The trio quickly stopped by a blacksmith that looked slightly different than the others they had passed by.
"Are you sure this is a blacksmith shop? It looks more like something for high-class customers," Kaze reconfirmed with the twins.
"Definitely. Don't let its outwards appearance fool you," Luniel nodded confidently. "Look around first. I'm off to find the owner."
The shop they were in certainly looked more glamorous compared to the rest, mainly because of the polished wooden tiled floor and the neatly painted walls. There were various items on display, with most of it being ornaments and outfits over weaponry. The only real thing considered a 'weapon' from here was a shelf of staffs for magic casters and mages, which looked just as dazzling from the intrinsic design and carvings.
Kaze, being someone who mainly used the sword, was astonished by the details applied on the outfits while strolling by the display. Lunaea followed right beside him, curiously staring at him as he carefully examined the clothes.
"Um… K-Kaze? Why are you acting so… scared?"
"Hey now, I don't know if I will ever be able to afford a single item here if I accidentally damaged it," Kaze shuddered. "While this might be window shopping, I still have to be careful."
"But if you really wanted… you have enough money to afford it here?"
"Wait, how much credit, err, points are in this thing?"
Kaze, for the first time, took a good look at the card he was provided with. Since starting their tour, Lunaea and Luniel kept on treating him with food to the point he didn't even need to pay yet. Now that he was able to examine it on his own, Kaze noticed a string of numbers popping up underneath and let out a shocked cry.
"F-Five figures???"
"Why are you… surprised? There are things in here worthy of going up to 6 and even 7 figures…" Lunaea simply tilted her head at this. "It depends on what you buy, but it definitely is enough for a medium-tier armour… Oh, sorry, I forgot…"
It was clear what Lunaea had realized and wanted to apologise for at the end of her sentence. She remembered that Kaze did not have the funds or the luxury to window shop often enough to understand the value of an item or get used to buying expensive armour. For them, who grew up around such things, it was already second nature when it came to rational purchases and price deduction. Kaze lacked such an experience, so it should be no surprise he reacted this way.
Sighing when judged by the princess, Kaze stuffed the card back into the pouch and continued browsing through the items. It was hard to concentrate when he could feel Lunaea's 'condescending' look drilling to the back of his head. Lunaea obviously wasn't judging him for being poor, but the way she stared at him gave him pressure. For someone so petite and small in size, she exerted incredible pressure from simply staring.
"I… don't think I'm buying anything," Kaze told Lunaea to try and deter her from staring. "I'm just looking, that's all."
"Not buying anything? Don't be like that! I'll give you a discount if you do end up purchasing two or more items."
From behind, Kaze heard this loud and rough voice talking to him. When he turned around, he found a middle-aged unkempt man walking up to him. Based on the black rubber gloves on his hand and the apron in front, he was clearly a blacksmith who worked here.
"The name's Draven, Master Smith and owner of the shop," Draven removed his glove and shook Kaze's hand. "My, it's been a long time since I last saw a human enter my store."
"Be polite to him, Draven," Luniel giggled, appearing from behind them. "He's Lunaria-nee's precious guest."
"Oh, invited by the crown princess, were you! You MUST buy something from my store then," Draven grinned and gave Kaze a hearty slap on the back. "Come on, what're you interested in?"
"A-Ah, I'm Kaze- Um, I'm just looking around," Kaze got swept up in his overly friendly attitude and was unable to escape his business lure. "Lunaea and Luniel were giving me a tour of this place when they recommended to come here."
"That's really no surprise, considering the princesses frequent my place for shopping," Draven nodded. "They must prefer my high-quality items and design."
"Don't flatter yourself, Draven. It's true we come here often, but that's only because Lucentia-nee wants you to help with her design," Luniel sighed and shook her head at his helplessly overconfident attitude.
"Lucentia?" Kaze looked at Luniel. "Design?"
