「Oops, did I get distracted because you guys came? I had forgotten.」
—After finishing a bit of small chat, Novium-san went to the back of the store and returned with something in hand.
「Here, your ordered items.」
Three accessories were placed on the counter: a pendant, a charm, and earrings.
At first glance, they appeared to be ordinary ornaments with small teardrop shaped gems. But the more you observed them, the more you could sense the unusual magic power contained within.
Their terrifying nature lay in the fact that you wouldn’t notice unless you paid close attention.
「The stones themselves haven’t been processed. Or rather, they can’t be. I’ve secured them firmly so they won’t come loose, but if you add ‘indestructible’, they’ll become even more solid.」
「Thank you. This clasp, by any chance…」
「Yes, it’s made from the scraps left over when ‘Kannagi’ was forged. It’s iron soaked with your magic power.」
Now that you mention it, you used the same scraps for the accessories he made for Pochi and Mint.
「How much of it is left?」
「Enough for two or three more similar items. It’ll be tough to get more, so consider this the last batch.」
The material for ‘Kannagi’ is a high-grade new moon steel adamant imported from the Republic, mixed with various precious metals and catalysts. On top of that, it absorbed my magic power to its limit.
It seems I went overboard, and now it’s practically a curse. Only Novium-san can process it, and it causes harm if anyone I don’t approve of possesses it… Yeah, I really overdid it.
Well, it’s a dangerous item to be passed around, so that’s probably for the best.
「…Hey, hurry up and take them. Honestly, I don’t want to keep them here.」
「Oh, sorry. Thanks for dealing with such a troublesome request.」
As I was thinking about all this, Novium-san urged me to hurry.
I hastily gathered the items from the counter.
「Seriously… I don’t want to pry, but what on earth are these? Just measuring them for the clasps gave me goosebumps. While working on them, it felt like the gems were testing me….. Well, that chill has become a good appetizer.」
「Don’t pretend to be tough. You drank heavily after finishing the job because you were relieved, right?」
Spurdia-san chuckled at her husband.
But her expression was also somewhat strained.
「I was born and married into a blacksmith’s family. I’ve seen plenty of ores and gems, and I’m well aware of the magic power they can hold. But I couldn’t bear to look directly at these stones.」
「I’m sorry, I can’t reveal their origin. But they are indeed extraordinary….. That’s why only Novium-san could handle them.」
I could only keep silent about their true nature.
It’s already hard enough for people to believe in the existence of fairies, let alone the queen’s tears.
「Well, it’s fine.」
Even so, Novium-san forgave our rudeness with a light sigh.
「If you can’t tell us, then it’s something we shouldn’t know. I kind of understand. To us, they’re just terrifying, but to you, they’re the ultimate amulets.」
He took a swig from a bottle he had produced from somewhere and grinned.
「I expect a good payment. It took quite a bit of effort.」
「Of course. After all, it’s the work of a master ‘iron’ blacksmith.」
I took a check from my pouch and handed him the payment of 150,000 nibs for the three items. Considering the cost of materials, it was actually quite reasonable, but spending the equivalent of 1.5 million yen on accessories made me realize how skewed my sense of money had become.
※※※
After finishing our business, I exchanged farewells with Novium-san and Spurdia-san and left the shop.
Of course, Karen, Chocola, and I were each wearing the ‘Fairy’s Tear’ accessories.
I wore the pendant, Karen had the earrings, and Chocola adorned a charm.
Since the gemstones weren’t large, they didn’t stand out much when worn. I tucked mine subtly at the collar of my shirt, while Karen’s blended delicately with her golden hair, and Chocola’s charm was hidden among her fluffy fur.
「Karen, you actually had your ears pierced.」
「Elves have a tradition of piercing their ears at birth. Mine were done by my real parents.」
「So, it’s a bond between you and your actual mother and father.」
「Hmm… Hearing that makes me a bit happy.」
The tear-shaped gemstone peeking through her golden hair suited Karen perfectly.
「Have you started growing your winter coat?」
「Bark?」
Chocola’s charm, attached to his collar, was hard to spot unless you looked closely.
「It feels like you just shed a lot, but somehow you’re getting fluffier again.」
「Bark.」
Her head that I petted and the tail that wagged seemed to have a bit more volume.
「Your collar is becoming more and more luxurious.」
「Right? The base is one I bought from a pet shop back in Japan.」
「Bark!」
「Exactly. Even if it’s a ready-made item, it’s special.」
For Chocola, this collar was a keepsake from father.
Not just the collar itself, but also the silver accessories that adorned it.
And today, the charm gifted from the fairy had been added to it.
「You’re a descendant of the dog that Color-san owned, right? Moreover, you were the first to receive her tears. So surely, that gemstone will protect you… along with the collar.」
「Bark bark!」
「…I wonder if it was really okay for me to receive this.」
Upon hearing my words to Chocola, Karen suddenly wore a worried expression.
「I haven’t done anything for Color-san’s family…」
「I think it’s fine. I’m sure Color-san and the others would say the same.」
I recalled the dream I had a week ago.
That dream was likely not just a figment of my imagination. It was a glimpse of the lost past, memories forgotten by those involved, records from when Color-san’s family were human—flowing to me through the fragile threads of fate that remained.
In that dream, I witnessed their moments just before casting a world-altering grand magic.
There were six companions who sent off Four Seasons-san and Color-san.
That was surely…
Lost in my thoughts, I was suddenly interrupted.
「Surprising. I thought I sensed my kin, but it’s the child of Quioy.」
A man and a woman stood before us, blocking our path.
They were a pair, a male and female, looking like they were just reaching adulthood. Their faces were strikingly similar, as if they were twins of different genders.
Their gazes were sharp, with elongated eyes, and their ears pointed straight up.
「Elves…」
I couldn’t help but let out a voice.
It was the first time I had seen elves other than Karen.
Meanwhile, Karen furrowed her brow and sighed softly, grimacing at the pair.
She stepped in front of Chocola and me protectively and asked them,
「Rick, Noemi… What are the children of Ejetia doing here?」
The man, called Rick, and the woman, Noemi, smiled haughtily at Karen.
「We’ve come for a little test of skill, in this ‘Void Forest’.」
「Yes, one of the proud six founding families of elves, the ‘Witch of Annihilation’ from Ejetia… We siblings have chosen this place as our hunting ground.」
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Just one more chapter until we understand the elven siblings!
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