came to my mind and interrupted Rundo from continuing, who was looking at what seemed to be some kind of list while confirming our identities. I just wanted to be spared from another drama if he also has taken the embellished rumors flying around the Royal Capital at their face value.

Rundo appeared confused at the appearance of an unfamiliar face among the distinguished guests, more so a poor bloke. Hah, he could look at his list countless times, but of course, he wouldn’t be able to find my made-up name.

"2500 rea, is it? I believe we can arrange for your desired equipment with this budget, but they all will be of the lowest quality. Would it be fine with you? Incidentally, we do provide a loan with a trivial interest rate for students of the Royal Academy..."

"Pfft. And here I wonder why you suddenly appeared wearing your casual clothes. Rundo, you don't need to mind Pork's budget, I’ll be buying his weapon."

I was indeed wearing casual clothes, though my original intention wasn't to falsify my origin here. I had planned to visit the Explorer Association Eastern Branch alone afterward and hear the stories of other explorers there.

"Oh my, then let me gift Pork-san with armor to celebrate his registration as an explorer. Please arrange high-grade equipment matching his style."

…This reminded me again why I wanted to avoid shopping with them.

In any world, it wasn’t hard to come across fools who would splurge on top-of-the-line equipment the moment they registered as explorers in the beginner town. What a way to be a killjoy, no?

"Fey-sama! Jeu-sama! I must humbly request you to cease your jests. Adorning an ordinary porter like myself with top-tier equipment is an act of excessive kindness! Ah, do take note, even Rundo-dono appears vexed! This humble self will look around alone, so please assist Al-dono and Coco-dono."

I said. Then I turned around and hurriedly distanced myself from the group. I bet the other side, too, would prefer to prioritize the distinguished guests like them rather than a poor bloke like me.

It’s just that, Jeu appeared to be enduring the urge to laugh with a red face as if she had just achieved her goal.

◆◆◆

Sure enough, the store was truly spacious and big, befitting their status as the best among others in the Royal Capital. All sorts of weapons were put on display.

I looked around excitedly while roaming inside the spacious store.

I supposed these were all premium items, weren't they? I was currently at the section near the entrance where various swords were on display. As I walked past the wall showcasing a longsword with intricate decorations, I couldn't help but glance at the price tag attached to it. The sheer number of zeroes confirmed that the sword was beyond my budget.

My current purpose was to scout the market price either way... Let's see, a two-handed sword, even the least expensive one, costs around 2000 rea. Even ordinary iron swords that seemed to be mass-produced were priced similarly.

Well, the price might be just right considering the cost of living in the Royal Capital, but it was going to be tough for me to get a two-handed sword considering other items I have to buy as well.

On a side note, the sole sword that caught my eye was an expensive black katana. The details were as follows:

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Name - Dark Crusher

Country of Manufacture - Baerentz Archipelago

Manufacturer - Evyu Ningrose

Material - Black Tiger Iron

Price - 220,000 Real

Description - A single-edged longsword crafted from black tiger iron — an ore that boasts 10 times the hardness of regular iron — through a secret forging technique.

The sword exhibits exceptional resistance to mana, and it can sever even spells.

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The jet-black blade looked really cool, however, the price of 220,000 rea was a complete turn-off. It would take quite some time before I could afford this.

I had never seen anyone carrying a katana in the Royal Capital. So I guess it was a luxury item.

I then moved to the adjacent one-handed sword section. The long swords here were slightly cheaper. The majority had a price tag of 1000 rea. However, there was also a one-handed buckler placed beside each of them. I guess they were sold as a set.

But the set would also put a strain on my limited budget. Perhaps, I should consider just preparing a shield. I was using a sword even before my awakening, so it was my priority but beggars can't be choosers, huh? Besides, I kinda wanted to try out different equipment.

Afterward, I took a look around the spear, naginata, pole, and other long-reaching weapons. Unfortunately, from the perspective of the lowest price, these weapons, which required a large amount of materials to make, were expensive when compared to long swords.

Next, I shifted to the bow section. Bows were generally separated into two types: longbows, which were as tall as a person and what I would expect to be used by the archery club members from my previous life, and short bows, which were designed in an M shape and something I would expect a hunter to use.

It seemed like longbows were preferred for the range and power they provide, while short bows were favored by those who prefer rapid rotations. But a bow, huh…? It was a weapon filled with romance, but I never considered it as an option considering my budget and the fact that an edged tool was first and foremost on my list.

The cheapest longbow was priced at 1000 rea, while short bows started at the price of 500 rea. However, arrows were sold separately.

The simplest pointed wooden arrow cost 5 re each. Arrows with iron-heads were priced at 10 rea. Hmm, considering the running cost, I think it might not be practical...

While I was contemplating while groaning with my hand holding the cheapest short bow, a tall lady, seemingly the clerk, approached me. She seemed to be 27 or 28 years old.

She was slender, with long legs, and sported shoulder-length brown wavy hair. She didn't seem to be wearing makeup, but that actually gave her a youthful impression. If anything, she seemed better suited for wielding an assault rifle in an overcoat than a longbow.

"Are you an explorer? Assuming from your appearance, you must be a rookie who just registered, right? We also have a place to test the bows out if you would like to."

"Really? I would absolutely love that!"

Hearing my swift reply, the female lady giggled with a teasing smile, said 'Follow me', and took me to the testing ground beside the building.

Ah, finally, I just wanted this kind of normal interaction......

EN - edited 11/25/2023.