"Lucentia-nee's a model, so things like her earrings and necklace gets purchased directly from this shop," Lunaea explained. "You rarely see her wearing anything flashy, so it's no surprise you don't understand the worth Draven has."
Taking a closer look at Draven, Kaze widened his eyes when he realized why Draven was so highly praised. He was a dwarf.
"Should've figured that out when I first came out, shouldn't you?" Draven smirked upon noticing the surprise in Kaze's eyes. "This your first time seeing a dwarf?"
"Y-Yes. I figured dwarf smiths are shorter and more muscular," Kaze nodded slowly. "But…"
"I'm built different? Hah! Don't let these scrawny arms fool you, boy! I've had more time spent hammering away on jewels and gemstones than you have swung your sword!" Draven flexed his arms for Kaze, instantly showing the bulging muscles and veins underneath. "Also, the only reason I'm not 'short' as you would classify dwarfs is because I'm mixed-blooded. Father's a dwarf, mother's a human."
"Don't let that fool you from noticing his dwarf-ish looks he inherited," Lunaea whispered to Kaze, causing him to smile.
"Hey, I heard that!" Draven crossed his arms and grunted at Lunaea, who hid behind Kaze to avoid receiving the end of the sword. "Jeez, as if you dragonkins don't inherit a mix of another race either."
"Wait, aren't dragonkins a pure race?" Kaze asked, feeling a little confused by Draven's statement.
"Kaze, while our ancestors might not be a result of cross-breeding, we do have characteristics similar to that of elves," Luniel pointed at her ears. "Notice how our ears are pointed, unlike those of humans? We resemble elves in that sense. It is not known why we have this characteristic, but it could just be something we share in common and not related to the way we were born."
"Ah, I think Lunaria told me that before," Kaze felt this part being familiar to him. "It just didn't click."
"Well, regardless of who is right or wrong, it all comes down to you being my customer," Draven told Kaze. "Allow me to introduce what I sell, since you're a first-timer. As a dwarf smith, I don't craft weapons or armour like the others. What I do mainly revolves around gemstones and ores."
To give Kaze an example, Draven took a necklace from a shelf and began pointing at specific areas.
"See this? I crafted and shaped this red jewel. Along with the other small glittering things all around the necklace."
"That's… insane," Kaze gulped, for he knew how much hard work it would take to even be that detailed and precise. "I can see why Lucentia wanted you to prepare her items."
"Those staffs over there? I help make a few, but I don't craft those," Draven gestured to all the staffs neatly lined up. "I have my other friends help make those since we specialize in certain things too."
"What about the armour?" Kaze asked. "Like… these clothings and outfits."
"Oh, we don't consider those to be armour," Draven waved his hand, as if deflecting Kaze's question. "They are adventuring outfits, good for exploration and easy movement. For armour, I would suppose you are referring to combat armour or something like the guards and soldiers wear."
"Yes. But… I feel like these clothes could be considered armour already," Kaze sweatdropped. "There's so much enchantment on each of them that it feels like it's a steal to even buy any one item…"
"You call this a lot of enchantments? Hah! These are only the basic ones that merely buff the user who wears them," Draven laughed at his words. "All the enchanting work is done by someone else too, so I can't speak for them, but I'm pretty sure that it is only necessary for clothing worth THAT much to amount to these few enchantments."
"Kaze, you do know these are only worth up to few thousand credits for the full set, right?" Luniel felt dubious when Kaze said it was worth a lot more. "These are basic items you should have."
"When we get to tens of thousands, that's where the fancy stuff comes in," Draven rubbed his hands together when he said this. "Come, let me take you to the back of the store where you will see most of the behind-the-scenes."
Taking Kaze through a door behind the counter, they passe through a sound barrier that blocked all the rough noises from the atmosphere of the shop. There, Kaze was able to witness the working process behind each of the items sold in the store. From sewing to chipping away at ores, everything was laid out in the big space before him.
