Buying Equipment

Inside a tavern in the Capital.

Princess Kaguya (hereafter referred to as "Princess Kaguya" instead of "Kaguya Otsutsuki") leisurely cut the food on her plate with her utensils. Though she had no idea how to use a knife and fork, she insisted on pretending otherwise. Every time she tried to eat, she knocked food onto the table, and her icy face betrayed her extreme irritation.

Ye Uchiha ate with utmost caution, stealing a discreet glance at Princess Kaguya, afraid of doing anything that might set off this ancestor who was already on the verge of exploding.

Quite a few customers stared at them strangely for a long time. As one of the people involved, Ye Uchiha could only pretend not to notice and quietly enjoy his meal.

After making it through their afternoon meal, Ye Uchiha led an impatient Princess Kaguya to a weapons shop with an enormous sword-shaped sign hanging outside.

"Welcome!"

As they pushed open the door, a hearty greeting rang out. A muscular, burly shopkeeper stood behind the counter, smiling at Ye Uchiha and his companion as they entered.

Ye Uchiha surveyed the shop's interior. All manner of weapons covered the walls, while display cases on either side held armor, helmets, and other protective equipment. It had exactly the look of a weapons shop in a fantasy world.

The shopkeeper greeted them warmly. "Judging by your clothes, young man, neither you nor this young lady is from the Kingdom of Melromarc. Adventurers from another country?"

"I'm Ye Uchiha, the fifth hero summoned yesterday."

Ye Uchiha casually picked up a sword and flicked its blade with a finger, producing a clear metallic ring.

Hmm, good quality. It's even better than the blades made by the artisans of the Land of Craftsmen. There's a strange energy on the blade, giving the sword a boost in strength.

What can I say? This really is a world of swords and magic!

Hearing Ye Uchiha introduce himself, the shopkeeper marveled, "Oh! So the rumors were true. The king summoned the Four Holy Heroes, but accidentally summoned an unknown fifth hero too."

"Speaking of which, your fellow hero, the Shield Hero, came here with his companion this morning to buy equipment. To think my humble shop would welcome two heroes in a single day. What an honor!"

"Naofumi?"

Naofumi Iwatani's carefree face immediately came to mind. Ye Uchiha returned the sword to its place without saying anything more.

Ye Uchiha got straight to the point. "Can you make custom equipment here?"

"I certainly can, but it'll be pretty expensive. Is that all right?"

The shopkeeper rubbed his fingers together. Though mindful of Ye Uchiha's status as a hero, he still doubted whether he could afford it.

"If I provide the materials, that should bring the price down quite a bit, right?"

"Huh? Sure, but let me make something clear first. Materials for making magical armor are nothing like the hides of low-level monsters such as Orange Balloons or Rabbit Monsters," the shopkeeper said after a moment's hesitation.

"Then a Subdragon's corpse should be enough."

"A Subdragon's corpse? You're not joking, are you, young hero? A monster of that caliber isn't something you could defeat!"

The shopkeeper was stunned by Ye Uchiha's words. He stared at his calm face, trying to find some sign of a lie.

"Then where's the Subdragon's corpse? If you killed it, surely you didn't just leave it out in the wilderness? Or did you hide it somewhere?"

"It was too big, so I stored it in here."

Ye Uchiha took out the Sealing Scroll and tossed it to the shopkeeper.

"...Is this a magic item?"

The shopkeeper unrolled the Sealing Scroll and studied the inked markings on it. There was indeed a strange energy fluctuation covering it, and his expression turned serious.

"If you're telling the truth, young hero, then this scroll must be some kind of spatial magic item, right?"

"You can think of it that way. It's an item from my original world called a 'Sealing Scroll.' These scrolls have three different uses: storing objects, releasing magic, and healing. This one is for storing objects," Ye Uchiha answered after a moment's thought, choosing terms that fit this world.

"I'm starting to believe you, young hero. If what you say is true, then even without a Subdragon's corpse to use as equipment materials, you could earn a fortune in gold just by selling these."

The shopkeeper handed the Sealing Scroll back to Ye Uchiha, speaking with wonder in his voice.

"My name's Elhart. I used to be an adventurer. These days, well, as you can see, I run a weapons shop."

Elhart extended his rough, calloused right hand with a friendly smile.

"Ye Uchiha. A ninja." Accepting Elhart's goodwill, Ye Uchiha forced a stiff smile.

Elhart burst out laughing and teased him. "You really aren't suited to smiling, are you?"

"And what about this beautiful young lady?" Elhart asked, turning his gaze to Princess Kaguya.

Princess Kaguya paid no attention to their conversation. Her pearly white eyes wandered as she admired the equipment in the shop.

"She's a companion I found just today. She isn't very good at talking to people, but she's quite strong."

Ye Uchiha casually invented an identity for Princess Kaguya, and Elhart did not question it.

"Well, since there isn't enough room here, come with me to the backyard."

Elhart led them to the weapons shop's backyard and pointed at a broad open space, signaling for Ye Uchiha to bring out the Subdragon's corpse.

Ye Uchiha nodded slightly and ran his fingertips over the unfurled scroll. A cloud of smoke suddenly burst forth, revealing the stiff corpse of a metal dragon, a Subdragon, lying in the clearing.

"Oh! It really can store things! A magic item like that would be worth at least five hundred-no, more than a thousand gold coins!"

At the sight of the Subdragon's corpse, Elhart's last lingering doubts vanished. His eyes shone as he stared at the Sealing Scroll in Ye Uchiha's hand.

"What grade of equipment could you make from this dragon's corpse?"

"Hmm, let me see. This Subdragon was at least level fifty when it was alive. To think you could kill it, young man, and keep its corpse in such good condition. That's some terrifying strength," Elhart exclaimed as he carefully examined the corpse.

"The scales, claws, fangs, and certain other parts can be used as equipment materials. As for the flesh, blood, heart, eyes, and so on, those are high-grade potion ingredients. They can be sold to merchants, witches, and apothecaries. I happen to know a few people, so if you trust me, I can sell them for you. After deducting my fee for forging your equipment, there should still be some money left over."

Elhart offered this assessment after gazing at the rather massive dragon corpse and considering it for a while.

"Sorry for the trouble, then."

Ye Uchiha did not refuse. If Elhart could handle everything for him, that would be ideal.

"Hahaha! You're a straightforward fellow, young man. I'll get your equipment made as soon as possible. You should be able to pick it up in about two days." Elhart clapped Ye Uchiha on the back with a hearty laugh.