After Ilina's accusation, I sense Nina's shock through our connection. Honestly, I can't blame her.
What the hell went wrong? There would be no reason for Ilina to assume that Nina and I were in cahoots before today. I glance at Klaus, and he also seems shocked by Ilina's accusation. Right, so this must be due to a development since we left the inn.
My thoughts are interrupted by Ilina. She turns towards me with an exasperated look on her face.
"I've got to say, I'm impressed, Mizuki. I don't suppose you'll tell me why you're so friendly with an Elder Dragon, will you?" (Ilina)
Ilina is watching me closely, and while she was confident enough to speak up, I think she's still testing me. She may be unsure of the extent of Nina's and I's relationship, but why is she so confident that we have a history at all?
I expected skepticism from Ilina when I mysteriously produced an unknown item of unprecedented power, right when they needed it. However, when I brought them here, at worst Ilina should have suspected that I was using a fake item to hide my abilities. That's why I had Nina 'confirm' the item's authenticity. Did that make her suspect that Nina and I were cooperating?
If Ilina knew for certain that the item was fake, then it would follow that the dragon must be lying about it. Obviously, Nina telling such a lie would implicate our relationship.
However, it shouldn't be possible to know that an item doesn't exist, at least not with the certainty that Ilina is displaying. Also, she seemed to be genuinely pleading for the item before I handed it to her, and I don't remember feeling her suspicion directed towards me until afterward. What changed?
When Ilina took the marble to the tree stump, and I thought I heard her muttering, was that an incantation? If she cast a spell that appraises items on the marble…her conclusions and the timeline would make sense.
A smile slowly spreads across my face. Yes…if I'm right about this, and that's all she's basing it on, then I can still salvage the situation.
[Nina, I have an idea of how to salvage this, so please play along. I think you're going to like it.] (Mizuki)
[S-Sure, I'll follow your lead, Mizuki. That elf is smarter than I gave her credit for, I don't know how she figured us out.] (Nina)
Really!? You were not exactly the picture of uninterested in me.
I meet Ilina's gaze, then proceed with my stage performance. I let out a theatrical laugh while smiling at her. It's my turn to test her.
"Fufufufu…well, well. If we're talking about things that impress us, let's discuss your two dark class spells. One that lets you appraise items, and another that functions like an item box." (Mizuki)
Ilina is shocked by my statement, and Klaus seems to go pale. Looks like I was right. I also sense shock from Nina, but she stays silent. Before Ilina can recover, I press my advantage.
"However, I believe there's been a misunderstanding on your part about the relationship between Lady Nedonera and myself. I am but her humble servant and advisor." (Mizuki)
To emphasize my claim, I turn towards Nina and give an apologetic bow.
"I do apologize for my incompetence, Lady Nedonera, it seems that I was unable to maintain this charade to your satisfaction. I sincerely hope that you'll forgive me." (Mizuki)
I sense amusement from Nina.
[Oh ho, my attendant, huh, Mizuki? You're right, I am quite enjoying this. I guess I better start doing my part as well. Fufufufu…you come up with the wildest schemes. To commit to the act, perhaps we can have you attend to me later, hmm?] (Nina)
Nina laces her thought message with very suggestive overtones, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. This dragon needs to get her mind out of the gutter. Still, I chuckle internally.
I straighten my back and face Ilina again. She's watching me carefully, as if considering something. After a moment, she seems to make up her mind and addresses me. Her face wears suspicion.
"That doesn't make sense to me, Mizuki. I'm almost certain that you're the one who saved us outside the tavern that night. Why and how would the Great Dragon have asked that of you? That incident also suggests you have incredible strength. Finally, if that item was fake, you teleported us all the way into the forest. That's a monstrous ability I've never even heard of…you're no mere servant." (Ilina)
After her explanation, she directs a questioning gaze at me, as if waiting for me to address her criticisms. Damn, she really is as sharp as ever. That's okay, though, I think I have an explanation that will satisfy her.
I glance at Klaus and notice that he has sat down by a tree, and he seems to be staring at the whole scene in pure bewilderment.
"You're correct about me saving you, but I didn't act under Lady Nedonera's orders. I roam the town to keep an eye on things, and I happened to see you in the tavern. When I noticed that you used an item box spell, I was intrigued. That's how you got on my radar, and why I orchestrated everything since then." (Mizuki)
I pause to observe Ilina's reaction. Her confidence seems to be wavering some. Perfect.