"Now, don't be intimidated from what you see. We have a neat system in place to ensure that everything is not simply scattered everywhere and our work proceeds smoothly," Draven stated. "I don't think we will get into every process because that's boring, so I will just guide you through the rough outline of it."
Half an hour later, Kaze walked out of the shop with a bag in hand and smiles on everyone's faces. Their tour was successful, with Kaze learning something new and making friends with Draven. As one of the few humans he had seen in a while, it was normal that Draven wanted to get acquainted with Kaze, especially being someone who got invited by Lunaria herself. With a hearty pat on the back and a handshake, Draven sent them off with a huge grin.
"Well, that wasn't so bad was it?" Luniel asked Kaze, who walked in the middle of her and her twin.
"You even bought something," Lunaea noted, referring to the bag in hand. "Was it worth spending nearly half your given budget on a single item?"
"For what it's worth, hopefully," Kaze made a nervous smile when asked.
Heading to the opposite direction now, the last of the market area to explore was the miscellaneous area. There was only half an hour left so honestly not much time was given to Kaze, who spent most of his time at the food street and with Draven.
"Alright, off you go," Luniel gave him a light push on the back.
"Are you two not coming?" Kaze asked.
"Nope. We need to check on our lunch place first," Luniel shook her head, Lunaea standing next to her. "Have fun on your solo exploration. Don't forget to meet back at the entrance!"
Spreading their wings, the twins flew out of sight from Kaze. As tour guides who planned the day for them, they had to make sure everything was ready and on schedule so they could adapt to any necessary changes if needed. Needless to say, Kaze admired them for being able to lead a group like them so well in a foreign place.
As Kaze ventured down the street, he quickly met up with a few of his friends who looked to have bought quite a lot of items already, as compared to him. Irene, for example, had bought what looked to be a pendant from the blacksmith alley that provided a small buff to her magic resistance as a bonus. It was funny seeing Chris being just as excited too, considering that he was friends with Yuuji who often had access to fancy items as well.
He walked a little further down and spotted Lunaria alone. She looked to be occupied with flipping through a book at a bookstore. From outwards appearance, it was either a spell book or a novel with how intrigued Lunaria's expression was. Even when Kaze approached her, she did not take her eyes off the book.
"Boo," Kaze whispered into her ear from behind, giving her a scare.
"Oh, Kaze," Lunaria turned around immediately and sighed. "Sorry about that. I was too engrossed with this spell."
"Where's Sera and the others?"
"They, uh… wandered off down that direction. I think they wanted to get a few arrowheads?"
When Lunaria talked to him, Kaze felt relieved that she didn't seem too bothered by the events of yesterday despite giving him the cold shoulder earlier.
"… Sorry," Lunaria muttered, realizing what he was thinking of. "I've been selfish."
"Huh?" Kaze blinked, not expecting an apology from her out of nowhere."
"W-Well… walking around with those three gave me some time to think. Last night, all I cared about was why you and my mother were discussing about me without me. It was obvious that mother was trying to avoid talking about something sensitive with me being there while trying to understand what you are to me… I just got worried about what you would think if mother told you something unpleasant about me."
Turning around to face him properly, Lunaria glanced sideways before bowing a little.
"I'm sorry Kaze, I treated you unfairly. It was wrong of me to blame you for something you had no control over. I shouldn't expect you to go against my mother, it would be rude for a commoner from another nation to talk back to the Empress herself."
Kaze widened his eyes when Lunaria began apologising so earnestly. Looking around in a panic, he led her to a quieter area not far from where the marketplace was. It made Kaze feel bad that Lunaria was apologising in the middle of a crowd, especially when she was easily recognised as the crown princess. Interacting with Lunaea and Luniel made Kaze realize the impact Lunaria and her sisters had to the people of the nation. For them to see Lunaria bowing to Kaze, a foreign visitor and a human, would be equivalent to suicide.
