Volume 3 Chapter 6 I Want To Write A Story, But──
I never thought I'd see the person I fell in love with at first sight again, let alone walk with her. My heart felt light, even though I felt sorry for Kyunei and Mikage.
"By the way, young lady. What do you want with that eccentric old man?"
A refined lady like her wouldn't have any business with a gruff, bearded old man, unless she were a female mercenary looking for weapons.
"Well... I want to request some craftsmanship."
"Craftsmanship? From that old man?"
"You may not know, but he's a skilled meister (craftman) in various fields, you know?"
It's hard to imagine that bearded old man doing craftsmanship. It's more fitting to imagine him swinging a hammer to make a huge sword.
As it was close by, we soon arrived at our destination, the armor shop.
The shop owner opens irregularly due to running it as a hobby, but luckily, it was open today.
"Old man, are you here?"
As usual, there were no customers inside the shop. When I called out towards the back, a bearded old man came out.
"Hey there, kid. What brings you here today?"
"It's not me, the one who has business here is this young lady."
As I took a step away from the entrance, the young lady entered.
As soon as he saw her, the old man smirked and stroked his chin beard, saying,
"Oh ho, looks like you've caught yourself a new girl again. Be careful, or you might get stabbed by those young ones soon."
"Hey, don't say something so scary!"
Why did this old man have to say something like that in front of the young lady of all people!
'...Well, partner, I can't deny any of it.'
"Hahaha! I've heard that heroes like you are attracted to a certain type, but if you keep getting distracted by other girls, 'those girls' will turn away from you. So be more moderate."
"Shut up!!"
Both Gram and the old man teased me, and I shouted in frustration. Then, tremblingly, I turned towards the young lady.
She was wearing a deep cloak, hiding her expression. It was hard to tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Eventually, the girl took off her cloak. Her vibrant red hair floated gently, revealing her beautiful face.
The old man had a sly grin, but when he saw the girl's face, he seemed a bit surprised and took a sharp breath. Well, it's no wonder he'd be surprised to see such a beautiful girl in this musty old armor shop.
"You... "
"It's been a while, meister-sama."
It seemed like they knew each other. Maybe my introduction wasn't really necessary. No, I must have fulfilled my role as a guide, yeah.
'Even if you try desperately to earn points, it might be too late, right?'
No, maybe I can still make it on time!
--Well, even if I make it on time, what's the point?
"Hey, kid."
While Gram and I were discussing on Telepathy, the old man approached with a serious look on his face.
"I have something to discuss with this young lady. Sorry, could you please leave your seat for a moment?"
"...Should I report this to the guard?"
"It's a serious matter, you idiot."
Leaving a young girl and a bearded old man alone in the same space feels like a recipe for trouble.
As I seriously consider whether or not to report this, the young lady looks in my direction.
"Please wait outside the store. Don't worry, if anything happens, I will shout loudly."
"Hey, hey."
"...Haha, just kidding."
The old man, looking troubled, smiled mischievously at the young lady. Seeing that, the old man's expression became surprised once again.
And then the old man turned to me and said,
"...You're quite the womanizer, aren't you, kid?"
Everyone here seems to have a tendency to say things that sound bad, seriously!
* * *
As Yukina leaves, the only ones left in the shop are the young lady-- Aina, and the elderly blacksmith.
"Wow, I'm totally surprised. I never thought the princess would come here without any guards."
Not only was the princess wearing a cloak that covered her deeply, but also the idea of a princess like her being in such a place was hard to believe at first.
"No, there was guard. He was very reassuring."
Aina looked towards the door of the shop. She smiled at the thought of the young man with a spear on his back who would be waiting just beyond that door.
These two had known each other since Aina was little. While they weren't extremely close, the blacksmith had enough interaction to have conversations without being too stubborn with her.
In the blacksmith's memory, Aina rarely wore such a natural smile.
But now, she seemed to be smiling naturally, both before and now, as if she wanted to smile at everything she saw.
"...Really, that kid..."
The blacksmith sighed, touching his forehead as if lamenting.
There was no doubt that Yukina was involved.
The blacksmith knew it, even without asking anyone. Since meeting that young man, he had been constantly surprised.
"How did you meet that boy?"
"Well, he helped me in the city before. Although, that was the only time I saw him..."
"So, today, you happened to meet again and came here together?"
"I'm embarrassed to admit, but I didn't know the way to this shop. Whenever I come, I just rely on the carriage and glance at the city."
Aina scratched her cheek, feeling embarrassed.
She vaguely remembered the signs of the shop and its surroundings, but she couldn't recall the detailed directions from the royal castle to here.
She managed to proceed with faint memories, but along the way, she encountered similar shops and streets, and got completely lost.
"Seriously, I've heard that you're one of the best in magic, but still, you have your position. The royal castle must be in chaos by now."
"Well, I'm prepared for that..."
"Anyway, considering how smart you are. You must be aware of the trouble you're causing and there must be a good reason for it."
The blacksmith stroked his beard and gave Aina a serious, evaluating look.
"Now, let's get to the point. What's the reason for the princess to sneak out of the castle and come here?"
Aina took out a piece of paper from her pocket and a small ore that fit in her fist, placing them on the shop's counter.
"I... have something I'd like you to make for me."
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