"As for my strength, that's thanks to my Lady. Naturally, I have no magic affinity. However, when she graciously allowed me to undergo a ritual to become her subordinate, I gained great physical strength and learned a dark class invisibility spell. The teleportation was done by Lady Nedonera remotely, not by me. My role as her subordinate allows her to always know my thoughts and location. Allow me to demonstrate." (Mizuki)
I step between Nina and Ilina, and I hold up two fingers behind my back facing Ilina.
[Nina, tell them I'm holding up two fingers behind my back.] (Mizuki)
I sense surprise and amusement from Nina, then she obliges. Ilina looks at me puzzled, then seems to realize my intent.
[My dear Mizuki is holding two fingers behind his back, elf, and he requested that I tell you that. Now, I think that my attendant has been more than generous with addressing your accusations, so are you quite done yet?] (Nina)
Nice timing, Nina! The lingering doubt on Ilina's face disappears, and it is replaced by embarrassment. She quickly curtsies towards Nina.
"My apologies, Great Dragon, of course! I'm sorry for being so impudent with our questions, and I appreciate you and Mizuki being so forthcoming. You have a very capable and loyal attendant, and it seems that I let my imagination get the best of me." (Ilina)
Yahtzee! I'm about to try and wrap this up, and thank Nina for her excellent support role, when she goes off script again.
[One last thing, elf…] (Nina)
A flash of light envelops Nina's dragon form. Shortly after, the light fades and I can see Nina in her human form. Thankfully, she's clothed this time. What the hell is she doing, though?
I glance at Klaus, who is still nearly checked out from the shock of recent events, and then I turn to Ilina, who is staring at Nina in surprise with her mouth wide open. Then, Ilina glances at me confused, and at that moment I feel Nina wrap her arms around me from behind and kiss me on the cheek.
I look back at Nina in shock, and I can also sense her amusement. She is smirking and running her fingers through my hair, then she meets Ilina's gaze and addresses her.
"One of the consequences of Mizuki's subordinate relationship with me is that we can't be separated for too long or he grows weak. So, him going off alone to accompany you all the way back to the Elven Kingdom just won't be possible. It's best if he stays by my side and…attends to me." (Nina)
Ahh…she just couldn't resist using this situation to her advantage, huh. I'd be impressed at her ad lib skills, if only she had kept her jealousy in check. Instead, she decided to make everyone uncomfortable. Also…what the hell happened to 'dragon's hate lying'?
Ilina glances at me dumbfounded, like 'soooo, that true?'. I close my eyes and sigh deeply, then I confirm Ilina's unasked question with a nod.
I'm not about to openly contradict Nina, and she knows it. Plus, I did promise her that we'd go adventuring together just the two of us. What a sneaky dragon.
Well, it might be time to wrap up these discussions. I clear my throat to gather everyone's attention.
"Ehem…Lady Nedonera, now that they've already seen your human form, perhaps you could teleport us back to their inn room to finalize these discussions? I can picture the place in my mind, and you should be able to read it and take us there, right?" (Mizuki)
After making my statement, I look at Ilina and raise my eyebrow, like 'that okay?'. Ilina nods and calls to Klaus that we're heading back to their room. Klaus seems confused by the abrupt transition, but he obeys Ilina's command.
"You're correct, Mizuki, I think that's a lovely idea. Alright, elves, gather around closely!" (Nina)
Nina is still wrapped around my neck from behind, and Klaus throws his arm around me like before. Ilina steps in to grab me again…then freezes. Looking back, Nina seems to be glaring at her menacingly. Good grief.
[Nina, please cut it out, it's only a few seconds.] (Mizuki)
[But Mizuki! She…] (Nina)
Before she can protest more, I take Ilina's hand and pull her over next to me. Ilina watches Nina with terror, and I can sense Nina seething, but I ignore both.
"Alright, I think we're all ready, Lady Nedonera!" (Mizuki)
Then, I teleport us back to the elves' room before the situation can deteriorate further.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
After arriving back, Klaus made everyone some tea while the rest of us took seats at the table. Nina is admiring the marble that she grabbed from the tree stump earlier before we left, and she seems disinterested. Ilina begins the discussions.