Of course, Lunaria knew about this and still chose to do so. For Kaze, Lunaria felt that she had to do anything necessary to not seem like she was making a big deal out of nothing. As someone who had Kaze on her mind practically the whole time, Lunaria became obliged to not make Kaze hate her. It was clear that she was in the wrong and she admitted it in the open, trying to prove her sincerity to him. Clearly, Kaze was worried about the consequence of her doing so and it made her happy.
"What were you thinking?" Kaze whisper-shouted to her once they were out of the open in a safe area for private talk. "I don't want to get chased by a mob of angry dragonkins thinking that their princess got bullied."
"But you didn't. If there was ever a sign of threat, I would have had it under control," Lunaria said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you doubt my authority?"
"N-No, I just acted out of fear," Kaze admitted. "One day here has taught me that your race is pretty scary."
Giggling at this, Lunaria lightly tapped Kaze's shoulder to get his attention. To this, Kaze reacted by tilting his head upwards to meet her.
"Since when did the Kaze I know become such a scaredy-cat? I think the centipede you fought was way scarier than a mob chasing after you," Lunaria teased him.
"Hey now… I don't want to risk all of them transforming into dragons," Kaze shuddered with a nervous smile at Lunaria's innocent grin.
"This makes me wonder if you know the laws of when and why a dragonkin is allowed to transform," Lunaria tilted her head at this. "If you do, then you would know that we are a very rational bunch."
"… Speaking of which, your dragon form was terrifying," Kaze spoke softly, afraid of offending her. "You wrecked Tristania like it was nothing."
"I apologise it was revealed at a very inappropriate time. To this day, I still don't know why I transformed all of a sudden," Lunaria shook her head. "I barely have any memory of what happened that day. Lunatea and the others projected their memories for me to understand and witness it."
"Lunaria, are you alright?" Kaze's tone shifted from guilt to concern at her words, his hand grasping both sides of her arms. "From… the devils and whatever."
"This is a pretty late question to ask, considering that we met yesterday," Lunaria made a weak smile at this. "Yes, I'm recovering with help from mother. The mental fatigue I suffered was much worse compared to the light wounds on my body. No magic can heal those wounds other than allowing one to rest and take time for themself."
Touching his cheek in respond, it was almost like Lunaria was telling him that she was alright for now in a calm, reassuring way. Kaze closed his eyes when the warmth of Lunaria's hand transmitted to his skin, enjoying the sensation. It was a different sort of warmth that his grandfather brought him when he caressed his cheek. The sort of warmth Lunaria emitted gave Kaze the urge to want to hug her tightly, telling her over and over again it was alright.
"… Oh, right, I bought something," Kaze remembered all of a sudden and took an item out of the bag he was holding to.
From inside, Kaze took out a small square wooden box. Lunaria's eyes lit up when she saw the small symbol on top of it, for she recognised where Kaze would have bought the item. It also gave her a hint to what she was being presented with, hence the reason for her cheeks dying pink.
"Here, it's for you," Kaze placed it in her right hand. "I hope you like it."
Lunaria said nothing and used both hands to open it. Taking off the wooden cover, the inside revealed a matching pair of earrings, nestled elegantly in the middle of the red velvet cloth used to protect and display them. It wasn't something fancy or had any jewels, like most of the products that Draven designed. Instead, it was made out of a mixture of different ores, giving it that metallic glow that resembled a crystal in a cave.
The earrings were not the small circular type, but one that dangled from one's ears. Kaze chose one that looked like a few crystals made out of metal dangling together from where the piercing was supposed to hook at Lunaria's ear. They don't make any sound when colliding with each other because of it being a product of a mixed ore. What was more important was that the simple design would easily fool anyone since the hardest work was crafting it. The earrings required very delicate control to smoothen it and give it that nice even shape such that they don't break during the crafting stage. Even Kaze recognised the hard work put into such a humble display.
