Chapter 43: Full Moon Bazaar ③

The Day – Near Evening

The crowd was growing restless.

Upper Floors
VIP Area – Second Floor of the Moving Palace

A wooden sign was set up to hide the number “216.”

Room 216, now known as the Witch Workshop Full Moon Bazaar,
was a shop for witches—for just one night.

“Alright, let’s get pumped, Anna Kreutzen!”

“…!”

Anna Kreutzen nodded vigorously. So cute.

“You’re really enthusiastic,” 

Minenha said, casually.

Still her usual cold tone, but I could tell… she was a little excited.

And she was in her Faeriel form.

“Where’s the witch?”

“The manager is out for a bit, desu.”

Manager… that’s true. But now she’s acting like a full staff member. She looked genuinely happy.

“Wof, let’s go.”
“Y-Yes… I’ll go then.”
“Deputy Manager, off you go, desu!”
“…”

Deputy Manager? Probably because I’m her apprentice.

Seeing them off, Minenha sat on my shoulder. It felt… kind of nostalgic.

We left the room and descended to the first floor. The crowd had gathered quite a bit.

People of all genders, races, and styles of clothing were here.

These were the VIP-area qualified attendees. But I wasn’t interested in a single one.

…No, wait. Something really caught my attention immediately.

“What… is that?”

Mineha muttered in astonishment.

A crab for a head… why a crab? And not just any crab—a freshwater crab.

A whole crab made up a person’s head… human-shaped.

And wearing a suit… somehow even more bizarre… like a monster.

Uh… same as Gymnema, right?

Are such beings actually a race in this world?

And the witch is talking with it… she knows that crab. Well, I guess that makes sense.

I hurried to the transfer room before being noticed.

Exited through the back of Ponpoko-tei.

“Just because there’s fish, crab too? That’s ridiculous.”
“Y-Yeah, I guess.”

I agreed with Mineha, who seemed strangely irritated.

“Alright, Wof. Do it.”
“Yes, yes.”

Using the Relic [Circle of Fortune], I targeted a Spear.

The grade had been specified in advance: blue only.

“Did you find it?”
“Yes, but blue ones aren’t that common around here.”
“Then let’s get moving.”

I hoped she would like it.

How much time had passed since then?

The night sky sparkled with stars, and the magnificent Full Moon floated alongside its princess satellites.

“…This should be the last one, right?”
“Haah… I guess there’s nothing but the VIP area.”

I had checked all the blue-light spears in the middle and lower floors.

The blue lights were scattered, so it was tiring to go around.

None of the spears resonated with Mineha.

Since they were blue, they were all masterpieces, probably OOPArts.

That’s why, perhaps, nothing happened when Mineha held them.

Her Relic [Spiral] was itself a rare item.

Matching spears… are probably very hard to find.

“…Maybe we’ll have to craft it like the Illusionary Star Spear,” she said.

“Yeah…”

Her reply lacked energy. She was discouraged.

I kept using [Circle of Fortune] anyway.

The Full Moon Bazaar was vast. Something might have been overlooked.

The [Circle of Fortune]… huh.

Originally, the [Wheel of Fortune] was convenient, but now it was even more versatile.

I could select, pick rare items… huh? Huh?

“…?”

What’s this light?

That position, that direction… the outer edge.

“Mineha, there’s something I want to check out.”
“Do as you like.”
“Understood. Let’s go.”

From the lower floor to the outer edge.

Tents were tightly packed; the full moonlight didn’t reach.

It was pitch dark, so countless glowing orbs floated around.

Even at the outer edge, crime couldn’t be ignored.

Several guards patrolled.

“Maybe here… found it. This shop.”
“…Shop?”

Even the outer edge looked strange.

A particularly large, weathered patchwork tent.

Inside… a towering pile of trash.

Trash… meaning weapons, armor, miscellaneous goods.

“Welcome! Oh? Unusual! A young customer, arune.”

The shopkeeper spoke cheerfully.

He looked suspicious… like a caricature of a Chinese man from a past life. Even his speech ended with “-arune.”

“G-Good evening… this place?”
“The Trash Mountain Shop, arune.”
“Huh? From a dungeon?”
“This is a mountain of trash collected from various places, arune. You might find treasures here. That’s the idea, arune.”
“…I see…”
“Hmm.”

Mineha seemed slightly interested.

“One try costs only 1,000 Oro. Want to try, arune?”
“Wait… one trash item is 1,000 Oro?”

Mineha gave me a sharp look.

“Could say that, arune.”
“…That’s way too much of a gamble.”

I muttered, ridiculous.

“I’ll try.”
“W-Wof!?”
“Thank you, aruh.”

I paid 1,000 Oro to the shopkeeper.

“W-What are you doing!?”

I rummaged through the Trash Mountain.

“There was light.”
“Blue light? Here?”
“Not quite. Blue-yellow light.”
“Huh? Blue and yellow?”
“Yes. First time seeing it.”

I climbed the pile while explaining.

“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but it caught my attention.”

Using [Crisis Detection], I carefully picked my way up.

Mineha clung to my jacket collar.

Safely, we reached the middle of the pile—where the blue-yellow light came from.

There it was… black, slender, square… what could it be?

Four black rectangles with long slats overlapped in a complex shape.

The center was hollow and round.

This must be the handle part.

It’s missing? Is this a spear?

There was some pattern in the middle, but hard to see.

It was stuck diagonally in the pile.

“…What?”
“Looks like a spear…”
“No way, that can’t be.”

Mineha’s cold gaze and words pierced me.

Uh… for now…

“I bought it, I’ll take it.”

I pulled it out with effort—surprisingly light.

The tip seemed sharp, but broken, shaped like a pen.

Even the tip… really a spear?

Well… I paid 1,000 Auror for it. I put it in my pouch.

“Ridiculous. Such junk.”

Mineha muttered disappointedly.

I said nothing and went back down to the shopkeeper.

“Did you find anything good, arune?”
“Yes… sort of.”

I smiled vaguely. The shopkeeper was pleased.

Mineha said nothing.

“What now?”
“…Doesn’t matter.”
“Then let’s head back.”

From the outer edge to the lower floor, then returning to the middle floors.

“Oh, Wof-san.”
“Hey, Wof-san.”
“Waah, Wof-san!”

All at once, my name was called by the Cerbero Stern trio.

They were eating crepe-like food while walking.

Nice… I wonder where they got that.

VIP Area – Moving Palace
??? Room

“Phew… made it in safely. So this is the spot, huh.”

I hid where I was told.

A little cramped, but fine.

“…”

I gripped my beloved halberd.

If he comes… I’ll cut him down.

Then… Ruma can finally be happy.

Huh? Someone’s coming? That pale, orc-like man…

Ah!? Could it be Barrow? Wow… he’s changed a lot.

No way a Slayer could handle that.

The Jinryu family… Slayers by lineage, fighters who rose through Slaying.

Yet the next head looks like that… doomed either way.

Now… one person alone. A chance.

Hm? Knocking?

Someone’s coming.

Wa!? Mirror-faced man?

He stabbed Barrow, and Barrow fell.

The mirror-faced man left. Wh-what just happened?

“…What the heck?”

I didn’t understand. The Barrow I planned to kill had been killed by someone else.

Was this good?

Hm? Someone else again.

“Oh my… oh my, another rare corpse and sword, eh?”

Eh… that person…!?

Ah, he collected the corpse, whistling, and left.

“…”

What is happening?

I stood there in shock, then left the room.

Where is Ruma…?