『I’ll give it to you. Take it.』?
Huh? ……Did I mishear him? No, he definitely said that.
Um…… Why? Seriously, why?
「What’s wrong?」
「……No no no, isn’t one of these worth 300 million nohl? I can’t possibly accept it, and I don’t even have a reason to.」
「Price is just something I decided on a whim. It’s not actually worth that much. With this performance…… even at the highest, it’d probably go for around 100 million.」
No, even 100 million nohl is still an extremely expensive item, you know?
If he told me it was cursed or something, I could understand him giving it away, but if it’s cursed I don’t want it. That’s scary……
「Even so, I can’t accept something this valuable…… More importantly, why……?」
This is as confusing as the time Aina suddenly said she would become my slave.
That one ended up being a culture shock, but this one I simply cannot understand!
A man suddenly offering me a blade…… The fear stands out far more than any joy!
「Price doesn’t matter here…… It’s a simple story. The Yin-Yang Blades are two swords that form a single whole. That is how they are meant to be, and that is their completed form. With only one, they cannot display their true value, and the weapon feels incomplete. It also leaves me in a bad mood. That’s all.」
「If that’s the case, couldn’t you just buy the other one from me?」
「Do you actually want to sell it?」
「No, I don’t, but……」
「See? Besides, even if you did, it wouldn’t work with me. You’re probably unconvinced since you’re not a weapon user yourself but…… let’s say there were twin sisters.」
Suddenly?
Um, twin sisters? In this hypothetical, Raz and Cran came to mind.
「The two sisters were extremely close twins. Both were energetic and cheerful, and ever since they were born they acted as if being together was the most natural thing in the world.」
……Yeah. That really does sound like the innocent and carefree Raz and Cran.
Those two are definitely a set.
If I imagine them in this situation, it becomes easy to picture.
「Then one day, the two became slaves and were bought by different masters.」
「What……」
Raz and Cran were suddenly separated……?
How could anyone do something so cruel……
「Neither of their new masters was a bad person. However, one kept her shut away deep inside the house, never letting her go outside. It was gentle treatment, but she was forced to spend meaningless days. The other traveled from place to place, and while the master couldn’t show the girl’s potential, she was able to see the outside world. Both of them were not exactly suffering, yet both felt like something was missing.」
「……」
Raz or Cran…… No, I cannot even decide which is which, but surely neither of them would be energetic in that situation……
Especially being kept deep inside the house…… That would be unbearable torment for either of them.
「Then one day, the two were given the chance to reunite.」
「……」
「Neither of their masters was a bad person. However, one lived hidden away quietly in the depths of the house. The other lived like a proper person……. Both masters understood that the two sisters belonged together. So, which master do you think should take which sister?」
……That is unfair!
Because I imagined Raz and Cran, the answer is obviously the outside one!
There is no way I could keep one of them locked away like a pet!
Besides, this was originally about blades, right!?
The proper purpose of a blade is to be a weapon.
Since I do not use weapons, it means the one who does use them should take it, right!?
Just by replacing them with Raz and Cran…… Damn, what persuasive power! It makes me feel like I should buy it even if it costs a fortune!
He must have spent a lot of money to obtain it…… Yet he is still willing to let it go for the sake of the two blades. This man really is a good person…… He really is!
「……Understood. I will take it.」
「Good. Take care of it.」
Raz…… Cran…… I am happy for you.
Keep showing me your energetic selves together from now on…… Even though this was about the Yin-Yang Blades.
W-Well, it is still something to be grateful for.
I simply received a powerful weapon, so I should just be very thankful!
And I must never separate the two…… no, the two blades!
「If you still want to look around, feel free. Of course there are fakes, but I do have the real ones as well……. If you can tell them apart, I will give you the real one.」
With that, Daikoku-san turned on his heel, waved his hand behind his back, and headed deeper into the shop.
I turned my gaze to the remaining Yin-Yang Blade – Yang – and picked it up, watching Daikoku-san’s back as he left――.
「No no no! Wait a moment! Please do not continue the conversation without me!」
「Ah? Oh, you were here.」
「I was here the whole time!? Besides, we are still in the middle of our business discussion!」
「Ah…… Are you buying that? Come to think of it, you were fascinated by it. It is a fake, though. Then it will be 500 million nohl.」
「I am not buying it! Even though I said a fake would be fine earlier, now that I know for sure it is fake, there is no way I would buy it!」
「I see. I think it turned out pretty well…… at least the exterior.」
「Well…… That is because it was made by the vice-chief with high blacksmithing level, so I do think it is a good blade, and visually it is almost indistinguishable……」
Eh, this fake was made by Daikoku-san?
