My lady is going shopping
The bell rang, signaling the end of the last lecture for the day. The teacher, in the midst of writing on the blackboard, stopped abruptly.
"Well, let's wrap up today's lecture here. Oh, and remember, next week, we have expedition training, so make sure to prepare properly. I don't think any of you would be foolish enough to show up unprepared, but let's ensure nobody faces the day unarmed" conveyed the teacher before turning and exiting the lecture hall. The students, now relieved, filled the room with chatter.
"Good job today, Milady. What are your plans for after school?" I asked Milady, who sat beside me, while tidying up the writing materials spread across the desk.
"Well... by the way, how's my new equipment coming along?" Milady stretched lightly to ease her stiffened posture and inquired about the equipment she had ordered for next week's training.
"Yes. In that case, I've already received word from Libra Trading Company that it's been completed."
"I see. Then I should go pick it up toda—"
"Yes, yes, yes, Crow! In that case, I want to come along too!" Lady Maria suddenly interrupted our conversation, as expected.
She suddenly appeared in the front row, leaned between Milady and me, and started vigorously waving her hands to get our attention.
"Crow, I want to go too! I need to buy some things for next week, and since we have the chance, let's go together!"
"You...."
Milady looked visibly annoyed, her temples throbbing, as Lady Maria completely disregarded her and addressed me alone. It was quite disrespectful for Lady Maria to ignore Milady, considering she was a duke's daughter. While I was somewhat impressed by her audacity, I had seen this coming.
"Enough of your..."
"Maria, I apologize, but could you accompany me today?" Just as Milady was about to scold Lady Maria for her disrespectful attitude, someone else interjected.
"I just got premium tickets for the Royal Theater. How about going together?"
"What... Wait! Leon!"
Climbing up the tiered seating between the rows, a red-haired young man, Leon, one of Prince Albert's guards, appeared. He grabbed Lady Maria's hand and, without waiting for her consent, tried to forcibly lead her out of the lecture hall.
"What are you up to, Leon!"
"I apologize, Your Highness. I'll take my leave for today."
"Hey, wait!"
Prince Albert, who arrived late, was surprised and tried to stop them, but Leon simply gave a light bow and continued to lead Maria away. Afterward, only the prince and us remained, all of us seemingly bewildered.
"...What was that just now?"
"I wonder? I don't know either."
After a moment, Milady raised a puzzled question, and I responded by shrugging my shoulders.
Well, it wasn't entirely accurate to say I didn't know.
Leon's actions were part of my plan.
However, in reality, I didn't do much. All I did was call him and give him a little nudge.
"Right now, it's fine for everyone to play nice together, but don't forget, Lady Maria will ultimately choose only one. And, the way things are going, do you seriously think she'd choose you? Someone who can only swing a sword? Maybe you should reconsider your chances a bit more realistically."
"Most likely, if things continue this way, His Highness will be chosen. He's the prince everyone admires, after all, and all you can do is watch."
"I see, loyalty, huh? In other words, you'd willingly give up even a woman you love if your master wishes it. Well, that's truly something."
"...And so, you'll spend your life having everything taken by His Highness."
"You don't want her to be taken by His Highness, do you? Then it's simple. You just need to capture her heart. If you do that, His Highness will have no choice but to give up on her. And she'll belong to you alone."
"As a smart person, you should understand what you need to do, right?"
By stirring up these kinds of sentiments, it didn't take long for him to fall. I gave some advice, and I even prepared that premium ticket that's difficult for even royalty to obtain. If he didn't take action after all this, he'd be nothing more than a spineless individual.
But it was unexpected that he would abandon his role as the prince's bodyguard like this.
"However, someone has removed the hindrance. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Yes, indeed. There's no point in staying here forever. Let's go."
"Understood..."
In the end, the obstacle to Milady had been eliminated. And so be it.
I left the lecture hall with Milady, leaving the prince behind, still looking confused.
