Chapter 87: New Armor

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Translator: Soafp

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It was when the four of us, El, Lewis, Nero, and I, were talking.

“Isn’t the capital city huge?”

Lewis suddenly brought up.

“Yeah, but why the sudden interest?”

I am curious about Lewis’s intentions.

“How about exploring the capital city instead of taking on a request this coming Darkday?”

Lewis! You’re the best! You really understand me!!

“That sounds great.”

I replied with a sly smile.

“I thought so.”

Louis smirked back.

“I’m in too.”

Nero tries his best to make a sly face, but making a sly face without darkness in your heart is impossible… Sorry, Nero.

“Understood.”

El, the master of sly faces among us, joined in. I almost called him “El-sama” for a moment. Truly a handsome man, handling everything flawlessly.

While discussing plans for the next Darkday like fools, we moved on to the guild.

Darkday ——

Since we had been scolded by the Adventurer’s Guild for not showing up often enough, and considering the Wyvern incident, we weren’t taking on any requests today. However, we had decided to meet at the guild as our rendezvous point.

As El and I walked towards the guild, we passed by a skewered meat stall. Although we had already eaten breakfast, the irresistible aroma wafted from the stall.

I couldn’t help but buy some skewered meat. With fatty skewers in hand, El and I each took a bite as we continued walking.

“El, I’ve been meaning to say this, but you don’t always have to accompany us, you know? You must have friends from the Knight Department, right?”

I brought up something that had been on my mind for a while. El had never introduced me to any of his friends from the Knight Department. I didn’t think anyone would bully El, but just in case there were bullies, I wanted to test out my Condense Ray on them, just once.

“Right. Actually, a friend of mine expressed interest in taking on a quest. He plans to register as an adventurer next Darkday and take on a quest right away.”

“I see. How many people are going?”

“Just us two, but there might be a few more.”

“Handling a larger group could be tough. Should I come along?”

“Um, I think we’ll be fine. Everyone is capable of physical enhancement.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Got it. Let’s go together sometime.”

“Yeah. Let them know.”

El seemed to have plans with friends next week. I understood how Ashera and my mother must have felt when they accompanied us on our quests in Blue Ring estate.

As El and I walked and talked, we arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Lewis and Nero hadn’t arrived yet. I decided to just show my face to Naga.

El and I entered the Adventurer’s Guild and joined the line for Naga.

As usual, there weren’t many people in line for Naga. There was only one person ahead of me today. I vaguely remembered seeing this person in line for Naga last week too.

While I was lost in thought, it was my turn.

“Good morning, Aldo, Elphus.”

“Good morning, Naga-san.”

“Morning, Naga-san.”

“What can I do for you today?”

Naga-san inquired about our business, but to be honest, we didn’t have any particular plans. If I just told her that, she’d probably scold us. So, I spontaneously asked about last week’s wyvern incident.

“We won’t be taking any requests today, but I was curious about what happened to the wyvern…”

“As for wyverns, their hides and bones can be used for armor, their teeth, claws, and bones for weapons, and their meat, though highly perishable, is valuable for trade. So, we’re currently in the process of dressing the carcass, removing the perishable meat, organs, and blood.”

“I see…”

“Yes. Therefore, it will take a bit more time to process everything. If you urgently need money, we can certainly assess it at the Guild, but it will fetch a lower price.”

“We’re not in a hurry, so it’s fine.”

“I understand. I’ll be sure to inform the Blue Ring residence once everything is processed.”

“Thank you.”

With that, the courtesy visit was over. Maybe I should wait for Lewis and the others at the tavern.

We moved to the tavern and took our seats. Just like last time, I ordered loudly.

“Two glasses of milk, please!”

“Sure thing, two glasses of milk coming up!”

This time, the waitress didn’t seem surprised. She smirked at me before heading to the kitchen to fetch the milk.

“The hell, milk? Since when did the Guild become a daycare center?”

“What’s a kid doing at the Guild? Get lost already!”

The heckling began again, but this time, there were fewer people trying to stop it. Perhaps after the wyvern slaying incident, many adventurers thought twice before causing trouble.

Five men approached us.

“Oi, kid. Go suck on your momma’s t*ts and get outta here.”

I ignored them and waited for my milk.

“Kid, ignoring us, huh?”

One of the men grabbed my shoulder and forcefully turned me towards him.

“Ha… Is ordering milk really that offensive?”

“If weaklings like you hang around the Guild, they’ll think we’re all weaklings too!”

I looked towards Naga-san and asked loudly.

“Naga-san, mind if I not hurt them? I think they’ll shut up once they see my strength.”

Naga-san chuckled and nodded.

