Magic Item Shop

Cain returned to his room, changed out of his training clothes, and rinsed off the sweat. He put on a white traveling robe, a single bracer, and a simple belt with a scabbard, then draped a cloak over his shoulders. Instant Void hung at his waist, while the stone sword rested across his back.

When Cain came downstairs in his crisp white outfit, Roxy's gaze settled on the stone sword on his back. She blinked.

"Cain, aren't you going to get another sword? That stone one doesn't look very reliable."

"Hmm. I feel like they're all about the same."

"Equipment is an adventurer's second life, you know. Let's go to a magic item shop."

Cain gave a helpless nod at Roxy's serious expression. They had plenty of Asura Gold Coins now, so upgrading their equipment made sense.

They walked side by side through the soft snow, looking like two plump penguins beneath the swirling flakes.

They went to the Adventurers' Guild first, because they had discovered that magic item shops weren't open before dawn...

"Hey, Roxy, Cain. You're up early."

"Uh, why are you all here...?"

Cain and Roxy blinked at Zoldat, Mia, Rina, and the others standing before them. Their mouths twitched.

Zoldat smiled and slung an arm around Cain's shoulders.

"We're one adventuring party now. You and Roxy joined us, didn't you?"

Cain pursed his lips at Zoldat's easy grin and waved a hand.

"Roxy and I only joined in name. We'll help out, of course, but today we wanted to tackle a dungeon by ourselves."

Roxy blushed and nodded. In her heart, she agreed with Cain wholeheartedly.

Exploring a dungeon together was a perfect chance to grow closer... No, to teach Cain about dungeons.

"I see. Could you take us along?"

Was this guy deaf? I said I wanted to explore the dungeon alone with Roxy.

Cain narrowed his eyes at Zoldat. Zoldat's mouth twitched, and he quickly waved both hands. He had no desire to be sent flying into the sky again during one of Cain's training sessions.

"No, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to interrupt your time alone. It's just that there aren't any B-rank dungeon commissions left. They're all A-rank Dungeons now, and going in with only two people and no backup could be dangerous."

"W-what time alone? We're teacher and student! Please don't say things like that. People will get the wrong idea..."

Roxy gripped her staff, her face bright red. Zoldat, Mia, Rina, Thea, and Bruce exchanged glances, then turned back to the pair with warm smiles.

Roxy pressed her lips together and looked at the silent Cain.

Cain, say something! If you keep quiet, they'll think it's true!

Cain raised an eyebrow and nearly spoke, but Zoldat had a point. If he and Roxy entered a dungeon alone and stepped on a teleportation trap that separated them, he would get lost instantly. That would leave him in a terrible position.

"A-all right. We're in the same party anyway. But please, let's split the reward evenly."

Roxy sighed, then nodded and addressed the group seriously. Setting the terms now would prevent needless disputes over the reward.

Of course, she and Cain had no need to divide things that way between themselves.

Roxy didn't think any monster in a dungeon could threaten Cain, who was a Sword God. But a high-level A-rank Dungeon might contain teleportation traps or other magical traps that forcibly pulled people elsewhere.

She knew her student was absurdly strong, but he also had a terrible sense of direction and depended on her to guide him. If he got separated from her, he probably wouldn't even find his way out of the dungeon.

"No problem! Roxy, Cain, we look forward to working with you!"

Mia, Rina, and Fira hurried over with sweet smiles. Roxy was actually older than they were, but as long as they didn't call her a child, she didn't mind being treated as the younger one.

After all, who didn't like being seen as a little younger?

The three women were the party's priest and mages, though Roxy was far stronger than all three of them combined.

Cain nodded to them in greeting, then stood a little closer to Roxy. Their ornate clothes and plunging necklines drew the eye, but his gaze remained calm as it passed over them.

Hah. Compared with Roxy, they might as well be nothing.

He didn't know the three of them, while Roxy was both an important companion and his teacher. He still owed them basic courtesy, but that was all.

The women's smiles faltered slightly. He really did like petite girls. Did their mature looks leave him completely uninterested...?

Zoldat exchanged a glance with the dwarf beside him, Brook, and they both smiled faintly.

At least they knew Cain wasn't the sort to chase every woman he met. They had once had a male frontliner who got two of their female mages pregnant and then ran off with them. Their party's strength had suffered badly.

Zoldat had never forgotten it, which was why he disliked adventurers who got romantically involved with their teammates.

These two, of course, were an exception.

"This is an A-rank dungeon commission."

"Red Dragon's Grave."

Cain raised an eyebrow. He thought he had seen this A-rank Dungeon on his first visit. It must be difficult, considering the commission was still up after several days.

"Honestly, it would be tough for us..."

Zoldat gave them a teasing look and continued.

"But with Cain and Roxy along, it should be easy. Our god and high priestess are powerful adventurers who can even take down a Red Dragon."

Cain and Roxy both flushed.

What was this about a god and a high priestess? Neither of us ever agreed to those titles.

Roxy was the first to break the silence.

"Ahem. Anyway, Cain needs new equipment. Could you recommend a good magic item shop?"

Tackling an A-rank Dungeon as a pair was risky, so going with a larger group might be for the best. The reward would be substantial, too. It was just a shame she would lose the chance to spend time alone with Cain and teach him about adventuring herself.

"A magic item shop? I know a few good ones. I'll recommend the best."

Zoldat spoke up first.

"Oh? Do they have a magic item that stops people from getting lost? Just to be clear, I never get lost."

I only take the wrong road sometimes.

The others gave Cain odd looks.

You silly student. You've practically admitted you get lost all the time.

Roxy put a hand to her forehead and gently tugged Cain's sleeve, urging him to stop explaining. He was only making it worse.

"They do!"

Cain's eyes lit up.

"But none of the shops I know carry one."

So that's a no...

The Thunder Adventurer Group had accepted the commission in advance. After spending over half an hour checking that they had everything they needed for the dungeon, they collected Cain and Roxy, who had been waiting on a bench, and headed toward the center of Ranoa Kingdom.

It was nearly five. The sun was slowly climbing above the horizon, and the first faint morning light brightened the streets as the group entered the magic item shop Zoldat had recommended.

Cain and Roxy fell silent at the dazzling array of magic items inside.

Zoldat might have the face of a difficult womanizer, but he had recommended a good place.

"Welcome, adventurers. This is the Neris Magic Item Chain Store. What sort of magic items are you looking for?"

Roxy's eyes widened.

"It's that long-established magic item store? I never expected to find a branch here."

"Th-this young... lady has a good eye. The Neris Magic Item Workshop is a renowned, long-established manufacturer in Sharia Magic City. We don't just sell magic items; we can make custom equipment too."

The rabbit-eared saleswoman smiled.

She was about to call me a little girl, wasn't she...?

The corner of Roxy's eye twitched.

"Wow, this place looks good." Cain curiously examined the many magic items on display and the finely crafted longswords and short blades mounted on the walls.

Zoldat rubbed his nose smugly at their reactions.

"This is the biggest magic item shop with the widest selection around. I guarantee that, apart from the main store in Sharia Magic City, you won't find better or more varied magic items anywhere on the continent."

The prices were high, of course.