"So, it sounds like you both wanted time to think over my request. Considering how much faster than expected we found Lady Nedonera, that shouldn't be a problem at all. However, I would also like to take care of some business in neighboring countries, so I can't stick around here for your decision." (Ilina)
Ilina gives an apologetic look.
"In other words, you'd like to discuss logistics for relaying our decision?" (Mizuki)
Ilina makes a face like she's impressed. Should I be offended by that? Eh…better to be underestimated.
"That's correct. Soon, Klaus and I will be traveling back and forth between the wolf-kin village in the demi-human country and Cedonia in the Ralzen Empire for other business. I was considering asking for your help with it, but I no longer think that's a viable option. I don't know specifically which days or weeks we will be in which place, so that makes meeting again troublesome." (Ilina)
Oh? I'm a little curious what she wanted our help with, and why she changed her mind, but I guess it isn't the most important matter right now.
"So, we need to devise a way to determine your location and set a meeting time and place covertly when we've made our decision? (Mizuki)
Ilina nods.
"Exactly. It's unsafe for us to communicate through written letters. The Ralzen Empire is antagonistic to non-humans, so it'd also be dangerous to meet up without careful planning. While we could just plan to meet back here at this inn exactly 100 days from now, or some other timeline, that leaves us with very little flexibility. Do you have any ideas?" (Ilina)
Hmmm…I could use magic sense to track Ilina and bring us to her with flying. Power level only magic sense wouldn't be very reliable in unfamiliar and crowded cities, though. I could give her a marble, but while those are rare enough here, there is no guarantee that the material itself is unique in these other regions. I'd prefer something that she can't lose or ditch, and that she wouldn't be aware of.
Hmm…I might be an evil genius. I hope this works.
[Nina, please play along with me, okay? Say, 'Mizuki, you could try testing one of those', okay?] (Mizuki)
I sense surprise and curiosity from Nina.
[Fufufu…another scheme? Very well.] (Nina)
"Mizuki, dear, perhaps you could try testing one of those?" (Nina)
Ilina looks at me with a quizzical expression. Perfect.
"Ah, yes, an excellent point Lady Nedonera. How shameful, I'm supposed to be the advisor here. I can't be sure that it will work, but it's worth testing." (Mizuki)
I turn towards Ilina and give her a warm smile.
"Ilina, what Lady Nedonera is referring to is an item that lets her sense your location as long as you have it on you. We'd need to test it first to make sure it's compatible with your magic, but that's not harmful to you. Also, you carrying the item is not something that anyone other than us would be able to exploit, and you could always get rid of the item to avoid our tracking. Would this be acceptable?" (Mizuki)
Ilina seems surprised, then looks like she's thinking it over. She narrows her eyes at me and responds cautiously.
"Perhaps…could I see the item, then have you explain how it works and what you need to test? That would go a long way to put my mind at ease." (Ilina)
A reasonable request. I hope I can give a logical sounding piece of fiction about this. I reach into my travel pack and pull out a small piece of one of Nina's scales from our fight. It's about the size of a US quarter. I display it to Ilina, and she inspects it suspiciously.
"This is a piece of one of Lady Nedonera's scales from her dragon form. For a couple of years after a scale is lost, it remains connected to her magically. She can sense it as part of herself and know its general location. If you carry this, that will extend to you as well. However, for reasons I don't understand, this connection can sometimes be perturbed by the scale's proximity to certain magic energies. The test would be to make sure this isn't the case for you." (Mizuki)
Ilina listens to me while she inspects the scale, then seems to determine that my answer was satisfactory.
"Okay, that makes sense. What do you need from me to test this?" (Ilina)
"Ah, that's easy. Could you please give me your hand?" (Mizuki)
I offer my hand out to take hers, and she looks at me hesitantly. I nod to reassure her, and I also sense surprise and agitation coming from Nina. Ilina places her hand gently in mine, and Nina's agitation spikes.
[Nina, please calm down. Say, 'Mizuki, I just need one or two minutes', okay?] (Mizuki)
Nina doesn't seem to calm down, or respond to my thought message, but she does as I ask otherwise.
"Mizuki, I should only need a minute or two." (Nina)
I nod as though acknowledging Nina. Then, as I hold Ilina's hand with her palm down, I take Nina's scale fragment and place it on the back of Ilina's hand, then move it up to her arm.