"There's no particular reason for choosing this for you, since I thought maybe it suited you best," Kaze fumbled with his words as Lunaria examined the earrings, her silence terrifying him. "You know, think of it as a reunion gift. I'm pretty sure you already have a lot of earrings that would be more attractive, but this was what I could do with the budget without it looking flashy or anything…"
Eventually, Lunaria couldn't help it and collapsed into a fit of giggles that evolved into laughter. The way she laughed so freely and loud made Kaze feel embarrassed.
"70 years…" Lunaria spoke after she calmed down. "This is the first time I honestly feel charmed from receiving something so tiny and normal-looking. Kaze, you have bad taste."
"W-Well, sorry for being someone who doesn't understand fashion," Kaze sulked. "Just… return it if you don't like it."
"No, I mean that you have bad taste for gifting something so special to someone like me," Lunaria smiled, wearing the earrings in front of him.
When she was done, she gave herself a little twirl, effectively capturing Kaze's heart. It felt strangely satisfying for Kaze to see Lunaria wearing the earrings he gifted her.
"So, how does it look on me?" Lunaria asked with a giggle, seeing Kaze's stunned expression.
"You look different, I don't know why," Kaze blushed and looked away. "I feel excited and embarrassed at the same time that you accepted the gift."
"Really? That makes me happy then," Lunaria simply nodded at this. "I can tell that Draven must have recommended this item to you."
"E-Eh? You knew?"
"It wasn't too hard to guess. In a shop as exquisite as his, it isn't easy to spot an item like this among all the glamour."
"Do you feel… I am not as sincere because of that?"
"Far from it. At least it was something you took your time and consideration to pick for me. Why are you so concerned?"
Taking a step forward, Lunaria was inches away from his body when she looked up at his face and leaned forward even more. This caused Kaze to blush even more than he had before, for Lunaria's charm had suddenly escalated exponentially the moment she wore the earrings. His eyes darted between her face and her earrings, unsure of where he should look at. This took him back to the events of the previous night when Lucentia 'ambushed' him out of nowhere. The scenario he was in with Lunaria right now reminded him of it, causing his heart rate to escalate to the point that his breathing became funny.
It didn't help that Lunaria's cheeks had turned red as well, proving that she was just as embarrassed about what she was doing. The last time this happened was months ago, when they first moved into the house with everyone else. Unlike that time, however, Lunaria was doing this out of her own self-consciousness. She was willingly pushing herself closer to Kaze, ever so slightly that their lips were nearly touching.
Just when the atmosphere picked up on their momentary silence, Lunaria suddenly stepped back and sighed.
"… Why don't the three of you step out now?" Lunaria spoke aloud, still blushing from what they were doing. "I know you've been here the whole time."
As if on cue, Kaze looked around the area to see who Lunaria was talking to and out came the trio who had been spying on them this whole time. Sera, Rena and Shoko emerged from the corner of the street, each having similar expressions on their faces without a single shred of guilt that they intentionally snooped on their friends.
"So close!" Shoko acted as if in dismay and slapped her hand. "We almost got it!"
"Ahaha… caught red-handed," Sera admitted with a laugh, scratching the back of her head.
"Mou~ Kaze, you're weak," Rena pouted. "If only you had hugged Lunaria at the very last moment."
"W-What did you three expect me to do?!" Kaze shouted, feeling like he had just exposed his dignity to them. "I don't plan on taking advantage of Lunaria just because we reconciled!"
""Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her, kiss-""
"RENA! SHOKO!!"
Sera and Lunaria stood by as Kaze chased after the cheeky duo, wry smiles on their faces. It was true they had been set up wonderfully by their friends, all so that Kaze could have a moment with Lunaria. In other words, they were grateful, but the teasing went a little too far.
Lunaria later admitted that what she had done was simply eye candy to amuse her three friends, yet it strangely gave Kaze a sense of defeat.