Chapter 41: What Happened in the City of Water (2)

“So what is this?”

After receiving the promised money and leaving the great temple, Ibi, who had snatched the insignia from me, said as she looked it over, holding it between her fingers.

“It means the Church of Stareon will sponsor us from now on.”

“So what does that mean?”

“To put it simply, within Stout… for example, if we go for a drink, we can put it on the great temple's tab, and they'll pay for it.”

“Wha…!”

At the mention of free alcohol, Ibi's eyes began to sparkle.

“Of course, there's a limit. Well, unless you're drinking enough to bankrupt the entire bar, you're not likely to use up the limit just by paying for drinks.”

“Ha, is that so?”

“What do you mean, is that so?”

Stop it, it doesn't sound like a joke when you say it.

“And it's not just for free alcohol.”

In the first place, it wasn't given to be used for such things.

“Outside of Stout, if we run into any problems in another city, we can get help from the Stout embassy.”

And it wasn't just help; to put it in extreme terms, it meant they would protect us even at the risk of a diplomatic dispute with that city.

That was the meaning of becoming an ally── an ‘ally’ of Stout.

However, as I just said, that was certainly an extreme case.

I suppose the part that would be felt most often, and most directly, would be this.

“Most importantly, the fact that Stout will vouch for our identity from now on is a big deal.”

It was like a passport.

Not all cities on the continent welcomed adventurers with unclear identities.

Of course, if you were a properly registered adventurer with the Adventurers' Guild, it was rare to be ostracized from the checkpoint stage.

But in cities where the guild was weak or on bad terms with the leadership, making it virtually useless, or in small cities or towns where there was no guild at all, a guild member's card was not very helpful.

This insignia was different.

Because at least within the continent, there was no one who didn't know the Church of Stareon.

Whether they served it or not.

So, it wasn't a main quest for no reason.

The difficulty of future adventures would change quite a bit depending on whether you got this insignia here or not.

“So you're saying if I just show this, I can bankrupt the entire bar.”

“No, is bankrupting it a given?”

Well, Ibi was already fixated on the free alcohol.

Then again, it probably wouldn't hit home even if I explained it in words right now.

“What are you doing? Let's go bankrupt it already.”

“We're not bankrupting it. And it's still broad daylight.”

“So isn't it the perfect time for a drink?”

“Your way of thinking is different from us common folk.”

Anyway, even if Ibi hadn't suggested it first, I was planning on going for a drink today.

We were leaving Stout tomorrow, so it would be a waste not to enjoy the last night in the city of liquor.

However, that was for the night.

“Then you can go ahead. I have something to do while I'm sober.”

“Have you ever been sober?”

“We're leaving tomorrow, so I'm going to prepare in advance.”

Because there was a very high possibility that I would also be suffering from a hangover in the morning.

Besides, after getting this weak constitution, my alcohol tolerance had also decreased a lot.

Then why not just not drink?

Well, that's true.

But, what's the fun in that?

* * *

“Is the owner in?”

“Oh, if it isn't the bard and the mage! Welcome.”

In the end, after sending off Ibi, who had really gone to drink alone, I went to Ferguson's shop with Rine and Miki first.

As soon as he saw me and Rine, he almost ran to the door to greet us warmly, but then he flinched slightly upon seeing Miki who followed us in.

“That person… is he part of your group?”

But as soon as I nodded in affirmation, he immediately greeted him politely as if nothing had happened.

“How was the 「Cloak of Projectile Evasion」? It was one of my proudest works among the pieces I've made recently.”

“Ah, you certainly had something to be proud of. Right, Rine?”

Rine, who was still wearing the cloak, quietly nodded her head at my question.

At that, Ferguson burst into a hearty laugh and showed a satisfied expression as if to say, ‘of course’.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I'd like you to show off your skills again.”

With these words, I unslung the lute from my back and held it out to him.

“First, I'd like you to enhance this.”

Since I had picked it up while raiding the party hall, it was a ‘common’ grade instrument with no effects, only the function of being played.

For a bard, an instrument was an essential item.

System-wise, it was treated as an accessory, but it was practically the bards' weapon.

Especially for someone like me who wasn't a hybrid build but was intended to be a buff-focused supporter.

Most importantly, you needed an instrument to be able to play the 「Bard's Song」 without stopping.

To use skills like 「Vicious Mockery」 or 「Word Command」, you had to speak, and if you were singing yourself, the song would be interrupted each time.

“What kind of enhancement would you like?”

“It just needs to be faithful to the instrument's original duty. Something that expresses the tone better?”

To be specific, an effect that gives a +1 buff to all 「Bard's Songs」 would be enough.

“Aha, I see.”

Right now, there was no way to get a better instrument that could produce more than that effect.

To be precise, there were just no such items in this region.

As I said before, since it was treated as an accessory in the game system, enchanted instrument-type items were very rare in this game.

So the best item you could get around here was a ‘fine’ grade instrument at best, and even that was very expensive.

“For the magic stones for the enhancement, you have some left in the shop, right? Those should be enough.”

Magic tool shops like this always kept a certain amount of magic stones in stock.

For making prototypes or for urgent use.

The so-called ‘scraps’ I mentioned last time.

The ones that couldn't produce anything above ‘fine’ grade no matter how skilled the craftsman was.