At this point, I close my eyes and focus on tuning my magic sense…to Ilina. I expect that this won't let me track Ilina, specifically, but rather high elves. Fortunately, those are rarer outside her kingdom than Elder Dragons, so it should work.
After almost a minute, I'm satisfied that my magic sense can react with her, and I notify Nina by thought message. She's been growing more agitated during the process, so I sense relief from her at this point.
"That's enough, Mizuki, I think it should work." (Nina)
I nod obediently and let Ilina's hand go, and she pulls it back nervously. Then, I set the scale fragment on the table in front of her.
"Well, it seems we're all set, Ilina, as long as you keep that item on you. Obviously, you know how fast my Lady can travel. So, we should be able to notify you as soon as we make our decision. Once we're close to you, then Lady Nedonera could speak to you telepathically to set a rendezvous without raising suspicion, if necessary." (Mizuki)
Ilina shakes her head in amazement. At this point, Klaus returns with tea for everyone, and we catch him up on the developments. He looks back and forth between Ilina and me in exasperation, then hangs his head and sighs dejectedly. I guess everyone's on board.
To my surprise, Nina speaks up at this point. I sense impatience from her.
"Well, it seems like we have everything settled here, so Mizuki and I will take our leave! Ilina, we'll see you sometime within the next few months. Take care!" (Nina)
[Alright, Mizuki, I've spent most of our morning on this elf girl, so can we go do something now? I'd like to stop by our room here first!] (Nina)
Jeez, that was abrupt. I guess her statement was kind of polite, though, so maybe I'm being picky. She's still a dragon, after all, so I'm sure a lot of this was agonizing for her.
[Sure thing, thanks for being so patient all morning. Also, I notice that you said 'our room', but I want you to know that I don't mind. I promised we could live together, after all, since we're going to be adventuring partners.] (Mizuki)
At my mention of our living arrangements, I sense a rush of happiness from Nina. I really can't help but smile internally over her excitement.
I just need to settle one more thing with the elves.
"Ah, wait, before we go…Ilina, there's the issue of the reward for my job. I'll take the ten gold coins that we agreed on now. As for the other thing, I'll be asking you to explain your item box spell to Lady Nedonera and myself. However, we can wait to do that until we meet again. That way, you have some assurance that you'll hear our decision in person. How's that?" (Mizuki)
Ilina nods solemnly, and she responds with a begrudging tone.
"Yes, that's fine. I can see why you didn't tell me about your demands up front. I'd have been significantly more wary of you. I'd also lecture you about the absurd idea that either you or Lady Nedonera can just learn it. However, the request is well within my power to grant, so I'll hold up my end of the deal as promised." (Ilina)
After that, we all say our farewells, I collect the mentioned gold, and then Nina and I depart.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Nina and I eventually return to our room at the inn, and I hear her shut the door behind us. We have it for one more night only, so I guess we should discuss what we want to do from here on.
I turn around to ask Nina about it, but I suddenly sense an overwhelming anticipation from her.
Before I can investigate it, Nina closes the distance between us and kisses me. As if to stop me from pulling away, she also wraps her arms around me, and I feel her hands in my hair. When I'm starting to become lightheaded, she pulls away.
I try to protest while I have the chance.
"Nina!?" (Mizuki)
Still running her fingers through my hair, she rolls her eyes and looks at me directly with a serious expression. She seems to gather the reason for my protest.
"Mizuki, I have spent my entire morning watching that elf girl be all familiar with you, when I would have rather us been alone. The fact that right now I'm only kissing you is proof that I'm taking things slow like I agreed." (Nina)
Well…that's not exactly how I see it, but I believe that she considers this to be a restrained response. I haven't considered our relationship purely platonic since the contract, but I'm a little overwhelmed by how quickly things seem to be escalating.
Still, why am I getting hung up on her just kissing me, when I don't even consider our relationship fully platonic?
Realizing that I'm being a little silly, I shrug internally and kiss Nina back. I feel a squeal of surprise from her, and then a rush of excitement leaks through our connection.
Eventually, we disentangle and are both out of breath. Nina is wearing a dopey grin, and I can't help but chuckle aloud at her expression.