Does that mean all the fakes in this shop were made by Daikoku-san……?
……Could it be that the reason he keeps fakes in stock is also to test his own skills?
「If the appearance is the same, I still want the real one……!」
「Well, that’s only natural. But that blade is no longer mine. If it’s displayed together with the others, I don’t mind, so negotiate for it yourself. All right, I’m going back to my research. The rest is up to you.」
With those words, Daikoku-san finally withdrew into the back room this time, leaving me, Shion, and the two Yin-Yang Blades behind.
Now then…… what should I do?
「M’looooor～～d」
「……」
Shion leaned against me in a sweet, spoiled voice.
She deliberately opened up her chest, somehow lifted the hem of her clothes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and even lifted her legs to entwine them around me…… It was a little annoying.
「Uuu, please～…… m’lorddd」
「Hmm……」
「Kuh…… This approach was a mistake. M’lord is already used to everyone doing this! In that case!!」
Realizing her seduction was not working, she immediately switched to a perfect dogeza.
Oh my, that is a very beautiful dogeza.
It is almost artistic…… Hmm.
「Please! I will of course return the money! I will do anything, anything at all!!!」
「Hmm? Did you just say ‘anything’?」
My ‘anything’ sensor never misses.
‘Anything’ means anything, so you should not say it so lightly!
「I said it! I really will do anything! I will keep you company anywhere! Even outside is fine! If you tell me to strip, I will strip right awayyyy! If you want, I can do it right now!」
……No, she really is prepared to do anything.
Moreover, the fact that she assumes all my requests would be in that direction is rather……
「No, don’t strip right now…… I see. So you will do anything, huh……」
「Yes! If you tell me to grow a tail, I will grow one!」
Let us have her do it then.
「……It won’t be right away, but I will manage somehowyyy!」
……What incredible passion.
Fumu. She is so fired up that it feels like she might actually make it happen someday.
「Nnn…… I see.」
「Uuuu…… m’lord……」
「……Then, how about you forgive me for the way I ignored you earlier.」
She had been following and protecting me the whole time, yet I had not properly noticed her, and I felt I had treated her a bit too roughly.
「Eh? O-Of course!」
「Good. Then here you go.」
When I handed over the Yin-Yang Blade – Yang – that I had been holding, Shion accepted it with a blank look on her face. She blinked repeatedly, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at me.
「Eh? Ah, thank you very much…… Wait, I wasn’t really angry about that. I thought m’lord already knew that…… Ah, does that mean you were planning to give it to me from the very beginning……?」
「Hmm?」
Well, it cannot be helped.
After all, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is something Shion has wanted for half her life.
For me, who just happened to be holding the Yin-Yang Blade – Yin –, to receive the other one and use it in front of Shion would be far too pitiful……
「M-m’lordddd…… I am so happy to be able to serve you! I will follow you anywhere～!!」
She jumped at me, so I caught her. Her legs wrapped around my back in a full-body hug, and she showed no sign of letting go, squeezing me tightly with all her strength.
Yeah. Please do not cling to me while still holding the blade. It is dangerous.
「I am glad you are happy. Just wait a little before you start using the Yin-Yang Blade – Yin –. That one is technically borrowed from Hayato…… Well, he did say I could keep it, but I still want to do things properly.」
「You are giving me that one too!? But isn’t that m’lord’s favorite blade……」
「Well, it has served me well until now, but it would be better for one person to use both, right?」
Considering how I received it from Daikoku-san, this is only natural.
From Daikoku-san’s perspective, it would probably be fine for me to keep it, but taking it away from Shion would be too cruel.
Besides……
「Uuuu…… m’lord…… Ahh, I love you so much…… I am truly grateful that we met! To be honest, if m’lord had not been here, I would have bought the fake one…… Ahh, I never believed in fate before, but now I might start believing in it…… Nnuu～!! Chu, chu!」
She is so overjoyed that she keeps giving me little pecking kisses on the neck. For Shion’s sake, I will need to properly explain everything to Hayato later.
However, that creates one problem.
What should I do about my own weapon……
I had gotten used to dual-wielding, so suddenly changing it now feels strange……
Hmm…… Since we are already in a weapon shop, maybe I should look around a bit.
That said, there are fakes here too, so I will only look. I cannot casually reach for anything.
In the end, I really did only look.
After all, the most important thing about a weapon to me is its weight!
The shop would not let me hold them properly! Since I cannot tell the weight, I cannot buy anything～!
……Haa. Once we return to Einzheil, I should consult with Hayato again while explaining everything.
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