"Huh? Me?" Raphtalia looked surprised, caught off guard by how quickly the conversation had turned to her.
Chuan Wenwu said, "After all, Raphtalia, you want to become a mage or priest who uses magic to support us in battle, right? You've already picked up a few low-level light and dark spells, so naturally, we need to get you a staff that helps you cast them. Apparently, casting magic without a medium uses up a lot more mana."
"But, Brother Chuan, shouldn't we be getting you some equipment first? Brother Bruce already has a cool set of armor, but you're still wearing ordinary clothes," Raphtalia asked in confusion.
"Heh, I'm the Shield Hero. Naturally, my most important piece of equipment is my shield. Even a decent suit of armor wouldn't offer as much protection as my own defenses, so there's no need to waste money. Ordinary monsters can't break through my defenses-and if something could, wearing armor probably wouldn't help anyway."
Chuan Wenwu straightened his collar and said smugly, "Besides, I've already moved past the stage of choosing strength over style. Comfort is what matters most now. The money we save should go toward you two!"
"Enough with the big talk. Just making materials for your Shield of the Hero to absorb and copy accounts for the biggest share of the spending, doesn't it? Bruce's armor and weapons combined didn't cost as much as the shields and Long Spikes you commissioned from me," Elhart quietly pointed out from the side.
"Ahem!" Chuan Wenwu cleared his throat twice and changed the subject. "Anyway, let's buy Talia a staff first. Got any recommendations, boss?"
"Me?"
Elhart pointed at himself. "Come on, lad, take a good look, would you? This is a Weapon Shop!"
Chuan Wenwu nodded. "Exactly, a Weapon Shop. So your Weapon