"So, are you reassured enough to quit getting homicidal every time Ilina breathes too close to me?" (Mizuki)
Nina cuts me a coy look in response.
"Maybe, if I can expect this to be a regular thing?" (Nina)
She's looking at me expectantly. Oh god, she's serious. How am I not supposed to laugh at that?
"Fufufu…what? You want to schedule it?" (Mizuki)
"Can we?" (Nina)
She smiles as she responds, and there is not a hint of embarrassment in her expression. Good grief. I laugh out loud hysterically, and she gives me a disapproving glare.
"Fufufu…sorry, sorry! We are not scheduling stuff like that, but I guess it's been ridiculous of me to insist that we keep our relationship platonic. It hasn't felt that way since our contract, and I've already said that we could room together. I don't mind if this becomes normal, but I would like it if we could delay escalating things further." (Mizuki)
She smiles at me warmly and nods her approval.
"If you're telling me that I can do that as much as I want when we're alone, and I don't have to worry about you getting upset, then I'm not going to complain anytime soon." (Nina)
I nod my agreement. Well, I'm glad that this is settled.
I look over at the room window and notice that there's probably at least six hours of daylight left. I'm sure Nina wouldn't object to spending the rest of the day alone, but I have other ideas.
"Hey, Nina, do you remember how I wanted us to go adventuring together?" (Mizuki)
She looks back at me curiously, with her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah?" (Nina)
"Well, how would you like to go shopping to get some clothes, weapons, and gear for you? I thought that it might be fun for you to fight in your human form as an adventurer at the guild, form a party with me, and complete jobs together." (Mizuki)
Hearing this, her eyes start sparkling.
"You're going to escort me all over the human city, and we'll spend the rest of the day picking out whatever items I like!?" (Nina)
I smile – her excitement is downright contagious.
"Yes, I just need to make some more money." (Mizuki)
She looks puzzled.
"Did you not get enough from the elves?" (Nina)
"Eh…probably, but I don't want to have to budget for this. I owe you after all." (Mizuki)
I flash her a smile. She seems pleased by that declaration.
"So, how are you going to earn more money?" (Nina)
Right…about that.
"Well…just watch." (Mizuki)
I walk over to the room window and open it, then walk back to sit by Nina. She's giving me a confused look.
I focus on using my alchemy spell to create gold out of the air, and air begins to swirl around us from the displacement.
I manage to create a gold mass about the size of a cantaloupe, and I notice that I don't even feel a significant drain on my magic reserves anymore. Presumably, it's due to getting better with this spell and the magic boost from my contract with Nina.
I start forming the gold mass into new coins based on a reference coin from the elves. After a minute, I sense a strange emotion from Nina…fear. I look up at her in surprise to investigate, and I see that she's gone completely pale. She's staring at me with a deathly serious expression.
"Mizuki…" (Nina)
Oh god, is a dragon about to lecture me about counterfei…err, I mean civilian coin production?
"…that looked like divine creation." (Nina)
I can see the beginnings of sweat forming around her neck. What has got her so spooked? I know it's cool and rare, but I thought other humans had achieved alchemy before?
"Eh…I don't know what that is." (Mizuki)
"It's a technique where you create something out of nothing, and only higher beings like gods can use it." (Nina)
Ah…like with Azazel's refreshment water when we met.
"Well, I don't think this is that. First, it's just that I can cast spells without using incantations. I assumed you knew that from when we fought. Second, I'm not actually creating the gold out of nothing. Even if it doesn't look like it, the space around you in the air is filled with stuff, just like the earth you manipulate. I'm using that as building blocks to make the gold. I can't do it from actual nothing." (Mizuki)
Hearing this, she seems to calm down a little. However, she still looks shaken.
"Okay, well even if that's true, it's still incredible. More importantly, I cannot tell the difference between the two, so please never show this to anyone else." (Nina)
She is looking at me with genuine concern. I smile at her and nod my agreement, and her stress seems to lessen.
After that, I finish making my coins. When I'm done, the entire coin purse is full. That should do it!
Now I just need that item box, so that I don't have to carry it all around.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
First, we travel to Zevy's general store.
I walk in the door with Nina behind me, and the hanging bell alerts everyone to our presence. In this case, it's just Zevy and a couple of other customers. Seeing me, his eyes go wide, and he comes running over.