“He asked if it was okay not to hurt the old man because he said, ‘Can I take care of him since I asked if it was okay not to hurt him?'”

The man’s face turned red, and he lunged at me.

I immediately activated Body Strengthening and distanced myself from the old man.

“You sure five is enough? If the guys at the back want to join, they better hurry up.”

My taunt attracted more men from behind, bringing the total to eight.

“Nii-sama, are you okay? Shall I assist?”

El looked slightly concerned as he asked. My Brigandine still had large holes in my right flank and left shoulder from last week. I must be a bit nervous after what happened last week.

“I’m fine.”

As I said that, the enraged men charged at me. There were eight of them.

No need for space kick or magic.

Just like with Joe, I slipped into their space, lightly stroking their vulnerable spots.

“One…”

“Three…”

“Four…”

“Seven…”

“Eight… all done…”

Eight men were now clutching their stomachs, unconscious.

“Anyone else want some?”

I shouted loudly at the men who had been watching, but they paled and shook their heads.

With eight men down, they were getting in the way. I had placed some recovery magic at the corner just in case.

I sat back down across from El and stared at the waitress peeking out from the kitchen.

With fear in her eyes, she brought over the two glasses of milk.

“Here’s… your milk… please…”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks. Here’s your payment and an inconvenience fee.”

I handed her a little extra money, and she smiled gratefully, thanking me with cash in hand.

As I drank my milk, Lewis and Nero arrived.

“I saw everything… I’ll say it again. What the hell are you doing from the morning?”

“I just ordered some milk.”

“Like I said again! Couldn’t you order without make a ruckus?”

“…”

“What’s up?”

“Frankly, unless we teach them a lesson, these guys can be really annoying… Dealing with guys harassing us is a hassle too.”

Understanding my intention, Lewis shrugged.

“Shall we give them a little scare?”

With a menacing aura directed at the men behind us, Lewis walked slowly towards them…

Naga-san seemed to try to stop us, but I was faster.

We approached the men and unleashed our fiercest aura!

“Whoa!!!”

With a loud shout, we startled the men. Some fell to their knees, others screamed, and some even fainted. I felt like I might have gone a bit too far, so I looked at Naga-san, who had a vein popping on her forehead and a half-smile.

I turned on my heel and bolted from the Guild. El, Lewis, and Nero followed suit.

“Let’s run!”

“Nii-sama, wait!”

“Aldo! You have gone too far!”

“I feel relieved now.”

Many adventurers were running outside. The four of us laughed as we dashed through the crowd.

How long did we run? It didn’t matter to us, with Body Strengthening.

“That was fun.”

I didn’t think anyone felt remorse. Lewis started lecturing.

“Are you cursed to die if you don’t cause trouble?”

“They were the ones who started it.”

“I saw that! I also saw that it wasn’t your fault!”

“So what’s the problem then?”

“Haa… forget it.”

“…”

Lewis sighed deeply, utterly exasperated.

“Alright, let’s change the subject.”

I could hear Lewis sighing again at my apparent lack of remorse… incomprehensible.

“As planned, we’re going to explore the royal capital. First, I want to buy new armor in the East District. This hole makes my current armor useless…”

Starting with the East District. Generally, the noble districts are patrolled by guards and are quite troublesome. Today, we planned to explore the commercial district.

Just in case, everyone was fully equipped, as it would be risky otherwise. I didn’t bring any emergency rations, as I didn’t think we’d get lost in the royal capital.

The four of us wandered through the stalls, browsing. We soon arrived at the armor shop.

Upon opening the door and peering inside, I saw a burly, bearded man attending the shop.

“Excuse me, I want to buy some armor.”

“Armor?”

The bearded man furrowed his brow as he looked at the gaping holes in my left shoulder and right flank.

“What happened to those holes?”

“Oh, I got hit by magic from a Wyvern last week.”

“A Wyvern…”

“Yeah, it’s being processed at the Guild now.”

“You took it down?”

“I fought alongside my little brother El until halfway, but I had to retreat after taking a hit from magic. He finished it off by himself.”

“This kid… single-handedly…”

“Yeah, he’s my proud little brother!”

“Please stop it, Nii-sama.”

Actually, El was my lifesaver. I only spoke the truth.

“Is there any armor that could replace this one?”

“How about Wyvern skin?”

“Wyvern skin?”

“Yeah, if you bring Wyvern skin, you can make leather armor out of it.”

“Leather armor… But won’t the defense be lower since it doesn’t have iron plates like this Brigandine?”

“If it’s Wyvern skin, the armor will have exceptional defense that surpasses iron plates.”