“Of course, we'll cover the cost of the magic stones, so don't worry.”

In other words, Ferguson was skilled enough to produce ‘fine’ grade items with just those scraps.

“Haha, a request from the bard himself, what would I have to worry about.”

Though they were scraps, they were still magic stones, so they had some value.

Still, it was more than half cheaper than buying a finished product.

“Rather, if I had my way, I'd like to waive the cost of the magic stones as a service.”

“Oh, really? That's great for us. Thanks. You're a generous Meister.”

“Pardon? Ah…, that is…… ha, haha.”

“I'm kidding.”

As I chuckled and patted his arm, Ferguson, who had stiffened slightly, finally burst into a hearty laugh again, then soon turned his head and let out a small sigh.

“Of course, we'll pay for the magic stones.”

Strictly speaking, the Stout Great Temple would be paying, but it was the same thing now.

“And I have one more request.”

Then, I gestured to Miki, who had been looking at the displayed artifacts with sparkling eyes since we entered the shop.

“Miki, a moment.”

“Ah, yes!”

At that, Miki came running to me with short steps, and I gently took his arm and lifted it.

“I want to enchant this friend's gauntlets with an attribute.”

“Pardon? The gauntlets…?”

Sure enough, Ferguson showed a puzzled reaction.

Then he began to scrutinize Miki next to me.

Of course, a request to enhance gauntlets instead of a weapon would have been taken as a rather peculiar one.

Usually, ‘attribute enchanting’ was an enhancement done on weapons.

Simply put, the purpose was mostly to add the corresponding attribute damage to the weapon.

Or, conversely, to gain additional resistance to that attribute, it was sometimes done on armor or shields, though not as often as on weapons.

But to specifically request to enhance ‘gauntlets’, not a weapon or even the body of the armor, was certainly an uncommon order.

Well, rather than being taken as very strange, it would be closer to ‘why specifically?’.

“…?”

In fact, Miki himself was looking up at me with a slightly flustered expression.

“On the gauntlets.”

However, I was confident that this order was the most efficient one for Miki and our party.

Perhaps that's why Ferguson, realizing my will was firm, did not express any more doubts.

“It is not difficult, but… attribute enchanting requires separate materials.”

“Of course, I brought them.”

I showed a grin, then took out a small pouch from Miki's bag.

Inside that pouch was a ‘drop item’ that we had collected along with the trident after finding it in the 「Forgotten Stareon Temple」.

“This is…!”

On the outside, they looked like clear, transparent blue orbs.

“Where in the world did you get these…?”

The 「Spirit Cores (Water)」 that the water elementals had left behind as they disappeared.

“…It has been a long time since I have seen cores of such pure quality.”

Ferguson, who had taken the pouch from me and immediately taken one out to hold it up to the light, had his mouth wide open, showing no signs of closing.

In his expression, which could not take his eyes off the cores in front of him, there was a pure admiration as if looking at a beautiful piece of art, and.

“You will not regret this.”

The excitement of a craftsman, able to handle materials of this quality, was mixed in.

“Ah, and about the payment──”

I looked at Ferguson and gave a grin, then put my hand in my pocket.

And the moment I took out and presented the 「Insignia of Alliance (Stout)」,

“──!?”

Ferguson showed a look of surprise, so much so that he gasped for a moment.

“They'll take care of the bill.”

After all, he was an NPC with the setting that he was running an artifact shop with low demand in a peaceful city like this, for the reason that ‘it's my hometown’, even giving up on a successful career.

That's how much he loves his hometown, this Stout.

It meant he knew well what this insignia meant.

Sure enough, he looked over each of us, and then.

“It is an honor to serve the allies of Stout.”

He immediately bowed his head 90 degrees, more politely than ever before.

* * *

“Uweeeek──”

Ibi, who had bowed her head 90 degrees, poured a rainbow onto the floor.

“Wow─”

Of course, it wasn't a real rainbow, but since various things were mixed in, wasn't it pretty much the same?

Let's just think of it as a rainbow, for the sake of each other's mental health.

“A-Are you okay, Sister Ibi…?”

“No…… uup.”

“I told you to go easy on the drinking.”

I was patting Ibi's back, but my own complexion probably wasn't that great either.

……To be honest, my memories of last night were also blurry.

No, not just blurry, but at a certain point, I had no memories at all.

Considering that there were several empty ‘purified water’ bottles rolling on the shelf and floor when I woke up in bed, I must have bought them in a drunken stupor.

If I hadn't, I might be puking… pouring a rainbow next to her right now.

I knew I had become weaker to alcohol after getting this body, but it seems I've become much weaker than I thought.

And yet, I hadn't even had that many drinks until the point where my memories were still somewhat intact.

“Pat… my back… uup.”

“There, there. You want me to pat it more?”

As I nonchalantly patted Ibi's back more, my eyes suddenly met with Miki, who was looking at Ibi with concern from the side.

At that, the moment I shrugged my shoulders and gave a bitter smile.

“…!”

Miki seemed to flinch in surprise, and then he quickly averted his gaze from me, as if he couldn't meet my eyes anymore.

And his appearance, as he fidgeted and blushed slightly…… anyone could see, he was embarrassed.

“……Huh?”

What?

What… did I do……?