"Mizuki, it's good to see you again! Have you brought more rare items for me to get ri…err, I mean invest in?" (Zevy)
"Fufufu…not today, Zevy. We've come to add money to your pockets a more traditional way this time." (Mizuki)
"Ah, yes, your normal patronage is also welcome!" (Zevy)
His eyes move to Nina for the first time, and they widen in surprise. I can't blame him…she's exceptionally beautiful.
"Master Mizuki, have you brought your wife with you today?" (Zevy)
Nina smiles widely, and I sense an immense amount of satisfaction from her, then…
[Mizuki…I like this human. You should give him lots of your fake gold!] (Nina)
What!? It's not fake! Definitely don't say that to him, either!
[Fufufufu…don't worry, the more items you get, the more gold he'll have.] (Mizuki)
I respond to Zevy before the silence gets noticeable.
"Hahahaha…well we're not married, but you didn't misinterpret the nature of our relationship either, Zevy. This is Nina, my adventuring partner, and she's why we're here. We wanted to get her an assortment of clothes, a travel pack, a coin purse, and a canteen. Please feel free to suggest anything else to her that you think she'd like…I'm sure you've honed such an ability well." (Mizuki)
At my last remark, his eyes light up greedily, and he begins rubbing his hands together like a Bond villain. This guy really is just too on the nose.
After that, he leads Nina around virtually his entire store. Surprisingly, she enjoys seeing the different items and having someone explain their uses.
She ends up buying several dresses, a couple pairs of pants, several long and short-sleeve shirts, a nightgown, a robe, sandals and boots, a travel pack, a coin purse, a utility belt, and a canteen. She also insisted on numerous undergarments, including a pair of lingerie that I protested in vain, and on a small tent and two sleeping bags, even though I can teleport.
Before leaving the store, we spend four gold coins. Zevy is very pleased with our visit and insists that I should never come to his store again without my 'future wife'. For reasons I can't fathom, him and Nina get along dangerously well. We leave the store with so many items that we need to drop them off at our inn room.
While briefly at the inn, she decides to change into some of her new clothes – a blue long-sleeve shirt and black pants, both of which accentuate her figure nicely. Sensing my feelings on the matter through our connection, Nina once again spontaneously attacks me.
Eventually, we make our way to Percivil's shop for Nina's weapons and armor. Before we enter, I shoot Nina a quick message.
[Hey, Nina, the dwarf who runs this place has proven himself a real friend to me, so please be nice. Other than you, he's the only person who has some idea of what I really am.] (Mizuki)
I sense her surprise, and then she smiles at me.
[Sure, Mizuki!] (Nina)
I enter the shop with Nina, and Percivil is in the storefront for once, seemingly checking his inventory. We are the only customers in the store.
Noticing us, Percivil's face lights up.
"Aye, Mizuki! At this rate, should I just rent yah a room in the back?" (Percivil)
After finishing his jests at me, he turns his gaze to Nina. As expected, he's curious about her.
"Well now, I see that you're not as much of a lone wolf as I took yah for, Mizuki. Who might yah be, young lady?"
Nina flashes him a radiant smile, then throws her arms around me from behind. Still holding on, she responds.
"Fufufu…young lady, eh? You dwarves sure do love your flattery. I'm Nina, and I'm the woman that Mizuki here buys lingerie for. We are also adventuring partners." (Nina)
I almost wish I could have a stroke. I cannot believe she just said that. I can't take this dragon anywhere respectable.
Percivil goes silent for a moment, dumbfounded, then he suddenly erupts into raucous laughter.
"Hahahaha, oh my, Mizuki. I'm fortunate that twisting your screws is only my hobby and not my job, aye, or else this woman would be putting me out of business!" (Percivil)
After injecting his two cents, Percivil continues his raucous laughter for a few minutes. When he eventually gets ahold of himself, I sigh deeply and respond to him and Nina.
"Good to see you, Percivil. Though I would not have described it that way, our relationship is essentially as Nina said. I should mention that Nina here knows all about me, so no need to worry. On to the matter at hand, though, we're actually here to enlist your services for weapons and armor for Nina." (Mizuki)
Percivil seems to get serious and narrows his eyes at Nina. I guess he doesn't joke around about his work, huh?
