Chapter Two Hundred and Twelve: Anniversary Date 2
“So you’re the champion of the last swordsmanship tournament?”
The card Julius called a letter of introduction bore the golden rose and crown of thorns—the emblem of the Earthfil Kingdom Swordsmanship Tournament. When he showed it to the gatekeeper, Karen and Julius were courteously invited inside, where they were greeted by a dwarf. The card Julius held must have been something akin to a special privilege granted to the winner of the tournament.
The dwarf’s height didn’t even reach Karen’s chest. More than half his face was covered in a beard. Though he held a bottle of liquor in one hand, this wasn’t a sign of improper behavior—when it came to dwarves, alcohol was practically the same as water.
Julius must have contacted him in advance, as the dwarf seemed to know he was coming.
“A pleasure to meet you, magical tool craftsman Urgo. As I wrote in my letter, I am Julius, a knight of the Ehlertt Earldom. She is Karen, an alchemist.”
“N-Nice to meet you.”
Seeing Julius and Karen clearly dressed for a date, the dwarf’s eyes grew distinctly suspicious.
“Hmm? I’m Urgo, the proprietor here. Well, a warrior who protects the nation may use the champion’s privilege as he pleases, but I would say this place is a bit too exclusive for simply showing off to a lady, don’t you think?”
“Is that so? When a man is in love, does he not wish to present the finest thing in this world to the woman he adores?”
“Well, there’s no doubt my magical tools are among the best in the world—one or two, anyway. If your partner is truly one of a kind, then I suppose that follows. You’re surprisingly devoted—for a human, that is.”
Karen had heard neither the sweet words Julius had chosen to suit her tastes nor the prejudice the dwarf Urgo seemed to harbor toward humans.
“Ah… aah… ah…!”
Already visible over Urgo’s shoulder were magical tools she’d only seen in commoner school textbooks.
Looking down at Karen trembling and restraining herself from charging inside, Julius narrowed his eyes in rapture.
Glancing up at Julius, then at Karen, Urgo shrugged his shoulders.
“Feel free to look around, but don’t touch anything without permission. When you want to touch something, ask me if it’s all right first. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Karen gave an energetic, well-behaved reply and then marched inside in a comically polite speed-walk. She clasped her hands behind her back as she walked to avoid accidentally touching anything.
Magical tools came in two types: artifacts called the goddess’s magical tools that human hands still couldn’t create, and artificial magical tools crafted by humans in imitation of them.
In most magical tool shops, the difference between the two was obvious and unmistakable. But looking at the magical tools lined up in this shop, she couldn’t tell them apart.
The most well-known man-made magical tools were those that used elemental magic stones to produce fire, water, wind, or earth. The devices used in bathrooms and kitchens to generate water or flame were precisely such inventions.
Karen looked at a water-producing leather flask. For water flasks used in dungeons, it was said that for drinking water, one should definitely use the goddess’s magical tools and avoid human-made artificial ones. Since the mouth of this one was shaped for easy drinking, it was probably one of the goddess’s magical tools.
But Karen’s assumption was quickly proven wrong.
“That’s a magical tool I made. Can’t tell it apart from the goddess’s magical tools, can you?”
“Eh, but—”
“Some people say drinking water from human-made water flasks makes them sick, but that’s just because the people who made those magical tools don’t understand water flasks well enough. With the water flasks I make, there isn’t anyone who ruins their body. Not in the hundred and fifty years I’ve been watching, anyway. Gahaha!”
Though not as much as elves, dwarves were also a longer-lived race than humans. If it had been fine for a hundred and fifty years, about half of all humans would have reached their natural lifespan anyway, so even if there were problems, it wouldn’t matter much—a long-lived species joke.
“That’s amazing. Could it be you’re using earth magic stones?”
When Karen asked casually, the smile vanished from Urgo’s face.
“—Why do you think that?”
“Eh? Ah, I’m sorry. That’s a trade secret, isn’t it?”
“The manufacturing methods for magical tools are, of course, our craftsmen’s greatest secrets. That’s precisely why, if they’re leaking, I’d like to confirm the source of that leak… but you were an alchemist, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I don’t think your magical tool manufacturing methods are leaking, Mr. Urgo—I just understand water as an alchemist.”
Karen said this while fidgeting.
The water produced by water magic stones was probably ultra-pure water containing nothing but water itself. If someone who’d been sweating and losing salt from their body drank too much water containing no minerals like salt, it wouldn’t be strange for some people to develop water intoxication. That was why, even now, though Karen had water-producing magical tools at home, for drinking water she drew well water and boiled it, or drank juice or wine.
Most likely, people with high magical power had their magic supplement their bodies, so no problems arose on the surface. But it was known from experience that it became poisonous for people with weak bodies—babies, the sick, the elderly—and so it wasn’t basically used for drinking water.
She’d just thought on the spot that to make a water flask that could include minerals while producing water, one might be able to use earth magic stones in addition to water magic stones. That said, having secret manufacturing methods guessed correctly couldn’t feel good.
Watching Karen shrink back, Urgo stroked his beard roughly.
“I see, you appear to be a fairly skilled alchemist. What was your name again?”
“Karen!”
“Magical tools for alchemists are over here, Karen.”
“Thank you so much!”
Karen’s face lit up with a radiant smile, and without sparing Julius a single glance, she trotted after Urgo’s guidance.
No comments:
Post a Comment