Kays Translations

Chapter 8: A Fine Day for Shopping

Tauro’s days had been busy ever since he began living at the guild.

He helped the employees from early morning. Once that work was finished, he accepted beginner errand quests and completed them during the day, then returned to help at the guild again in the evening.

He also cleaned whenever he found a spare moment, leaving him almost no free time.

Now that he ate every day, his emaciated body was gradually filling out, and he felt his stamina improving.

He was becoming capable of handling a reasonable amount of the physical labor that had once exhausted him almost immediately.

About half a month later, Tauro saved enough from his quests—after deducting his living expenses—to repay Mauve.

Mauve promptly returned twice that amount to him.

“I made a tidy profit from the wager, so this is your share,” he explained.

Mauve, you’re far too cool! Tauro thought, nearly weeping with gratitude.

Today was also payday at the guild.

Tauro wasn’t an official employee, and he spent his days doing quests, so his wages were apparently lower than everyone else’s. Even so, receiving any pay at all made him happy.

“Why don’t you use that money to buy the things you need?” Nei suggested.

It was true that Tauro owned almost nothing.

He had been wearing the clothes given to him after his bath ever since.

Since learning [Purification], he cast it on himself once a day and was technically clean, but he still wanted a change of clothes for his own peace of mind.

His adventurer rank had also risen from G- to G.

Once he advanced from G+ to F-, he would be allowed to accept quests such as gathering medicinal herbs in the forest and hunting One-Horned Rabbits. He therefore wanted to obtain at least a knife beforehand.

“All right! I’m going shopping today!”

Tauro set out enthusiastically.

Shopping is fun.

That was his honest opinion.

He had never found shopping enjoyable in his previous life. Now, however, he keenly appreciated what it meant to have money, and the experience delighted him.

After buying everyday necessities at a general store, he visited the secondhand clothing shop Nei had recommended.

The clothes had simple designs, but compared with the sack-like outfit he had been wearing, they felt positively luxurious.

He also bought a rain hood.

His quests had taught him just how troublesome getting caught in the rain could be.

The hood was somewhat expensive because it was made from monster hide.

Nei had also advised him to buy clothes a little larger than his current size.

Children grew quickly, after all.

When Tauro mentioned Nei’s recommendation, the shopkeeper even gave him a small discount.

“Nei certainly knows a lot of people.”

Tauro marveled at her connections.

“Now for the weapons shop!”

That was the day’s main event.

Nei had recommended this shop as well. It belonged to a dwarf.

Nonhuman demihumans were rare in Saisi. Tauro had seen beastfolk at places such as the Adventurers’ Guild, but he had never met a dwarf.

As he imagined what the dwarf might be like and rounded a corner, he heard a hammer striking metal.

Ahead stood a shop with a sign depicting a sword and hammer.

It appeared to be both a weapons shop and a smithy.

When Tauro opened the door, he found swords, axes, spears, and many weapons he had never seen before lining the interior.

“Is the shopkeeper… not here?”

No one seemed to be in the shop.

The hammering came from a room in the back.

“Oh? A customer? Look around for a bit and wait for me!”

A deep voice called from the rear, perhaps having sensed someone enter.

The promised “bit” turned into quite a long wait.

Eventually, Tauro decided to peek into the back room.

The figure he saw from behind looked exactly like a dwarf from a fantasy story.

He was broad, with short legs and thick arms. He looked short, although he was probably still taller than Tauro.

“Hm?”

The dwarf stopped working and turned.

“Ah, right. I had a customer.”

He stood, then looked Tauro over and confirmed that the boy was shorter than he was.

“Are you a child?”

Apparently, humans all looked alike to him.

Unable to judge Tauro’s age by his features, he seemed to be relying on height.

“Running an errand for your parents, brat?”

“No. More importantly, aren’t you going to quench that?”

Tauro was familiar with the sight from television: iron was hammered while hot, then plunged into water to harden it, followed afterward by tempering. He had wondered why the dwarf had simply left the piece lying there.

“Quench it? What’s that?”

Tauro didn’t know the finer details, but he offered a simple explanation.

“…Hmm. I’ve never heard of it, but now that you mention it, the idea seems sound… Wouldn’t that warp the iron, though? No, perhaps that could be adjusted…”

Evidently eager to try it, the dwarf kept glancing toward the furnace.

“So, what did you come here for?”

Tauro explained that he wanted a knife that could also serve for self-defense.

“In that case, the shelf over there has some small ones meant for brats. Choose one. I’ll give it to you. If it doesn’t suit you, come back.”

The dwarf resumed his work the instant he finished speaking.

Apparently, he could no longer resist testing Tauro’s idea.

Whatever the reason, Tauro had just obtained a knife for free.

“…Then I’ll gladly accept your offer and take one.”

Tauro called out as he left, but the dwarf didn’t even check which knife he had chosen.

“…Fine,” was his only response.

The biggest event of Tauro’s shopping trip had ended rather anticlimactically.

“…That wasn’t how I imagined it.”

Despite getting an excellent bargain, Tauro couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

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