"Well then, that's certainly something I can do. Do yah have any idea what kind of weapon or armor may be suited to yah?" (Percivil)
A sly smile forms on Nina's face, and she glances at me quickly, then addresses Percivil.
"Yes, there's one weapon I've seen before that I wanted to try. However, I don't know the exact type I'd need, and I want to look at other weapons as well. Armor…you can just show me whatever you think is best." (Nina)
Percivil nods at her request. Then, he begins leading her around the shop, explaining different weapons as he goes. She nods politely throughout, and she tries experimenting with a few of the weapons he shows her.
Eventually, she expresses a preference for a bow and a pair of daggers. She doesn't like any of the armor options, and she insists that she'll be fine without it – I'll have to ask about her abilities in this form later.
Percivil gets down to weapon specifics with her.
"Aye, a good combination for a lady of your build, I'd say. As for what kind of bow and daggers to use…" (Percivil)
He strokes his beard some and looks up like he's thinking. Then he looks back at Nina.
"Do yah mind telling me what your magic power level and affinity is like? That'd make it easier to recommend something for yah." (Percivil)
Nina puts a coy smile on her face and responds with a chuckle.
"Fufufufu…well I'm not really sure how to give you a good idea of my magic power. Mizuki mentioned that the guild will measure it for me, but we haven't been there yet. I'd say that you probably don't have any weapons that require too much magic power for me to wield. As for affinities…I specialize in earth spells."
Percivil seems intrigued by her comment about her magic power, and glances at me nervously, like 'if she's with him, should I be worried?'. Eventually he begins nodding and muttering to himself, then he gives his decision.
"Aye, well then, if money and magic aren't an issue, and that's all the affinity you've got, then I think magic weapons are a good idea." (Percivil)
He walks over and grabs a beautiful looking bow from behind the store counter, hidden from view. It looks like a recurve bow.
"This is one of my best magic bow creations. It's got permanent enchantments on it that let yah pour raw magic power into it and convert that into spells that enhance the bow functions. One of them strengthens the bow and its firing power, and another imbues arrows with fire or water element. The strength of both enchantments increases with the magic power added." (Percivil)
Upon hearing that she'll be able to use other affinities, Nina's eyes light up excitedly and she begins inspecting the bow. She turns to me, barely containing her enthusiasm.
"Mizuki…I want to go play with this as soon as possible!" (Nina)
I chuckle aloud, and I can see Percivil smiling proudly, too.
"Well let's finish with your other stuff here first. After that, we can practice using your new equipment before we head to the guild. I have a training spot I'm fond of. I also want to see that new technique that you teased me about recently." (Mizuki)
I can sense her impatience, but she nods politely and turns back to Percivil. Percivil, sensing that we are getting back to business, continues with his next recommendation.
He once again walks behind the counter to where the choice items are apparently stored. This time, he pulls out two matching daggers that are about 30 cm in length each. He unsheathes them and displays the blade to us as he walks back over.
"These daggers have permanent enchantments, kind of like the ones on your bow. The more magic power yah pour in, the stronger the daggers become. The enchantment is straightforward, but I've really perfected how much magic power these can channel. So, unless you're Mizuki, yah don't really have to show restraint! Just in case, though, the blades glow blue when they're saturated with magic power." (Percivil)
He seems quite proud of these daggers, and he's confident they can handle a lot of magic. I'm glad he mentioned the limit indicator, though, because I doubt it can take all Nina's magic.
A smile forms across my face as an idea takes form.
"Hey Percivil, can you hand Nina one of those daggers, please? We can try a little test." (Mizuki)
She probably senses my curiosity, and she takes a dagger from Percivil while looking at me expectantly. I pull out the largest scale fragment of hers that I have from my pack and hand it over to her. She seems to understand my intention, and she smiles mischievously.
"Fufufufu…you only managed to cut through these because you are a monster, Mizuki. There's no way that channeling unrefined magic into a dagger would be able to do that." (Nina)
Percivil seems to be eyeing the scale fragment curiously. I smile at Nina.
"Well, there's only one way to find out. Put your magic power into it until it's at its limit, and then give the dagger a try on the scale fragment." (Mizuki)
Nina snorts, then turns towards the task. She begins looking at the dagger, still wearing a smirk, but after a moment she frowns.