In the kingdom, nobles have a duty to protect the people by fighting against enemies. Therefore, for nobles, their equipment for battle is of utmost importance. They must always maintain their gear to ensure it performs at its best and is ready for use at any time. Essentially, it's their Noblesse Oblige.
Naturally, weapons and armor degrade with use. Even staves deteriorate over time with usage. Therefore, it's a common sight in the kingdom for nobles to periodically replace their equipment. However, only someone like Milady would casually buy high-priced gear as if it were a fashion statement every time.
"Well, well, Lady Isabella and Mr. Crow. Welcome to our company today" greeted the president of the company with a smile as we arrived at the targeted company via carriage after leaving the academy.
Located in the upscale commercial district, Libra Trading Company is a leading trading firm in the kingdom and serves as the official partner of the ducal house. The leader of such a company is undoubtedly exceptional
The president, Selpan, may seem like an ordinary young man at first glance, but he's an exceptional merchant who can compete on equal terms with nobles despite being a commoner.
"So, where is my equipment?" Milady inquired.
"Yes, we have it prepared here" Selpan replied.
Guided by Selpan, we were led to a room within the company premises, where company employees brought Milady's new equipment. Spread out on the table were a complete set of equipment for a mage, including staves and robes, all of which were top-notch items crafted by first-class artisans.
"How do you like it, Lady Isabella?"
"Well, it's not bad... Oh?"
As Milady inspected each piece of equipment laid out before her, she furrowed her brow when she touched a deep green robe.
"This robe, it's made from different material than usual, isn't it?"
"Indeed, Lady Isabella, you have a keen eye. This time, the robe is crafted using silk from an exotic spider species, rather than the usual material."
"Come to think of it, I've heard reports of unusual monsters in the eastern region recently..."
Monsters, in general, are harmful creatures believed to be born due to the influence of magic, and they are considered enemies of humanity, often mercilessly attacking humans when encountered.
While dealing with common monsters might have been acceptable, these creatures inherently possessed magic.
Therefore, facing common monsters was not something regular commoners could handle; instead, it was the nobles who took on the responsibility of exterminating these creatures.
Magic is not a privilege exclusive to the nobility.
To be more precise, nobles were emulating the abilities of these magical creatures.
Monsters possessed not only robust bodies forged by magic but also utilized their own unique magic in various ways, depending on their species.
These abilities ranged from fiery breath that could melt steel to lifting massive bodies into the air in defiance of the laws of physics. Some species even had abilities that remained a mystery to humanity.
The unique magical abilities performed by these monsters were labeled as "magic," and humans came to call the systematic techniques developed by the nobility based on the analysis of monster magic as "magic arts."
Now, let's shift our focus back to Milady's equipment.
Nobles often use materials obtained from the bodies of monsters for crafting their equipment. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, monsters' bodies undergo significant changes due to the influence of magic from birth, making them excellent materials. For example, dragon scales and claws are more durable than ordinary metals, and spider silk is known for its resistance to cutting and impact, making them ideal for crafting equipment with such properties. Second, monster bodies serve as catalysts for magic, and they have a strong affinity with magic, making their effects effective in imitation magic arts. When materials from special individuals with more powerful abilities than average are used, the resulting equipment becomes exceptionally potent.
"I'd like to try out this equipment. Can you provide me with a place to do so?"
"In that case, the underground training area is available for your use. Feel free to use it as you wish."
It seems that Milady is quite pleased with this equipment. She strokes the magic stone embedded at the end of her staff, looking enchanted. It's clear that she's eager to test it, likely aiming to unleash its power somewhere.
Understanding her enthusiasm, Selpan quickly gives instructions, and the employees who had been waiting exit the room.
"Mr.Crow, we'll handle the rest of the items in a different room. Please follow me here."
"Very well, Milady. I'll take care of the rest. Please enjoy your trials."
"Alright, I'm counting on you."