“Eh? Wyvern skin is stronger than iron plates?”

“Yeah. It’s lighter and easier to move in than now, and the defense will increase!”

“…”

“What will you do?”

“Ah, well, let me think… How many armors can be made with all of the Wyvern skin?”

“It depends on the size of the Wyvern… but I think we can make four… no, five.”

“Alright, then. If I hand over all the skin, can you make leather armor for everyone here for free?”

Lewis and Nero chimed in at my words.

“Wait a minute, we didn’t do anything! There’s no reason for us to get something for free.”

“Yeah, we can’t just accept it.”

“There is a reason. We can’t dismantle it by ourselves. You called for reinforcements just in case. Isn’t that right, El?”

“Yes, that’s right. We were fortunate to have received reinforcement, even though we managed to win.”

“Just that won’t get us Wyvern leather armor for free.”

“Yeah, Lewis is right.”

“I want you guys to have it because… I almost died this time. I can’t rely on Brigandine anymore…”

“I want Lewis and Nero to have it too. If it’s about money, we can take fewer requests.”

“What do you say, Nero?”

“… … …”

“Take it.”

Suddenly, the bearded man interjected into our conversation.

“Not weapons, but armor. It’s what protects your life. If you’re saying it like that, then just say thanks, and we’re done.”

“…”

“…”

“Lewis, Nero, I’m counting on you to accept it.”

“Hmm… understood. Thank you, Aldo, Elphus.”

“Thank you, Aldo, Elphus.”

I and El nodded with smiles.

“So, if I hand over all the Wyvern skin, can you make armor for the four of us for free?”

“I can’t say ‘no’ to such a proposition when it’s right in front of me… Honestly.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks.”

“Thanks a lot.”

The bearded man smiled wryly in response to our gratitude.

After that, he measured each of our sizes and made adjustments to ensure that the armor would still fit as we grew.

Since we all wielded different weapons, there were subtly different areas that hindered our movements.

While we had all worn the same Brigandine before, now each of us would have armor tailored to our individual needs.

As we discussed the details, the bearded man suddenly asked:

“So, can the skin be brought over quickly?”

“I wonder… They’re apparently processing the perishable parts like organs and blood first.”

“I see. If you give me a heads-up, I can handle the skin.”

“But can you do it without additional compensation?”

“No need for extra. Honestly, it’s easier for me to process it myself, and it reduces waste.”

“That makes sense. Since we already know what we’re making, processing it during disassembly will reduce the risk of waste.”

“Exactly. Honestly, there’s not much room in the budget, so I want to minimize waste as much as possible.”

“In that case, let’s go talk to them directly.”

“Ou.”

The bearded man and us headed straight for the Adventurers Guild.

As we approached the guild, I remembered the morning’s incident. Ah right, I ran away after causing a scene. Lewis gave me a side-eye… Ah, should I avoid eye contact tomorrow? Ah, I can’t? Alright, I see.

We braced ourselves and opened the guild’s door. The bustling noise from earlier disappeared like a receding wave.

The guild fell silent. Just that made me want to turn around and leave. The crowd of people parted as if by divine intervention, creating a straight path to Naga.

Naga-san. She’s smiling, but her eyes aren’t… It’s scary.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards Naga-san.

“Naga-san, I have a favor to ask…”

“Ah, what a coincidence. I also have a favor to ask of you, Aldo-kun…”

“Can I ask what it is?”

“No, you can’t! You’ll run away if I say it!”

“You saw through me…”

“Aldo-kun, the adventurers who approached you earlier were definitely in the wrong. But you see, look behind you. The usually confident adventurers are now acting like fragile maidens!”

At Naga-san’s words, I turned around. Everyone quickly averted their gaze… Why? It’s like I’m dealing with a bunch of delinquents… I could cry.

With half-teary eyes, I looked back at Naga-san, and she let out a small “Uuu” sound, suddenly softening her attitude.

“Well, just be more careful next time, okay?”

It seems Naga-san didn’t really think I was at fault. She must have judged from my demeanor that I had reflected on my actions.

“Did you have something to ask?”

With Naga-san’s anger subsided, she spoke to me in her usual manner.

“Yes. Actually, I intend to hand over the Wyvern skin to the owner of this armor shop. In return, he’ll make Wyvern Leather Armor for the four of us.”

“I see… That’s a clever deal. Both parties are minimizing waste.”

“I would like you to discuss the details directly with the old man at the guild, but you must give the skins to him.”

With that, I had no further business at the Adventurers Guild! I wanted to leave from here for various reasons!

“Well then, I’ll take my leave…”

Immediately, I made a U-turn and hurriedly left the guild.