She begins focusing intently on it, then after another moment the blades glow a deep blue color. Percivil's eyes open wide in surprise, and Nina seems surprised as well.
"I owe you an apology, dwarf. It's true that you are exceptionally skilled. I never expected that this item would be able to hold such a large fraction of my magic." (Nina)
Percivil seems flustered now, and keeps glancing at me, with an expression like 'who the hell is she?'.
Nina holds the scale fragment out in front of her, and then tries slashing it down the middle with the dagger. The dagger ends up below the scale, and a faint line can be seen through most of the scale fragment. The dagger cut through it like butter.
Nina looks completely dumbfounded, and Percivil is inspecting the scale fragment again curiously. Percivil's eyes go wide as if realizing something.
"M-M-Mizuki, that ain't an Elder Dragon scale she's holding there, is it? Aye, I've only seen one once, but they're completely different from minor dragon scales. Where the hell did yah get it?" (Percivil)
Before I can answer him, Nina, still in complete shock, begins muttering.
"I…I can't believe it. It cut right through my scale, Mizuki. I barely felt any resistance at all." (Nina)
Percivil, realizing the significance of that, goes pale. He begins looking back and forth between Nina and I frantically. Not able to help myself, I begin laughing uncontrollably. They both shoot me annoyed glares.
After I compose myself, I smile at Percivil.
"Percivil, allow me to officially introduce you to Nedonera, the Elder Dragon of earth. She seems quite impressed that your dagger managed to cut through her scales." (Mizuki)
Looking back at Nina, Percivil seems to break out into a cold sweat. Nina is giving him a very serious expression, then starts to interrogate him.
"Dwa…err, I mean Percivil, are there any more weapons that can do this?" (Nina)
Percivil responds nervously.
"Nah, Miss Nina, I doubt so. Those daggers are a masterpiece of mine. I haven't made anything else that could channel even close to that amount of raw magic into a physical enhancement. Truthfully, even with time I could probably only replicate this effect with daggers. I don't think that this would be possible to implement on a larger weapon like a sword. On top of that, to hit the limit of those daggers should've required at least twenty times more magic power than any human in the guild records has ever possessed." (Percivil)
Ah, so in other words, even if Percivil or someone else could make another full-scale weapon like this, there shouldn't be anyone who could use it at the level Nina just witnessed.
I glance at Nina and that news seems to have calmed her down some. I chuckle lightly at the observation. I hope that Nina has learned to respect weaker creatures a bit more now. Well then, time to wrap this up!
I clap my hands together enthusiastically, which seems to shake Nina and Percivil from their respective stupors.
"So, Percivil, I think Nina is thoroughly impressed with your work. How much for the bow, the daggers, a weapon belt for the daggers, and a quiver full of arrows for the bow?" (Mizuki)
Percivil seems to finally compose himself and consider my question.
"Aye, sorry Mizuki, but you're taking my best stuff and it's gonna' cost yah! I'd say about 30 golds should cover your tab for those items." (Percivil)
He laughs while stroking his beard again. Somehow, as crazy as that price is, I feel like he isn't charging us as much as he should. I smile at him warmly and collect the gold from my coin purse, and I make sure to throw in a few extra gold coins.
We're finally done with shopping for Nina, and there is about a third of the coin purse left relative to the start of the day. Everyone seems happy, though, so I don't mind.
I hand over the gold to Percivil and thank him again. Nina has already donned all her equipment, and she is practically bouncing with excitement to go try it out. I can sense the anticipation coming off her in waves.
"Mizuki, can we go there now? Can you take us straight there, too? Walking is going to take too long!" (Nina)
I sigh internally, but it's not lacking amusement. I suppose that a dragon would think that walking is slow. She's probably used to flying places. I turn to Percivil.
"Hey, Percivil, do you mind if we use your back room again to leave here and return discreetly. Apparently, Nina is in a hurry." (Mizuki)
I say this in a teasing tone, but Nina seems unbothered. Percivil is quite amused by Nina's childlike behavior and my teasing. Yeah, I guess she's not what he expected of an Elder Dragon, huh?
Percivil nods his approval, so we make our way to the back room. As soon as we're alone, Nina latches onto me with a hug, then kisses me quickly on the cheek and squeals a 'thank you'. After that, I teleport us to the clearing in the forest that's become my training ground.
Time to see what Nina can do.