"Understood"
Milady was completely immersed in her equipment, so Selpan turned his attention to me and led me to a different room. I did try to get Milady's attention before leaving, but given her current state, she probably didn't hear me. However, with Eins and the others by her side, it should be fine, right?
... It should be fine, right?
"Mr.Crow, let's start with these."
In a room that was slightly less fancy than the previous one, they presented a batch of items I had requested. The contents included small vials of healing potions, bandages, portable rations, and several knives meant for my use.
Milady tends to be indifferent to consumable items like these, so it falls to me to ensure we have an adequate supply. Nonetheless, these items are readily available within the kingdom. I double-checked them, but there shouldn't be any issues with such straightforward items
The real business begins now.
"As you requested, we have four knives with enhanced cutting ability and two knives inscribed with the four basic elemental spells each. Additionally, there are six knives with explosive magic inscriptions for throwing."
All of these knives are magical tools. Honestly, as someone without magic, merely wielding regular knives wouldn't make me any more capable in combat, so this is expected.
While the kingdom doesn't manufacture magical tools like these, and they are imported from the empire, the items themselves are quite basic among weapon-type magical tools. The throwing knives can explode at will, and the others simply reinforce the blade. However, they are durable and highly reliable as weapons, which is why I prefer them.
"And... this is the last item."
After finishing the knife inspection, Selpan, with an unusually serious expression, took out the box containing the final item and placed it on the table.
"Let me check."
I received the box and checked its contents.
Inside the box was a single bracelet. It had a simple design with a focus on the embedded magic stone and inscribed magical symbols.
"The item you ordered didn't exist within the Empire, so I had it specially crafted by artisans contracted within the Empire. It can only be used once, but it should produce the desired effect as you requested."
"Thank you, that's sufficient."
I expressed my gratitude and took the bracelet. I attached it to the opposite arm from the one where I already had my storage bracelet. With this, all the preparations I could make were complete. Now, I could only hope that next week's expedition training would go smoothly.
"Is there something you'd like to say?"
Even though the exchange of goods should have been completed by now, Selpan was wearing a somewhat concerned expression, which piqued my curiosity.
"Are you really going to use that? It might sound strange coming from us, the ones who made it, but it's a defective item. Even the craftsman I hired scolded me, saying it's only for those who want to commit suicide."
"That's unusual coming from you."
The man in front of me always prioritized securing profits and could be ruthlessly pragmatic when needed, a true merchant at heart. It was unusual for him to take sides with someone, let alone express concern like this, making it a first-time experience for me.
To be honest, I had silently cursed him as a heartless, money-grubbing merchant, but now I felt a slight sense of remorse.
After all, he was just another human being.
Perhaps he had always cared for his customers like this, even though he never showed it.
"Mr.Crow is a valued customer of our trading company, you see. If you were to die, you wouldn't be able to purchase any more of our products" Selpan remarked with a smirk.
"Well... you have a point..."
I reluctantly admitted. Scratch that; this guy is definitely a scummy merchant. I take back what I said earlier.
"And personally, I have high expectations for you" Selpan continued.
"I'm just a butler. I'm not the kind of person you should have high expectations for. Besides, this is just a precaution" I replied.
I had heard similar things from Imperial servants before. Honestly, what did they expect from a mere butler?
Moreover, I didn't have a death wish or anything of the sort. I didn't want to use this thing, and if there was no need to use it, that would be even better.
However, I couldn't help but recall the incident during the last practical exam. At that time, I happened to notice that Lady Maria's behavior was strange. If I had been even a moment later in rushing to Milady's side, there was a possibility that her lifeless body might have been lying before me.
I clenched my teeth, vividly remembering the worst-case scenario.
I had to do everything in my power to prevent such a catastrophic outcome.
I'll use any means necessary and, if needed, I'll sacrifice anything to protect Milady.
Even if it means giving up my life, I'll do it without hesitation.
With this renewed determination, Selpan looked at me with a smile.
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